Luke and Aedyn clear the table as Vixen gets up and retrieves a small box made of cherry-colored chestnut. She opens the box and carefully takes out a tiny hammer, a small chisel, a pair of tweezers, and an eyepiece. Nyx peers over Vixen’s shoulder in order to see what else is in the box. She doesn’t have long to wait before Vixen pulls out a golden necklace. The chain connects to a collection of empty squares, which look to be where cube-shaped gemstones would sit. Vixen examines the jewelry with her eyepiece while Aedyn and Luke return to their seats.
“I should probably wait for dad and grandpa to be here before I tell you about my girlfriend,” Luke nervously claims. “I don’t want to get yelled at more than once.”
“Very well, dear, when are you going to visit your grandfather?” Vixen asks. She picks up her tweezers and uses them to pull a sapphire cube from the box. She sees if it will fit into one of the empty spaces on the necklace, but it is too big.
“I’m going to head over there now. Do you guys mind if I go alone? I have some things to talk to my grandpa about,” the forest tracker states while he gets to his feet. “Also, he might want to spar and I’d rather not have an audience for that. You two can tour the town without me. It’s really hard to get lost.”
“We’ll see you later then,” Nyx says with a half-hearted wave.
“Don’t forget to visit Alyssa before you leave town. You have a responsibility to see her and apologize,” Vixen announces. She gently chisels away at the sapphire cube until it fits into the necklace.
“Yes, mom,” Luke grumbles. He cautiously peeks out of the front door and waits for a few seconds. Without another word, he slips out of the house and sprints passed the window before disappearing from view.
Aedyn scratches his chin and lets his curiosity get the best of him. “Who is Alyssa?”
“She is the mayor of Haven. The sweet thing is very polite and caring. She visits me sometimes and pays very well for the jewelry that I make for her public outings. She has a love of emeralds,” Vixen casually answers. Her head suddenly jolts up from her work. “Oh, I forgot to tell Luke that her father, the former mayor, passed away three months ago from heart rot. I hope he is delicate with her when they meet.”
“What is her connection to Luke?” Nyx asks, a sudden shiver running through her body.
Vixen stops working and sighs gently. She stares at the ceiling while gathering her thoughts. “I’m not surprised that Luke kept everything a secret. You see, Ilan wanted Luke to live a normal life without adventuring. He had hoped that Luke would not succumb to his wanderlust if he had a reason to stay in Haven. So, Ilan and the former Mayor Goldheart agreed to an arranged marriage between Luke and Alyssa. It was a good match since they were already playmates. They were happy about it up until Luke turned thirteen. He didn’t want to get married when he turned eighteen even though Alyssa was still in favor of the idea. I knew Luke would let the Callindor wanderlust carry him home, but my poor husband denied the possibility.”
Vixen pauses to stretch her arms and smiles warmly at her guests. “My man is horribly stubborn. As you may have guessed, Luke took Stiletto and vanished from Haven on the morning of the wedding. It caused such a ruckus that Ilan was unwilling to show his face in public for weeks. People didn’t mock him or anything, but he felt embarrassed. Mayor Goldheart was furious and branded Luke an exile for a few days. He changed his mind when the townspeople argued on Luke’s behalf. They all agreed that it wouldn’t be right to exile a Callindor who succumbed to the family wanderlust. I hear that Alyssa still harbors feelings for Luke, but I believe she has come to terms with the fact that he isn’t one to be tamed. I assume his new fiancée is either a strong warrior or a charming adventuress. Can either of you tell me anything about her?”
“I think we should let Luke tell you everything. We do not want to say too much and make him mad,” Aedyn says politely. “It would be breaking his trust.”
“I understand,” Vixen sighs.
“I’m going to take a look around town. You want to come along, Aedyn?” Nyx asks. “I saw that you had your eye on the bakery we passed.”
The priest is about to get to his feet, but stops and relaxes in his chair. “No thanks. I am going to stay here and tell Mrs. Callindor more about our adventures. That is if you do not mind, ma’am.”
