Blood and Water_The Lionheart Province

by J. R. Castle

  That night, I woke up in around three in the morning, and it’s like someone had dripped a large storybook right into my lap. The Grimm’s story began coming alive and more importantly, I realized I could set it in Alburnium. I would set it in the past, before Alyra and her friends battled with the Lord Darnel over the land.

  That one dark story lit up for me and I began to see a few inspirational lessons within the original tale. By that morning, I knew I had not one story, but three. And it was more than just the tale about A Maiden Without Hands. It was a tale about being a leader, about standing up for who and what you are in the kingdom and for hanging onto hope with everything you have because hope is what will get us through the hardest of times.

  So, I hope you are eager to hear more because more of Kardia, Leon, and Darnel’s story is yet to be told. Are you ready for a new adventure?

  More to come,

  Jackie Castle

  To learn more about The Chronicles of Alburnium, visit my website at https://www.jackiecastle.com/chronicles-of-alburnium

  Silver and Light- Book Two

  Chapter One

  Dangling her bare feet into the stream, Kardia closed her eyes, allowing the cool waters to wash away the aches from a full day of walking. Getting her boots on and off was too much of a chore. She only removed them when her feet screamed with pain from their confinement.

  She blew out a calming breath and dared a look at her bandaged hands. “This is the day,” she ordered herself. “The bandages need to come off before the cloth fuses to my skin. I’ll simply have to…” Kardia’s head shook from the constant doubts plaguing each step she took farther away from Goia, her town, and family.

  Why hadn’t she considered how difficult traveling alone would be?

  Because she’d cared about nothing except getting away and finding the fabled path that led to a mysterious King who ruled Alburnium. Ever since receiving a book filled with letters written by this King, his words tugged at her heart, begging her to come, to find him, to find her purpose.

  “What possible purpose will I have now?” She’d lost more than the comforts and security of her home. She’d lost her true gifting: the ability to heal and mend people and things by the mere touch of her fingers.

  Before she could talk herself out of removing the bandages again, she grasped the ragged, dirty tail of one end with her teeth and pulled until the cloth loosened and began unraveling. The taste of dirt and blood brushed against her tongue. She held her breath, pulling, then biting down again until she could see the pink of her hand, or what remained of her hand.

  She dipped her right stump into the water, hoping to loosen the dried blood.

  Mr. Tillus, the town healer, had begged her to not leave until her wounds were completely healed. But once she’d made up her mind to make the journey to see King Shaydon, there was no putting it off. Goia was no longer her prison. Kardia was ready to flee before something worse happened to her than being traded to a Wizard for gold.

  The water washed the stiffness from the fabric. She managed to pull the remaining wrappings off.

  When she looked down at her mutilated hand, her stomach lurched, sending hot bile into her throat. Her fingers were gone below the knuckles. Mr. Tillus said she was lucky to still have part of her thumb. He’d stitched the skin together and it seemed to be healing, but she’d never be able to look at her hands without feeling repulsed.

  “Maybe I’ll leave the other hand for later.” She laid back on the mossy ground, using her pack as a pillow. “I’m not going back. I’m not!” Her eyes squeezed closed, locking in the tears threatening to break loose again.

  Focusing on the patches of cerulean blue showing through the thick elm branches above, she wiggled her thumb. Pain shot up her arm. She bit on her bottom lip.

  Take it slow. I have to learn how to use what I have left.

  She couldn’t allow herself to become helpless, especially out on the road. She’d have to make a way, find a way to reteach herself to grasps and hold things in a new way. She wasn’t the only person doomed to live their life with a deformity. If others could manage, so would she.

  Pushing herself back up with her elbows, she set to tackling the other hand. The bandages hindered her too much to leave them on.

  By the time she finished, the pain in her hands had only intensified. Despite her hunger, trying to struggle with her pack and push out the pouch filled with bread and fruit was too much. Someone had tied the pouch containing bits of dried meat too tight for her to loosen.

  Water was sipped directly from the stream. An apple was held between her wrist and often dropped. Most times she was too hungry to care about the dirt.

