Legacy of Dragonwand: Book 1 (Legacy of Dragonwand Trilogy)

by Daniel Peyton

  “Uh, well . . .” The young soldier had to think hard to recall that exact moment. He had only glanced up at it for a second. “I . . . I don’t remember.”

  Hallond became enraged. He stood up and leaned over the kneeling man. “You don’t remember? All the wands in Gallenor have been accounted for. How is it that this child has a wand at all? If you would do your jobs, this would not be a problem! Now, think! What did it look like?!”

  The soldier was now physically shaking. “I . . . I . . . don’t know. He used it to cast a massive firebird spell that chased us away. I didn’t have time to look closely.”

  “Fine, if you are unwilling to concentrate, I’ll do it for you.” With a sharp motion, he grabbed the soldier’s forehead and began casting a powerful memory spell.

  The man writhed around for a moment and tried to scream, but suddenly, he froze with a terrified look on his face. Hallond closed his eyes and focused his thoughts, searching through the man’s memory. He sifted out all the useless information and came right to the moment where the man had seen the wand. It was as though Hallond was in the field, and he was looking directly through the soldier’s eyes.

  That very moment stood still, and Hallond saw the wand held up in the air by a young man. It was a little blurry, for the soldier was moving at the only moment he had caught a glimpse of the wand, but it was enough. Hallond abruptly let go of the soldier and stumbled backwards. The soldier fell over on the ground, muttering to himself and hardly able to do anything but shake. Hallond sat down, a shocked and displeased look written all over his face. It was the same wand he had seen in the ruby, back at the cave. It was the wand of Tolen that had carried on his mission to undermine all of Hallond’s work.

  “Damn you, Tolen,” Hallond whispered.

  Just then, two of the Tower Guards came rushing in, both stunned at the sight of the blubbering man on the ground. “What happened here?”

  Hallond maintained a professional appearance and stood up. “He was attacked by a rogue wizard, and the spell has destroyed his faculties for a while. Put him in the hospital, and let the doctors take care of him.” He knew full well that only another wizard could help fix this man’s newfound dementia, otherwise he would spend the rest of his days as a drooling vegetable. But the Guards did not know this. They obeyed and carefully carried the soldier away from the tower.

  After they left, Hallond pulled out a sheet of special paper. It was a kind created exclusively for royal orders, and only the King and his highest scribe were allowed to write on it. That, of course, mattered little to Hallond. He got a quill and ink and constructed a letter to Morris. In it, he ordered the Captain of the Royal Guard to get the boy by any means and stop him. He even gave Morris the authority to kill if necessary. Hallond was not stupid. Though he wanted the child killed, if Morris received only an order to execute a child, he would know it was not from the King and might come back questioning its origin. But right then, Hallond had little time left to handle this on his own. After he finished and used a forbidden spell to replicate the King’s signature, Hallond sealed the letter with wax and pressed a royal insignia into it: an insignia he had stolen from the King.

  Once he was done, he reached up and calmly pulled a string next to his desk. It rang a bell in a lower level of the tower, and sent a courier scurrying up to his room. The tower was high and his room was the tallest, so anyone coming up this far always lamented having to do so. But in moments, a spry young man arrived. He was a Lizardkind, the fastest of the races in Gallenor. Bowing low, he awaited his orders.

  Hallond held out the letter. “Take this to Stillwater and make sure to hand it to Captain Morris personally. Now, go with haste.” The young man bowed a little lower and then left in a hurry.

  Hallond sat at his desk for a few moments, pondering all that was happening. He was so close to victory; he could not allow a simple boy to steal it from him. Surely this was nothing, and he would succeed, but the prospect of failure after a thousand years of waiting was too much to handle.

  Hallond stood up and walked over to a tall stone window that looked down on the statue of the dragon in front of the walls of Thendor Castle. He had helped design the tower when the castle had been built. It was placed so that he could keep an eye on the statue at all times. The statue was the key holding back the return of the other ancients. Once the statue was destroyed and the last Dragonwand was in his possession, all his plans would fall into place. The people of Gallenor would not expect it and would wake one morning to a new life. How, then, could he allow a child the opportunity of stealing that from him? No, he would destroy this boy and the wand he carried, in spite of Tolen’s foolish plans.