“I don’t mind, young man. I enjoy the company and the stories,” she admits. She carefully fits the sapphire cube into the empty necklace.
“Suit yourself. I’ll bring you back some sweets.” Nyx places her backpack and cloak next to Aedyn’s chair. She gives a final wave to Vixen on her way out the door, making sure to close it gently.
“She’s such a sweet girl,” Vixen mentions.
*****
Luke privately wishes that he had stayed away from home for another year as he stares at the house in front of him. It is a narrow building of dark brown wood and white stone, which is topped with a steeple that has a single, circular window. A sturdy porch of ivy-cloaked oak surrounds the entire house. The area around the structure spans twenty yards in every direction with a few scattered trees casting shadows across the house. Standing in the front yard are four wooden dummies with their lifeless arms dangling at their sides.
“I remember these all too well. I wonder if grandpa still uses the same activation word for these guys,” Luke says, smiling while he approaches the dummies. He gently nudges the second dummy with his foot, leaping back when the arms reach for him.
Luke is still staring at the dummy when a brief shuffling behind him catches his attention. A grin crosses his face before he launches himself into the air and lands on top of the first dummy. Its magically animated arms try to grab the half-elf until he flips off its wobbly head. He barely hits the ground when a booted foot hits him between the shoulders and sends him tumbling forward. Luke turns in a crouch and leans away from a jab to his throat. He cartwheels out of range and lands on his feet where he can easily block the flurry of punches from his opponent.
“Couldn’t you say hello and offer me something to drink like a normal grandfather?” Luke complains as he is backed against a dummy.
“We can drink after you prove that you haven’t gone soft,” replies a bald, elderly elf dressed in a royal blue shirt and black pants. He is slightly shorter than Luke, but his body is a lot leaner. A wooden necklace with the crossed sword symbol of Uli swings from his neck every time he advances on Luke. The elf’s emerald eyes are locked in a chilling stare as if he is a cat stalking an injured mouse.
Luke pushes the old elf away with a sudden kick, but his enemy quickly uses his hands to spring back to his feet. It gives him enough time to snap off the arms of the nearest dummy.
“I’m still not good enough to beat you without weapons,” Luke admits.
“You may know your limits, but you still take on more than you can handle. I am called Talos Doubleblade for a reason,” the elf politely reminds his grandson. He promptly snaps off the arms of another dummy.
The forest trackers collide with the sound of clacking wood. Every time Luke tries to spin around Talos and strike from behind, he is tripped off his feet. Talos effortlessly blocks Luke’s attacks, as both of the warriors steadily become blurred whirlwinds of motion. Luke tries for a desperate thrust to Talos’s chest only to have his arm locked in the crook of his grandfather’s arm.
“Do you lose your arm or your head?” Talos asks. He raises his free arm for a blow to the back of Luke’s neck.
“Neither,” Luke growls with a grin.
To the surprise of Talos, Luke pushes against him instead of trying to pull his arm free or twisting his body to dodge the attack. Luke puts his free arm up to catch the incoming weapon while he has Talos off balance. A guttural snarl escapes Luke’s lips as he lifts his grandfather and attempts to hurl the old elf over his head. Talos calmly watches the sky and ground spin around him until he plants his feet firmly against the grass instead of landing on his back like Luke had planned. He can hear his grand
son swear softly now that the boy is uncomfortably bent backwards with no way to escape. Without a sound, Talos flips Luke off his feet and bats him out the air with the dummy arm.
“Ouch,” Luke mutters with his face in the dirt.
“I can see that you have improved your swordsmanship, even though these makeshift weapons do not do us justice,” Talos says, crouching next to his grandson and patting him on the head. “Now, what were you expecting to do with that crude wrestling move? I told you years ago that such methods are only useful for those who depend on physical strength. Have you forgotten that you are a forest tracker and depend on your speed and reflexes?”
