by Dean Cadman
“Yeah, right now it would certainly be a very short, one-sided fight, that’s for sure,” Lusam agreed, chuckling.
“My thoughts exactly, lad. So I think we should use the time we have here wisely, to stock up on whatever supplies we can find, and recover some of your strength before we even think about moving on. Hopefully, by the morning the boy will be well enough to travel, if not, we’ll have to reassess our options then. For right now though, I suggest we cook some food, and maybe get to know our two young friends a little better. I’m sure the girl knows this village better than we do, and if we’re lucky, she might know how far, and how big, the next village or town is.”
“Sounds good to me,” Lusam agreed, as his stomach let a out another loud growl at the mere mention of food.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
It had been Lusam’s original plan to build a small fire outside the temple to cook their food, but instead, Neala had discovered a doorway that led into a small room hidden behind a curtain, at the front of the temple. It looked like it had been used as an office or small study of some kind. There were book cases with various types of books, and cabinets containing everything from parchment and ink to the odd bottle of brandy and rum. But by far the best thing in the room—from their perspective—was the large stone fireplace, complete with a stone shelf for cooking on. Renn had fetched the water from the village well, while the others had prepared the vegetables, and it wasn’t long before they had a large pot of bubbling broth cooking next to a roaring fire. Lusam also dug out the small amount of fish they had left from that day’s uneaten breakfast, and added it to the bubbling pot, creating a delicious smelling aroma that filled the entire room.
Kayden had begun to stir a little from his deep sleep, and Alexia had even managed to coax him to drink a little water. His fever had broken, and even some colour had returned to his cheeks by the time the food was ready to eat. He didn’t eat much, but it was enough for his body to start healing itself, Lusam judged.
After they had all eaten their fill, Rebekah seemed to become far more relaxed and talkative within the group, especially after Alexia had gone to close the main temple door, having realised that Rebekah had been reluctant to stop looking in that direction for too long; obviously worried that one of the creatures would somehow find its way inside.
Renn had told Rebekah an amusing story about a horse and a cat, then expertly brought the conversation around to: had she ever seen a horse in real life, and if she had, had she ever ridden one? Rebekah proudly revealed that she had often visited the horses in farmer Jack’s paddock on the way to see her mother in the fields, but had never had the opportunity to ride one yet, even though she would like to very much. A few minutes later Renn had not only found out where the paddock was located, but also where the orchard was where Rebekah usually got her apples from to feed the horses.
“Fancy a walk, lad?” Renn asked, nodding towards the door.
“Sure,” Lusam said, standing up and glancing in Neala’s direction, curious to see if she wanted to join them. She shook her head slightly, smiled at him, and returned her attention back to the story Rebekah was now telling her and Alexia. Lusam guessed that Renn wanted to go and see if any of the horses had survived the initial Empire attack, or the subsequent undead that had been freely roaming around the area ever since.
Once they were outside and away from the temple entrance, Renn turned to Lusam and said, “Stay alert, lad, we don’t want to be caught off guard out here.”
“Can’t we just keep an eye on your sword’s glow?” Lusam asked, wondering why Renn hadn’t already thought of it.
“Yes, lad, for any of the undead we can, but I’m more concerned about the living right now. I’d be very surprised if Rebekah and Kayden were the only ones to survive the initial attack. There could be people hiding out inside any of these buildings, and if they mistake us for the enemy, we might suddenly find the need to defend ourselves. I suggest we stay towards the centre of the street, well away from the doorways and windows, just in case,” Renn said, checking the shadows as he walked. Lusam slipped into his mage-sight, remembering he could now see through the walls with it, and scanned the nearby buildings; no one was inside any of them.
“I don’t think we have to worry too much, there’s no one inside any of these,” Lusam said, gesturing to the nearby buildings. There was a momentary look of confusion on Renn’s face, then he too seemed to remember Lusam’s new ability.
“Alright, lad, just stay alert,” he said, still watching the shadows for himself.
