Kingdom's Forge: Book 01 - Paladin's Redemption

by Kade Derricks

  “No, Priestess. It’s back to sleep for me.”

  After clearing his dishes away, Dain returned to the hospital bed and settled down to sleep. He tried to tally up how much he had saved up so far and how close he was to his goal, but his untamed thoughts kept drifting back to Sera and Jin. He wondered if they had forgotten him. He doubted if they still thought of him at all.

  Jin said you and I would meet again when we need you.

  He was about to drift off when he heard Verdant enter the hospital. The priest was talking with someone.

  “Look, Dain rode out and checked on the army under my orders. He returned with Maib’s body as a favor to me. You saw for yourself what he did last night at The Slide. The man is exhausted. Leave him to his sleep,” Verdant said.

  “Just let me talk to him for a few minutes. I want to know what he found out there.”

  “Wheeler, he’s asleep, dead to the world. You won’t get any decent answers until he’s had a day or two to recover.”

  “Look Verdant, your man can either talk to us or he can wait until the mob that went out this morning gets back and he can talk to them, but either way, we will know the truth of what happened out there. Besides, we don’t know nearly enough about him. You, his employer, don’t even know his family name.”

  “There are hundreds of men in town who don’t use their real names. And in any event, both he and that wounded man won’t be up to answering your questions, or anyone else’s, for at least a full day. You might as well not bother trying back until tomorrow,” Verdant replied, tone hard. Dain could practically hear the priest fold his arms across his chest.

  There were steps on the hospital floor nearby and he waited a few moments before slitting his eyes open to check the room. He didn’t feel up to an interrogation over the missing gold, but Verdant was alone and seated on the next bed over. He opened his eyes fully and looked at him. Paladin and priest stared at each other in silence until Verdant finally spoke.

  “Thank you…for bringing his body back. It couldn’t have been easy.”

  Dain sat up on the cot. The floor felt cold beneath his feet.

  “I was really hoping they made it through. I also found the scouts I befriended. All but one, anyway. Dax, from last night, was the last.”

  “The man I was trying to heal?”

  “Yes, a quiet man who spoke rarely until you knew him. Pretty good sense of humor, though.”

  “My sister will be grateful for her husband’s body,” Verdant said, looking down. He ran his fingers through his curly hair as he stared at the floorboards. The man seemed as exhausted as Dain felt. Deep bags sat under his eyes and his skin looked like cheap parchment paper, sallow and thin.

  “You were right last night,” Verdant continued. “Your quick thinking and decisiveness saved an injured man’s life. He would have died while I sought in vain to save the other. I almost failed them both.”

  “Last night was a little more my expertise than yours. Battlefield healing is what paladins are trained for. I’m sorry we couldn’t save both of them.”

  “As am I.”

  “Guess I’ll be looking for a new job,” Dain said.

  “Why?” Verdant asked.

  “I punched one of your healers in the face.”

  Verdant let out a startled bark of a laugh. “Dain, you were the only one last night who didn’t lose your head. Shyla was hysterical and you…calmed her down. I see no harm in that. Besides, we may need all the healing we can get in the days ahead.”

  “Was that Wheeler you were talking to earlier?” Dain asked.

  “Heard that, did you? Wheeler wanted to interview you, and the man you saved, to find out what went on out there. A lot of people are asking themselves what to do next. I take it Tessa filled you in on what’s happening?”

  “She did. Thanks for buying me a day at least. I’m exhausted to my core.” He stretched, his back popping. “So,” he continued, “there are elves in town?”

  Verdant’s face became oddly shuttered. “I saw them only briefly. Three of the biggest mine owners pulled them into the chapel and locked everyone else out. You should know…there are rumors flying around about you being in league with either the orcs or some renegade miners who hijacked the gold,” Verdant said.

  The unspoken question lingered in his eyes. The priest was far too polite to ask, but needed to hear it anyway.

  “If I stole two thousand pounds of gold, I sure as hell wouldn’t come back,” Dain replied.

