Haven Keep (Book 1)

by R. David Bell

  “Tago!”

  “Tago! What are you doing?”

  Von watched them disappear into the trees.

  Kaiden whispered, “We should go before they return.”

  Von agreed, but he watched the trees to make sure the men were out of sight before he moved.

  The men’s shouting was silenced by an inhuman scream. The sound put a chill through Von’s body. “What was that?”

  “Tago is dead, let’s move.”

  Von didn’t argue. He was on Kaiden’s heels almost as fast as he could move. Kaiden raced like a man possessed. Von turned to check if they were being followed. The men hadn’t returned. A few more moments and they would reach the safety of the trees. Five more steps. Three. Von again turned to see if they were followed. Something dark sped across the end of the clearing, a shadow fleeing from the light.

  “What was that?”

  Kaiden was not there to answer. He was already disappearing up the mountain. Von ran after him. Von was sure he had seen a man, but no man he knew could move that fast. Especially in snow. Kaiden eventually slowed enough for Von to catch up. Von wanted to stop to catch his breath, but as soon as he reached Kaiden, Kaiden was off again. Von struggled to keep up. He wagered even the dogs were having a hard time keeping pace.

  Another scream pierced the night. This one beastly. It made Von’s skin crawl. What the devils could make such a noise? Maybe it was a devil. With the scream the winds died.

  “Kaiden, slow down. What was that thing?”

  Kaiden finally stopped. “I told you. The beast. I thought it was dead. I was sure it was dead. I felt it die.”

  “Kaiden, talk sense.”

  “That first scream was Tago. The vyr killed him. The second... I don’t know”

  “What do you mean the vyr killed him?”

  “It took his mind. Called to him. He must have been sleeping. We can’t sleep. Not until we get home.”

  “Kaiden, calm down.” Von took Kaiden by both arms. “Calm down and talk to me.”

  Kaiden faced Von with a blank stare. Von wanted to slap him.

  “The beast,” Kaiden said, “Soren called it a vyr, it takes over your mind as you sleep. Soren killed it. I don’t know how it is back.”

  “Maybe there’s another one. The stories say they roamed the north before man arrived.”

  “If there are more of them it will mean our doom.”

  Kaiden turned and started back up the mountain. Von followed. The dogs brought up the rear.

  Von could see the dying embers of their fire as he approached the camp. He heard the horses whinnying. Someone was there. Or something, if what Kaiden said was true.

  Kaiden stopped still in his tracks. “Hide,” he warned.

  The two moved in opposite directions. Von found a rock to hide behind. He seemed to be doing a lot of hiding lately. He did not see where Kaiden ducked out of sight. Probably in the trees across the trail.

  Von decided he was about done hiding, but before he moved eight men appeared. They led Kaiden’s and his horses in tow. These men hoped to find Kaiden and Von asleep in their bedrolls. Except now they were caught in the act. Their companions down the mountain would not be happy when none of them returned. If any of them survived the vyr.

  Von thought he and Kaiden could follow them down the mountain, picking the horse thieves off with their bows. The two could down all eight men before they’d gone fifty spans. It would be over before those men knew what hit them. Von just needed to wait for them to pass then find Kaiden to hatch his plan.

  The men passed within three spans of Von’s hiding place. He calmed the dogs again with gentle strokes. One growl from either dog and he would find himself facing eight armed men and as far as he could tell Kaiden was clear on the other side of the trail in the small outcropping of trees.

  The men moved further away. Von thought it was finally safe to breath again. He started to move, but Kaiden stepped out from the group of trees he’d been hiding in. His bow was out, arrow nocked and drawn. I guess that puts an end to my plan, Von thought.

  “I don’t’ believe those horses belong to you.”

  “Well, well,” one of them spoke. “Lord Baiden’s brat. I thought we would have to wait one more night before you got to taste our steel.”

  “I told you it would pay off to follow them,” another said.

