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

by Wark, RM

  They parted later that afternoon, each promising to be on the lookout for Lord Milton: Lord Clintock would search the Laureline Region, Lady Dinah would search the Stratford Region, Lord Rowan would search the Aberdeen Region. Lady Adeline was to return to Lucerne and search the Durango Region.

  “Be careful, Lady Adeline – things are quite unsettled there,” Lord Rowan urged.

  “I know. I live on the border, remember?” she snapped. Then tears began pooling in her light green eyes. “I must find him. I am lost without my father.”

  “We shall find him,” Lady Dinah said, placing her hand on Lady Adeline’s shoulder.

  Lady Dinah spent the rest of the year searching for Lord Milton. She even risked another uncomfortable visit with Lord Quaid, but it was all for naught. Lord Milton was not there. Lord Milton was not anywhere.

  When a wizard dies, his body turns to dust. Several months prior, Lord Cephas had carefully collected the dust of Lord Milton into a copper vessel and brought it to the edge of the River Nye. The Eastern Wizard slowly emptied the contents of the vessel and watched as the current carried that dust far away, eventually to the shores of the West Samora Sea and beyond. It was a proper burial, even by Western Wizard standards.

  *************

  Tobias eyed his oldest son with pride. Fallon had grown into a fine young man; he could not believe the boy would be celebrating his 17th birthday soon. He watched as Fallon rode up the path with Attawan, leaving a trail of dust behind them.

  “Slow down there, or your horse might lose his step!” Tobias called out with a big smile on his face.

  Fallon brought Attawan to a halt and smiled back. “It is good to be home. Steward Isaiah has been relentless lately!”

  “It is good to see you, son,” said Tobias as he embraced Fallon.

  Later that evening, Elizabeth and Talia stopped by with some pies. “I heard Tobias had a visitor and I wanted to make certain the birthday boy was well fed,” joked Elizabeth.

  “Much obliged,” replied Fallon, already stuffing his face.

  Eventually the younger ones headed out to the front porch, watching the sun as it set over the horizon.

  “You are thirteen now, am I right?” asked Fallon, hoping to break the awkward silence with Talia.

  “Aye,” she said, blushing.

  “I never had a chance to ask you before: what did you decide to do? Are you staying in school or have you decided to go into business selling baked goods with your mother?” Fallon winked at the latter part of the question; everyone knew he was a big fan of their breads and pies.

  “I stayed in school, actually,” she said. “I should like to go to the university in Bartow someday.”

  “That is wonderful!” said Fallon, impressed.

  Talia smiled brightly at his approval.

  “Not me,” said Zeke. “I am done with schooling. I would leave now if I could. I would much rather be working the farm, outside in the fresh air, than in that stuffy old schoolhouse.”

  Fallon laughed at his brother and ruffled his hair. “Education is important, too,” he said.

  “Too bad it is so boring,” frowned his brother.

  Fallon and Talia both rolled their eyes and laughed. “You are positively hopeless,” she teased.

  This made Zeke smile brightly.

  This particular trip to Littlebrook was short, only a week. Steward Isaiah was becoming increasingly anxious at how much was left to teach Fallon, and how quickly the time was flying by. “I fear I wasted so much valuable time before, we must make up for that now,” the Steward explained.

  *************

  While Fallon was away in Littlebrook, Gentry finally returned to Colton. He was surprised to find that Dennison was not there. His men were there – still hanging out at the Settler’s Inn, creating havoc where ever they wandered – but Dennison was not. His shabby green house was dark with no signs of life. Perhaps he went on holiday? thought Gentry, disappointed.

  Every month or so Gentry would make a return trip to Colton, but still there was no sign of Dennison. One night in Heptuly, Gentry decided it was time to investigate further. He had to know what happened to Dennison, so he broke into the shabby green house. Gentry had been careful, or so he thought, and he made certain no one was around as he lit a small lantern and walked through the house. It had been packed up in a hurry. Drawers were still left open, dirty dishes sat in the washing tub. A few small toys were on the floor, surrounded by dust that had not been swept out in quite some time.