  Tonight, she would skip the ordeal of trying to fill her stomach, fearing nothing would stay down anyway.

  She did, however, manage to get the King’s book free from her skirt pocket and laid it open on her lap to read in the fading light. At least a couple of pages. Enough to remind her that if she didn’t give up…. Well, it would be worse if she turned back than if she kept going. At least, if she kept going, there was a chance of finding the path.

  Ask, the letter said. Seek me and I’ll be found. I’ll provide a straight path for you to travel in safety. In time, you and I will be face to face. Be strong. Have courage. Do not lose hope. If you truly seek me, you will find your way home.

  Kardia smiled and tried to draw a mental picture of what the city of Aloblase might be like. Dear Miltie, her herbalist friend, had said all the streets were paved with white glittering stones. The same kind of stone the Lightman had given her to defeat the wizard Fajer. The stone was indeed powerful.

  Thinking of her friend sent another wave of sadness over her heart. She missed the kindly old woman something terrible.

  Closing the book with her palms, she pushed it aside and tried to wrap herself in the blanket Mother had provided along with food and other necessities for her trip. She didn’t want to think of her parents, either. The pain of all they’d done was still too tender, like her hands. She hoped sleep would come quickly.

  She had almost drifted off when the sound of wagon wheels rolling over the dirt road caused her to sit up. A chill of fear raced down Kardia’s back. Hopefully, she was far enough off the road to not be spotted. Holding her breath, she waited for the traveler to pass. Her heart pounded like a drum in her ears. She curled her arms tighter around her chest and tried not to move.

  The clomping of hooves stopped.

  Something made a sniffing sound.

  Strange.

  Kardia tried to peer through the fern and brush toward the road, but the shadows of the oncoming night made it too difficult to see more than gray shadows.

  “Hello in the woods.”

  Oh no! They knew she was there. But how? She refused to move and make her position known. Silently willing them to leave, she tensed up, ready to run if necessary.

  “I can smell you. Human, for sure. Are you hurt? I smell the scent of blood hanging about you. I can help…” the man moved off the edge of the road. It wasn’t footfalls she heard, but rather the clomping of…what exactly was she hearing? How did he… smell…her?

  Granted, she’d not tried to bathe yet. She’d hoped to find a safe shelter before attempting that.

  “I won’t hurt you, little human.” It sniffed again.

  Kardia reasoned that if it was calling her human, then it wasn’t.

  “Ah, there you are.”

  Her heart threatened to pound right out of her chest.

  “If you’re hiding a weapon, you should know I’m a master fighter. I’m also much larger and stronger than you could ever dream of being, even if you were a grown human male. But rest assured, I intend no harm, so be a good little human friend and sit up slowly so we can talk.”

  She bolted to her bare feet, stepped on the edge of a jagged rocked and cried out from the sharp pain. Her foot mis-stepped and she started to tilt toward the stream.

  The man darted forward and caught
her by the arm. To her shock, he wasn’t dressed! His bare chest glistened in the dim light of the rising moon. His bearded face and wild hair came into focus. He towered over her by nearly two feet. Thick hair covered his lower arms. As she dared to lower her gaze, she found thick hair, or rather dark brown fur, covered the lower half of his body down to his hooves.

  Kardia blinked. She’d heard of the half human half goat men before. They were called…what? The part human and part horsemen were centaurs, she was sure.

  “Faun!” she exclaimed as the name slammed into her memory. “You’re a faun!”

  “Jael Azazel is my name. My home is in the Melodies Forest. My friends call me Jael. What may I call you… friend?” His grip on her arm tightened.

  Her gaze took in his thick hooves and strong goat-like legs. She’d never be able to outrun him. “Let me go if you’re a friend. You’re hurting my arm.”

  “Oh.” He backed a small step away and dropped his hands to his side. “My apologies human girl. I’ve introduced myself, now will you show the same courtesy and do the same? Or are you one of those kind that sneer their uppity noses at my kind? If so, say so now before I waste more of my time with you.”

