The Black Horseman ti-1

by Richard D. Parker

  “Despite your earlier misgivings, you seem to be an excellent student,” Kostek said.

  “Master Sath would not have agreed with you a few months ago. I…” Gwaynn began trying to explain his past apathy for fighting, something that caused his former teacher, and his father many hours of frustration. “I feel different now, almost possessed,” he continued, thinking only of Gwynn. It was a new thought for him and he found it intriguing. “Plus, I’m a bit more driven,” he finished and then with a bow excused himself, thinking perhaps a splash in the sea might be welcome after all.

  ǂ

  Leek woke Gwaynn nearly an hour before sunrise the next morning and after a few moments of confusion, his head cleared and he remembered why he was being awaken so early. He came instantly alert and dressed as fast as he ever had in his life, then made his way out into the cool, early morning air. The stars were bright, but there was just a hint in the eastern sky of the coming sunrise. Master Kostek was waiting near the center fire pit with his eight students. Krys and Vio greeted Gwaynn quietly, but the rest of the students just eyed him curiously.

  Kostek clapped Gwaynn softly on the shoulder. “We run to the point and back every morning, ten miles in all. Do your best. I’ll be waiting when you finish,” he said matter-of-factly. Gwaynn thought he could at least keep up with some of the younger students, but as they set out he quickly realized they were setting a pace that he could not hope to match for even two miles, let alone ten. Gwaynn initially fell in behind Vio, but discovered that she was the one who actually led the pack and he was forced to fall back. He watched her up ahead, running apparently effortlessly, but he soon fell so far behind that the sight of her was blocked out by the students running behind her. Soon the entire group was so far up ahead Gwaynn stopped trying to keep up and fell into a slower rhythm all his own. He ran along, very aware of his heart thumping steadily in his chest, somehow keeping time with the waves pounding onto the nearby shore. Being so close to the ocean, he thought of Karl and all the big man had done for him, all he had sacrificed. As long as Tar Kostek was willing to train him, Gwaynn knew that Karl’s sacrifice would be at least worth something. He ran on, thinking about their time in the ocean and how afraid he was of dying, and how Karl continued to give him strength until at last he had not an ounce left for himself. Gwaynn would train, and train hard, not only for the memory of Karl, but also for his mother and sister, his lost home, but mostly because he never wanted to feel helpless and weak again, as he had hanging from the scaffold back in Solarii. Better to fight and die than to feel that way again, he thought, better yet, to fight and live, which was what Gwaynn planned to do. He blinked out of his thoughts as he caught sight of a lone runner coming his way. He knew instantly it was Vio. He unconsciously picked up his pace a little, though his legs felt like lead. He was sure he would never be able to run all the way back to the quarter without stopping and walking at least part of the way.

  Vio closed on him rapidly and surprised him by stopping, jogging in place for a moment then running backwards along side him.

  “You are doing well,” she said, and Gwaynn got at least a little satisfaction from the fact that she was breathing hard and sweating, though not nearly as much as he was at the moment.

  Gwaynn only nodded in reply, not feeling as if he could answer without gasping.

  “You have made it this entire way on the run?” She asked.

  Again Gwaynn could only nod.

  “Excellent, I struggled to make it to the point on a run my first time. You only have about half a mile to go. I think you will make it,” she added with a quick smile that made Gwaynn somehow want to run even faster…but he didn’t.

  “I’ll see you,” she said by way of good-bye and abruptly changed direction and headed back toward the quarter. Gwaynn ran on feeling better, though he was still very tired. Now, however, he knew there was no way he would stop before he reached the point.

  Kostek came into view shortly thereafter, closely followed by several other students. Gwaynn could recognize Krys, and B’dall just behind him. Krys nodded but said nothing. B’dall passed shortly after, but ignored Gwaynn completely. Farther back ran the last of the Mele quarter including, Tad, who was in his sixth year, William, fifth year, Tam, first year, Hotch, fourth year, and finally Stephen who was in his second. This group was well back of Kostek and a good deal farther from Vio, and the fact that the students in the quarter ran at different speeds lightened Gwaynn’s heart even more. He passed the last group with a nod and they all yelled out encouragement to him as they went by.

