Dream of Embers Book 1

by J.B. Kleynhans

Yet Shala did not approach Bhask immediately. The Master of Wolves had them riding hard for two days, changing their pace after one of those silent discussions he so frequented with Kaell. Both Kaell and Metrus of course scouted the road and surroundings, the Wolf doing so by land and the Druid from high above.

  This left Shala riding behind Bhask, and he often threw a look over his shoulder to see that she was well, and still she never broached the topic of Kaell's transformation. She did not fully understand her own hesitation. At the least she had Von Gillivez at her side, but he was good for nothing more than small talk right then.

  When she tried to push Jingles to ride alongside Bhask, maybe to better approach in conversation, he cautioned her against it. ‘For the time being Highness, we'll ride in file. This southern tip is notorious for pitfalls and bear traps. If we come across such unseen I'll be the only victim.’

  Shala agreed with the logic, but was finding the ride surprisingly lonely. By night-time it wasn't much better. She would have Bhask and Metrus as company, but Kaell would always sit aside, away from the campfire, and to further his mystery he would do so with the strange wooden device he had recovered from the mill the other day.

  Assuming he had no other duties to see to, he would tend the device. He did so privately and with his black mask of paint still on Shala did not once think of approaching him and asking him about it. But she often looked on, curious as to why the artefact was so important to him.

  In the beginning Shala never got a good look at the device, save that it was clearly cylindrical and came up to his knee when he let it stand upright. Even from afar she could see that it was ceremonial, whatever it might be. It had markings engraved around its base and the top end was superbly crafted in likeness of a lion's head, as big as a melon, the neck arching, the mouth open and fierce, the brows furrowed in defiance above the eyes, and the mane represented by backswept overlapping flakes, smooth and thick like the blades of a shrub, inclined to a slight curl.

  From among the many jars and little pots he kept in his pack he produced a thin vial, containing an oil that scented the air with sandalwood the moment he unstoppered it. Carefully he would apply a thin coat of oil to it each time, and afterwards, when satisfied that it was dry, he would sit and watch it, as Shala watched him.

  Deep in thought he would brush the many ridges with his fingertips, almost caressing it. It was precious to him, that much was clear. One night he planted the thing into the ground, it took Shala some spying to realize the device had a bronze spike at the bottom. Doing so he spread open features on the base, Shala hitherto not having seen the foldable eagle wings on the back. They too were marvellously carved, and set on small bronze hinges.

  When he left it like that it gave the entirety a cross shape and the look Kaell gave the device then was of expectation, seemingly staring deep into the eyes of the lion. He seemed patient, but he definitely expected something, and this alerted the Princess. Shala was sure it must be more than a statuette of a winged lion. She didn't sense any magic in it, but she knew better than to think that she could if there were. All in all it became unbearable for Shala, she had had enough of this mystery.

  II

  That next day they passed the southernmost tip of the Dunnoom mountain range, Bhask leading their path to where the black rock giants first emerged, nothing more than foothills at first and then with suddenness becoming one of the most imposing sights on earth as their height climbed further and further to the north. The marvel of the black mountains was that they were actually mostly white, being snow-covered almost year round, laying on it like a blanket and revealing only the black rock surface here and there where peaks and ridges poked through. The most beautiful parts were where the pine trees of the Grove crept up their slopes.

  If they were to follow the eastern side of it they'd invariably return to Attoras. From here on though they would only travel farther and farther from home. Even here a shrill wind descended and ruined an otherwise fine day with a stinging coldness, so that Shala pulled her cloak Shadow tight across herself.

  Bhask voiced his relief at coming to this point. ‘It's all less forlorn on this side of the continent, nobody passes here easily as the Highwaymen guard the road.’

  ‘Isn't that a bad thing?’ asked Shala.

  ‘No, if we encounter such we can negotiate with them, but Highwaymen will out and out destroy goblin packs.’

  ‘They failed to do so before the goblins attacked my castle,’ said Shala sourly.

