The Lords of Valdeon

by C. R. Richards

  "Shouldn’t you put on the safety vest, Leo?" Seth lowered his weapon.

  "Do you think you have advanced far enough to wound me, boy?"

  Leo turned flashing eyes upon Seth. Riley stepped back a little, watching the two men. What had happened in the field today? Seth practically worshiped his father. He hung on his every word. It didn't seem possible he could have offended Leo in some way.

  "Strike me."

  Seth lifted his weapon and came at Leo's chest with a fast thrust of the blade. The Valdeonian warrior dropped to the ground and spun with his leg outstretched. The leg swept Seth off his feet and onto his back before he could complete the thrust. Leo came out of the spin in an upright position. He rested the sword by his side.

  Riley held his breath as the tension grew heavy in the barn. Seth looked up slowly from the ground, his eyes flashing with amber. A thin trickle of blood dripped from his lip. Riley hurried over and helped his friend to his feet.

  "Cold water is what you’ll need, Seth."

  Riley pushed him out the barn door toward the farmhouse, before real blows were thrown. It was growing dark, and the fog was beginning to creep toward them. A warm glow from the kitchen's window promised good food and the comfort of a warm bed. Too bad they had to get through the evening before he could lay his head upon his pillow.

  "Did he cut you on purpose?"

  "I must have bitten it."

  Anger, hurt, and confusion were in Seth's eyes. His face remained calm, but Riley knew him better than anyone. He knew how much Leo's attack had hurt. Seth turned away.

  "Did something happen today in the fields to make him angry, Seth?"

  His friend wouldn’t look at him. "No. He has been this way since…I should be getting to Paddy’s. It’s my turn to tend bar."

  Seth pushed his leather vest and gloves into Riley's arms. Then he ran up the path and disappeared into the fog. Riley spun toward the barn and marched in through the doors. He threw Seth’s leathers down on top of a bale of hay and began removing his own.

  Leo was standing with the naked sword in hand, eyeing it casually as he extended its tip toward the hay. The warrior had the same calm, unemotional expression he’d worn when he’d killed the two Amity raiders.

  "The lesson is ended, it seems." Leo swung the tip in short swipes across the hay. "He must learn to overcome childish slights."

  "Childish slights? You should take your own advice, sir. Seth meant no slight to your wounded pride."

  He took a step back when those amber-flecked eyes turned angrily upon him. It was dangerous to provoke a man like Leo, but Riley didn’t care just then. Seth wouldn't tell Leo how much his slight had hurt him. It wasn't his way.

  "Seth looks up to you, Leo. He needs you. What he doesn’t need is you slapping him down. He gets enough of that at home with his uncle."

  Riley walked out of the barn before Leo had a chance to respond with a sword in his belly. Moving at a good pace toward the farmhouse, he didn't stop until he reached the door. Swinging it open with a hard shove, it slammed against an unlucky chair and shuddered back toward the jamb. Dante jumped and turned from the pot he was stirring.

  "You can’t be done already? I haven’t finished the meal yet."

  "It will be just you and Leo tonight. Thank you for everything you've shown me. Tell Leo I’ll get the money he paid for my labor back from Dad." Riley pulled his cloak from the peg by the door.

  "That won’t be necessary."

  Leo stood in the doorway. His sword was sheathed at his side. The warrior's manner was calm and cold again, as if Riley's words hadn't affected him at all. He regarded Riley with probing eyes.

  "I won’t keep money I haven’t earned. You certainly don’t expect me to stay if Seth does not."

  "What’s this?"

  Dante turned a puzzled face from Riley to Leo. His impatient gaze finally rested upon the Valdeonian. Some unspoken agreement passed between them. Well, their reasons for wanting him on the farm were no longer Riley's business. He fastened the clasp on his cloak and started toward the door. Leo still blocked his way.

  "Let me pass. Seth will need his real friend to talk to after his false one has stabbed him in the back."

  Leo grabbed the front of Riley’s cloak. "He has gone then?"

  Riley folded his arms across his chest. "What did you expect after the way you’ve been growling for the past few days?"

  "You don’t understand." Leo towered over him with those intense, angry eyes. "Tell me where he has gone, boy!"

