The Lords of Valdeon

by C. R. Richards

"I’ve never seen the draw so strong. He would have ripped the doors off that wardrobe."

  "It calls to him, Dante."

  "Why so glum then? This was what you hoped for, wasn't it?"

  "Did you hear him speaking the old language? Could he be the one? Perhaps Anne was right to hide him. Am I doing what’s best for our son?"

  "That choice is no longer yours."

  Silence hung heavy in the kitchen. Then Dante's voice came softly, hesitantly. "Will you summon the Sacred Guard then?"

  "And what do you think Wolf's reaction will be? He refused to help me when I came to him in my most desperate hour. What do you think he will do for the son I sired with Anne?"

  The Sacred Guard? Wolf? More mysteries only his father could shed light upon. Whoever this Wolf was, it seemed he and Leo were at odds.

  "Hot tempered he may be, but you know Wolf will protect your heir. Leo, you must think of Seth."

  "You’re right." His father's voice was soft, regretful. "I know what I must do."

  "Take your rest, Leo. Things will be clearer in the morning. I’ll need Curl Top here with me."

  "I will arrange it. Thomas Logan and I are on good terms after his visit. He is an honorable man. His son will be a fine choice."

  Seth hurried back to his bed as light flickered under his door. The candlelight faded, and soon the house grew still again. He looked up at the ceiling above his bed, pinching himself in frustration. Something incredible had happened to him tonight. Leo was not a man to be pushed. He'd have to remain patient until his father chose to reveal the secrets he was keeping.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  The next morning his father had given Seth a rare few hours away from work and training. In truth he wondered if Leo needed the time off more than he. Drawn and tired, his father looked as if he hadn't slept. He'd picked at the morning meal, hardly speaking to anyone. His father had refused to discuss the evening's antics, which only served to confirm Seth's suspicions. The lion had been real.

  "I asked you a question, Seth. Did that bump on the head rattle your ears?"

  Riley shoved at his arm. They walked among the shops on the Main Row, window shopping and not doing much of anything else. It was a needed break after the relentless training Leo had put him through recently.

  "Sorry. I just have a lot on my mind."

  "I was saying Leo came to the farm early this morning just as Dad had started the fire. I tried to hear what they were talking about, but Dad caught me listening and sent me to the barn. Next thing I know, here come Dad and Leo. They told me to meet you here after my chores, and that I'd be working on Leo's farm with Dante from now on. He's supposed to train me, but they didn't say on what. Do you have any idea?"

  "I don't understand a great many things in my father's house."

  Riley shrugged. "Well, at least Dad is happy to have me out from under foot."

  Alice came toward them. Her hair was pinned up off the shoulder. A single ringlet bounced beside a rosy cheek. The style made her look a good deal older. She twisted the loose strand of hair and smiled at Seth. Against his better judgment, he smiled back.

  "I wish she'd stop her flirting. I grow weary of the beatings."

  "I hear she has a crush on you, Seth McCloud. I suppose you are a lover and not a fighter."

  The McKenzie boys materialized out of the leather goods shop. Fists raised and muscles bulging, they struck Seth with a warning glare. Mike muttered something low to his sister. She gave him a haughty response in turn. Alice waved at Seth and made her way down the street toward the shops.

  "I’m beginning to think she likes seeing me beaten up." Seth sighed and stepped forward to meet the men.

  Mike threw his punch first, expecting the familiar contact, but Seth dodged it. He whipped around and buried a fist in the big man’s gut. Mike folded onto the row in a gasping heap. Danny came at him next. He swung both fists to meet Seth, but struck wide. Seth grabbed his arms and let them carry his body to the hard ground.

  "You just pummeled the McKenzie boys! How in the green, green fields…"

  He grabbed Riley's arm and pulled him away. It would be best if they weren’t close by when the boys came around. He'd not told Riley about the sword lessons. It was selfish of him, but he'd wanted the time alone with his father.

  "Here now, what are we doing?"

  "The last thing I need is more trouble with the constable." Seth pulled him along faster. "Let's get out of sight for a while."