  Bhask frowned. ‘A conspiracy for another day. Someone saw them through these lands, someone aligned with Swarztial. I have wandered many places in the world. Sad to say if they had a guide as good as me they could sneak an entire army through the Norwain forest. Only Metrus would have had a hope of spotting them.’

  With Gillivez taking his horse on a different route for the day, Shala felt she could maybe press Bhask with some questions best discussed alone.

  ‘Why is it that you wander so? Are you a traveller by nature?’ asked Shala.

  Bhask took a moment to answer. ‘In a way I’ve always had restless feet, and the old Wolves loved having one such as I who did not shy away from travelling long distances. I could complete far-off missions you see. But when I was a little older than Kaell I met a true wanderer, a madman rambling by himself, but sane enough to prey upon the darkness in men's hearts. If I could ever concede to having made a mistake in my life, then that would have been it. By his behest I followed the man, hypnotised by his knowledge and his strange allure. I can’t ever remember seeing his face, or at least I can’t put a face to him in my memory.

  ‘It was by the misdeeds of others that I realized I was under a spell and failing my order in following this madman. I saw good men do unspeakable acts and the sight of it awoke my senses. It was eerie to behold Highness. He could stroll into a village and craftsmen would drop what they were busy with, and simply follow him.

  ‘When I broke away from his hold he grew incredibly angry and so he cursed me with his power, making of me an eternal wanderer. Luckily I never grew mad, but if ever I stay in one place for too long I start getting sick and despondent.’

  ‘Then you have a harsh fate. I am sorry if my helplessness is piling onto your burden.’

  ‘Not at all Highness. The Wolves can only have one purpose, and that is to protect the light-bearer, and I'm glad our loyalty belongs to one such as you. Besides, the curse itself is not all bad. I’ve seen much of the world because of it, and the sickness that comes about I used to great effect in my disguise back in the castle infirmary.’

  Shala’s eyes grew wide. ‘So that’s why we couldn’t alleviate your symptoms at first, and how you played sick so convincingly!’

  ‘Yes, strange how curses can become of use, isn’t it? All I had to do was stay still for a couple of days and inevitably the sickness comes.’

  ‘Coupled of course with your sudden recovery, just before the assault took place. Did you move without us realizing it?’ asked Shala.

  ‘At times yes, the infirmary is poorly locked to a man like me Highness. So I took midnight strolls, the nightshift guards thinking me a ghost at times!’ laughed Bhask. ‘That helped a little. There is in fact also a plant that helps me recuperate once I’m motionless. Kaell secretly administered it to me when he visited me in the infirmary as we anticipated the goblin invasion and I was fit by the time they came. When I stood up on my legs and ran to the armoury I felt the life return to me, and it was glorious to be truly moving again.’

  ‘How did you know about the goblins?’ asked Shala with some suspicion.

  ‘With the help of Metrus, Your Highness. He delivered the message to Kaell, but by then our efforts were limited to saving your life.’

  Shala nodded. She then thought it was the ideal time to confront Bhask and finally felt comfortable doing so. Kaell was out riding ahead and Metrus was flying. And today she thought she knew exactly where to start.

  ‘I’ve been wondering, why
is it Kaell fights with two bronze blades if the Wolves had some of the best steel forges up in the keep on the mountain?’ she asked. She felt this was an inauspicious enough question to talk about other things.

  ‘By the time Kaell’lam was taken to the keep the Wolves were all but disbanded, our activities rather secretive. The forges were in disuse , so we no longer produced weapons, but mostly, Kaell’lam uses those swords because bronze is the alloy they used in his homeland. They had not mastered iron or steel yet.’

  Shala looked quizzically at Bhask and she knew she was on the trail of something here.

  ‘Your Highness does not yet know,’ Bhask reminded himself out loud, and Shala looked at him expectantly. For a few moments he looked skywards, as though making a decision. ‘I might as well tell I guess, because I fear Kaell will never reveal it to you himself. The question is Highness, how much do you care to know?’

  ‘I feel the weight of something on Kaell that I have not seen before. Not on anyone. Tell me what I need to know and however much you're willing to share.’

