The Spirit of Malquia (In the Absence of Kings Book 2)

by Lee LaCroix

  Men and women who had traveled on horseback and soldiers who had jumped off the backs of moving wagons made their way into a long line stretching around the border of the rings. At its front, Novas spied Behn and Berault having men and women sign in their identities and have their hands shaken before moving on down the line where they were given a tabard. Further down, the recruits were given a chance to select their preference of weapon if they were so in need and inclined. By the size of the group that Eyrn was leading in one of the circles, it had seemed the sword and shield combination was most popular. He led them in an introductory tutorial of the weapons including an assortment of combinations in stabbing, slashing, blocking, and bashing. As a publically open martial demonstration, there were a mixture of amateurs, disciples, and professionals, but they all seemed to benefit from receiving a tutorial in their weapons as well as an awareness of the skills of their allies.

  There were also smaller groups in the second ring who sparred with different weapons. There were groups of swordsmen, practicing their fluid strikes and precise lunges; there were the mace-wielders, aiming for a brutal blow to crush armour and make painful dents in helmets; and the warriors of the hammer, who could obliterate man and machine alike, but there were only a few who drew these weapons upon each other due to their devastating power.

  The line of volunteers winded through a newly established tent city that had begun to surround the training arena. The citizens were an assortment of mercenaries, old soldiers, and brave, young adventurers. Many had begun to arrive yesterday and that day. A collection of traveling merchants and vendors in both food and drink had mixed themselves in with the tent city as it began to expand.

  Kayten and Novas ventured across the road to where the archery targets were set up, and they saw a pair of darkly-garbed individuals whom they recognized almost immediately. As if he knew his son was striding towards him, Garreth turned away from overseeing the target practice, faced his son, and then smiled wide when he saw those two walking towards him hand in hand.

  “What’s this, what’s this? Has my son finally found a lady to his liking, and has the smith decided to shield my boy even further? Well it’s about time, with Novas being so blind in such matters,” Garreth remarked.

  “Indeed, he has!” Kayten said with a smile before pecking Novas on the cheek, to which he responded with a slight blush.

  “Well, I am happy for you then. I could not have picked better myself,” Garreth explained.

  “I glad you’re not cross, Garreth. I know we’ve all become very close, and I didn’t want to put something between us,” Kayten explained.

  Ilsa hopped off her post on the roadside fence and stood beside Garreth.

  “Oh, no no no. I could never be like that. Anyways, I’ve found something special as well,” Garreth replied as he put his arm around Ilsa’s waist.

  “You must be Kayten, I’ve heard so much about you,” Ilsa greeted as she extended her hand.

  “Hello, miss Vemsdower, I’ve heard some things as well!” Kayten stated as she grasped the hand in a light shake.

  “Please darling, call me Ilsa,” Ilsa asked with a batting of her eyelashes.

  Kayten smiled and nodded, and the four turned back to look over the archers at practice. Novas sat between Ilsa and Kayten on the fence while Garreth went to help one of the archers with more astute advice. They rested there for a while as no one was in any rush that day. It had seemed the training and organization was continuing fairly smoothly. Eyrn appeared beside Kayten a little while later and stood watching the archery practice without a word, stretching his arms and fingers.

  “I thought Berault gave you the day off? And here you are, training like always,” Novas remarked as he noticed him there.

  “Ah, I couldn’t help myself. When I arrived this morning, there were lads nearly poking their eyes out, and a couple restless folk smacking each other diligently. Inexperience or boredom aside, I can’t just let them take the field of battle without a small tutorial in swordsmanship since they could be a greater threat to their allies than their foes, perhaps,” Eyrn explained.

  “I suppose,” Novas replied.

  Kayten hopped off the fence and pulled at Novas’ arm, pulling him off the fence and leading him towards the road. She smiled at Eyrn as she passed, and Novas waved goodbye to the remaining two as they went. Eyrn moved close to Ilsa, and they began to converse words that escaped the reach of Kayten and Novas entirely.

