“Well, it was magnificent regardless of who made it,” said Elga.
“The illusions were interesting,” said Magnus, but I prefer Nathan’s type of magic. The gifts he bestowed upon us are worthy of a king. I’ve never owned a finer blade.”
Hanna nodded. She couldn’t agree more. The wondrous display of illusion magic along with floating food and singing statues had made for an entertaining few days, but Nathan’s gifts to them would last a lifetime. Her own knife was striking in its beauty and deceptive, while it appeared only to be a decorative blade, it was strong, light, and filled with magic.
“I know warlords who’d give me my weight in gold for these gauntlets,” said Katla as she admired her gifts from Nathan.
Magnus growled and gave her an icy glare at the suggestion she would trade away the precious gift.
“Oh relax, ye big oaf. I would never do such a thing. I’m just saying if I wanted to, I could. Any of you could. Weapons and armor imbued with magic are incredibly rare. Black steel weapons and armor even more so. It’s an honor we received such precious gifts,” said Katla.
Katla’s response seemed to mollify Magnus. It was true, it was an honor and the gifts were valuable beyond belief, but for Hanna it was the thought behind the gifts that mattered most. Nathan had taken the time to make gifts not just for herself and Magnus, who had gone north to attempt to rescue Ava, but also for Olga and Katla. Katla was not from Solotine, and for many that made her an outcast to be treated differently, just as Hanna had been most of her life. However, Nathan had shown her nothing but respect, and when he’d heard the entire story of how they had met, from Katla killing her grandfather, to their shared battles against the witches who’d threatened to unleash an army of demon warriors into the world, he hadn’t judged or questioned either of them for bonding with demons. He showed gratitude where others might have shown scorn or contempt. Hanna knew she would forever see Nathan as a friend and not just a distant relative. And Rose as well now held a place in her heart. The decision to make two bloodstones with Ava’s blood had proven to be the right one.
…
“How was the festival?” asked King Theron.
Hanna smiled and looked over to Magnus, who’d been the most skeptical among the group heading to Elderwood.
Magnus sighed as he saw Hanna watching him. “It went well, sire. Elderwood is a beautiful place and everyone enjoyed the magical displays.”
King Theron smiled. “Well, if they can convert you into thinking magic isn’t bad then it must have been a success.”
“Well, I may have been coerced, sire. I spent hours on the trail being harangued for my attitude towards magic.”
“For your shitty attitude towards magic,” said Katla.
Hanna tried not to smile as she stood before the king. Her companion cared not she was speaking out of place in front of a king. But before the conversation got into a pissing match between her two companions Hanna stepped in. “I agree with Magnus’s evaluation of the festivities. We met many of the dignitaries from the various cities of Tarnstead and Venecia, and there were many common folk from Salma and the other close villages. It was obvious most of the visitors had no idea what to expect, many seemed hesitant to even go past the gates, but as the festival went on people relaxed and became enthralled with what they saw. We all spent time walking through the crowds listening to conversations. There was a general theme to most of them. They talked about not knowing what to expect and fearing dark magic but found instead beauty and fun. Not all changed their minds, but most left with a new appreciation for magic. I suspect as those people return to their homes and talk about what they have seen there will be a change in the general perception of Elderwood. I believe Nathan was very wise to host the festival.”
“Excellent news. I fear between Lord Zellox and dragons we will need some magic on our side as well. Perhaps we can even admit to knowing a magic user or two here in the north without panic and paranoia. And the other purpose of your visit, how did it go with Nathan and Rose? Did the lunar event strengthen their bond with the spirit world?”
“Yes. Nathan actually spoke to Ava in his dreams. It was a welcome event and it gave him some closure knowing she was watching over them. Rose had already developed a strong spirit bond, but she too saw Ava in her dreams.”
King Theron nodded. “Thank you. I worried that after losing so much already the loss of Ava would be the end of the Nathan we knew.”
“There is more news,” Magnus said. “Of a less pleasant nature.”
