The Weapon Bearer (Book 1) (5 page)

After he was gone Twilix wasted no time, she mounted her own horse waved to everyone. The fog came faster this time clinging to the wizard. The sound of her horse running on the towns cobble streets was the only sound they heard. Kilen could barely see his hands when he held them in front of his face. The fog lifted as quickly as it had come, and she was gone. Chit was gone too, with his father’s sword.

The mayor didn’t miss the opportunity to strike up the local musicians. The dancing started in an area set aside for a large group of people. Kilen was thanked left and right for his donation to the town. He was also questioned three more times about the deer he had surprise attacked out of a bush; No, jumped out of a tree on top of; No, lured him into a cave just to block the entrance and wrestle it. His mind was focused on getting to the dance floor where he could talk to his mother. His body moved with stiffness, still not use to its own weight, as if he had lived his entire life being lighter than a feather. He only had the ring on for a few moments but it was enough that his body seemed foreign. Kilen walked to the middle of the dance floor and turned around in circles, looking for his mother. His mood must have shown on his face, Several girls came to dance and turned around with the short look he gave them. Then he saw her, she smiled at him when she approached. “No one will dance with you with a look like that on your face, not even if you talk sweetly to them.”

“Why did you give Chit the sword? You know how I hate him. My father’s sword will be forever tainted by his hand. He will probably sell it off at the first chance.” He spat the words at her. He had never been so mad at her in his entire life. “You didn’t even give me a chance to protect it and honor it until dad could return. What if dad has need of it?” The dance area had become quiet because of Kilen’s shouting at his mother. He looked around slightly embarrassed, and the townsfolk slowly started dancing again.

She considered him quietly before speaking, “I did this for precisely that reason. The sword isn’t for you to care for. I saw the way you looked at it Kilen. You would have returned and taken it with you. Maybe not tonight, or tomorrow, but someday in a fit of fury you would have stolen it for your own whims. I had to do everything in my power to prevent you from becoming a soldier, which was your fathers wish, I remind you. I honor it now. Hate me for it if you wish, but it will not change my mind.” Sahara walked away with a single tear running down her face, and he stood watching as she left the festival.

He felt bad for the way he had spoken to her, but a larger hatred burned because Chit was carrying his father’s sword. The sword was supposed to be passed to him at the proper age of becoming a man. He then remembered the rings in his pocket, the thought came to him in a flash, and then a plan formed. He could get it back, buy it or take it from Chit. Chit was no longer the strongest man in Humbridge. He pulled the rings out of his pocket, this time ready for the onset of strength. As soon as his fingers touched the metal chain, he felt the power surge through him. He tried to take a few careful steps before letting the rings fall back into his pocket. The dancing people whirled around him. Being strengthened, he felt as if he would surely hurt someone. He had to get out of the crowd before he used the power in the rings. He was stopped just at the edge of the clearing by his sister. She had prospects lined up to dance, and in the next couple years she would probably have found a betrothed from the town. Their parents obviously had pushed them to dance with her. They were all standing together looking at her, and back at their parents, hoping to be called off. “Please go dancing and have some fun. I have something I need to do,” Kilen told her.

“Wait, I want to dance with you first.” She held tightly onto my arm as she begged. He knew she would not let him go without an explanation. He hung his head, sighed, and decided to tell her the truth.

“I am going to chase down Chit and get dad’s sword back. I think it would be what dad wanted. I’m leaving for Basham tonight to catch up to him. I won’t have time to come back tomorrow. I don’t think that mother is happy with me anyway. I’ve already said goodbye to her,” he lied. “I love you, and I’ll write to you soon.” He hugged her and made his way to a peddler still manning his cart’s.

“I need a weapon please, any sword or knife you have.” He said nervously breathing hard, preparing for what the run would take out of him to catch up.

“I’ll have to see if I can find one, not sure as I have any weapons. Not much call for a peddler to sell a weapon. Say? You aren’t going to start a fight here tonight are ya?”

“Sir, I assure you that I have no problems with anyone in this town tonight. My problem is headed for another town this night.”

“Well, in that case I have this long knife here. It costs two silver.” Kilen tossed two silver into the peddler’s hand and tied the long knife onto his belt. He drew the blade. It was sharp and not polished but it would serve its purpose if he was forced to that. As he made his way to the town’s edge, he passed fewer and fewer people. Those he did pass were sitting on porches or in windows being too old to participate in the dance. He decided he should probably start getting use to the ring’s magic effect. He stopped and put the chain around his neck, letting the rings fall inside his shirt. He could feel the power. At first he walked, then jogged, then he tried to run. His body lurched forward as if he had jumped instead. His body left the ground and his legs moved too fast, touching only air. His leg’s continued to move as if he was trying to run in the air. He wheeled his arms around trying to keep his balance but instead, landed on his chest in the middle of a cobblestone street. He only managed to keep his head from hitting the stones. Standing up, he noticed the impact had torn his shirt and cut his hands and knees. He now looked like a beggar covered with dirt and clothes’ ripped to shreds. He didn’t care what he looked like. He had only one task in the world, and that was to catch Chit. Kilen started again, at first trying to run then leaping one leg at a time. He was now moving faster than he thought could be possible.

***

Bowie tried again and again to pry at least one girl from Daniel, but the competition for him had already begun. The girls wouldn’t give Bowie a second glance, even though he was the one who provided the wine for this celebration under the lantern pole. Kara came running up looking worried. “Kilen went after Chit, to get that sword. He stopped at the peddler and bought a knife, I watched him. He is going to get himself killed. You have to help me stop him.”