  Captain Morris’ soldier, Chris, dismounted his horse and tied her to a tree near the entrance to the forest city of the Rakki. Horses were not allowed inside these trees, so he had walked to his destination point. Morris had ordered him to confront Lord Kellus, and he would. Though, being a junior officer, he felt out of his league.

  The forest was thick and crisscrossed with walkways and supports for the houses, built high above the ground. It was the duty of any officer under Morris to keep a stoic, straight face. Yet, inside these trees, Chris’ awe always betrayed him. He admired the way the Rakki lived and how intricate their cities were. This city was the largest and the oldest, which showed by the amount of work that had been put into its construction.

  He became lost in his admiration and had not noticed how far he had traveled into the city, or that five Rakki warriors stood in his path. The five warriors all had their bows out with arrows pointed directly at him. In front of them was the leader of the Rakki, Lord Kellus.

  “Soldier of the King! What brings you back into my city?” Kellus asked directly.

  Chris cleared his throat and regained the formal appearance that was expected. “Lord Kellus. I’ve been sent by Captain Morris of the Royal Guard to inform you that we encountered a Rakki wizard on the road.”

  The Rakki soldiers tightened their bowstrings in readiness to dispatch the intruder. Kellus sensed they were angry and ready to defend the life of the little girl that had just been mentioned. He held up a hand to restrain their next action. “What have you done with my citizen?”

  “Your citizen fled. She evaded us with the help of another wizard boy who used a spell on the Guard.”

  A warm feeling of relief washed over Kellus. He trusted that Markus would protect Crystal, but now, any doubt had been removed. “I see. I’m sorry if you have been inconvenienced, but I can do nothing about the actions of one of my citizens who has left the boundaries of my domain.”

  “Captain Morris has sent me with a warning. Aiding and abetting criminals is a high crime in Gallenor, one that even your position cannot protect you from. After he apprehends the girl, a full investigation will be enacted here.”

  “I see. If that happens, I will cooperate as far as the law requires. Until then, please do not return, making threats in my trees. It disturbs the peace.”

  Chris huffed and turned to leave.

  “Did you see her?” Kellus asked.

  “What?”

  “Did you see the girl wizard?” Kellus was smiling and waiting for the young soldier to answer.

  Chris turned around with a furrowed brow. “Yes. Why?”

  “How old was she?”

  “I don’t know. Fourteen. If you think acting dumb about her identity now will—”

  “She’s sixteen. Just turned sixteen a few days ago. The young man with her is the same age, perhaps even a little younger.”

  Chris realized what Kellus had just said. “So, you do know who we’re talking about! You were aware of her and hid her from the Guard.” He pulled out his blade. “By order of the—”

  With a sharp ping, an arrow hit the blade perfectly, and sent it flying out of Chris’ hand. Then another stuck the ground right beside his foot to demonstrate how close he was to being dispatched himself.

  “Wait!” Kellus stopped his warrior
s. “Do not kill him.” He stepped forward toward Chris.

  “What are you doing? Are you going to imprison me?” Chris asked.

  “No.” Kellus shook his head. “I asked you those questions to help you understand the dangers here. The boy and girl you encountered are children. They have never harmed anyone. In fact, the boy saved the life of one of my own when an imp attacked. Can you accept what you are doing? Can the morals in your heart justify taking those children and putting them in a prison? How about the mother and father of the girl? They have been locked away for four long years, while she has cried in her sleep for them. What good has this accomplished?”

  For the first time, Chris felt a hint of sorrow in his heart for what they had done. “It . . . we . . . we are only following orders. It is for the best for all of Gallenor.”

