Windcatcher: Book I of the Stone War Chronicles

by A. J. Norfield

  Their group was silent, searching for words after hearing such horrific news.

  “I’m sorry…sorry we’ve brought back these unhappy memories, but can you not see we’re on the same side here?” said Gavin, eventually.

  “Are we? Even if you are not directly an enemy, will you save us? Are you planning to attack the Stone King’s army? Rid the world of his evil? Or perhaps take us all to safety, back to Aeterra? A place where some of us don’t even wish to go as, despite everything, they feel this place is their home? No, I’m sorry, the decision has been made. You will leave our village and be on your way in the morning.”

  “At least tell us if you know how to get to Dead Man’s Fork,” Raylan said, frustrated.

  “I’m sorry. I can’t help you there, either. Few of us have ever been to the coast, and this place you describe is not known to any of us.”

  And with that, they were kindly but firmly escorted out by the guards. Sebastian never said a word during the whole ordeal.

  “What now?” said Xi’Lao to Gavin.

  “Little we can do. Let’s inform the others and then get some sleep. We’ll head out first light, tomorrow…”

  Chapter 13

  Hope

  The next morning, Raylan and the others found themselves escorted out of the settlement at first light. The friendly atmosphere was all but gone; the few people that were up and moving around avoided them, uncertain of their true intentions.

  Raylan was thankful that Galen had most of his strength back, so he seemed fit to travel. Luckily, they did not have to walk much; when they were lowered to the ground, one by one, they found their horses waiting below together with Otis and Martin.

  “Seb told us to bring the horses down last night. Sorry to see y’all go,” said Martin, apologetically.

  “We put a new sword in your pack, since you lost yours at the food storage…”

  “Where’s Sebastian anyway?” asked Raylan.

  They had not seen him since the council meeting last night. Martin shrugged.

  “We left last night while it was getting dark. I’ve not been up yet, this morning.”

  Raylan wondered if he would be able to say good-bye to him, but as soon as they had prepped the horses, Gavin told them to move out.

  “I would have liked to say goodbye,” said Galirras.

  He stretched his neck while standing on one of the tree roots, to see if Sebastian would show up.

  “Me too,” said Raylan, solemnly.

  Over the past few days, it quickly felt like they had been friends for years, and he was sorry to leave him so soon.

  The sun climbed in the sky as they navigated the forest at a walking pace. Ca’lek took up his scouting duties, accompanied by Kevhin or Rohan.

  “Where are we headed now?” Richard asked the question everyone had on their minds.

  “We’ll continue south, head for the coast, now. I see no other option to find Dead Man’s Fork,” decided Gavin. “We’ll increase our scouting efforts to make sure we’re not surprised by Corza and his men. And, let’s hope the coast area has low soldier activity.”

  Galirras used their travel time for flying practice. He looked for high tree roots to jump off, spreading his wings and gliding down. It took a few times, but he soon got familiar with the weightless feel and started correcting course with his head, wings, and tail. By the end of the day, he was experimenting with using a few wing strokes to get from tree to tree without touching the ground.

  Galirras put some distance between his practice and the traveling horses, since the unfamiliar flapping of the wings made them nervous. Peadar’s mare had difficulties with the large shape gliding through the air, making Gavin fear for the pigeon on which their escape still very much depended.

  Raylan took up position between Galirras and the group, making sure the dragon would not lose track of them in his enthusiasm. He challenged Galirras to reach certain heights or to stretch for hard to reach landing spots as a sort of game and found himself constantly surprised by how fast Galirras adapted to different circumstances. The most difficult challenge at the moment was gaining height, as his muscles were just not yet strong enough to provide the powerful strokes needed to ascend. And landing on a vertical surface like a tree trunk proved difficult, too. His first attempt resulted in a loud crash as Galirras had been unable to turn his body enough to grab hold of the bark properly.

  That evening, Galirras used his newly acquired gliding skill to, almost effortlessly, catch two large boars and a deer. They split one of the boars, half for dinner and half for their rations. Galirras was hungry enough to eat the deer and half of the second boar, saving the other half for his breakfast.

  It was an exhausting day, with all the flight practice, and before long, both Raylan and Galirras were in a deep sleep around the campfire. They had set up on one of the rock formations. Hearing the stories about the sand devils, Gavin did not want to take any risk, even if he was unsure that there were any in this area.

  “Raylan...”

  Raylan felt a nudge in his side. His head was still groggy from sleep.

  “Raylan, wake up. Something is coming.”

  This woke him up, right away. He checked around and saw most of the group still sleeping. The campfire had decreased into embers, barely giving off any light. As first light had not even presented itself, it took some time for Raylan’s eyes to see their surroundings clearly.

  He and Galirras had taken last watch, but he had dozed off against the dragon’s warm skin. Galirras had not minded, he had not felt sleepy anymore; and besides, he had much better night vision, so it seemed only logical he would keep an eye on their surroundings.

  As Raylan carefully drew his newly received sword, making sure not to make too much sound, he turned toward the rustling leaves and the occasional snap of a twig. He thought about waking up the others, but it seemed like it was too late, since one of the bushes on the edge of the rock formation started to move as something approached.

