They had put on costumes, only caricatures of the heroes and villains in the story as to not upset the guests after their large meal, but only to add some last spice and humor. The gatekeeper was the great troll, growling down at them as they passed from his wooden tower, waving a yellow sword, and finally giving each of the children a hard sweet from out of his hand.
Arles sucked on the candy, of sugar and lemon from Mancy, or from the Bitter Isles, and wondered if such a fable as the one sung was even possible or true. Not only did the tale take place in another realm, it seemed to take place behind a veil that separated it from what he knew the real world to be. After a moment more of reflection, he suspected that what he had discovered was that a veil did exist between the two things, and that because he had never seen such actions and places, that it was his own short life in the Foot, quiet and protected, that caused it to be so. Castle Clews and adventure were naturally quite removed from one another.
Secure that he could then go find adventure if he wished, and that such dire places and creatures must exist somewhere, he was ready to go to sleep and wake up the next day with renewed vigor and ability to believe. It was the conversation of his father and his mother then, when they got home and thought no one was listening to them that drove him back out of sorts.
“Was it really like that?” she asked him, as they stood for a moment together in the hall.
“We both should know if it was,” he replied, as he helped her with her top button. “If you follow some lives, it may appear to be that way, but by most others only a part of it is ever shown, and it is seen differently, as surely less. Is there a question of who the bard should rightly follow in those cases?”
“There was a war there, sure enough,” she ruminated. “But if the Grand Prince were asked about it, he would scoff and disavow a half of what that player said. And another man, perhaps a bravo in Gece today would swear that much more actually took place, and provide you with those unbelievable scenes.”
“Perhaps if there had been a common man there, and he was asked, he could say how it really was,” his father said, thoughtful. “That man would say that Wayland was not as dutiful as shown, more like our own dear lord, and that Lady Sunnil was not bewitching, and instead usually the only sensible spirit in a crowd. But the troll being the way he was. Now that is how I saw it, and whatever is said about him is not enough.” He stopped for a moment, and then started again, in a much lower voice. Perhaps he suspected that Arles or someone else might be listening.
“I choose to believe it was so,” he said finally, “but not for that player’s sake. You can never tell where lightning will strike, and some places are struck over and over again by it many times. I cannot wait to hear what he will say happened tomorrow.” Arles was left wide awake after that, gripping his pillow as they then shut their door, and put out the light.
THE END
NOTES
Some of the names have been slightly changed to make them more pronouncable in English. The Mancan language containes many words with hard X, T and Z sounds in it. The Alonic or Gecic names use groups of constanants and vowels to mostly replace these, softening them with age.
Several of the characters have two proper names, As in Johnas Tygus Grotoy, Vous Vox, and Tig Morten. In the first two cases, it is a Mancan tradition to add the name of the lake, ocean or river a person born on a ship is traveling over. Johnas Tygus was born on a carrik traveling across Tiger Bay, and Vous Vox was born originally on a house boat, floating in the Vosse River, in Bezet. It is also a tradition in the Troli Valley for people of certain ethnic backgrounds to have two proper names, thus Tig Morten.
Tolwind, an island about half again as big as England sits across the Ribbon, adjacent to Alonze, Marmad and Galfan. It consists of several kingdoms, usually named for their chief cities or towns. They are from south to north: Appon, Rezes, the Lake Lands, and Ballatch. Two other large islands: Wellund and Flanweg sit off Tolwind’s west shore. They are all known collectively as Islanders, men of the Isles, or Tollies, by the people of the continent.
The Traveler Knights is a royal company established by the Bagheri Prince, the Grand Prince of Gece, and the King of Alonze in order to safeguard and regulate trade between the western kingdoms of Espeth, and the Kingdoms of Maghot Bay. They regulate caravan traffic, set weights and measures, collect taxes, act as royal officials and police, and maintain the major trade rotes between Kraxika and Aukwen in Gece, and Hevois in Alonze.
Coming in winter, 2018
Book Two: A Forest of Banners
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Epilogue
Notes
CHAPTER ONE
A War of Stones: Book One of the Traveler Knight Page 75