A Choice of Blades: The Blade Remnant, Book One

by D. N. Woodward

  Luckily, Cooper was able to dispel the notion that the oddly random Fayden size increases could account for an eight hundred percent mass increase in a common guinea pig before any such implications had time to sink in and cause Leon to truly panic over what else might be lurking about. He informed the group that the creatures were more likely massive cousins to what were called Capybara, basically the biggest rodent alive back home. They were still big, but only four or five times the size of their earthly counterparts from South America.

  The sun was well on its way down the horizon when a string of campfires came to life along the ridgeline overlooking the shore, creating a half-moon arc around the herd of livestock drawn up into a mob at the water’s edge. The bulk of the horde had arrived, yet wagons continued to trickle into camp.

  The very last of the horde to arrive were the oddest specimens of the day. Little men stripped down to some sort of swimming trunks waded up into camp on foot, leading humongous hippos on long leashed halters. These were handily the two largest hippos yet witnessed. Instead of pulling simple wagons mounted with goods, these hippos actually pulled a tiny house.

  The house toting hippos slowly made their way up the little rise until they and their mini-house were drawn to an abrupt halt on level ground. Leon snuck away from the boring proceedings surrounding Ferschall and made his way closer to the activity to get a better look at the amazing sight.

  Once the hippos were both essentially parked on level ground, several more little men raced up, shoving large chunks of wood beneath the wheels below the house to serve as chocks, locking the house in place.

  At about that same time the harnesses were removed, and the hippos were signaled to slowly move forward. They were led back down the hill. Surprisingly, all coordinated activity took place in less than two minutes and ran as smooth as Swedish clockwork.

  Knowing a thing or two about training herd animals to work, Leon could appreciate the relative level of ease with which the little men were able to handle the large hippos. Especially considering how everything he’d ever heard about hippos highlighted how extremely volatile and dangerous they are.

  As soon as the main house was set, more little men led the hippos with wagons up onto solid ground and the process was repeated many times over. Brightly colored tents soon popped up on each wagon platform. Once the work was done, the wagon drumming continued. All drumming throughout the camp gradually coalesced into a single rhythm that carried a steady cadence, and the hairy little men took license to hoot and holler out bawdy songs as the smell of sizzling meat slowly wafted from one fire to the next. Merle was too nervous around the hippos to leave Leon’s side and together they moved back closer to the man of the hour. But before they could get there, Cooper waved them over.

  "Leon, I've been meaning to ask you about something. Do you have a moment to spare?"

  "Sure, Doc, what's on your mind?"

  "The other day, just before the Hootsi attacked, I was watching over all of you, and well…I saw you inspecting something, almost like you didn't want anyone to see. Whatever you had, it looked to be metal? I didn't think anything of it at the time, and then things went nuts, but it’s been tickling my mind ever since. "

  Leon licked his lips and tried to remain calm on the outside. Internally he was shaking like a leaf. The medallion was special, but if Ben caught wind of its existence, he could just as soon kiss it goodbye. All his instincts told him he definitely shouldn't allow Ben to hold all the cards.

  "Easy, hear me out, Leon. I haven't mentioned it to anyone else, and I'm not going to force your hand now. Just know that if you have something useful, you should share it with everyone, okay?" Cooper gave Leon a friendly pat on the shoulder, "I'll give you some time to bring it up to the group in your own way. Believe me when I say that although Ben is a hard man, he rewards trust and loyalty. I know you two didn't get off on the right foot, but I think, if you give him a chance, you'll come to see he isn't your enemy."

  # # #

  Ferschall remained preoccupied for another hour, though he did attempt to introduce his reacquainted family horde with his current traveling companions. Ben took position front and center and pretty much ignored the rest of them. The little men, for their part, were simply too busy and too worked up at meeting the long lost “son of Grimm,” for anyone to really get a cohesive explanation.

  When Leon’s patience could take no more, he eased away from the excitement and once more made his way over to take a closer look at the tiny house. He needed to get his mind off the ultimatum Cooper had given and a miniaturized cottage, pulled by giant hippos, was the perfect distraction.

