by A. C. Cobble
“Issen is the example of how it can be,” said Towaal.
“We try our best,” stated Ben. “Every year, we get delegations coming to witness what we’re doing. Every year, they come back again. They see what is happening, but they don’t understand why, where it all started.”
“Someone has to remind them of what it was all for,” remarked Towaal.
“Someone has to remind them,” agreed Ben, and he turned up his ale mug.
Ben stood at the lectern, shuffling through the parchments in front of him. He had his speech written down, word for word. There was a separate page marked with the key points he wanted to discuss. He glanced at the notes then put them away. He didn’t look at them again. He spoke from the heart.
“I’ve given talks like this before,” he started. “Universities, councils of highborn, village mayors, anyone I thought would listen – anyone I thought was open to change. Many people have heard the words I will say today. Your leader, the Veil, told me that many of you already know these words. I came here to say them anyway. Even though you may know my words, understanding them is different. It’s important that you understand and do not merely know. More important here than anywhere else because of what you are.”
The room was silent, listening in reverence to the Hero of Kirksbane. The Hero of Kirksbane, the City, Whitehall, Fabrizo, Issen… It changed depending on where the listener was from, but whichever it was, that was how they thought of him, he knew. Whether they remembered it themselves or whether their parents and grandparents had shared the stories, that was what they knew.
They knew he’d fought the demon-king, and as a wealthy crowd in the City, perhaps they had even ventured north of Kirksbane to see the monuments. They knew he’d dueled two blademasters to prevent the war between the Alliance and the Coalition. They knew he’d been there when the previous Veil was executed. They knew all about his actions. Books were filled with the deeds he had accomplished. He’d certainly told enough scribes his story that he wouldn’t be surprised if entire libraries were filled with the vivid recollections.
They knew, but none of them understood. They didn’t know why he had done it, and most didn’t care. He wanted to change that. He wanted them to understand why.
Why was so much more important than what.
He cleared his throat. “The tricky thing about living in a society that allows you freedom is that everyone else has it, too. Some people can’t handle that. They can’t accept their neighbor making a different choice than they did. That’s the tricky part. Letting someone else have the freedom to choose. A choice isn’t really a choice if there is only one option. It’s inherent with real choices—with true freedom—that everyone can make their own decisions. For us to be free, we have to come to terms with that. We have to understand that not every decision is ours to make. Not every decision is a good one.”
He heard people shifting and fought down a smile.
“People call me a hero. They say that because I fought for them. Let me tell you, the fighting was the easy part. The hard part, the part that really mattered, is what happened after. That’s what I want to be remembered for. Not because I fought. Not because I killed. Not because I survived. Remember me because I tolerated. Remember me because I accepted. Remember me because I understood that I’m not here to make your choices. If I had done that, if I had been just one more dictator sitting atop a golden throne, then it would have been for nothing. I didn’t free you from your oppressive rulers. I freed you from yourselves. I’m sorry if you don’t like it.”
A well of murmurings rose up to greet the statement. That part always got them. He cleared his throat and swallowed. This was the difficult part, the part his story was about. The part they would either understand, or they would not.
“The Alliance and the Coalition were two sides of the same coin. That is always the case when there are just two sides. One promised unrestrained growth and wealth to all of the people. The other promised a benevolent hand and a world where all were equal and no one had to worry. The truth is, they were both after only one thing – power. Their promises were nothing more than words. They were empty words. Words meant to appease the masses. Words meant to convince us there were only two choices.”
He slammed a fist on the lectern and declared, “Those false choices nearly led to our demise. All of our demise. The demon-king wasn’t interested in whether we declared for the Alliance or the Coalition. The demon-king only cared for our life-blood. While our leaders spent time in councils, arguing over whether they’d join Jason or Argren, the demons killed. They rampaged, and they feasted. What good did the promises do then?”
“I saw through those promises, those lies, and we held the leaders accountable. We raised something else in their place, something I believe is better. It wasn’t because I was born special or that I was chosen somehow. No, I was born to a lower life than most in this room. I wasn’t a blademaster when my journey started, and my future wife was merely an initiate on these very grounds. We didn’t have exceptional skills, abilities, or a mandate to make a change. What we did have, though, was the courage to try. We didn’t know if we’d be successful, and believe me, many times I thought we wouldn’t be. We fought anyway. We fought when the odds were against us. We fought when we were certain we’d lose. We were told we had to choose one side or the other, but we didn’t. We fought.”
Ben was gaining steam, his voice rising with the passion of his statements. “That is true freedom, a willingness to look past the empty promises of the world and realize there are other options. Freedom is not comfortable. It is not easy. You have the ability to choose, as does your neighbor. But freedom only exists if you exercise it. Lady Coatney, King Saala, Lord Jason – they did not subjugate their people. The people subjugated themselves.”
“Some say life is better now,” stated Ben. “Perhaps it is. That doesn’t mean there will not be a time – a time within your lives – when you have a choice to rise up and fight or the choice to subjugate yourselves to the system.”
He let the words hang there, watching as it sunk in. Then, he finished, “This is what you need to understand. You will hear leaders like me say compelling words, but do not listen to them. Instead, watch. Watch what those leaders do. See how they act. Their actions will tell the truth or the lie of their words. Their actions will give you knowledge. It is your will that gives you freedom to do something with it. You have the ability to decide your own fate. Take up your sword or your quill, and when the time comes, I hope you chose to be a hero.”
18
Reviews, Acknowledgements, and Newsletter
You made it to the end! Thank you thank you thank you. I really appreciate everyone who took the time to share this world with me, but I’m not done. Scroll on to find out what comes next. But first, a few people to thank.
The readers.
What, you want more than that? These books would not exist without you, and I mean that seriously. When I published the first volume in this 6-book series, I was prepared to never write again once it came to light that my mom was the only person would ever purchase a copy. I wrote that book for myself, and myself was totally fine with not investing the countless hours it took to finish the series! I did it though, because someone started reading. Reading and wanting more. That was the motivation it took for me to dig back in, draw out more of the story, and make writing books my life. So, pat yourselves on the back for me. Seriously, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. You kept me writing and it changed my life.
Other thanks — I’ve had the same professional team involved in all of my books. My cover and social media package were designed by Milos from Deranged Doctor Design (www.derangeddoctordesign.com). Milos did a great job of creating covers that match the feel of the books. And inside the cover, Nicole Zoltack did great work proof-reading (www.nicolezoltack.com). She’s proven that I know almost nothing about the English language, but perhaps I’m learning? Tantor Media is my audiobook publisher. Af
ter reading this, I’m certain you’ll need audiobooks too. The individual volumes can be found online through all major retailers. Finally, Eric Michael Summerer is the narrator for the audiobooks and he did truly amazing work.
Thank you for reading my book,
AC
Ready for more? I’m hard at work on a new series. The opener, Quill: The Cartographer Book 1, is scheduled for a June 1st release! You can find it HERE on Amazon!
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Thanks for taking the time to read my books!
-AC