by Aaron Thomas
“Can’t you just leave?” Bowie asked in surprise.
Leroy shook his head, “My father being, the head chef, and my mother, being as the medicine lady here, have both trained me in their arts. I am supposed to be presented to the new king to fill whichever role he wishes of me so that my parents can retire. Which is fine and all, but living in this town until then could be more than I can handle. In Keepers we all work for the greater good, from sunup to sundown. I plow, harvest, fish, repair, cook, clean, and work all manner of things all day long. When I was little and I started to deliver my father’s meals to the visitors in town, they would give me tips. I had always seen to their horses so I saved my money and last year I turned fifteen. My dad said I could buy something from a peddler. I found out I could buy two horses that were carrying goods. When I bought them they were immediately taken to use for plowing fields. So you see, living here can be for a worthy cause but there is nothing to call my own. My father says that I’m a valuable asset and someday there will need to be others to keep the tradition of Keepers alive.”
Bowie felt bad for the boy and asked another question before he realized he had spoken. “Why don’t you just leave? If you’re as talented as you say you are, you could work easy enough.”
“I asked my father that once and he said I could leave if it was a worthy enough cause. I think a worthy cause would have to be from a water wizard asking, or the new water king for that matter.” Leroy threw a stick he had been fiddling with into the nearest fire. Bowie nodded. He was trying to understand the people here. They had nothing to call their own but gave everything to a person that hadn’t even been crowned.
“Well, you should package up some of those herbs you put in our food and sell that to outsiders. I feel like I’ve slept for days, and it’s past time for me to be sleeping.” They sat by the fire talking for a while longer. Brent returned, checked on Kara, and sat down with them on the fire side. They all watched the flames and listened to a musician somewhere in the town play tunes to dance to. Before long, another musician joined in at the fire and people started dancing to the music.
“It’s like this every night, also. That part I don’t mind.” More people joined in and before long a full figured woman with two kids came to join Bowie. She asked him to dance, talking to her two children about how fine lords dance. Bowie didn’t have a chance to dance on Springfest, but whirling around the campfires, dancing to the music made up for it. He was passed on to girls of varying ages. He saw Brent tapping his foot to the beat of the music, checking on Kara all the while. He refused any request to dance and pointed at Kara. They went to find another partner without saying much more. Bowie danced until his shirt was clinging to him with sweat, and his legs felt like they would give way. None of the girls he had danced with talked much, but they smiled and thanked him for the pleasure of dancing with a lord. He was hoping to share the second bottle of wine with one and spend the night getting to know her warmth. He was told by two different married women that they could use new bloodlines around Keepers and tried to convince him to stay. He cordially refused the offers.
Bowie went to his bags and drained what was left inside his water skin, then stood staring into the fire. He felt the bag seem to gain weight and looked down to see it filled again. Brent smiled at him and told him where to sleep. Bowie unpacked his blanket roll and tucked himself into the straw for the night. Bowie felt that he was the odd man out. Kilen had a sword with magic and Brent and Kara were both wizards. They would be tied to the King one way or another. Sure he had his bow, but a bow could only get him so far in a king’s army. Wizards and weapon bearers were known in the legends, not their companions. Bowie reminded himself that he was here to help friends in need. He was here for Kara, not to become a hero. Kara and her brother were as close as a brother and sister, he would do what he had to help them. Glory and honor would have to wait.
***
Kilen walked into the camp alongside Sgt. Wells who looked as if he had already had a full night’s sleep. Kilen himself had to keep resisting the urge to grab a hold of his magic to gain strength. The training was brief and only a small amount of what he would receive in the king’s court, but to him it was more intense than chopping wood all day or stoking the blacksmith’s fire. His life in Humbridge had fallen short of the physical needs to keep up with those in the soldier’s line of work. His body was heavy, even for his non-magic strength. He felt the bruises starting to surface on his arms, legs, shoulders, and legs. The bracers and shield had provided little protection from Sgt. Wells. He forced himself to keep his promise to Wells, in using his magic little to keep his body from deteriorating.
The town was silent and most people were already fast asleep. He could still see the campfires raging at the far end of town where his friends were. The town was small, not leaving much to anyone. The people he had been in contact with each had a job, but the town seemed like they were one family, each person taking care of one another. Kilen felt like he was at home in Keepers, with people he could trust. The houses were made with straw roofs and stone and clay walls. They were big enough that a small family could live inside with a few possessions, if they kept any. There were no real streets just muddy paths, used more than other muddy paths. Dogs and cats kept pests at bay, while watchers at the town’s edges kept intruders away. This was a home town and Kilen could see himself making it his.
Brent sat at the campfire with the cook’s apprentice, chatting about the world abroad. Bowie was fast asleep in the three sided structure. Kara was in the same place Brent had laid her down. Kilen allowed himself a moment to touch his sword to check his sister with the water magic. When he was satisfied he released his grip on the sword, and moved to sit beside Brent, who was reading a thick leather bound book with shining gold lettering. The book was titled, The Bights and the Dark Army. Brent closed the book, marking the page with a strip of ribbon, and tucked it into his robe. Kilen sat down and adjusted his fatigued muscles. “I’ve read every book in Humbridge and I’ve never seen that one. Is it a good story?”
