by Luka Petrov
Reborn: Journeyman
Book 2 in the Reclamation Series
Luka Petrov
Chapter One
“I want to leave!” I hollered. “You can’t keep me here! I must see my family at once. You have no right to keep me here like this. Slaves are treated better than this!” I yelled at the lack of response from Balfomeir. My heart rate increased as anger flooded my body. “Do you know who I am?” I asked the wretched hunchback.
“You’re a boy and our village is under high alert. We cannot let you go. Not until we have sufficient authorization to get you to your family. Our village determined that we are under imminent danger, and we cannot allow a party of midnight rovers free in our village. It’s as simple as that. I am waiting to hear from the king, and once we have your entire party cleared, we will deliver you to your family. Is that clear?” Balfomeir’s crooked nostrils flapped as he breathed, his labored breath had him huffing by the time he finished his sentence. He simply was not a healthy man. He must have had a hard time with that hunchback and all. I’m was certain that his lungs were not fully formed, he must have had some type of deformity in his thoracic cavity. Daylight had not broken yet on the horizon as it was before dawn. I needed to be on my way to save this world from the Demon Lord. Didn’t they know that they were preventing me from saving them?
Angry by the response I received, I headed back to my cot by the window. Seriously? Doesn’t he know who I am? Apparently not. I will be the greatest mage this world has ever seen. I mean, obviously, how could I not be. No one knows of the tremendous advantage that I have over everyone with my eidetic memory. The figure chose me in the afterworld to save this world from destruction. Demon Lord Abraxas has made his attack, and now it is my time to rise to the occasion.
All the preparation that Hamon has provided me, I can now use toward greatness. I have to be freed to fulfill my destiny and become the most powerful magic user in all the land.
Obviously, Balfomeir, the tired hunchback has no clue who he is dealing with. I must find a way to educate him. Particularly, I do not want to hang around in this dump any longer. They have us holed up in an abandoned barn located on the northward side of Gilmore. The Gilmore army converted it into barracks for the soldiers to rest as they kept watch on the barren field down the hillside from the barn. It appeared that they were well aware of the attack on Draererth and Pronerth and were on watch for an attack from Lord Abraxas coming from the Enchanted Forest. They should have me fighting in the army, alongside the War Mages. After all, my magic has leaned toward the school of evocation, in terms of manipulating power source for offensive spells. Apparently, I am destined to be an evoker and one destined to protect this universe from the Demon Lord. If only now, they would just let me go do the job that I was brought into this world to do!
Anger flooded my body once again, and the anxiety I carried was far too much for me to bear. I mumbled a few words, and the runes appeared. I manipulated a few of the glyphs and cast a firebolt right at Balfomeir’s head. The small flame hurled through itself through the air, and I awaited the moment when it would ignite his clothes on fire. That would bring me pure joy, watching that old man go up in flames, hearing him wail until some soldiers around him would extinguish the flames with either water or smother it with a blanket. Elation came over me. This would be retribution for him not letting us go! Prepare to pay, old man!
As I watched the flame about to descend onto his ancient, wrinkly neck that even drooped in the back and anticipating in relishing in my near, sweet revenge, I watched the flame be absorbed by his body. Before I realized what had occurred, a rapier passed by my head. I was not sure if it got me or not; I did not have time to duck since I did not see it coming. A voice from across the barn yelled, “Don’t move!”
Not knowing what the voice was referring to, I lifted my arm to check and see if I was bleeding from Balfomeir’s rapier attack. As soon as I moved, I went unconscious, falling to the ground.
Moments went by, and I slowly opened my eyes. I was on the dirt floor, staring up at five soldiers. “I said, don’t move!” one of the soldiers shouted from above me.
“What in the world happened?” I asked, realizing I could sit up, lifting myself so I was sitting on the ground.
“You made a big mistake when you decided to try and injure Balfomeir,” another soldier explained. These soldiers were some of the fittest fighters I had ever seen. Their muscles bulged from out of their mail and they wore the Gilmore crest on their brigandine, the cloth garment body armor the fighters wore while in the barracks.
Another soldier explained, “Balfomeir is an eldritch knight, one of the highest and most skilled in the land. I’m not sure what you were thinking by casting a little cantrip on him. He saw that firebolt coming from a mile away. Luckily, Lord Jamben Shortcloak the Bard was here to heal you. You took some serious thunder damage after Balfomeir used Elemental Absorb and used the energy from your measly firebolt for his Blade Boom. That’s why I told you not to move. You take more damage when you move after you’ve been hit.”
I finally could put the pieces together, “It appears I made a mistake by deciding to duel him, I guess.”
A soldier replied, “That is an understatement. None of us would dare pick a fight with Balfomeir. Not only is he one of the king’s most trusted and loyal confidant’s he’s a hell of a fighter too! You should probably go make amends with him. You do not want to be on his bad side.”
“Alright, fine,” I replied. Not wanting to admit I was wrong, or worse outmatched. Stubbornly, I asked, “Where is he.”
