The Reclaiming: The Keepers Saga: Volume Two

by Dillon McNaight

  A few snowflakes begin to sporadically fall from the sky as the White Queen walked down the stone stairs leading to the docks. Sadja was waiting for her on the docks.

  As Kalorah approached, she said, “Thanks for meeting me. I suppose you have already guessed why I have asked you here?”

  Sadja replied with a smirk, “I have a guess, though I don’t think I will like it.”

  Kalorah laughed, as she said, “No, I doubt that you will, but you are the only one I trust with this task.”

  Sadja replied, “I still do not understand why you have chosen to send him to the Isles instead of ending his miserable life. He will surely die once he gets there anyway.”

  “I do not expect you to understand,” said Kalorah, “but I do ask that you trust my judgment.”

  Sadja looked away for a moment, then looked back at the Angel, and said, “Would I be here if I didn’t?”

  Kalorah looked down as she smiled, then looked back up, and said, “I suppose not. A lot is about to change. Your King is not the same man that he used to be. Now that the war is over, the grief of his wife’s death and so many others has finally caught up with him. I do not know if he will be fit to serve as King for much longer. It is not my decision to make, but I ask that you and the others prepare yourselves for what is to come in the aftermath of war, especially without the Keeper of the Staff.”

  Sadja turned away and stared off towards the mouth of the harbor and Northern Sea. They both stood in silence for a moment before Sadja said, “It’s amazing how things work out, you know? One minute, I’m fighting the Fallen, and in the next, I’m sitting in my chair as an old and crippled man. Then Lord Kaidian comes and grants me this amazing gift and eternal life. I watched as everyone I knew over the last six hundred years were born, lived, and died, over and over again. Maybe Kale was the smartest one of us all.” Sadja stopped as subtle emotions tried to pry into his conscious. “Wherever he is, he’s away from all of this.” Sadja then turned to look at Kalorah as he continued, “I will take the General to the Isles, and return to watch over our people in his stead, although I can only hope to be half the leader that he was.”

  Kalorah smiled, as she replied, “You will be everything he was and more, my friend. Watch over the King and his son. Dathian is destined for great things, but his thoughts are clouded at the moment. He needs time to grow some more, but when the time comes, be there to guide him into the man he is destined to be.”

  Sadja replied, “I give you my word.”

  “With that being said,” said Kalorah, “you will be housing one more traveler with you to the Isles along with the ship’s captain and navigator.”

  “One more traveler?” questioned Sadja.

  “Yes. His name is Thaelkius, and he is an old friend of mine. It recently occurred to me that little is known about the Isles, so I’m sending Thaelkius there to explore the continent. He is a skilled Lore Master, and is very knowledgeable about the wild. He won’t be a burden, I assure you. Once you depart with the traitor, travel a few miles up the coastline and let Thaelkius off somewhere a safe distance away. Don’t let Thaelkius’ appearance deceive you, for he is much tougher than his old age may give off. When he is ready, he will send for his return. He will meet you at the docks in the morning before you leave.”

  Sadja hesitated before he said, “As you wish. Just… tell him to not get in my way, OR annoy me, and we will be fine. It will be a long two weeks as is, so the last thing I need is some old-timer muttering off lore from sunup to sundown.”

  Kalorah laughed as she said, “I assure you that he will not be a burden. Now, I must say goodbye. Be safe. Be wise. Be good.”

  “You too,” replied Sadja as he nodded goodbye.

  As Kalorah turned to leave, Sadja watched her for a moment, before turning his attention back to the ship’s preparation.

  Before he even walked a step, he heard someone shout from behind him, “Wait… I’m here.”

  He turned around to greet the familiar voice of Alandra.

  “Don’t worry, we don’t set sail until tomorrow,” said Sadja.

  “Good, that will give me time to prepare my room.”

  “Your room?” questioned Sadja sarcastically.

  “Ya,” she replied, “you don’t think I’m sharing my room with some strange man, do you?”

  Sighing, he answered, “I guess not. Come on, we got a lot of work to do before we sail.” As he began to leave towards the ship, he turned back and asked, “What about Moonshine?”

