Five Kingdoms: Books 01, 02 & 03

by Toby Neighbors

  Brianna stared at Henrik. He was a bitter man with an inflated sense of self importance, but his words struck a chord. Not that she was afraid of Zollin getting her killed, but she realized that she wanted to be with Zollin. It wasn’t just a crush or infatuation, even when she set aside her affection for Zollin, she wanted to be with him. She had no desire to be left behind, but was that a personal issue? She wasn’t sure. She knew that being with Zollin since they had left Tranaugh Shire had been the most exciting thing she had ever experienced. She had faced danger and struggle. She had also proven herself to be resourceful. She had escaped from Branock in Orrock. She had been trying to keep distance between herself and Zollin because she wasn’t sure if she could trust her feelings for him, but, like a lightning strike, Henrik’s words had revealed a truth that she hadn’t considered before. She wanted to be with Zollin.

  “I’ll see about getting together the rope and tools you might need,” Henrik said. “I’ll leave it up to you to get warm clothes.”

  She nodded and watched as the older man walked away. Her mind was spinning, but she had a task to do and she focused on that. It was good to have something she knew she could do. It made her feel useful. Perhaps Zollin could have made warm clothes appear out of thin air for them, but he was busy and she knew about clothing.

  It took some time, but she finally located the tailor. He was an older man named Pulver. He had bartered with Brianna through the winter, trading her clothing and materials in exchange for her help in his small shop. Pulver had lost most of his goods in the dragon attack, his shop was badly burned as was most of the cloth and tools inside. He had salvaged what he could and was now set up in a small tent, mending and patching clothes for people in the village. He smiled when he saw her.

  “Brianna, you’ve come back,” he said happily.

  “Actually, we’re just passing through. Zollin is hunting the dragon.”

  “Oh my,” he said. “Better him than me. I wouldn’t know the first thing about hunting dragons. How long will you be staying with us?”

  “Like I said, we’re just passing through. We’ll be heading into the Northern Range as soon as we can. Zollin is working with the sick, and I’m here to see about getting us some warmer clothes.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry I don’t have much. In fact, I don’t have much left to work with. I salvaged some of my tools and I have a bolt or two of wool, but I don’t have anything made up.”

  “What about trade?” Brianna suggested. “Do you know anyone who has extra clothing that they might be willing to sell or trade for?”

  “Tollver and some of the other farmers are helping rebuild the village. Tollver was injured by the big saw blade, but his farm wasn’t burned like the village. He might have some clothes he could trade for.”

  “Excellent, thank you, Pulver.”

  “You’re welcome, dear. Come back and visit whenever you can. You’ll always have a place here with me.”

  Brianna nodded and hurried to Kelvich’s cabin. She found Tollver’s wife pacing anxiously outside. She had streaks of gray in her brown hair and she was constantly wringing her hands.

  “Are you Tollver’s wife?” Brianna asked.

  “Yes, I’m Winnie.”

  “How is your husband?”

  “I don’t know, they asked us all to leave,” she said with tears in her eyes.

  “What happened to him?”

  “He was running the big saw that your father set up,” she explained, referring to Quinn and the story they had shared when they had first come to Brighton’s Gate last winter. “He and another man were pushing a log through the saw and it caught on a knot in the wood and kicked the log back out. It hit him in the chest and broke several ribs. He’s strong, but I don’t think he’s going to make it.”

  “Zollin’s in there with him. If anyone can help, Zollin can.”

  “Oh, I hope you’re right,” she said, returning to her pacing.

  “Listen, I know that you’re worried, but I need to ask a favor,” Brianna explained. “Zollin and I are hunting the dragon, and we’ll be going into the Northern Range. We need cold weather clothes. Everything in the village was burned, but Pulver said you might have extra clothes that you would sell or trade for.”

  “I do,” she admitted. “Our farm wasn’t touched by the dragon and we’ve got plenty. My boys are serving with the army, but they have plenty of cold weather clothes you could use.”