The paddock wasn’t as easy to find as Rebekah had suggested it would be. They had tried three dead-end streets before they found the correct one that led out of the village to the northern fields. The street ended abruptly, and only a narrow well-travelled dirt path continued into the treeline beyond. If he hadn’t been told what to look for, Renn would have probably discounted it altogether, but as promised, once they emerged at the far side of the trees, the rolling fields opened up before them.
The paddock was located on the far side of the first large field they came to, but before they reached it, Renn’s sword began to emit its eerie blue glow.
“Looks like the Empire agents might have found this place after all,” Lusam said, disappointed at the prospect of having to walk all the way to Lamuria, or at least the next town or village.
“Hmm, maybe, but not necessarily, lad,” Renn replied scanning the area for any undead. “There are several well documented cases of the undead returning to locations they frequented whilst they were still alive. It seems they have the ability to retain some of the memories from their previous life. It’s one of the things that make them such an effective tool-of-terror for the Empire, the others being how hard they are to kill, and their enhanced strength of course.”
“Over there,” Lusam said pointing towards the fenced off paddock. Inside there was a single undead minion slowly shuffling towards the far end of the large field, towards a group of grazing horses. At the speed it was moving, Lusam judged it would take it several minutes at least to reach the horses. More than enough time to intercept it before it could do any harm.
“If we hurry, we should catch up with it well before it reaches the horses,” Lusam suggested.
“I’m sure you’re right, lad, but I doubt that will be necessary,” Renn replied pointing to something else in the field to their left. “It looks like that thing has been in the field for at least a few days.” When Lusam saw what Renn was pointing at, he almost lost control of his stomach. What he had taken to be a fly-ridden pile of manure, was in fact, a mutilated corpse of a horse—the stench of which now began to drift his way on the gentle breeze, making him dry retch once more.
“If I were to guess, I would say that thing used to be the farmer here. Farmer Jack, I believe Rebekah called him. No doubt this poor animal believed the same thing, and paid for it with its life,” Renn said, nodding towards the rancid pile of horse flesh. I doubt having seen what it did to this horse, the others will let it get anywhere near them. It’s probably been walking round in circles for days after those poor animals. I bet they’re exhausted, poor things. Wait here, I’ll deal with this,” Renn said, climbing over the fence and heading towards the shuffling undead farmer. The horses saw Renn heading in their direction, and immediately began to move towards the far end of the paddock away from him.
‘They seem to have lost all trust in humans, and who could blame them after what they must have been through,’ Lusam thought to himself. Renn ended the creature swiftly, and Lusam was glad to see the glow on his sword wink out, indicating that there were no more undead in the immediate vicinity.
“I don’t think any of the other horses are injured, but it’s difficult to tell from so far away,” Renn called out to Lusam as he approached the fence. “Hopefully they’ll settle down now, and get some rest. It’s likely the poor animals haven’t slept in days with that thing chasing them around the field. I know you’re tired too, lad, bu
t is there any chance you could dispose of that?” he said, nodding towards the mutilated corpse. “I think it would go a long way towards helping them settle down again.”
“Sure, no problem,” Lusam replied, encasing it in a force-field and instantly incinerating it. He was more than happy to be rid of the sight and smell of it, but he had no desire to be covered in its ashes, so he manoeuvred his force-field further downwind before releasing its contents to the gentle afternoon breeze. Then he repeated the process with the farmer’s corpse, hoping the horses might forget about their traumatic experience more readily, if the body was no longer there to remind them of it.
“Thanks, lad,” Renn said. Lusam nodded and climbed back over the fence, taking in the sights around him for the first time. Apart from the small farmhouse, there were also two large barns, and several smaller outbuildings scattered around the farmstead.
“Maybe we should go check out those buildings. They look like they haven’t been touched from here,” Lusam said.
“I was just about to suggest the same thing, lad. I suspect we’ll find the saddles for the horses in one of those barns too,” Renn replied, nodding towards the two large buildings next to the paddock. “Keep your eyes open for any rope too. It will make rounding up the horses tomorrow much easier, especially if they’re still as skittish as they are right now.”
“Okay, but I can help you with the horses if they become a problem,” Lusam offered.