Bowie laughed as she finished, “Did he get a horse to ride, or does he plan on running the whole way to Basham?”

“Not running, LEAPING! He was jumping so fast I couldn’t keep up with him.”Bowie was shocked by the thought.

“How?” Bowie replied, still skeptical.

“I don’t know. He’s moving fast and we don’t have much time to wait.” Kara was picking at her braid. He had always noticed she did that when she was nervous, usually when Kilen and him were pranking someone.

Bowie could tell that she was truly concerned. “I’ll load up Charger. I should be able to catch him before he gets too far, and I’ll bring him back so he can finish the celebration.” Bowie started to walk away.

“No you won’t. You will take me with you so I can make sure he’s safe. He doesn’t plan on coming home to say goodbye.” Bowie shook his head no, but before he could say anything she spoke again and louder. “You will take me with you, or I’ll tell the mayor that you took the nails out of Chit’s new horse’s shoes. That will keep you from leaving town for a couple weeks and you won’t get to be with my brother at all!” Bowie considered her. He didn’t need the trouble and neither did his dad’s shop. He nodded in agreement. He knew Charger was fast enough to catch up, even with two people on his back.

“I’ll get my supplies and meet you at the stable behind my dad’s shop.”

Kilen leapt for the better part of an hour, then slowed to a jog, then a walk. He could not keep going like this. He was not tired, as much as he was dehydrated. To make things worse, he didn’t have any water with him. His mouth was dry as dust. It resulted in his slow dragging walk. His lungs were on fire. He felt like he had spent all day breathing in the smoke from the blacksmith’s furnace. He knew if he didn’t get some water that he would die, but he could not stop his pursuit of Chit. The desire burned in his chest. It burned fiercer than the dry lungs, white hot. The sun went down nearly an hour ago and no light was left on the horizon. The moon had climbed halfway up the sky. It was a bright night, probably a full moon, he thought. Kilen could not recall the last time he took note of the moon. There was only the blade, Chit, and water, in that order.

He fell to his knees and stopped to take a breath. It hurt to breathe deeply. If only it started raining he could drink while running, he thought. Kilen felt his shirt and noticed that it was damp from sweat. He had stopped sweating a little while before, and that was not a good sign. He needed water. He looked up at the night sky. It was clear except for the moon. The moon was bright, probably a full moon he thought again. Chit’s horse would make good time on a night like this. He wouldn’t have to stop in fear of a broken hoof. He would have gained distance on Kilen, but Kilen knew where he was headed, and he would eventually catch up. That was if he ever got something to drink. He tried to stand up and lost his balance. He should have tried harder. He was stronger with the power. He thought himself invincible because of the magic still flowing in his veins keeping him alive when he should have stopped hours ago. He saw the world dim around the edges of his vision until it went dark. Where was the moon now?

He woke to the sounds of night. The moon was bright in the sky, and he immediately returned to his quest, getting to Basham before Chit could get lost into the cities buildings. He stood with great effort; and remembered that he was very thirsty. He thought that he should just get a drink from that river that the moon was reflecting off of, he would be fine. Kilen stumbled like a drunkard off the cart worn path and into the brush. The moon was bright, making it easier to see the water. With the water this close, he wondered why he hadn’t stopped before. He chastised himself for not remembering to pack a water skin. He couldn’t shake the persistent hammering in his brain that he should be running, not wasting time trying to get a drink from the river. He was very close to the water. Despite the earth magic altering his mind to keep focused on Chit, he made his last few steps to the river for a couple swallows. He could hear a horse along the path cantering down the road toward Basham. He looked back to see two people riding a horse in the moonlight. It was not Chit, so he continued on. He walked to the water’s edge and fell into the water enough that half of his mouth was above water’s surface. He drank deeply of the muddy water that his face had stirred up, and then he breathed, and repeated the process.

Slowly his brain came out of the clouded confusion it had been in. He still felt the desire to get the sword, but he could make decisions on how to do it. The ring had driven him to leave without gathering any supplies. The moon was still not at its peak. He knew he still might be able to catch Chit. He thought Chit would have slowed his horse to a walk, not that it looked to be a runner anyway. It was a long ride for any horse, and worse in the dark. Kilen pushed himself up to his knees and moved further into the water. He thought it would do him better if he could drink water that wasn’t muddy if he could get far enough out. The water started to pull him in but he was stronger than the current and dug into the mud. With the new found strength he felt his skin cut against the rocks in the bank as his fingers grabbed for a hand hold. Kilen drank more, and decided it would be best to wait for a little while before returning to run. It didn’t take long for his full awareness to return. Finally a solution came to him from his magical determination and his own logical thoughts. This river ran just outside of Basham. He should be able to swim in the river, letting the current do most of the work. The city even had docks that came to the deepest part of the river that he could grasp onto to get out. He wasted no time formulating the plan more. He jumped from the bank into the middle of the river letting the full force of the river sweep him in. He was now moving faster than he had been leaping down the worn road. There was a fight to keep his head above the water, his new strength had no effect on his ability to fight the current. It took him under and tossed him upside down. He hit dead trees and rocks, losing his sense of direction of what was up or down. His body had no foothold to push his strength against. The power he wanted to relay on was next to useless. Kilen felt his feet hit the bottom of the river, and instinctively jumped which provided for his strength to be used. His upper body burst from the surface of the river as he breathed deep. He began swimming as hard as he could downstream. He went faster but more importantly his head stayed above the water.