The Stewards of Reed, Volume 1: The Rise of Fallon

by Wark, RM

  “Are you all right?” asked Dennison, noticing that Edna appeared frantic.

  “Why would you think Clive was with me?” she repeated.

  Dennison shrugged. “The day you left, he mentioned he might head to Jessum to be with you. I have not seen him since, so I assumed that is what he did.”

  Now Edna started to cry.

  Holding his son in one arm, Dennison wrapped his other arm around Edna and brought her inside.

  “Wizards be damned, what is going on, Edna?” he asked, alarmed.

  “He is gone, Dennison.”

  “What do you mean he is gone?”

  “He did not come with me to Jessum. Clive is dead,” she said between sobs.

  “I -- I do not understand.”

  “There is no body, but there is blood. I know it is his.” Now Edna began to wail.

  Dennison was in a state of shock. Clive had been his best friend since they were boys barely five years of age. He could not be dead. It was not yet his time. “I am certain there is an explanation. I must see this for myself.”

  Edna nodded her head and wiped away her tears.

  “Lana, come take the boy. I must go!” shouted Dennison.

  Soon Dennison would be staring at the same pewter candlestick and stains on the floor that Edna had seen when she first came home. A damp white rag wiped on the floor confirmed the stains were blood. There was nothing outside to see. Dennison’s heart beat harder in his chest.

  “You see?” cried Edna.

  Dennison did not answer her at first. He just stared into space for a while, his mind racing. “Perhaps this is someone else’s blood. Perhaps Clive killed someone and is hiding out for now,” he offered, but he did not really believe it himself. He thought about the other members of his crew that had died or disappeared in recent years: Rex, Barnaby, Taylor. He had not thought anything of it before, but now that Clive was missing, it was all too suspect.

  Edna did not believe it was anyone else’s blood either. “Dennison, you must find the fool that did this to my boy. You must ensure that fool never sees the light of day again.” Her grief and anger were palpable.

  Dennison turned to her, his own eyes filling with tears. “I shall. If it is the last thing I do, I promise.”

  *************

  For the first time since her journey to find her mother’s journals began, Lady Dinah knew exactly where she was going. Lord Rowan lived on the outskirts of Middleton, a small oasis in the middle of a large empty desert.

  It was amazing how quickly the scenery changed from the rolling green hills around Lucerne to sparse grassland to dry barren desert. She had made this journey more times than she cared to count. Of course, that had been some time ago, when she and Lord Rowan were in love.

  She had not really spoken to him since the end of the Second War. He had wanted her to come with him to Middleton, away from her mother’s castle on Mt. Xavier, away from the sad memories. But it was all too soon, and she declined in anger. “Have you no respect for my mother now departed? How could I possibly leave behind everything that she built and stay in your boring sand trap of a house? Leave me. What we had is no more.”

  She had replayed that conversation in her head a million times and each time she wished it had come out differently. She had not really wanted to push him away; she was just struggling with a swarm of conflicting emotions about her mother. She had seen him twice since, each time at the Council of Wizards meeting. This is a special gathering of all the wizards which takes place every ten years on the evening of the first new moon following the summer solstice. Lord Rowan kept his distance out of respect, and Lady Dinah kept her distance out of embarrassment for her actions. But she had always hoped that time would heal the rift and they would be able to start new again…perhaps this visit would provide that opportunity.

  They had been traveling for several days across the desert when she awoke to the sound of the wind. Stepping out of her tent, she could see the sky was dark purple with flashes of lightning here and there followed by deep rumbles of thunder that seemed to carry on for miles. The wind had picked up considerably and was starting to pelt the tents as well as the horse and pony, who made clear their displeasure with loud neighs. Then she saw it. The dark funnel in the distance, swirling in anger, coming straight for them.

  “Gordon, wake up NOW!” shouted the wizard.

  The groggy dwarf poked his head out of the tent and was immediately gripped by fear. The funnel dominated the horizon and the entire world seemed to be screaming in anger. Before Gordon could fully process what his eyes beheld, Lady Dinah ran into her tent, grabbed her wand and then headed back into the center of her camp.