  “Do you truly believe that? Can you acknowledge you are the reason that girl has cried herself to sleep each night? Can you live with the hundreds of other children deprived of their parents, brothers, sisters, and grandparents you have stolen from them? Has anyone ever truly provided you with a good enough reason to sate such guilt that should be filling your soul?”

  Chris picked up his sword and slowly sheathed it. He wanted to find the right answer, but there wasn’t one. “I . . . I don’t know.”

  “You don’t know what?”

  “I just . . . don’t know. I . . . I have to go.” Chris turned and left, his emotions in turmoil as he sorted between his own convictions and loyalty to the crown.

  The five warriors kept a keen eye on Chris until he was past their trees. Finally, they lowered their weapons and backed down. The chief among them asked Kellus, “What now?”

  “Now, my friend, we hope that young man has a change of heart.”

  The woman to his right said, “That’s a lot to hope for. What if they send the legion here?”

  “I trust in hope, but I am not foolish. Call in all the scouts and imp hunters. We will strengthen our own borders and wait for news from Treb and Kiin.”

  “Aye, sir.” The Commander and his best warriors moved out quickly to fulfill his orders.

  Kellus was a clever man. Not only was he securing their borders by calling back all their best hunters, he was leaving the blue forests undefended. The imps wouldn’t be kept at bay any longer. If the legion did come in to attack the Rakki, they would encounter the imp infestation in the forest before they even made it to the border of the city. It was their own fault. The Royal Guard had been in charge of imp patrols for years, before the wizard hunts began. The Rakki were doing the Crown a favor by picking up the slack. Now, it would be the problem of the Royal Guard again.

  “All right, you two, stay with Treb. I’ll go see if my old friend is still here.” Kiin walked away from her three companions. Years ago, she had come to Stillwater as Kellus’ personal security, during a trade negotiation between their village and Stillwater.

  Crystal quietly asked her father, “Where’s Mother going?”

  “She’s going to ask an old friend for some information,” he quietly responded.

  Markus frowned. “Why don’t we just ask a friendly vendor or farmer? I’m sure they won’t mind speaking to us.”

  “We need to know what the Royal Guard is doing and how they patrol up and down the barren roads northward of here. If we ask the wrong person such questions, it’s likely to get us caught by the Guard before we can get out of here. Right now, we just need to look for supplies and try not to look too conspicuous.”

  They walked down the vendor road and noticed a lot of the stalls were packing up for the evening. “Drat, we’re too late,” Markus grumped.

  “Are you looking for anything special?” Donna interrupted them, having come around her booth to greet the handsome new traveler.

  Treb turned and noticed her grinning at him. “Uh, well, we’re looking for traveling supplies, a mat, some food, that kind of stuff. Do you sell anything like that?”

  Donna pouted. “No, I’m the local apothecary. But,” she brightened right back up, “it wouldn’t be wise to go on a long trip without getting some of the best medical potions around. And I’ll sell them to you at a very fine price.”

  Treb rubbed his chin. They could use some medicine for the road. He always traveled with at least a bottle of stomach aid potion, and with the two kids, it might be a good idea to stock up. “Show me what you have.”

  She led him over to her booth and started unpacking everything. “The very best for all occasions. Take a look. I’ll give you anything you want for half price.”

  “That’s very generous.” He started picking up bottles and looking at the liquids.

  She leaned over, shamelessly pushing her chest out a little. “So, who was that?” she pointed in the general direction of where Kiin had walked.

  Treb, not paying attention, thought she was pointing at Crystal. “Oh, that’s my daughter.”

  “Oh, my. You don’t look old enough to have a daughter that age.” She was certainly surprised.

  He held a bottle up and looked through the liquid. “Oh, she isn’t my real daughter; she’s adopted. But, I love her like she’s my own.”

  Donna smiled and looked up and down his bare, furry, well-defined chest. “Oh, that’s so sweet. You’re a very handsome man.”

  “Huh?” He hadn’t quite caught what she had said.

  She corrected herself. “Responsible, responsible man.”

  “Oh.” He frowned at her, not sure what to make of the way she was ruthlessly flirting with him.