  “Oh, she’s staying behind, Joseph will be watching over her.”

  Suddenly emotional, Sadja said, “Joseph? You’ve seen him, he’s alive?!”

  “Of course he is,” she replied, “he’s a tough little guy, he can hold his own.” Noticing that Sadja was clearly worried, Alandra added, “Whatever you did to that boy made him stronger. You did good, you old grump.”

  Sadja acted as if he was going to say something, but said instead, “Well… come on, I will help you prepare your room, milady.”

  It is nearing dusk in the city of Menethiel. The small sparse snowflakes that fell in the morning have turned into a steady downfall of thick white flakes. The young prince of Kain stands against the railing on the oval platform outside of the Throne Room. Dathian gazes over the city as the air around him grew colder with each passing hour. From behind, Ethan quietly approached.

  “I have always loved the first snowfall,” said Ethan, “it always signaled the end of the growing season as a kid. It was our only break from work. That was until winter set in, then the work never ended.”

  He then walked to the side of his friend, and leaned against the railing, gazing over the quiet fire-lit city.

  He continued, “I heard that you asked Savannah to marry you. So, you are to be married. You are officially a man now, at least that’s what they say.”

  Dathian laughed slightly, as he said in a frail voice, “I guess so, I mean it’s not like we just survived a war or anything.”

  Ethan smiled as he continued to stare over the city. His face then turned stoic, as he said, “The captain asked me to join his company on a mission west of the capital.”

  Dathian, showing little reaction, replied, “I know.”

  Pausing for a moment, Ethan then tried to say, “Do you want to talk about…”

  “…No, I’m good,” replied Dathian, avoiding any conversation that might stir up some more emotions.

  Ethan, feeling the same way, patted him on the shoulder, and said, “Same… good talk. So, I will see you when I get back?”

  Dathian punched him back, and said as he turned to walk away, “Don’t get yourself killed.”

  Ethan, laughing to himself slightly, replied, “Don’t worry, it’s me, not Biix.”

  Dathian also laughed slightly to himself, and that was it, their last conversation before Ethan left.

  Several inches of snow fell throughout the night. The next morning, nearly six inches of freshly fallen snow blanketed Menethiel. The sun had barely begun to rise as Sadja prepared the ship for its departure. Just as promised, the Lore Master Thaelkius arrived at sunrise. He is a tall man, and clearly well advanced in years. His gray and brown beard, fizzled and untamed, almost reaches the floor. He is clothed in weather-worn rags in the form of a robe, with a tattered leather belt around his waist. Against his back rests a bear’s coat, with fox hide wrapped around his shoulders. On his head rests an old hat made of rabbit pelt, which looked dusty and aged. On his left shoulder, is perched a nearly completely black hawk with a white beak. He calls the hawk Pitch because of the color of his feathers. In his right hand he holds a long oak branch, and walks with a slight limp, intermittently coughing as he approaches the ship.

  Sadja stops what he was doing as his attention was forced to redirect itself to the approaching old man.

  As he approached, Sadja said, “And you are the Lore Master, I presume?”

  The old man said nothing as he continued to walk closer, whils
t staring at his feet to make sure that they planted themselves in the appropriate location with each step.

  Sadja repeated, “Are you Thaelkius are not?”

  The man stopped, and slowly looked up at the Keeper.

  He then steadied himself with his walking stick, and said, “Are any of us in fact who we say we are, or does someone else say it? Or are we just men walking the fragile line between self-prevalence and common perception?”

  Sadja stared at the man as he tried to decipher what he had just said.

  The old man then continued, “I am just trying to create an arousal out of you my new friend, of course I am the man called Thaelkius that you speak of.”

  Sadja shook off the Lore Master’s words in an obvious attempt to avoid embarrassment, and said, “Well you are… you are, um… right on time. Hurry up, get on, I don’t have all day. I want to leave as soon as possible, so that I may return, just as soon.

  “As you wish, good sir,” replied Thaelkius as he walked past the Keeper, and onto the ship.

