by Ian Carter
"I promise, father. I would never risk one of our kingdom's secrets." Edwin nodded and turned out towards the lake.
"You may not know this, but each Blade that exists in the kingdom is made with water from this lake. It is not a function of symbolism or anything silly of the like. Water from this lake is a key ingredient of the forging process." Edwin displaced his robes to reveal his sheathed Platinum Blade and rested his hand on its pommel.
"All Blades produced under my grandfather's rule during the great war with Nalon have been smelted over the years. Unfortunately, they were antiquated and unable to use modern Stones. This Platinum Blade, as well as the one wielded by General Ashentide, are the oldest Blades that exist in the kingdom. I know the official word is that mine and Ashentide's Platinum Blades are based on my mother's sword, but that's only half correct. The Blade on my hip is the original, bequeathed to me from my mother, and your grandmother. She wanted to use it to unite the Five Stone Houses and end their incessant bickering. When she escaped their assassination attempt, this marvellous Blade was the reason she was able to escape, along with a handful of her loyal subjects. I was unbelievably fortunate to be able to use it for my entire upbringing. Ashentide's Platinum Blade is a copy of this vital Blade.
"But I digress," Edwin continued. "When we create a Bronze Blade, it doesn't require that much of the lake's water, which is why we can produce so many. Silver Blades, however, require four times the amount of water the Bronze Blade needs. Amazingly, Gold Blades require over a hundred times the amount of water that a Silver Blade requires. The sheer amount of resources the process needs is why we do not just produce endless Gold Blades. If we did, we would not be able to ensure the proper replenishment of the lake's water.
"When we first decided to duplicate my mother's Blade, we knew the vague process from documents left behind by the Blade's creator," Edwin explained. Using the technique for the other Blades, we did not know how much water it would require. Our forging needed enormous resources, far beyond what we first expected. General Ashentide's Blade caused the level of the lake to drop a full two inches."
Kai was gobsmacked. The lake was a dozen kilometers wide as well as across. For the lake to recede two whole inches, that would require an exorbitant amount of water. Kai scanned the lake in disbelief. He reached down and grabbed a rock and threw it into the air over the water, which resulted in a soft plop a dozen meters away.
"When we forged Blades using water from another source besides the lake, they failed to quench and harden each time. If that wasn't bad enough, the Blades were unable to act as a conduit for the Stones and failed. When my grandfather first took his place on the throne, he became enamoured with this lake. When it came time to commission the castle to be built, he chose directly next to the lake, with the Capital built close by. He knew this lake was special before he even knew the reason for it. This lake is our kingdom's most cherished resource, only equalled by our citizens. It must always be protected. Do you understand?"
"Yes, father. I understand," Kai answered. "I had always found peace here, but I never knew the reason for that. I guess I still don't, but maybe now this can add a little peace of mind. Do we know what makes the water in this lake so unique?"
"Unfortunately, no," Edwin replied. "We have sent countless surveyors and divers in and around the lake and mapped every inch of it. There is nothing to be found down there. At this point, we can only assume it is the work of some sort of mineral, or perhaps it may just be as simple as the Gods will it." Edwin stood in silence with Kai as they each surveyed the lake so unique to their kingdom.
"Of course, this little history lesson was not the reason as to why I called you here. Enthralling as it may be...," Edwin spoke as he turned to General Ashentide and beckoned him. General Ashentide nodded in acknowledgement and made his way over. As General Ashentide reached them, he produced a scabbard from the large leather bag on his back and handed it gently to Edwin. Edwin nodded in appreciation, and in turn, held it out to Kai.
"This is your custom Blade, my son. We have taken the liberty and named it Initiation. May you use this Blade as your initiation to the foes you face during your journey."
Edwin pulled Initiation from its scabbard, and Kai was astonished as he admired its beauty. It was the same color as Edwin's Platinum Blade but only bore a single slot for one Stone. It featured ornate carvings of a dragon on each side of the Blade's base, as well as etchings of the dragon's fire breath reaching up from its mouth to the point of the Blade. The cross-guard also featured many eloquent carvings that showcased vines and thorns. It shone in the pure sunlight of the late morning, polished to perfection. Kai had never witnessed a Blade, or anything, as beautiful as this. Tears formed in his eyes as his gaze transitioned from Initiation to his father.