  Shaking his head, he pulled his cloak from Leo’s fists. "I'll not let you harass him anymore tonight."

  "It’s near week’s end. He should be on his way to Paddy’s by now."

  Dante tossed Leo his long, ash-colored cloak. The hem slapped Riley on the cheek as it flew past his head. Leo wrapped the cloak about him and stepped back out into the darkness. Dante shoved Riley to the side and closed the door.

  "You'll help me with this elixir until Leo returns."

  Dante took supper off the stove and began to bang pots about. He'd never seen the old man mistreat his kitchen equipment. Riley folded his arms and leaned against the table. Dante was in a mood, and Riley didn't fancy listening to him grouse all evening. He moved to the kitchen window, looking out into the darkness. Leo was disappearing up the path to follow Seth, no doubt. Riley gave a last look at Dante’s back and tiptoed to the kitchen door. He quietly turned the knob. He was out the door and down the porch steps without a sound.

  Leo stopped at the top of the hill and pulled on his hood. If Riley hadn't been looking right at the man, he wouldn’t know Leo was there. A slight shimmer against the gray of the fog told him Leo had moved toward town. He pulled the hood low to cover his face and followed, keeping close to the trees.

  The Main Row waited at the end of their path. Leo’s cloak pressed flat against the wall of stone lining the row. His attention was firmly fixed on the signpost for Main and Farm Rows across the way. Seth was there, lighting his lamp. Riley threw himself on the damp ground when Seth turned around.

  Something hard jabbed into his side. The hilt of his sword poked out from under his cloak. He'd forgotten to take it off. Enduring the discomfort, he held his breath as Seth lifted the lamp and stared out into the darkness in their direction. The moments ticked by until Seth shrugged. He turned and headed down the path toward Paddy’s. Riley struggled to his feet and noticed with a curse Leo had disappeared. No matter. He knew exactly where the Valdeonian was headed.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Riley crawled through the dried grass on the roadside a fair distance behind Seth. Down the row to the left were the bright lights of the airship port. Thick fog blanketed the ground beneath, giving the allusion of disembodied fire. Several large rock fire pits lined the row on either side of the port. The militia had them burning bright to guide landing ships in harsh weather. Unfortunately, they hadn't been placed all the way to Paddy's. He'd have to stumble in the dark as he followed Seth's lantern.

  A dark shape ran through the fog between his location and Seth's back. Leo. Riley grinned. He'd expected the Valdeonian to show a little more stealth. Seth wasn't a fool. Then Riley saw a second shape — coming from the same direction — run across the road behind Seth. A third followed a few heartbeats later. Great gulls! They weren't alone in the fog.

  Four sets of eyes watched Seth’s lantern bob up and down in the thick banks of fog. One of the cloaked men had to be Leo. Two of them had an unhealthy interest. Did they mean to do Seth harm or were they just following? For all Riley knew, one of the men could be Jamie Newcastle out for a joke. No. Jamie wouldn’t have the guts to stand out in the middle of a thick fog even around the comforting flames of the pits.

  Amity raiders would have the brass and the skill to sneak about without being heard. Riley gripped the hilt of his sword. He could attack and raise the alarm, but he'd never so much as held a steel sword in his life. They’d strike him dead before he could scream. He rubbed th
e back of his neck and looked from one side of the road to the other.

  The second man reached into his cloak. He held his arms over his head and appeared ready to strike the first man. Riley ran as fast as he could and dived at the figure. Something long, a sword, flew onto the side of the row. He yanked off the man’s hood. A black mask with a white dagger drawn down the center stared up at Riley. It had to be Pavel Sandor.

  Harsh words in a strange language spat out from under the mask. Sandor pushed Riley off and dove toward his sword. Riley yanked at the hilt of his borrowed blade, but it was caught under his body. Sandor reached for his fallen weapon. A dagger flew through the dim light and jutted from the space within Sandor's sword hilt. Another shape appeared from the fog. It was the third man. In his hand, another deadly sword glistened in the flames of the fire pit.