  He was forward in his mannerisms. “Who am I to look down on anybody? Besides, you’re much too tall for me to look down upon, don’t you think?” Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad having a bit of company. The King’s books promised to send help when someone was in need. Was Jael the King’s provision?

  Least she could do was try to find out.

  “My name is Kardia.” She gave a slight bow, trying not to lose her balance again. “From the House of the White Horse.”

  “Well, there you go, that’s how it’s done.” He smiled, showing a row of thick yellow teeth. His beard and tangled hair were a bright red that darkened into a chestnut color toward his arms and legs. His ears turned upward into points, just like the Wizard’s.

  With a nod, he glanced around her campsite. “No fire? Nothing to eat?” Then his gaze fell upon her hands. “Are you running, Kardia? You don’t seem like the thieving type to me, with your fine clothes and nice shoes. But I’ve heard enough tales to not be surprised by anything these days.”

  She shook her head, not sure what she was willing to tell him.

  He jerked his thumb toward the road. “Let me pull my cart closer and then we’ll talk. I bet you have the most interesting story. I’m eager to hear it.”

  She didn’t wish to share too much of her story with a stranger. Yet, he seemed friendly enough. If only she could know if he was a good faun, or not. After being tricked by the Wizard’s apprentice, she couldn’t help but be suspicious of any stranger.

  “You know,” Kardia said as Jael pulled his box-cart deeper into the cover of the trees. “I wasn’t planning on staying here long. I should be on my way while—” Pots and other objects clanked together as he maneuvered the small wagon over the uneven ground.

  “Nonsense. Nobody should travel at night. That’s when the baddies come out. Wolves, there are. They stroll across the land like they own everything, the ratty beasts.” He spat out his words with such venom, she had a feeling he knew this from experience.

  Waving his hands in a downward motion, he ordered, “Sit and let me fix us something scrumptious to eat. I’m famished after walking all day, peddling my wares. I don’t normally come this far into the Province, but… well, an opportunity presented itself.” His smile and mannerisms brought forth a giggle from her.

  She’d never met a real creature before. Were all of them like this? So friendly and bold? Her stomach rumbled at the thought of warm food. It must have gotten over the revulsion of the sight of her hands. At least Jael the Faun didn’t seem repulsed by her, though he was assuming she might be a thief. She’d feared that would be most people’s reaction.

  “Where are you from, Little-bit? I can’t help but call you that. You’re so small, like the tiny flowers that grow beside the lane. So dainty but determined to find their place in the sun. That’s you, I think. Something is driving you. Something that’ll cause you to travel all by yourself.” He clapped his hands. “Oh, I can’t wait to hear this. But first, yes, but first we’ll eat. I found some tubers and the most delectable morels I’ve seen in some time. Oh, and wild garlic.” He smacked his lips while pulling a basket from his cart. “If only I’d been able to stop long enough to hunt, but perhaps there’s a couple of fish lurking in that steam. Do you think I should give it a go? It’s a little dark to see below the surface properly…oh, perhaps I’ll wait till morning…” and on he went, chattering like a flock of birds when the sun rises.

  Kardia managed to get her stumpy thumb to hook around the tie on the meat bag and she offered to share what she had.

  Jael clicked his tongue sympathetically over her impairment. “No wonder you’re such a rag muffin, poor Little-bit. Lucky for you, ol’ Jael came when he did. I can help. I’m happy to help. I think the golden-haired Little-bit will be quite profit…uh, proficient…” he paused as if trying to stop himself from saying too much. With a chuckle he finished with, “We’ll be great friends, I believe. You seem like a good one, to me. I’m a great judge of character. Just ask me.” This brought out a hearty laugh as he waved his hands before him and shook his head.

  Kardia couldn’t help but grin at him. He was so funny.

  “You have a nice smile, too,” he winked then set to his tasks of making their dinner. “Don’t be taking ol’ Jael too seriously, little Kardia. He likes to joke and have fun.”

  Before she knew it, he had a fire blazing and a pot from his cart bubbling with his foraged plants and her dried meat. “And I love a hearty meal. Like this one is going to be.”