  Standing far enough away so that he wouldn't draw any more attention to himself than necessary, he couldn’t help but admire the detailed craftsmanship of the small structure. The architecture was unique but not outlandish. He just couldn’t put his finger on the type of material used to construct the colorful façade.

  He shook his head in disbelief at his train of thought as he chuckled to himself.

  If only Gus could see me now. Ha! Out on a trail drive with a dangerous cast of tiny ginger people, herding overgrown rats up rivers behind overgrown hippos.

  If he ever made it home to share the story, Gus would either envy every moment or claim BS and never let him hear the end of it!

  Leon was startled from his contemplation by a sarcastic and petulant voice pipping up from behind. “Are you done gawking there, big fellow, or can you lend a hand?”

  He turned to see another one of Ferschall’s relatives dragging a hefty bag with one arm and several thick bone-looking poles of varying length in the other. Leon didn’t mind helping but, in general, the little horde members had all behaved indifferently to everyone but Ferschall. Nonetheless, after a brief moment of deliberation, he decided to give the guy a chance, and he reached out, offering to take the bag.

  The little man unceremoniously dumped both loads of gear into Leon’s hands.

  “That’ll be fine, thanks. Now come help me and I’ll see about securing you a choice cut from the water pig feast this evening, yes?” The little man said, already walking ahead.

  Leon had been smelling the beginnings of that feast as he strolled through camp. Why not take a chance? “Ugh, okay, sure. By the way, my name’s Leon, umm, Leon Waldman.”

  “Well then, Leon, umm, Leon Waldman, pleased to meet you. I’m Sveddleton Haberkorn the third.” The curt little cuss resumed his trek toward the house without looking back.

  Leon flinched at the guy's blunt disposition but hurried to catch up anyway.

  “I go by Leon.”

  “Fine, fine, I go by Sved.” He didn’t seem inclined to offer further conversation and Leon felt no further inclination to seek it.

  Along the way Sved exchanged gentle ribbing with several other little men stoking a nearby cookfire. Leon noticed in passing that he gave as good as he got.

  When they arrived, Sved pointed out where to drop the poles and held his arm out for the bag. Then, snatching it back, he shook it until several coils of thin braided rope tumbled out. Leon stood there watching him weave the poles in amongst the rope until his curiosity got the better of him.

  “So, you know Ferschall as well?”

  “Nope, but I plan to by the last song tonight, he’s my second cousin, twice removed, after all.”

  “Really? Ferschall’s related to you, too?” His sarcasm was ignored if it was noticed at all.

  “Sure he is, by his father’s mother if I hear right. Use to live with our clan, but he’s been gone since before I was born.”

  This was more news than anyone else had bothered to share all day. Leon took a closer look at Sved. The firelight was a little ways off, but the little man wasn’t nearly as old as his demeanor and candor would have first led him to believe. His hair was just as red as all the others, but his beard was quite a bit shorter than most.

  The little men were a quandary to Leon. In a place where everything seemed to be larger than
on earth, the little men were much smaller. They weren't off in any other way, they were simply a smaller, evenly proportioned, version of a normal-sized man.

  Sved dressed in the same swarthy sort of manner they all seemed to be clothed. One notable difference though was a bandoleer's harness with slots for knives of all sizes running across his chest. Leon studied the harness while Sved leaned forward to finish his work on the rope. That's when Leon saw the tip of a white bone-handled hilt, just barely poking up over the back of his neck.

  “Hey, you’re Bladed!” Leon meant the comment to come across as friendly and interested, but when Sved’s posture went rigid he worried he had said something wrong.

  “Right you are, Leon…umm, Leon Waldman. What of it? I carry many Blades.”

  “No man, it’s not like that! Listen, I plan to get one soon as well. In fact, as soon as Ferschall comes across some extras I think he’s going to give me one, or he may even lend me his until then. So, anyhow, we’re all good, right?”

  The little man was finally at a loss for words. His expression held a completely bewildered look.

  Just then the front door to the tiny house opened, revealing the warm flickering glow of candlelight. A woman’s teasing voice spoke up, “Sved, is that you? Oh my… Who’s your tall friend?”