"Kai, my son, please kneel before me. I will perform the Blade ritual," Edwin advised.
Kai put himself directly in front of Edwin and dropped to one knee. As Kai placed his right hand to his chest and lowered his head, Edwin grabbed a bottle from his pocket. He popped the lid to the bottle and took Initiation's tip and gently poked it into Kai's hand, causing a small incision in the pointer finger. As Initiation's tip rested in the cut, Edwin poured the bottle down the Blade's metal until the water flowed into the wound. A majestic golden glow rose from the Blade and shot down Initiation's length into Kai's finger, causing the small cut to heal instantly. Edwin then placed the Blade into its scabbard and held it out to Kai, who accepted it.
"This Blade is special, as you can probably tell," Edwin explained. "Though this Blade bears only a single slot for a Stone, this Blade can multiply a Stones power a number of times of what a Bronze Blade can. While it is much more powerful, it is also not quite as versatile as a Silver Blade. I believe this will give you an edge over any unsuspecting opponents that you will face on your mission." Edwin treasured the brief moment of silence with his son before he continued.
"I had this Blade commissioned many years ago when you were just a child. It has your very blood incorporated into it so it can resonate strongly with you. Now is as good of a time as I can think of to give it to you. Perhaps it was even destiny that I had this made; to give it to you on this very day." Edwin placed his hand on his son's shoulder and gave him a sincere smile.
"You will become a worthy king, my son. I am sorry I coddled you in such a way that went against your wishes. I knew that you had problems with some of the children around you during your childhood, but I never knew the true extent of your harboured emotions. Your passionate rebuttal during the council session called out my folly. Even though I did not want to send you to Stura, I felt there was no other option. If I continued to coddle you, you would never become the kind of ruler that you wished to be. There is a moment in a man's life where he must do what he feels needs to be done. This is your moment. The next few months will shape you into the king you will become, for better or for worse.
"Going forward, you will have more responsibility and input concerning your future. However, this is a matter for after you return triumphantly. I have matters I must attend to, and you should be off as soon as possible. May the Gods watch over you, and I already await your victorious return." As his words trailed off, Edwin embraced Kai, who embraced his father in return.
Kai had never felt happier. He never knew his father would have been open to accepting his feelings readily. Several emotions swelled up as Kai and Edwin ended their embrace, and Edwin made his way back toward the castle. General Ashentide grabbed Kai's hand and shook it with a terrifyingly firm grip. General Ashentide may have been in the final stages of his service to the kingdom, but he was still a beast of a man. He quickly wished Kai luck and followed after Edwin. Kai was left alone at the lake's edge, with Initiation in his hand and determination in his heart.
◆◆◆
The torch that burned in his hand illuminated the first two meters into the room's darkness. As Kai stepped further into darkness, nothing managed to come into view. Kai k
ept his guard up, as he knew the ghost of his dreams remained somewhere. The tension caused Kai's arms and legs to stiffen. However, the growl from his vision stayed away, and Kai managed to reach the end of the chamber.
The torchlight washed over what looked like to be a two-tiered table. On the smaller top tier of the table lay two Stones, while on the extended bottom layer were three Stones evenly spaced apart. Each Stone sat on an expensive-looking royal blue velvet pillow. Kai hovered his torch over each Stone and revealed their colors: blue and white Stones sat on the top two cushions, and red, black and purple sat on the lower tier. Kai instantly recognized the Stones on the bottom part of the table as the colors of the kingdom's banner. Kai reached towards the Stones and noticed a scrap piece of paper resting between the two pillows on the top portion of the table. He nabbed the paper and held his torch over it to reveal the inscription:
To the Bladesman that finds these Stones, you own a choice. Will you use these five Stones for justice, or will you use them for contempt? Will you champion these Stones before you and deliver unto the kingdom prosperity, or make the Gods themselves rue the day your steps echoed in this chamber? Embrace the choice that causes your heart to tremble with excitement, and ascertain the destiny you seek.
