Kwin

by Trudie Collins

  Most of the possessions that Maggie wanted to take with her were already on the cart; the rest would be packed in the morning.

  The evening was spent talking about plans for the future and sharing a bottle of wine. It was going to be a long journey, but neither of them wanted to get an early night. Kwin felt like a chapter in his life was closing and he wanted to postpone it for a little while longer.

  Eventually Maggie announced she needed sleep so they called it a night.

  It was a clear crisp morning, with the sun shining brightly, when the fully loaded cart made its way along the lane from Maggie’s cottage to the nearest road. Kwin sat in the driver’s seat with Maggie beside him, wrapped up in a blanket. There had been no sign of Kwin’s horse when she had found him and her only horse was old and slow so they couldn’t travel fast, but Kwin didn’t mind. He would head toward Tippet but hoped a different destination would reveal itself as they travelled.

  It didn’t take long for them to come across a company of Tippetian soldiers, who forced them to pull over to the side of the road. Maggie’s cottage had been so remote that none had visited it and it had no communication device through which to hear the news.

  Before leaving the cottage, Kwin had replaced his fake shackles, making it look like he was Maggie’s slave. The subterfuge was designed to allow them to travel in peace without being pulled aside and questioned, however, given the invasion, it had the opposite effect.

  As soon as the soldiers saw the shackles on Kwin, they dismounted, drawing their swords as they approached. The fact that they had not seen a controlling device on Maggie’s arm didn’t seem to bother them.

  “Halt,” Kwin ordered before they got too close. “What is going on here?”

  The soldiers were so surprised by Kwin’s command that they obeyed it. One then stepped forward, the insignia on his uniform indicating that he was a captain.

  “My name is captain Wood and we are here to set you free; you and all the other slaves.”

  Kwin couldn’t believe his ears. Tippet had finally invaded. Then he saw the look Wood was giving Maggie and he didn’t like it.

  “I’m not a slave,” he said hastily and removed his shackles to prove it.

  Wood look unconvinced. When he took another step closer, Kwin used his magic to make his sword fly out of his hand and embed itself in the ground, point downward.

  “Come any closer and you will regret it,” Kwin shouted out, making sure he addressed all of the soldiers. “Now I have no idea who you are or what your mission is, but you will not hurt this lady. She saved my life and I owe her.”

  Wood stared at him, a puzzled look on his face. “Who are you?” he asked. “You seem familiar.”

  “I have absolutely no idea,” Kwin said. “I was poisoned and Maggie here managed to save me. Since then I have no memory of who I am. I know I was a soldier and came here to rescue the woman I was due to marry, but not much more.”

  “How long ago were you poisoned?” the captain asked.

  Kwin told him then glanced at Maggie, who nodded her confirmation. A huge grin spread across Wood’s face.

  “I have a pretty good idea who you are. Memory loss would explain why you never caught up with Gareth.”

  The name meant nothing to Kwin. He waited for the captain to continue. “Commander Kwin Longbow, may I have the honour of escorting you back to Tippet?”

  Kwin didn’t react. The name sounded strange to his ears. Surely if he really was Kwin Longbow, hearing his name would have caused some sort of reaction in him. “Are you sure that’s who I am?” he asked.

  “Yes sir,” the captain said. “The timing is right and it would explain why you are familiar. We have met a few times before. The scar your beard is trying unsuccessfully to hide gives you away.”

  Kwin rubbed the hair on his face. He hadn’t shaved since he had awoken from his fever to find Maggie tending to him; it was too much of a chore to bother.

  “Kwin,” he said, then repeated it. He shook his head. “It doesn’t sound familiar.”

  “What are your orders sir?” the captain asked.

  Kwin smiled. “I don’t think I’m really in any position to give you orders, at least not until we are certain of my identity.”

  Wood smiled back. “In that case, my company of soldiers will escort you back home. What do you want us to do with the old woman?”

