Son of Soron

by Robyn Wideman

  The count greeted them warmly, “Nathan Stoneblood, I am so glad to see you here today. First, I wish to offer both of you my condolences for the tragic loss of life of Soron and Velaina. I had the pleasure of knowing both of them and two finer people I did not know. Your father was a good friend.”

  “On behalf my brother, King Verbon Albet of Balta, I would like to thank you, Count Mavane for your timely letter after the death of our sister and her husband Soron. Without your assistance we may never have been acquainted with young Nathan here. For that you have my eternal gratitude.”

  Nathan observed the formal tone his uncle was taking when speaking to the count. Nathan would have to get used to the careful wording and tone used among royals. Even among friends the conversations always seemed to start formally. Nathan wondered to himself if this was for each other’s benefit or for the audiences that would see them. It did not take long for the conversation with the count to take a more friendly and relaxed tone. Nathan was grateful for this.

  “Thank you, Verin, sending a letter was the least I could do. I spoke true when I said that I was saddened by the loss of Soron and your sister Velaina, but I must confess I had a secondary motive beyond notifying you of the tragic events. I hoped, and still do, that my transparency in the matter would help prevent a war.”

  Nathan, surprised by this talk of war, had not considered that the death of his parents could cause such an event to occur. He was equally surprised by his uncle Verin’s reply.

  “I appreciate your honesty, Count Mavane, now let me be equally honest. The possibility of war remains a real threat. When I make my report back to my brother, the king, he will decide what course of action Balta will take in reprisal for the death of two members of our royal family. My role here in Solotine was simply to find the boy and to find out more about the attack."

  The count nodded his head; he had not expected the problem would go away easily. “Verin, all I ask is that you let me be of whatever assistance necessary in avoiding a war. The kingdom does not want war with Balta nor the north for that matter. The attacks on Elderwood will not go unanswered.”

  Nathan knew that despite the friendly tone this conversation was very serious and that it would be best if he did not interrupt. But the way the count had said attacks… "Excuse me, did you say attacks?”

  The count paused for a moment, did they not know about the second attack? Carefully, he answered. "I am afraid I did say attacks. When is the last time you were in Elderwood?”

  “We have been gone for over a month. We took care of the bandit problem and then went north. We are just returning now.” Nathan was getting more than a little worried now.

  Count Mavane was now also a little nervous. Whatever goodwill he had gained with his prompt letters could be going out the window when they found out that once again Elderwood had been wronged. “I am afraid once again I am the bearer of bad news. It is time we spoke in detail of the activities of Duke Evollan. I think it is probably best if I start at the beginning and work forward.”

  Verin sensed that Nathan did not want wait to hear of the recent news of Elderwood. But it was very important to have a clear idea of what was happening so letting Count Mavane take his time and tell the back story would be the right way to go. Placing a hand on Nathan’s shoulder Verin spoke out, “We are anxious to learn of Elderwood. But I agree, start at the beginning.”

  A chill went through his body and Nathan’s eyes were starting to become moist. He could barely hold his emotions in as the fear of the worse seeped into his mind. The way they were talking was bad, really bad.

  Count Mavane began his story about bandits being a problem for Salma and how he had tried to deal with it. But with Salma being on the outer reaches of the kingdom, the king had been very hesitant to send troops into the west. Only when entire caravans were being robbed did the king allow troops to be sent out beyond the lands of Broguth. Duke Evollan and his soldiers were the men assigned to deal with the problem.

  The count, knowing the dukes reputation for violence and his lack of knowledge of the area, tried to convince the duke to use some of his local scouts who were familiar with the villages and people beyond the kingdom. But the duke saw this as meddling and an attempt to diminish the amount of credit he would receive for ending the bandit problem. He refused all offers of assistance.

  The duke had then come to Elderwood and his scouts saw Soron and Nathan training in the meadow. While that happened, a large group of tribal warriors from the south rode up the trail towards Elderwood. Scouts reported all this to the duke and he mistakenly assumed that the warriors were re-enforcements coming to protect the bandits, which were using Elderwood as a base of operations. The duke decided, against the warning of his scouts, to attack Elderwood. His orders were to kill anyone who fought back. From reports of the soldiers there the attack almost failed due to the ferocity of Soron after seeing his wife slain trying to help a wounded villager. But eventually Soron fell to the multiple arrows wounds that he received.

  After slaying the villagers, the duke, and his men, retreated to the forest to await the horsemen riding up the road. It was then he found out that they were from Venecia and coming to Progoh to investigate the death of an emissary. At this point, the duke came to Salma to brag about so quickly ending the bandit issue. When the count heard the story he sent the letters to Balta and Amradin, and then sent his own scouts to Elderwood to see what happened and to help any of the villagers still remaining. Once this was done the count sent word to the king of the tragic events.

  The count paused for a moment before continuing his story, “After the duke realized that he had not solved the bandit problem but possibly started two wars through his stupidity he returned to his estates in the east. When the king sent for him to come to Progoh, he decided to forgo the trial. Instead, he became a traitor, taking with him a dozen soldiers of the worse kind. The bastard then sent the rest of his men towards Progoh, setting up a ruse to get me and my men out of Salma. He then raided the king’s gold, along with my own." The count took another deep breath; he hated to have to deliver this news. “After the duke left Salma he headed to Elderwood where he killed every living soul.” The count paused letting this sink in before finishing his terrible news. “He is now headed south, as far as we can tell.”