King Theron raised an eyebrow. “Who did you kill?”
“It wasn’t Magnus, it was Nathan,” Hanna said. “One of King Parth’s emissaries.”
“But it wasn’t Nathan’s fault,” Katla said. “The emissary was a warrior, one of King Parth’s blackguard. He picked a fight at the dance and wouldn’t back down. He argued all kingdoms in Solotine should follow their traditions, including the right to an honor duel. He came to Elderwood looking for an excuse to fight Nathan. It was plain as day.”
“And what a fight it was,” Magnus said. “I’ve never dealt with any of King Parth’s blackguard myself, but the man was a dangerous warrior. Yet no match for young Nathan.”
“I agree,” Katla said. “Hanna warned me before we entered Elderwood her cousin was a fine warrior, but I had my reservations. He may be a boy in years, but his body and skill are that of a warrior.
“Just like his father,” King Theron said with a heavy sigh. “Hopefully the burden of dealing with men like that doesn’t weigh on him like it did his father. Thank you all for the update on my grandson. I am grateful for your service. Hanna, I have another thing to ask of you.”
Hanna raised an eyebrow. What did the king need now? “What do you need of me, Great Uncle?”
King Theron nodded to one of his servants. The servant left the room and returned with two women. A large, strong-looking warrior and a young woman.
“Hanna Halfblood, this is Shayla and her companion Raven. They need assistance,” said the king.
“What type of assistance?”
Shayla, the younger woman spoke, “We need to travel to Seron.”
“They need more than just a guide,” said the king. “They are being hunted by the Sacred Blood.”
“I see. And the Sacred Blood are here in the north now?”
King Theron nodded.
Shayla answered. “There are two of them here for sure. They are powerful mages. They attacked us in Seron and we were transported northeast of here to a tower. Raven freed us, and we fled here. They will be following us. King Theron fears they will have spies in the villages between here and the coast.”
The Sacred Blood, Hanna hadn’t dealt with them much, and when she had it hadn’t been pleasant. They were zealots and mercenaries who sold their weapons and assistance to the highest bidders to help build their own armies. That they had spies in Northern Solotine was not news to Hanna. They valued black steel weapons and when they couldn’t buy them they would try to steal them. Hanna knew for a fact many of the pirates who attacked her ships had contracts with the Sacred Blood for any black steel they could get. “Okay, we can get you to Seron.”
“I won’t tell you what to do, but I think it is best if you take them south. Return to Elderwood and have Nathan accompany you. Him and one or two of his mages would be of great assistance in a battle with mages,” King Theron said.
Hanna nodded. “Wise council.” Going south to Elderwood would only extend the journey by a few days while making following them harder for whoever wanted to follow them. Nathan could post men and mages at the pass to slow or block whoever tried to follow them. And he had contacts among the cities of Tarnstead, many of whom she’d met at the festival. Either route would be dangerous, but at least by going south they would gain the help of Nathan.
“I would like to accompany them as well,” said Magnus.
“As would I,” said Elga.
“Magnus, I would be thankful if you did
. Elga, I have need of you here, and I think a smaller group is the wisest choice. Things are tense enough in Tarnstead and a large group of warriors moving fast would likely be seen as a threat. Especially if Nathan has issues with King Parth. Tarnstead is big enough that avoiding king’s men shouldn’t be too hard, but stealth is to be advised.”
“I will speak to Nathan, perhaps him joining us isn’t the wisest course of action, I will let him decide,” Hanna said. “Send a messenger you trust to keep his mouth shut to Iron Tide. Send him to my mother and tell him to have my ship meet us in Crasmere.”
King Theron frowned. “Yes, I suppose it might not be wise for Nathan to travel through Tarnstead. I will leave that to you and Nathan to decide. But why Crasmere and not Bellmore?”
Hanna knew what the king was getting at. Bellmore was far closer than Crasmere and on a map, might seem the logical place to meet one of her ships. “I don’t have the best relationships with Bellmore, and we have strong suspicions Bellmore has a very friendly relationship with some of the pirates who try raiding our ships. Crasmere might be a rowdier city but I trust the harbor master. Glenmore would’ve been best, but it is the farthest to ride to.”
