As they walked through the stone streets of Ravendale, the King could see why a young boy could be so fascinated with the city. It was an entirely different world from what Thaddeus knew at the castle. The marketplace was bustling with people buying and selling goods. Laborah4 was a good time to be in the market because this was the time of the year that the most abundant and unusual goods came through the city. Merchants were lined up and down along the streets selling a wide variety of goods: cured meats, fish, vegetables, potions, trinkets, toys, rare weaponry, garments, magically imbued items, animals, and sometimes even slaves.
As they browsed through the city, something finally caught young Thaddeus’s eye. An old woman was selling some of the finest jewelry that he had ever laid eyes upon. A particularly unusual locket held Thaddeus’s attention. It was cut of pure diamond and in the shape of a heart. A radiant red gem was secured in the center.
Thaddeus looked up to his father and said, “I have found my present. I want this locket to give to mother.”
“It is very beautiful, my son, but I am sure your mother does not want you to use your birthday gift on her,” the King replied.
“But her birthday is only a few months away. I still have to get her a gift and this is the gift I want. I do not need anything for myself, and it may not be here later,” Thaddeus said.
“Indeed,” the old woman said. “This locket will sell very fast. You are lucky it is still here. It is the only one of its kind. It is a diamond with breath of a dragon at its core.”
The King raised his eyebrows at the old woman. She is very good at what she does.
“Can I have it father?” the anxious Prince asked.
The King gave his son a smile. He couldn’t help but to admire his young son’s selflessness. “If this is what you really want,” he pulled out his coin purse and asked the old woman, “How much?”
“One hundred gold pieces,” she replied.
The King was taken aback by the steep price. It is an unusual piece, he thought. He pulled out the gold and started to hand it to the woman when the voice of a child screamed, “Look out!”
The King quickly turned to see a blade coming at his face. He moved his head to the side dodging the strike. He grabbed his attacker’s arm and pulled the assassin into him, at the same time thrusting his head forward. His head smashed into the assassins head and sent him slumping to the ground. The man tried to pull another sword from his side as he was making his way to his feet, but it was too late. A dragon bone long sword impaled the man in the area between his neck and shoulder. The man fell back to his knees, and the King stepped forward, inserting his blade even deeper into the man’s chest. The assassin looked up at the King and began to laugh.
“You have escaped death today. The next time, you will not be so lucky. Once the Shadows accept a target, we will succeed,” said the man as blood started pouring from his mouth.
“I welcome the Shadows. Your entire brotherhood will meet the same fate as you,” the King said as he turned his blade several times in the man’s body.
The assassin finally went limp. The King removed his sword, and the hired hit man fell on his stomach on the stone street.
“Are you all right?” the King asked.
“Yes, father,” Thaddeus replied.
King Graystone turned to the small child who had alerted him of the attacker. Thaddeus noticed that his father looked shocked when he saw the young boy. The King walked over to the small child and spoke to him. He pulled some coin from his purse, gave the young boy a handful of gold, and sent him on his way. After the royal guards came to the scene of the attack, King Graystone purchased the locket and escorted his son back to the safety of the castle.
This was the last birthday that Thaddeus ever spent with his father. The order of assassins known as the Shadows had honored their end of the contract. On the night of his mother’s birthday, four months later, the Shadows snuck into the castle and killed Thaddeus’s father and mother. Thaddeus became rightful heir to the throne, but he was too young to take the seat just yet. Sebastian Buxton acted as King until Thaddeus become of age.
Once Thaddeus became King, his first order was to eliminate the Shadow organization. With Sebastian by his side, Thaddeus tore through Calencia vindictively destroying anyone affiliated with the Shadows. Within a year, Thaddeus had killed every last known member of the Shadows.
Locmire's Quest: Book One A Tales from Calencia Novel Page 69