by H. J. Cronin
As they walked towards the inn Johan and Ardag did not share a word. Neither had much to say for now. The king had told Johan what seemed like part of the whole story. They came across an inn called ‘The Hammered Dogs’ which looked hospitable enough, and so they entered. The inn seemed to be full of people from all walks of life: thugs were goading a helpless man into giving them his money, whores were showing off their wares to the rich men. There were even families here, and while the men and women drank, the children played. The friends approached the bar keeper, a scrawny looking man with a thick moustache.
‘What can I ’elp you two sirs with on this lovely day?’ he asked with a cracked voice.
‘Erm … two pints of your finest ale please, bar keeper,’ Ardag confidently replied.
After pulling two mouth-watering looking jugs of ale the bar keeper gave them to his two new clients, ‘That’ll be three credits gentlemen.’
Ardag gave the barkeeper the money and before they left the barkeeper stopped them.
‘Now, rules of the bar are “drink happy and no trouble”, and mind you, watch them gentlemen in the corner watching you. They don’t like newcomers.’
Johan and Ardag looked over and saw four men staring at them with curious looks. Johan felt nervous, but he was reassured that he was with Ardag. Johan had a mouthful of the refreshing ale; it was the most beautiful thing that he had ever tasted. He could taste honey, cinnamon and orange. Soon they had drank through five cups each and were feeling very light in the head. This was the perfect opportunity for Johan to find out more information from his companion.
‘So … Ardag … who is the Eagle?’
‘The Eagle is a druid mage with the knowledge of our world at his disposal. He knows and sees everything. He can transform into a great eagle and fly the world untouched. He is also well equipped in the arts of magic. I am his son. I am very different from him, only one in our family has the ability to transform and I decided not to become a mage. I decided to take up the art of the sword using a katana. Magic is in my blood though, when my father passes he will pass his power onto me.’
‘I see. Do you know why he would have wanted to rescue me?’
‘My father always works for good, and rescuing you was the right thing to do. For as long as you live the Night Hunters are still strong. Enough now, those ruffians are approaching.’
Johan looked up and saw them coming.
‘Do you two know that there is a tax you must pay to drink in here for new people?’ one of the men shouted.
‘We paid for our drinks and are sitting here minding our own business. We do not mean any harm, friend,’ Johan replied.
‘This is our turf, you little shit. Now pay the fine or you will find my blade in your gut,’ a second man chimed in.
‘Johan we must be leaving now. Sorry if we have offended you, friend,’ Ardag said to the men.
‘Not so fast,’ the first man retorted, and two of them grabbed Ardag while the other two grabbed Johan. They dragged them outside and threw them onto the cobbled road. One thug drew his dagger and moved towards Johan.
‘Now you will wish you’d never been born … ’
‘Is there a problem here gentlemen?’ asked a husky voice from behind.
All four men turned around and saw an almighty brute walking towards them. His thick beard visible under his cowl made him all the more sinister.
‘And who the hell do you think you are? Move along now. We are four to your one and you don’t stand a chance,’ said the first man.
The man laughed, for he knew they were too naive to know who he was. He was Brehan, Bethegar’s older brother. He sneered at the crude thugs, held out his arms and suddenly his body began to grow, to twice its original size. His nose and mouth extended and hair rapidly grew from his skin. He took the shape of a great bear. Bellowing a vast roar at the four feeble men, he challenged them to fight.
The men glanced at each other with shocked expressions.
‘Let’s get outta here boys. This is one of the king’s sons!’ said the first man, and he and his three companions quickly fled the scene. Brehan changed back into his human form and walked towards the two men, helping them up.
‘My father told me to keep an eye on you two. I am Brehan, his eldest son.’
‘Thank you very much kind sir, but Bethegar did say we’d be safe here,’ Johan said.
‘You are safe from the enemy within these walls, but not from petty criminals. Besides, you chose one of the more violent inns to have your drinks,’ he said with a smile. ‘Come now, my father will have more words with you.’