  “Where did he go?” Gentry mumbled aloud. Discouraged, he blew out the lantern and headed out the door. As Gentry stepped off the front porch, a figure suddenly leaped out at him from behind a bush.

  “Slim, hurry! I have him!” A large man had knocked Gentry down and was trying to grab hold of him. He eventually wrestled his way atop Gentry, pinning him down.

  A smaller man, presumably Slim, came running up to them brandishing a knife. “Wizards be damned, Dennison was right. He said the fool would come back looking for him,” Slim said, eying Gentry closely. “Stand up. Slowly,” he ordered.

  Troy dragged Gentry up, holding him stiffly by the arm. But Gentry’s eyes were not on Troy or Slim, they were on the knife.

  “What should we do with him now? Kill him?” asked Troy.

  “No, Dennison wants him alive. We must send word that we have him,” replied Slim.

  Just then a loud neighing sound came from the shadows and the men turned their attention for a mere second. That was all the time Gentry needed. He kicked Troy in the shin as hard as he could and tore away from him, running as fast as his legs would allow towards Casper – the source of the neighs in the shadows. Slim tried to run after him but he could not match Gentry’s speed. He cursed loudly as Gentry galloped away.

  “Much obliged, my friend,” Gentry whispered in the horse’s ear as they left Colton. “Your neighs have never been such a welcome sound to my ears.”

  *************

  Fallon returned to Littlebrook several months later, keeping his promise not to miss any of his younger brother’s birthdays. Zeke was ten years old today, and the proud boy was happy to announce this fact repeatedly to all who would listen.

  In honor of the special occasion, Tobias had presented his young son with a bow and several arrows.

  “This is the best present ever!” exclaimed Zeke. “Come on, Fallon. Let us go find something to shoot!”

  The boys made their way out to a nearby tree; its trunk was thick enough to be a decent target, and there was not much else around should the arrows go awry.

  Fallon showed Zeke how to hold the bow properly, he had plenty of experience with that. “Now, do not be discouraged if you fail to hit the tree at first. It took quite some time and practice before I was able to hit my targets. I still miss most of them,” Fallon confessed.

  Zeke let the arrow fly. Thwark. His first time shooting a bow and arrow and it was a direct hit – right in the center of the trunk. He repeated the feat several more times, at various distances, proving to himself and Fallon that it was not just beginner’s luck. Zeke was a natural.

  Fallon just shook his head. “Of course you would be good at this.”

  *************

  In Nonatember, Steward Isaiah announced that they would be taking another trip – this time to Jessum. Not being a fan of the mining town, Gentry groaned at the news, but Fallon was quite excited. He still had fond memories of the wayward visitor from Jessum interrupting his class in Littlebrook all those years ago.

  “There is a special element I shall need for our next lesson that may be found in Jessum,” Steward Isaiah explained. “Besides, it is good for you to visit all the villages and towns in the Laureline Region. One day we may even go to Colton, though there is not much to that lawless village.”

  Gentry frowned at the reference to Colton. He had not yet figured out how he would learn of Dennison’s whereabouts. He knew he could not show his face back in Colton anytime soon,
not after what happened the last time with Troy and Slim, but he did not know how else to track the man down. He had come so far – it was frustrating to be denied final closure for Luca.

  They wandered the streets of Jessum. It was littered with general stores and other places that sold mining equipment, jewelers, banks, pubs and establishments where women dressed up and called out to men on the streets. Prospectors would come down from the Cook Mountains each evening and drink or screw away whatever paltry sum of money they had collected from the jewelers and banks that day. In truth, although the Cook Mountains were full of riches, those riches reached very few hands. For every prospector who struck gold, twenty others walked away with nothing save dirt for their troubles.

  “What special element are we looking for?” asked Fallon. “Shall we be searching the mines for it?”

  Steward Isaiah laughed. “No, my son. I know a reputable jeweler in town. He shall help us find what we need.”

  “I did not think there was such a thing as a reputable jeweler,” replied Gentry.