  “That would be wonderful. We’ll pay for them. We have coin.”

  “If your man can save Tollver, you can have whatever clothes you want from our farm.”

  Just then the door opened and Ollie led several people out of the small cabin. Winnie looked up expectantly, but her husband did not appear. Ollie walked over and spoke in a low voice.

  “Zollin’s looking at your man now. He’s in bad shape, I’m afraid, and Zollin said he would need food and wine before he could start working on Tollver.”

  “But can he help him?” Winnie asked.

  “He says so,” Ollie replied. “He healed everyone else. He even healed Rauls’ hand that was nearly cut off in the saw. It just grew back together right before my eyes, and he can use it just fine. Damnedest thing I ever saw.”

  “Zollin can heal anyone,” Brianna said. “He healed the King, even though Prince Simmeron had been poisoning him for months.”

  “I’ll get him the food. You go on inside and stay with Tollver,” Ollie said.

  Brianna and Winnie went inside the little cabin. The house looked completely different than when Brianna had stayed there with Kelvich and Zollin. The furniture was all gone and there were bunks of beds arranged so that the sick or injured could have a place to rest out of the elements. The bunks were all empty now, except for one. Tollver was sleeping in one of the low bunks, and Zollin was slumped against the corner post of the bed.

  “Are you okay?” Brianna asked.

  “Yeah, but healing that kid’s hand took more out of me than I thought. I got a little lightheaded and thought it would be better if I ate before I healed Tollver.”

  “But you can help him, can’t you?” Winnie asked.

  “Yes. He’s got several broken ribs, and his sternum is almost crushed. His ribs have punctured his left lung and there’s internal bleeding. I don’t think he would have lived too much longer.”

  “But you can heal him?”

  “Yes, I can,” Zollin said, smiling. “But it will take a while. There’s a lot of work to do inside his body. I’ll need someone to stay with me and make sure there is food and wine when I need it.”

  “I’ll do it,” Winnie said in an anxious voice.

  “It might be better if I do it,” Brianna said. “You could go retrieve the clothes for us.”

  “No!” Winnie said. “I won’t leave him. You can go get the clothes yourself. Take whatever you need. I want to be here when he wakes up.”

  Brianna looked at Zollin and he nodded his head. Brianna felt a stab of jealousy. She knew that she didn’t need to stay, but she didn’t like that someone would be taking care of Zollin, even if it was the distressed wife of a man Zollin was healing.

  “Alright,” Brianna said, pushing her emotions down. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” she told Zollin. “Henrik is getting us some climbing gear. I’ll get the clothes we need and get back here as soon as I can.”

  “We’ll rest here tonight and then push on in the morning,” Zollin said.

  “Okay,” Brianna said, hesitant to leave.

  Then Ollie came back into the little cabin. She had a small loaf of bread and a jug of wine.

  “I’m afraid rations are in short supply,” she said, a little embarrassed.

  “You don’t have any meat?” Brianna asked.

  “No, haven’t had any in a while. Some of the men had success hunting at first, but lately game has been scarce. Besides, there’s just too much work to do if we’re going to make it through the winter. With most of the men being forced to patrol the river
with the army, we need everyone’s help we can get.”

  “Alright, I’ve got a little dried meat left in our saddlebags,” Brianna said. “I’ll send it in with Winnie.”

  “Thanks,” Zollin said after swallowing some wine.

  Chapter 28

  Brianna and Winnie hurried back to where Zollin had tied their horses to a tree. Brianna searched her saddlebags and came up with a small package of dried beef. It wasn’t enough to feed a lot of people, but it was more than the villagers had.

  “Give this to Ollie,” Brianna said. “Perhaps she can make a stew or something out of it.”

  “Okay,” Winnie said. “Our farm is west of the town, about an hour’s ride. We’ve got winter clothes packed in cedar chests. Take whatever you need.”