“I see,” said the king. “I will leave my guests in your capable hands.”
Hanna nodded to the king before turning to the two women she was to escort to Seron. “Are you ready to travel? If we leave now we can make Magnus’s village before dark.”
“We have nothing to pack. We are ready when you are,” Raven said.
Hanna nodded. It was an interesting pair, Shayla, she suspected, was from Seron, while Raven looked like she was from Solotine. How had they come together she wondered? Perhaps once they were on the road they would share more of how they came to Solotine. Traveling by magic was not a common thing, but it was how Ava had been kidnapped by the Darcarion mages working with Godric Kollrson. “Magnus, wake Katla and go to the stables and get fresh mounts. I’ll head to the kitchens and grab some supplies. I’ll meet you outside in five.”
Leaving the group, Hanna headed to the kitchens.
One of the cooks recognized her from her previous stay. “What will ye be needing, Miss Hanna?”
“A week’s worth of supplies for five riders.”
“I be assuming you need this right away. You warriors always seem to be in a rush,” said the portly cook.
Hanna smiled. “Yes, right away.” It was true, when things happened in her life they tended to happen fast. This return trip to Elderwood and across Southern Solotine was completely unexpected. But the king had made it clear he thought escorting the two was important. Hanna was curious about what made these two so special, but she was sure it would come out eventually. Right now, her priority was getting them to safety. Once she was on her own ship she could guarantee their safety, but until then it was a challenge.
“Here ya go, lass. Safe journeys,” said the cook as he handed Hanna a pair of sacks.
“Thank you,” Hanna said before making her way to the stables. When she arrived, the others were already mounted. Hanna loaded up the pack horse then slid into her own saddle. They’d been in Amradin for less than an hour and were already heading south once more. If nothing else, she was getting to know this part of Solotine rather well.
They left Amradin at a gallop. They traveled this way for several miles before slowing to a ground-eating canter. As they slowed Raven pulled her horse alongside Hanna’s.
“Where are we heading?” Raven asked.
“Arith. It’s a small mining village. They are seasoned warriors and completely loyal to King Theron. It is a safe place to sleep for a night before heading south.”
“Are you not familiar with this part of Solotine?”
“No,” said Raven. “I was born north west of here. Near the tower where we were transported to, but I was captured by slave traders at a young age and don’t remember much of Solotine outside of my village. I’ve spent much of my life in Seron.”
Slave traders, it wasn’t an uncommon tale. Many kingdoms were built on slaves, and slaves from Solotine were prized for their large muscular bodies. Many of the pirate ships that filled the waters between Solotine and Seron dabbled in slave trading. Although in Raven’s case it would’ve more likely been sailors from the Western Isles raiding the villages of the west coast of Solotine. “You are not a slave now, are you?”
“No. I was taken during a raid and freed by the king of Prozia. Out of gratitude I stayed with them and trained to become a warrior. I became the protector of the king’s daughter who became queen. Then I became her daughter’s protector. It is her that I must return to.”
“I see. And your companion? Does she serve the same princess?”
Raven shook her head. “She serves no one. She is like Isabella though.”
Hanna nodded. “What can you tell me about the men hunting you?”
“They are brothers, leaders of the Sacred Blood. They were trying to capture Isabella when something went wrong, and they ended up with Shayla and I instead. Tarak is … an attractive man, and he pretends to act with honor. But he is ruthless and twisted. He will stop at nothing to destroy his enemies.”
Interesting, thought Hanna. The way Raven paused before describing this Tarak and the tone of her voice while she described him indicated some very mixed feelings. Had she started to develop feelings for her captor? It wouldn’t be the first time something of that nature had happened. The pressure and tension of being a prisoner made people do strange things. “With any luck, we won’t see any sign of him. We’ll be moving fast, and it will be hard to catch us. Depending on how much of a lead we have on them now, but they will have to move carefully here and follow our tracks while we move swiftly.”
