The Weapon Bearer (Book 1) (2 page)

“Jace, I need your more subtle tactics in the lower Earth and Water Realms. Travel along the southern border, gathering evidence of the Fire Realm troop movements there. These forces are pushing on us from both sides: the unknown from the north of the forest, and the Fire Realm from the south. I do not want them to know that I know where they are traveling to and from. We are not in an open war, as of yet, but they push me to the edge of my tolerance. I have arranged for all of the water wizards to be in the Water Realm during Springfest. This is out of my normal behavior. Hopefully if they want to find any water wizards, they will be looking for them in the Earth Realm cities closest to me. I lend you your normal magic armor, as I cannot afford to have any additional given to you. My army must be at its strongest since the wizards will be traveling to the edges of the realm in all directions.”

They spoke in unison once again. “We obey in the king’s wisdom.”

“On a side note, we will have many to train for the influx of soldiers coming from the cities. I will need you both to make it back soon after Springfest to greet the new arrivals. These troops will have to provide protection against the Fire Realm. My towers along the southern border have taken damage in recent days. The Fire Realm says it’s due to a surge in fire wizard awakenings. I will try peaceful negotiations until I can no longer ignore their blatant disregard for our land and people.” They both bowed deeply with understanding the importance of their tasks. “Go now and return with haste.”

They stood, clapped their fists against their chests, and departed the king’s grand hall. The king’s power was under attack from an unknown enemy to the north and an age old enemy to the south. The kingdom under the control of the Earth Realm would be in dire trouble if the two forces were working together to destroy the king’s people.

Kilen sat in the back of the classroom staring into a book he had read a dozen times before. Kilen was of average height for his age but had a couple more years of growing left to do. His brown hair was cut short to keep his head cool while working in the yard during the warmer seasons. His leg shook with anticipation, as this was the day that he would finish school and prepare for the journey to distant cities to study. All he had ever wanted to do was to study in the great libraries of the Earth Realm. This was the day that he began that journey.

The shutters were open to let the breeze flow through the cramped school house. Master Eben Jay gave a lecture on the economy of Springfest, and the silently listening class formed a circle around him. His sister, Kara, looked back from the front of the class with her black hair tied up in a blue ribbon. She had begun to shadow him throughout the last year, knowing he would be off to see the world soon. Kilen had heard this lecture before. He had memorized the books on numbers, letters, kings, war history, and many others the farm school had.

The children of Humbridge he had grown up with finished their schooling at age 13, unless they were needed at home sooner. By his father’s wishes, He continued until his sixteenth birthday. Some of the town’s folk thought his mother was just flaunting her wealth by keeping him in school longer than necessary. Kilen’s father had left on a quest, and his only request was for his son to avoid becoming a soldier.

Kilen’s mother, Sahera, promised that she would provide him with a horse and provisions as well as coin for a trip to Basham. If he could find a job as a scribe or some other work, he would make money for traveling to the next city of his journey and continue on in that way until he found his destiny. He knew if he could not find work he could return home and make a living on his father’s land outside of Humbridge. Tomorrow would be the first, and possibly only, journey of his life. He could succeed and find a life of adventure and knowledge, or fail and return to his humdrum farming life. He felt a twinge of guilt by leaving his sister behind. In the last year she had spent every waking moment with him. He supposed she was trying to hold on to every moment they had left together.

School was set to end early as an ironic reminder of Kilen’s elongated education. It was nearing the noon meal time. He could see out the window a cloud of dust following an approaching rider. He knew no one in town could ride that fast except for Bowie on his horse, Charger. He was there at school every day waiting on Kilen so they could hunt and sell their meat to Bowie’s father, the town butcher. Bowie would split with Kilen the earnings from the hunt down the middle. This provided cheap meat to the local town and a way to make coin of his own. Bowie was also promised the bones and sinew to make bowstrings, arrowheads, and arrow nocks. He was the best archer in the town of Humbridge and made the best arrows and bow strings within leagues. Passing peddlers would ask him to trade or buy his stock every year at Springfest. Last year he made enough to buy a Keltan bow made in the heart of the Earth Realm and Charger, which was of the finest Elian Plains stock. He made enough money off of the hunting and bow supplies to make a year’s worth of a normal man’s salary, and he always had his butchering skill to fall back on. He spent his money flamboyantly, buying only the finest clothes, saddles, and brandy that he could find.

Master Eben looked out the window at Bowie, who had pulled up short of the door. Charger let out a whinny and shook his head at the pure joy of being let out at a full run, yet again. Bowie let Charger prance in the school yard and let his presence be known. Master Eben sighed and looked to the rear of the room. He smiled at Kilen, his best student, letting him know he would be missed. Kilen straightened his vest over his linen shirt. Before Master Jay could finish his nod letting Kilen out of class, Kilen leaped from his chair, knocking it to the ground, and dove out the window. He ran out of the school yard not looking back. He had rehearsed this in his mind all day.

Bowie waved to the children now gathered around the window and then cantered Charger out into the knee high grass following Kilen. He was heading for the river near the school. Bowie and Kilen stopped at the river and let Charger drink from the water.

Kilen knew his face showed pure joy. “I have little time to hunt today, and I’m afraid it will be the last for a long time. I want to leave for Basham as soon as I can. Tomorrow maybe, if you still want to go?”

“I’m not up for much hunting today either, and I’m ready to leave for Basham tonight if you want. We can hunt along the river until we get to your house. I don’t right care if we find anything, I just have to make it back to town before the peddler changes his mind on the offer I made him. I almost got him to trade me his whole cart!” Bowie bragged as he jumped off Charger’s back.

