Windcatcher: Book I of the Stone War Chronicles

by A. J. Norfield

  “He’s not a pet! Like I said, he’s a dragon, and as far as we know, the only one of his kind,” blurted Raylan.

  “Good sir, council members, please feel at ease. We have no intention of staying longer than necessary and have no plans to put pressure on your resources. If we hadn’t run into Sebastian here, we’d have never met your community at all, I expect. We welcome your help, even if it is only advice. We don’t want to be a bother to anyone, so perhaps we can show our value in a way that can gain your trust?” said Gavin.

  “Hmmm, I was just thinking the same thing. Maybe we should give them a chance to prove their value to us,” Ann remarked.

  “What do you suggest?” said Svetka.

  “Well, we really do need to restock our food supplies. They could join Sebastian and retrieve food from the newly discovered storage.”

  “Would that be possible, Sebastian?” asked Jarod.

  “The help is more than welcome. The depot is lightly guarded, and with the extra hands, we can be in and out without anyone knowing.”

  “So, leader, what do you say about this chance to prove yourselves?” said Svetka.

  The three of them had a short discussion before Gavin gave their response.

  “Not all of my men will be fit enough to join. We’re willing to lend you a hand with those who’re capable. In return, please let our wounded rest and gain back their strength. I hope this will convince you that we’re who Sebastian says we are.”

  “We’ll see. Another thing, the beast stays here. I don’t want that thing roaming around in the dark, allowing it to get the drop on us. He will be put under constant guard until you return.”

  “You can’t do that. He’ll have to hunt!” exclaimed Raylan.

  The old woman looked at them sternly.

  “Fine, we’ll see if we can catch some birds for him.”

  Raylan was furious. They did not need this. They should leave and let these tree dwellers to their own fate. He was about to give this woman a piece of his mind, when Gavin held up his hand again to urge him to calm down.

  “We agree to your request. My men could use a good night’s rest, but those who will join Sebastian will be ready to go at first light.”

  “Wha…” began Raylan, but his brother’s fierce eyes told him to keep his mouth firmly shut.

  They left the meeting room shortly after that. Raylan was unable to bite his tongue any longer and turned to Gavin.

  “Why the hell d’you do that? We can’t leave him here alone. Galirras won’t like it at all. And neither do I, for that matter.”

  “You need to learn when you’re supposed to keep your mouth shut. Running your mouth at the one person that might be able to help us get home quicker—think on this, for a moment. We’re within enemy territory. We’ve got no idea how far we still need to go. We need allies.

  “You need to follow orders. No, actually, I need you to follow orders. You need to explain to Galirras this is…how it’ll be. Once we get back from this food-run, we can continue to our destination with the help of these people. The sooner we do this, the sooner we can head home.”

  “We could easily fight our way out. They’re not soldiers, they’re probably untrained at combat, even though they outnumber us,” objected Raylan.

  “And then what? We’re back where we started? Lost on a continent that wants us dead. No, our best chance is to gather information from the locals, and this is probably the best, if not the only, chance we’re going to get. No discussion.”

  Raylan did not like it one bit. Xi’Lao saw him struggle internally.

  “I can stay with Galirras for you. I can protect him. It will give us some time to talk uninterrupted,” she said.

  “I’m letting Harwin and Peadar stay behind, too,” added Gavin. “Peadar can make sure the pigeon get its strength back for the flight home. Harwin can assist Xi’Lao, if there’s trouble. And don’t forget, Galirras isn’t that helpless either.”

  That evening Raylan felt restless. He had informed Galirras of what they would have to do the next day. As expected, Galirras did not like it one bit. Not only would he have to stay put which would stop him from moving through the trees he enjoyed so immensely, but he would not be allowed to stay by Raylan’s side and protect him from possible danger. It took Raylan the entire evening meal to talk Galirras out of throwing a fit, and no amount of meat helped. Not that there was much to appease the angry dragon.

