Sawyer and Jane looked at each other and then looked at Ariel, who gave them a reassuring nod. They followed the slouchy old servant out of the great hall and up a flight of stairs.
Ariel watched them until they had left the great hall then she turned to Eben Silverthorne. “You should know we are being hunted by a werewolf. It has followed us for two days now.” The smile left Eben’s face as he listened to Ariel.
“A werewolf? I’ve never heard of a werewolf stalking prey for so long. Do you have any idea why the beast has taken such an interest in you?”
“I cannot say for sure,” said Ariel. “But this no ordinary werewolf. This one is covered with fur as black as the night.”
Eben turned and walked to his chair.
“Is it him?”
“Yes.”
“Why would he stalk you? Surely there must be easier prey than a druid…” Eben’s words trailed off. “The children you travel with…,” he continued as he turned to Ariel. “He’s stalking the children, isn’t he? But why?”
Ariel took a deep breath and thought for a moment before answering. “He knows there is something about them, as do I. They are strangers here. Yet within each of them is a reservoir of power…and good. To elves and those with the ability to see auras, there is something special about them. They shine so bright. Their auras are as the sun.”
Eben blinked and shook his head.
“I don’t understand. They are children—like any other child in the village here.”
“So they appear, yes,” agreed Ariel. “But they have the potential to be so much more. Did you notice the sword the taller boy carried? It is the Stormblade.”
“Stormblade?” Eben raised his eyebrows. “How in the name of the gods did he find it? That sword has been lost—”
“For a long time,” interrupted Ariel. “Yes. He killed a river troll for the sword. How many children can accomplish such a feat?”
Eben walked to a small table upon which rested several filled decanters. He poured wine into two pewter goblets and offered Ariel one.
“So if the Stormblade has been found,” said Eben, “then Sawyer, the tall boy, is the Stormlord. And according to prophecy, we will need him.”
Ariel looked up from her goblet.
“There’s more. Lord Zorn has gathered a great army and marches against the free peoples of the realm,” said Eben.
“I have heard,” said Ariel. “One by one, our old friends return.”
“What happened to Zorn? He was courageous and good,” said Eben. “He was a great warrior. Only Alex matched his skill in battle. How could they have fallen so?”
“I do not know,” said Ariel. “I suspect they are not the only ones to have been afflicted by evil. I believe a dark druid follows us as well, keeping just out of sight. I hope I am wrong. But if I am not, then another friend has fallen and I dread the task that lies before me.”
Silence descended as they pondered the unpleasant tidings they shared.
“Bhael? Is it Bhael?”
Ariel nodded. “I cannot be sure, but that is what I suspect.”
“This cannot be a coincidence,” said Eben. “Not with finding the Stormblade too.”
Sawyer noticed a couple of chambermaids scurrying about with buckets and brooms as they followed Thomas to their rooms. The maids smiled and curtsied as they walked past. Jane, Sawyer, and Geoff were surprised at their room’s furnishings, which consisted of large canopy beds, washing basins filled with fresh water, and finely crafted solid oak tables and chairs. Bowls of fruit sat in the middle of each table. A hot bath had been readied for them and a change of clothes was neatly laid out the bed for each of them.
“It looks like they were expecting us,” said Geoff.
“Yep, looks like,” said Sawyer as he flopped on a bed. “I could sleep for a week.”
“Me too,” said Geoff. He and Sawyer shared a room while Jane had the room next door to herself.
Sawyer and Geoff each had tunics and breeches waiting for them as well as leather boots. Geoff’s boots were too big for him, however, and his feet made a slight flopping noise as he walked, so he put his soggy tennis shoes back on. His dark blue tunic and breeches were also too big for him and hung loosely from his frame.
The thunderstorm outside continued, with the pounding rain echoing throughout the manor house. Sawyer finished tucking his tunic into his breeches when out of the corner of his eye he noticed a tiny flicker of light. He glanced in that direction, but saw nothing except his sword lying on his bed. He looked at the Stormblade for a moment, trying to decide if he imagined the light.