“Thanks, lad, but if there’s one thing I know how to handle, it’s a horse. My father used to keep and train them on his farm when I was a boy. He always used to say: ‘there’s no such thing as an unruly horse, you just need to have patience, and show them who’s boss.’ And if you follow those two simple rules, you can control any horse, even if it takes a little while,” Renn replied confidently.
“Somehow I can’t picture you working on a farm,” Lusam said, chuckling at the images in his mind of Renn sitting on a small stool milking a cow, or mucking out a stable. Renn just grunted, and set off towards the first of the two large barns without saying another word, leaving Lusam to conjure up a few other amusing jobs Renn might have done on the farm when he was younger.
“I’ll go check out the other buildings,” Lusam called out after Renn, trying hard to keep the amusement out of his voice. Renn raised his hand to acknowledge he had heard Lusam, but didn’t slow his pace towards the large barn.
The first two buildings Lusam checked only contained ploughs and other farm equipment; nothing they could use. He was heading for the main farmhouse next, when he spotted a small wooden structure off to his right. At first he thought it might be a large outhouse used for all the farmhands, but once he was close enough to see through its walls, he almost jumped for joy. It wasn’t an outhouse at all, it was a smokehouse—and, a fully stocked one at that. It contained everything, from smoked fish, to smoked pork, and even some cheese. Even though he had eaten the broth less than an hour before, his stomach still gave a loud rumble at the sight of so much tasty food before him. There was far more food here than they would need to reach Lamuria, so at least they wouldn’t go hungry on the trip now. It smelled and looked so good that he couldn’t resist sampling a good sized portion of it before collecting some for the others’ supper. With a good amount of food in his arms, he set off back to let Renn know the good news.
As Lusam approached the two large barns, he saw Renn appear from inside one of them carrying a large bale of hay. He tossed it over the fence and into the paddock, where it joined at least three or four other bales he had thrown in earlier.
“Look what I found,” Lusam called out as soon as he was close enough for Renn to hear. Renn turned in his direction, and waited for him to approach. “I found a fully stocked smokehouse back there, so we don’t have to worry about food anymore.”
“That’s great news, lad,” Renn said smiling. “I’ve found the saddles and some rope too. So I guess after a good night’s sleep, we’ll be ready to leave come first light tomorrow, providing our young friend has sufficiently recovered, of course.”
“Yeah, that’s good…” Lusam replied, trailing off his sentence, as the concerns regarding his lack of knowledge about Lamuria, and Afaraon in general, resurfaced once more.
“Is there a problem, lad?” Renn asked, sounding a little concerned by his sudden downturned mood.
“It’s nothing, sorry,” Lusam replied.
“It doesn’t sound like nothing, lad. Come on, spit it out. There’s only the two of us here,” Renn said, taking a step closer. After a moment, Lusam looked up at him, and realised he was standing there patiently, waiting for him to speak again. He hadn’t wanted to bring it up in front of Neala or Alexia, because he didn’t want them to think he was naïve, or uneducated. He wasn’t sure how much Neala or Alexia knew about Afaraon, or even its capital Lamuria, but he was certain it would be far more than he did. His grandmother had done a fine job of teaching him how to read and write, and how to add up his numbers, but never once had she mentioned anything about the history of Afaraon, or its present day politics. In fact, until Lusam had stumbled upon Helveel, he had no real idea of what lay outside the area of his childhood in The Elveen Mountains.
Although he had learnt a fair bit about Helveel—mostly through necessity—he knew nothing at all about Lamuria, or the rest of Afaraon for that matter. He knew from what Renn had already told him that it had always been the plan to send him to the High Temple to complete his education and training once he was old enough. So looking back, he guessed his grandmother would have taught him all he needed to know before taking him there, if she had lived long enough to do so. After several more minutes of thinking it over in his mind, he noticed Renn was still waiting patiently for him to respond.
