Son of Soron

by Robyn Wideman

  “Yes, my lord. I will give the order. May I ask how you intend to prove this to the king?” said Bailmont with a bit of a smirk on his face.

  The duke gave Bailmont a hard look, “I don’t intend to. When you inform the men send them at a slow march towards Progoh. Have them stop half way and wait for me to arrive so I can lead my men into Progoh. Let the men know that I am waiting upon vital news that will prove our innocence and will make towards the capital with all haste once my messengers return. I will keep a small number of men here as a personal guard, about a dozen will do.”

  Bailmont saw where this was leading, “When the main troops are gone what are the orders for the dozen that remain?”

  “Ransack the estate. Take all the gold and anything else small enough to worth taking. Then send one of the men to Salma to tell Count Mavane that the king has found out that I am leading my army towards Progoh and intend to lead a rebellion against the king. The king wants Count Mavane and all his men to ride to Progoh immediately. Once Count Mavane has left Salma, we will enter the city. We shall ransack the king’s coffers and make our way south. By the time Mavane reaches Progoh, we will be half way to Venecia and then Morthon.”

  “Morthon?” Bailmont had no issue with betraying the king of Progoh, nor with leaving the kingdom for new lands. He was simply curious towards the direction the duke intended to lead them.

  “Morthon and Balta have been at war for years. In Morthon killing a Baltan princess does not make me a criminal it makes me a hero. Morthon is far enough away from Progoh that the king can’t waste time or men to chase us down. Once we are in Morthon, I will be able to buy land with the king’s gold. Then we will find some use for your particular skill sets.”

  Bailmont was pleased to hear this. “Oh and what skill set is that my lord?”

  “Raping, pillaging and murder of course. Speaking of which, we will be making a stop in a certain village on our way south. We have unfinished business in Elderwood.”

  Days later, when Duke Evollan walked his men into Count Mavane’s estate it was unguarded and practically empty. As he had arranged with his misleading message the count and all his men at arms had left to help thwart off the false attack on Progoh. Besides a few cooks, servants and stable hands that remained the only person of interest to the duke was Bannah the count’s main steward. When the duke entered the estate he had his men gather up all the servants, cooks and stable hands. Bailmont was sent to find Bannah.

  Bailmont soon returned to the main hall of the castle with Bannah in tow. The duke wasted no time setting the tone for this encounter. “Ah, Bannah, there you are. We have been waiting on you. Now shhh, please don’t talk. Just listen carefully. Before you stand nine men and woman.” The duke pointed to the lineup of servants against the wall of the room, hands tied behind their backs with a gag over their mouths. “How many of them live to see the morning is completely up to you. But to prove how serious this situation is might I provide a small demonstration."

  At this point, the duke gave a signal to one of the men standing beside the group of prisoners. The man without a word pulled out his knife walked up to the nearest hostage, an older male cook, and slit his throat. The man wiped his blade clean on the fallen cook’s housecoat and returned to his previous position. Bannah stood rigid, appalled by this senseless act of violence.

  “Right then” the duke continued his speech “now there was nothing you could do Bannah, to save that poor soul. He was going to die regardless of your actions. Now the other eight, if they live or die completely relies on how you answer my questions. If you answer truthfully and are co-operative, then you and these fine people will all live to see the morning. If you lie to me then everyone here will wish they had died as quickly as that poor soul.”

  Bannah was terrified and his eyes showed it. Yet he managed to keep his composure and answer in a strong voice “I understand completely your lordship, how may I assist you?” said Bannah.

  “Excellent Bannah, that is just excellent. I was hoping you would take that approach to this situation. Now what I need from you is all the tax money that you store on the kings behalf put in a large chest and brought to this room as soon as possible. Oh and while you are at it bring any gold or jewels that the count might have with you as well.” The duke’s smile and pleasant tone did little to hide his traitorous, evil intentions.

  Bannah could not believe his ears. The duke, the very man who the king sent to rid them of robbers, murders, and thieves, was now murdering and robbing from the king. But again Bannah held his facial expressions and simply replied “would it be possible for you to spare two men. I’m afraid the chest is going to be quite heavy.”