  Gwaynn was very tired now, but the point was in sight and he just wanted to make it all the way there without stopping. He ran on, very aware of the pain in his legs, but forced himself to keep moving. He followed the shoreline, which turned sharply to the south and looking up he was surprised to see a ship under sail out on the horizon. As it floated serenely past, its white sails caught the first full rays of the early morning sun. He watched it curiously until suddenly the point ended and Gwaynn dropped to his knees, breathing heavily. He stayed put for several long moments, watching the ship sail away before getting to his feet once more. He waded into the sea, splashed about in the water then turned and headed back toward the quarter. He walked for only about five minutes before surprising himself and breaking into the slow jog, which he held nearly all the way back.

  Tar Kostek was waiting for him by the path, which led from the beach and back up to the quarter.

  “Very good, very good,” he said smiling, but Gwaynn found he was too tired to smile back, or even stand up straight. “Much better than expected.”

  Gwaynn said nothing for a while and just rested on his knees in the sand. Kostek waited patiently next to him, saying nothing.

  Finally Gwaynn’s breathing began to slow, and without standing, looked up at his new Master. “Will we be training tonight?” he asked hopefully.

  Tar Kostek shook his head. “This is your training,” he answered. “First you must beat one of my students in the run; then we can continue our weapons training, but not before,” he added thinking Gwaynn may protest. But the boy merely looked up at him still breathing faster than normal then he nodded and got to his feet. Gwaynn stripped out of his clothing and waded out into the ocean. Kostek left him there to cool down, wondering once more how they managed to miss the boy.

  Over the next three weeks Gwaynn showed no sign of improving, in fact his performance actually grew worse as the first week wore on. But, gradually during the next two, his stamina improved, though the results were not plainly visible. Tar Kostek, who had trained a great number of students over the years, had expected this, since the adrenaline of the first day could not be sustained over time. He also expected Gwaynn to show signs of frustration and discouragement. The boy, however, kept his feelings well hidden and continued to rise early every day and run behind the other students. Kostek let him continue without a word and as if it had happened very suddenly, Gwaynn’s speed began to increase. One morning Kostek was surprised when he made the turn at the point and could see Gwaynn in the distance, trailing Hotch and Stephen, but plainly visible for the first time. Kostek smiled to himself and unconsciously picked up his own speed. He was still second, and still well behind Vio, who it seemed, was born to run. Ever since her dash to rescue Gwaynn, she had dominated his group. Kostek was looking forward to the year-end Competitions. Vio would surprise them all. He was still second behind her followed closely by Krys. At the moment they were well ahead of B’dall, who carried far too much hereditary bulk to excel at long distance running. B’dall’s pride and determination however, seemed to be enough to nearly always keep him close behind his Master. But it was in Vio that Kostek was most proud, though unfortunately she was such a fast runner that she no longer even pushed the other students to higher levels.

  Kostek was careful to show no sign of emotion as he passed Gwaynn on his return run but inside he was urging his new student on. It would be an incredible feat if Gw
aynn could match even his slowest students after less than a month, though oddly Kostek was sure the boy could be among his fastest. Gwaynn had an inner fire that could not be stoked by any soul other than the one within. It burned bright in the young prince, who was just on the verge of becoming aware of his power and control over himself. Plus, he, like Vio and William, had a runner’s physique, long limbs and a light core. Kostek ran on and at the finish found Vio, still dripping from her dip in the sea, patiently waiting for him. Kostek raised an eyebrow as he passed her and dropped to a walk, breathing hard. Krys finished just behind him and almost immediately stripped and waded out into the warm water. Kostek continued to walk about, cooling down slowly before stripping and wading out into the sea. He was walking out of the water, balanced against the gentle waves and moving tides of sand, when B’dall finished and walked on past him. Kostek turned to give Vio a look.