  “I didn’t say they made sense. I said there are rumors,” Verdant said. “Now, you really should get some sleep.”

  “It’s Gladstone, by the way. Dain Gladstone. I’ll ask you to keep it to yourself, though. I doubt anyone would know it, but some from the far south might.”

  “Any particular reason why?”

  “No.” With that, Dain lay back down facing the wall. He heard Verdant stand and walk out into the hospital’s front room. The stairs creaked as the priest climbed to the second floor and his office. Dain closed his eyes and slept.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “Good news,” Verdant said. The priest seemed to be in a fine mood as he entered the kitchen, interrupting dinner.

  “What’s that?” Dain asked. He had risen some time after sunset to a rumbling stomach again.

  “You are off the hook for stealing a king’s ransom in gold.”

  “How’s that?”

  “The elf king, Elam—his messengers announced they had recovered half the shipment from the orcs. I guess one of his patrols found the army escort after it had been wiped out then tracked the gold to some fleeing orcs. The patrol defeated the surviving orcs and recovered what gold they could. Another group must have escaped with the rest. He has offered to transport it to his southern border and on into Arctanon to meet up with the mining company representatives there,” Verdant said.

  “Lucky me. From what I’ve heard of Elam, he doesn’t do anything for free.”

  “Well, he said he would be honored to pass along the gold on behalf of his people, and hinted, strongly hinted, that a finder’s fee would be appreciated for his efforts.”

  “Interesting. I didn’t even know the elves patrolled outside their lands.” Dain said. He pushed himself back from the table. “Well, it’s time for me to be up and about. I need to get Boon back to the livery.”

  Behind the hospital he found that the horse had finished off his hay, leaving only a faint trace of faded green alfalfa leaves and stems scattered on the snow. Boon seemed only too happy to stretch his legs as Dain led him back down toward the stables.

  He thought on Verdant’s news. The Golden must have come upon the battlefield as the orcs finished off the last of Arctanon’s army. That would explain the arrow he’d found. Though something didn’t quite fit. The elven arrow had been in an orc, buried beneath several of his fellows, all presumably killed by Maib.

  Halfway to the livery Boon pulled up short, interrupting his thoughts. Ears alert, the warhorse stared north, away from town and into the darkness. Dain followed Boon’s gaze but saw nothing himself. He tugged at the reins but the stubborn animal refused to move any further.

  “What is it, what are you seeing?” Dain said, patting the horse’s flank. Boon whinnied softly and continued to stare. Curious, Dain drew his sword and walked out, toward whatever was upsetting the warhorse. There shouldn’t be any kind of threat this close to Galena. The orcs would be licking their wounds after the battle and no wolf or bear would approach the town. Could there be another survivor out there? He stalked toward a grove of cottonwoods that clung to the bank of Galena’s creek. A black silhouette stood outlined against their pale trunks.

  “Dain?” the vague shape said.

  “You know my name?”

  “You helped me once, and now I need you again.”

  Dain’s heart gave a lurching thump against his ribs.

  “Sera?”

  The shadow stepped closer and he saw Sera’s face lit by the rising
moon. She stared up at him. Her silver eyes caught and reflected the light. Smiling and sheathing his sword, Dain moved to meet her. He took both of her hands in his and held them close against his chest.

  “I’ve dreamed of you,” he said without thinking.

  “I have need of you again,” she responded, urgency clear in her voice. “I have no right to ask more from you, but I need you to come with me tonight.” She had not let go of his hands. He felt her delicate fingers through his shirt. Dain nodded. He would go anywhere with her, even to the ends of the world.

  “I can meet you here in half an hour. I just need to grab the rest of my gear.”

  Relief flooded her fine features, and he could feel her slump slightly against him as some of the tension left her frame. “I will wait for you, here, at the edge of the trees.”

  “Alright.” Dain nodded once more, gently released her hands from his, and then turned to leave.

  “Dain?” Sera called. He spun on his heels.