  With a large grin that Bannah would later describe as that of a mad man the duke replied, “That my good sir is absolutely possible. Almod, Marthin please assist the good steward in retrieving our gold.”

  Once Bannah and the duke’s men returned to the hall with the large chest filled with gold and an assortment of jewelry the duke was most pleased. “Bannah, you are a man of your word, and so shall I be. You and these fine people deserve to live. Now I have one last condition that must be met for this to happen. I am confident you will see the wisdom of agreeing to it. When my men and I leave, I will be leaving one man behind. If even one soul tries to leave this room before morning he will kill you all.” With that final warning Duke Evollan left the estate of Count Mavane, having committed murder, treason, and robbery. It also made the duke very rich, which was the only fact that mattered in his mind.

  After the theft of the kings gold, Duke Evollan wanted to get south as quick as possible to escape any attempt by the king the retrieve his gold. He also needed some time for his intended stop in Elderwood. Elderwood was where his plans for becoming king of Progoh had come burning to the ground. It was only fair that Elderwood burned with them.

  When the duke entered the village, he did it at the break of dawn. He had his men break down every house door and had the villagers gathered in the center of the village. When his men finish gathering the scared and confused villagers, the duke spoke to them. “Greetings villagers of Elderwood, I am Duke Evollan. I apologize for getting you all out of bed so early on this fine morning but I am in urgent need of your assistance. Among you is a child of a north man and a woman from Balta. I need to speak to this child. Someone please point the child out so we can all move along in our lives."

  The villagers all looked around at each other. Everyone knew who he was looking for, but the boy had been gone for nearly a month, if not longer.

  The duke paused and waited for someone to point the boy out, but no one moved or spoke. “Come now, does no one know who I am speaking of? Big man, a blacksmith, with a Baltan woman and a child? Does this not sound familiar?”

  Tomas spoke up. “Sir I believe you are speaking of the Stoneblood family. Nathan Stoneblood is the boy you seek.”

  The duke clapped his hands together and smiled “There we go. Nathan Stoneblood, alright, now we are getting somewhere. So which of you is this Nathan Stoneblood?”

  Again Tomas was the only one to speak up, “I’m afraid he has been gone for weeks. He left with uncle to hunt bandits." The duke was not pleased by this bit of information. Having the boy alive was a loose end that he did not want to have to deal with.

  “Okay, so the boy is hunting bandits. That is rather bad timing. I was looking forward to meeting the young man. I don’t suppose you know a way I can get his attention?”

  The duke and the sadistic looking Bailmont terrified Tomas. He recognized that these were the men that had raided the village before. He did not want to die. Far better for Tomas to try gain the favor of the fearsome duke. Join them, rather than gamble that the duke would not finish what he had started before. Tomas had no problem giving up Nathan to the duke. It would serve two purposes, save his life and get rid of Nathan. The prospect of doing harm to Nathan outweighed any fear of the duke. Tomas spoke up, “The girls. If you took the girls, he would com
e to you."

  “And what girls would that be my lad?” said the duke, pleased this young man was so willingly giving up the information. “Ava and Rose,” spoke Tomas as he point to the two girls. Sharon could be silent no longer.

  “Tomas, you sniveling little coward. How could you? Nathan is our friend,” cried out Sharon.

  The duke looked at the attractive girl who had spoken out. “Another friend of Nathan Stoneblood? Bailmont, we will be taking these three girls with us.” As Bailmont and two of the duke’s men grabbed the girls and tied them up Tomas spoke once more. “What about me my lord, I mean what about the rest of us my lord. I have answered all your questions?”

  “Oh forgive my rudeness. I thank you all for your assistance, especially you boy, most helpful. But I am afraid that it is time for us to part ways.Bailmont burn everything, kill them all, starting with him.”

  Tomas shivered and cowered on his knees sobbing, “But I told you everything.”

  The duke gave Tomas one last look before giving the signal to destroy Elderwood. “Nobody likes a traitor or a coward, boy, at least die like a man.”