“I haven’t forgotten,” Luke responds, forcing himself off the ground. “The only other way out of that situation would be to kick out your legs and use my leverage to get my arm free. It still would have failed because you would have knocked me down the moment I started to kick.”
“There were other escape paths,” Talos sternly says, running a hand along his smooth head. “You could have dislocated your shoulder to make it easier to pull out of my grasp. Then there is a simple thrust to the stomach with your pommel or fist, which would knock the wind out of me and loosen my grip. You could have also tried to slide between my legs as I swung my other arm in order to flip me over. You would be such an amazing forest tracker if you didn’t have to be so flashy, Luke.” He slaps Luke on the shoulder before giving him a tight hug.
“It’s more fun my way,” Luke proudly declares with a grin. “Besides, I saw your face and that last move caught you off guard.”
“I was merely confused as to why you were acting like a brute instead of my protégé,” the elf claims, taking a seat on the porch. “So, what brings my wild grandson back to Haven?”
Luke takes a deep breath, enjoying the sweet country air. “I wanted to see you, mom, and dad since I was finishing a job in Gods’ Voice. My friends were curious to see my hometown, so they insisted on coming along. I left them with mom. To be honest, I’m thinking it was a big mistake to come back. People must still be pretty mad about me leaving Alyssa at the altar.”
“People? I wouldn’t say that. Your father and Alyssa might be the only ones who are still angry,” Talos explains. Luke sits down next to his grandfather and leans against a small bench. “Your actions made both of them look like fools. Still, you are a Callindor and most people have come to accept that as the reason you left. I believe the stories of your adventures that I’ve heard and spread among the townsfolk have helped with your damaged reputation. Though, I haven’t told them everything that the birds and beasts have told me these last few months. I still cannot believe you defeated a Hellfire Elf at your age and withstood the strike of a Chaoswind blade.”
“I still don’t like that my name gets me out of trouble,” Luke declares, kicking a rock and sighing.
Talos stretches his legs and massages his creaky right knee. “It gets you into trouble just as often as it gets you out of trouble. If you were not a Callindor then you would not have faced a Hellfire Elf or a Lich. You would not have gotten involved with chaos elves and the heir to Serab. Your life would be a simple one with very few expectations. Yet, many of those you have met would be dead if not for your name bringing you to them. I’ve told you many times that you have to accept the good and the bad of being a Callindor.”
“I know, grandpa,” Luke mutters, “but I don’t have to like the bad.”
“Too true,” Talos agrees, a concerned expression crossing his face. “Your encounter with the griffin is proof of that. A griffin is truly a majestic beast and I am proud of the way that you handled it. You treated it with respect and honor.”
The young half-elf gives his grandfather a humble smile. “All I did was take a talon and forget to bury the body.”
“Many forest trackers believe that you should bury such a creature,” his grandpa says, sighing at the foolishness of others. “That is not always the case. Burying an animal makes it harder for other animals to reach the body for food, which they need to survive. The griffin has been recycled by the scavengers as nature intended and without the unnatural burial customs of our world. As for the talon, I understand your reasoning even though others might perceive it as trophy hunting. You wear it around your neck to remind you of something. Am I right?”
Luke scratches his head nervously and slowly reveals the talon necklace. “I want to make sure that I don’t forget my path. I should have found a way to save the griffin instead of battling it like it was a monster.”
“By doing so, you honor its memory and its spirit will watch over you,” Talos assures the younger warrior, his voice low and serious. “That is the way of the griffin. They protect those who show respect to nature and fight for others. It is a good fit for you. From what I have heard, you have come close to dying for the sake of others many times since you left Haven. You are turning into a great, but foolish, warrior.”
“Sounds like you know a lot about what I’ve been doing,” Luke states, his suspicion growing.
“I have asked the birds and beasts report to me ever since you left. I can say that I am proud of your courage and worried by your recklessness,” Talos declares. He stands up and rubs his lower back before leaning against a patio post. “Still, you are young and you have lived up to our legacy. It should not be long before Uli bestows a special gift for all of your service in her name. Now, I sense that you have some important questions for me.”