“Renn, I think I need your help,” Lusam said quietly, knowing that Renn was the only person he could turn to regarding this matter. Renn nodded and waited for him to continue. “You all keep saying I’m the best hope we have to protect Afaraon against the Empire, but I don’t even know anything about the place I’m supposed to be saving. If you asked me a question about Afaraon, Lamuria, the High Temple, or anywhere other than Helveel or The Elveen Mountains, I wouldn’t have a clue how to answer it. How can I be a saviour of a land that I know nothing about? I only know we’re ruled by a Queen because her head is stamped on the back of our coins,” Lusam said. Renn winced at Lusam’s statement, realising how right he was.
“Oh, lad… we actually have a King right now. Queen Marie died more than three years ago, and her son, Prince Theodore became King. And, the Royal Family doesn’t rule Afaraon. They haven’t done so, for over three hundred years. They’re little more than figureheads for our nation nowadays. The real seat of power in Afaraon lies within the church, with the High Temple in Lamuria being at its core,” Renn replied sympathetically.
“See what I mean!” Lusam replied, exasperatedly.
“Unfortunately, yes, I do. I think maybe we should have a long chat when we get back, lad. See if we can’t fill in some of those gaps before we reach Lamuria.”
“Thanks Renn, I’d really appreciate that. But can we do it away from the others, please? I don’t want them thinking I’m… well, you know,” Lusam replied, slightly embarrassed.
“I understand, lad. Don’t worry, I’ll be discreet,” Renn replied, placing his hand on Lusam’s shoulder and giving it a small squeeze. Lusam nodded his thanks, and they were soon heading back to the temple, to share their good news and food with the others.
When Lusam and Renn arrived back at the temple, they discovered Kayden’s condition had thankfully improved somewhat. He was now sitting upright next to his big sister, listening to a story being told by Alexia. When he first noticed Lusam and Renn enter the temple, he looked a little frightened by their sudden appearance, but Rebekah soon had him relaxed again, and he quickly returned his attention back to the story.
Neala came to greet them before they even made it halfway across the room. She gave Lusam
a quick hug, then quietly said, “I think you might want to hear the story Rebekah told us while you were gone. I think you’ll find it very interesting. Come, let’s see if she will tell it again for you.” Lusam and Renn looked at each other, then followed Neala to where Alexia and the children were sitting.
“Kayden, these are our friends, Lusam and Renn,” Neala said, introducing them both.
“Hello Kayden, it’s nice to meet you,” Renn said, with Lusam following his example.
“Hello,” Kayden replied meekly.
“Renn and Lusam just told me that they would like to hear your Rebirth story very much Rebekah, do you think you could tell it again, just for them?” Neala asked.
“Yes, please Bekah, please. I want to hear it again, please,” Kayden pleaded, just like Neala had hoped he would, after seeing his enthusiasm the first time she told the story. Apparently it was her favourite story, because her father would tell it to her each time he came ashore, and she in turn would then tell it to her little brother, Kayden.
“Okay, but only if you tell me the horse and cat story again Renn,” she offered.
“Deal,” Renn replied smiling at her. So she set about telling the story of Rebirth once more for Renn and Lusam. She told of how most children used to die before her great grandfather had taken his pregnant wife aboard The Good Ship Tuthna to give birth, and how that had quickly turned into a tradition, not only for the inhabitants of Prystone, but for all the local towns and villages up and down the coast. She told them that the tradition had continued for several generations, until everyone locally had been born on board the Good Ship Tuthna.
By the time Rebekah had finished telling her story, Renn was completely stunned. It was obvious to him now, why the Empire had failed to detect the births of so many magically talented people in Prystone. Their tradition of giving birth out at sea, had undoubtedly saved them all. The implications of what she had just told him were immense for Afaraon. For the past two centuries Afaraon had struggled to find enough magi to serve the High Temple, and for at least half of that time, there had been countless potential magi and priests hiding in plain sight amongst the people of this village, and its neighbouring towns and villages. Who knew how many had been born, lived their lives, and died again without ever being noticed by either the Empire, or Afaraon? The lost potential was staggering. Renn just hoped that the other villages and towns nearby had been spared the fate of Prystone. They neither had the time or the resources to search for survivors right now, but he promised himself, if Afaraon prevailed once they reached Lamuria, he would personally lead the search himself.