by A. J. Walker
Theodor arrived in the town square early the following morning and the market was already brimming with customers. The humming chatter of haggling sellers and bartering buyers filled the silence that had previously consumed the streets. Despite the crowded area, he quickly found a vendor selling the tools he required.
Theodor carefully eyed a set of long flexible poles with the intensity of a predator selecting its prey. He knew exactly what kind of quality he desired and didn’t need to be tricked into buying something that he didn’t like, so he ignored the salesman babbling in accented Landish, clearly not his first language. Plucking a choice pole from the bunch, he bent it, testing the flex and searching for any imperfections in the material. He rolled the light rod with his fingers and let his right hand drift down to the corked grip at the base.
Holding it gently, he flicked the rod back and forth with his wrist, as if casting. “What kind of wood is this?”
“You’ve a good eye sir. That there is made from the Pelagic Yew. Only grows along the northern coasts of Westland, you know,” the Lumbapi salesman replied.
“How much?”
“Forty copper pieces.”
Theodor’s face rose high on his brow, “If you want forty copper pieces for this, then I’d better be getting more than this rod.” He knew rods of such quality were expensive and was willing to spend good money on one, but for forty copper pieces he wanted more than just a rod.
“Oh, well of course. Take a look; anything else take your fancy?” The salesman was quick to reply and made a broad stroke of his arm, directing Theodor’s attention to several trays of handmade flies resting above a large box of reels.
Theodor took several steps closer and dug through the box, searching for a reel to match the quality of the rod. Plucking one out the box that caught his eye, Theodor held the reel in one hand and spun it. Feeling a slight drag in the rotation, his gaze momentarily dropped to the others. The quick examination of the remaining reels’ quality confirmed his choice. Holding a reel in one hand, he said, “I’ll take this one.”
The man nodded in reply.
Before leaving, Theodor picked out several flies he recognized, thinking they would make good decoys for luring in a trout. Adding them to his loot, he set the rod, reel, and a handful of flies down on a transaction table in front of the salesman. Pulling out his coin purse, Theodor fingered through six weeks’ worth of pay given to him by the king’s army. As he sifted through the gold and silver pieces, he realized that he didn’t have any copper.
Quickly calculating the conversion rate of copper to silver—fifty coppers to one silver—he withdrew a single silver piece from his pouch and handed it to the salesman. The veteran Lumbapi salesman brought the silver coin to his mouth and bit down on it, testing its authenticity. Holding it up to the morning sun, he turned it over several times, admiring its value as true silver. He nodded with approval and reached into his pocket. Pulling out ten copper pieces, he placed them one at a time in Theodor’s hand, counting them off in Lumbapi as he did so. Theodor closed his hand around the coins and slid them into his pouch, each clinking as they settled into the leather bag. Theodor placed the items into his travel pack and left the market, eager to test his new equipment. The price of the rod had been more than he’d expected to pay, but seeing as how he only had less than two weeks to use it before he left for the war, he didn’t think much of placing a few extra coins.
With his new fishing equipment secured, Theodor continued his adventure around the island. He made his way happily, hitching rides between small towns as he followed the road counterclockwise around the large island of Southland. Stopping to fish at whatever stream or river he came across, Theodor became more experienced as an angler. If the fishing proved to be good, he’d stay for hours and end up sleeping along the banks under the shining stars. Often, if the fish weren’t in the mood to be caught, he found the rhythmic tempo of casting relaxing and it helped him to clear his mind from all the stress he’d be forced to face at the end of his vacation.
Some of the towns’ evening activities were more appealing to him than others. Being a young single man, he enjoyed going to pubs and inns to chat with other people his own age. It seemed that the larger the town was, the more establishments there were, therefore, more young people mingling. Theodor didn’t fancy himself as a ladies’ man, but during his travels around Southland he met many young women his age, and a handful of them led to short-lived romances.
