“By the look on your faces I’m guessing you’ve spotted the smoke,” he said. “I told ye there was weird folk abroad. I dashed up here to check on you and found little Ilene here on her lonesome, so I thought I’d best stay and wait for ye to come home.”
Alira opened her arms as her daughter toddled towards her. She scooped her up and kissed the child’s forehead.
Kaiden shook the old angler’s hand. “Thank you, Tamlin. When did you spot the smoke?” He reached above the cottage’s doorframe and took a key from its hiding spot.
“I saw the first around an hour ago, far to the east. Then the others appeared, one after the other. Could it be Yundol raiders?”
“I hope to Niveren it isn’t,” Alira whispered. Ilene was fast asleep her golden hair intertwined with her mother’s, her face pressed into her parent’s neck. The child was snoring softly.
Kaiden unlocked the cottage’s door and led the way inside. The house was not very large. The ground floor was an open space comprised of a kitchen and living area. A ladder led up to the roof space and the bedrooms. Alira climbed up to the higher floor and set about putting Ilene down for her evening nap. Kaiden and Tamlin, meanwhile, sat down in front of the open fireplace.
“I doubt it is the Yundols,” Kaiden said. “I remember their last invasion. I was just a boy when they landed. The fighting cost my father his life but we drove them back into the sea. It was a hard long fight, but we smashed them.”
Kaiden’s mind drifted back to his childhood and the dark memories it brought with it. He had held his father in his arms, as he died, the sounds of battle raging all around. It had been the day when he had first taken up arms.
“Aye,” Tamlin said. “I had doubts myself. The ships I saw were not of Yundol make. If anything, they reminded me of the stories my grandfather used to tell. He used to talk of the men of Sarpi, the men who wore strange armour and sailed serpent ships … the men whose eyes glittered in the darkness.”
Kaiden nodded. He was deep in thought. He, too, remembered the stories of the Sarpi. Once they had been masters of a vast Empire far across the ocean. Then Danon had come, and his rule of darkness brought down all of the ancient empires of man. The Sarpi had not been heard from ever since those days. Even during the time of the Golden Empire, they had only been a myth. After all that he had witnessed at Eclin five years before, he could not help but think that Danon’s return and the Sarpi were connected.
“Well I best not keep you,” Tamlin said. He stood up and stretched. “I’ll head back to the village and see what news I can gather. Goodbye, Alira, good bye little one,” he called to the roof space.
Both men smiled when a giggly “goodbye” responded. Kaiden waved his friend farewell. He stood in the cottage’s doorway and frowned. His gaze drifted over to the nearby stable house. He waited for Tamlin to disappear down the hill before crossing over to the wooden structure. Inside, he was greeted by a welcoming snicker from Herald, his trusty horse. The white animal was old now, and past his prime as a warhorse. These days, Kaiden just used him for easy farm work; in the old beast’s retirement, it should not have to work too hard after all. He affectionately stroked the horse’s grey mussel.
“I had hoped that I would never have to do this again, my old friend,” he sighed reluctantly. The horse licked him in the face. Kaiden chuckled as he entered Heralds’ pen. At the back was a long oak chest hidden amongst the straw. Kneeling in the hay, he unlatched it and lifted the lid. Inside was his sword, sheathed in its blue and gold scabbard. He picked up the weapon and reverently pulled the sword from its sheathe. The silver blade was polished to a bright shine, and the seven-pointed gold star engraved on the pommel glistened. The weight felt good and familiar.
“I pray to Niveren that I will not need to use you,” he whispered.
Quickly, he closed the chest and hurried out of the stable, the sword tucked inside his tunic. If Alira saw him with it, she would only worry.
* * *
Kaiden could not sleep; but it wasn’t the sound of the sea or the night’s heat that had woken him. It was a feeling of dread. The sight of the distant smoke plumes had him worried. He slid out of bed, being careful not to disturb Alira who was snoring happily. Ilene too was sound asleep in her little bed, which lay close to the door. Tiptoeing to the room’s door, he took the tunic hanging from the peg and put it on before slipping out of the room and onto the landing. He climbed down the ladder, which led to the ground floor. Once at the bottom, he tilted his head in order to listen.