  “Thank you, Winnie. Make sure that Zollin always has wine in his cup and that there is something for him to eat close to hand. The food gives him energy when he’s healing someone.”

  “Alright,” Winnie said. “I won’t leave his side.”

  Brianna felt the twinge of jealousy once again, but she ignored it and climbed onto Lilly’s saddle. The horse seemed happy to be moving again. Brianna rode down the hill and was flooded with memories. She had often made her way to Kelvich’s cabin once Zollin was hidden there, but then the ground had been covered with snow or saturated with melting snow. Now the ground was green with grass and the trees stood tall and dark against the bright blue sky. The temperature in the Great Valley was cooler. She didn’t mind being by herself, and riding a horse with the sun shining was a relief. After the days in the forest and in the shadowy pass through the mountains, riding in the sun felt wonderful. The trees thinned and then the valley spread out below her. She could see the river and the work being done on Brighton’s Gate. The townsfolk had done a good job of cleaning up the town and utilizing what had not been destroyed by the fire.

  The jagged peaks on the far side of the river were officially called the Northern Range of the Highland Mountains. They stood in stately splendor, rising above the tree covered hills; their craggy peaks of dark stone capped with snow looked almost like the teeth of a vicious, otherworldly giant. She knew that in those mountains the dragon was lurking, nursing its wounds until it was well enough to return and wreak havoc on the villages and towns of Yelsia again. She felt a shutter of fear as she imagined seeing the dragon once more. It was a terrifying creature with a long, thick body anchored by two enormous legs. The dragon’s neck was long, but its tail was even longer and very snakelike. When the dragon had climbed up the shrine at the ruins of Ornak, that tail had swung in with the agility of a viper and the strength of bull. It smashed the stone walls with ease and sent rocks and shards of mortar flying through the air. Brianna had been forced to take cover. She remembered feeling so incredibly helpless and so afraid for Zollin. Now they were going to fight the dragon again, and while she didn’t want to be left behind, she feared the encounter.

  Her mind flipped from the dragon to Zollin and back again. She was glad to be alone with her thoughts. The amazing scenery around her went mostly unnoticed. The valley was a wide, mostly flat plain that was perfect for growing crops. Brianna was headed in the right direction, but letting Lilly make her own way along the valley. There was no road, not even a path or trail. The ground was covered with grass that grew up as tall as the horse’s fetlock. The horse and rider moved so silently it wasn’t until they were only about 100 yards from the small herd of deer that Brianna even noticed the animals. They were down wind and the deer were oblivious to their presence. There were several does, a few young bucks, and one large deer with a large set of antlers. He was obviously the leader of the small herd. Most of the deer had their heads down as they grazed, and Brianna remembered that the village didn’t have meat. If she could kill one of the animals, she could carry the carcass back to Ollie.

  Brianna reined in Lilly, rubbing the horse’s neck to keep her quiet. Then she slid off the saddle as silently as possible. She pulled her bow from the sheath Zollin had made for her. It was already strung. She selected an arrow from her quiver. Zollin had already replaced all the arrow heads with news ones made from the dwarvish steel. They were razor sharp broadheads, perfectly balanced with the length of the arrow. Brianna hadn’t had a chance to practice with the arrows since they had been in the mountains, and there wasn’t a flat place for her to hone her aim. She would have to rely on feel to make her shot. She only hoped she could get close enough to make a good shot before the deer detected her and dashed away. She moved slowly toward the herd, looking at the ground before each step and then looking back up at her quarry. She was less than sixty yards from the closest deer when the alpha buck turned and looked right at her. She froze, hardly daring to breath. It watched her for a full minute, then slowly turned its head. Brianna still didn’t move, afraid the dear was watching out of its peripheral vision. She waited until the buck lowered its head to graze again.