Theodor found himself spending nearly a week in the Lumbapi corners. He rediscovered his fascination with their native cultural influences. To him, they were the liveliest, most accepting people he’d ever met. Of course it didn’t hurt that they had the most beautiful women he’d ever seen in his life. If it weren’t for his determination to see the remainder of the nation, Theodor would have spent much more time immersing himself in the ways of the Lumbapi.
As Theodor neared the end of Kingston Road’s loop, he spent his final day fishing outside the city gates, letting all cares be cast away as he sent out his line into the rippling streams. That night he made his way into the city and found a small dormitory-style inn to spend his last night of vacation. He shared an evening meal with the owners of the establishment and inquired about the cavalry headquarters. They showed Theodor the location in relation to their inn, and he thanked them for their kindness before returning to his room.
The next morning, Theodor awoke early and found his way through the busy streets of the capital. Despite the early hour, the streets were already humming with pedestrians and the clatter of hooves as the sounds reverberated high up the city’s towering buildings. Following his inn keep’s directions, he arrived at the walled entrance to the cavalry’s headquarters.
Pulling the folded parchment from his breast pocket, Theodor presented his papers to the two armed guards at the gate. The guard on his left took his papers. He only needed half a glance at the king’s army’s seal before granting him entrance. The guard pointed to two wooden doors at the base of the large stone building behind him.
“Report through those doors,” the guard said in a low scruffy voice.
Theodor nodded as he took back his papers and walked across the small courtyard, slightly dreading his new assignment. He craned his neck as he neared the base of the building. The top floor of the cavalry headquarters stood at least five times taller than any other building within sight.
I wonder what they do behind those walls? He thought.
His gaze returned to the doors and he noticed an engraving of a soldier riding tall atop a stallion sprawled proudly across the entrance. Reaching out with his hand, Theodor opened one of the doors and stepped into the building. Stained-glass windows rose high, flooding the inside lobby with an array of yellow, red, green, and blue light. A single large desk sat in the center of the room. He saw a short woman with fiery red hair standing behind the long rectangular marble desktop. Raising her head, she peered past the tops of her narrow, wire-framed spectacles which sat snugly midway down her slender nose. She watched him intently as he approached.
“Can I help you?” she asked in a tone that made it seem as if he were interrupting something important that she’d been doing.
Theodor made himself more presentable by pulling back his shoulders and clearing his throat. Placing the papers gently on the marble desktop, he said, “Reporting for assignment.” He watched her green eyes move skeptically off his face and down to the signed parchment he placed before her.
Looking through the narrow frames of her spectacles, she read his papers in silence. “Well you came to the right place,” she said, handing the papers back and relaxing slightly. “Up the stairs and to the right,” she pointed to a stone staircase in the back corner of the empty room. “Climb three stories and take the third-level entrance door. General Tomlinson’s office will be the fourth door to the right. Are you with me so far?” she asked, raising a solitary eyebrow at him.
Theodor nodded.
“
He’s in command of your division.”
“The Cavalry division?” Theodor asked.
She chuckled as if he made a joke, “No, he does command a division within the cavalry. The reconnaissance and surveillance division. Not the entire cavalry, though.”
Theodor smiled awkwardly and nodded. He thanked her before starting up the stairs. After climbing three stories, he walked through the door to the third floor and stopped outside the general’s door. The embossed plaque on the door read:
General Tomlinson of the King’s Cavalry, Commander of Recon and Surveillance Division.
Theodor took a deep breath before knocking, and entered.
Chapter Six
─
Ivan
IVAN WRAPPED HIS ARMS tightly around Hannah as the carriage whisked them away from the training camp. Lost to their surroundings, and having been apart for six long weeks, Ivan and Hannah only had eyes for each other. Originally, Ivan and Hannah had planned on two short days of hiatus before Hannah would need to take Ivan to his reporting station. When Ivan learned about the possibility of having two weeks R and R, he sent Hannah a message explaining how if he won they could vacation to the Kewian Islands. Hannah had been staying in Kingston while Ivan was away, and after receiving his news she chartered a ship to take them to the Kewian Islands. The excitement of their spontaneous trip lifted them to a new high they’d not thought possible, as it was likely that the war would separate them for months at a time. She arranged for the private vessel to leave as soon as they arrived at Kingston’s port.
