Sword of Spirit (Salvation of Solandeus)

by David J. VanBergen Jr.

  After spending about 10 years traversing the world, Arajin had decided to settle down when he met and fell in love with a Gitano girl named Maria. He joined that Gitano group and fit in well with the Gitano’s lifestyle. He could settle down and travel at the same time. He and Maria married after a short while and had a very happy life together for about five years.

  About five years ago, their Gitano group took a last minute job for a wealthy merchant in Westport who wanted to import exotic furs from the north. It was late in the season, and they didn’t know if they would make it back before winter shut down sea travel.

  They made the trip by sea to the port city of Sorgen in the Great Northern Kingdom, then traveled deep into the center of the country. They purchased exotic black panther skins, large ivory tusks, white tiger furs, and many other goods not normally available in Solandeus. The cargo was worth a fortune and would have set them each up with enough money to buy a nice estate and settle down to raise a family.

  When they returned to Sorgen with six wagons full of goods, they found that their ship had sailed without them. The season had turned to winter, and they were essentially stranded until spring. Since they were going to have to stay through the winter, they moved into the merchant’s estate in the city. Things went ok for awhile, but eventually word got out about the valuable cargo they had in their possession.

  One day when Arajin and several of the men were buying supplies, they were attacked on their way back to the estate by a large group of men with swords and clubs. They fought off their attackers but spent hours clearing things up with the city watch.

  By the time they returned to the estate, they found that they had been robbed. Worse than that, there had been a violent confrontation. The remaining Gitanos had fought well, but they were overwhelmed. Everybody was tied up, and many of them were injured. Maria had sustained serious injuries, and they brought her and several others to a healer. Her wounds became infected, and over the course of the rest of the winter she struggled to fight off infection; all Arajin could do was stay by her side and pray to God that she would recover.

  They worked with the city watch to find the thieves, but they were in a foreign land and felt like the local authorities weren’t too concerned about aiding foreigners. The merchant’s local contacts weren’t any more helpful, and the group came to the conclusion that they weren’t going to get their goods back. By that point, Arajin couldn’t care less about the goods; the only thing he cared about was his wife.

  By the time spring arrived, Maria was delirious most of the time, but Arajin still had faith that she would make it. The night before they were to board a ship bound for Solandeus, she passed away in her sleep while Arajin held her hand. That night, he vowed to never again let anyone harm people he cared about.

  Since that night in the Northern Kingdom, Arajin had mercilessly protected the Gitano group he traveled with. Over time, his sorrows subsided, and the Gitanos looked to him for leadership and protection. There was never a formal declaration, but after that trip Arajin became the leader of that Gitano group. It gave him a purpose that he needed, but it was apparent he would never completely get over the loss of Maria.

  - - - - - - - - - -

  During this part of the trip, Mat and Persephonie were inseparable. They discussed many things, but the most frequent topic of conversation was Druid magic. While they rode, she taught him how to start using his natural talents and how to enhance his extrasensory perceptions.

  The first thing she taught him was how to communicate better with animals. Since they were riding horses, this was something he could learn and practice while they rode. He learned that proximity was an important part of the power of magic he could use. The closer he was to a person, animal, or object, the more powerful his influence would be. The closest proximity was touching so his first practice lessons were while he was physically touching his horse, Spirit.

  Mat learned that he couldn’t create a feeling, action, or behavior with Druid magic. He could only influence something that was already there. The first things he learned how to do were to make Spirit flick his tail and shake his head. He found that he had already done some of the things he was being taught simply on instinct, but now that he understood what he was doing, they were easier. By the end of the first day of training, he had even been able to influence Spirit to rear up on his hind legs and jump simply by encouraging him with his thoughts.

  In the evenings, Persephonie and Mat were joined by Banji. They ate together and told stories, but, more importantly, they trained together. Each of them was very skilled in certain areas, but they each learned something from the others and increased their own skill by practicing.

  All of them were skilled in at least one ranged weapon and one hand to hand weapon. Mat and Persephonie were both skilled with a bow, and Banji could hit a bull’s-eye from 30 yards away with his throwing knives. They learned that Banji routinely carried a dozen throwing knives in various holsters that could be retrieved and thrown in the blink of an eye.

  When it came time for hand to hand combat, Mat had his sword, Persephonie was skilled with a staff, and Banji was very dangerous with a pair of daggers. They practiced together using practice swords and knives and didn’t strike at full force. They were able to get used to each other’s skills and fighting style which would be very helpful when they were forced to fight together for real.

  Over the course of the trip, Mat and Persephonie learned that Banji had been found abandoned and raised by the Gitanos. He had no idea who his parents were or where he came from. The Gitanos had truly become his family, and he didn’t feel like he had missed out on anything by not knowing his birth parents.

  Mat also learned something about Gitanos in general that he almost wished he hadn’t learned. He knew that they took odd jobs from almost anyone who would hire them, but he hadn’t realized that some of those jobs might be somewhat less than legal. Banji was very skilled at getting into and out of places that most people considered to be safe and secure. There wasn’t a lock he couldn’t open in mere seconds, and his hands were quicker than anyone else’s he had ever seen.