“I reckon he’s cooling off outside. Just be nice and admit that you were wrong. As much of a fighter he is, he’s a big softy. You could even add that you are under a lot of stress with your school being attached and all. That should make everything go over much more smoothly if you add that,” one of the soldiers explained.
I headed out of the barn door and caught the hunchback out of the corner of my eye down on the side of the barn. Approaching him, my nerves signaled in the pit of my stomach. “Hey, sorry for casting a firebolt at you while you weren’t looking. I am just so frustrated being cooped up in here. I’m worried about my family and upset about my school. And, I’m not sure if you’re aware or not, I had to leave my mentor who was fighting Lord Abraxas while I went to evacuate the school. He made me, I didn’t want to leave,” I explained. Up until now, I did not realize how guilty I felt about leaving Hamon. I wanted to go rescue him and as I saw it, this misshapen hunchback was the only thing preventing me from rescuing my mentor. Time was of the essence.
The hunchback had tears forming in his eyes, he faced me and said, “My child, you are far too young to have witnessed what you have. I feel bad for retaliating, now I realize that you and your friends have been through so much. I will make sure we get you and your friends cleared and send you back to your families. Go back to your cot and get rest. You need to relax from being healed by Lord Shortcloak. He’s not great at those healings, you will need to still rest.”
I nodded, feeling weak. Especially hearing that about the bard healing. I returned to my cot and shut my eyes. My friends hadn’t stirred yet. I thought they might have with the commotion, but they must be tired from the night before. All of us were low on mana and needed to recuperate.
I drifted off peacefully, trusting that Balfomeir would take care of ensuring my friends and I was not evil spies from Lord Abraxas, and we would be on our way to our families later on in the day. It shouldn’t take them that long; they would need to speak with our parents and have them provide descriptions. Once those matched, we should be well on our way to see our loved ones and to endure the attack from the Demon Lord.
I would rise to the occasion an
d become the greatest mage that this world had ever seen.
I saw the sun emerging on the horizon through one of the barn windows as I woke up for the second time this morning. I had woken up earlier in the morning because I did not sleep at throughout the night and caused a ruckus with Balfomeir.
I must save this world from the Demon Lord! This world doesn’t deserve me, and I’m considering that I am doing them a favor by me saving them. I mean, come on, I am the greatest wizard that this world will ever see. As I laid out my plan of how I was going to storm the Abyss once I was freed from this barn, thoughts were brought to the foreground of my mind. Thoughts about Hamon and how he selflessly battled the Demon Lord so I could warn the school and escape. Thoughts about my mother and father in Gilmore, and if they were all right. During the night, my mind wandered about the night of the Heims Festival and how I cherished that time with Emma. I thought about Bradan, the bookstore owner I had worked for when I was in primary school. I loved working at the bookstore where I was able to escape and read. I could not allow my mind to go there. I had work to do.
Then my mind wandered about my two parents in my former life. I remembered the last day I spent with them, how proud they were that I was on my way to becoming a doctor and entering into my undergraduate studies. As I laid in my cot, cold and shivering, my only prayer was that the people I loved were safe and happy. Those were all moments I cherished, however, none of these feelings would compare to the feeling I would have when I defeated the evil Demon Lord and this world recognized me as the greatest mage that ever was.
Alas, my mind wandered to a darker place. Despite having these ambitions, what if I never began this journey at all? There were parts of me that wished that I had never died when I was run over by a stolen vehicle. There were parts of me that wished that I had never made that deal with the figure in the afterworld. What if I decided to go to Heaven? Then I would not be in this mess. Then, there were the parts of me that relished every single instance that I had spent here in Gilmore and at Draererth, School of Spells and Wizardry.
I had done things in this life that only my former life would have ever dreamed of doing. Casting spells, partaking in duels, and learning the rules of magic were only things I would read or watch in movies. Or, I would experience them during a campaign in one of the tabletop RPG games I loved to play.
I rolled over, the sunlight now breaking through the window now burned my eyes, and I was not ready to face the world just yet. As I thought about all the instances that came to a head, tears streamed down my face. Agnes must have heard my sobs because she came over to me and rubbed my back as I laid face down. She whispered in my ear, “It will be all right Edward. Hamon will find a way to escape Abraxas. He will.”
I rolled over, “Thanks Agnes, your words mean a lot right now, thank you for saying that.”
Walter, Yves, and Cecily stirred on their cots.
Before I could acknowledge my friends as they woke from their apparent sound slumber, a group of men entered the barn from the entrance farthest from us. Balfomeir still kept a watchful eye on us, as what appeared to be twelve men made their way through the barn. Thankfully Balfomeir forgave me for the little altercation that occurred earlier in the morning. He definitely was admirable, and from now on I would respect him.
As the soldiers noticed the men who entered the barn, they stopped what they were doing and stood at attention, chests puffed out, hands folded behind their backs, and feet together. The group of men soon descended on our group of cots, clustered together away from the soldiers.
Balfomeir bowed as he spoke, “King Harold O’Malley, to what do I owe this honor?”
King Harold shouted to the men in the barn who remained standing at attention, “Gentlemen, as you were.” King Harold turned to Balfomeir and said, “I was given word this morning that there were five students who came from Draererth last night. One was is a resident of Gilmore. I understand that you have been keeping watch of them while they were under detainment.”