“Sawyer? You ready to eat? What’re you looking at?” asked Geoff. Sawyer looked at Geoff, “Hmmm? Oh…nothing.” He gave his new attire one last inspection and then followed Geoff out of the room. Just before he closed the door behind him he looked at his sword one last time, but didn’t notice anything unusual. Must have been a reflection from a candle or something, he thought. Sawyer closed the door. The smell of fresh bread and meat made his stomach growl again.
“Let’s eat!” he said as he grabbed the back of Geoff’s tunic. He pulled Geoff back and stepped in front of him.
“Hey!” said Geoff in protest, but by then Sawyer had opened a considerable lead to the food. As he and Geoff raced each other down the hall and around the corner, neither noticed the faint blue-white glow that was now visible from under the door to their room.
Chapter Twelve
The Coming Threat
Sawyer and Geoff raced down the long hallway toward the winding staircase that led to the first floor and the great hall. Sawyer leapt onto the stairs and nearly crashed into Jane, who was trying to navigate the steps and breathe in her dress and corset. Jane had found a beautiful dark green dress on her bed, along with slippers and corset. With the help of a servant she was able to squeeze into the corset—and still manage to breathe somewhat.
“Oops! Sorry!” Sawyer said, patting Jane on the head as he dashed by. “You look great!”
“Yeah. Sorry, Jane!” said Geoff, who bounded down the stairs after Sawyer.
“Hey! Stop running, you two!” said Jane.
By the time she had finished speaking, however, both Sawyer and Geoff had already reached the bottom of the stairs and turned the corner toward the great hall. All Jane could do was take a deep breath, pull her skirt up enough so she could run, and try to catch up with them.
They reached the entrance of the great hall with Sawyer in the lead and Geoff several paces behind. Jane brought up the rear, with her dress making swishing sounds as she ran.
“Guys! Wait!” said Jane. “I can barely breathe! This is horrible!”
“Then why are you wearing that dress?” asked Sawyer, smiling.
“Well, what else am I going to wear? They took my clothes,” said Jane.
“Same here, but these tunics they gave us are comfortable,” said Geoff.
Jane eyed Sawyer and Geoff for a moment. “Now why can’t I have something like that to wear?”
“Because young ladies wear dresses.”
The answer came from Eben Silverthorne, who was sitting at the end of a long table. Ariel was seated to his right, looking at the three of them from over the lip of her goblet as she drank. Two servant girls stood behind them with large pitchers in their hands. Jane noticed their eyes remained on Sawyer as they entered the hall. On the table sat a large turkey as well as plates of potatoes, cheese, and rough, round loaves of bread. The combined aroma of such a feast made Jane’s stomach growl.
Eben motioned for them to take a seat, which they did, opposite Ariel with Jane sitting between Sawyer and Geoff.
“Help yourselves. Eat! You must be famished.”
“Oh, we are! Thanks!” said Geoff as he reached for the potatoes.
Ac
ross the table, Ariel sat quietly and watched them as they launched themselves at their tasty dinner.
“Ariel tells me you wield the Stormblade,” Eben said as he looked at Sawyer.
Sawyer tried to speak, but his mouth was full of turkey and bread so he simply nodded.
“He found it in a cave,” said Jane. “He killed a large monster. What was it? A river troll?”
“Indeed?” said Eben, raising his eyebrows. “A river troll is a formidable enemy. I admire such bravery. Well done, young man! Or should I say Stormlord?”
He raised his goblet to Sawyer. The others did the same. Jane noticed Sawyer’s cheeks were a little pink. He was never embarrassed before, she thought. He likes all the attention he always receives at school. She took a bite of turkey. It was greasy and had little flavor, but she didn’t care; she was hungry enough to eat whatever was placed in front of her. She shoveled a chunk of potato into her mouth and nearly swallowed it whole.