  The third man pulled his hood away from his face. A white dagger hung in the black fabric. Two Sandors? Riley froze upon the ground as the two assassins stared each other down. The killer he'd disarmed spun on his heels and was over the short stone wall without a sound. His dark cloak disappeared into the fog as he crossed the row. Riley began to rise, hoping to chase after him. Sandor's twin stepped in his path. He pointed a finger at Riley, pinning him in place. Then the assassin snatched up his dagger and hurried into the night after his twin.

  Gravel crunched to his left and the first man threw back his cloak. It was Leo. He helped Riley to his feet without a word and picked up the other man’s fallen sword. The symbol of a dagger was etched upon the hilt. Leo fingered it, deep in thought.

  Riley grabbed his arm and motioned across the row. He couldn't explain why there were two Pavel Sandors or why they seemed to be enemies, but he did know they were keen about following Seth.

  "How many?" Leo mouthed.

  Riley lifted two fingers. Leo nodded. They both moved slowly toward the opposite side of the street, but there was no sign of either man. He gripped Riley's shoulder in warning. Putting a finger to his lips, the Valdeonian shook his head. He pointed toward the center of the street. Another dark figure was a dagger’s throw from Seth’s back.

  Leo moved with incredible speed. He grabbed the man from behind and lifted him to the side of the road without a sound. Riley rushed over as Leo pushed his blade into the Amity raider’s throat. He turned away from the gushing blood in time to see a charging raider headed for Leo’s back.

  Riley stepped between the men and thrust his arm out. The raider fell against him. His eyes captured Riley's gaze as the life faded from them. Blood gurgled from his gasping mouth. He sunk to the ground. Riley looked dumbly at the sword he held in his hand. It was still sticking in the man’s heart. Bright red blood looked obscene against the dead man's painted face.

  A thud followed by death’s cry sounded behind him. He turned to see another raider drop at his feet with a dagger sticking out of his throat. The world had suddenly gone mad, and all Riley could do was gape like an idiot.

  Dante came up beside them. "That’s the last of them, Leo. Where are the rest of the bodies?"

  "The other five are behind the wall fifty feet back. I must see Seth the rest of the way."

  Dante came to stand close to Riley as Leo disappeared into the fog. He bent down beside the two dead men and rifled quickly through their pockets. Collecting two more golden gargoyle coins, he held one of them up to show Riley. The old man tucked them into his pocket and stood away. Dante slapped at Riley's arm.

  "Come, boy." Dante rested a hand on Riley’s shoulder. "The backwater militia is coming. We can’t be found with the bodies."

  Stumbling like a half-wit, Riley stayed close to Dante as they ran along the side of the row toward Paddy's. Several torches pierced the fog seconds after they bolted from the scene. Dante grabbed his cloak and propelled him into a clump of trees. He leaned against a tree trunk and tried to sheath the bloodied sword. It was no use. His hands were shaking too hard. Would they ever stop shaking again? He had killed a man without hesitation. How in the green, green fields would he ever erase the dying eyes of the raider from his memory?

  Twigs scraping against bark shook Riley out of his stupor. A slim band of light burst into their center, illuminating their faces as the rest of the grove stayed dark. Leo threw off his hood and lifted a strange little lantern before him. Tom had brought back a similar one from his time with the UR army.

  "Seth is safely inside. Come, we can go to the usual spot until he has finished work."

  The usual spot? They'd watched Seth before. What other secrets was this Valdeonian hiding from his son? Riley forced his body upright and raised the sword again. It seemed to be glued to his hand now.

  "Who are you?"

  "I’ve told you all you need to know."

  Riley shook his head and raised the sword tip toward him. "You owe me a better explanation, Leo! I killed a man for you!"

  Saying the words aloud brought fresh images of blood and death to his mind. Riley fell against the tree again and put a hand on his forehead. No good deed could erase what he'd done.

  "I killed a man."

  Dante gently pried the sword hilt out of his trembling hand. He wiped the blade with a handkerchief and put it back in the sheath at Riley’s side. Words of thanks wouldn't come. His mind was in a haze of shock and horror. What had happened to his dull life upon his quiet island home?

  "You showed courage tonight." Leo's words held a hardness to them. "The time draws near when both you and Seth must hold on to your courage."