Johan nodded at Brehan and thanked him for the assistance. The three men left and walked back up the hill towards the keep. Johan knew that having this clan on his side would always be a big advantage if he were to live in this unforgiving and challenging world.
‘Johan! Young man, I hear you had some trouble in one of the inns,’ King Bemnom said with a chuckle as Johan approached him. ‘I hope that you are not hurt,’ he added, this time with a hint of sympathy.
‘No, just some thugs, my lord, and thanks to your son we were unharmed,’ Johan replied, looking at Brehan with a nod.
‘Good, good, good. Brehan, please leave us for now. Send for Bethegar.’
‘Yes, father,’ Brehan obeyed.
The king now looked to Johan with a more studied gaze, one that made Johan and even Ardag feel uneasy. ‘Johan, I have received word from the Eagle. He requests your presence, about what I do not know. You will travel west in one week, and this should give you enough time to train in the basic arts of our weaponry and learn more of our world.’
‘Ardag explained something about the Eagle, but what does he want with me?’ Johan said with interest.
‘Ah, my boy, the Eagle is the eldest being in our world. He sees everything and knows everything and everyone. He is a great druid mage who will guide you and explain everything to you. You can trust him. He is a friend of the clans.’
‘How will I know where to find him? The wilds seem dangerous and I am unlikely to last long at all,’ Johan said, looking at Ardag for some help.
Bemnom nodded and held his finger up. ‘Do not worry Johan, I would not send the heir to one of the greatest clans that ever lived to his death!’ he barked with a grin. ‘You two will be accompanied by Bethegar and my daughter, Bry.’ He turned his head and looked towards the back of the throne room and called, ‘Bry, come here now my flower. Come and meet Johan, son of Haramithir.’
Johan looked past the king and out of one of the doors came the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was so striking, yet so mysterious, with lustrous brown hair to her shoulders, dark piercing eyes and a slender figure. He stared at her beauty and for a moment lost all memory of the past day. She approached them and looked at the strange man staring at her.
‘This? This is the son of Haramithir?’ she said with a snigger. ‘Father, he looks as though he has never even held a sword.’
Bemnom laughed, ‘Now, now, Bry, give the lad a chance. He will prove himself. Ardag will show him the way of the sword and then you shall take him and Ardag to the Eagle.’
Bry raised a single eyebrow and again looked up and down at the two men, but her father’s words were law and she had to obey.
‘Yes, Father, I will take them as far as that, and that is all.’
‘Thank you my lady,’ Johan and Ardag said at the same time, gazing at her.
Bry shot them a look and then at her father and shook her head.
‘They’re like a couple of hungry puppies, Father. At least I will have Bethegar with me. Will you supply us with some men as well?’
‘You will grow to like him, I am sure. I will give you two dozen men, which should be enough. Now take the two young men and set about getting them ready.’ Bry was about to protest when her father cut her off.
‘The matter is finished. Now go. Bethegar approaches, and we shall share words.’
‘He's not that bad, my la
dy,’ Ardag reassured her as they walked off. ‘We will make a good swordsman out of Johan yet.’ Bry laughed at this, shook her head, and they left. They all acknowledged Bethegar with a nod, who at that moment walked past them.
Bethegar approached his father with a bewildered look, trying to anticipate what his father wanted with him. His thudding footsteps echoed across the hall, his axe slung across his back with his shield. He walked up to his father and bowed.
‘Father, you summoned me.’
Bemnom sat back, with the sort of serious look that Bethegar had not seen for many years. ‘Bethegar, you spoke of the Black Widows’ attack on Johan, and also an attack on the villagers by a man who claimed that Count Darkool had returned. Is this true, my son?’