  Verin took a deep breath, instantly thinking of Amaden’s warnings of great sorrows ahead. Could the mage have seen this coming? Was Nathan cursed to a life of misery? Not if he had any say in the matter.

  Nathan was stunned. The news hit him like a hammer, stealing his breath away. His chest felt empty as if someone had ripped out his heart and lungs. The only thing he could think of was the words He killed every living soul…Dead. Everyone was dead, Rose, Bends, Ava…

  Ava was dead.

  Chapter thirty four

  AVA WAS GRIEF STRICKEN, devastated by the loss of her loved ones. Had it not been necessary to be strong for Rose she would have completely lost her mind. It had been horrifying watching her mother and Bends being killed by the duke’s men. Flashbacks of the horrific slaughter plagued her each time her eyes closed and she tried to sleep. The only remotely good thing to happen that day was that bastard Tomas getting what he deserved. She had been missing them like crazy for the first couple of days. Thank the gods I still have Rose, Ava thought. Rose was her reason to be strong, without her Ava would fall apart, without Rose and Sharon she would have lost everything close to her heart. For days now, they traveled south, locked in a carriage, away from Elderwood. Now her mind was wondering towards Nathan. Was he alive? Would she ever see him again? Why was the duke so fixated with him? Nathan, with his goofy smile and the way he was always bleeding. Ava smiled at the thought, well most of his bleeding was her fault, she thought to herself.

  Sharon noticed Ava’s small smile. It was the first one that she had seen since they left Elderwood. “What are you thinking about?”

  Ava looked at Sharon for a moment. She thought about how to answer. S
he checked to make sure Rose was still sleeping before confessing to her friend. “I was thinking of Nathan. I miss his goofy smile.”

  Sharon smiled; talking about boys was a good way to stop thinking about the terrible images that had been filling her mind. “I’ll bet that is not all you miss. Tell me, did you guys ever have sex?”

  Ava’s eyes popped open wide. Sex! With Nathan? That was ridiculous… wasn’t it? “What? No! Why do you ask that?”

  Sharon laughed at her friends discomfort talking about sex. “Well he loves you, would spend all his free time with you and let’s face it your boyfriend is hot. That dark hair, those blue eyes, I’d totally be all over him if he wasn’t yours.”

  Ava stammered “My boyfriend? He’s not my boyfr— you think he loves me?”

  Sharon could not believe how oblivious her friend was to the feelings Nathan obviously had for her. “Hey, I was there when Tomas was on top of him beating his face in. Tomas would have stopped if Nathan agreed to leave you alone. Nathan told him to piss off. And when the village was attacked the first time, what was the first thing he did? Save you and Rose, taking you out into the forest.” Sharon paused recalling the other evidence of his affection. “Then after he leaves the first thing he does when he gets back? Teach you, Rose and your mom how to make perfume and medicine so your mom can support you without leaving the village. Face it, Ava, that boy is yours. Are you telling me you never even kissed him?”

  Ava thought back to all those moments. Nathan had always been there for her, and now that she thought about it, his blue eyes were more than a little fascinating and she could admit it he was very cute. “I kissed him a few times, but we were just friends…” She thought back to the last kiss, maybe they were more than friends now.

  Ava closed her eyes and thought where are you, Nathan? I need you, we need you, please be alive, please come for me.

  …

  While Ava was talking to Sharon Nathan was sitting by himself, in front of Salman Lake. He sat there throwing rocks into the water to watch the ripples make their way towards the shore. Salma truly was a beautiful spot, but all Nathan could think of was Ava. He thought he had done enough to keep her safe by killing the murdering bandits responsible for bringing so much death to Elderwood. But while he was off adventuring in the north, that bastard the duke had come back and killed her, killed her and everyone else remaining in the village.

  Nathan wanted to get away from all the killing. What good was being a warrior, when he wasn't there to protect the ones dearest to his heart? His heart was heavy and his mind in turmoil. What good was magic when it came too late to protect Ava? He decided to go Balta with his uncle and start over. Elderwood had too many ghosts. He steeled himself not to shed any more tears. His knuckles went white as his fists curled and tightened. His blue eyes looked cold. But one day... One day he would meet this duke. He gripped the handles of his daggers. One day...

  Nathan lay back on the pebbled beach. He pictured Ava's face. He remembered how her hair looked all messed up from wrestling and tree climbing. He imagined looking into her eyes, and the last kiss that held so much promise. Suddenly, Nathan noticed something change in his mind. He focused on Thorn for a minute to see if the animal was in danger. No, he was back in the count's stables nothing amiss there. Then Nathan realized there was another presence, he was connecting with something else, a distance pulse, weak but distinct from Thorn's. Then it hit him, he was connecting with Ava, he could barely sense it, but it was her. His heart soared. She was alive.

  Nathan rushed to back to the counts estate to find Verin. Ava was alive!