  As the shadow stepped out of the shrubbery, it was clear it was a human being. Raylan’s grip on his sword hilt tightened when a face came into view of the smoldering, dim campfire.

  “Now is that any way to treat a friend?” the voice, belonging to Sebastian, said softly.

  “Oh!”

  “Seb? What are you doing here? You nearly gave me a heart attack,” whispered Raylan.

  “Did you come to say goodbye to us after all?” asked Galirras.

  “No, I’ve not come to say goodbye. If it is all the same with you, I would actually like to come with you…”

  “What about the council and the village?”

  “They’ll be fine without me, I’m sure. And, to be honest, I couldn’t stay there anymore after they threw y’all out.”

  “But how were you even able to find us?” asked Raylan.

  “Ha! Well, it’s not that hard to follow Galirras’ tracks once you know what to look for. Although he did throw me off when he suddenly started to cover larger distances without tracks on the ground, until I realized he would want to use his wings after yesterday.”

  “Oh, that’s clever!” commented Galirras.

  “I shall wake the others,” said Raylan, but Sebastian stopped him.

  “If you don’t mind I could do with a bit of sleep, it’s been a long run. I’m sure Gavin and the others will be just as surprised in the morning…”

  “Of course. Take my spot by the fire. Galirras and I will finish our watch.”

  In the morning, Gavin and the others happily welcomed Sebastian to the group.

  “I’m glad you’ll be accompanying us. We can use your knowledge of the area, especially since we have no idea where to go at the moment,” said Gavin.

  “I believe I can help you with that, too,” said Sebastian, showing a large smile.

  His lower lip showed a bloody crack, he had some scratches on his jaw, and his left eye had a deep blue mark under it.

  “After you left, I went aroun
d asking people about the Drowned Man’s Fork. I was having little luck, until someone told me to speak to Aanon. He knew of three pillars rising from the sea. He’d only seen them from afar, but reckoned it could only be that what you all were looking for.”

  “Did he know how to get there?” said Gavin.

  “Aye, we’re to follow the river, which lays some ways to the west, for about ten days southward, until we hit a big lake. From the lake, we move due west toward the coast, which should get us to the cliffs in two or three days. From there, we should see the pillars on a clear day, out in the distance. He estimated it would take another five days, at least, to get there over land; maybe more, depending on the terrain.”

  It was the best lead they had in a long time. Gavin decided to send out the bird to Azurna. It was a big gamble. If it really was not the Drowned Man’s Fork, Gavin imagined they would have to look for an alternative way home, perhaps trying to make their way all the way up north again.

  They had a long way to go; but even if it would take them twice as long to get there, the timing would still work. They could still meet up with a ship there, as the ship would be ordered to wait for a number of weeks. Gavin did not want to risk having to stay in one place for a long time while the enemy was still looking for them. They all ate a quick meal and prepared to set out again.

  “So, what happened to your face?” Raylan asked Sebastian, once they were ready to go on their way.

  “This?” he said, pointing at his face. “It’s nothing. Aanon didn’t agree with me leaving. Said I needed to come back or he would not let me leave at all. He believed we have a responsibility toward the settlement. I believed they did not deserve my dedication, anymore…… We ended up…talking it out.”

  “Just because of us?”

  “Nah, I think it was a long time coming. You being forced to leave…it was just the final straw, I guess.”

  “What about Otis, Martin, Twan and Ivar?”

  “I had a chance to say goodbye to them. They all have their own reasons for staying, for which I do not fault them. But, my place was not there anymore. I think Galirras and you will have an important place in this world, and I want to be there to witness it firsthand.”

  “Well, I—for one—am happy for you to join us,” said Galirras, who had been following their conversation.

  “Me too!” added Raylan cheerfully, “Now let’s get moving and find our way home.”

  Sebastian was given Xi’Lao’s horse as she joined Gavin on his. As the group set out toward the river, Raylan felt the motivation of renewed hope.

  Raylan found himself looking out over a large water body. They had come upon a lake that afternoon and decided to take a rest in one of the more hidden parts on the forest’s edge. It had been a stressful trip, as they ran into multiple patrols. They had to fight their way out of two encounters and were forced to hide in a cave for three days surrounded by enemy movements, without little more than the rations they carried and a small waterfall trickling in from one of the cave walls. Galirras’ appetite eventually forced them to look for prey again. They were finally able to sneak out, when they found an opening in the enemy’s perimeter. All in all, it took them fifteen days to get to the lake; but they managed to avoid their pursuers once again.

  Behind him, Galirras splashed in one of the more shallow pools, flinging fish from the water with his claws. He had enjoyed a great bath when they arrived; Raylan had gotten some branches to scrub him down. He was getting so big, it would have ended up quite a task if everyone had not jumped in and helped, at one point.

  The dragon had loved the attention. He was not used to taking baths and reveled in the fact that his scales were getting cleaned to the point that sunlight would sparkle off them, showing a deep copper-like yellow color. He now wanted to show his gratitude by catching dinner…and getting the occasional snack himself, at the same time.

