by Callie Kanno
“So,” Farah said with a frown, “you just want us to train harder?”
“You must do more than that,” Cowan urged. “You must expand what is possible.”
“Will you teach us how to summon our weapons?” Palti asked eagerly.
“I will tell you the concept behind it,” Cowan inclined his head, “but you must learn that on your own.”
“Why?” Roth asked with a furrowed brow.
“Because I will not be here for your training,” Cowan announced.
The Royal Guards exchanged glances of surprise and concern. Idris felt a surge of dismay. How could Cowan expect them to continue on without him?
Farah leaned forward. “Where are you going?”
Cowan fixed his eyes on the three youngest Guards. “I am going to convince the king that it is in his best interest for him to allow me to take Hildar, Idris, and Aherin on a journey with me.”
Idris stared at their captain. “Us? Where?”
“To reforge Hildar’s dagger.”
All eyes turned to Hildar, who looked dumbfounded.
“What good would that do?” she asked, her voice cracking from the strain of her emotions.
“It would mean you could use Savion without risking him taking control,” Idris answered.
It cannot be done, Iona stated. Or, rather, it should not be done. It is too dangerous.
“A flaw was formed when your dagger was made,” Cowan explained. “It is that flaw that corrupts Savion. In order to correct the flaw, the dagger must be remade.”
“How long will that take?” questioned Farah.
“I do not know,” Cowan admitted. “Fenris says he can offer some guidance, but it has been generations since the last weapons of power were forged.”
Roth rubbed his chin. “Why do you need all three of them to do it?”
Cowan gave a mysterious smile. “I saw something between Idris and Hildar when we were protecting the king. I would like to explore my theory.”
Idris thought back to the bond that had been created between himself and Hildar, and once again he marveled that they had been able to join their powers together. Cowan made it sound like they could learn to replicate that result, and Idris was excited by the idea.
“King Nikolas will not like the idea of losing four of his Royal Guards during a time like this,” Palti pointed out.
“I know,” acknowledged Cowan, “but if we are to be at full strength when the war with Roshum comes, this must be done.”
Hildar’s voice trembled. “I would like to find a way to work with Savion, if it is possible to remake him.”
That seemed to be enough for Cowan. He gave a decisive nod. “I will speak to the king and send word with his answer.”
The meeting broke up, and the three youngest Royal Guards walked with Demas back toward their quarters.
“I wish we had been here to help out during the attack,” Demas said regretfully. “Instead, we were stuck in the most boring military outpost available.”
“It was very uneventful,” Aherin agreed. “I would have liked to have been of more use.”
“And Hildar got the first King’s Honor medal since the last war,” Demas said, shaking his head ruefully. “That could have been mine.”
“Not likely,” Hildar said with a smile.
“It would have been nice to have you with us,” Idris admitted. “There was a point during the battle I was certain we would fail.”
“And now you three get to go off adventuring with Captain Cowan.” Demas shook his fist in mock outrage. “Why do you get all the luck?”
Idris knew that Demas was teasing them, but it brought up feelings of sadness all the same. Idris didn’t feel that he was lucky to have been in the middle of everything that had happened. He fervently wished he could have gone on with his training, with nothing unusual to interrupt it.
A small group of trainees was walking toward them. Idris recognized Meic and his little band of friends.
“Well, well,” Meic said sarcastically, “perhaps I should curtsy for the new Lord of Rest Stone Valley.”
Idris was caught off guard by Meic’s verbal attack. He usually saved his rancor for when there were no witnesses other than his cronies.
“It is proper for a lord’s subjects to bow,” Hildar commented, as if she had taken Meic seriously.
“I am not his subject,” Meic spat. “I am never going back to that pigsty.”
“You never know,” Demas mused. “You could be stationed there after your basic training is over. A lord can request specific soldiers to protect their holdings.”
Meic’s face mottled with growing anger. “His title means nothing, and everybody knows it.”
“And yet,” Aherin put in, “he has power over what happens to you.”
For a moment it looked as though Meic was going to hit one of them. His fists were clenched into knots and his face took on a deeper shade of red. His eyes darted between the four of them, as if he couldn’t decide which one he hated the most.
Idris must have won, because Meic took a step toward him.
“What is going on here?”
Palti approached the group with a face of thunder, looking as impressive as ever.
Meic and his friends may have thought they could take on a group of Royal Guard trainees, but they withered at the appearance of a senior Guard. Muttering under their breaths, they all made a hasty retreat.
Idris waited until the Royal Guards were alone, then he burst out laughing. The others joined him, and they all started walking toward their quarters once more.
I think you enjoyed that more than you should have, farmer.
He knew that Iona was right, but he didn’t care. He had just come through a very trying ordeal, and he felt that he needed to grasp at every happy moment he could.
The future seemed uncertain, and Idris knew that whatever it held would not be easy. Only a few short weeks ago that thought would have filled Idris with the desire to return to his family’s farm. Life there was simple and predictable.
He smiled as he thought of his family and the expressions on their faces when they saw the king honor him. They were so proud of him for what he was doing.
Someday he would go back to Rest Stone Valley—not to stay, for he would always be a Royal Guard—but to visit the home of his childhood.
For now, he was surrounded by his friends. And for the first time, he knew that he was exactly where he belonged.
Glossary:
· Adwen (ad-WEEN): youngest daughter of Cadell and Prydwen, sister to Idris.
· Aherin (ah-HAIR-in): a new member of the Royal Guard, along with Idris. He is the son of a famous soldier, and he wields a magical bow named Liuz.
· Arminell (ar-mih-NEL): wife of Nikolas the Bold and queen of Calaris. She is the daughter of the king of Zoma, a kingdom across the sea to the west of Calaris. Her marriage to Nikolas was part of a peace treaty.
