by W.O. Cassity
Chapter Nine: A Fresh Start
Over the next several days, the group managed to accomplish a lot together, much to Adam’s satisfaction. He felt like a real adventurer. Adam was primarily responsible for catching the fish and retrieving firewood. He was grateful Donadeir used his knowledge of plants and gathered herbs for cooking. Much to Adam’s surprise, Donadeir was quite a good cook. Talia used her sword to cut away small tree limbs and vines which she used to make fortification barriers, spiked with spears covering much of the cave entrance. She had explained to him the funnel point made it easier to defend their position.
On the third day at the cave, the trio managed to get enough rest and food to nourish their bodies. The fish Adam caught provided an ample amount of food for them, but it wasn’t practical to prepare for a journey without additional ways to hunt and forage.
Adam watched Talia as she worked with the gutstring, carefully securing it on the top end of the flexible yew limb. The bow would be useful for hunting larger game. They could also use it for protection, or defense, if needed.
Donadeir worked closely beside Talia, shaving down several small shafts to form arrows after she showed him how to craft one. Adam admired how quickly Donadeir had picked up on it, and his arrows were actually more precisely made than hers. Donadeir’s confidence had greatly improved over the last several days, and in spite of their uncomfortable situation, Adam could see Donadeir was changing for the better. He had even started calling Adam by name, without the insults. Adam was willing to call Donadeir his friend and was grateful for his companionship. The group worked well together, and this was going to be the key to their long-term survival.
Adam arrived with five fresh fish already cleaned and ready for the fire. Donadeir had discovered several large, concave stones in the stream and eagerly showed them off. These stones allowed Donadeir to prepare the meat in their shallow, bowl shaped crevices. The bowl Talia discovered in the village was used to retrieve water. Adam handed the fish over to Donadeir who seasoned the meat, preparing it for the spit.
“I did a quick scouting of the clearing before returning,” Adam started, “and all was clear except for one very skittish raccoon.” Donadeir and Talia laughed together.
“You should have invited him to dinner,” Donadeir replied.
“We can have him for dinner if I finish this bow,” Talia scolded herself.
“Mmm, with some potatoes, parsley, and sage, we could have some raccoon stew if I had a pot,” Donadeir said.
Sitting down next to Donadeir, opposite Talia, Adam poked at the fire with one of the small sticks he found while gathering firewood. “Well, I’ve thought about making some kind of fish trap. A fisherman taught me how to make these crates that will let a fish swim in, but traps them inside. I wonder if we could use something similar to trap smaller animals like the raccoon,” Adam added.
“Father talked a lot about how some soldiers and adventurers trapped their food,” Talia interjected. “He showed me how to make a rabbit snare, so we should think about placing some of them around here. Animals like that raccoon will be drawn to the water source.”
“If you show me how, I want to help,” Donadeir said, looking to Talia.
“Anything easier than spearing fish, I’m in,” Adam replied. “My aim is getting better, but I feel exposed, and I’m worried someone may see me out there and draw unwanted attention.”
“Good,” Talia agreed. “We will need to find something better than vines for it to work. Maybe plant fiber would work better.”
“I saw cattails when I was gathering herbs,” Donadeir said.
“Cattails will do well to make the nooses, plus we can use them to tie things down,” Talia said. “I’ll make us enough anchors for ten traps to improve our chances. We will need to scout out some animal trails leading into the clearing.”
“I’ve spotted tracks in several places when I was out fishing,” Adam added.
“We will work this out together and hopefully we will have some much needed luck,” Talia nodded to her boys.
As the fish cooked on the spit, the trio sat around in silence, lost in their own thoughts. Adam watched as Donadeir meticulously adjusted the spit every few minutes, working to cook the fish evenly. Once one fish was done, Donadeir removed it from the spit and put another fish over the fire.
The good thing about focusing on survival was they didn’t have a lot of time to think about how they had gotten into this situation or what to do in the long run. Many questions begin to swim through Adam’s mind. He wasn’t the only one unwilling to talk about what happened. If they had any hope of returning home, they would have to confront the hard questions. Finally Adam started, “Why do you think the Blood King’s guards attacked Riverside?”