  “You think he has a chance then?” Kostek asked coming up to Vio after he’d dressed.

  “I think one day he might push me,” she replied as some of the other students came into view. They were still at a far distance, perhaps half a mile away.

  Kostek raised his brows once more as Krys joined them.

  “High praise,” he said.

  “Running, he reminds me of me,” she answered with a shrug. “Yesterday I told him about the day we found him on the beach, and the run I had to make in order to save his life. Before that run I thought I was giving my all in every race.”

  Kostek looked down at her once more as she shrugged again. “I wasn’t giving anything even close,” she added.

  They stood together and waited; though Kostek noticed that B’dall after cooling in the ocean did not, and instead moved up the path to the dorms. William and Tam soon appeared in the distance pushing each other hard. Tam was Mele’s first year, but like Vio she was a natural runner and pushed William almost every day, though he was four years her senior. Kostek knew there was a small measure of infatuation on her part, but it was a natural byproduct of their training. Young love blossomed very easily and with very little effort. For his part William seemed to indulge the young initiate, and even appeared to enjoy her company. They streaked by, William a step ahead of Tam today, but he did not gloat. Tam was beating him two times out of three these days, and soon he would have trouble keeping up. Tad and Hotch finished next and in the distance Kostek could make out another pair of runners. They were running single file, in the jerky motion of the over-tired, pushing each other beyond what each alone could achieve.

  “That’s Gwaynn in front,” Vio said her voice betraying her excitement. Master Kostek looked down at her curiously. In all her three years, Vio had shown not the slightest interest in any boy on the islands and instead devoted herself entirely to study and practice. He said nothing however, just turned back to watch the runners as they approached. At this distance, he could not tell if Gwaynn was in the lead, but he trusted the eyes of his student and just as they got close enough that he could tell them apart, Stephen moved out from behind Gwaynn and began to pass. Gwaynn increased his speed, and soon they were approaching side by side, each determined, each giving everything they had, until finally at the last moment Stephen surged ahead and past his Master just ahead of his new rival. Both boys almost immediately fell to the sand, panting hard, completely exhausted.

  Kostek turned and watched each of them, pride for both filling him up. Gwaynn, because he was improving faster than he thought possible, and Stephen because his squat muscular frame was made for power and not speed, only his heart allowed him to hold off the new comer in the end.

  “Excellent, both of you. Truly excellent,” he said and with Vio in tow, moved up the beach.

  The next day Gwaynn beat Stephen, by fifty paces and was closing in on Hotch.

  ǂ

  It took nearly a week for Navarra and a hand picked group of men to find the secret passageway that led from the upstairs study to the kitchens below. And it took another two days to find the secret way into the caves, then the long, dark tunnel, which led, away from the castle grounds. Navarra insisted on following the tunnel the entire way, knowing that where the tunnel would finally emerge would tell much about the direction the old Weapons Master might have taken. Navarra believed he already knew, but this exercise would allow him to delve deeper into the mind of the man he was chasing.

  The peninsula of Massi was like a broken finger sticking out into the Inland Sea with the Zani Empire on one side and the Toranado and the Scar Mountains on the other. The Capital of Solarii was placed, in Navarra’s opinion, in the worst possible position, approximately on the first knuckle of the extended finger. For a preeminent naval power it may have worked, but the Massi were anything but, and it was a simple matter to attack the finger at the second knuckle and pinch off Solarii from the rest of the country. Very similar in fact with the art of interrogation, chop a finger at the knuckle and everything falls in line. The Massi were no different.

  If he was on the run in this odd peninsula of a country, Navarra would head south, to the base of the Scar mountains and if need be into the mountains themselves; there it would take several armies to root out a single man.

  Navarra spoke little on the long trip through the tunnel, and when he and his men finally broke out into fresh air he was surprised to find that they had only come five miles. It had seemed like much more.

  “From here he could’ve moved to Heron,” the young Sergeant to Navarra’s left suggested. “Following behind the pup he helped save.”