  Ava, Rose and Sharon could only watch in horror as their families, and the rest of the villagers died before their eyes. The bodies were thrown into the Inn to burn like the rest of the village. The girls screamed and sobbed for mercy, but none was to be found.

  The next day, while travelling south Bailmont had a thought, he asked the duke how he intended to find Nathan now.

  “Oh when he finds out we kidnapped his girlfriends I am sure he will come to us” the duke replied.

  Bailmont wasn’t so sure, “But we killed all the villagers, who is going to tell him?” The duke thought about this for a moment, he had almost made a grievous tactical error, “It would appear that killing everyone wasn’t as prudent as it seemed at the moment. Perhaps we should have let the coward live after all” mused the duke. ”Oh well, nothing we can do about that now. The count seems to like involving himself in the affairs of the boy, so send a note to the meddlesome count that we have taken the girls with us. And If Nathan Stoneblood would like to see them again then he should come to Venecia to rescue them.”

  Bailmont gave a sadistic smile, “We are going to wait in Venecia for the boy?”

  The duke looked at Bailmont as if he had grown a second head. “Gods no, we are going to continue on to Morthon as planned. We will simply spend a little of the kings gold in Venecia to hire assassin to do our waiting for us. They can kill the annoying young man for us.”

  Chapter thirty three

  NATHAN WAS READY TO return to Elderwood, say goodbye to Ava, and begin the journey to Balta. He knew after seeing Ava again it would be ever harder to say goodbye again. Would she be hurt and angry? Would she understand and wait for him if he left her behind one more time? After many years of listening to the warnings that magic was dangerous and evil from those outside of his home, it was strange to find out that he was a'kil and that because of that, he was considered evil and could be hunted and killed. The sacrifices his parents had made to protect him did not escape him anymore. Obviously, the warnings of evil were false. His heart told him he was not evil, his mind told he was not evil, and his mother certainly had not been evil.

  Those who hunted a'kil, he decided, were evil. To hunt a being that was different, just because it was different was abhorrently wrong in Nathan's mind. He wondered about hunting them. Then he realized he would be no different than them. However, he concluded that he would not run, nor avoid those seeking to destroy him because he had gifts of magic they feared or hated. Nathan thought about his father. Soron had taught peace, avoided violence, and still had been slain. Nathan reasoned that avoidance failed. His heart argued with his mind constantly. He wanted justice. It felt like justice when they killed the bandits. It troubled him that it also felt a bit like vengeance. He wished he could go back in time, be an innocent child once more, ask advice of his father. He let out a deep sigh. A tiny voice inside said, Verin will give good counsel.

  After thanking Amaden for all his help and hospitality, Nathan once again mounted Thorn, who seemed more than ready to get moving again. Thorn snorted and pawed the ground to show his impatience at standing while the men said their farewells. With Nathan mounted, the horse flicked his tail wanting to gallop. Nathan laughed when he realized he had heard the silent voice of his horse. He nudged Thorn's sides as he silently gave the stallion permission to run.

  Verin smiled, and urged his mount to keep up to the young warrior. Nathan was fast becoming a skilled rider. This pleased Verin to no end. Nathan was eager to learn, he absorbed as much as he could from every lesson given him. He showed no signs of arrogance. If he made mistakes he owned them. Outside of his outbursts of anger, Verin could find little wanting. His sister would be proud to see that her efforts held strong. That Amaden had taken the youth as a pupil spoke volumes, for Amaden had been known to turn away would be apprentices, and cursed them for vanity, greed, and malice. Amaden had taken Verin aside and told him he foresaw great things and great sorrows ahead for Nathan. The old mage told him to be prepared, to help guide Nathan with the difficulties ahead.

  As they rode towards the grove, Verin and Nathan discussed what lessons Nathan had taken from his time with Amaden. “Besides learning about imbuing the gems the most important thing was to control the magic. Just like my temper with Magnus if I don’t control myself the magic can become out of control and dangerous to me and people around me. Breathing and focus are as important in magic as they are in battle."