  “Hey, Dad, what’re you looking at?” Crystal approached with Markus right behind her.

  He looked through another liquid again. “These are potions—stomach aids we might need on the road.”

  Donna grinned at the Rakki girl and the human boy. “The very best potions in Gallenor, I assure you.” She was amused at the two of them. Could this man be so generous with his time and attention that he would adopt three children, and one not even being a member of his race? Some women might find that a turn off, but it only turned her on more.

  “Are these stomach aid potions good for all races’ stomachs? We have—”

  “Oh, yes. My potions will work for anyone. Rakki, human, even Shlan.” She was an eager salesperson.

  Markus looked at some of the potions, as did Crystal. He calmly stated, “I wanted to learn some potion blending if I’d gotten to go to the wizardry college. I hope I can find someone to teach me once we free the wizards. OW!” Crystal had stepped on his foot.

  She whispered through clenched teeth, “Don’t talk about wizards!”

  Donna could not help but overhear his words, yet chose to not ask him about wizards for the time being. She smiled at Markus and looked at the potion he was examining. “Do you like that? It’s a potion to turn your hair red. I find it works better than some of the treatments at the beauty shops.”

  Markus smiled back at her and returned the bottle to the booth. “No, I don’t think I would like red hair.”

  She turned to Crystal. “I’d love to see how it worked on a species with fur all over. Would you like to try it out and let me know the results? I assure you, it won’t do you any harm. A gift.” She held the bottle up to Crystal.

  Crystal smiled but shook her head. “No, thank you. Perhaps another time.”

  Kiin came back from looking for her friend and did not look pleased. “I couldn’t find Mary. Someone told me they thought she moved to Maliden Port a few months ago.”

  Treb smiled at Donna and then handed her a handful of coins. “Thanks.” He put the bottles in the pack Markus carried and then walked everyone away from the booth. “We’ll just have to be careful. I suggest we get out of town as soon as possible and find somewhere we can camp away from the guards.”

  “Daddy!” Crystal grabbed his arm and pointed down the street. She hid behind him while still holding his arm. He looked up to see there was a Royal Guard walking their way with a torch in his hands. The sun was setting, b
ut it was not time for torches yet. This meant the Guard was going to be patrolling for the evening.

  Treb let out a sigh. “It’ll be hard getting out of this city.”

  Kiin began walking toward another street, directing everyone to follow her so they would not happen upon the Guard by accident. “I don’t see how we can get out without being stopped for questioning. After dusk, they always check people coming and going from a walled city like this. We’ll have to stay somewhere.”

  “We can’t. What if they come in the night to inspect the rooms? I’d rather be away from anyone who might be looking for us,” Treb whispered to his wife and then noticed another Guard coming up another street.

  Markus spoke up, “Whatever we do, we’d better do it quickly.”

  “Hey, you! Stop!” A Guard surprised them as he came around a corner and approached quickly.

  Treb held Crystal’s hand and sort of put her behind him. “What is it, sir?”

  The slightly portly, middle-aged Guard glared at them. “I’m sure you’re new here, but Stillwater has a curfew for all children under the age of eighteen. They must be inside, or we’ll have to cite you.”

  Treb calmly nodded. “We’re new. Thank you for telling us. Where can we find lodging?”

  “Come with me, I’ll show you to the Waterwell Inn. Hey, wait . . .” he looked down into his pocket and there was a red glow. To everyone’s dismay, he pulled out a sensing stone that was glowing bright red. “What is this? You . . . you’re a wizard.” He was shocked. It had been some time since they had found a wizard roaming the streets of Stillwater.

  Treb was growling and glaring at the shorter man. “You’ll leave us alone, or I will—”

  Suddenly, the Guard dropped his torch and the stone and pulled out his sword. “No threats, wizards, or I will have to do something drastic.”

  Crystal was about to suggest that Markus do something, like use the same firebird spell again, when a woman’s hand ran down the shoulder of the Guard and gently pulled him to the side.