  The smile dropped from Kwin’s face. “You can start by showing her some respect. I am taking her to Tippet and until I say otherwise, she is under my protection.”

  Wood looked like he wanted to object, but wisely held his tongue. He signalled to his men to mount up then they took up defensive positions on either side of the wagon.

  “Is that really necessary?” Kwin asked.

  “Unfortunately, yes. While we have been given orders to only kill those who are in control of slaves, some soldiers have been killing first and checking for controllers afterward.”

  ‘Like you were going to,’ Kwin thought to himself.

  He quickly told Maggie what was happening, as they had been conversing in Tippetian so she had not understood anything that was said, and assured her that nobody would harm her.

  The soldiers turned out to be pleasant company and the journey was not as intolerable as Kwin had been expecting. The rest of the day passed, and another, without incident. Travelling was still slow as Maggie refused to have her old mare replaced with a faster horse and Kwin didn’t have the heart to insist.

  When they rode through a village, Kwin slowed the wagon and looked around him. Wood drew his horse in close. “What appears to be the problem?” he asked.

  “I recognise this place,” Kwin said. “Where are we?”

  Wood had one of his men question a local, but the name provided meant nothing to Kwin.

  Driven by instinct, Kwin took a side road out of the village instead of the main one. When Wood told him he was going the wrong way, Kwin told him he was taking a detour. He had no idea where he was going, but he felt like he was going in the right direction.

  A few hours passed before Kwin suddenly stopped the wagon beside the entrance to an estate. “I’ve been here before.”

  “Then we should investigate,” Wood said. He ordered one of his men to dismount and hand his horse over to Kwin. As the two men rode side by side into the estate, a calm feeling flowed through Kwin. He was home. He had no idea how an estate in Wayvern could be his home, but it was.

  He rode slowly, looking around him, hoping the familiar surroundings would trigger a memory, but they didn’t. Once the two men were close to the house, they dismounted and walked the rest of the way. They were prevented from going much further, however, by an invisible barrier. Kwin probed it with his magic and was surprised to find it responded to him.

  “Whoever put this here was expecting me,” he said to Captain Wood.

  “Can you get through it?”

  Kwin nodded. “I think so. But I’m not sure I can get you through as well.”

  “I don’t think we should risk trying,” Wood said hastily. Kwin gave him an amused look. “There’s no need to look at me like that,” he continued. “I distrust magic and who knows what magical traps might be in there. This barrier was put here to tell people to keep out and I’m planning on heading the warning.”

  “I have to go in,” Kwin said. He created a shield around himself and stepped forward. This time the barrier didn’t stop him.

  “Good luck,” Wood called out as Kwin opened the front door and stepped into the house.

  It was eerily quiet. Kwin stood still, looking around him. He had definitely been there before. He instinctively knew where to go and quickly climbed the stairs. He went straight to a suite but stopped outside it when he noticed that his hand on the door handle was trembling.

  He took a deep breath and opened the door. He went directly to a door on the left. Looking inside, something told him that this had been his room, but despite the sense of familiarity, he couldn’t reme
mber having spent any time there.

  He tried another room and froze in the doorway. Clothes were scattered on the bed, as though the owner had left in a hurry. A sense of dread filled him, making his breath catch in his throat. For a moment he couldn’t move. Then the feeling left him and he ran into the room. A name filled his mind.

  “Luka,” he whispered.

  The sound of his own voice saying the name caused memories to crash into him with such force he had to stagger to the bed before his legs gave way. He sat with his head in his hands as image after image filled his mind.

  He knew who he was. He knew why he was in Wayvern. And he knew how he had been poisoned.

  “Gareth,” he mentally called out. “Where are you?”

  ————————————-∞————————————-

  Gareth put down his pen and wished, yet again, that Kwin was there. He detested paperwork, yet it had to be done. If Kwin was back, he would be suffering instead of Gareth.