  They were forbidden to go hunting and were under strict orders from his brother to follow that rule. The golden colored tree pheasant that he had been served, while it was a beautiful bird to see, was hardly a meal for the dragon. Raylan was glad he had eaten his fill the day before. It meant Galirras would be fine for a couple of days with less food. Many large predators went without eating for days before killing their next large prey. Then again, he was still growing—inches every day—and probably needed all the food he could get, so he gave his own meat to him, as well. He also asked Xi’Lao to look for ways to get additional meat for Galirras to eat.

  Trying to clear his head, Raylan decided to walk around the wooden pathways and rope bridges. Richard saw him moping around and decided to tag along. And although Raylan was not in the best of moods, he welcomed the distraction from his own grinding thoughts.

  “I wonder how long we’ll be gone,” said Richard.

  “Should be less than five days as far as I understood. Four, if we can get the food on the night we arrive at the depot. Or so I was told, at least.”

  Raylan did little to cover up his disagreement with the decision made.

  “I’m sure Galirras will be fine. No one would dare approach him, if he wouldn’t let them. He’s as tall as you and me already, just standing normally. Before you know it, he’ll be the size of two horses. Who knows how big he’ll eventually get.”

  “I worry about him though. He knows nothing of what men are capable of. And those wings…he really needs to exercise them, but he won’t do it.”

  Raylan let out a sigh.

  “Have you tried convincing him?”

  “A bunch of times already. He just won’t listen. He needs to decide this on his own or he’ll be stuck walking around for the rest of his life.”

  As they were walking past a small cottage, they heard a loud crash and yelling inside.

  “I don’t need more ointment. What I need is to stretch my legs. I’ve been lying in this blasted bed for weeks,” the voice roared.

  Raylan and Richard looked at each other, in surprise.

  “I know that voice!” said Richard, excitedly, as he sprang toward the door and threw it open.

  It took a second to adjust his eyes to the low light in the room. A single primitive oil lamp burned in one corner. There, in the corner, was a small bed, occupied by a large man. A man, not in a particularly good mood, smiled when he recognized the new arrivals.

  “Galen!” Richard shouted.

  A woman’s voice called out, in Kovian, something which Raylan guessed meant ‘get out’ or perhaps ‘who are you and what are you doing here?’

  “That’s one of our companions,” said Raylan, pointing at Galen.

  “How did you get here?” Richard asked Galen.

  The woman called out and immediately two guards showed up in the doorway, forcing themselves in.

  A few moments later, both Gavin and Sebastian showed up, finding six people arguing in two different languages. A panting Peadar was standing next to them. He saw Raylan and Richard burst into the door and figured Gavin would be needed, if they did not want things to end badly.

  “Quiet!” hissed Sebastian, after which he said, in Kovian, “You three know better than to raise your voices during the night time.”

  The two guards and the woman quickly fell silent.

  “And you Raylan…Richard, I expect you take the safety of this settlement into consideration by refraining from shouting where sound can carry through these woods for miles on windless nights like this,” said Sebastian.


  “Someone tell me what’s going on,” said Gavin.

  Raylan just pointed behind the guards’ backs. Following its direction, Gavin spotted Galen, lying on the bed.

  “Galen? How’s that possible?”

  “Who’s that?” asked Sebastian to Raylan.

  “It’s one of our companions. We thought we lost him a while back, when we were attacked by a group of Doskovian soldiers,” he answered.

  “It’s good to see you all,” said Galen, “but can someone explain to me where we’re at? They haven’t told me anything, since I arrived here. They didn’t even seem to speak Terran.”

  “Where’d this man come from,” Sebastian asked the woman in the local language, “and why is he tied to the bed?”

  The woman looked at Galen, before speaking to Sebastian to explain the situation.

  “She says Aanon’s scouting party brought him in a few weeks ago, just after I left. They found him floating in the river, west of here, more dead than alive. He didn’t look like a Darklander—the armor was all wrong—so they brought him here. They thought he might be an escaped slave, but he has no mark on him.