  “Novas, would you be so kind as to escort me to Southbriar Crossroads? I’ve got some unfinished business there I’d like to take care of before tomorrow. It’s very important to me,” Kayten asked as she pulled Novas towards the corral of carts and wagons.

  “I don’t have anything more pressing to do, and I suppose I wouldn’t mind seeing the area again. That sounds fine to me,” Novas agreed with a nod.

  Kayten smiled, and she began to inquire with the cart masters which ones were headed south and how soon. Before long, they were seated a half-covered wagon with the backside draped in cloth from its base to a small section of roof and then the rest of the ceiling was open to the sky.

  “Not too many people headed away from the city today. Word has spread about the burning of Boulderstone, and everyone just wants to be safe or to fight for that safety,” the coachman stated.

  Novas agreed and nodded, and the rest of the journey was had in considerable silence. Novas and Kayten sat close to each other, commenting to themselves how the land had changed since the last time they had ventured by and how they had changed with it. The green grasses were now fading to a shiny, almost golden brown that reflected bright in the sunlight. Many of the trees now were completely bare, skeletons of bark raised to meet the sky, with upside down roots that instead drank of the air. The forests, save the evergreens, were giant walls of dark brown and their textures were muted and plain.

  The Woodreach Bridge seemed to be in better repair than the last time they had found it under Blackwoods occupation. The wooden boards of the bridge seemed recently swept, and two Crown Aegis banners hung from either side. The barricades were nowhere to be seen, and the station at the bridge seemed to be manned by at least two Crown Aegis. When his vision strayed upon the divide where he and his father had burned the Blackwoods and their wagon, Novas woke from his idle dazing and began to look around for the buildings of the Crossroads.

  A while later, the carriage pulled into Southbriar, and they paid the driver and hopped off the side. Kayten was glad to see that life had once again come to her home. The pavilion across from the smithy was now occupied by three vendors, and Kayten dragged Novas over to see what their wares were. The merchants were nothing out of the ordinary, but Kayten looked over their products. Out of the three vendors, there seemed to be a skins vendor and a meat vendor who worked as partners. Novas made this connection as he saw there was a great deal of deer meat for sale at one and a pile of deer furs at the other. The same went for fox and rabbit, for their skins and meat were neatly dressed from the rafters and on display for passersby. Lastly, there was an alchemist who was selling many different items in bottles, cups, and flasks including balms, salves, potions, tinctures, and elixirs, which he boasted cured a wide range of aliments that Kayten and Novas had never even heard of. They declined his advances and inquisitions and continued on their way.

  The guard’s station at the Crossroads seemed to be in adequate occupation once again. A new banner soared from the top of the watchtower, and a guard watched over the road. Another waited outside the entrance to the barracks where fire light and the flickering of shadow inside the window indicated that its insides were inhabited as well. This pleased Kayten very much since it seemed like life was returning to this place after all. Kayten led Novas around the back of the smithy, and they stopped at the grave of her father where Novas kept a respectful distance while Kayten kneeled down at its side. She looked over the sword that served as the headstone. The caliber of its craftsmanship was undimmed by the element
s or the passing of time, its gold hilt was still light and shiny, and its red and green jewels were still a shimmer and intact.

  “Father, I’m so sorry you had to die. It pains me every day to think I was responsible for your death. If I had acted different, you would still be here watching the rebirth of our quiet corner. But I recall it was not my thirst for vengeance that drew the first blood, but the greed of baser men that drew me to protect our home. And while I may have failed you, I swore not to fail another and to fight against this tide of tyranny that has drowned our land. The men that felled you were left to burn on the wagon they rode in on. After, I left for the city to find a way to right all these wrongs and to make sure victims no longer had to lose a brother, a son, a daughter, or a mother. I fight not only so the innocents will be spared from this cruelty, but so the bereaved, like me, will never have to bear this burning ember of hatred that has drawn me into the bloodiest conflict in decades. But, I found the right people, or really, they found me, and I’m doing alright in the city as are all the folks we’ve spared from the evil of the Blackwoods. But a new threat rises from the north and across the sea, and it can do far greater damage than the dark plunderers ever could have imagined. Today, I take this sword so I can uphold the ideals that I have told you, and I will wield it in your memory and your honour. Forgive me, Father. Watch over me and grant me strength in my time of need. I miss you,” Kayten spoke into the soft ground where the blades of grass now covered over the area that had been once overturned.

