Secrets of the Elders Kindle Version

by David Matthew Almond

  “There are many viewpoints here, young man. If we cannot get to the truth, we will always lean toward the worst scenario, erring forever on the side of caution. In this way, the kingdom stays strong, with ever-vigilant protection from that which could bring us harm. By delivering your brother back to Fal you will prove your loyalty to the citizens, and none would dare question the allegiance of your people.” Elder Viktor proclaimed, as other members of the council nodded their heads in agreement.

  “I fully understand and vow to do what must be done. I will leave for the wild lands on the morrow to find and bring my brother back.” Corbin promised, bowing his head with rigid arms to either side.

  “You will have exactly thirty days to do so. May Baetylus be with you, son of Riverbell.” Arch Councilor Zacharia said, closing the proceeding with a triple tap of his small wooden gavel. Two muscle bound guards carrying thick tridents moved forward to usher Corbin out of the antechamber.

  Once outside, a young freckled boy with curly, mussed, blonde hair made a beeline for him. “Master Corbin Walker?” he asked.

  “Yes?” Corbin answered tentatively.

  “This is for you sir, please sign here.” He shoved a small ledger in Corbin’s hands. No sooner had he signed the parchment, than the boy placed a scroll in his hands and made another beeline down the hallway, disappearing on to his next destination.

  Corbin unrolled the curious little letter, reading

  Come meet me before the 11th hour,

  I want to help, come alone

  84 Sycamore lane, 12th district

  Elise stood vigil waiting for him outside the courthouse, beside the carriage Lady Penelope had leant them. She was wringing her hands, clearly distressed at not knowing what was happening inside to her love. Once she saw him, she ran over, relieved to see he was okay.

  “I was so worried!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck, as tears of pent up emotion swelled in her eyes.

  “You and I both, Elise.” He hugged her tightly, before softly pushing the woman at arm’s length so he could look in her blue eyes.

  “They have commanded me to go to the wild lands and bring Logan back.” He blurted out, not wanting to skirt the subject.

  “That’s madness!” Elise replied, horrified at the thought of him going outside the kingdom into the dangerous wild lands.

  “I agree, but there is nothing I can do, this task must be taken care of.” He spoke somberly, having accepted his fate back in the antechamber, knowing what was at stake.

  “No, I’ll talk to them… you cannot be expected to go out there into the wilds for something Logan did. I will make them see reason… I…” Elise was panicking.

  “Dear sweet Elise, my love, if I do not go they will excommunicate Riverbell. It will be a sign that too many will view as proof of some tale of our conspiracy for your title and to hurt the capitol.” He explained.

  “Has the whole world lost its senses? We loved Elder Morgana with all our hearts, why, she practically raised you and Logan single-handed. What in the world would make them think we could possibly imagine hurting the kingdom… and to what end? To top it off the whole business is ludicrous, Logan is a wool-headed lout, he is a good many things at that, I mean the trouble he gets into is… well it just riles me up to think about the dumb things he has done over the years. But, a murderer? Never will I believe that your brother could hurt an innocent.” She was getting fired up, showing the bold passion that Elder Morgana had seen in her, which defined her ability to lead an entire village.

  “Agreed, even more reason for it to be me to go out there and bring him back to his senses. It was foolish to run away like that. The only thing he accomplished was making his guilt ring true in the Elder councils’ ears. At the end of the day, Logan has gotten himself into this mess. I have pulled him out of the fire too many times to count and I’ll not be doing it again, not this time, when he has risked the lives and freedom of every person we know. He will come back here and be seen by the Elders, even if I have to drag him kicking and screaming across the wild lands themselves.” Corbin said, tucking her hair behind an ear with his rough, calloused hand.

  “And if he is found guilty?” she asked, staring up at him doe-eyed.

  “Then he will deserve the judgment given.” Corbin replied evenly.

  It was late into the eve, as Corbin made his way around the corner of Sycamore, counting down the numbered doors. Forty-eight was just across the path, but there was no one about. He began walking up the steps to knock on the house door, when a young woman in an odd get-up stepped out from behind the bushes, whistling low for his attention.