The small chain of tropical islands off the western coast of Southland was widely known for having a worry-free lifestyle. The Islands had been one of the few places in Southland to remain virtually unaffected by the war that was taking place in Kartania. It was the perfect place to take their hiatus from reality.
The carriage slowed as they approached the gated entrance to Kingston’s port late that afternoon. Hannah gazed out the window of the carriage door and pointed to the ship she’d arranged. Smiling, they came to a halt, eager to gain entrance beyond the gates of the city and begin their adventure.
During this time of war, and since the recent reclamation of the castle, the recent ruling in Kingston required that all who wished to gain entrance to the city show their documentation. Ivan stepped out from the comfort of their carriage with both their documentation and his signed parchment stating his approved leave of absence. One of the guards standing sentinel at the gate approached the pair and Ivan handed over his papers with a cocky smile sprawled across his face. The armored man snatched them and examined them in great detail. Ivan cleared his throat and held out an expectant hand, anticipating that the man would have returned the papers much more quickly. The guard ignored Ivan’s gesture and waved for one of his partners to view the documents with him. A terrible sense of dread washed over him as the two guards looked down their noses and nodded simultaneously; he knew something wasn’t right.
With the parchment in hand, the guard reached a hefty iron-plated arm toward him and said, “Sir. You’ll need to come with us. Ma’am, could you step out of the carriage and come with us?”
Ivan remained still, shocked at their reaction, while Hannah emerged from the carriage. “No,” Ivan said forcefully. “There must be some kind of mistake. Those are legitimate papers. I received them just this morning and I’m taking my wife on a two-week vacation to the Kewian Islands.”
“Sir,” the guard said sternly. “The legitimacy of your document is not in question. This is a matter of urgency in regard to your assignment.”
“What do you mean?” Ivan asked, a sudden sense of confusion saturating his mind.
“I was told, just this morning, to send anyone with your assignment directly to the marshal,” the guard told him.
Ivan let out a thick exhale, heavy with dismay, “My wife is coming with me.”
“Of course, sir,” the guard said, waving them forward and opening the gates.
Ivan and Hannah followed the guard as he led them away from the marina and deeper into the city. The king’s army held its headquarters in buildings throughout the city, but where the guard took them was no military building; it was the royal castle where the regent of Kingston ruled in the late king’s stead.
Ivan gave Hannah a worried expression as they followed the guards up to the base of the castle. The castle walls were a reminder of the wrath of their enemy. The outer walls were missing large portions of its defense from where the sorcerer’s dragon plowed through them.
“This isn’t the army’s building,” Ivan stated as the armored guard led them inside the castle’s walls.
“The Lord Briggan, regent elect of Kingston, who came into power after the passing of our beloved King Kaufen and the disappearance of his son, Prince William, appointed a marshal to oversee the military’s efforts,” the guard explained.
“Lord Briggan doesn’t think it suitable for his high commander of the King’s Army to be living in squalor at the army’s base of operations, so he’s moved him here where they can work side-by-side to defeat our terrible foe, and his dragon.” He led them through a small courtyard and up one of the castle’s turrets, ascending the spiral staircase as they climbed. Stopping outside a thick wooden door hinged in cast iron, the guard said, “Here we are.”
Ivan and Hannah stood impatiently in the dimly lit stairwell as the guard pounded a heavy fist against the door. After a moment of silence, Ivan could hear scuttling feet shuffling up to the inside of the door. With a loud creak, it pulled inward, revealing the marshal who’d taken command of the king’s army. A squat, portly man, the marshal stood in his military uniform of felted crimson and gold. Ivan thought his appearance fit the description of a spoiled nobleman who’d never worked an honest day in his life.