  He had only a singular bag with him, and as he walked past, his hawk Pitch screeched at the Keeper, causing Sadja to jump backwards. Sadja has never been fond of birds, especially birds of prey.

  Alandra walked up from behind them, and asked Sadja, “Who is that?”

  Sadja couldn’t put his finger on it, but it was as if he has met the man before, but can’t place it.

  He then replied, “He’s a Lore Master the White Queen is sending to survey the Frozen Isles for her. Just another person to slow us down, if you ask me.”

  The captain and the navigator had finished prepping the ship for departure as the last member of the company arrived in chains. The prisoner Bargokk was escorted onto the ship by two members of the Kain’s Guard. He looked weak and defeated as he was led to his cabin. The last to board the ship was Sadja. Two docks men released the thick ropes that secured the ship. The navigator then adjusted the sails while the captain guided the ship’s rudder. They soon sailed out of the capital’s harbor towards the Northern Sea.

  The ship and its passengers sailed northwest along the northern current for ten days. The weather was in their favor, and they made better time than expected. The days passed without interruption or commotion. The Lore Master Thaelkius kept to himself inside his cabin, reading over long forgotten lore of the Frozen Isles found buried in the capital’s Grand Library. Bargokk remained silent as he just stared out of his porthole, refusing to eat or drink unless it was of the utmost importance. The navigator used the stars and the sun to navigate their course. The captain prepared the meals, and managed the ship’s wellbeing and cleanliness. Sadja mostly stood at the stern of the ship gazing at the open waters that fell behind them, as Alandra sharpened her fishing skills. Sadja then looked up, and saw the faded outline of a faraway white mountain range. They had finally arrived at the forgotten northern continent. The captain lowered one of the sails to slow the ship down as they approached. Several icebergs from the nearby glacier dotted the waters around the continent. The captain slowly guided the ship through the frozen waters as they approached the Isle. Sadja and Alandra moved to the bow of the ship, and gazed over the landmass as it came more and more into focus. Thaelkius soon joined the Keepers at the bow of the ship.

  “Where do you think is a good place to drop the prisoner off?” asked the Lore Master.

  Sadja turned to him, and replied, “I have never been to the Isle before, so I don’t know. As far as I’m concerned, we can get rid of him at first land fall.”

  “Whatever you deem is acceptable, Keeper,” said Thaelkius.

  Sadja then turned to the Lore Master, and said, “And where do YOU wish to be dropped off? I still do not understand why you are here, or why you would want to explore the forgotten lands of the Isle. I don’t know what you hope to find.”

  “Of course you don’t,” replied Thaelkius, “for I don’t know what I will find any more than you do. All I know is that the White Queen thinks there is something out there to find, so I will find it. What I will find, I do not yet know.”

  Alandra then said, “Now that you mention it, how exactly do you know the White Queen? I have never heard of you, and as far as I can tell, no one else has either.”

  Thaelkius gazed ahead in thought for a moment, unnerved by her question.

  As if only to not appear rude, he turned to Alandra, and replied, “It is my job to not be known, for that is the way of the Lore Master. I have not always gone by this name, for I have had many. I met the White Queen a long time ago in the southern lands near the seas. Ever since then, I have provided her with all of the Lore about the lands that she requested, and in exchange, she shared hers from past centuries. So, when asked to explore the legendary Frozen Isles, I did not hesitate.”

  “Well, for the record I think it is a bad idea,” Sadja replied, “you will find nothing but a barren, frozen wasteland.”

  “I agree,” said Alandra.

  “Duly noted, wise Keepers,” replied Thaelkius. He then pointed off towards the shoreline, and said, “Look, we have arrived.”

  Sadja shared his gaze, and looked on in awe at the sight of the forgotten Isles. Two massive glaciers grew down off the enormous mountains behind them. The mountains grow into a snow-peak covered range that spans the entire eastern edge. The mountains raise twice the height of the tallest mountain in Kranos, and are covered in snow nearly year-round. They house routine storms that are powerful enough to change the very landscape. Few trees or other vegetation grows on the mountain slopes, for their landscape is covered in jagged rock cliffs and bottomless ravines that snake down from the western slopes. On the eastern side of the massive mountain range reveals hundreds of ancient glaciers that climb down into the sea, where they periodically break apart, sending city-sized icebergs floating out to sea. The two glaciers that the company sailed towards split halfway down the mountain. As they separate, they create a long and narrow bay. The shoreline of the bay is frozen, save a beach wide enough for a man to walk on.