  “Cingit! Tueri!” she cried, drawing her wand in a large circle above her head. Within seconds it was as if the entire campsite was within an enclosed bubble, with the raging wind swirling outside, pelting their enclosure with an endless sea of sand and rain. Gordon could see that the wizard was struggling to maintain the enclosure. As the winds blew, the entire campsite would occasionally lift from the ground and it took every ounce of strength and determination Lady Dinah had to set it back down.

  Lady Dinah’s wand was still aloft, her eyes were closed, and she was chanting “Praemunio!” at the top of her lungs. The winds raged on outside and Gordon was afraid it would all be too much for Lady Dinah. He could tell she was quickly becoming weak. The enclosure jostled a few more times but the wizard managed to stand her ground, at least a little while longer. Eventually she collapsed onto the ground, the protective enclosure collapsing with her.

  Gordon ran towards Lady Dinah and dragged her into her tent, away from the lingering wind and rain of the storm. “My lady, my lady, speak please, my lady!” he cried. But she did not move.

  The storm passed a short while later. Lady Dinah’s head was resting on Gordon’s lap and he was aimlessly stroking her hair when she finally stirred.

  “I need water, Gordon,” she whispered.

  He carefully held the canteen to her mouth as she drank slowly.

  “Now let me rest.”

  She slept for two days.

  *************

  Eventually Lady Dinah and Gordon made their way to Middleton. Fed by artesian wells, it was a lush area of palm trees and decorative fountains surrounded by endless dunes of sand. The architecture was mostly of a clay-like material, but it was adorned with beautiful mosaic tiles not unlike those that lined the floor of the Council Chambers of Reed.

  Lady Dinah wanted to stop in at a local cafe and have a bite to eat and some tea. She was still somewhat exhausted from the storm, but she was also somewhat anxious about seeing Lord Rowan again and wanted to calm her nerves before continuing on. The waitress and many of the other patrons looked curiously at Gordon; it was clear they had never seen a dwarf before, yet no one bothered him.

  With a deep sigh Lady Dinah finished her tea, left some gold pieces on the table and headed back towards her horse with Gordon following close behind. They made their way north of the village, crisscrossing through a maze of intersecting desert paths that Lady Dinah deftly navigated from memory.

  “We are almost there,” she said. The midday sun was beating down and a soft haze hovered above the ground, but Gordon could not see anything between them and the horizon. They rode on for another half hour when Lady Dinah finally stopped.

  “Revelare, si placet,” the wizard said, holding her wand up high. The haze parted before Gordon’s eyes and in the distance he could see a large clay home with a red-tiled roof and a beautiful large fountain in front. After spending so many hours under the hot desert sun, Gordon was nearly tempted to jump into the fountain’s pool of refreshing water.

  They started to make their way towards the home when they were stopped at the entrance to the compound. “What is your purpose here?” an old man sitting in a guard room started to ask. He stopped as soon as he caught sight of Lady Dinah’s face. “Lady Dinah!”

  “It is quite nice to see you, Vincent,
” she replied with a smile. “Is Lord Rowan in?”

  “Aye, he is, but…” the guard was clearly uncomfortable with the unexpected arrival of Lady Dinah.

  “Then please tell him I am here and would like to see him.”

  “Aye, my lady.” Vincent walked as fast as he could to the house.

  A few moments later, Lord Rowan himself came out to greet his guests. “Lady Dinah, how do you do?”

  “I am well, and yourself?”

  “It is good to see you.”

  “May we come in?”

  “Of course, please follow me.”

  Gordon left the horse and pony in Vincent’s care and followed Lady Dinah into the house. The front doors led to the main hall, a beautiful room with high ceilings and large red-tiled floors. Numerous doors of glass formed the back wall of the room, revealing an outdoor courtyard filled with small fountains and hanging plants.

  “Please sit down, I shall bring you some tea,” said Lord Rowan. When he returned, he was not alone. A beautiful woman with long brown hair and soft brown eyes was at his side.