A clink sounded from outside the cottage. Cautiously, he moved towards the front door and stopped. Only the sound of the nearby sea lapping gently against the sandy shore could be heard. Nonetheless, Kaiden could not shake the sense that something was wrong. He walked to the fireplace and reached up into the chimneystack. He sighed in relief as his fingers grazed the hilt of his sword. After he had brought the weapon inside from the stables, he had hidden it inside the chimney.
He took the sword and unsheathed it from its scabbard, before returning to the door.
As quietly as he could, he unlatched it and slowly opened it. Cool night air drifted into the cottage. He sniffed it. The sense of unease deepened; the tinge of smoke entered his nostrils.
Another clink sounded nearby. Kaiden raised his sword and settled into a defensive stance.
“Who’s out there?” he called out into the darkness.
He flinched as a loud crash came from the stables. The sound of Herald in distress made Kaiden break into a run. Within moments, he reached the outbuilding and kicked open the door. Herald was pacing his stall nervously, his eyes wide with fear. Kaiden narrowed his eyes; in the dark he could see very little.
“Easy boy,” he said soothingly to the horse. With his sword, he swept the straw laid on the stable floor. It was deep enough for a man to hide beneath.
He spun around with a shout as the stable door slammed shut. He dashed over to it and tried to pull it open. It would not budge. He pressed his head against the wood and heard someone sliding a metallic object through the door’s latch. Panic filled him. Alira and his child were in danger; he had to escape!
‘Alira!’ he bellowed in panic. He took a step back before savagely kicking the stable door.
The wood rocked with the impacts, but it would not budge. A scream sounded from outside, followed by another. Kaiden roared in frustration. He kicked the door repeatedly until sweat poured into his eyes and his breaths came in ragged gasps. The sounds of struggle could be heard, and shouts followed.
A bright light flashed quickly, followed by an agonised scream. Kaiden closed his eyes. Alira had used her magic. He just hoped that her untrained power would be enough to protect their child.
“Leave her alone!” Ilene cried. The little girl must be terrified. His daughter’s cry spurred him into action. With his sword, he began to hack savagely at the wood until the sharp blade pierced the door. Now it was weakened, he rained blow after blow with his weapon. The wood cracked. He tossed aside his now blunted sword and ripped the door apart with his bare hands. Splinters bit into his skin but he ignored the pain.
He could now see outside.
A group of four men stood outside the cottage. Lying in a smoking heap was another, a victim of Alira’s magical fire. In their hands were deadly two-handed curved swords of the like Kaiden had never seen before.
They all wore dark cloaks over a suit of scaled armour, which glinted in the moonlight, but their most striking feature was their eyes. They shone silver in the darkness. Kaiden cried out as one of the strange attackers struck Alira, sending her sprawling onto the ground.
“Take the child and the mage. They will fetch a good price,” hissed the biggest of the four.
“What of him?” asked another, one slightly shorter and more muscular.
The leader turned to glare at Kaiden who could only stare back in frustration. He looked down and saw the metal rod, which had been used to secure the stable door. He reached throu
gh the hole he created and tried to remove the metal. It would not budge.
“We have tarried here for too long as it is,” the leader replied. “Leave him. He is helpless.”
Kaiden raged at the strange men, but his angry shouts soon turned into desperate sobs as his unconscious wife and screaming child were dragged off into the night.
* * *
The sun peeked over the eastern horizon, lighting up the sea with a dazzling array of colour. The sky itself turned from darkness to a fiery red.
To any observer, the sight would have inspired or promoted the thought that the day ahead would be a good one. Kaiden did not notice the sight. He was asleep, his eyes red and sore from the tears he had shed. He was exhausted by his efforts to escape the stable.
His hands were bloody from his attempts to rip his way through the stubborn wood, and by his side laid his broken sword. The blade had snapped as he savagely hacked away at the metal object barring the door. Finally, he had collapsed to fall into a deep sleep.
