by Aaron Thomas
Copyright © 2014 by Aaron Thomas
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the express written permission of the author.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Published by Aaron Thomas
ISBN: 9781311394330
Cover design by Sabrina Sherman
Cover design © 2014 by Aaron Thomas
Interior design by KristiRae Alldredge of Computers & More Design Services
Acknowledgements
Prologue
1. Weapon Bearer
2. Springfest
3. Midnight Run
4. The Wandering Spring
5. Basham
6. Training
7. Keepers
8. The Earth Realm
9. The Earth Moves
10. The Traveling Soldier
11. Deuterium
12. Arrangements Made
13. A Moments Rest
14. Casting Lots
15. A Training of Sorts
16. Voices Within
17. The Earth’s Fire
18. Dinner with a Wizard
19. The Blood Arena
20. The King’s Warrior
21. True Awakenings
22. Standing Tall
23. Kilen’s Likeness
24. Map Reading
25. Into the Fire
26. Growing Flame
27. Traitor
28. A Cold Wind
29. Choosing Sides
30. The Fires Rage
31. A King Ruling
32. Final Exams
33. A Quick Farewell
Epilogue
Writing a book has never been on my bucket list. It was not an achievement I had considered reaching for. Because of a collective effort of those who share their love and talents with me, the start, and finally the completion of this book, has become a personal triumph. I cannot thank them enough for their inspiration, talent and hard work.
Dawn Thomas - Wife/inspiration
Brent Parker - Technical consultant
Mrs. Sanner - Editing/Proofreading
Jennifer May - Character Development
Mrs. Sherman/Mr. Klaus - Artwork
Michael J. Shanley - Author/friend/publishing consultation
A special thanks to all my co-workers and friends that spent endless hours proofreading and reviewing an author’s first book. Each of these people were beta readers as the book was created chapter by chapter. They spent the time reviewing un-edited, grammatically murdered pages – my appreciation is heartfelt.
The Earth Realm’s grand hall sat empty of people except for the king on his dais who was dressed in full battle armor. He seldom took it off anymore, and couldn’t remember why. The magic of the armor surged through him, so he would not need to sleep for days. The Fire Realm had sent small groups of weapon and armor bearers across the border seeking to capture water wizards. There were rumors of the dead approaching from the far edges of the northern boundary of the kingdom. The northern forest was full of bandits, robbers, outlaws, demons, and even the undead, depending on which pub or person you listened in on. The King stood alone in this effort to protect the people of the Earth and Water Realms. It had been ten years since the Water Realm had a king to rule and protect its lands, so he made this his duty until the right person could be found.
Suits of armor lined the walls of the great hall to display the power the king had. These suits of armor were not built for man, but for elephants, tigers, rhinos, warthogs, and mastiffs. The armor gave the animals magical enchantments to increase their aggression, stamina, and strength. These new monsters were taken to enemy lands and given enchanted armor. In the armor, they could not be controlled. They wrought destruction and death wherever they went. The animals would attack anything that moved, living or not. They would often light themselves on fire, as they were protected by their own fire enchantments. When they had been given their enhancements, the trainers were often killed by accident before the monsters could be fully released. The king had collected this particular set himself trying to prove himself to his father. He had been sent against the most evilly enhanced beasts to see his worth as a future king to the Earth Realm. Some kings were born to lead the development of lands and fund technology and arts. He was bred and trained from his birth to be king in a time of war.
During his father’s reign, the Wind Realm had fallen prey to the Water Realm. Upon his coronation, he took the lands of the Water Realm to stop their king’s greed, and prevent him from turning on the Earth Realm. The Wind Realm had taken too much damage and death to make a full recovery from the twenty five years of war. The king would need as large an army as he could amass to stop threats at both fronts, if there really was a threat at each border.