“Let us hope,” said Raven.
24
In the days following the festival, things started to fall back into a normal pattern. Nathan divided his time between working in his blacksmith shop and cutting stones. Demarion Black had big plans for the magic school and needed more space. The hard labor of the two tasks was a welcome distraction for Nathan as he waited to find out what would be the fallout of his duel with one of King Parth’s men.
“You ever wonder if there is a whole bunch more wolves out there like Lord Ridgeback?” Rayan asked Nathan.
Nathan looked at his work partner then over at the massive wolf who was laying on a rock shelf, basking in the afternoon sun. Lord Ridgeback was not allowed to accompany Rose to magic school so spent most afternoons with Nathan. “I’m sure there are plenty of ridgeback wolves out there if you looked hard enough.”
“I don’t mean ridgebacks particularly. I mean ones with heightened magical awareness. Create an army of magical beasts to fight for us.”
“I suppose it could be done,” Nathan said. “There are other creatures with magical awareness, but few mages with the ability to bond with them. I’ve got earth magic. Rose has spirit magic. Some of the Ingla from Silver Vale are able to bond with animals, so maybe everyone could do it if they knew how to harness their magic in the right way.”
“Find a big ol’ bear and bond with him. I’d ride a bear into battle,” Rayan said with a grin.
Nathan chuckled. “That would be something to see.”
“It could be done. Hell, Lord here is big enough for Rose to ride. You might be a little big for him, but a normal-sized person? No problem.”
Nathan shrugged. He couldn’t argue with that. Lord Ridgeback certainly was big enough and strong enough to be ridden. The question was would he let anyone. Although for Rose the wolf might just go along with it. “You might be on to something. Quinton and I were talking about this the other night when I showed them the whip I made. Quinton thinks we might be entering an age of magic. Maybe that means more magical creatures too.” Nathan finished his cut, and the row of blocks. “OK. Another row done. Maybe Demarion will stop harassing us soon.”
Rayan shook his head. “I doubt it. I think he has another section of the school planned out and he’
s just not telling you for fear you’ll get mad and quit cutting rocks.”
Laughing, Nathan replied. “I would threaten it. But I think the magic school is too important not to build. Although I don’t think it needs to grow as fast as he wants it too. We don’t have enough students.”
“They’ll come,” Rayan said. “It might take a few years, but they will come, and from all over the world.”
“You think so?” Nathan asked. “Why?”
“I think it will start in the Western Isles. The families with magical abilities that don’t want their kids growing up to be part of Lord Zellox’s army will send their kids here. Places like Creyta and Mandilla have magic schools but mostly for the noble born. If you offer passage to Solotine you’d see lots of young people with magical abilities come.”
“That is a thought. I should talk to Hanna about that the next time I see her. Maybe her merchant ships can bring students to us.”
Lord Ridgeback sat up from his slumber and growled.
Nathan looked behind him and saw a rider coming towards them.
Elwin, one of Verin’s rangers stopped as he reached the mountainside and looked up to where Nathan and Rayan were working. “Sorry to interrupt you, Nathan, but I have news that couldn’t wait.”
“No interruption at all, Elwin. I’m just glad one of Verin’s rangers still calls me by my name.”
Elwin smiled. “Only when none of the city soldiers are around. Those lot haven’t spent any time with you in the woods. They can call you prince.”
Nathan laughed. The natural rivalry between the rangers, city guards, and the knights hadn’t changed much since moving from Balta to Elderwood. “What is your news, Elwin?”
“Right,” said Elwin. “Hanna Halfblood and Magnus have returned and require your assistance.”
Hanna needed his assistance? Nathan couldn’t think of a warrior who less needed anyone’s assistance, and Magnus was a fierce warrior in his own right. Something serious was amiss for them to return so soon. “Where are they now?”
Treachery in Tarnstead (Stoneblood Saga Book 5) Page 23