  “Lady Dinah, how do you do?” the beautiful woman asked as she moved forward in an embrace.

  “Lady Nadine,” exclaimed Lady Dinah in surprise. “I was not expecting to see you here.”

  “I could say the same about you,” Lady Nadine replied with an awkward laugh.

  Gordon seemed to go unnoticed, which was not too unusual in the company of wizards. They all sat down with their tea.

  “I suppose you heard the news?” asked Lady Nadine finally, after an uncomfortable silence.

  “Of the Eastern Wizards?” replied Lady Dinah. “Aye, I have seen Lord Edmund recently.”

  Lady Nadine and Lord Rowan exchanged nervous glances. “Aye, that is troubling news. We have not seen any Eastern Wizards pass by this way, but we shall be more alert now,” Lord Rowan said. “There is other news, my Queen,” he said after a short pause. “Lady Nadine and I are to be married.”

  Lady Dinah watched as Lord Rowan grabbed hold of Lady Nadine’s hand, and she felt her heart shatter into a thousand pieces. Nevertheless, she managed to force a smile. “I had not heard. Congratulations.”

  “Thank you,” replied Lady Nadine.

  Wanting to maintain her composure, Lady Dinah was quick to change the subject. “You are probably wondering why I am here. I was actually hoping that you might have some of my mother’s old journals in your library. I have been trying to track them down as of late, and I have visited many wizards in the past few years in hopes of finding them.”

  “I took quite a few items from your mother’s library before the Second War. You are welcome to have a look and take back what you want,” offered Lord Rowan.

  “Thank you.”

  “Well, I shall save you a trip to Cordova,” said Lady Nadine. “I did not take anything from the queen’s library.”

  Lady Dinah smiled. “Our time is short. Would you mind showing me to your library now, Lord Rowan?”

  “Of course,” said Lord Rowan.

  Lady Dinah and Gordon excused themselves from Lady Nadine’s company and followed Lord Rowan down a hallway that led to his library. They spent several hours going through the books, but admittedly Lady Dinah’s mind was a bit scattered. Gordon did not know of her previous affair with Lord Rowan – he had not even been born when they parted ways – but he knew something was amiss.

  Gordon held up a beautiful maroon journal etched in letters he could not comprehend. “My lady, is this what you are looking for?”

  Lady Dinah took the journal from his hands and studied it carefully. Her eyes filled with tears and she began to weep openly. “Aye, thank you, Gordon. This trip was not a complete waste of time after all.”

  Lady Dinah could not bear to spend any more time at Lord Rowan’s, so despite his protests, they left his compound shortly thereafter, in the dead of the night. She did not say much during the weeks they spent traveling back to Mt. Xavier, but Gordon would often hear her soft sobs late at night when she thought he was sleeping.

  *************

  Gentry did not return to Colton that year. He had quickly learned that it was one thing to dismiss the concerns of one’s parents; it was quite another to be dismissive of one’s girlfriend. Daria had noticed the change in his demeanor after he returned from digging Clive’s grave. “It is nothing,” Gentry had told her – repeatedly – but she did not believe him. Many a fight had been had, and Gentry knew he must take a break for a while if he wanted to keep his love. It was just as well. Things were not safe now that Dennison was wise to the fact that someone was hunting down his crew, and presumably himself.

  Ever since Steward Isaiah had been struck with Silas’s arrow, a lingering pain resided in his chest and he was perplexed by a certain weakness that would come on suddenly, leaving him unable to do much but sit down wherever he was until the feeling subsided. Elder Catherine had been by to see him, but aside from prescribing some herbs, she was at a loss as to how to help him. So the Steward began to enlist Gentry’s help with more of Fallon’s lessons. Gentry was more than happy to spend additional time with his best friend, and it was even better that he was being paid to do so. He had his eye on a necklace that would look beautiful on Daria.