· Blood vines: a form of carnivorous plant that grows in the wilds of Calaris.
· Boyar (bo-YAR): one of the three administrators for the training facility for the king’s army.
· Brayd (braid): one of the three administrators for the training facility for the king’s army.
· Cadell (cah-DEL): father to Idris, a farmer in Rest Stone Valley. His farm is among the most prosperous in the area, and he runs it jointly with his brother-in-law, Tegryn.
· Calaris (ca-LAR-is): the land in which this story takes place. It is a kingdom ruled by King Nikolas (also called Nikolas the Bold).
· Cato (CA-toh): a recruit for the king’s army and friends with Meic.
· Collen (COH-len): brother to Cadell and uncle to Idris. He breeds and trains horses on a ranch in Rest Stone Valley.
· Cowen (CO-wen): Captain of the Royal Guard, wields a magical staff.
· Dafina (dah-FEE-nah): daughter of Cadell and Prydwen, younger sister to Idris and twin to Deri.
· Demas (deh-MAS): a member of the Royal Guard and f
riend to Idris. He wields a magical sword named Mahira.
· Deri (DEH-ree): son of Cadell and Prydwen, younger brother to Idris and twin to Dafina.
· Drusi (DROO-see): a member of the Royal Guard who wields a magical halberd.
· Duwado (doo-WAH-doe): a word that means “little brother” in the native language of Dia.
· Elain (ee-LAYN): daughter of Cadell and Prydwen, younger sister of Idris.
· Farah (FAIR-ah): a member of the Royal Guard and teacher to the newest recruits.
· Gwydol (GWI-dol): the Elder of Rest Stone Valley, and the unofficial leader.
· Heilin (HEY-lin): brother to Cadell and uncle to Idris. He breeds and trains horses on a ranch in Rest Stone Valley.
· Hildar (HIL-dar): daughter of Lord Wythe, Duke of the Hazelwood Province. She is among those chosen to train as a member of the Royal Guard, due to her choice of a magical dagger named Savion.
· Idris (IH-dris): son of Cadell and Prydwen, and grew up on a farm in Rest Stone Valley. From the Treasury he chose a magical partisan named Iona, which earned him a place to train as a member of the Royal Guard.
· Iona (eye-OH-nah): a magical partisan shaped like a dragon, claimed by Idris from the Treasury. Her former master was the legendary warrior Marlais, and she has a deep distrust for her new master.
· Jerin (JAIR-en): a member of the Royal Guard who wields a magical sword.
· Jola (JO-lah): a recruit for the king’s army and a friend to Meic.
· Jui (JOO-ee): a serving girl in the military section of the Water Palace.
· Larnen (LAR-nen): one of the three administrators for the training facility for the king’s army.
· Laur (LAH-ur): a young lady Noble who dislikes Hildar.
· Leor (LEE-or): a recruit for the king’s army and a friend to Meic.
· Liuz (LEE-ooz): a magical bow shaped like a phoenix that is wielded by Aherin.
· Lyndham (LIND-ham): the first king of Calaris, which was founded with the help of Marlais Dragonspear.
· Mahira (ma-HEE-ra): a magical sword shaped like a leviathan that is wielded by Demas.
· Marath (mar-ATH): the capital of Calaris, and the location of the Treasury.
· Marlais Dragonspear (mar-LAYS): a legendary hero that is said to have battled with giants and even Death itself. He is given historical credit for helping to found the kingdom of Calaris, and he is the former (and first) master of the magical partisan, Iona.
· May: the matriarch of the small fishing village called Green Reed.
· Meic (meh-IK): a boy the same age as Idris, also from Rest Stone Valley. He dislikes Idris, and has dreams of joining the army.
· Nikolas the Bold (NIH-ko-las): king of Calaris and famed warrior.
· Osian (OH-see-an): son of Cadell and Prydwen, younger brother of Idris.
· Owen (OH-wen): a farmer from Rest Stone Valley, father to Meic.
· Palti (PAL-tee): a member of the Royal Guard who wields a magical sword. He looks like a foreigner, but he was raised in Marath by his refugee parents.
· Piton (PIH-ton): one of the instructors in charge of training recruits for the king’s army.
· Prydwen (prid-WEEN): wife of Cadell and mother to Idris.
· Rest Stone Valley: a valley surrounded by low mountains, where there are numerous farms. Idris grew up in this valley.
· Revelin (reh-veh-LIN): a soldier who has served as a palace guard for almost a decade.
· Rolant (RO-lant): son of Cadell and Prydwen, younger brother of Idris
· Roshum (RO-shum): a nation directly east of Calaris. Tensions between the two lands are high, and there are occasional conflicts.
· Roth (roth): a member of the Royal Guard who wields a magical bow.
· Savion (SA-vee-on): a magical dagger shaped like a chimera that is wielded by Hildar.
· Selyf (SHE-lif): a young farmer in Rest Stone Valley.
· Siani (see-AH-nee): a girl from Rest Stone Valley, the same age as Idris and Meic.
· Tahir (tah-HEER): Palti’s magical sword, shaped like a basilisk.
· Tegryn (teh-GRIN): uncle to Idris and brother-in-law to Cadell. He runs a farm jointly with Cadell, and it is among the most prosperous in Rest Stone Valley.
· Treasury, the: repository for the wealth of the kingdom of Calaris. It was decided by the third king of Calaris that the treasures of the kingdom should belong to the people. So each subject, upon their fifteenth birthday, is allowed to enter the Treasury and choose any item (or items, depending on what it is) to keep. The only requirement is that the value is repaid to the Treasury upon the death of the recipient.
· Water Palace, the: the primary residence for King Nikolas (and his family), and the location of the Treasury.
· Wellsprings: locations around the world where magic flows as if from a spring.