“It’s the old prophecy of the heir, of course,” Donadeir explained. “When we visited my family’s relatives last season in Corronest, I heard some of their guests talking about unrest between the Blood King’s counsel and the Order. There was a lot of tension since the Seering Council is the heart of the city. The Order openly talked about signs coming to pass.”
“Why would the the Cult of Draenar make advances against the Order,” Talia responded with disbelief. “If the Order has seen the rise of the heir, there’s nothing the kingdoms can do about it.”
“Based on what I know, The Order believed the Blood King went into seclusion because his own counsel plotted against him, trying to usurp his power. The Cult of Draenar believed they could change the course of the future and stop the prophecy by killing the heir before the Blood King’s death,” Donadeir explained. “So, the Order sent an envoy to speak with the king, but the envoy never returned. Everyone thinks the Cult executed the envoy because the Order meant to stop them. Besides, everyone knows the Order doesn’t want to lose its power and influence.”
“Yeah, but It doesn’t make any sense for them to attack our village,” Adam said. “We never bothered anyone, so why would they come after us?”
“Well, the prophecy about the heir says upon the death of the Blood King, in eleven days the heir will awaken in the Valley of Rivers, and in eleven months the Eleven Kingdoms will fall under his Armies of the Slain. From his Throne of Bones he will claim his reign and declare his queen,” Talia explained. “So you see, since we know the Throne of Bones rests within Cindermoor Keep, it only makes sense for the heir to live somewhere within the kingdom. The Cult could be looking everywhere, not just Riverside.”
“So their plan was to kill every child in the kingdom to stop the heir?” Adam asked as he struggled to control his anger.
“No,” Donadeir answered, “Communiques from the Cult to all territories under their control were dispatched a week ago demanding the names of all orphans. Those named were to be detained and escorted to Cindermoor.”
“How do you know this, Dona?” Talia snapped at Donadeir in disbelief. “I have never heard you articulate yourself like this! You know of things you should not.”
“Because my father received the communique since he had the most influence in Riverside. He burned the decree and was preparing to make an escape with Mother and I, but the guards arrived too soon,” Donadeir explained. “I don’t think Father expected the guards to attack, but he said he wanted no part in it.”
Adam remembered Othelk had met with Donadeir’s father the day of the guards arrival. Initially, he didn’t think anything of it. The baker regularly met with his mentor to let him know about shipments he was expecting. Looking back, Othelk had been very upset at the baker. Adam had only assumed Othelk and the baker had a disagreement. Was it possible Othelk knew about the communique?
“I know someone should have said something, but Father was a careful man. Even if he believed the summons was absolute, he had no way of knowing what was gonna happen,” Donadeir explained.
“The real question is how did the guards arrive so quickly,” Talia puzzled. “From Cindermoor, Riverside is a five-day march at the very least.”
“Someone must have known the Blood King was going to die,” Adam interjected. “And they also knew Riverside was important, so they were ready.”
“Yes Adam, The Cult must have had a plan set in motion well before the Blood King’s death,” Talia pointed out. “It was their feeble attempt to halt the will of the Fates and defy the authority of the Order.”
“What I want to know is why The Cult was looking for orphans,” Donadeir said.
“The old prophecies said the heir would be an orphan commoner and the Blood King would not be aware of the conception, and so the heir’s identity would be unknown to him except through the magic of his blood,” Talia answered.
“I’m an orphan,” Adam said solemnly.
Donadeir looked at Adam with empathy and concern. “Did you know your father, Adam?”
“My family died when I was young,” Adam responded. “I vaguely remember my mother’s bright-blond hair and my father’s stern eyes. I’ve always wondered why my twin brother had blond hair like our parents, but my hair is black.”
Adam noticed Donadeir looked away, shifting uncomfortably as the facts came to light. Talia face also suggested she struggled to find the right words, realizing the implications of what Adam said. She looked both saddened and afraid because the Order was never wrong in their predictions according to her beliefs, and the heir was destined to usher the world into suppression and pain. Adam could never see himself as someone who could become so twisted and cruel. Judging by their faces, his companions couldn’t see it either.
“There is something else,” Adam spoke softly staring into the fire. “I saw your father speaking to Othelk the day of the guards arrival and Othelk was upset. I thought they might have been arguing about a shipment. A few hours later, Othelk looked concerned. It was obvious he wanted to say something to me, but he couldn’t even look me in the eye.”
