The Weapon Bearer (Book 1)

by Aaron Thomas

  “I will try hard not to disappoint you in that fight,” Kilen said laughing. Wells did not laugh. Kilen realized that he had earned his rank over ten years ago and will never be able to be promoted until the water king rises. It was not a joke, but to test himself that Sgt. Wells sought.

  Both kept preparing the animals for departing Keepers. They worked in silence lending a hand where needed.

  ***

  Brent woke from his deep sleep and smoothed his robe. He collected his things while checking Kara’s state. He moved around the structure to where the horses were and found Sgt. Wells and Kilen working together in the morning light. “Where has our lord taken off to already this morning?”

  “He said he had business with Master Bradley about a servant to travel with us to prepare meals, sew, and care for the horses.”

  “Is that all? we don’t need is another on this trip, I’ll be back with him shortly. Be prepared to ride, and get Kara into the saddle. When we are out of Keepers we will lift the sedation. We will leave as soon as I return with Bowie.” Brent muttered under his breath about unfocused children while stomping off to find Bowie. Kilen worked harder to get everything prepared before Brent returned.

  Brent found Bowie right where Kilen had said, talking with the fat chef by his cook pots. The cook was standing still with his arms crossed listening to Bowie talk. “You see we are a man short and could use his expertise in almost every area.”

  “Who’s expertise are we talking about?” Brent cut into the conversation like a wintry blast through an opening door.

  “Leroy’s expertise in cooking , herbs, medicine, and sewing. Not to mention to have another hand in caring for Kara with the broth she will need. I bet he can even mix up a sedative to keep her asleep so you won’t have to use magic to do that.” Brent was struck with Bowie’s words; he wished that he had thought of it first. Brent started to apologize for the mutterings he made coming into this conversation.

  “I must admit I had not thought about the help that the boy could offer us until now Master Bradley. I do need lots of help getting this wizard to the Earth Realm without incident. I know we spoke of the weapon bearer needing some schooling to become a full weapon bearer. You’re sons expertise certainly helps us fill in the gaps. What then will it take to let him join us in our journey?” Brent waited expectantly for the chef to answer.

  “I don’t think I can say no, unfortunately. If he goes to help the weapon bearer then it would benefit Keepers greatly I think. I will ask that when you are finished with his teaching, you send him back to me.”

  “It will be so,” Bowie said without the wizard able to get in a word. The chef waited on Brent to speak his agreement.

  “Well as his lordship has said, it will be so. I will see to it that you receive compensation for his time away. I know how much of an asset he is here with you.”

  “The only compensation I need is to make sure that he stays alive and that he brings home Earth Realm recipes with him. I have never had a chance to visit the Earth Realm in all my travels.” He smiled and they shook hands at the agreement. Bowie was more excited than he had been the last two days, even with the celebrations and dancing he had done last night. “LEROY, get over here.” The boy came bounding across the camp with hand still dripping blood from whatever he had been preparing for the cook pot. He wiped his hands on his apron with the spices and knives. “I need you to help these men with a task. I won’t be around to help you so do it right and don’t question the wizard. Do you understand?” Leroy nodded his head once and waited for his father to tell him what his task would be. “Good. Get your things together and I’ll send someone to saddle Pullboy for your ride. Pack your herbs and tools, both sets of boots.” The father and son walked off as he continued to give instruction on what to pack. People in the town shook his hands and bid him a quick farewell as he walked. The chef said to each person he passed, “My son journeys into the Earth Realm to protect the wizard.” Tears came to his father’s eyes almost each time. People around the town offered help in packing his things and getting supplies for his horse. New shirts and pants were put into saddle bags and girls offered Leroy flowers as a token of thanks for his bravery. Kilen came, walking the horses with Kara secured in her saddle, to the crowd gathering around the Bradley’s house. Brent and Bowie both mounted and waited for everyone to say their good bye’s. When everyone was finished Leroy’s father gave him two silver daggers and whispered something in his ear. Leroy hugged his father and promised that he would return safely. With that, Brent started to pull a fog around them, trying to show his power as a wizard to give the people confidence in Leroy. Kilen saw that Brent was too weak to put much around them so he pulled as much as he could. The party disappeared into a wall of fog that blocked out the daylight. Brent moved to Leroy and helped him exit the town in the fog, and Kilen did the same, using his water vision for Bowie and Kara.