  Before the winter set in, Steward Isaiah, Fallon and Gentry made a trip down to Henly. Having seen Bartow, Fallon was not as impressed with the size of Henly, but he was impressed with the amount of commerce that took place within the little trading town. There was a bustling port with all sorts of goods brought in from Sandoval and Laredo, and all sorts of goods that were destined for those very same towns. Henly was fast-paced and downright chaotic at times, but there was a certain energy about it that Fallon found addictive.

  Although the first snowfall came early that year, it ended up being a rather mild winter with only a few small storms. This was especially fortuitous for the Village of Reed as their food reserves were still quite low, having lost so much during the Komanite raid the previous spring. Many were hopeful that the rationing would end with the coming of spring. In the meantime, Hammond was busy training his army to protect what little food reserves they had.

  It would have been a rather unremarkable winter if it were not for the recurring dream that haunted Fallon for days after every incident. But still he did not speak of it. Nor did he speak of the beautiful girl with the jet-black hair who otherwise occupied his thoughts when they were not entangled with the Steward’s lessons, drinking with Gentry, or the dream.

  Far away in Mt. Xavier, Lady Dinah also said nothing. She sat in silence with Lady Blythe day after day, meal after meal, listlessly moving from one white room to another. And she would have stayed that way all winter if not for the call. One morning, the entire castle was awakened by a sound that can most closely be described as that of a wet finger encircling the rim of a crystal glass. Lady Dinah had not heard that sound since before the Second War of the Wizards, and her heart grew anxious and even a bit fearful. As she stepped close to her crystal ball, the fog inside the sphere dissipated and the image of Lady Adeline, now with hair as white as snow, appeared. “Something has happened to my father. Lord Milton is missing. Beware all. Beware.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  The 17th Year of Fallon

  A light snow was falling when Lady Dinah found herself in the little alleyway with the metal wind chime that was just like her mother’s. And again she found herself waiting – even though she now knew how to open the door. Others were coming, and they did not.

  Lord Clintock was the first to arrive. He was somber but polite, as always. “Good morning, my Queen. It is good to see you again, though I wish the circumstances were different.”

  Lady Dinah smiled. “It is always good to see you, Lord Clintock, though you need not call me ‘Queen’; I keep looking around for my mother.”

  The older wizard smiled kindly in acknowledgment and stood back against the brick wall as he took out his pipe. For a while they were silent, w
atching the swirl of pipe smoke rise against the falling snow. The sound of hurried footsteps broke their gaze, and a slight figure appeared before them.

  “Apologies for being late. I went out for more tea.” Lady Adeline pulled back her hood, and Lady Dinah was surprised to find her hair was still stark white.

  “You are not late. We are still waiting for one more,” said Lady Dinah.

  “And here I am,” came a voice around the corner of the L-shaped alleyway. It was the voice of Lord Rowan. Lady Dinah’s heart skipped a few beats, but she managed to look him in the eyes and smile softly. He smiled in return.

  “Thank you all for coming. Please follow me.” Lady Adeline opened the hidden door and swiftly navigated the maze of tunnels below the streets of Bartow. Before long all four wizards were standing in Lord Milton’s flat. The impeccably dressed young men were long gone; Lady Adeline had sent them home when she arrived the week prior. They told her they had not seen the “professor” for nearly half a year and had assumed he was on yet another sabbatical.

  As they sat down for tea, Lady Adeline explained how she had waited until the end of summer for her father to arrive. But when autumn took hold she knew she had to leave and find him; she was worried he had encountered trouble somewhere en route to Lucerne. Lord Milton was not a creature of habit, however, and Lady Adeline had no idea if he had planned to take the southern route through Quintara, the middle route through Aberdeen or the northern route through Stratford.

  “I went south,” she said, “zigzagging through Orinda, Genoa, Cordova, Laredo and finally Henly, but I did not find him anywhere. No one recalled seeing him.” Her eyes lowered and her voice became softer. “I did not feel his presence anywhere that I traveled…and I do not feel it here either.”

  The wizards shifted uncomfortably in their seats. They did not feel his presence either. Lord Milton was gone, but where?