“Perhaps tomorrow, when you are rested,” Ariel said to Sawyer, “we can spar? I would like to see your skills with the blade.”
Sawyer stopped chewing and the blood seemed to rush from his features. He had a mouthful of turkey and had to swallow twice before answering.
“Um, yeah. Sure.”
“I too would like to see the Stormlord in action,” said Eben, lightly beating the table with his fist. “But I’m afraid I have duties elsewhere. Try not to harm her, okay? But beware, she is quick as lightning with her blades! Ha!”
“We’ve seen her fight. Yes, she is fast,” said Jane, expecting to see Sawyer squirm more.
“Yeah, she’s awesome!” said Geoff.
The meal disappeared in short order, with Sawyer, Jane, and Geoff each eating seconds and Sawyer inhaling a third serving of turkey. Jane felt a low rumble in her stomach. Uh-oh, she thought. She hoped she wouldn’t get sick from eating so much. The young serving girls made sure no cup was empty. One girl had a dark red wine for Eben and Ariel, and the other filled the rest of the cups with cold water.
“Thank you again for this meal and letting us stay here,” said Jane.
Eben looked at her and smiled. “You’re quite welcome. I haven’t had many visitors in recent years. It’s good to have guests again.” Eben turned to Sawyer. “Tell me, have you conjured the power of the tempest yet?”
Sawyer looked confused for a moment. “No, I’m afraid not.”
“Sawyer has only possessed the Stormblade for a short time. Perhaps such powers will eventually come to him,” said Ariel.
“Indeed,” said Eben as he regarded Sawyer. After they had finished their meal Ariel and Eben remained in the great hall while Sawyer, Jane, and Geoff went to their rooms.
“I’m stuffed,” said Sawyer as they made their way up the stairs.
“Me too,” said Jane. “I ate way too much. I’m just glad to eat something other than berries and fruit.”
“Get some rest, Sawyer,” said Jane with a smirk. “You have a big day tomorrow.”
“Yeah,” said Sawyer. “I gotta get my butt kicked by Ariel.”
Geoff snickered.
“She just wants to embarrass me,” said Sawyer.
“Maybe she will show you some of her elven ninja tricks with the sword,” said Geoff.
“Yeah, right. Whatever,” grumbled Sawyer.
“A little humility may be just what you need, Stormlord,” Jane said with a smile. “Good night, guys.”
She opened the door to her room and immediately began to remove her corset. As she readied herself for bed, Jane realized it was good to breathe deeply again and she was exhausted. She crawled under the blanket and was soon fast asleep. Outside, somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled in the night.
The next morning after breakfast, Ariel led Sawyer, Jane, and Geoff to a small, flat clearing in the woods just outside the village.
“Before we begin…,” said Ariel. “Have you ever held a sword in your hand?”
“Yeah, sure I have,” said Sawyer, glancing at Geoff for support.
“And until the day when you slew the troll, had you ever used a sword in combat?”
Sawyer felt warm. Ariel circled him like a shark about to attack. A small bead of sweat ran down his temple.
“Well?” said Ariel.
Sawyer shook his head.
“I see,” said Ariel as she pursed her lips and looked at the ground.
“It isn’t his fault,” said Jane. “We don’t have sword fights and trolls and unicorns and—”
“And elves and orcs,” finished Ariel. “Oh, you do not have those where you come from, either. You had already mentioned that. But you are not home, are you?”
As Sawyer watched, Ariel walked to an old oak tree on the other side of the clearing and produced two wooden practice swords that had been hidden behind it. She gave one to Sawyer.
“Now,” she said, “show me how you killed the river troll.”
Sawyer swallowed.
“Well, first it was behind me and then it came at me and clawed me and then I just swung at it, like this.”
He held his makeshift weapon up and swung it much like he would swing a baseball bat. But before his swing ended, Ariel had made a single flip of her wrist and disarmed Sawyer, sending his practice weapon flying. Then she pointed her wooden sword at Sawyer’s chest.