  She put one hand on the grave and lifted the sword from the dirt, breaking the coils of ivy that had ensnared it securely to the earth. She rose and slung the sword across her shoulder, and Novas leaned off a nearby tree and moved towards her, embracing her.

  “That was very brave. I’m sure he would be proud of you, as am I,” Novas whispered.

  Kayten pressed her face into Novas’ neck, wiping off her tears. She separated from him and led him to the front of the smithy. She withdrew a key from inside a pocket in her dress and slid it inside the keyhole, unlocking the door and letting her through. She was only inside for a moment. When she returned, she was polishing the blade with an oily rag, and the blade’s ornamented scabbard was tucked under her arm. Kayten and Novas stood outside the smithy for a time, Kayten cleaning off the dirt from the blade and applying a new coat of polish, and Novas looking over the inn across the road. As Kayten left to put the cloth back inside, Jorge the Innkeep came out of the Broken Kettle, waved to Novas, and looked glad to see him.

  “I think it’s no coincidence that things started to go better for this place after yee and yer father traveled through here, killing Blackwoods. And when yee returned, yammering about retaking the city and avenging the King. Aye’d say by the look of things, yee probably had something to do with it,” the innkeeper boasted as he pointed at Novas’ blade and tabard.

  “Possibly,” Novas responded with a nod of his head.

  Kayten came out of the smithy a moment later and locked the door.

  “Hullo there Kayten, it’s nice to see yee alive and well. It was awfully quiet around here without all that banging and burning around here. What have yee been up to?” the innkeep inquired.

  “Hah. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Farewell now!” Kayten replied with a small bow and led Novas back to the center of the Crossroads.

  Kayten consulted with a wagon master who had pulled up recently, and Novas went to the meat vendor where he bought some deer jerky to snack on the way back to the capital. Seeing him return with a handful of the meat, Kayten laughed and pulled at his other hand.

  “You’re taking a real shining to those, I think,” Kayten teased with a giggle.

  Novas laughed and shrugged, and her laughing diminished but her smile stayed set and fixed.

  “Come on. We have to board now,” Kayten told him as she led him towards the wagon, which lacked any covering and was already occupied by an aged couple gathered in one corner.

  Kayten and Novas smiled and gave a short wave to the other passengers as they boarded, and they were given polite nods in return. The sun was just beginning to redden when they left the Crossroads that day, and Jorge waved them goodbye as the carriage pulled away. The journey back was relatively calm and uneventful. Novas spied a herd of deer on the plains, and an eagle trailing them in the sky, and Kayten found a recess in the trees which led to a picturesque view of the rippling sea. The Great South Road had no shortage of travelers that day, and if the scenery did not keep the two occupied, the various passersby were enough to maintain their interest.

  “I was thinking we should invite the fisherman for a meal in the city, perhaps find him a real home before the cold sets in,” Kayten suggested as the carriage rocked over the ridges of the Woodreach Bridge.

  “That would be kind of us, I was thinking of him earlier as well,” Novas replied and continued to look down the Fenross River.