  Bhask nodded in agreement. ‘Most of it can be explained simply enough. Kaell’s family, Highness, was of the Dureset tribes of Cerron.’

  Shala took a moment to recognize the lineage, her knowledge of history making her draw some obvious conclusions. ‘But they were driven out of Cerron! During my father's second campaign. They had to leave the land!’

  ‘Indeed. Uprooted by war from their home, the wooded Duaga region, they crossed the Enbair Ocean, past the Frozen Axe, and to the Freelands in search of refuge. It was a… hopeful new beginning for them, their people quickly establishing a settlement and adapting to a new environment. But the Marauders of Akurat had become an inescapable part of the Freelands. Kaell's people were not prepared and so, virtually defenceless, they succumbed to the Marauder raids. It is known that there is no mercy in their attacks.’

  Shala had a knot in her throat.

  ‘Only Kaell survived as far as I know. Tough as he is, he escaped. I wandered the Freelands at the time and I found him near death, with no home and refuge, his body wasted away from hunger and his mind dull with suffering. I nursed him and naturally I intended to leave him somewhere where there’d be those who could care for him. When I realized what strength he had however, I decided to train him as the last of the Wolves. That said he will always hold onto what is left of his people. The bronze blades and totem and the paint on his face are all remnants of a culture now dead.’

  ‘I did not know... He never gave any indication that his family was murdered...’

  ‘As Kaell the cook he would have been aware of his past life, but not attached to it in an emotional way.’

  ‘So the paint he puts on his face...?’

  ‘It is a tradition of his people, warpaint. Of course there were many kinds of painted masks, for manhood or marriage or mourning. The particular insignia represents vengeance, and by all that he is the paint is not supposed to come off until vengeance is achieved. I’m afraid even ten years later he has not accomplished retribution, because he has been too busy being a Wolf.’

  ‘So my House was responsible for his family's tragedies! Does he know what role my family played?’

  ‘Yes he does, he was very young at the time, but well aware of his people losing a homeland. After the Marauders had burnt their settlement, Kaell was extremely vengeance driven, and I used it to turn him into a Wolf. Even as a child he was as deadly as Ascentar, and nearly as well-balanced and quick as the Mighty Taggandus. But his training was far from easy and it was weighed against my prideful notion that I will make the best Wolf yet seen. The trouble was the very last of the old Wolves didn't want to accept Kaell into our already dying order.

  ‘So I had to take an obscure approach, because he was so adamant on living out his retribution, and I content in wielding this as a ways to his success, and proving him worthy to the others. While his physical regimen was in place from the very beginning, I had not yet brought the Wolven lore to his mind. He did not know yet what it truly meant to be a Wolf. So at first I fanned the flames of his vengeance and I gave him the notion that he would one day go against Evrelyn, the House that invaded Cerron. Enter Attoras like a shadow he would, and slay the king’s house that had robbed him of his family and homeland.’

  Shala almost listened in disbelief. ‘Really? And you had no fear that he would go rogue?’

  Bhask did not satisfy her answer immediately.

  ‘It was a lesson, and a test. I had to teach this very dangerous warrior I was creating discretion. It was a road I had to walk once, so I knew the importance of teaching Kaell this. A double-edged sword is vengeance; in our world it is a driver to greatness, yes, but also a stepping stone to the tyranny of men who claim themselves masters of others' fate. He was within the castle and I advised him to first hunt the daughter of the King.

  ‘The idea resonated with him, imagining inflicting on the King a similar pain to what he had undergone, before killing the King himself. I told him to follow you, to do as a predator would and enjoy having you within his sights and you clueless as to how vulnerable you'd be. I gave him words to haunt him, I told him to relish in having you as vulnerable as his family were to the Marauders. To a lesser man the significance would've been lost; Kaell however was quickly seeing himself becoming a Marauder himself. He would not stoop to that.’

  ‘So as I have it, he shadowed your daily comings and goings and no one was the wiser. When you rode in forests, he was there. When you spent your days reading, he was there, and when you started as a healer in the infirmary, he was there.’