  Nathan found Verin in the courtyard talking with the count. He ran up them “Verin, Verin… she’s alive she’s alive.” Nathan was so out of breathe from running all the way back from the lake that his words were hard to understand, but Verin caught the last alive.

  “Take a few breaths, and then tell me what you talking about.”

  Nathan took a few deep breaths before exhaling loudly. “Ava is alive. Verin, I can sense her the way I sense Thorn.”

  The count gave a skeptical look. Verin could see the count thought Nathan was grasping at straws. Verin, thinking that the count could be trusted, explained that Nathan was a’kil and had a connection with his horse, Thorn, that allowed him to sense the horse and allowed him to send it thoughts. Verin explained that while they were up in the north they stayed with Amaden, an ingla mage, who told them it was possible for Nathan to develop the same connection with some people.

  Verin turned to Nathan “Can you sense her location?” Nathan shook his head.” No, it’s like she is just barely there. I can sense she is alive, but I can’t tell direction or distance. Maybe she is hurt or too far away, I don’t know. But we have to get to Elderwood and look for her right away. Nathan's voice conveyed the urgency he felt.

  The count spoke to them both “go now; if you hurry you can get there before nightfall. Don’t worry about your things. I will have a rider bring your pack horses and gear with you in the morning. If you haven’t found her by the time the rider comes back I will come to Elderwood with my men to help you search.”

  “Thank you, Count Mavane. You have been a most gracious host. We will talk again soon.” While Nathan had already taken off for the stables to ready the horses, Verin spoke to the count for a few more seconds. Cautioning him that Nathan's powers, his magic, was to be kept a secret. The count agreed to secrecy, knowing how his people felt about magic.

  They departed Salma at a gallop. Nathan rode Thorn, the big black wild stallion, and Verin on the beautiful bay mare that Theron had given him. The bay had nice lines and good endurance, but it did not have the speed of Thorn. Several times Nathan had to slow Thorn to give Verin a chance to stay close. Once they were close to Elderwood, Nathan gave up on this and pushed Thorn ahead. He wanted to get there as quick as possible.

  Nathan rode into Elderwood at a full gallop. Thorn was breathing hard at the exhausting trip but showed no other signs that they had just rode hard for two hours straight. Nathan jumped down and began yelling “Ava, where are you? Ava.”

  Nathan ran from building to building, desperately searching for her. Most of the wood homes had been partially or completely burnt. Places built out of stone and masonry like his father’s blacksmith shop were still standing, but none of them contained Ava.

  Nathan was just finishing looking through the empty buildings when Verin rode in. He could see from Nathan’s expression that he had no luck so far. ”First let us build a fire. If she is hiding in the woods, it is possible she will see it. If she is out there somewhere hurt, she will need the warmth when we find her. Nathan worked fast building a fire. That night they walked all through the forest calling out her name but with no results. An hour before dawn, Verin made them stop looking and return to the village to get some rest. “Sleep for a couple hours, then when there is enough light, we will look for tracks. If she was alone there could still be sign of her movement.

  In Salma late that same night, a trader arrived with a letter for the count. “I’m not sure who it was, but he said it wasn’t urgent and to take my time getting here. But I thought that it was strange. Any letter for the count is important. So I made my way here as quick as possible.”

  Bannah thanked the trader and quickly brought the letter to the count in his office. “Someone headed south asked a trader heading east to drop off this letter sir. I thought with all the goings on as of late that it would be prudent to bring it to you right away.”

  Count Mavane thanked his loyal servant and opened the letter

  Dear Count Mavane

  As you read this letter, I will be half way to Venecia. I do apologize for spilling blood in your great hall. I hope the stains come out.

  If you would do me a small favor, I would appreciate it greatly. The next time you write a letter about my actions in Elderwood could you be a dear and address it to Nathan Stoneblood. I would like it if he knew that I have his wonderful little friends with me,
and if he would like to see them again, he should join us in Venecia at his earliest convenience.

  p.s. If the king has not been informed yet do let him know that I officially resign from my position in court. I have taken the liberty of helping myself to a small sum of gold from your stores to offset the cost of my future endeavors.

  Your dear friend

  Duke Everode Elmore Evollan the third

  The count was shocked, Nathan was right the girls were still alive. “Bannah have my horse ready to go at first light, I will be taking the pack horses to Elderwood myself.”

  When the sun came up the next morning, Nathan had hardly slept a wink, but now was no time to catch up on sleep. With the full morning light, he and Verin would be able to search for tracks. For hours, they searched in a circular pattern around the village. They started at the center and make the circle ten feet bigger each time. Nathan would go in one direction Verin in the other. Each time they completed a circle they would switch the direction, so that they were both making circles in both directions. The hope being that looking at things from different angles would help them find her.

  By noon they stopped and returned for a bite of lunch. As they ate, Verin thought about the lack of tracks around the village. If Ava was indeed alive, she was nowhere near Elderwood. As he thought of a tactful way to discuss this with Nathan without upsetting him further he gained a reprieve as Count Mavane road into town with their horses.

  Stepping down from his horse the count greeted them. “Gentlemen, I swear that someday I will bring you good news.”