What does he know about commanding an entire army? Ivan thought, eyeing the man skeptically from head to toe.
The marshal smiled bluntly at them. He turned to the guard and raised his brow, as if expecting an explanation of some kind. Realizing his absence of introduction, the guard handed over Ivan’s assignment papers. Holding them at arm's length to better read them. He expelled a long-winded, “Ah,” as he sighed, still clutching Ivan’s papers. Waving them into his room, he said in a pompous tone, “Come in; come in. Please, sit.” He pointed to two chairs placed in front of his desk.
Ivan didn’t sit down and neither did Hannah. They both looked at the haughty man in earnest as he eyed them coldly in return.
After several long breaths, Ivan was the first to speak, “There must be some kind of mistake here. I was issued a two-week leave of R and R before reporting to my assigned post.”
“Yeah, about that...” the marshal trailed off. Grabbing hold of one of many candelabrums atop his desk, the marshal held the lit candles near the base of Ivan’s papers, igniting them around the edges.
“What are you doing!?” Ivan exclaimed, reaching out across the desk and attempting to snatch the papers from the marshal’s hand.
The marshal pulled away, easily staying out of Ivan’s reach. Meeting Ivan’s glare with his cold dark eyes, the marshal said coldly, “Unfortunately, you won’t be taking any time off.”
“Wait just a minute!” Ivan shouted slamming his fist on the desk. “Do you have any idea who I am!?”
The marshal’s gaze remained pointedly fixed on Ivan, “Yes, I know exactly who you are, Ivan. It’s precisely why you’re being sent to train with the elves in the Everlight Kingdom. You are to leave at once.”
“What?!” Ivan shouted, infuriated at the marshal.
“Take them away,” the marshal waved a limp wrist at them and the guard approached to escort them from his office.
“Take your hands off me!” Ivan shouted when the guard came to lay his grip on Ivan’s shoulder.
“Honey,” Hannah said, trying to calm him down. She’d seen Ivan’s temper before and didn’t want him to do anything he’d regret. She placed a gentle hand on his should
er and said in a soft voice, “It’s okay. We’ll go to the elves; peacefully.”
“But the Kewians,” he whispered through his clenched jaw.
She shook her head, “They’ll still be there when this is all over.”
Ivan relaxed slightly, “All right, we’ll go.”
They followed the guard back down the winding stairs and beyond the castle gates. Entering the marina area, the guard ushered them to a ship. His vessel wasn’t the one they’d originally intended leaving Kingston from, but Ivan knew they didn’t have much choice, unless they wanted to become fugitives of the crown. Ivan and Hannah boarded the ship that would take them across the Marauder’s Sea, dropping them off along the elven coast.
FAIR WEATHER AND CALM seas graced their ship as it carried Ivan and Hannah across the Marauder’s Sea. The ten days spent on the ship were a bleak reminder of the vacation the two lovers were meant to be sharing. As they came to land on the elven coast at the Glacial Melt Bays, a host of elves awaited their arrival. Ivan recognized two of them as nobles, based on their lavished robes.
“Looks like we’re getting a royal welcome,” Ivan said to Hannah, pointing at the two elves adorned in silks and sparkling jewelry.
Coming to a stop in the middle of the bay’s deep waters, members of the crew readied a shuttle boat to take Ivan and Hannah to shore. They sat stoically as the crewmen rowed them across the calm waters of the bay. Once their skiff crested the shoreline, a host of elves gathered around eager to meet them.
An elf—appearing younger than he undoubtedly was—approached, speaking soothing tones, “Welcome to the Everlight Kingdom. Peace be with you and yours,” he paused as his gaze rose and eyed the forested hills beyond the beach in a spiritual moment of silence. His gaze returned to them after a moment of reflection, “I am Nadir, son of King Asmond.”