  Her heart was banging away in her chest and she could feel the sweat popping up on her hands. She slowly rubbed first one hand on her pants, then the other. She moved slowly, and then, the alpha buck turned. It looked at her again, but this time only for a moment, then it returned to the lush green grass at its feet. The animal was now facing to her left and she had a perfect shot at the deer’s side. She had never been hunting before and had certainly never shot a deer, but she had seen the boys in Tranaugh Shire practicing. They had targets made from willow branches that were woven into the shape of a deer. She had always thought the targets were a waste of good craftsmanship, but now she was thankful that she had seen those targets. She knew she needed to shoot the deer right behind the foreleg shoulder because she had seen the men of her village targeting that exact spot.

  Slowly she drew her bow and took aim. She was thankful that her bow seemed to have so little draw weight. It allowed her to hold the weapon steady even though she was moving so slowly. A heavier draw weight would have forced her to move faster or made her arms shake from exertion, but now she had her weapon ready and her aim was true. She took a deep breath, breathed out just a little, and then held her breath. She made sure that she opened the fingers of her hand holding the bowstring in one fluid motion, just like Quinn had taught her. The arrow leapt off the string and arched through the air almost too fast to see. It slammed into the large buck and caused the beast to stumble.

  Brianna shouted in exhilaration as the other deer raced away. Then, the buck struggled to its feet and bounded off after the others, and Brianna’s heart dropped. She couldn’t believe that the deer had survived her shot. It was almost perfect, just slightly high of the bullseye she had been aiming for. She watched in disbelief as the deer ran in its bouncing gait, following the herd toward the safety of the trees on the hills toward the Southern Range of mountains. Then the buck stumbled again. It rose slowly, took several more steps, and then fell over.

  Brianna didn’t hesitate but ran back to Lilly. She jumped on the horse and galloped toward her prize. The buck was lying on the grass, the arrow standing straight up toward the sky. The animal’s legs were twitching, but the deer was dead. Brianna watched to make sure it wasn’t breathing, then climbed down off her horse. She touched the deer first with her foot on the deer’s hindquarters, waiting to see if she had somehow made a mistake, but the deer didn’t move. She nudged the deer again, but it still didn’t move. She crept closer and touched the arrow, but still the deer didn’t move. She put her foot on the deer and pulled her arrow free. It had sliced into the deer and buried itself halfway up the arrow’s shaft. The arrowhead was razor sharp, but it still took a lot of strength to pull the arrow free. She tugged and tugged and finally pulled the arrow out.

  “Now,” she said out loud to Lilly, “how do we get it home?”

  She took hold of the deer’s antlers and could lift the head, but she simply wasn’t strong enough to lift the whole animal up and lay it across Lilly’s back. Instead she took the dagger Zollin had made for her and cut down several s
mall saplings. She then covered the deer with the fronds and rode on to her destination.

  The Tollver farmhouse was easy to find. There was a small stone house and a larger barn. She went into the house and found the winter clothes just were Winnie had told her they would be. She found two sets of warm clothes for each of them and packed them into her nearly empty saddlebags. Then she went to the barn and found a small cart that Lilly could pull. She hooked the cart to a large, round harness that fit over Lilly’s head. Lilly had no trouble pulling the empty cart, even with Brianna riding her. She rode back to where the deer was hidden beneath the tree limbs. She had been gone from the deer a little more than an hour and she was afraid wild animals might have found and spoiled her prize, but the deer was untouched.

  Brianna climbed down from the saddle and tied some rope she had found in the barn to the deer’s antlers. Then she unhooked Lilly’s harness so that the cart sat tilted toward the ground, with the long poles used for pulling the cart pointing up toward the sky. Then she found two rocks the size of small melons and she put them in front of the cart’s wheels to keep the cart from moving when she pulled the deer up into the cart. Finally, she tied the rope that was attached to the deer’s antlers to Lilly’s saddle horn. Then she coaxed the horse forward. Lilly moved slowly and pulled the deer into the cart until the weight of the animal caused the cart to teeter over onto the long poles.