He replied with hint of annoyance in his voice, “It isn’t a story, and you shouldn’t have seen it. There are only copies within the wizard’s library. You will forget that you have seen it.”
“The wizards have their own library?” Kilen said, excited.
“Every castle has its own wizards library. In there is a wealth of knowledge passed on by those who bear the responsibility of being a wizard. I have said too much already. You will not ask of this again.” Brent took a moment to calm himself before speaking again. “How did the training go?”
“It was more intense than I thought it would be, I’m a bit tired. He says I’m supposed to resist using my magic, otherwise my body might deteriorate.”
“I’m glad he was able to instruct you in more than just swordsmanship. He was correct. I’m afraid that until we arrive into the King’s presence that our safety as a group relies on you. I told you that I am very weak in water magic. I have been too long in service for the Earth Realm king. Every time he has me imbue a piece of armor or weapon it takes a small amount of my total power. I will recover the power given time, but I’m afraid that giving you a mark has taken more ability than I had to offer. I am spent every time I subdue your sister. If the rumors I hear in this town are true. The Fire Realm has begun sending scouting parties to the Water and Earth Realm to find where they can do the most damage. I was sent as a sort of scout for the king, and to sort out rumors from fact.”
“So, I’m stronger than you in water magic?” Kilen asked doubtfully.
“You are stronger than me in water magic, strength, and earth. You are our protector, if I can only train you correctly. I have to do this with little to no power. Do you remember the night I met you and you saw the man made of water? That was before I had marked your sword and that was as big as I could make him. He lasted only seconds before returning to the elements. That is what we call an elemental. Most of my mind was transferre
d into a pure elemental body. The larger the elemental, the larger my power has to be to summon it. When I train you fully, you will be able to do the same but yours will probably be twice as large, and last considerably longer. Most wizards fight in battle using only an elemental body as to keep their physical body from danger.”
“If I am more powerful then why couldn’t I defeat you when we stopped for our noon meal? You manipulated the ball of water much faster, pushed harder, and fed water into it all at the same time. I was struggling to keep it floating.”
“Partially because you draw energy from yourself, most wizards use that only as a last resort. The elements you command have a power of their own, if you draw your magic from it you will be able to perform greater feats. Next time you look at the water around you, try and feel its power and draw strength from it, if you can do that you will have done something that usually takes new wizards a year to learn. Don’t worry if you can’t, remember wizards usually take a year or more to learn it. I’m sorry, I do need to rest now. I have kept your sister subdued and it has taken a lot out of me with her staying this close to that fire, but I will not trust her to even these people. You will need to watch over her so that I may regain my strength by morning. I would advise you to use every advantage of magic tonight. Do not practice your sword where others might see your weaknesses, no matter how well Sgt. Wells taught you this night.” Brent got up from the log, groaning as if he was an old man, and stretched both arms high. He bedded down and went to sleep fast. Kilen sat staring for a moment into the fire and working the sore muscles in his body. Then, wasting no time, he went to his pack and found some oil, polish, and his old clothing. He sat down with his gently used pieces of armor and began working them with the polish and then the oil to keep it from rusting. The cook’s apprentice brought another plate of food, this time cheese and wine with a leg of duck. Kilen kept moving his sore muscles and felt of the bruises setting in.
The boy stood waiting for a little while and finally spoke anxiously, “Can I help you sir?”
Kilen looked up to see who he was talking to and realized that he was the “sir”. “No, I’ve heard from a lot of people back home that you are supposed to care for your tools yourself and I suppose these are my tools now,” he said while holding up the bracer he was working on.
“I meant with those sore muscles. My mother’s the medicine woman here and she’s taught me a lot. When I saw you were sore I went and made a fresh salve for your muscles made mostly out of mint leaf oil. Rub it on your muscles and they should fare far better by morning.” He waited a second for an answer. When Kilen gave none he started again. “Of course those cuts on your lip and head will need cleaning before I bandage them, if I could sir.”
“I guess it couldn’t hurt, ‘course I’ll not be sleeping so if it does work maybe I’ll be able to get into the saddle in the morning,” Kilen said, giving into the adolescent.
“Ohhh it will hurt. My mother only buys the nastiest whisky to clean cuts with. Good news is, it only burns for a few moments.” Kilen winced with the thought of more pain on top of already throbbing sores. “By the way, my name is Leroy.”
“Nice to meet you and thank you for the help tonight. My name is Kilen Everheart.” Kilen was truly thankful for any help he was offered.
“I know your name. Your friend Master Crescent talked to me for a while. He danced with a lot of the girls here and made their day. It’s been awhile since we’ve had a wizard, a weapon bearer, or a lord in our town. Let alone all three at once.” Leroy worked the salve into Kilen’s wounds and the pain started to subdue. Kilen stretched each one feeling the full motion of his body without any pain.