  She couldn’t wait, finding herself hungrier that she thought at first. Since leaving Goia, she’d had to settle with nibbling on hard bread and what few apples and spring vegetables from their garden that Mother had packed for her.

  Though she wished to help, Jael seemed to have everything under control. He hummed merry tunes as he worked and kept sneaking glances at her. When she caught him, he’d wink and laugh. Such a strange faun. Or maybe they were all like this. How could she know?

  Remembering the book she’d been reading, she scooped it up in her palms and dumped it into her open pack, along with several twigs and rotting leaves. Oh well, at least it was safe. If she had reason to run, she didn’t wish to lose anything important. The contents in her bag were all she had in this world. A much bigger world than she’d ever imagined.

  And she was only getting started.

  She slipped her feet back into her boots but couldn’t get the laces tied.

  Jael’s bottom lip puckered out. “Poor Little-bit, looks like you’ve not been long without your digits, have you? So, tell me. I promise not to judge. I’m not anyone who has a right to casts stones, let me tell you.” He moved closer and secured the strings for her. “Did you nick something, or—”

  “No! I’m not a thief.” She didn’t even know how to explain about the Wizard’s curse and didn’t really want to. For some reason, she’d rather people thought she was a thief. “I didn’t steal. It was a …accident. My father was chopping wood. I got careless.”

  Jael sat back on his haunches. “Faerie fluff!” He seemed to grow annoyed for a moment, then managed to shake it off. “Oh, never mind, if you don’t wish to tell me. I understand. Doesn’t really matter.” He returned to stirring the contents of his pot. “I’m always saying, keep your eyes looking forward, Jael, or your hooves will trip over a log.” At her perplexed frown, he added, “You know, from looking back and not… oh never mind. The stew is nearly done. You hungry?”

  Kardia nodded. While they ate, Jael did most of the talking. She’d asked him what he kept in the cart and he talked about how he enjoyed traveling and trading goods.

  “I collect plants for healers, special stones for masons, and any other oddity that’ll prove profitable. Never know what you’ll find around the next bend in the road. As
I said earlier, I’d not intended to come this far into the Province, but… it’s proved advantageous if you ask me.” He mopped up the last of the stew with the bread she’d shared.

  Setting the bowl aside, he patted his swollen belly. “Oh, but that was delicious. And we have enough for the morning. We make a great team, you know? You should consider traveling with me. I’ll keep you safe from the baddies, I promise.”

  Excitement bubbled up in Kardia’s heart. Maybe this was the provision the King’s book talked about. His letters said he would send help to those in need, and she was in great need.

  “I’m looking for the White Path, also known as the King’s Highway. Can you show me where to find it?” She tried to scoop up his bowl so she could wash them in the stream. Hopefully, she wouldn’t drop them or they’d be carried off on the current.

  “Never heard of such a thing. What’s so special about it? You’re already on a road. Where are you going, Little-bit? Since you deny that you’re running. I’m still very curious about this.”

  “Not running,” she assured him. “I’m traveling to see the King of Alburnium.”

  Jael’s brown eyes widened and he started to laugh until he realized he was laughing alone. “Oh, you’re serious. Huh.” He shook his head while settling back against a fallen log. “Well, that’s optimistic of you. Do you have any idea where the King lives?”

  Kardia shook her head.

  “Right. Thought as much. If you knew, you’d realize what a daunting trip it’s going to be. Especially someone limited as you are.” He motioned toward her ruined hands. “Poor little thing has no clue what she’s in for. But I promised that I would keep you safe, and I will. Say you’ll come with me. I like you an awful lot. And I don’t say that often about humans. Not at all. Normally, I avoid dealing with your kind, but something about you is different. I sense a good heart.”

  Kardia’s face heated over his compliment. “Thank you, Jael.” She kept the bowl pressed between her palms and dipped it into the stream. A sharp pain from her healing wound flared up for a moment, but the cooling water numbed it to a dull throb. “I suppose we can travel together for a while. At least until I’m able to find the path.”