  “Do not let Saul hear you say that,” chuckled the Steward.

  Saul’s Jewelry Shop was on the corner of the main square in Jessum. He did not keep much on display - he found that doing so only invited trouble – but in his vault he kept a wide variety of gold and jewels of all colors, shapes and sizes.

  “Hello, Saul!” piped the Steward as he stepped into the shop.

  “Isaiah, it has been a long time. How have you been, my friend?” Saul was an older gentleman with thin grey hair, glasses and a generous smile.

  “Very well, thank you. These are my friends, Gentry and Fallon.”

  They exchanged greetings and turned back towards the Steward.

  “I am looking for a starcrest stone, my friend.”

  The jeweler arched one of his eyebrows in surprise. “Those are incredibly rare and difficult to come by, you know. What makes you think I have any to sell?”

  “Because if anyone in all of Laureline had the stone, or knew where to find one, it would be you,” replied the Steward, as he set a small bag of gold pieces on the counter.

  “The stone shall cost you twice that amount,” Saul said as he walked to the front door, locking it. He then disappeared into the back room for several minutes. He came back holding a small leather pouch. He slowly poured the contents of the pouch onto the counter.

  The Steward smiled. “That shall do,” he said, looking at the stone.

  Fallon had never seen anything like it. The stone was flat, pitch black in color, and within its center was a clear crystal formed in the perfect shape of a star. With the exception of a small hole at one end, the stone was perfectly solid and smooth.

  “Did some craftsmen make this?” Gentry asked, holding the flat rock up to his eye for a closer inspection. He had never seen anything like it either.

  “No, not to my knowledge,” replied Saul. “They are found in nature this way - at the bottom of old riverbeds and in mines that reach deep into the mountains.

  “What is the stone used for?” asked Fallon, turning to Steward Isaiah.

  “That is the subject of another lesson,” replied the Steward. “Thank you, Saul.” The Steward pulled forth another small bag full of gold pieces and set it on the counter. “This ought to cover it.”

  Afterwards the Steward retired to the Inn. “Enjoy your evening, but please do not stay out too late,” he said. “We must leave first thing tomorrow.”

  Gentry had already found their next destination, a pub across the square that had live music and loud patrons. “The Steward said to enjoy ourselves, and they are clearly enjoying themselves at The Happy Miner,” said Gentry with a smile, before pushing his way into the crowded pub.

  They managed to find a table in the corner and were patiently waiting for the waitress to come by when Gentry saw him. It was Dennison. He was behind the bar, pouring drinks. “What is he doing here?” he mumbled in shock.

  “What did you say?” asked Fallon, struggling to hear above the noise of the crowd.

  “We should leave,” replied Gentry, leaning close to his friend so as to avoid having to shout. “It is much too crowded in here. It shall take too long for our drinks and time is short.”

  Gentry ducked out of the pub as quickly as he had pushed his way in, hoping that Dennison did not catch sight of him. Fallon was puzzled but followed his friend.

  Down the street they found a near-empty pub with cheap ale that was bitter to the taste.

  “Are you certain you want to waste your gold on this?” asked Fallon, grimacing as he swallowed.

  But Gentry said nothing. His mind was on Dennison.

  *************

  A few days after returning from their trip to Jessum, Steward Isaiah called Fallon out to his metalworking shop. In his hand was the starcrest stone he had purchased from Saul. Fallon had been quite curious about the stone and was excited for the upcoming lesson.

  The Steward did not say a word. He placed the stone down on a nearby workbench and started a fire. He nursed the flames until they were roaring, then he picked up the stone, smiled at Fallon, and chucked it into the fire.

  Fallon’s mouth fell open. He could not believe the Steward just threw the precious stone into the flames – especially after parting with so much gold for it. What if the crystal melted or the rock cracked under the intense heat? “Steward,” he started to say, but Isaiah waved him off.

  They sat watching the flames for a good half hour before the Steward had Fallon douse the fire with water. When the steam finally cleared, Isaiah bent down to retrieve the stone.