Balfomeir replied to the King, “Aye, Your Majesty. They arrived in the thick of darkness last night. We would wait until daybreak to question them before deciding if they were a threat from the attack from Demon Lord.”
“Very well. Continue your investigation. I understand that one of these students is the son of Henry MacAra, my army’s blacksmith?” asked the king.
“Well, I’m not sure,” Balfomeir replied. “I have not conducted the investigation as of yet. They only woke up moments ago.”
I interrupted the discussion between King Harold and Balfomeir, “Your Royal Highness, If I may interrupt?”
“Yes, tell me,” answered the king.
“Henry MacAra is my dad,” I replied.
“I see. He is one of my most trusted men, and served as a blacksmith, shoeing my horses for decades. Before me, he shoed the horses for my dad,” King Harold said as he bent down to look straight in my eyes. The King turned to Balfomeir, “Investigate these students and get them cleared quickly so we can get them to their families. One of them is a family member of a man who has served my family for decades. See to it that this is done quickly,” King Harold ordered. He turned to us and said, “I will work quickly to get you cleared to leave. Until then, know that you are safe here in the barracks.”
I returned to my cot, sitting at the foot. I hoped to see my parents and Emma today. I realize that we came in the thick of night under enemy attack, so we had to be vetted first.
As King Harold was about ready to leave our cluster of cots, a squire approached him. “Your Royal Highness,” the squire said as he bowed.
“Yes, Neils, what is it?” King Harold asked.
“Sire, the rescue explorers had returned from Draererth,” the squire said.
“And?” King Harold asked.
“There was no trace of any life. Only dead bodies found under the rubble. The entire school was leveled,” the squire explained. “But Sire, we have another problem.”
“What is it now? Aren’t you aware that we are preparing for war? It is only a matter of time before the Demon Lord attacks Gilmore?” King Harold admonished.
“Apologies Sire. I realize that we cannot make haste, however, one of the explorers was found to be a devotee of Lord Abraxas,” the squire said as he lowered his eyes.
“Who is this explorer and how do we know?” King Harold demanded.
The squire responded, “Other explores intercepted this man sending a raven. They read the message and found that the message alerted Lord Abraxas of the locations of the armies.”
“Say no more!” the King shouted as he raised his hand to cover the mouth of the squire. “Treasonous acts such as this make my blood boil and I have no tolerance for them. Do we have this man?” asked King Harold.
“Yes Sire, he is in the prison right now,” the squire answered.
“Bring him here now!” King Harold said, turning his back toward us and our cots. The King then said to one of the men in his entourage standing to his right said, “Summon the high priestess and the executioner. This will send a message to anyone who even thinks about giving locations of our men to the enemy.” The man nodded and left out of a side door of the bar, running.
Walter tugged on my shirt, “I heard, they found no survivors at Draererth.”
“That was what I heard as well,” I replied.
“Do you think Hamon made it out all right?” Cecily asked.
“I have no idea,” I responded. “I only hope he made it. He and I were close. After all, he was my mentor.”
Cecily rubbed my shoulder, as she sat next to me. “Hamon is one of the greatest mages. He is a world-renowned magic user and one of the most respected professors at Draererth. If anyone could have survived, it would have been him.”
Shortly after the King had summoned the executioner and the high priestess, they both appeared. The high priestess wore a scarlet red gown, she had long red hair and had several long lariats around her neck. Her gown was embroid
ered with gold thread, and had long, bell sleeves covering her hands. She carried a book.
The executioner was at least two heads taller than King Harold and wore a black robe with a black hood with eyeholes. The executioner carried a wooden ax with a wide, silver blade appeared to have just been sharpened.
King Harold said to the high priestess and the executioner, “Thank you for coming so quickly. We have a treasonous soldier who must be punished. Before he meets his maker, I would like his last rites to read. Follow me, we will do this outside.”
“Whoa, an execution!” Walter shouted. “Let’s go watch!”
“I’m not really sure I want to see this,” I hesitated, stopping the group from following the king outside.
Cecily encouraged, “Edward, when are you going to get the chance to witness an execution, come on,” she said while she pulled my arm.
“Have you seen one before?” I asked.
“Well, no. But I want to, let’s go,” she answered. I relented and followed Walter, Agnes, and Yves outside the barn.
By the time I had made it outside, the squire led two soldiers who held the prisoner up the dirt pathway to the barn. The prisoner attempted to put up a fight as he struggled to get free from the two soldiers who each held one of his arms that were tied behind his back.
The prisoner looked like he had a troubled life as the skin on his neck and face were leathered in between his stubbly beard and his brown hair that covered the back part of his neck. His piercing green eyes had the look of terror in them as if he knew his fate. The two soldiers walked him up to the King, the high priestess, and the executioner.
King Harold started, “Raymond, you have been charged with treason. Treason is the most heinous crime during the time of war because so many lives are on the line. Especially from this attack from Lord Abraxas. I understand that you serve the Demon Lord, is that correct?”