  The exercise and practice Galirras had accomplished during their days of travel showed clear results in the build of the dragon. His flight muscles had increased dramatically, giving him a more buff look; although it did not seem the dragon would ever lose his lean build. Raylan thought his head had grown a little wider again, and a few ridges of scales now had a more prominent presence on his face.

  The scales on Galirras’ back seemed to have hardened, while the sides of his belly still remained reasonably soft. The skin would be tough to damage Raylan expected. His spine hardened skin gave the dragon added protection from head to tail. Raylan would not call them spikes as they did not break the skin, but they looked more like extra thick skin, forming a natural armor without losing its flexibility.

  Finally, his tail had gotten longer as he grew, and the end of it had widened, as a thin membrane stretched from one side of his tail to the other in the shape of a rugged oak leaf. Slowly but surely, Galirras had grown considerably larger than Raylan. When sitting straight up, with his front arms on the ground, Galirras was now a good four heads higher in build and a great deal heavier than Raylan.

  The lake was one of the biggest ones Raylan had seen in his life. The distant shore was barely visible from this side. They had not seen any settlements nearby, but still stayed on their guard, just to be careful.

  “You’re not going to believe this!” Peadar shouted, as he came running up.

  “What is it?” Raylan asked, as he turned around.

  “A pool with warm water. It is bubbling up from ground. It’s too hot to even touch!”

  That made Raylan curious. While Harwin and Kevhin stayed with Galirras, and made sure the fish he caught were cleaned and prepped, the rest followed Peadar down a small creek to the spot that had excited him so much.

  Once there, they saw precisely what Peadar had described. Small pools of water were bubbling on the sides of the riverbed. Some smelled like bad eggs, while others seemed to have no scent at all.

  “We have got something like this at home. They are spread out all throughout the Empire. We call them hot pools. Our public bathhouses are built on top of them if possible, providing excellent bathing opportunities,” said Xi’Lao, as she moved along the creek, looking for something.

  “This will work,” she said, apparently finding what she was looking for.

  She started to move some rocks around.

  “Can someone please help me with this,” she asked, to no one in particular.

  Raylan hopped over a few stones and helped her drag a bigger stone toward the stream. Before long they had created a natural dam, and the flow of water was partly redirected to one of the deeper bubbling pools. As it overflowed, the mixed water dead-ended in an even deeper pool downstream.

  “See, we can use the dam to control the flow of water into the deep pool. With a bit of experimenting, we should have a very comfortable water temperature to bathe in after dinner,” she said with a smile.

  In fact, a few of them were already in the warming pool before dinner was half done. The heated water did wonders for their aching muscles. They were exhausted after riding for days, weeks, if not months, without proper moments to relax.

  As the sun began to set and the group prepared for the night, Raylan went back to the hot pool to soak in the water for a while longer. As he approached, he heard soft talking from the direction of the bath. A cloudy, dusk sky was making it hard to see where he was going, so he treaded carefully, so as not to lose his footing. As he found himself turning the last corner around a couple of trees, he stumbled upon his brother kissing Xi’Lao intimately in the hot pool. The sight caught him off guard and made him miss a step, almost ending up face forward in one of the other pools.

  “Uh…sorry…didn’t mean to…uh…interrupt,” he said, as he quickly straightened himself and then hurried back to the campfire.

  “Oh shit…Raylan…wait...” he heard behind him, as his brother got out of the water and moved across the stones to catch up with him.

  “Hold on!” he heard his brother say, as he was halfway back to camp. He reluctantly
stopped and allowed his brother to catch up with him.

  “What? I said I was sorry,” Raylan said, somewhat annoyed.

  “It’s not that. I wanted to check if you were alright. I’m sorry you had to find out like this.”

  “What do you mean?” said Raylan, puzzled.

  “Well…you know…me and Xi…we’ve gotten to know each other pretty well…”

  “What about it?” said Raylan.

  Raylan had a feeling where this was going, as he waited for his brother to find the words. Normally, Gavin was never so uncertain when speaking.

  “Look, I know you’ve been spending quite some time with Xi’Lao, and I just wanted to be sure that us being together doesn’t create a problem.”

  “And you ask me this now? After…and not before…” Raylan said, in his most earnest tone.

  “I wanted to tell you…but with everything going on, it never seemed like the right…moment,” stammered Gavin. “When you talk about her, you seem very impressed with her...I was afraid you might have similar feelings toward her…which clearly seems to be the case by your response…”

  Raylan kept his expression in check for a little while longer, until he could not keep his face from breaking into a big smile.

  “Haha…relax, I’m just messing with you brother,” he said, as he placed a hand on Gavin’s shoulder. “I’m not interested in Xi’Lao that way at all. She is an intriguing person who has great knowledge on dragons. Knowledge that I need and appreciate very much, I might add. If I am to gain any insight into how to live with a dragon, I can use all the help I can get. She’s a great friend and comrade…frankly, I think she is a great woman, just…not for me.”