  A similarly tiny, yet extremely captivating young woman stepped out of the entryway and hopped gracefully to the ground. She possessed the same short, slight stature as her brethren. The similarities, however, ended there. Her wavy hair was cut stylishly just above her shoulders. It reflected a light auburn shade of red from the candlelight and nearby fires. While she wore a more ornate yellow vest across her chest, it was stretched firmly atop a thick off-white linen undershirt. Leather leggings and boots rounded out her thin and curvy look.

  She just stood there grinning up at Leon and Sved, waiting for a response. Her smile, from cheek to cheek, was contagious in a mischievous sort of way, but her dancing blue eyes and dimpled cheeks gave her away as a true beauty.

  “Well, Sved, are you going to introduce us?” Her voice came off smooth, without a hint of the shrill sound Leon might expect someone her size and gender to emit.

  “Leon Umm Leon Waldman, may I introduce to you Haddianna Haberkorn, my aunt, once removed.” Leon cringed at Sved’s continued, and likely intentional butchery of his name.

  “Leon Waldman is fine, Sved. Very nice to meet you Haddianna. Oh, and this is Merle.” Reaching down to give Merle a pet, he remembered manners long since drilled into him by an over-zealous grandfather and removed his hat.

  Haddianna gave Leon a wink, “What a lovely beast! And Sved, you’ve managed to bring your dear old auntie a man of manners at last!” Because her eyes remained locked on Leon, he couldn’t decide whether the lovely beast part referenced him or Merle.

  “Dear old Auntie…do better math…five years younger…” Sved mumbled, still fumbling with the rope. Haddianna just laughed in response and reached out to give Merle a good scratch.

  Then she turned back to Leon, “I like your hound, so I think I’ll like you as well. You may call me Haddie, yes? Good, that settles things doesn’t it? We’re friends. So, let’s all go meet this long-lost relative everyone keeps going on about before I simply die of hunger.”

  She grabbed Leon by his arm and marched off, practically dragging him in a beeline through the camp toward the blazing glow of the largest fire, a few hundred feet away.

  Sved threw his rope contraption down and groaned. “Haddie, just when am I ever supposed to fix that leak up top? All you do is complain…”

  He looked around, realizing he had been talking to himself. Then griping under his breath, he quickly caught up with Haddie and her new friend as she continued to pummel Leon with an endless barrage of questions without ever stopping for an answer.

  # # #

  A lively conversation was in full swing when Leon and Haddie arrived at the big fire. Leon’s first instinct had been to slink back and take it all in before joining the commotion, but Haddie plowed forward with a surprisingly tight grip on Leon’s arm, right up to where Ferschall and Ben were locked in serious discussion with three other little men. Their beards were colored more white than red, and their demeanor lacked the energy and exuberance of every other horde member Leon had yet encountered.

  “Father, is this the renowned cousin I’ve heard so much about?”

  One of the older men, Leon assumed it must have been Haddie’s dad, let his shoulders slump at the sound of her voice.

  “Yes, dear. This is Ferschall, son of Grimm. Ferschall, may I introduce you to my only daughter, and most rambunctious child, Haddianna Haberkorn.”

  Haddie smiled wide as if the remark was the most reaffirming introduction her father could have made. She momentarily let loose of Leon’s arm to jump forward and embrace her distant cousin in a dramatic squeal of a hug.

  Ferschall laughed a deep, full-bellied laugh, with that crazy cackle of his but hugged her back just the same.

  Ben spoke up in broken Fayden, “You talk danger now? No attention pay to servant of me.”

  Leon frowned and Ben scowled back at him, like he had somehow interrupted some big important conversation of his own volition! Haddie completely ignored the scowl on the veritable giant of a man standing next to Ferschall. “Cousin, might you already know my newest friend, Leon Waldman?” She didn’t bother introducing Leon to her father and his friends.

  Leon answered wryly, “We’ve met.”

  “Enough!” Haddie’s father cut in, but one of his companions beat him to the punch.