Kaiden moaned as Herald licked his master’s face. The horse’s muzzle was soft and damp. With a groan, Kaiden opened his sore eyes. For a brief moment, he had thought that it had all been some terrible nightmare, in which he had dreamed of his wife and child being stolen from him. When he realised it was real, he sobbed. He pushed Herald’s muzzle out of his face and absent-mindedly stroked his loyal steed.
“Ahoy there!” came a voice from outside the stable. Kaiden scrambled to his feet and ran to the door. He cried out in relief as he recognised Tamlin cautiously approaching the house.
“Tamlin! By Niveren, it is good to see you. Please get me out of here!”
The old man jumped in surprise, and his thick grey eyebrows rose on his wrinkled head as he spotted Kaiden’s predicament. Tamlin scurried over to the stable. He tried to move the metal barring the door but could not. He gripped the object with two hands and heaved, but again it would not budge.
“I can’t move it!” Tamlin said scratching his head. “It doesn’t look heavy, it doesn’t feel heavy and yet I cannot move it.”
Kaiden frowned and leant out of the hole in the wooden door. Now that the sun was casting his light he could see the object which was barring the stable doors. It was a simple metal rod, dull grey in colour. The light caught the object for a brief second, and a kaleidoscope of gold lines flashed upon its surface. They were runes, Kaiden realised.
“The rod is magical in nature,” he whispered. Tamlin had his hands on his hips. His old and worn cloak was smeared with dirt and the old man’s face was covered in what looked like soot.
Before Kaiden could ask why, the old man disappeared from view. He heard Tamlin rooting around for something.
“Aha!”
Tamlin came back into view. In his hands was the heavy sledgehammer that Kaiden had used the previous day to break up some rocks for the path he was planning on making.
“Stand back, lad!”
Kaiden did as he was told.
The old man raised the hammer high above his head with a grunt. Tamlin may have looked old but he was far stronger than many expected. His years of swimming and fishing kept him in good shape.
With a shout, Tamlin swung the hammer with all his might. The heavy head smashed into the metal rod. It did not break.
“Son of a …” the angler muttered. He shrugged his shoulders and took a deep breath before swinging the hammer for a second time. This time when the hammer struck, a satisfying cracking sound came from the rod.
Swearing, Tamlin delivered another three blows before the strange rod finally cracked in two. The old man cackled and wiped the sweat from his brow.
Kaiden pushed open the door and fell to his knees.
Tamlin caught him before he fell onto his face.
“By Niveren, what happened here, lad? Where is Alira and the little one?”
“They’re gone,” Kaiden wept. “Men took them, men whose eyes shone in the darkness.” The old man held his young friend tightly as he sobbed.
Finally, he eased Kaiden’s grip and knelt before him.
“They weren’t the only ones, lad. The village … the village was destroyed last night. I saw the flames and heard the screams from my hut on the beach.” He looked away. “I am afraid to say that I hid when I saw the men with the eyes. They must have come from further up the coast. Those smoke plumes were other villages put to the sword.”
“You said others had been taken, Tamlin,” Kaiden said, staggering to his feet. “How many?”
“A dozen at least – men, women and children. It is the strangest thing, though. They killed some folk, spared others and only took a few,”
Kaiden rubbed his eyes tiredly. He spotted a bucket of water next to the small stony well in the centre of the courtyard. He strode over to it and dunked his head into the cool water. He shook his head, sending spray everywhere. The coldness of the liquid cleared some of the weariness from his body and sharpened his mind. Clenching his fists, Kaiden went back inside the stable. He took a saddle off the rack on the wall and set about preparing Herald for travel.
“You’re going after them,” Tamlin said. It sounded like he already knew the answer.
Kaiden pulled the harness tightly around the horse’s muzzle and checked the animal’s hooves.
“They have, what, a few hours head start at best? With prisoners in tow, they will not be moving at speed.” He climbed into the saddle. Herald’s ears perked up and he stamped his feet in excitement.