Kilen was surprised at the salves efficiency. “This stuff works fast. I feel whole already.”
Leroy replied disappointingly, “It’s effects will diminish and you’ll feel better than you did, but not whole. It will help if you get a good rest in. I’ll give you some to take on the road. Rub it in three times a day and you’ll feel much better.”
“Well, I won’t be sleeping tonight, but I’ll see if using my earth magic can help out a bit.” Kilen reached in his purse and pulled out a silver piece to give to Leroy for his medicine.
“I’ll not be charging you sir. Your friend gave me some ideas that I’ll be using to sell medicine to travelers. If you’ll not be sleeping, I have a tea that will help give you some of the energy you’ll need on the road tomorrow. It will taste something awful but it should help some.”
“Can you make some for my friends in the morning? They will be in need of it to keep up with me if your tea works as well as this salve.” Leroy nodded and ran to fetch his tea. Kilen finished working in the polish and oil. The pieces of armor seemed to brighten up a bit, but still looked a bit worn to be made for a weapon bearer. He put back on his necklace chain with the earth rings attached and began resting his arm on the sword hilt. Kilen pushed the water in Kara making her go deeper into her unconscious state, and knew that would keep her for a while longer. He felt his body’s strength return immediately upon donning the rings. Kilen went to his bags and got out his traveling cloak and covered the armor to protect them from the morning dew, and in the bottom of the bag was a brown writing book, pen, and ink set. He was glad that his friend knew him so well to know that he wouldn’t go a day without learning or writing. Kilen knew already knew what he would do with the book. Excitedly, he sat with his back to the fire with his left forearm resting against the hilt of his blade, and opened the book to the first blank page. He thought for only a moment before writing in his best hand.
To Become a Weapon Bearer
By Kilen Everheart of Humbridge
He left a few pages for contents and started writing, Chapter one - The Sword. He began diagramming sword positions, movements of the body, everything that he had learned of the sword. Leroy joined him soon after he started and silently kept him company by the fire, filling his cup with tea. Kilen had finally found his adventure and it would hopefully someday grace the bookshelf in the back of the schoolhouse of Humbridge.
He continued writing and drawing, feeling the determination of magic seep into his mind. He pushed it back and kept writing of his own will. When what seemed like only moments had passed, he began seeing people moving about the town. Leroy went about his new day’s work and returned for only a brief time to get more of the tea for Kilen’s companions. The sun began to rise, marking the beginning of his third day of adventure.
Kilen was awake and saw Bowie rise first. He always rose early to help his dad open the butcher shop before leaving to hunt. The smells of cooking eggs and beans filled the camp and made Kilen’s stomach growl. Leroy came to Bowie straight away and began chatting about his idea to sell medicines to travelers. He had a mug of his tea ready for Bowie to drink, and Bowie gave a sour face at its taste. Only two of the campfires had remained lit throughout the night. The rest smoked and smoldered.
Bowie finished putting on his red lordly coat and came to sit beside Kilen at one of the two remaining fires. “I have a bit of business to attend to this morning with Mr. Bradley. Would you mind getting charger ready for me?”
Kilen thought that an odd request coming from his friend that had given up everything to help him on his journey. “I’ll brush him down and saddle him, and I’ll pack your things.”
“How would you feel if I asked to have another brought in on our journey? You know, to look after our things and cook, watch the horses and such. I will provide half of his pay if you will.” Bowie looked into Kilen’s eyes. Kilen could see there was more to this question than Bowie just wanting to not have to work.
“My gold is already yours. Whatever you and this other person needs they can ask from me also. I know Kara is not your real sister, but I truly thank you for coming with us. I had a fear that I would not be enough to help her survive, now I know I don’t have to do it all on my own.” Kilen had spoken slowly and from the heart. There was a small silence before Bowie spoke.
Kilen closed his book and went to start loading the horses behind the structure. Sgt. Wells was already there brushing the horses and Brent’s horse was already saddled. He spoke to Kilen as a father would his son, “Well how do you feel today then?” Kilen joined him in brushing down the horse so that they stood face to face working.
“I feel whole. I have to admit that I had to go against my promise already. Wizard Parker wants me to be at full health the entire way to Deuterium. It seems I am their protector of sorts.”
“Listen to that wizard, he is a smart one. We have never seen him here in Keepers before, but he is the only one to ever bring us a potential,” he said with reverence.
“A potential?” Kilen stopped brushing the horse.
“You,” he said. “You are a potential for king here in Keepers. You hold two elemental marks on that blade. One more from let’s say, a fire wizard perhaps, and you will have the right to claim the Water Realm as yours. With that you will also claim my allegiance and sworn oath of protection.”
“I am just a knowledge seeker. I want no part of being the Water Realm king,” Kilen said as he started brushing again.
“Well either way I wish to make a request. I want to fight a real weapon bearer, and so when you travel through this area again as a fully trained weapon bearer, I want to fight you. Not to the death but to make sure the title I was given two days before the fall of the water kingdom was really earned.”