‘It is, Father. I saw the Black Widow’s men attack Johan. I reached them just in time. The others were all wiped out. I do not know why they attacked him or how they knew he would be there.’ Bethegar continued with the story, but then he paused as he came to the part about the wounded man, trying to explain what he had said. The king listened intently. ‘Father, I do not believe that Darkool could have returned. He was destroyed five hundred years ago, and that clan of his was defeated again only nineteen years ago. They do not have the power to summon an army, let alone bring back the count.’
‘This is dire news however, Bethegar. News that we must take seriously. If the count has returned we must be ready.’
Bethegar nodded his agreement. His father was right.
‘What will we do, Father?’
‘You will take Johan to the Eagle. He will be safe there. Bry will go with you and I will also send some men. Be careful, Bethegar, for danger seems to be returning to this land.’
‘Yes, Father, I will see him there safely. But what will you do?’
‘I will send out word for all of the clans to come together for an assembly at Flordonium. I will even invite the Black Widow and we will try to find an answer to this. Brehan will be with me so I shall be safe.’ Bethegar nodded and made to leave before the king stopped him with one last thing. ‘Bethegar, remember, Johan must survive if anything was to happen. His life is more valuable than that of you or Bry. He must live.’
Bethegar sucked in his breath, expanding his chest, and smiled at his father.
‘Don’t worry, Father. He will.’
He turned and made to walk away. But his father called out to him, ‘One last thing I forgot to ask, Bethegar. Do you think that the Black Widow can be in league with the Vandalore Clan?’
‘I honestly do not know. You have some suspicions, Father?’
‘I do indeed. I just hope this does not lead to another war. This world has seen peace for nineteen years and cannot handle another one, especially if the Black Widow is involved; though the Vandalore Clan is still too small to be a threat,’ he said stroking his beard, deep in thought.
Bry led Johan and Ardag through the city to the armoury. They entered a large room with racks and tables full of weapons and armour. There were shields, spears, swords, axes large and small, bows, crossbows, arrows, helmets for the men-at-arms and bear-shaped helmets for the upper class. Enough for an entire army. Johan looked on in amazement as Bry led them through to a desk at the rear where there sat a clerk. As they were walking, Johan accidentally walked into a mannequin dressed in full plated golden armour with the picture of a bear’s head on its breast and a crown. Next to it was a large two-handed sword, vast enough to cleave a man in half.
‘Ah, Bry, hello,’ greeted the clerk, as he stood to greet the princess, curiously eyeing the two newcomers.
‘What brings you to my store, my lady?’
‘How you are keeping, Goff?’ Bry answered with a smile. She then looked back over her shoulder to the two men and carried on talking to Goff. ‘My father has requested that these two men be suited and booted ready for combat. We need fine armour and weapons, my friend.’
‘Ah, of course, of course. Have a look at my wares, gentlemen and pick what you like,’ Goff told the men. When they were out of ear shot he muttered, ‘Bloody royals, ruin my business.’
Johan wandered around the armoury trying on different styles on armour. There was so much to choose from. He decided to settle for a steel breast and back plate with a chainmail shirt and steel greaves, all of which suited his medium frame but were extremely heavy, he wondered how he would do any walking with this kind of weight on him. He then looked at the weapons. What to choose? Should he have a spear? A sword? An axe? Or shall he be ranged? His decision was made when he saw a sparkle of steel under a pile of weapons. He brushed the weapons aside and found a beautiful, long sword. He picked it up and found that it was so light, he almost forgot he was holding it. This was his sword. It was as if it had chosen him.
Ardag headed straight for his katana which was kept safe here in his absence. He picked it up and had not felt so at home for a long time. Its curved shiny blade was magical to him and its handle still had the picture of an eagle on it. He donned his old light leather armour and picked up his old pipe and was ready to be back in his own world.
‘Right. Now that you two have picked your weapons we will go and train. I have a week to train you to at least defend yourself before we must leave,’ Bry said without any hint of willingness in her voice. She quite obviously would rather be elsewhere.