  While Mat didn’t entirely approve of Banji’s occasional law breaking, he was willing to overlook that because he was quickly becoming the best friend that he never had growing up. He also felt like his skills would come in handy, and it definitely explained why the Gitanos were usually run out of town after a few weeks.

  Chapter 22

  Mat awoke with a start. He could sense something was wrong but didn’t know what. He used the Druid powers Persephonie had been teaching him and reached out with his senses to see who was around. He only sensed members of the Gitano group, but he still felt like something was wrong.

  He looked around the campsite being careful not to look at the campfire, which would ruin his night vision. Nothing seemed out of place, and the camp seemed peaceful. Everybody else was sleeping in the wagons, so he was alone outside by the fire.

  He was so focused on sensing people he almost missed the ax swinging for his head. At the last minute, he rolled to the side out of the way. He came out of his roll looking right at the fire, which momentarily blinded him in the dark. He jumped to his feet ready to defend himself.

  Mat stood there unarmed, searching for his attacker. His sword was still back at his bedroll ten feet away, but he was wearing his bracers. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness again after the glare of the fire, he sensed more than saw the ax blade swinging for his head from the left. He instinctively ducked and raised his left arm to deflect the blow with his bracer. Quicker than he would have thought possible, the ax was swinging back at him from the right side. This blow was aimed for his chest and he blocked with the bracer on his right arm and jumped back out of the way.

  As he jumped backwards, he tripped over a pile of logs and fell onto his back. Mat looked around for his attacker and didn’t see anyone at first. As he searched, a man holding a sword stepped into the light.

  “Whe
re’s your sword?” Dimitri demanded.

  Before Mat could answer, an arrow slammed into Dimitri’s left shoulder staggering him. As Dimitri fell to the ground, an attacker rushed at Mat. This one was a woman with two long knives. He recognized her as part of the Gitano group.

  Mat jumped to his feet to defend himself from the latest attacker. As she slashed at him, he ducked and blocked with his bracers. Her momentum carried her past him, and as she turned to face him an arrow slammed into her. Her eyes went wide as she looked down at the arrow protruding from her chest. Her arms dropped to her side as she slipped to her knees and fell over.

  Mat peered around the campsite as people emerged from their wagons. Persephonie ran over and anxiously asked him, “Are you ok?”

  “I’m fine, thanks to you,” he said. “What the heck just happened?”

  “I don’t know,” she replied as they both looked around them. The woman who had attacked last was motionless on the ground with an arrow protruding from her chest. There was also a man, who appeared to be bleeding, curled up on the ground moaning. Dimitri was sitting down cradling his arm with an arrow in his shoulder.

  By this point, the camp was in chaos as people saw the aftermath of the fight. Michael and Arajin came straight over to them. “What is going on here?” Arajin demanded.

  “I don’t really know,” Mat said. “I was attacked while I slept, and Persephonie saved me with her bow.”

  “Who are these people?” Michael asked.

  “You know Dimitri already,” Arajin answered. “The other two are Andre and Rhoda, a couple who have been with our group for about a year. At least that is who they are supposed to be.”

  Michael walked over and knelt down to check the woman with an arrow in her chest. “She’s already dead,” he announced.

  Persephonie checked the man named Andre and found he had a sword wound in the chest. He was conscious but in bad shape.

  “Who are you, and why did you try to kill him?” she demanded as she shook him.

  “Go to hell!” he spat.

  “You will soon be there,” she growled, “but you are going to tell me everything you know before you get there.”

  Persephonie pulled him up to a sitting position and grabbed his head with both her hands and closed her eyes. After a minute, she opened her eyes and asked again, “Who are you?”

  The man’s body shuddered then he woodenly said, “My name is Andre Rodovich.”

  “Why are you here?” Persephonie asked.

  “To spy for Anton the Annihilator,” he slowly replied.

  “Why did you try to kill Mat?” she asked.

  “Because he has the sword of prophecy,” he said.

  “What does the sword have to do with it?” Persephonie asked.

  “Anton wants the sword, and if I could get it for him he would reward me,” he replied.

  “What does Anton want with the sword?” she asked perplexed.

  “I don’t know, but Anton cannot be stopped. You cannot escape.” Andre said between labored breaths.

  “He’s not going to last much longer. What else do we need to know?” Persephonie asked.

  “Is Anton going to invade Solandeus?” Mat asked.

  “He will not stop until he rules everything,” he said. With one last gasp, he added “You cannot stop him. You are all doomed.”

  Andre’s eyes rolled back into his head, and he collapsed backwards out of Persephonie’s grip. She reached down and checked his pulse. “He’s dead,” she announced.

  Arajin went over to Dimitri and roughly pulled him to his feet. He held him with both hands and shook him. “What do you have to say for yourself, spy?” Arajin demanded.

  “I’m not a spy!” Dimitri shouted. “I saved his life. I stabbed Andre before he could kill Mat after he fell to the ground. And to thank me she shoots me!”

  “I saw you standing over Mat with a sword in your hand,” Persephonie said. “You were trying to kill him.”