  But that wasn’t the only reason he wanted his friend back. He missed him more than words could describe and his concern for Kwin was constantly on his mind.

  The journey back to Tippet had been uneventful. Gareth took Luka directly to the Flint estate, where Shona made her feel more than welcome. Initially her father had opposed a Wayvern living in his house, but relented as soon as he heard how much Luka had helped with Shona’s rescue. The two women got on well and were now the best of friends. Shona even enjoyed having Canis around, though she had tried, unsuccessfully, to ban him from the furniture.

  Most of Luka’s servants opted to return to the homes they had been taken from, but Koal, Drake, Shelby, Kail and Henna decided to remain with her. Initially Lord Flint’s chef was against having another chef in his kitchen, until he tasted what Koal could do, at which point he handed over his position to him and begged him to let him be his apprentice.

  Lord Flint’s butler was elderly and was glad to have Drake’s help. He had hoped to retire but he wished to train someone to take over his duties first and none of the other servants were able to do the job to his standards. The few who had shown potential had been taken at the same time as Shona. After only one day of working with Drake he announced that Hellan or Petra must have sent him.

  Just outside the estate was a rundown cottage, owned by the Flints, and Kail was given permission to fix it up. A number of men from the nearby village offered to help and Kail and Henna soon moved in. Kail and the volunteers then set to work building a workshop on the side so Kail could set up his forge. The village had no blacksmith and the locals had often complained about how far they had to travel to get things mended so they welcomed Kail with open arms.

  Shelby automatically took on the role, once more, of Luka’s personal maid, even though Luka insisted that she didn’t need one.

  After they had been back a few weeks, Gareth had asked Luka about her plans for the future. She had enough funds to buy her own house, but she had yet to even start looking. She was content staying with Shona, who had begged her not to move out too quickly, and was unsure as to when she would move on. She was putting off finding a life for herself, but she wasn’t ready to start thinking about it yet.

  Deep down, she wasn’t happy and Gareth knew there was only one thing that would fix that; knowing that Kwin was safe.

  He visited her as often as he could, but the invasion of Wayvern was still ongoing and he frequently had to return there.

  He sighed and picked up his pen again. The paperwork wouldn’t do itself. Then he dropped it again as a voice sounded in his head.

  “Gareth. Where are you?”

  “Kwin!” he cried out, then repeated it mentally along his link to his friend. “I’m in Tippet. Where are you? How are you? Why have you been out of touch for so long?”

  He heard Kwin laughing. “It’s a long story. The arrow that hit me was poisoned. My life was saved by an elderly Wayvern woman but when I regained consciousness I didn’t know who I was.”

  “You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice. Where are you?” Gareth asked again.

  “Luka’s estate.” There was a pause before Kwin continued. “She’s not here and it looks like she left in a hurry. The place is deserted. I’m worried about her.”

  Gareth couldn’t help smiling at his friend’s distress. Under normal circumstances he would have enjoyed winding Kwin up for a while, but he was so happy to finally hear from him that he immediately told him that Luka was safe.

  “Come home,” he said once Kwin had finished thanking him.

  “I’ll be there a soon as I can.”

  That was all Gareth needed to hear. He ran from the room, calling for someone to get his horse ready for him. If he rode fast, he could get to the Flint estate in only a few hours.

  ————————————-∞————————————-

  “Shona, Luka,” Luka heard Gareth call out. The two ladies were in Shona’s personal sitting room, making baby clothes for Henna, who had recently found out she was pregnant. They had purchased a lot already for her, but Luka wanted to give her something with a personal touch and Shona was more than happy to help out.

  Hearing the excitement in Gareth’s voice, they dropped everything and ran from the room. As soon as he spotted them, Gareth grabbed hold of Shona and spun her around. “He’s alive,” he cried out in delight.

  It took a moment for Luka to realise what he had said. “Kwin?”

  “Yes. He contacted me a few hours ago. He’s heading here as fast as he can.”