  “Follow me, Mr. Walker.” she whispered, quickly heading down a side alleyway. Corbin looked to forty-eight Sycamore then back at the girl, who was almost lost in the low hanging evening fog, before deciding to follow. Her blonde hair flowed in two bushy locks behind her neck under a hat that looked like something from a children’s story about pirates. They moved quickly through the tight alleys, left then right then back, all the while she kept looking back, over the high collar of her black trench coat, the way they had come.

  Corbin had a feeling it was more to make sure they were not being followed, than to see if he was keeping up. Suddenly she stopped short and grabbed the rung of an iron ladder to the right that was built into the stone wall of the alleyway, scaling the building. Once at the top, she went past the garden beds into a tiny, bricked alcove and gave a series of raps on the wall, which creaked open, revealing a candle lit room beyond. After they entered, the wall closed back up by itself. Removing her oversized trench coat, the girl politely offered to take his pack.

  “No thank you, I prefer to keep this on me.” Corbin replied, gripping the straps a little tighter around his shoulders, he had too many supplies inside and was leery about handing them over to some stranger who just had him running through the city streets.

  “Ah, you have arrived, and right on time too, my dear.” Lady Cassandra said, pleased to see them, as she stepped into the room smiling.

  “My curiosity had to be answered, milady.” He replied with a slight bow.

  The old woman’s eyes were twinkling, belying genuine warmth, as she nodded appreciatively. She did a double take at his tour guide’s attire and rolled her eyes.

  “Oh Jayne, would you take off that ridiculous hat?” she admonished the girl’s wardrobe choice. Jayne’s cheeks bloomed like a rose at her mentor’s comment. She looked to her feet, hastily removing the hat, and hid it behind her back. “You can be an odd little duck sometimes, girl.” Lady Cassandra teased, clearly in a loving manner. This young woman was close to her, not just a servant of the house, but perhaps a relative, he noted.

  “Milady, I do not want to speak out of place, but why have you brought me here tonight? Surely you heard today at the antechamber of justice that I have pressing matters requiring my immediate attention.” Corbin asked his host.

  “That is precisely why you are here. I want to offer you my assistance. You have every right to decide whether you will take it or not.” Lady Cassandra answered graciously.

  “In what way? Do you have proof of Logan’s innocence?” he asked, this time with hope edging his voice.

  “If I had that we would not even need to be speaking right now. I did, however, help buy you the time needed to go and bring him back here.” She said, hinting that it was her that suggested he be given a month to fulfill the task.

  “So, you do believe Logan is innocent? I heard you defending him the night of the gala, but I must confess to not understanding your motives. Do you know my brother?” Corbin asked.

  “No, I must admit, it was only in passing that we met. Mr. Beauford however, was long a friend to my house and I saw the two of them together that night. It was obvious the gnome trusted your brother. Otherwise, he would never have stepped away for a private chat in the first place. They were not acting hostile toward each other in the slightest, so I’m
having more than a little bit of a hard time believing him guilty.” She began to explain her point of view.

  “I still do not understand.” Corbin added.

  “You were brought here for the opportunity to gain great power tonight, young man. If you agree, I will tell you more and you must promise to see it through to the end. If you do not wish to go any further, say so now and Jayne here will escort you back to Sycamore, where no doubt Fafnir has men searching for you as we speak.” Lady Cassandra cut to the chase, the night was not getting any younger, and they had to take advantage of the little precious time they had left, should Morgana’s adopted son choose to accept her offer.

  The idea that the head of Falian lawmen would have people waiting for him was alarming. “Surely the Magistrate would not dare interfere with the council’s orders?”

  The women joined each other in a delighted laugh at the young man’s naivety, which they found both amusing and refreshing at the same time.

  “The last thing that man wants is for you to bring Logan back here, where the Arch Councilor can pry into his mind and see the truth of it.” Lady Cassandra instructed him.

  Corbin stood there in silence, doubting that the magistrate could be anything other than what he seemed.