I recommend the blue one.
Kai re-read the note over and over until he burned the words into his mind. Did the ghost of his dreams write this note? Who exactly was the person who made this chamber and hid these Stones? Questions swirled around Kai's head with no hope for an answer any time soon. He held the light over each Stone; each one of them illuminated so brilliantly under the flame. Excitement overcame Kai when he realized these mysterious Stones were now his property. No-one else knew these were here, and he had already started his swordsmanship training. Kai stood upright in the chamber and surveyed the room.
Silently, he made a promise to return to this chamber. Once he obtained a Blade able to wield these Stones, he would become the greatest Bladesman the kingdom had ever seen. With a nod and a giddy smile spread on his face, Kai left the chamber and closed the stone door, leaving the room hidden once again. With Kai on his way back to bed, a soft growl from underneath the table echoed throughout the chamber.
◆◆◆
As Kai stood before the chamber's entrance, the mechanism creaked to life just as he remembered it. His old torch had been discarded by someone in the years since his last visit, so he clasped a new and unfamiliar one in his hand. Kai confidently took the first few steps into the chamber and advanced onto the table. The Stones lay there, just how they had eight years prior. A new layer of small specs had covered the table and the scrap paper with the message, however, the Stones themselves were somehow still free from any dust whatsoever. Kai collected the paper and re-read the text once again before he returned it to its resting place. Kai surveyed the Stones as he held the torch above each one. Though his father had given him Initiation, his father had left the procurement of a Stone to Kai.
Kai laid his hand on the blue Stone, and instantly he thought he could feel the stone radiate energy. Giddy with anticipation, he snatched up the Stone, and with a gentle, soft 'click,' the Stone was placed into Initiation. The Stone glowed an unbelievably deep blue and mesmerized Kai with its beauty. As the light faded from the Stone, Kai noticed the dragon's flames on Initiation had slowly turned to the same blue as showcased by the Stone. All that was left to do was determine what precisely the Stone did.
Kai positioned himself in a combat stance and gripped Initiation in his hands. After he readied himself, he shouted his first guess.
"Water," Kai commanded.
Nothing happened.
"Okay. Wind." But again, the Stone did not activate. "Hmm, maybe it's a different elemental type? Let's try ... Ice." The Blade failed to react again to his voice. "Well, it can't be another elemental type, maybe it's a Blade type effect? Invisibility ... Speed ... Flight ..." Kai rattled off several other guesses as well but to no avail. The Stone stubbornly refused to activate.
"What in the world is up with this Stone? Is it defective? No, it can't be, it activated when I placed it into Initiation. I guess I'll have to figure it out on the fly or maybe grab a different Stone before I leave."
Though slightly miffed, Kai had obtained a Blade and captured his first Stone. He overflowed with excitement as he sheathed Initiation. As more potential guesses swirled around in his head, he closed the chamber's door once again. On this occasion, however, there was no sound to be heard by the darkness.
Chapter Five
The One You've Been Waiting For
"This way, girl. Keep the feet moving," the man barked at the little girl. Her whimpers softly echoed inside the tunnel as the man led her deeper into the darkness. He pulled on the leash he had affixed to her neck and gave regular yanks on it to keep the girl walking. Torches were hung every 15 meters or so and lined the top of each side of their path. The floor's rough surface caused her to take a small tumble every few minutes, which caused a fresh tug on her throat. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of tears and sniffles to the man, he came to an unassuming brown wooden door and rasped on it a few times.
"Hang on, hang on," a feminine voice called out from behind the door. Sounds of scuffles and a chair being pushed back could be heard from the other side, and after a few seconds, the door opened. "Ah, another one. Excellent," the woman said with an enthusiastic note in her voice. She looked down and smiled down at the girl and revealed her yellowing and gnarled teeth. The girl closed her eyes and turned away as she banished the visual from her mind.