“I do not think so,” she said. “A river troll may be large and stupid, but it is deceptively fast and very strong. Such an attack would have been futile.”
Sawyer’s hands were moist and his heart beat fast. He knew she was going to humiliate him. He wished Jane and Geoff were not there.
“How did you manage to thrust your blade through the troll’s eye? An attack that precise is difficult for even the most accomplished warrior,” Ariel said.
Sawyer retrieved his wooden sword and sighed.
“Okay, okay,” he said. “I don’t know how I did it. It just lunged at me and I held the sword up. It was luck. That’s all.”
Ariel took a step closer, and Sawyer looked into her green eyes. Her stern, emotionless expression had returned.
“Now,” she said, “we can begin your training. We will start with how to properly hold a sword.”
“Hey, wait a minute,” said Jane. “Training? For what? I thought we were going home. We are going home, aren’t we?”
“The Stormblade is known throughout the realm,” said Ariel. “Sawyer should at least learn how to use it. Others will seek it for themselves, even kill for it.”
“Whoa, wait a minute,” said Sawyer. “Kill for it? Kill me? Now I really don’t want the sword. Take it and go find another Stormlord guy. I’m not the one.”
“Yes,” said Ariel. “You are.”
“Why don’t you take it, Ariel?” asked Geoff.
Ariel shook her head. “The sword did not choose me.”
“Well, it can choose again,” said Sawyer, throwing his practice sword down. “I’m not doing this.”
“Sawyer, pick up your sword,” said Ariel as she positioned herself so her face was inches away from his. “What I have to teach you may save your life.”
He looked into her green eyes. Finally he understood what she was trying to do. She had no intention of embarrassing him. Instead, she was going to teach him how to defend himself with a sword. She’s serious. This could be a good thing, he thought.
“Why are you helping me?” said Sawyer.
“Hey. Hello. When do we get to go home?” asked Jane. “You said when we got to Silverthorne Manor we could go home.”
“No,” said Ariel. “I said I would escort you here. What happens to you now is up to Eben Silverthorne.” Ariel looked at Sawyer and raised her chin. “I am helping you because if I do not, you will never survive.”
“But if we go home,” said Geoff, “we’re safe, right? I mean, we won’t be here, so we won’t get eaten by a troll or a werewolf, right?”
Ariel turned away from Sawyer and walked toward Geoff and Jane.
“In order for us to return you to your home,” she said, “we need a wizard’s key and an arcane portal. We have neither, so while you are here you may as well learn to defend yourselves.”
“Doesn’t Eben have a key or an archway?” asked Jane.
“No,” said Ariel.
Another moment of silence followed.
“Okay,” said Sawyer as he raised the wooden sword he had just picked up. “I’m ready. Let’s do this.”
“You need to know that learning how to cast spells or how to use a sword requires discipline and study. You may have talent, but that is not enough. If I am to instruct you, then I expect complete dedication from you.”
Ariel spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon teaching Sawyer the correct way to hold a sword as well as how to swing it and thrust with it. Sawyer listened to every word Ariel said, as if she were his football coach.
She introduced him to the guards and stances all warriors must master, along with the basic footwork. But Sawyer struggled to remember them. He remembered only one, the “ox” stance. When they sparred, Sawyer always received a crack on a knuckle or a swift strike to the stomach or back.
Ariel moved effortlessly as they sparred. She leapt over and around Sawyer and dodged his strikes with ease. Sawyer thought she was a gymnast at times, because she was so graceful.
“How do you do that? That’s awesome! Will you teach me how to move and fight like that?” he asked.
“Perhaps. After you have learned the basics of human swordsmanship,” Ariel said as she disarmed him again and gave him a whack on the rear with her wooden sword.
Wizard's Key (The Darkwolf Saga Book 1) Page 14