  To the people in Keepers it seemed as if they had turned into a fog and slowly drifted from town. Kilen maintained the fog behind them as they departed Keepers until they were out of sight and then let it dissipate where it stood.

  Before long Leroy yelled from the back of the precession, “Wizard Parker? Can you explain to me where it is we are going and what I am supposed to do for you?”

  Brent waved Leroy up to the front to ride beside him, “Well since you are with us now I can give you the entire truth. Kilen became a weapon bearer the night of Springfest not two days past. I found him fighting for his father’s blade, and his sister throwing fire. In the short, when we get to the Earth Realm King I’ll need Kilen to be trained in many arts like cooking, herbs, and medicine. That is your undertaking.”

  “We’re going to Deuterium?” Leroy was shocked, he thought that he would never leave Keepers until a new king was crowned. Now he was traveling with these people he barely knew into the heart of his town’s worst rival. “I’m supposed to teach Kilen medicine, herbs, and cooking while we travel to Deuterium?”

  “Yes and yes,” Brent said “Not everything mind you, but enough that he will be able to pass the basic training to become a scout for the King’s army. You will be training Bowie also. Give them both every advantage they can get. That is your job, the rest of the chores will be split up equally. Do you accept this Master Bradley?”

  Leroy took a moment for it all to settle before answering, “No one has ever called me Master Bradley, please call me Leroy. I do accept these terms Wizard Parker.”

  “If I am to call you Leroy then you will call me Brent, just like the others. Now I need to start a bit of training myself while you think on how you are to accomplish your task in the next few weeks. Kilen, we will start with history as your first subject.”

  Kilen perked up, “I know a lot about history. I’ve read all about the wars and struggles for land and seas. I don’t think there is much to learn, should we start with something else?”

  “You don’t know the whole history. The history I speak of remains a part of wizards’ and weapon bearers’ secrets. I’ll ask you other two not to listen,” he said winking at Bowie and Leroy. They smiled in return.

  Brent started in as if he was telling a great story, not a history lesson, “About three thousand years ago there were no kings and no realms. People that populated this land lived in small tribes, relying on their environment to survive. Wizards were born and killed if they were discovered, so they wouldn’t kill their own families. Some mothers had slipped their small children away from their villages before they could be found out as a wizard. They were sent away to live in solitude so that they might survive. Eventually, these rogue wizards had grown so powerful that they would sometimes kill whole villages without meaning to. Water wizards were some of the worst, making rain for days on end, flooding lands and drowning whole villages. Fire wizards would turn into a torch, lighting their bodies on fire and burning anything that moved, killing whole herds of animals, burning grass land, forcing people to move their villages to eat. The
wizards were a menace.

  About 2,500 thousand years ago a fifteen year old boy named Efrindoel was a victim of one of the wizards. His entire village was washed away, and he was the only one that remained alive. His parents had pushed him into a tree so high they could reach him themselves. He watched them get swept away in the waters. When the flooding subsided he picked up a stick lying on the ground and fixed a knife to the end of it. Then he made to seek out the wizard who had caused the destruction.

  When he found her she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was swimming in a small pond, and she told him that she had made it using the water from the sky. She asked Efrindoel to come swim with her, and he did. He met her in the water still clutching his spear, and asked her why she had killed his family. She was confused and told him she had made a beautiful place and had killed no one. He tried to tell her that her magic caused the death of his village, and he held his spear ready to pierce her heart. She told him that she had her pond, and if he wanted her water magic that he could have it. She reached up to hold the end of his spear and she let him push the tip into her skin. Then she tried to give him her water magic, but instead imbued his spear tip. He felt power rush into him through the weapon and thought she was trying to kill him. He thrust the spear into her chest and took it out again. He became the very first weapon bearer and killed the wizard who gave the power to him.”

  Kilen said, “Wait I haven’t heard the start of this story, but I know that Efrindoel was the first elemental king.”