  “Haddie, why don’t you take your new friend and grab a bite to eat. I’m sure all of you are hungry. Then, maybe afterward, you and Sved can gather up a foraging party to help collect more firewood for the trek north? We'll be starting out under a waning moon, and we will need all the wood we can gather in case we don’t make it to the south fork of the Somber in time.”

  Haddie’s father gave his friend a silent nod of appreciation.

  For her part, Haddie made a pouty face. “But I only just met cousin Ferschall! Daddy, what would mother say if she heard I was so inhospitable?”

  Ferschall shook his hairy beard in mock seriousness. “Haddie, you and I will travel together tomorrow, yes? What will we talk about then if we’ve said it all tonight?”

  Haddie cut sharp eyes from Ferschall to her father. “Come on, Leon, I can take a hint!”

  Leon looked pleadingly around for help as he was systematically hauled off toward the nearest cook fire. Ben only bothered to cast back an irritating smirk before turning around and returning to his conversation with the little men.

  “Hey, Leon! Wait up, who do you have there?” Shana came striding up from the other side of the fire, pulling Cooper and Reed along behind. Leon felt a twinge of jealousy as she playfully tugged at Cooper's shirt to hurry him along. Shana had been gradually warming to Cooper over the past day or two and it looked like she had finally gotten around to forgiving him for his part in the fight with the Hootsi.

  “Oh, how wonderful! Leon, you didn’t tell me you had friends. And another girl, too! Yay!” As Haddie clapped her hands in excitement, Leon thought it futile to offer that he hadn’t had much chance to tell her anything at all.

  He dutifully translated between the two girls, until Shana responded, “Yes well, Leon is kinda shy if you haven’t noticed. My name is Shana Weidner. This is Reed Whistler and Cooper Schultz.” Leon rolled his eyes at the offhand comment, but Haddie cut him off before he could craft a proper response. She introduced herself and Sved, still lurking behind, directly to Shana.

  Haddie and Shana immediately hit it off. It was a bit comical to see their hand gestures and body language mirror one another, despite their significant size and language differences. Shana stood taller than most women Leon knew, hovering just around six feet, while Haddie was at least a foot shorter.

  However, Leon’s annoyance gradually melted away as he relayed messages back and for
th. It was truly amazing that two girls, from two different worlds, with two different languages, and practically nothing in common could still manage to chatter aimlessly like long lost sisters within a matter of moments after meeting. It wasn’t until Merle began whining due to the pungent fragrance coming from the barbeque nearby that the guys were able to move them along so everyone could grab dinner.

  The water pig’s shredded meat wasn’t overly appetizing to look at, but when paired with roasted veggies and a wild river rice under a spicy sauce, it practically melted in their mouths.

  “Son of a biscuit, that's good!” Leon went back for seconds and thirds. The cooks were tickled at his appetite and piled his plate higher each time he returned for more.

  After dinner, Leon was ready to crash, but Haddie had other plans. She had no trouble convincing Shana to accompany her on a hunt for firewood. The guys eventually all went along too, giving just enough protest for the ladies to feel they had won a small battle of sorts. Leon took solace in the fact that the noise coming from all the drum beating and dancing would have kept him up anyway.

  # # #

  Away from the fires, the night was breezy and cool. Just west of camp was the beginning of a dense hardwood forest. Plenty of dry kindling rested within the tall forest’s borders, nestled beneath a dark swaying canopy of thick vegetation. Much like most things in Fayden, the hardwoods stood a few hundred feet taller than any Leon could recall back home.

  Sved brought up a draft hippo and hitched it to one of the open-top wagons. Several littler men, armed to the teeth with knives and tridents, insisted on joining them, simply to keep everyone safe. Those guys all moved deeper into the woods to scout around and generally keep an eye on things while the youngsters were working.

  The crew gradually moved a couple hundred feet into the forest. Before their party spread out in search of woody debris, Haddie suggested they pair up into teams of two and make a competition of the job.

  Much to Leon’s annoyance, Cooper and Reed acted quicker than he expected in asking Shana and Haddie, respectively, to team with them. He found himself paired with Sved. His only consolation being that Reed had quite an entourage of red bearded chaperones lurking behind Haddie at all times.