The large oak doors creaked open to admit the king’s assassin, Gortus, and Jace a scout for First Wizard Calvin. The two men’s leather boots echoed on the floor as they walked through the grand hall to approach the king. Gortus was a short statured man, though tall for the Kaple people, with a never failing serious look on his face. Like other Kaples, his skin was dark gray, and his hair was always a shade of white. The contrast made him stand out in every populace of the elemental realms. He wore a bastard sword that was almost as tall as he was. The blade was curved at the tip for ripping enemies’ entrails out during battle. The width at the base of the sword was a hand’s width from finger to wrist, and it tapered down as it went to the curled tip. The sword was fearsome, and Gortus’s use of the blade was even more so. The fact that this small man could pick up a blade this size was daunting, yet he swung it faster than most men could swing a stick. The Kaple were a hard race, practicing with blades since they could walk, and used them frequently on the wilderness’s predators. The Kapal were rarely seen outside their own inhospitable lands. When they did leave, they were even rarely seen as a civilized being. When Gortus was discovered, he was offered a job as the king’s personal assassin, where he would eliminate any threat that stood before him. He wore the king’s color, dark green, on his sash, but in contrast to the king’s armor, his was dark to match his skin. His cloak matched his white hair and had a smoky grey lining. The king had sent Gortus to kill small bands of robbers or bandits during his employment, and even a rogue wizard on occasion. His success contributed to the king’s power.
Jace, an ordinary man, was walking next to Gortus. He was ordinary, of average height, weight, and looks. His eyes were brown to match his hair that was cut to hang around his face, obscuring it from further recognition. His clothes were made of plain wool and of browns and greens to match the woods. He wore two short swords crossed on his back. The only adornment, he wore were three small rings on both hands and an iron bracer on his left arm. Contrary to his looks, this man was anything but ordinary in his ability to track, infiltrate, and spy. He was a product of magic, skill, and loyalty to his wizard. He had been in tight situations since he was taken in as a new soldier and trained by the king’s wizard adviser, Calvin. With the power of the elements in his jewelry, he could run for days without sleeping and had the strength of ten men combined. He was a dangerous man to face.
Jace and Gortus approached the dais and went to one knee, crossing their right fist to their chests. They spoke in unison, “We have come as you have requested, my king.”
The king spoke to these men as friends would. They were the closest things to friends the king could have. “I have a mission that I can only trust to the most loyal and sk
illed in my command. I need you to gather information. Correct information.” They both nodded with understanding, “Gortus, I need you to travel quickly to the northern forest to find the cause of panic in the people there. I hear the most ridiculous rumors. ‘The dead walk.’ It is most likely a band of thieves or thugs,” he said. “Do not eliminate the situation; I will make a display of power there myself once I know what I am up against.” Gortus bowed his head deeply in acceptance.
“I will accept this unfortunate assignment and do what as my king wishes in trying to avoid confrontation, even though such a task pains me.” The king rose and moved to lay a hand on Gortus’ shoulder.
“If it pleases you, Gortus, I shall take you along for the demonstration of power when the time comes. You will lead the attack on the forces there.” Gortus smiled at the thought of disbanding the threat. The king moved to stand in front of Jace, his dark green cloak dragging on the floor behind him as he moved.
“Jace, I need your more subtle tactics in the lower Earth and Water Realms. Travel along the southern border, gathering evidence of the Fire Realm troop movements there. These forces are pushing on us from both sides: the unknown from the north of the forest, and the Fire Realm from the south. I do not want them to know that I know where they are traveling to and from. We are not in an open war, as of yet, but they push me to the edge of my tolerance. I have arranged for all of the water wizards to be in the Water Realm during Springfest. This is out of my normal behavior. Hopefully if they want to find any water wizards, they will be looking for them in the Earth Realm cities closest to me. I lend you your normal magic armor, as I cannot afford to have any additional given to you. My army must be at its strongest since the wizards will be traveling to the edges of the realm in all directions.”
They spoke in unison once again. “We obey in the king’s wisdom.”