  “Captain,” said Sadja, “make for the shore line within that bay. We will drop him off there.”

  “Yes sir,” he replied as he steered the ship towards the bay.

  Thaelkius then said, “Are you sure Keeper? That is no place to leave a man. There is no way around the glacier walls of that bay.”

  “Not my problem,” he replied, shrugging off the Lore Master’s words.

  “But the White Queen said…”

  “…Kalorah said that he is to be exiled to the Frozen Isles,” snapped back Sadja, “she made no mention of the condition of his release. Like I said before, it is not my problem. Now, if you will excuse me, old man.”

  Thaelkius looked to Alandra for support, but she just shrugged as if to say, ‘he is the boss.’ Sadja walked past the old man, bumping into his shoulder quite abruptly, and headed towards the lower decks of the ship to prepare the prisoner. Thaelkius steadied himself, using his walking stick to catch his balance, as he watched the Keeper walk away.

  He then muttered under his breath, as he looked on with disappointment, “Someday you will forget all of this, my friend, and find your compassion once again… someday.”

  Sadja walked down to Bargokk’s cell, where the former proud Dragon was standing up, looking out a small porthole.

  Sadja then said, “It’s time. You ready?”

  Bargokk hesitated for a moment, and said nothing. He then slowly turned around to face the Keeper, and just stared at him.

  “Well, you better be,” said Sadja as he unlocked the gate to his cell, and approached him. He took him firmly by the arm, and continued, “Come on, let’s go. The sooner you are off this ship, the sooner I can go home.”

  Bargokk remained silent and emotionless as Sadja led him up the stairs to the upper deck. As they arrived, Sadja looked up, and saw no sight of the Lore Master. He quickly turned around, and then back towards the bow of the ship where he last saw him.

  Alandra walked back onto the
deck, as Sadja said, “Where’s the old man?”

  She looked puzzled by the question, and replied, “I thought he was with you.”

  The navigator and captain then walked towards the stern.

  Sadja turned to them, and asked, “Have you seen the old man?”

  They shook their heads, as the captain said, “No, not since breakfast.”

  Sadja turned back around as he tried to think. He then clinched his fist and slammed it against the ship, causing it to vibrate.

  “Dammit!” he yelled. “Alandra, watch him while I search the ship.”

  Sadja released Bargokk into her hands, and quickly walked back into the ship, and searched every corner. The Lore Master was nowhere to be found. His bag and hawk were also gone. Sadja panicked as he ran back upstairs and onto the deck.

  He then turned to Alandra, and said, “He’s gone! I’ve searched the entire ship, and there is no sign of the old man.”

  She looked concerned, as she replied, “What do you want us to do? Where could he even have gone?”

  Sadja thought for a moment, before saying, “I don’t know. I don’t have time for this! We came here to do a job, not to babysit some old man.”

  “But the Queen said…”

  “…I KNOW WHAT SHE SAID!” he yelled as he got in her face, calmed down, then continued “but I am not going to risk the lives of everyone else searching for him. I don’t know what kind of trick this… this Lore Master is trying to pull on me, but it is not my problem.”

  Alandra replied with a stern tone, “Careful, don’t forget who raised me after my father decided to get himself killed.”

  Quickly bringing him back to relative emotions, he said in a much calmer voice, “Let him go, and good riddance. All the old man did was babble on and on about nonsense. Now, let’s get this piece of garbage off our ship, and go home.”

  Sadja then turned around, grabbed Bargokk, and lifted him up into the air. Bargokk began to squirm in his arms, as he carried him to the edge of deck. He turned, and hurled the once great General of the Dragonkin off the ship onto the icy beaches below. He landed hard, breaking his nose and right arm. Blood spilled out of his nose as he cried out in agony.