  “Yes?”

  “Thank you,” she whispered with a tight smile.

  Dain nodded again and gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. She looked like she needed it. If Sera and Jin required his help, he’d go, no matter how short the notice or what lay ahead.

  He rushed back to the hospital and scooped up the remainder of his gear. His bow had been laying near his bed, but he had misplaced the quiver. There was no time for an extended search; the wood elves would surely have arrows if he needed them. Next, he found Verdant and briefly filled him in on the situation so the priest would at least know where he had gone.

  The moon had risen higher when he returned. He saw Sera more clearly now. She stood silent and alone and lovely holding the reins of a tall, white horse. Strands of her long black hair floated in the gentle breeze, and her silver eyes shone at him when he approached. He felt his heart give another lurch and his breath caught in his lungs. Get ahold of yourself, a little voice in his head whispered.

  No matter his feelings for Sera, he knew that there was no way she would ever feel the same. A wood elf like her would never, could never, care for someone like him, a human, and an outcast at that, with no home to call his own, little fortune, and no prospects. It was best to put it out of his mind if he could, he knew, and his heart ached with that knowledge. But when he saw her looking at him under the moonlight, his mind started to wander again, as swiftly as an unbroken colt escaping its pen, toward thoughts of what it would be like to kiss her and hold her close. If he didn’t say something—anything—he would do something foolish that he’d regret. He cleared his throat.

  “No bodyguards tonight?”

  “No. Not tonight.” The tight smile returned.

  Without another word, Sera swung up into the saddle and led him back toward the elf lands. For several hours Dain rode on behind her, neither of them willing to break the silence that fell between them. She led him along an old, narrow game trail he wasn’t familiar with. Twice, they startled feeding deer. Around midnight the pair crossed a shallow stream and he felt the air begin to warm. They were crossing the boundary into the enchanted lands. And they were far south of the bridge he’d used before. The wood elves must have a second way across the Wessen.

  Sera led him into a narrow ravine. At its end was a cave, one barely large enough to ride through. The cave dove down, and partway through Dain thought he heard water rushing overhead.

  “Are we under the Wessen?”

  “Yes, the tunnel goes beneath it,” Sera answered.

  Dain shuddered inside, thinking of all those thousands of gallons of water on top of him. Soon, though, they started back up and emerged at the tunnel’s end. It was much warmer now inside the boundary, and both he and Sera shed their heavy cloaks.

  They continued riding west for another half hour before Sera drew up. Crickets and cicadas sang all around them. They too enjoyed the evening. Sera let out a whistle, mimicking an owl cry. After several minutes another elf, wrapped head to toe in dark clothing, emerged from the shadow of a nearby pine and spoke to her in Elvish. When their conversation ended, she led Dain further along the trail into a hollow, where they dismounted before a small log cabin. Sera turned to him.

  “My father, the king, took a spear in his side some days ago. The wound is poisoned and infected. He is now standing at death’s door. Our own healers have done what they can, but they can only slow his death. They have spent the last week keeping him comfortable, but can make no progress toward a true cure,” Sera said, tension writ clear across her face.

  “I will do what I can, of course,” Dain said, following her inside. “Although I am not a great healer, and may have exhausted myself healing the survivor of an orc attack a few days past.” As he entered the dwelling, her words finally sank in. My father, the king. Dain’s eyebrows rose. Sera, then, was a princess among her people. That explained all the guards at their first meeting, and the regal way in which she carried herself. Not only a wood elf, but a princess at that. You great fool, you might as well reach for a star in the heavens for all the good it does you.

  Dain’s eyes adjusted for a moment in the candlelit interior. An older elf lay outstretched on a small bed near the room’s center. His skin had a waxy look and his face was ashen. An elven woman who closely resembled an older version of Sera tended a fire in a small kiva behind the bed. She looked up at their entrance, showing no surprise, as if she had been expecting them. The older woman was not alone. A pair of warriors, looking very much surprised, rose from beside the injured elf, approaching with drawn daggers. Their eyes matched Sera’s and her mother’s. Anger blazed there.