  “At first, it didn’t seem he’d make it, but he slowly got better. He’s been fighting feverish dreams. He hadn’t been eating much, so it took time for him to regain his strength. He’s finally able to properly hold down solid food now; and his mind only just returned to this world, after the fever broke a few days ago.”

  The woman looked at Galen, for a moment, and continued speaking to Sebastian.

  “According to her, his body was black and blue, scrapes all over and a nasty cut on the back of his head, as well as along his back. They had to restrain him or he would have thrashed around so much in his fever that he’d likely end up breaking down the house and falling to the ground.”

  “Well, I think it’s safe to say that he won’t fall off anymore, so release his binds please,” said Gavin.

  The woman objected, although less forcefully than before.

  “She says Aanon told her not to let anyone get close to him until he got back,” translated Sebastian.

  “I’ll take responsibility for it. This man is obviously a companion of our guests. We should treat him like one, too. If Aanon has a problem with that, just send him my way when he gets back,” said Sebastian directly to the woman.

  Galen rubbed his wrists after the woman took off his binds. Getting to his feet, he took an uncertain step, holding on to the bedpost.

  “Do you remember what happened to you?” asked Raylan.

  “I remember the stone bridge and those damn black wolves. I remember falling, using the wolf to break my fall in the river. After that, it all went black and cold. I must have lost consciousness right away, but my body remembers it, as you can see. I’ve been lying here for weeks, but I still feel like I’ve gone through the laundry wringer.”

  Galen gladly accepted a shirt the woman handed over. Changing his shirt, all of them saw the large bruises and cuts he had on his back and chest. Some had healed more or less, but the bruises still looked awfully painful. He winced as he put his arms through the shirt.

  “And I think I’ve broken a few ribs in the process.”

  Gavin, who’d been glad to finally breathe somewhat normal again after his ribs had taken a beating, sympathized with him.

  “Well, now that you know you’re amongst friends, why not lie down again and let your body recover. I’ll ask Xi’Lao to come by and inspect your ribs. We’ll likely move on in a few days, so rest up as much as possible.”

  “Thanks, but I really need some fresh air first. I’ll go back to bed after I’ve taken a stroll.”

  “I’ll join you,” said Richard, “loads of things have happened.”

  And when Galen was out the door, he turned to Gavin and the others.

  “I’ll make sure he stays out of trouble, and gets back to bed as soon as possible.”

  Walking away, Raylan saw the relief on Richard face. One of his closer friends had not been lost after all. He had to admit it lifted his spirits, too.

  “I am glad he is okay. I would like to meet with him, once he is up for it,” said Galirras.

  Automatically, Raylan looked toward the platform where his friend lay. He saw Galirras look back up at him.

  “That’s right, it all happened before you came out of the egg, so you’ve never met Galen. I think you’ll like him. And you’ll have some time to get to know him while the rest of us are gone for a few days.”

  “I wish I would be allowed to go with you,” said Galirras, as he laid back his head, sulking over the situation.

  “Me too, but you’ll be safe here. Don’t worry.”

  “It is not me I’m worried about. What if those wolves come back, or the soldiers find you? I will be stuck here, unable to do anything…”

  “I’ll be fine. We’ll be taking the high road, staying out of sight for almost the entire way. And I trust Sebastian. He looks like he knows what he’s doing. Besides, Gavin and the others will be there, too,” said Raylan, trying to assure him.

  “That is true, but they are still not me… nobody can protect you better than I can…”

  “You might be right, but you can’t be there for me all the time. You’ve got to believe in other people too. Trust that they know what they’re doing and don’t take any unnecessary risks. And you know how my brother is, he won’t leave anything to chance.”

  “I still do not like it very much,” said Galirras.

  “You and me both...you and me both. Hey, perhaps you can use the time to practice your wind dancing more. You can show me what you learned when I get back.”