  As they approached Amatharsus, Kayten and Novas stared out over the sea towards the sun that was now split in two on the watery horizon. The outer training ground had cleared for the most part, but some diehard combatants still sparred as torches around the ring were lit, casting an army of swinging shadows on the ground. Many of the soldiers were in the tent encampment now. Large scores of them stood with mug in their hands and loitered around their tents. They sat inside them, outside them, or around the barrels of ale, and some lucky enough to find a seat to sit on were quite comfortable. Novas feared for the fierce malady that would fall upon them if they overindulged themselves on the eve of battle, but he had hope that they knew better.

  The dust was kicked up by a strong wind as Novas and Kayten dismounted the wagon near the south gates of Amatharsus, and they made their way inside the town and back towards their home. They poked their head into the main floor of the Salty Dog. Besides a friendly wave from Tummas, they didn’t see anyone they knew closely, so they headed to their room. After trudging up the flights of stairs, Kayten and Novas got to the door and found a note stuck in its side. Novas gave it a quick tug and began to read.

  Novas and Kayten,

  I have gone, once again, to the temporary residence of the Vemsdower’s in the Upper Quarter, for they are hosting a social to curry interest for eventually reopening the mine and rebuilding Boulderstone. I have been asked to extend an invitation to you by Mr. and Mrs. Vemsdower, the former wishing to forgive us for his boldness after hearing our praises around the city. The event has been described as casual so you are welcome to wear your blacks as long as they are clean, and your tabard would be fitting, Novas. Hope to see you there, and if not, tomorrow on the field.

  ~ Garreth

  Novas folded up the letter, unlocked and opened the door, and passed the letter to Kayten when she entered the apartment first. He followed her into the common room where she lit the stove and some candles with some flint. Novas fell into his chair, and Kayten came back into the room with his first sword, the one she had gifted him.

  “Ah, a beautiful blade. Too fine a sword for how poor a swordsman I was at the time,” Novas commented.

  “I was thinking I would hang it on the wall here,” Kayten explained before she pounded some bolts into the wall with her smithing hammer.

  Novas nodded in agreement as she placed it on the wall, and it hung shining in the lamplight.

  “So, are we going up to the Upper Quarter tonight?” Kayten asked as she had a seat beside Novas, dark red liquid swirling around cuper after she poured a glass of fruit wine.

  “Not a chance. With tomorrow around the bend?” Novas replied as he took the cup from her.

  “I feel the same. I just want to be here with you,” Kayten insisted as she held his other hand.

  “As do I. Together, tomorrow, we’ll see this through,” Novas insisted.

  Although he had his doubts, he felt he needed to encourage them both.

  “Do you think you are ready?” Kayten asked.

  “I believe I am. I have fought these Vandari.
For all their numbers, they are only men. Tomorrow, we will fight alongside the best and bravest of our land, and we will not fear their ranks for ours will be just as bolstered,” Novas explained. “What about you? Are you ready?”

  “I hope so. While I have only wet my blade on those mangy thieves, I have sparred well against many of our fellow men and showed them there is no weakness in my womanhood. I await tomorrow with dread and eagerness, for it shall be a test that determines the outcome of my life and the lives of many,” Kayten explained as she met Novas’ eyes.

  Novas nodded in return and gave a firm squeeze at her hand, and she returned it; that tension would keep them together through the next great battle.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The next morning, Kayten and Novas were awoken by a firm knocking at their door. They both sat out of the bed and were met by the dull light of the new day. While Kayten answered the door, Novas stepped towards the hallway window and craned his neck to see the sky but failed to see the blue. Novas walked over to the front window and looked about at the street. Gentle wisps of hanging white hovered on the street and were brushed away by passing folk. Although Novas believed he could make out the individual layers of foggy mist, they became thick and undistinguishable as he continued to peer down the street, and he was unable to see to the intersection. Novas heard a scraping sound coming from the hallway and then the door close tight. Novas met Kayten as she continued to drag a large wooden box, and he went to the other side to help her. They carried it into the common room, and after pushing aside some of the chairs, Kayten cracked open the box with a spare bolt and her hammer.

  “Ah, perfect,” she claimed as she wrenched the wooden board from the top of the box.