  Verin who for the last couple weeks spent with Amaden had been a silent observer was glad that this was the main piece of knowledge that Nathan had absorbed from the lessons. In the future Nathan could learn many powerful uses for magic, but as long as he remained centered and focused, he would be safe. The king had been right to send Nathan to Amaden Blugroson.

  The towering trees of the witch oak grove they sought were visible from miles away. It took longer for Nathan and Verin to reach the trees than it did to find them. Once they reached the large grove of majestic trees, they set up camp. After they had the camp setup complete, Nathan and Verin talked in more detail about what they wanted to find. “The more dried branches we find the better. Any dead branch bigger than your wrist and smaller than your arm is perfect for using in a forge."

  Besides wood for the forge, Nathan still planned to make a bow out of the strong witch wood. This was Verin’s area of expertise. “We want to find a live sapling, slightly smaller around than your wrist, but it also has to be at least a year old. Going through winter hardens the core of the tree and gives it the strength needed for making a good bow.

  For the rest of the day, they walked through the forest picking up dry wood and bringing it back to the camp. By nightfall, they had a large amount of dried wood ready to be cut and three pieces of sapling to make into bows. While Nathan cut the dried wood up into chunks the size of a fist, Verin was peeling and shaping the saplings.

  The next day, while Nathan continued cutting the branches, Verin worked on carving and bending the strong and supple saplings into the shape they would dry into. By the time Nathan was done cutting the branches up for the forges, the three bows were drying and ready to be transported. After one more night in the witch oak grove, they began the journey over the mountain and back into the eastern kingdom of Progoh.

  From the grove it was only a few short miles before their path started to rise up into the mountains. By mid-day, they located the twin peaks marked on the map. And by late afternoon were high into the mountains pass on a small winding path. Too narrow for a wagon, the path was easy for the four horses as long as they rode single file. That night they made their last camp on the north side of the Applomean Mountains. As they slept in the crisp, clean, light mountain air Nathan wonder if he would ever return to the land of his father’s people. He liked his grandfather, gruff and intimidating at first but by the time he had left he had been very comfortable around him.


  Once they were over the top of the mountain pass travel down the mountain was easier. The path gone but the southern slope of the mountain had a gentle decline and without the need for switchbacks the way down was simple.

  When they reached the bottom of the mountains they stopped for lunch and to decide if they should make their way towards Progoh or Salma. By going to Progoh they would be able to talk directly to the king and find out what had been done in the name of justice for the village of Elderwood and Nathan’s parents. On the other hand, Salma was closer to home and it had been a letter from Count Mavane in Salma which brought Verin to Elderwood. After a brief discussion they agreed that while knowing what happened to the duke was important, it was likely they would find out what transpired in Salma. Regardless of that, it was the count they both wanted to thank for his compassion in the way he dealt with the tragedy that had befell Elderwood.

  As they rode into the small city Nathan admired the view. Built on the shores of Salman Lake, it had a thriving fishery and has the home base for several mines in the nearby mountains. Walking the horse up the trail towards the town, Nathan looked out onto the lake. Between the reflections of the setting sun and the town buildings along the lakeshore, it painted a serene and beautiful picture, he thought to himself, I wish Ava could see this; she would want to skip rocks along the water, just to shake things up. He felt happy, for he was eager to see Ava and share his adventures and secrets with her. It would not be long before he could hope for another kiss. That kiss felt like it had a magic of its own. Would kissing get better with practice? He wondered and anticipated. If it did it would sure beat the hell out any other magic he had learned. Nathan was happy. However, his happiness was soon to be shattered.

  When they arrived at the estate of Count Mavane and identified themselves to a steward, they were quickly led to see the count.

  “Count Mavane, may I present Verin Albet of Balta and Nathan Stoneblood." As Bannah gave them the formal introduction Nathan was studying Count Mavane. Slender and stately, the count appear to be in his mid-forties if gray hairs and laugh lines could be trusted. Nathan noticed that while the count's clothing looked be of a very high quality and traditional, there was no great amount of jewelry or furs. There was nothing pretentious about the way the count dressed, Nathan noted. So far, his first impression of Count Mavane was a positive one.