“Good luck, my friend. Be careful,” Tamlin said as Kaiden kicked his heels into Herald’s flanks and bolted from the stable.
* * *
The wind whistled through Kaiden’s black hair as he galloped along the cliff tops. He had been riding hard for the past half hour and already Herald was panting heavily in exhaustion. The old horse would need to rest soon or risk injury. He was riding east along the Marble Shore, the long golden beaches and turquoise waters passing quickly by beneath him. He had passed through a small hamlet and found its cottages in ruins and the bodies of half dozen villagers lying face down in the dirt. He was on the right trail but he knew that his old horse would not be able to take him further, not at top speed at any rate.
With a roar of frustration, he pulled back on the reigns to slow Herald to a trot. The horse’s breaths were ragged but slowed.
“It’s not your fault, boy,” he said soothingly into Herald’s twitching ear. “I should have protected them.”
The sun was rising higher in the eastern horizon and already the day promised to be a hot one. Temperatures on the Marble Shore could rise to unbearable levels – another obstacle to his pursuit. He looked out to sea and frowned. Four black dots were visible on the horizon. As he focused, he could see that they were ships, serpent-shaped ships. He swore before spurring Herald into a gallop once again. He made his way down the cliff side road and towards the village of Seaedge. As he got closer, he could see that it, too, was on fire. A thick black plume of smoke was rising high into the air. As he rode into the village, he saw a number of people rushing about with buckets of water.
“Hail there,” one of the villagers said as he spotted Kaiden. He was a man with a ragged face and spindly arms; an old angler, no doubt.
“What business do you have here? If you’re looking for fish, well as you can see there isn’t any.” The man chuckled to himself. Kaiden arched an eyebrow. For someone whose home had probably just been destroyed, the man seemed in good spirits.
“I’m not here for fish,” Kaiden said as he slid out of the saddle. “I am in pursuit of men dragging prisoners with them. Was it they that burnt the village?” He led Herald over to one of the fire-fighters buckets and the horse greedily began to drink.
“Aye, the Sarpi were here. Their ships came at first light. At first they looked as though they were wanting to trade. We even offered them food and drink, and they paid in coin. They turned aggressive, though, when others reached the village from the road. There must’ve been fifty
of them, and with them they had double that number of folk in chains.”
“What happened then?” Kaiden asked. “I passed through a hamlet back yonder. No one was left alive.” He ran his hand through Herald’s mane and petted the horse gently. Herald looked up in surprise as a cry came from the village square and a wooden house collapsed with a crashing of timbers.
“If they weren’t in such a hurry,” the man said, “then things could have been a lot worse here.”
Kaiden looked at the man questioningly.
“Why were they in a hurry?”
The man was about to reply when the low tone of a horn sounded from the cliffs above. Marching rapidly down the road was a cohort of a hundred legionaries, their silver breastplates glinting in the sunlight.
“That’s why,” the man said simply with a shrug of his shoulders. With a nod, he scurried off to join other villagers tackling a blaze.
Kaiden waited for the soldiers to reach the village. As soon as they arrived, the cohort’s commander began to bellow orders to his men to assist in tackling the flames.
“Get those fires out, you gits. Blast it all – we were too late again.”
Kaiden walked towards the commander. Perhaps the soldier had some idea as to where the raiders would be heading.
“I thought we had them this time,” the commander growled. He was a tall muscular man with cropped greying hair. Kaiden guessed that he was around forty is age.
“Do you know who they are? My wife and child …”
The commander jumped and swore loudly as he noticed the man standing close by. He regarded Kaiden with a look of suspicion before taking off his plumed helmet.
“Niveren be damned, but I think they are Sarpi. Me and my men have been trying to catch the bastards in the act, as it were. Twenty coastal settlements on Delfinnia’s south coast have been attacked over the past month. At first, we thought they were Yundol marauders or pirates, but the testimony of survivors suggested the Sarpi. They described men with eyes that shone in the dark.”
War for the Sundered Crown (The Sundered Crown Saga Book 2) Page 4