  It was the best he could think of to keep Galirras occupied while they were gone.

  Chapter 11

  Food

  The next morning, they left at dawn. After a short good-bye, a total of ten set out on the food run. Sebastian led the group of tree-dwellers. Twan, Otis, Martin and Ivar were all ready to head out again, although Ivar complained that they had just gotten back and needed a break.

  Raylan, Gavin, Rohan, Kevhin and Ca’lek formed the other half of the expedition. Gavin and Richard decided that Richard, as second in command, would stay in the settlement as a companion to Galen during his recovery. They also figured that Richard could hunt, near the village, in the treetops. They all received a set of the rough leather shoes, allowing them to move around more easily on the slippery tree branches. There were bound to be edible animals around, or maybe some bird’s eggs. He promised Raylan he would find something that could be given to Galirras, in case it was needed.

  Peadar let a sigh of relief, when Gavin told him to stay in the settlement. The platforms gave him the feeling of being on ground level, so he could—hopefully—fool his head into thinking he was not frightfully high up in the trees. He would take the time to carefully check on the last remaining bird, and to get it well rested.

  They moved much faster than the day before. Without the wounded to slow them down, they made good time toward the enemy’s food storage. Sebastian gave Raylan and the rest tips on how to move quickly but safely through the trees. They learned to recognize slippery spots and rotten bark, and how to keep the weight on their legs while climbing to different branches.

  They crossed from one branch to another by rope, multiple times—not all of which could be called ‘bridges’.

  “Where did you guys get all the rope you use, anyway?” Raylan asked Sebastian, while they were waiting for the last three people to cross a single rope crossing between two branches.

  “Originally, we used rope that we liberated from our captors at different times. However, they only lasted a few months, at most, creating dangerous situations around the settlement. I think it was the mold. The ropes would get too moist and never properly dry again because of the reduced direct sunlight.”

  “And now?”

  “A few years ago, we found a sort of plant growing high in particular trees. Its growth was stringy, with
lots of small threads you could pull loose. Over a number of weeks, the women with weaving experience learned how to process the plant without destroying its strength. They spend all day making these ropes. They’re even in our descenders,” Sebastian said, pointing to his backpack. “It allowed us to make the packs lighter and to increase the length of the cable. If done right, the rope is almost as strong as an iron chain, but much lighter.”

  “That’s what you call them? Descenders?” laughed Raylan.

  “Fits the function, doesn’t it?” returned Sebastian with a grin. “Anyway, I didn’t come up with that one.”

  “You ever encounter anything dangerous in the trees?” asked Raylan.

  “Well, at this height, anything that can startle you is dangerous.”

  “True, but I meant like animals or something.”

  “Well, the spiders and small tree scorpions can be difficult. If you are far from the antidote plants, the swelling after the bite, or the sting, can make tree travel quite difficult. Various snakes seem to be around, but only one of them is poisonous—that we know of—the other kinds tend to strangle their prey.

  “Some animals can be aggressively territorial. You don’t want to disturb a borrowing bee’s hive during your climbing. Twan had his arm go numb for two weeks, after being stung a few dozen times last summer, when he accidentally disturbed a hive. He spent a good week in bed before the fever and the swelling went down.”

  “It seems to me Galirras is the biggest predator in these forests, or will soon be, at least.”

  “The eagles might challenge him from the sky though. During their breeding season, they’ll attack anything that comes too close to the nest. Wolves are one of the biggest predators I’ve seen, although Ivar and Otis swear they’ve seen bears walking around which were almost as large as two men standing on each other’s shoulders.”

  “Did you guys encounter any of them when you first came to the forest?”

  “Bears? No, luckily they seem very shy. Wolves, unfortunately, were a different matter. We’ve lost a few people in those first weeks and were constantly hunted by a small pack of them. The cove really saved our lives back then. But the wolves aren’t the worst that live in these forests.”