  “No, I wasn’t!” he said. “I saw Andre swinging his ax at Mat, and when Mat fell to the ground I stabbed him. You can see his blood on my sword.”

  “I couldn’t see who was attacking me,” Mat said, “but I do know it was an ax and not a sword. When I saw him standing over me, I assumed he was attacking me, but he never actually did.”

  “I’m telling you the truth,” Dimitri said, “I didn’t attack him, I protected him. Now can you put me down and get this arrow out of my shoulder before I pass out?”

  “We’ll bandage you up,” Arajin said as he dropped him. “I’m going to take your weapons and keep you guarded until we make sure you are telling the truth though.”

  “I have nothing to hide,” Dimitri said with a grunt. “I hate Anton. That is why I fled here.”

  Michael came over to help take care of Dimitri. He put a stick in Dimitri’s mouth to bite on, and held his shoulders to the ground as Arajin pulled the arrow out. With the arrow removed, they bandaged his shoulder and put his arm in a sling.

  As the excitement started to wear off, Persephonie began to sway back and forth as the reality of her actions started to sink in. Mat hurried over and grabbed her shoulders to keep her steady.

  “You saved my life,” he said. “Thank you.”

  “I don’t feel so good,” she said. “I think I am going to be sick.”

  “Just breathe deeply,” Mat said. “The feelings will pass. When you are in the heat of the battle, you don’t think, you just react. Once the battle is over, the consequences sink in.”

  “I’ve never killed anyone before,” she said. “I know she would have killed you, but it is hard to think of myself as a killer.”

  “Defending yourself and your friends does not make you a killer,” Mat said.

  “I still think I am going to be sick,” Persephonie said.

  “It’s ok if you do,” Mat said. “I will be here for you either way.” He stayed with her, comforting her and making sure she was going to be alright while Michael and Arajin took care of the aftermath of the attack.

  As Mat comforted Persephonie, he looked around him at the questioning faces and dead bodies, knowing that life as he had known it was rapidly changing. He felt outrage that someone had tried to kill him and feared that next time he might not be so lucky. He vowed to never again be caught off guard.

  Chapter 23

  After getting Dimitri’s wounds taken care of, Arajin and Michael spent the rest of the night talking to all of the Gitanos in camp. Andre and Rhoda had been with the camp for about a year, but nobody appeared to have developed close relationships with them – at least nobody that was willing to admit it after the attempt to kill Mat.

  Arajin was reminded that Andre and Rhoda kept messenger pigeons and occasionally sent and received messages for members of the group. A careful search of their wagon confirmed they did send and receive messages, but there weren’t any messages to or from anybody in the Northern Kingdom. They did find a seal of the Great Northern Kingdom that seemed to confirm they were, in fact, sending messages. They also found a drawing and description of a sword that resembled Mat’s sword.

  After talking with everybody in camp and searching the wagon, the group met again in Arajin’s wagon with Lucas standing guard outside. At Mat’s request, Banji was invited to attend so the group now included Michael, Mat, Persephonie, Arajin, and Banji.

  “After tonight’s events,” Arajin opened, “I think we need to talk about what is really going on.”

  “We have tried to keep our journey secret,” Michael said, “but tonight has made it apparent that the secret is out. If we are going to be successful, we are going to have to start trusting a few more people.”

  “You can confide in me,” Arajin said, “and I will keep your secrets even if I don’t agree to be involved.”

  “I will do the same,” Banji added, “but I am pretty sure I will agree to help Mat.”

  “War is coming,” Michael stated, “and I don’t believe there is anything we can do
to stop it. I believe the quest we are on is the only thing that can ultimately save Solandeus from generations of torment and slavery.”

  Michael went on to tell them about the legends and prophecies related to the Armor of God. He told them about the bracers that had been in the monastery for the last 300 years and how they wound up in Mat’s possession. Mat told them about the dreams and visions he thought were sent by the bracers and how it led them to the sword. Persephonie added a few details from her years of research. By the time they were done talking, Arajin and Banji knew almost as much as Mat, Michael, and Persephonie. The only details they didn’t share related to the spy network that Michael maintained.

  To emphasize the mystical properties of the sword, Mat drew the sword and gave it to Arajin to hold. Even though he was a huge, muscular man, he could barely hold the sword off the ground with both hands. As Mat took the sword back effortlessly with one hand, it was truly apparent something magical was happening.

  Mat also demonstrated that the sword would not cut a righteous man by running the tip of the sword down Michael’s arm. With a mischievous smile, he looked at Banji. “Given your occasional law-bending, I’m not sure if it would be safe to try that on you,” Mat added.

  “Now, let’s talk about the two would-be assassins,” Michael said after they finished talking about the quest they had started.

  “Andre and Rhoda have been with us for about a year,” Arajin said. “I honestly don’t even remember what town they found us in, but they came to us and asked to travel with us. They were poor and were trying to make a better life for themselves. We let them work with us for a while and could see they were hard workers.”

  “When we left that town, whatever it was,” Arajin continued, “we allowed them to come with us and I let them use one of our empty wagons. They worked hard and paid me for the wagon as they earned money at each stop. There wasn’t a set price. After several months I told them they had paid me enough and they could consider the wagon their own.”