  Brent held up his hand, “I’m just starting the history lesson, let me continue. Efrindoel traveled all over the land searching and finding wizards. Each one he would find he would force at spear point to give him their power before he plunged the spear through their heart. Eventually he found out that there were only four types of elemental wizards and he had collected them all. By that time he had developed a following of survivors wanting to kill wizards. Those that had three elements on their weapons he sent to find others to help hunt them. He was the King of these survivors, the king of a murderous savage group of people bent on killing wizards. Eventually the earth, water, and wind wizards began to group together to fight back against Efrindoel’s people. They captured one of Efrindoel’s warriors and tortured information about the process of giving magic to another. They tried to hide the ability by putting the magic into jewelry. The magic lessened, but the abilities were still there. Wizards forced men to follow them by threatening their families, and gave them magic items to fight against Efrindoel.

  The wizard battles lasted over fifty years. Some of the wizards banded together to form a nation of wizards and started to keep records and instruction books on how to keep control of themselves. Wizard Heathmos was a leader of the wizards. They named him Lord Heathmos and gave him the task of stopping Efrindoel. They approached Efrindoel and were able to convince him to stop killing. He gave Lord Heathmos control of any wizards they found. The killing stopped and Efrindoel’s spear was passed to his eldest son Afrindoel, and he became the second world king.”

  Brent took a long drink from his water skin and continued, “Afrindoel had no hatred for wizards like his father, so he began to talk with them. Wizard Lord Heathmos and Afrindoel set apart the southern land, what is now the Fire Realm. He said that the wizards would be sent there to study with Heathmos, and when they were capable of holding themselves in check he would let them venture back to their home lands. So wizards were integrated back into the Afrindoel’s reign. Wizards began to feel they were superior to the rest of the humans. Wizards of all types began carving out areas for their own, forcing people to work for them. Afrindoel fought alongside Heathmos to take back these lands. When the fighting was cleared, wizards were sent to serve under the Kings and were called the Wizards Councils. Any wizard who didn’t serve under a king would not get his protection from the Wizards councils. This is how we began to use kings and councils. No king is to be an elemental wizard, and no councilmen are to be a armor or weapon bearer. Did I lose you in all that?”

  Kilen thought before answering, “No I think I understand it all, but where did the four realms come from?”

  “That was Heathmos’s doing, to split up the lands so that each could govern a smaller amount of wizards. Each land specializing in that type of element, where it could do the most good or the least amount of harm. The desert is less likely to be damaged by fire so fire wizards go there. The water wizards have an affinity for water so the swamps, marshes, and water prominent regions to the west are theirs. The mountains have the most wind and so the Wind Realm is there in the north. The Earth was left with what was left over and those wizards grew their land to suit them, making mountains and valleys to suit their strength. Actually, all wizards came to carve their land with the councils that were there. The great trade rivers and the mountain passes, the great trees, and volcano dwellings were all created by wizards to suit the wizards of the land. Leviathan Lake, where Keepers is, was made by wizards of the Water Realm. The very land we travel through was shaped and sculpted up until the dark…until a while ago.” Brent changed the subject quickly, “We have slowed are pace. We must travel faster if we are to reach King Atmos before next Springfest.” Brent pushed his horse into a canter and everyone followed his lead. Kilen knew that whatever happened in history next would have to wait for another lesson.

  Kilen received little training in using elements along the way as Brent could only explain how to do most of them instead of showing them. Each time the party met travelers along the road Brent questioned them about burnt lands and army movements. Leroy would cook food from whatever he found, using a variety of herbs. Kilen started chapter 2 in his book, taking rubbings of herbs and writing their uses, how to find them, and some recipes to use them in for both cooking and poisons. Leroy hadn’t intended to teach this, but with his knowledge he was able to tell which plants and berries not to eat. Bowie and Leroy spent a lot of time collecting herbs and showed him how to use a bow. Leroy, in turn, brought out his father’s two silver knives rolling them on the back of his fingers and then throwing them with skilled accuracy. He threw them slicing two of Bowie’s arrows stuck into a tree, before Bowie could stop him and tell him how much the arrows were worth. The party only stopped long enough to let the horses rest, drink, and to make a fire and cook what they found along the way. Kilen kept the party’s vigor and mounts renewed. This took little effort on his part and he found that the process was getting easier. Kilen even practiced floating water around the party as they traveled deserted parts of the road.