  Luka wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. She was going to see Kwin again. He was coming to see her. Then her stomach sank. She was deluding herself. This was Shona’s house; he was coming to see Shona, not her.

  She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn’t hear what Gareth was saying until he called her name.

  “Are you alright? You’ve gone pale.”

  “Just a little shocked,” she lied.

  “I was just saying that he lost his memory and it returned when he got to your house. It was deserted and he was concerned about you, but don’t worry, I let him know that you are here and are safe.”

  Luka smiled. Hearing that he was worried about her lifted her spirits once more.

  Shona asked Drake to organise some refreshments then find her father, then took Gareth into the sitting room, where he told the two ladies all he knew.

  Lord Flint was delighted with the news. He shook Gareth’s hand and thanked him for delivering it so quickly.

  He then hugged his daughter. “It seems we have a wedding to organise.”

  Never had a sentence made Luka feel so ill. Since arriving in Tippet, the fact that Kwin was going to marry Shona was never mentioned and Luka had almost forgotten about it. Luka liked Shona, she liked her a lot and she knew that she would be good for Kwin, but she couldn’t force herself to be happy for her friend.

  She made an excuse that she would be in the way as wedding plans were discussed and left the room. As soon as she got to her room, she threw up an aural shield, flung herself on her bed and began to sob.

  Chapter 46

  Kwin felt oddly nervous as he rode up to Lord Flint’s house. The door opened as he dismounted and a familiar voice greeted him.

  “It’s good to see you Kwin.”

  “You too Drake.”

  A boy appeared and took Kwin’s horse, promising to rub him down then feed and water him. The poor animal had been ridden hard and deserved some pampering.

  Upon leaving Luka’s house, Kwin had told Captain Wood that he needed to reach Tippet, fast. The captain assigned his two fastest riders to escort him and promised to accompany Maggie to Lord Flint’s house.

  Kwin and the two soldiers rode as fast as they could, stopping every time they met other Tippetian soldiers to swap their mounts.

  Once they were back on Tippetian soil, the soldiers went to report to their commander and Kwin continued the rest of his journey alone
.

  “Would you like me to sneak you in the back so you can eat before anyone else knows you’re here?” Drake asked. “Luka and Gareth are with Shona and her father, finalising the wedding plans.”

  Kwin was aware that the wedding had been planned for the following day. He had been in regular contact with Gareth, who had told him everything. Kwin, in return, had kept his friend up to date on his journey’s progress so everyone was aware he would make it in time.

  Lord Flint had suggested postponing it for a few days, just to be on the safe side, but both Shona and Kwin had insisted on getting married as soon as possible. Both felt that they couldn’t put their time in Wayvern behind them until then.

  Initially Kwin considered asking for a delay until Maggie arrived, but eventually decided not to. She was visiting Tippet to see the magic academy, not attend his wedding, so she wouldn’t mind missing it.

  “I’m not hungry,” Kwin said as he ran his fingers over his beard. “But I would appreciate being able to clean up first. And I really should shave before seeing Luka.”

  “No problem. Follow me.”

  “How is she?” Kwin asked as Drake led him around the house to the back door.

  “Looking forward to seeing you.”

  Koal was in the kitchen when the two men entered. Without saying anything, he pulled Kwin into a bear hug. “You had us all worried,” he said when he released him. “Never do that to us again.”

  “I won’t. It’s good to see you. I have really missed you. And your cooking.”

  Drake led Kwin up the servants’ stairs and then through the upper part of the house to the guest suite which had been prepared for him. Clean clothes had been laid out on the bed.

  Kwin smiled. “It’s good to see being in Tippet hasn’t changed you,” he said to Drake. “As efficient as ever I see.”

  Once he had showered, shaved and put on clean clothes, he left the room. Drake was outside waiting for him. He led him down the stairs and to a door on the right. Without knocking, he opened the door.