  ‘Afterwards he came back to me miserable. It was the only time I ever saw tears in his eyes. He told me that he could not follow through. He had watched you and followed you. He was angry at me for insinuating that he should kill an innocence that had nothing to do with his misfortunes. He told me all about you; he was enchanted by this young Princess that had just discovered her own hands of healing and how you were inquisitive to all things. He said he would stop me if I sent someone else to harm the King’s house,’ chuckled Bhask.

  ‘That day a Wolf was born, he was finally what I wanted him to be – a just warrior- not a killer, and one that would protect a light-bearer such as yourself even against his own kind. I revealed to Kaell what the Wolves were all about, and he embraced it. The older Wolves were mostly gone by then, but they all would've approved of the way Kaell'lam turned out. King Anka took an interest in Kaell’s development, and as I discussed it with him, he decided there was no one more perfect than Kaell to become your protection. Your father, Your Highness, was greatly worried in the last few years and that is why the lengths were taken to disguise Kaell to the extent that we did.’

  Shala sat there absorbing the story. And suddenly she choked up. She did not feel like she deserved the loyalty he had shown her. ‘He carries heavily on this vengeance still though?’

  Bhask nodded. ‘That is true, and how he deals with it will be the test of his life. In him I sense the need to exact wrath that goes beyond just his family’s honour. I was unable to sway him from this road entirely and it might be an inextricable part of him always. ’

  ‘But then I don't understand. He has found it in himself to look past my House's involvement.’

  ‘Consider this Highness: He knew it might've very well been a Marauder standing in his boots and watching you as helpless prey. Having found in you something worth protecting, do you think he would relent against the evil the Marauders carry in their hearts? No.’

  ‘A dangerous road for him then. I'd rather not he gets himself killed hunting down these men. Will he go after his parents' murderers?’

  ‘He intends to. He knows you are safe with me so when he painted his face I expected he was announcing his departure. Owing someone death comes second to owing someone your life in their culture however. He has had great duty among the Wolves, chiefly protecting you. Until now he knew it was more important protecting y
ou than settling some score, no matter how close to the heart this score may be.’

  ‘Ten years is a very long time to hold onto hate,’ said Shala.

  ‘Indeed it is. I hope it makes you understand him a bit better, because he will not be forthcoming with all of his histories.’

  ‘Despite some deceptions on his part I am truly grateful for what he has been to me.’

  ‘I was surprised you didn't ask earlier, Highness.’

  ‘I tried, or rather I meant to. But it didn't feel right.’

  ‘I must admit I'd thought Kaell would have taken leave by now and then I would have explained it all to you anyway. But he has lingered. He is unsure, this I know, and didn't want to quite volunteer the information while he is with us.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘If you know his story and you approach him about his situation he will feel obligated to stay with you. Like I said, I thought by now he would be long gone. He struggles to make a decision and you will one way or another influence his choice. Be mindful that he hasn't been sociable because it will make his eventual departure easier. He won't approach you in this matter. He might someday just be gone.’

  ‘I think I should talk to him then. Should I tell him I'm alright with him leaving?’

  ‘If you so wish Highness. But you're allowed to be selfish in this. If you feel you need him with us then tell him that too.’

  Shala did feel that way, but she couldn't see herself saying that.

  ‘We'll be on the main road that runs along the border of Norwain forest soon, then we can ride hard and fast on eastwards. If Kaell intends to leave he will not be able to linger much longer. The Freelands lay in the exact opposite direction to where we're heading.’

  ‘And if he doesn't?’

  ‘For our sake I will ask him to leave. I cannot allow him to trouble us with his uncertainty. If he wants to stay he'll have to wash the paint from his face and commit to our cause. There is no other way.’

  Von Gillivez returned to them at a canter.

  ‘I suggest we slow down a bit for the day. I laid out some traps not far ahead from here. If we bring down one of those pronghorns we’ll have meat for a fortnight. I’ll circle back if necessary.’

  After some consideration Bhask said, ‘No, we might as well call it a day soon enough. Let's make something of your efforts Trapper!’