  They left the town square and headed north toward the Sea Steps. The morning sun brought welcome warmth to Seth's face as they walked. A ship moored on the docks of the airship port cast a long shadow over Main Row. He took one last stretch under the sunlight and ducked into the shade.

  Someone had secured the boards blocking the Sea Steps. Too many eyes might be watching the barrier for them to force entry. They'd have to come back another time when it was dark and empty. Seth shrugged and walked slowly under the port's pillars. The corrals blocked the view from the row. It was as good a place as any to hide out.

  Beatrice walked slowly beneath the docks. Her long braids dangled before her as she searched the ground. She gave an excited cry and bent down to pick up something she'd found. Searching the port for lost or discarded treasures was a favorite pastime for Haven Bay youths. Seth had once found a beat-up, old pocket watch with a cracked face. It no longer told time, but he kept it for the etching of a mountain range within the gold.

  "What's the pest up to now?"

  "Why do you hate her so much, Riley? She liked you well enough."

  "I don’t hate her. She just annoys me."

  "Ask yourself why." Seth raised his hands and laughed. "I’m just saying maybe you like her a little."

  Riley put his fists on his hips and glared at Seth who was beginning to laugh harder. "She's just a child."

  "Great gulls!" Seth wiped at his eyes. "Beatrice is a year younger than us."

  She stood, holding a treasure to her heart as they approached. Beatrice gave Seth a curt nod. Riley was favored with a frigid scowl. She lifted her chin and pushed the beaded bracelet she'd found upon her right arm. Bright blue beads tinkled upon her wrist.

  "Well, Riley Logan, what do you want?" She wagged the bracelet at him. "I have much more important things to do than stand here and waste time with you."

  "Plainly she does not want to speak with me." Riley shook a finger at Seth. "Now you know, don't you. She's the one who's rude."

  Seth stepped between them as Beatrice took an angry stance. This would soon turn into a shouting match. They'd come here to hide, not to draw a crowd. Movement beside one of the far pillars drew his attention. Their audience was already arriving.

  "Hide! It could be the dock master or the constable." Seth prodded them closer to the ramp. "Start climbing. We'll lose them on the next level. Hurry!"

  Riley gripped Beatrice's hand and pulled her to the underside of the ramp. He lifted her up and pushed her feet until she was safely on the first level. Seth gave him a boost and climbed up after them. He leaned down and saw two cloaked men coming nearer. They were strangers to Haven Bay, which under the circumstances, made them potentially dangerous.

  "We have to keep moving. They'll see our boots."

  He crept along the boards of the ramp until it evened out onto a platform. They were at the back of the port where the dock workers kept their loading gear. This wasn't a good hiding place either. They were in the open. Seth moved along the platform until it took a curve. Steps leading to the next level were anchored upon a pillar at their left. He raced up them with Riley and Beatrice following.

  It was another storage area walled up on all sides. Great gulls. He'd just brought them to a dead end. Boots pounded on the platform below. They couldn't go back the way they'd come. He ducked behind some crates while Riley pulled Beatrice against the wooden wall on the other side of the steps. He held his breath as the two men stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

  "You take great ri
sks to call me here in the daylight. What do you want?"

  Seth recognized the man's harsh accent. It was Pavel Sandor. Fists clenched in impotent frustration, he ached to dive down the stairs and attack his mother's killer. Unarmed, he wouldn't stand a chance against a deadly butcher like Sandor. He had to be smart this time.

  "I've come on urgent business. A certain party will pay well if we kill the boy now." A man's voice, one Seth didn't recognize, rose up from the boards. Judging by the halting common tongue, he was most likely an Amity raider. How were they sneaking into Haven Bay so easily?

  "Who is this party?"

  "He prefers to remain anonymous. What does it matter? His money's good."

  "We have a little problem. Edmund has taken notice of his son. He is here on Marianna watching over his heir like a nervous mother hen."

  Seth chanced a glance over at Riley. He was holding a terrified Beatrice in his arms, stroking her hair to calm her. She squeezed him tightly as brutish laughter barked beneath them.

  "You worry about a toothless old lion when so much money is at stake?" The raider spat an Islic curse.