“Ever since I was nearly killed by a friend in Freedom, there has been something bothering me. Why am I the only Callindor who is traveling today?” Luke asks. He sees Talos beckon or him to explain further. “There are no others out there and we are supposed to be a great family of heroes. Given your age, you had to have had more children than just my father. I want to know why I’m the only member of our family who is out there.”
Talos sighs heavily as he stares up at the sky. A few birds land on the practice dummies and begin singing a simple melody. Talos pulls out two ocarinas and hands the bright red one to Luke. The rhythm from Talos’s gold ocarina melds flawlessly with the singing birds. The half-elf waits a few minutes before he softly joins his grandfather and the birds in their sudden concert. After a few minutes of singing, the birds scatter to the trees and Talos puts his ocarina away. Luke starts to hand the instrument to his grandfather, but it is gently pushed back into his lap.
“I have no idea how to answer your question without reliving some bad memories, but I will try,” Talos promises, taking a deep, cleansing breath before slowly answering Luke’s question. “The simple answer is that most of my children have perished or disappeared following the Callindor legacy. It was the same with my father’s generation and his father’s generation. You see, Luke, while our family is known for being great heroes, many of our bloodline die trying to live up to our name. For example, there was your uncle who became a Gaian lord before he was killed by an ogre army.” Talos pauses and releases a sigh of disappointment. “Your father is one of three remaining children as of this past winter since your aunt died during a battle in the Grand Savannah. You have an uncle who works with horses on the continent of Canst’s Fields. He has no children and I fear that he will never have any because of his fear of the Callindor legacy. He is the youngest and believes that it is our fame that killed his siblings. He has it in his head that the gods wish for us to die out. So, he has forsaken our family legacy with all of his heart. I guess that means you are the last to carry on our name until you decide to settle down and have kids.”
“What about the third child?” Luke asks.
Talos’s brow knits and a pained smile grows on his face. “That would be your only surviving aunt who you have a lot in common with. Like you, she was never happy getting fame from her last name. Though, her method of achieving personal fame was much more drastic than what you are doing. The day she left home, your aunt changed almost everything about her. The only thing she kept was her first name. So, people don’t even know tha
t she is part of our family tree unless she tells them.”
Luke’s ears twitch with excitement. “Where can I find her?”
“You already have, Luke,” Talos replies with a hearty laugh. “She goes by the name of Selenia Hamilton now. I’m surprised that you couldn’t figure it out. Her fighting style and training methods are similar to mine.”
Luke slaps his grandfather on the knee. “Now, you’re just playing games with me. Selenia is a half-elf, grandpa. You and grandma are full elves.”
“You are right, but it’s still true,” the old elf swears, a reminiscing smile plastered across his face. “You see, Selenia wished to remove all noticeable associations with our family, which is why she took a new last name. Hamilton was the name of her pet hedgehog when she was a child. To complete her new life, Selenia convinced a caster friend of hers to permanently transform her into a half-elf.”
“Well, I will have to talk to her about it the next time I see her,” Luke says, imagining the look on Selenia’s face when he catches her by surprise. His smile turns into a worried frown when he realizes what would happen.
“Make sure you are diplomatic about it,” his grandfather warns him. “She will get angry if you say it in front of a crowd.”
“I’ve survived her fury before, but I’ll be careful,” Luke says, his voice falling to a whisper. “I still have one more question that I want to ask you if you’re willing to listen. It’s about something that I don’t want mom and dad to know about.”
“I have been your grandfather, your teacher, and your confidant since you were born. I will share my wisdom and keep your secrets as if they were my own,” Talos promises, his green eyes warm and honest. “Does this have to do with you giving me some great-grandchildren? Your grandmother has been hounding me to put pressure on you for at least one of those.”
Legends of Windemere: 03 - Allure of the Gypsies Page 15