  "Have you told either of them why, Lion?"

  Someone moved in the shadows. Leo turned his lantern beam toward the voice. A white dagger glowed in the low light. Gloved hands pulled at the fabric until it came away from a face Riley recognized well. Her graying hair was pull tightly against her head. Gone was the gentle face who'd spent many an hour telling him and Seth bedtime stories to coax them to sleep.

  "Emma?" Riley pushed away from the tree to stand before her. "Why are you dressed like Pavel Sandor? I could have killed you."

  "Don't be foolish, boy." Emma shook her head, but her eyes stayed fixed upon Leo. "I saved your life tonight. How would I ever look your mother in the eye again if I'd let you be killed?"

  "You are the one who's been watching our farm. It is a great pity you've chosen to remain silent all these years. You've kept me away from my son."

  "I swore an oath to my lady Anne. It was she and now Seth who have my loyalty. I've watched you with him, Leo. This is not the life Anne wanted for her son."

  "That was not her choice to make, and you know it, Emma."

  Her harsh features softened and she nodded. "I know, and I think deep in her heart she knew too. We planned to leave for Carlotta, to join the world again."

  The tears began to form in her eyes. She wiped them away quickly. "I'm certain there is much you must want to know, Leo. I will come to you soon when Seth is away from the farm. Riley, I saved your life. In return, I want a favor. You must never tell Seth about me and what I've done tonight. I cannot bear for him to know what I once was. In my heart, you will always be the two small boys catching crickets in your little hands." The sad smile left her face, and she was Sandor's twin once more. "Listen well to your mentor. Your life may depend upon his teachings."

  "What of Sandor?" The cold hatred in Leo's voice stopped her as she turned to go.

  "I've more right to his blood than you, Valdeonian."

  Then she was gone. Her body disappeared back into the darkness, and she passed through the trees without a sound. Riley stared into the shadows, trying to make sense of the night. Emma was an assassin, just like this Sandor. The realization made him question the memories of his childhood.

  "We’ll meet you in the trees across from the pub entrance, Leo. Riley and I need a moment," Dante said.

  "Never forget. I have entrusted you with my son's life, Riley Logan." Leo pushed through the branches headed in the opposite direction of that in which Emma had gone. His disturbing words faded, leaving R
iley with the sudden desire to bolt toward the northern farms.

  "Well, Curl Top, the Jalora chose wisely when it chose you! I think you'll make Seth an excellent squire." Dante gave him a pleased nod and folded his arms. "A squire keeps his ranger’s secrets for him. Will you do as much for Seth?"

  "You mean Seth is to be a ranger?"

  Dante looked back out into the darkness where Leo had disappeared. "It’s a hard life you have ahead of you, Curl Top. The ranger needs his squire as surely as Andara needs the ranger. You must see he stays fed, clothed, and bandaged when he bleeds. It is your solemn duty to protect his back in a fight, even if it means you must give your own life for his." The old squire gave him a strange smile. "And you must carry your ranger’s legacy to his heir when he falls. Only then are you free from the oath you swear upon your lord's ring."

  Squire to a ranger. Riley sucked in a breath and clasped at his hilt again. This Jalora had thought he was brave enough to do the job, but was he? Riley squeezed his fingers together harder. Nobody had mentioned death when they started teaching him the sword.

  "What if I can’t do it, Dante? What if I’m not brave enough?"

  "You heard the call tonight, and you answered it like a true squire. When the time comes, I know you will kneel before your ranger and swear the oath to serve the Jalora just as I did."

  "How is Seth to join these rangers?"

  Dante lifted his chin up proudly. "Leo will teach him, of course. You mustn’t be too hard on my ranger, Squire Logan. It is very hard for a man to be parted from the Jalora once he has been joined. Leo was a ranger for many years. A lesser man would have died being parted so. He only wishes to help Seth and prepare him for what he must become."

  These strange events were happening too fast for him. He wasn’t resilient to change like Seth was. Here he was about to promise his loyalty to the Jalora and he had no idea what it was. He'd heard the tales of its magic, of course, but such mystical things didn't stray out to Marianna.