"Can you get out of the way; I don't have all day." The woman looked up at the man's words, and a scowl crossed her face before she stepped aside. The man scowled back at the woman before he pulled on the girl's leash and brought her across the threshold. The girl opened her eyes to see a wall full of cages, most of them empty. As she looked closely, she could see some shapes inside the bottom row of cages behind the steel bars.
"Marco! L ...," the girl began to yell her friends' names before her captor gave a giant pull on her leash. She yelped and clawed at the leather restraint around her neck.
"Now, now, good little girls don't speak," the woman who had opened the door said before turning to the man. "Put her in the 2nd row, third from the left."
"You got it," the man stoically replied and proceeded to drag the girl over to the cages as she attempted to dig in her heels and make progress towards her friends. He opened the instructed cage and lifted her into it. She tried to wildly swing her arms and legs to inflict damage on her captor, but this just caused him to angrily throw her into the cage and crash against the bars. "Good riddance," he said as he slammed the steel door shut, which caused an awful metallic noise to radiate into everyone's ears.
"Why did you do that?" The woman angrily stomped towards him.
"Oh, screw off," the man replied. "I'm out of here, so go sit down and be mad about something else. I'll be back later for the feast."
"I'll make sure to cook your portion extra special," the woman replied as she stood off to the side with her arms crossed.
"Whatever, just make sure the kids don't escape." The man lazily said as he closed the door behind him on the way out. The woman made a crude gesture towards the door before she turned and walked over to the girl freshly stored in her cage.
"I'm sorry, darling. He is a vulgar man, isn't he?" The girl looked at her and didn't answer. "Well, that can't be helped. Here you go, darling, have a piece of candy." The woman dug into her pocket and produced a small wrapper and held it out to the girl. She stared at the candy for a few seconds before she meekly reached out and grabbed it. She unwound the plastic and inspected the candy before putting it into her mouth. Her face slowly morphed into a smile as she looked back at the woman.
"Don't worry darling, help is on the way," the woman whispered. "They'll be here any second." The woman nodded in affirmation as she turned and walked back to the chair at the wooden table beside the
door. She picked up the book she had been reading and sat back down before she found her bookmark and settled in again. The little girl's smile slowly faded from her face as she patiently awaited the promised help.
◆◆◆
"I take it back. All of it. I want to go home."
The sun forced its way through the many branches that made up the forest canopy above the group's collective heads. The crunch of gravel under the horses' hooves overlapped with the birds' songs from throughout the forest. Trees primarily composed of pine and spruce lined the dirt and gravel road and expanded outwards in every direction. A brisk wind pushed at their backs and kissed the end of their napes while the fresh air filled their lungs. The only thing that detracted from the picturesque scene was Kai's incessant whining.
The group had been on the move for four days already but were still over six weeks' ride from Stura. The first three days had been jovial for the group, as Kai got to leave the Capital's immediate area for the first time. Hayleigh's stories of her time outside the Capital caused Kai to dream fantasies each night, incorporating elements from her fables. Hayleigh was in a positive mood the whole trip because she would be able to visit the city she used to guard and live in, Erkau. Not to mention that her fiancé, Josiah, was stationed in the town. While Kai dreamed of the possibilities, she imagined their fated reunion. Mason had never really strayed too far from the farm he grew up on growing up, so this was all new to him. However, the novelty was missing as he spent his time monitoring the path and serving as a lookout.
Erkau, the city of around twenty thousand citizens, was over week's ride away from the Capital, so the group still had another three and a half days until they reached it. Erkau was nestled at the base of a mountain with a river that encircled most of the city. This picturesque landscape provided plenty of natural defenses, making it easy to guard. Because it was the closest town to the Capital, Erkau was one of the safest cities in the kingdom and a common place for Bladesmen and women to experience a calm and beautiful place to retire. It was considered the dream assignment for many Silver Blades, as they would be able to live in peace with little possibility for danger. Her home and fiancé were so close that Hayleigh was not in the mood to listen to Kai's complaints.