“On a side note, we will have many to train for the influx of soldiers coming from the cities. I will need you both to make it back soon after Springfest to greet the new arrivals. These troops will have to provide protection against the Fire Realm. My towers along the southern border have taken damage in recent days. The Fire Realm says it’s due to a surge in fire wizard awakenings. I will try peaceful negotiations until I can no longer ignore their blatant disregard for our land and people.” They both bowed deeply with understanding the importance of their tasks. “Go now and return with haste.”
They stood, clapped their fists against their chests, and departed the king’s grand hall. The king’s power was under attack from an unknown enemy to the north and an age old enemy to the south. The kingdom under the control of the Earth Realm would be in dire trouble if the two forces were working together to destroy the king’s people.
Kilen sat in the back of the classroom staring into a book he had read a dozen times before. Kilen was of average height for his age but had a couple more years of growing left to do. His brown hair was cut short to keep his head cool while working in the yard during the warmer seasons. His leg shook with anticipation, as this was the day that he would finish school and prepare for the journey to distant cities to study. All he had ever wanted to do was to study in the great libraries of the Earth Realm. This was the day that he began that journey.
The shutters were open to let the breeze flow through the cramped school house. Master Eben Jay gave a lecture on the economy of Springfest, and the silently listening class formed a circle around him. His sister, Kara, looked back from the front of the class with her black hair tied up in a blue ribbon. She had begun to shadow him throughout the last year, knowing he would be off to see the world soon. Kilen had heard this lecture before. He had memorized the books on numbers, letters, kings, war history, and many others the farm school had.
The children of Humbridge he had grown up with finished their schooling at age 13, unless they were needed at home sooner. By his father’s wishes, He continued until his sixteenth birthday. Some of the town’s folk thought his mother was just flaunting her wealth by keeping him in school longer than necessary. Kilen’s father had left on a quest, and his only request was for his son to avoid becoming a soldier.
Kilen’s mother, Sahera, promised that she would provide him with a horse and provisions as well as coin for a trip to Basham. If he could find a job as a scribe or some other work, he would make money for traveling to the next city of his journey and continue on in that way until he found his destiny. He knew if he could not find work he could return home and make a living on his father’s land outside of Humbridge. Tomorrow would be the first, and possibly only, journey of his life. He could succeed and find a life of adventure and knowledge, or fail and return to his humdrum farming life. He felt a twinge of guilt by leaving his sister behind. In the last year she had spent every waking moment with him. He supposed she was trying to hold on to every moment they had left together.
School was set to end early as an ironic reminder of Kilen’s elongated education. It was nearing the noon meal time. He could see out the window a cloud of dust following an approaching rider. He knew no one in town could ride that fast except for Bowie on his horse, Charger. He was there at school every day waiting on Kilen so they could hunt and sell their meat to Bowie’s father, the town butcher. Bowie would split with Kilen the earnings from the hunt down the middle. This provided cheap meat to the local town and a way to make coin of his own. Bowie was also promised the bones and sinew to make bowstrings, arrowheads, and arrow nocks. He was the best archer in the town of Humbridge and made the best arrows and bow strings within leagues. Passing peddlers would ask him to trade or buy his stock every year at Springfest. Last year he made enough to buy a Keltan bow made in the heart of the Earth Realm and Charger, which was of the finest Elian Plains stock. He made enough money off of the hunting and bow supplies to make a year’s worth of a normal man’s salary, and he always had his butchering skill to fall back on. He spent his money flamboyantly, buying only the finest clothes, saddles, and brandy that he could find.
Master Eben looked out the window at Bowie, who had pulled up short of the door. Charger let out a whinny and shook his head at the pure joy of being let out at a full run, yet again. Bowie let Charger prance in the school yard and let his presence be known. Master Eben sighed and looked to the rear of the room. He smiled at Kilen, his best student, letting him know he would be missed. Kilen straightened his vest over his linen shirt. Before Master Jay could finish his nod letting Kilen out of class, Kilen leaped from his chair, knocking it to the ground, and dove out the window. He ran out of the school yard not looking back. He had rehearsed this in his mind all day.