  "I am not a man to trifle with, raider scum!"

  A body struck the wall beneath them. Beatrice let out a small cry. Blue beads fell to the floor, bouncing and clanging like thunder on a tin roof. Seth motioned for Riley to hide, but there was nowhere to go. He ducked behind the crates, but there wasn't room for all three of them. Riley twisted his back toward the stairs to protect Beatrice.

  "Quiet. I will see to it." Sandor's voice was close. They'd run out of time.

  Preparing his body to attack, Seth waited for Sandor to come up the stairs. It would be another life and death struggle. This time, Seth would have the element of surprise on his side. The fight, however, didn't come. Sandor chuckled softly a few feet away from Seth’s head.

  "Well?" The raider spat another Islic curse. Steel scraped against leather as he pulled his sword.

  "We interrupt young lovers."

  "Aren't you going to kill them?"

  Seth held his breath. He was unarmed, but Leo had taught him several defensive moves. Riley was no stranger to fighting either. They might have a chance of defeating Sandor together.

  "Have you forgotten what it is to be young? I doubt they know what time it is the way they carry on." Sandor's voice retreated a few paces. "The runt of the litter among woolie farmers isn't a great threat. If I kill him now, I might tip my hand too soon."

  Seth popped his head carefully around the crates. Riley and Beatrice were engaged in a passionate kiss. Her fingers had moved up to Riley’s red curls, wrapping around them as he pulled her tighter.

  The boots beneath him began to walk back toward their entrance onto the docks. Seth crept down the steps, carefully following the cloaks as they took a slow pace.

  "What shall I tell this interested party? He does not know the exact island in the Grey Cliff Isles yet, but that could change soon and we could lose out on our payday."

  "You forget the other interested party. He is a powerful ranger. The money will have to be very good in order for me to risk double-crossing him. Let me think on these things. In the meantime, tell this benefactor our answer is yes."

  The two men dropped down under the docks once more. Their voices faded in the darkness. Seth hesitated. He desperately wanted to follow Sandor to his hiding place. The desire to uncover his true identity was overwhelming his reason. He had to get back to the farm and tell Leo about what he'd heard. They were about to be visited by unwanted guests.

  Seth stood and headed back toward the storage area where he'd left his friends. He walked up the steps and stopped abruptly. Riley and Beatrice were still wrapped together, lips pressed in a kiss. He put a hand over his mouth to hide a smile and cleared his throat loudly.

  "They've gone."

  Riley pulled gently away from Beatrice’s lips at last. "Poor little Honey Bee. You’re trembling. We need to get her home, Seth. She's been frightened out of her senses. You mustn't tell anyone what happened here today. Promise?"

  "Yes, Riley." She put her cheek against his shoulder. "Father would be very angry."

  "I can understand." Riley stared down the steps at the memory of the strangers.

  Seth shook his head, watching the happy face of Beatrice McFadden as she snuggled against her hero. Once again, Riley Logan had missed the point.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  A bubbling mixture of green slime simmered slowly over the low flame. Riley leaned over the pot and took a sniff. Gagging, he turned his face away. It was almost worse than mucking out Bluebell's stall. Almost.

  "It smells terrible."

  Dante hurried to the stove, eyes sparkling. He leaned his white grizzled head over the pot and took a deep sniff of the green mixture. Slapping his hands together, Dante nodded in appreciation.

  "Good work, Curl Top! You’ll make a fine healer or at least an apothecary when I’m done with you."

  Dante dipped a finger in and tasted the mix. The Valdeonian motioned him to do the same. Riley stuck his little finger in the mixture and put the hot liquid to his mouth before he lost his nerve. It tasted sweet, like meadow grass with the tang of wildflower petals.

  "That little bit of sour tells you when this concoction is ready. We just add some ground barley to make paste, and you have an ointment that will keep a wound from festering."

  Yesterday they'd made a powder that reduced fevers from trees. Earlier this morning he had helped Dante make bandages and tourniquets out of old fabric. Now he was learning how to heal wounds.

  "Are you expecting an invasion, Dante?"