  Navarra grunted. Lindsay was the Sergeant’s name, and he was the only one of the group that had the courage to offer an opinion, at least in the Executioner’s presence. Navarra was beginning to respect that, and the young Sergeant’s mind, which was proving to be sharp and insightful. But that did not keep him from disagreeing with him.

  “No, he will not leave his homeland so readily. Afton Sath will have moved south, toward Millvale, and then down deeper in country,” Navarra answered. “Send someone for horses…and dogs. We will head to Millvale immediately.”

  VI

  Kostek walked slowly through the night, his mind occupied by his latest training session with Gwaynn. The boy’s improved stamina was giving his new master fits. The lad had scored two hits on him tonight, and scored at least one nearly every night in the last week. His growing skill could no longer be ignored. The Tar was sure that Gwaynn could at least match the skills of Hotch, his fourth year student, which was beyond belief. Clearly, Gwaynn retained more of his training with Master Sath than he realized, but it was hard to know for sure because Gwaynn was not like any other student Kostek had ever worked with. The boy was relentlessly aggressive, recklessly so, and Kostek knew that eventually such aggressiveness would need to be tempered. But at the moment he was at a loss as to how. Gwaynn fought fearlessly, and when Kostek stressed that every hit he scored would have meant death on the battlefield, the boy had just shrugged.

  “I’ve already died twice,” he’d answered and dove in once again for the attack. Kostek shook his head at such an aggressive style of fighting and as he moved up the steps to the Grand Hall he wondered how his students would handle it.

  Tar Amon was waiting for him at the top of the stairs.

  “Our visitor is progressing?” Amon inquired softly, with a hand outstretched in greeting.

  “Faster than I would ever have thought possible,” Kostek answered, as Amon led him inside and to his private rooms.

  “He has potential then?” Amon asked, not fully realizing Gwaynn’s quickly improving abilities. Kostek did not hold it against his Master. He would not have believed it was possible either. Kostek took a seat in a cushioned chair in front of a small oak desk as Amon moved behind it.

  “Potential to be the Island’s best pupil,” Kostek answered. Amon’s head came up swiftly and he raised his eyebrows, but said nothing for several moments.

  “Our best?”

  Kostek nodded his head silently.

&nb
sp; “This must be kept quiet,” Amon finally said, breaking the silence and surprising Kostek. “Especially now,” he added and handed an official looking letter to his most trusted comrade.

  Kostek read the letter, which actually was an invitation to celebrate, for the High King of the Islands had announced his intentions to wed the Lady Audra Deutzani, daughter of King Arsinol Deutzani.

  “I think we have the reason for the High King’s decision to aid the Deutzani in the attack on the Massi,” Amon stated when Kostek looked up from the paper he was holding.

  “The Lady Audra?” Kostek asked trying to understand.

  “The youngest. She is only just turned fourteen,” Amon explained. “She is said to be extraordinarily beautiful.”

  “Fourteen?” Kostek said, thinking aloud, knowing that the High King Mastoc was nearing forty. His first wife, Queen Eleanor of the Montoray, had died in childbirth nearly ten years ago giving birth to Princess Anya. Prince Nigel, their only son was already nineteen.

  Amon nodded. “Arsinol demanded a high price for his youngest.”

  “If it gets out that the Temple Knights aided in the downfall of the Massi for a woman…for a girl, it will mean civil war, possibly war without end.”

  “Those were my thoughts exactly when Gwaynn first came to us.”

  “Yet you let me begin to train him?”

  “I’ve already decided that the boy’s fate will not be decided by us,” Amon said.

  “But we are helping him!” Kostek protested.

  “We began helping him when we saved him from death on that beach so many months ago.” Amon answered calmly.

  “I will stop training him immediately,” Kostek said realizing fully just what a danger the boy posed for the Noble Island.

  “You will continue to train him, but quietly. Select one student, I think you know who, to train with him also, but all involved must know of importance of secrecy.”