They trained hard and fast over the next week. Ardag and Bry taught Johan everything he needed to know about his particular weapon. Johan wasn’t so bad with a sword; maybe he was not as bad as Bry had first thought. She still could not believe that she was training the son of Haramithir, the greatest swordsman to have lived. The funny thing was that Johan hardly knew anything about his family. She taught him all he needed to know about the world as it now was. The Eagle would teach him everything else he needed to know.
Bethegar and her father had been acting strangely all week. Her father had been bustling around sending runners off to other clans for unknown reasons. She approached Bethegar to get to the bottom of it. ‘Bethegar, what is it that you and my father are not sharing with me? I am part of this family.’
‘Do not trouble yourself my little sister, for this is the concern of men,’ he said, and walked off. This had more or less been the same answer all week. She had not noticed Brehan walking towards her.
‘Young sister. You look troubled – what is wrong with you?’ he asked her softly.
‘Father and Bethegar are keeping something from me. Something big that for some reason they cannot tell me.’
‘Count Darkool has apparently made a return,’ he suddenly said, and waited to let it sink in. ‘Father also believes that the Black Widow could be allied to the count’s clan. Johan and Ardag were attacked by her men in the forest. There are also reports of the undead rising and attacking parties of stranded people. That is why it is so important to get Johan to the Eagle.’
This infuriated Bry even more. ‘But why must they keep this from me? I am part of this family as much as you and Bethegar.’
‘Because the less people know, the better, little sister. I tell you now out of respect for you,’ Brehan cut in.
Bry eased off but she wasn’t convinced. ‘Okay, okay. I shall not say anything. Tomorrow I leave with Bethegar to take them to the Eagle. I hope that I am more aware of the happenings when I return.’ With that she kissed her brother on the cheek and left the room. The time had almost come to leave.
Johan, Ardag, Bry, Bethegar, and twenty-four of the clan’s soldiers prepared for the coming trip. It was a four week march to the Eagle’s Tower. They packed the mules with enough provisions and sharpened their weapons. The Clan of the Bear did not use horses for the latter feared the druids who turned into bears. The party were to leave at first light, and were to follow the path through the Dark Wood. That same path led to the Eagle’s Tower, and would also pass through the mountains into the Clan of the Wolf territory. Bethegar would have to bargain with the wolf king in Weydon for a safe voyage through his land.
&n
bsp; Bethegar approached Johan and Ardag just before they left. ‘Right, you two, stay in the middle. Johan, it is vital you arrive safely to the Eagle. Your life is valued above everybody else, even Ardag. If we are attacked the main path leads straight to the tower. Make your way there with haste.’
‘Do you think we will be attacked then?’ Johan said apprehensively.
Bry looked at the two men sympathetically. ‘This land has known peace for many years, but dark times are on us now. There is a possibility of attack but we strongly doubt it. My brother is just being cautious,’ she said smiling at Johan. ‘Don’t worry handsome, you’re safe with me.’ With that she walked to the top of the column.
‘Johan, if anything happens, no heroics. Leave me and see yourself to safety. You heard Bethegar, you are priority,’ Ardag said with a whisper.
‘Ardag, you need not worry, nothing is going to happen to us,’ Johan reassured him. ‘Anyway, looks like first of all we’re going to meet some wolves. Are they friendly?’ Johan added.
‘The Clan of the Wolf are mildly friendly, they do not like outsiders, but they are friendly most of the time to northern folk. Plus, King Wufclore is a good man.’
The host left Bemon, marching down the vast pathway. Johan was anxious as he heard the great gate close behind them. No going back now, he mused. They passed the large village they had previously visited and headed into the Dark Wood. Bemon quickly faded from their view and all that could be seen was its vast, looming mountain. Johan looked ahead and remembered that this was the place where he had first arrived in Wilmurin. His entire life and mindset had changed since that fateful day, as well as the world around him. This was his new reality and he was going to do his best to embrace it. He sighed though, as he carried on towards the Eagle’s Tower with his new companions.