  “Well Mr. Walker? Are you in or are you out?” she prodded him.

  Elder Morgana had always said, “You never realize just how good you have it until things change.” Or maybe she hadn’t. Logan could not remember one way or the other, and did not really care anyhow, but for some reason the infernal expression kept playing through his mind.

  Either way the wild lands were living up to their reputation, leaving a pang in his heart for dull old Riverbell. The finality of running off into the deep dark, away from his friends, away from his brother who was a pain in the arse, (but he was his pain the arse) had set in. There was no going back to New Fal for him, that road would only lead to the snake, Fafnir’s, version of justice, and he saw how that played out first hand back at the Grey Crow. This would be his home now, at least until he could figure out some other option. Logan just needed enough time to sort things out.

  The wild lands were much darker than he was accustomed, the wall obscuring much of the Great Crystal’s light, radiating just enough to sustain a decent amount of plant life, though it was surely less than the lush forests of New Fal. It had not taken long for his eyes to adjust to the change in lighting. For him the strangest part of the wild lands was how much lower and tighter the cavern became. He actually saw some of the giant roc-bats overhead with his naked eye earlier, back in Riverbell you would have to climb Mount Grantunmite to get even the slightest glimpse of the flying beasts hanging around the great rows of stalactites. No doubt the ceiling here was still high, but the new distance gave him a feeling that the world had just grown smaller somehow. There were no paths out here, no roads to guide the way, not that he was stupid enough to stay on one and be caught should Fafnir send men out to bring him back, just wild, unchecked growth everywhere he looked.

  Logan made his way through the night, cautiously staying close to the large stalagmites that jutted up over the landscape, like the bony fingers of buried giants. In the stories he had heard growing up, there was always talk of beasts that roamed the untamed wilds, and although they filled his childhood daydreams with fascination, now that he was actually out here in danger, he held no desire to meet one.

  A radiant pool of water lit up the area ahead, throwing an eerie dim blue light from its surface across the rocky area. Logan crept up to the glowing pool, careful that nothing lurked in wait for him among the tall grass around it. Feeling confident nothing of danger was in the area, he dropped down to cup some of the water in his hands for a drink, letting the cool stuff run down his throat, satisfying the dryness in his mouth. Each ripple over the surface glowed like a blue halo, growing wider and wider toward the outer rim. Unbuckling his pack, he found a leather flask, which he dipped into the pool, patiently waiting until all the air bubbles disappeared.

  Logan cocked his head, hearing something rustle in the crop of trees to the east. Slipping the canteen back into his bag, he rolled sideways firmly snapping it back in place over his shoulder so he could get a better look through the tall reeds and see what was coming.

  From across the way, between the brush of an outcrop of trees, a small piglet scurried toward the pool. Logan’s stomach made sure to let him know what a fine supper this would make, urging him to trap the meal before it was out of sight. The spotted piglet stopped short, sniffing the air as if it had heard his belly growling, before scurrying back along its merry way to the pool of water. Logan slipped Elder Morgana’s laser rifle from his holster, silently edging forward on his belly, and steadying his target. “Probably only get one chance at this, don’t want to blow it, no telling when the next time a meal will drop into my lap.” He thought, carefully lining up his aim on the little swine gingerly lapping water from the tiny pond.

  The piglet’s ear suddenly twitched, bobbing its head in the direction it had just come, hearing more rustling emanating from the crop of trees. Logan grew excited, hoping this would prove to be a larger hog, better fit for a meal. A ferocious growl ripped through the night, when out of the brush leapt a cait, it’s feline muscular hind legs springing off the ground, closing the entire distance between the outcropping and the pool with one giant leap, landing squarely on the animal’s back. The swine squealed as the six-foot long predator’s massive front claws fiercely tore into its sides, pinning the helpless pig in place, despite the thrashing attempts to escape its doomed fate. The cait growled, whipping a snakelike tentacle tail over its head, to sting the prey on its back, filling the pig’s blood with paralyzing venom. Within seconds, the wounded animal went limp, as the deadly stuff crippled its tiny nervous system.