  "I am expecting to give these things to that overworked doctor of yours. And to teach you a thing or two. Any objections?"

  Riley shook his head. "No, sir. I suppose I didn’t expect to be doing things like this when Leo hired me off my dad’s farm. I’m not complaining, mind you."

  "I hired you, and for my own reasons. Now, go knead that mix I have in the bowl."

  Riley pounced over to the large bowl on the counter by the kitchen window. He was still learning his boundaries with Dante. The old man was as prickly as a thistle. He had to admit he was growing fond of listening to the Valdeonian man’s teachings. They were interesting, and Riley was surprised at how much he remembered them from day to day.

  He looked over at the bandages they had made. Would it be so farfetched if he were to become a healer? His dad and brothers would think he had gone off his head, but Riley didn’t care. He’d see how this played out.

  "And what is this for, Dante?" Riley asked, deciding to get in the man’s good graces again.

  "It’s for supper. And at the pace you’re going, it will be done about sunup tomorrow."

  Riley bit back a comment and looked out the small kitchen window. Seth and Leo were walking in from the fields. They were deep in conversation about something. Riley shrugged. It really didn’t matter what the subject was, Seth was always eager to listen to anything the Valdeonian had to say. A little too eager.

  He rubbed his chin with the side of his arm and kneaded the bread dough harder, watching their easy conversation. It was true Leo had saved Riley’s life, but that didn’t mean they could trust him without question. His claims about Anne McCloud hiding her son away from his father didn't set well with Riley. She'd been an uncommonly kind woman. Such a thing was too cruel for her gentle soul.

  "They look so much alike," he muttered.

  "What’s that?" Dante huffed from the stove. His self-proclaimed teacher joined Riley by the window. "That they do, Curl Top."

  Dante lifted the bread dough out of the bowl. Practiced hands twisted it into a rope-shaped loaf and set it on the window sill to rise. The loaf joined other tantalizing cakes and pastries Dante had prepared that morning.

  "You’re a better cook than my mum."

  "Oh yes?" Dante snorted.

  "Aye. But, I’ll deny I said it if you tell her."

  They both chuckled. Mrs. Logan had marc
hed to the McPherson farm after she'd found out Leo hired Riley. She was furious with her husband and wanted Riley back, but Leo had managed to convince Mrs. Logan her son would be treated well. It was only after Dante bribed her with a Valdeonian pastry that she finally relented.

  "It’s time for you to practice the sword with Leo."

  Outside in the farmyard, Seth began to stretch, holding his blade straight ahead. Riley grinned. If someone had told him a year ago that Seth McCloud could use a sword as well as anyone on the island, he would have called them a liar.

  "I don’t think I’ll ever be as good as Seth."

  Riley didn’t really mind. He was just happy to be included in the lessons. It wasn’t as if he would ever use the sword. Muskets were better for fighting off Amity raiders.

  "You can’t compare yourself to Seth, Curl Top. He is meant for a different fate than you are, though your paths will be bound."

  "Riley Logan! Must I wait all evening?" Leo's call thundered from the barn.

  He exchanged a knowing look with Dante. Leo had been growling at everyone for days. He didn't know the man well, but his surly mood seemed out of place for the charming man who'd won over his mum. Riley pulled off the apron before Seth could see him in it and raced out to the barn.

  Leo helped him into a heavy leather vest with gloves to match. Seth had managed to put his own gear on without any help. His tall frame twisted and stretched to adjust the leather. Heavy work on the farm had given Seth strong muscles and a hard torso. He seemed so different, calmer and more confident. Seth had been lost before Leo had arrived. Now Riley’s best friend spoke about his future with growing excitement and hope.

  "Tonight we use steel, my pupils. You wear the leather for protection."

  Seth gave Riley a reassuring wink. He had already fought the wooden dummy with a real sword, but it was Riley’s first time using steel.

  Leo handed Riley the hilt. "It will only bite you if you let your defenses down."

  "Seth and I will show you first."

  Leo's tall frame remained perfectly straight as he moved to the center of the barn. He pulled his sword and flourished it elegantly in the air before them. Taking his stance, he motioned for Seth to strike.