Bowie waved to the children now gathered around the window and then cantered Charger out into the knee high grass following Kilen. He was heading for the river near the school. Bowie and Kilen stopped at the river and let Charger drink from the water.
Kilen knew his face showed pure joy. “I have little time to hunt today, and I’m afraid it will be the last for a long time. I want to leave for Basham as soon as I can. Tomorrow maybe, if you still want to go?”
“I’m not up for much hunting today either, and I’m ready to leave for Basham tonight if you want. We can hunt along the river until we get to your house. I don’t right care if we find anything, I just have to make it back to town before the peddler changes his mind on the offer I made him. I almost got him to trade me his whole cart!” Bowie bragged as he jumped off Charger’s back.
They started walking away from the bank to get back into the grass while keeping the river in sight. They knew that animals would go for a drink. They would trap them between the water’s edge and Bowie’s practiced aim. Kilen looked to be in a hurry. “I have to make it home and see if my mother will give me the money I need for a horse before Mr. Peter sells all of his. Daniel told me the Roan he has can pull a full cart of rum from Basham and back without getting tired at all. Plus, I still want to get good prices and save as much money as I can on tack and provisions before the rates start to go up in th
e evening. If we do find something to hunt on the way back, I hope it sells fast. I’m not staying around tomorrow to collect,” Kilen said.
“I’m with you, as early as we can start out. I would like to find a good pub to start drinking before the sun gets half way up tomorrow. You know that I can only stay two days with you in Basham before I head on to Carlton. My aunt will send Uncle Rupert to strap my hide if I’m not there to pick up the items my dad needs…and pay them for it.” He pulled his black folded hat off his back where it hung from a string around his neck, and placed it in his saddle bag, being careful not to bend the red colored feather he had stuck in it. “I know you don’t even need to go home. Why don’t you just spend some of the coin you’ve been saving for the last few years of our hunting? If it’s half what I made last year, you shouldn’t need your mom’s money for months.”
Both Kilen and Bowie stopped quickly, watching a tree shake just over the next hill. They remained silent while staring at the tree. Then Bowie mounted Charger, motioning that he would round the tree farther away from the river. They had done this many times before. Kilen crouched low to the ground and took the sling from his pocket. Bowie rode wide of the tree and as he did, the tree stopped shaking before he could reach the top of the hill. He waved back to Kilen, and put his hands on top of his head, his fingers pointing to the sky. There was a deer up ahead, and it had antlers. Kilen picked up some rocks to fit in his sling and kept them in his opposite hand. He loaded one into the sling. They had always hunted as a team. Kilen’s job was to run the animal into Bowie’s range. He was the fastest runner around and could keep pace with a cantering horse for a short distance. He would run right at the deer, scaring it and hopefully making it run away from him and closer to Bowie. Both would angle the deer toward the river until Bowie could shoot it. Kilen started out at a jog and reached the top of the hill. When he reached it he stopped dead as he saw the stag running right at him. Kilen knew it must have heard Bowie in the distance. Kilen swung the sling and let a rock fly, hitting the stag in the head. The stag turned towards the river and ran at a sprint. Kilen tried to keep pace alongside the buck while loading another rock in the sling to try and turn it back towards Bowie. Kilen shouted at the buck enough to make it stop. The stag was bigger than any they had caught all year. He didn’t try to count the points on its rack while it snorted at him. The buck stood staring at Kilen. It lifted its front foot and stomped repeatedly. It began thrusting its head up and down. Kilen spun his sling and struck the buck in the chest. The buck leaped forward and started its charge from twenty paces right at Kilen. His heart beat quickly as he tried to retreat, but he fell over backwards. The buck lowered its head to finish his charge. It tripped and did a somersault, landing at Kilen’s side. He lay shocked on the ground next to the still animal, his heart racing from the excitement. He apprised that it probably weighed twice what he did. Bowie shouted, “WHOA! Are you ok, did it get you? Kilen!”