  Logan had grown stock-still, his muscles locked in place, and his heart was beating so hard and fast, he was actually worried he might pass out. Nodules of light pulsed across the cait’s forehead, running down the glossy blue striped skin of its back, as it feasted on the pork dinner. A high-pitched howl came from the west, causing Logan’s heart to skip a beat, when the cait perked its head directly in his direction, sniffing the air. Throwing its muzzle in the air, the cait called back to another member of the pack, with a low, deep, throaty howl. The tentacle reached down to pull the slowly dying terrified piglet up to a fanged jaw and the cait dashed to meet its sister and share in the bounty.

  A wave of dizziness and nausea washed over him as the moment of danger passed. That was way too close for comfort; he would have to be a hundred times more careful out here in the wilds, less he wanted to be the next piglet being stalked. Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, he rolled over onto his back, getting a good view of the darkness above and imagining one of the terrifying beasts was watching him from the shadowy recesses of the jagged stalactites lining the ceiling high overhead. There was no telling what lurked in the deep shadows of these untamed lands he now roamed.

  Logan forced himself to smile at his good fortune in narrowly avoiding the dangerous predator, then switched gears, his reverie broken again by another rustling around the same crop of trees. What was it with that bloody area? Did everything in the damned land hide in that one little copse of woods? Rolling back onto his belly, he tried to get an eye on what was coming, and was more than surprised to see it was not an animal at all, but a man! The stranger was running low to the ground, scanning the area, he assumed for some sign of the cait.

  “What kind of a nut job would try and hunt a monster like that?” Logan wondered. The hunter kneeled by the radiant pool of water, examining the bloody tracks left in the wake of the killing. Grunting, he resigned himself to filling a flask and headed back in the direction he had come, without so much as a sideway glance.

  “Looks annoyed to have lost his dinner.” Logan observed, his curiosity piqued by the unexpected arrival of another human. Hopping to follow, he made sure to stick firmly to
the shadows, feet graceful, gliding along through the brush, he moved with no sound at all, staying a safe distance behind the man.

  Once they were in the woods, he found it to be an easy task remaining hidden behind trees and bushes. The man never had a clue he was being followed, or if he did, he was the best bluff Logan had ever witnessed, leading him deeper and deeper into the wild woods. They stopped at the edge of a tree line, where the ground opened up to a wide chasm. The only way across was a makeshift bridge, which was nothing more than a fallen tree someone stripped and set in place.

  Logan waited until the stranger was across and out of view, before creeping up to the lip of the ravine. The drop was deep enough that he could not see the bottom, disappearing into a pitch-black abyss. Falling down there would be certain death. No way was he going to try a different route though, if he wanted to keep up and his curiosity was aching to see where the hunter came from.

  Logan carefully made his way across the dead log, which rolled slightly under his weight, chips of bark rustling off into the chasm below, as his feet scraped across the dead wood. Once safely across, it took him a few minutes to track the stranger’s trail again. Soon enough he came to the outskirts of a camp, where he stopped to scan the ground. As he suspected, hidden beneath dead twigs and leaves a taut rope worked around the area, attached to a pile of animal bones and rusty metal. Good idea to set up an alarm system, just in case something nasty stumbled on the area, even if it was a sloppy job at best, it was clever.

  Five large makeshift tents, made up of a combination of various animal skins, twigs, and leaves, surrounded the campsite. Between the tents were some shoddy built tables practically overflowing with a smorgasbord of ratty supplies. Three men were having a conversation, huddled around a campfire in the center of the area. Logan worked his way in closer, hoping to better hear what they were discussing. He guessed they lived here permanently, setting up a camp such as this as a way to survive. They were a rough looking lot, wearing shabby, tattered clothing, which was filthy. Getting a good look at their unkempt facial hair, Logan appreciated the risk he had taken to retrieve his backpack, knowing he had a straight razor inside. He never felt truly awake until after he shaved in the morning. As scruffy as these men looked, they sure still gave the impression of being able to handle themselves.