  Kara talked to and patted her horse frequently. She had begun soiling herself and each time Kilen would change her and wash her clothing. Each time she spoke or moved Leroy would watch her. He always sat on the opposite side of the cook fires from her, fingering his silver knives. Kilen paid close attention to the herbs that Leroy put into her broth, making sure to ask which each one was for. He wished he knew more to protect his sister from the boy. Kilen had seen Leroy on two occasions check his daggers in his sleeves when Kara spoke to her horse. He couldn’t understand Leroy’s suspicions of Kara. To him, she was innocent and incapable of harm. He finally spoke to Brent while they packed up their noon meal on the third day and was remounting for the road. “Why is it that everyone hates the fire wizards?”

  Immediately Leroy riding alongside Bowie said, “We don’t hate them…we are afraid of them.”

  Brent spoke calmly to Kilen as they rode, and Leroy said no more. Kilen knew that Leroy had seen him watching Kara, “Fire wizards are rarely in total control of their emotions. Imagine if a fire wizard gets angry at its king, one moment all would be peaceful, and the next all the wizards in town are trying to subdue a blazing thinking inferno. That doesn’t count the damage done to servants and the castle while they are raging. If Kara became fully awakened she could burn us all to a crisp, with you trying subdue but not harm her. I can keep her subdued but I don’t think that I posses the power to prevent her from ha
rming anyone of us if she were fully awake. Long ago there was a war involving the fire wizards trying to take a part of the Earth and Water Realms. They would choose villagers or animals like oxen or horses and give them a piece of fire elemental armor. That person or animal would lose all rational thought and often burn villages or towns to shambles by themselves. Then the wizards would march through killing everything in their path. I’ve even heard a few accounts when fire rings were given to small children. Could you hurt a tiny child, even if they were on fire? Most of the villagers tried to put out the burning children not knowing that they were armor bearers. The children took the lives of their families and were left to wander the country forever burning until they simply died of exhaustion. I know that the idea of a wizard using people like this must make you burn with some kind of anger. A person controlling fire elements feels that anger about everyone and everything at every moment of the day, even while they sleep. It takes a very long time to overcome.”

  Kilen watched Kara and realized it would be a very long time before he would be able to talk with his sister again. His eyes started to tear up, feeling sorry for her. She was normally a gentle caring person, and now she would fight the rage for the rest of her extended life. He fingered the blue ribbon that now hung, tied to the hilt of his father’s sword. It was a constant reminder of what his life was to become.

  Brent spoke in the silence trying, to change Kilen’s mind off of the subject, “I must tell you about my mission for King Atmos. I am here looking for evidence of the Fire Realm’s movement. So keep your eyes open for any signs of burnt grass, trees or even dirt. Ten years ago the Water King stopped the Fire Realm from combining power with the Wind Realm to the north. If the Fire Realm was able to ally with the Wind Realm, the fires of war would blow farther than ever before. The Water King, Premas, prevented it by stopping troop movements along the pass of Heathmos, which stretches along the borders of the Earth and Water Realms, from the Fire Realm in the south, to the Wind Realm in the north. We now have had rumors that the Fire Queen looks to try the plan again with no Water Realm King to stop her. I have found that at least two different parties of fire weapon and armor bearers are using the pass again. Several villages along the way have been attacked for supplies and some buildings have been burnt down with no purpose. When this happened ten years ago the Premas the Water King tried to stop them. He plead to the Earth Realms former King, to help him secure the pass. The Earth King was suspicious of everyone, using too much earth imbued armor. He fortified his borders and let no one in or out. The Water Realm King had to stop movements from the north and the south, taking great casualties. Instead, he left the Fire Realm to the south do as they pleased and sent small contingent of weapon bearers to distract them and lead them away from villages, using the Fire Realm’s anger against them. He beat back the Wind Realm all the way to their capital. The Earth King had received false information of the Water Realm, letting the Fire Realm pass into their lands, and that the Water Realm was moving into the Wind Realm. The Earth King became angry sending his armies two directions, one to stop the Fire Realm from crossing their borders in the south. The second he sent to crush the Water King for his treachery. The Water Realm’s army was still in the mountain passes and unable to protect the kingdom, or prevent them from entering. When the warring started the Water Realm’s army was considered traitorous followers of the King Premas, and were said to disappear into the mountains and forests bordering the Water Realm. The Earth Realm king unseated the Water Realm and quelled the armies to the south. The Earth King then passed his command to his son and our current king, King Atmos. He struggles to maintain control over the people here in the Water Realm, and maintain their protection from the Fire Realm. The Water Wizards follow his command purely on the protection it gains the Water Realm.”