  “Steward, no!” Fallon shouted when he realized what Isaiah was doing. But it was too late – the Steward had already grasped the stone.

  Isaiah smiled brightly. “Here, take it,” he said, holding the stone out to Fallon.

  The boy nervously grabbed for the stone, and was surprised to find that it was cool to the touch, as if it had been sitting in a pool of water this entire time instead of a raging fire. “How is that possible?” muttered Fallon, clearly stumped.

  Steward Isaiah just smiled. Then he picked up a hammer. “Now place the stone on that anvil please,” he said, pointing behind Fallon.

  Fallon placed the stone on the anvil as instructed and turned back to Isaiah.

  “Now, take this hammer and hit the stone as hard as you can.”

  Fallon reluctantly did as he was told. Raising the hammer above his shoulder, he brought it down with as much force as he could muster. It was a relatively flat stone and Fallon was certain it would shatter, but the impact had absolutely no effect. The stone was perfectly intact without the slightest scratch. Fallon looked incredulously at the stone and then at the Steward.

  “Hit it again,” the Steward said, and Fallon obeyed. He struck the stone several times, yet it remained intact.

  Isaiah reached into his pocket and retrieved yet another starcrest stone. As he stared at the stone he finally began to explain. “Steward Benjamin gave this to me when I was about your age, and I have been trying for the better part of sixty years to figure out its secrets. But alas, it remains a mystery to me. As far as I know, it is completely indestructible; immune to heat, cold, acidic potions, brute force, magic spells and everything else I have tried. I know of no other object that can sit in fire for so long and still be cool to the touch. I have no idea how it was made or what its true purpose is. The stone is… magical.”

  He looked up at Fallon before continuing. “I suppose that is the point of this lesson. There are forces at work in this world much greater than you and me, Fallon. It is likely you shall encounter many things in your lifetime – things that are beyond your understanding and the understanding of all those around you. Perhaps these things shall be explained at some point in the future, perhaps not. In the meantime, they fall in the realm of mystery and magic.”

  “Like being marked,” ventured Fallon as he absentmindedly touched his chest.

  “Aye,” replied the Stewar
d. “That particular magic comes with much responsibility, yet also many gifts as you have already learned. Anyway, my point is, do not fear that which you do not understand. Embrace the mystery, embrace magic, embrace life. And if you ever figure out the secrets of the stone, by all means let me know!”

  The Steward and Fallon both chuckled.

  “That stone is for you to keep,” said Isaiah. “A physical reminder to believe in things greater than yourself; that there is a purpose for everything, even if you may not know what it is just yet.”

  Fallon reached for the stone he had just tried to destroy with a hammer and clutched it tight. “Thank you, Steward.”

  “You have earned it my boy.”

  That night Fallon’s recurring dream came back - more vivid than ever. His mind was racing so fast when he awoke that he could not fall back asleep. Even a few shots of whiskey (a birthday present from Gentry) did not help.

  Beatrice scolded the exhausted boy the next morning, convinced that he had snuck out to the pubs with Gentry. “That boy is trouble,” she said, shaking her head. “You better eat this before the Steward sees what sort of shape you are in this fine morning.”

  Fallon stared down at the eggs and toast before him and smiled at Beatrice. She could not help but smile back.

  *************

  Autumn was fading fast and Gentry knew his time was short. He had managed to sneak away to Jessum a few times since his visit earlier in the year, but this trip would likely be his last for some time. A bitter wind was blowing the last remaining leaves from the trees, and snowfall was not too far behind.

  He had learned much in recent weeks. Dennison and his girlfriend (or perhaps Lana was his wife now) lived in a tiny house on the edge of town with their little boy and Lana’s mother. The move appeared to be permanent; he overhead Dennison telling a patron he was planning to build an addition on the house as soon as he saved up enough money. He was a grumpy bartender, but he never missed a shift at The Happy Miner. The owner of the establishment was particularly fond of Dennison as he did not tolerate much and showed little hesitation at throwing drunkards out the door (literally).