They started walking away from the bank to get back into the grass while keeping the river in sight. They knew that animals would go for a drink. They would trap them between the water’s edge and Bowie’s practiced aim. Kilen looked to be in a hurry. “I have to make it home and see if my mother will give me the money I need for a horse before Mr. Peter sells all of his. Daniel told me the Roan he has can pull a full cart of rum from Basham and back without getting tired at all. Plus, I still want to get good prices and save as much money as I can on tack and provisions before the rates start to go up in the evening. If we do find something to hunt on the way back, I hope it sells fast. I’m not staying around tomorrow to collect,” Kilen said.

“I’m with you, as early as we can start out. I would like to find a good pub to start drinking before the sun gets half way up tomorrow. You know that I can only stay two days with you in Basham before I head on to Carlton. My aunt will send Uncle Rupert to strap my hide if I’m not there to pick up the items my dad needs…and pay them for it.” He pulled his black folded hat off his back where it hung from a string around his neck, and placed it in his saddle bag, being careful not to bend the red colored feather he had stuck in it. “I know you don’t even need to go home. Why don’t you just spend some of the coin you’ve been saving for the last few years of our hunting? If it’s half what I made last year, you shouldn’t need your mom’s money for months.”

Both Kilen and Bowie stopped quickly, watching a tree shake just over the next hill. They remained silent while staring at the tree. Then Bowie mounted Charger, motioning that he would round the tree farther away from the river. They had done this many times before. Kilen crouched low to the ground and took the sling from his pocket. Bowie rode wide of the tree and as he did, the tree stopped shaking before he could reach the top of the hill. He waved back to Kilen, and put his hands on top of his head, his fingers pointing to the sky. There was a deer up ahead, and it had antlers. Kilen picked up some rocks to fit in his sling and kept them in his opposite hand. He loaded one into the sling. They had always hunted as a team. Kilen’s job was to run the animal into Bowie’s range. He was the fastest runner around and could keep pace with a cantering horse for a short distance. He would run right at the deer, scaring it and hopefully making it run away from him and closer to Bowie. Both would angle the deer toward the river until Bowie could shoot it. Kilen started out at a jog and reached the top of the hill. When he reached it he stopped dead as he saw the stag running right at him. Kilen knew it must have heard Bowie in the distance. Kilen swung the sling and let a rock fly, hitting the stag in the head. The stag turned towards the river and ran at a sprint. Kilen tried to keep pace alongside the buck while loading another rock in the sling to try and turn it back towards Bowie. Kilen shouted at the buck enough to make it stop. The stag was bigger than any they had caught all year. He didn’t try to count the points on its rack while it snorted at him. The buck stood staring at Kilen. It lifted its front foot and stomped repeatedly. It began thrusting its head up and down. Kilen spun his sling and struck the buck in the chest. The buck leaped forward and started its charge from twenty paces right at Kilen. His heart beat quickly as he tried to retreat, but he fell over backwards. The buck lowered its head to finish his charge. It tripped and did a somersault, landing at Kilen’s side. He lay shocked on the ground next to the still animal, his heart racing from the excitement. He apprised that it probably weighed twice what he did. Bowie shouted, “WHOA! Are you ok, did it get you? Kilen!”

He lay shocked and checked himself over. He assured himself that he was, in fact, uninjured. “That was way too close, and I’m glad I’m done hunting for a while. I think I’ll have nightmares of that for months.”

Bowie dismounted and retrieved an arrow jutting from the deer’s eye. It was broken, the arrow head must have lodged into the skull bone. The stag’s neck was broken as a result from the summersault. The deer was relatively easy to lift, which surprised Kilen. They loaded it up on Charger’s back and tied it down so they could take it into town. Bowie fussed about making sure no blood got on his saddle; this was an everyday reminder when you hunted with him.

They continued to walk towards Kilen’s house, but he didn’t speak the rest of the way home. Bowie reminisced how he saw the buck leap, and how he took a wild shot striking it in the eye just as it lowered its head in the charge. The buck’s antlers stuck in the ground, throwing it end over end and breaking its neck, laying it to rest right beside Kilen. It was one of those stories that, by the end of the night, would have the town’s folk talking about how Kilen tried to wrestle a stag while Bowie shot arrow after arrow into it. He was sure that Bowie would help the stories along once he got back to the tavern.

When they approached Kilen’s house, his mother was in the yard gathering the wash from the line. She greeted Bowie and looked the deer over. “I see you boys managed to break its neck to make sure the meat stays moist, not a thing easily done. Won’t you come in for some lunch and sit for awhile Master Crescent?”

Bowie, taking off his hat, made a formal bow, making him look almost noble. “Why thank you m’lady, I would love to join you.” She gave them both a wink, and then they saw that the stew was already prepared. Loaves of bread were sitting on the table in a basket.

“I thought you would be home earlier. I told Master Jay not to keep you as long as the others. I knew you wouldn’t be able to concentrate all day. I believe you have some supplies. You need to get into town to gather the rest before it gets too pricey. We can finish lunch and head right in. I have a gift I need to take to the mayor.”

Bowie spoke up, “Actually, I’m almost finished; I had a big breakfast. I need to get the stag to my dad before the sinew starts to mess with the meat’s taste. I do thank you again for the lovely meal, m’lady. I wish to reserve a dance this evening, if I’m not being too forward.”

Kilen let out a laugh. Sahera laughed. “You know that I have a heart for only two men, Master Crescent, and you are neither. I shall see you, Mr. Everheart, at the town square shortly after the music starts. Assuming you aren’t dancing with another lady when I get there.”