  Dain reached instinctively to his belt, gripping the tomahawk, before he felt Sera’s hand close down over his. Stepping forward between him and the two warriors, she spoke to them in Elvish. He didn’t know her words, but the tone was stern. They responded with raised voices while gesturing at him with their daggers. Those he understood well enough.

  The argument continued, until at last, the elf Dain presumed to be Sera’s mother ended it. She shouted a single word that silenced the pair of warriors and Sera alike. All three cast their eyes down in shame. The silence continued until Sera’s mother spoke again to the two warriors, and each of them sheathed their daggers and took positions flanking the injured elf. Dain still saw suspicion and anger in their faces, and they continued to watch him, but Sera had grabbed his hand and was already leading him to the bedside. If this is Sera’s family, Dain wondered, then where is Jin?

  As Sera had said, her father had taken the spear low through his right side. Herbal poultices covered the wound and the skin surrounding it was swollen and crimson with infection. Dain reached out to gently lay his hand on the old elf’s forehead. It burned hot with fever.

  Barely conscious, the elf king winced in pain as Dain moved the poultices aside and sensed the ugly wound. He doubted he had the strength to heal it, but he had promised to try.

  First, Dain placed a blessing of general health on the king to improve his overall spirit and his body’s own natural recovery. After that, he sat back on his heels. He had little experience with poisons, and hadn’t the faintest idea of how to begin. There were rare herbs that, when mixed, could absorb and negate healing, his instructors had said. From what Sera had told him, the spear may have been coated in a poison containing just such an herb. Before the healing could take effect, it had to be counteracted. If the wood elves, with their knowledge of herbs, couldn’t stop it though, how could he? He was a battlefield healer, a blunt instrument, pure and simple.

  There was only one thing he could do. He would try to overwhelm the poison with brute force.

  “Sera, please explain to your mother and your brothers what is happening while I attempt to heal him. I don’t want any misunderstandings once I get started.”

  “There is no need. We understand. There will be no misunderstandings, just please…help him,” Sera said, her voice choking off on her last words.

  With a deep, st
eadying breath, Dain began pushing as much Light as he could into the spell. Still tired from the prior evening, he only managed half as much strength into the spark this time. It wouldn’t be enough. He would fail and Sera’s father would die if this was the best he could do.

  Verdant’s advice came back to him. If he could draw no more Light could he focus its effects? He would have to narrow the healing directly into the wound itself, and then try to hold the Light inward when the spell took effect to avoid diluting it. He swallowed, feeling the spark’s weight, and strained under the load, focusing his mind, willing the Light to be stronger still, praying it would be enough to overcome the poison and destroy the infection. He pushed the spark into the elf’s side, focusing his will on the wound’s ugly core.

  The world went first white, then black. Dain struggled to remain upright, and he felt Sera’s hands under his arms as he pitched forward, pulling him aside. He heard heated voices and the scrape of a chair against the cabin’s floor as someone pushed him down into it. One of the brothers, he thought to himself as his vision swam in and out of focus. When he could hold his head up, he saw Sera’s father open his eyes and move his lips, trying to speak. Her mother rushed over to his side and bent low, pressing her ear to his mouth. Her eyes brightened and a small smile lit her face as he whispered. She stood upright after a time and put a gentle hand on her husband’s forehead, feeling for fever. In the other hand, she held a cup of water to his lips, which he gulped down greedily.

  Relief flooding his overtaxed body, Dain managed to turn his head enough to see Sera staring at the pair with teary eyes. She stood a bit apart from the others while her brothers each joined their mother and crowded around the bed, eager to see their father.

  The strains of the past week had finally caught up with him.

  The morning after healing Sera’s father, Dain had barely managed to ride along with the elves as they headed deeper into their homeland. There had been an argument over whether to take him at all, but Sera’s mother overruled all objections.