  Kaiden raised his bow and aimed it at the first man. “I said those are not your horses.”

  The first man spoke again. Von thought he must be their leader. “There are eight of us and only two of you. Right now I see only one. You will get one arrow off, maybe two before our swords fall on you. And unless you get lucky those arrows will only be flesh wounds.” The man drew his sword and started towards Kaiden. The other men followed his lead.

  “At this distance I could put a shaft through your eye. And in the snow you won’t reach me as fast as you think.”

  Von had had about enough of this. The Halfen had tried to kill Baiden. Had tried to kill him. These men would meet justice tonight. Now.

  Von’s sword was out and in his hand. His dagger in the other. The first man Von reached turned when he heard footsteps. He was too late. Von’s sword was spinning death. The next went down just as fast, unable to react in time. The leader fell as Kaiden predicted, crashing to the earth face up, a feathered shaft where his eye once was. The other five turned to see their companions fall to Von. Isk and Jen took two of them to the ground. One screamed in pain, his cries accompanied by vicious snarls, the other coughed blood. The three remaining men bared their swords, not knowing if they should charge up the hill toward Kaiden or turn and face Von. Von still had the element of surprise. The men’s moment of hesitation lost them any chance for survival. Von was on them. They must have thought they could overwhelm him. The opposite occurred. Steel flashed and whirled. A second shaft from Kaiden’s bow pierced through leather armor. Two Halfen men remained standing. Von attacked twice, alternating his strikes. Sword slash, then dagger. Each blow smashed through the defenses of the Halfen men, finding its intended target. The fight was over faster than it started.

  Only one of the Halfen remained alive. The man decided to retreat and Isk let him. He tumbled down the steep slope, trying to make his escape, twisting and sliding down the mountain at breakneck speed. He would probably sustain a few broken bones. Jen was not so kind to the man she took down. It was apparent she remembered the steel that opened her chest just a little over a week ago.

  Kaiden came running over. “Where did you learn to fight like that?”

  “Watching you,” Von said. He didn’t feel too guilty about the small lie. It was partly true.

  Kaiden shook his head in disbelief. “We need to break camp quickly and be on our way. I want to be far from here when day breaks.”

  Von couldn’t agree more.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Night had completely fallen and the temperature was dropping fast. The only thing keeping Von warm was the murderous pace Kaiden was setting. Von wasn’t sure it was wise to move so fast at night on this icy terrain. Even the horses were protesting. He was forced to pull the reigns hard as he struggled to lead his horse forward. The horses needed to rest and the terrain was too treacherous and the light too dim for riding. At least on foot he could tell how solid the ground beneath him was. It wasn’t solid enough for his comfort. The snow deepened as they pushed onward. The makeshift torch he held in his left hand was waning, and the moon and stars were hiding behind the thick, billowy clouds. If either Kaiden’s or his own torch went out they would be left in relative darkness. Von agreed it was best to get a jump start on the Halfen, put a little distance between themselves and their pursuers, but this was just crazy. Kaiden was running. Running like a spooked jack rabbit. Von could not remember ever seeing him like this.

  “Kaiden,” Von called. “We need to stop. One of the horses is going to break a leg.” Von needed to convince Kaiden he was going to get them killed.

  �
�Okay, we’ll slow down.”

  “We need to stop. Rest the horses.” Not to mention themselves. Von’s fingers were beginning to freeze and his toes had long since gone numb. He did not want to lose them to frostbite. This was irrational.

  “Just for a few minutes.” Kaiden relented.

  “No. Until daybreak. The Halfen are not following. Even if they were, we are leagues ahead of them.” Von bellowed it like an order.

  Kaiden gave Von a questioning look, but said nothing. Von had to keep in mind Kaiden did not know his secret. Von wanted it that way. He needed it that way if he was going to be able to continue with his plan. He knew if his isentity became general knowledge he would be unable to move about anonymously, or safely for that matter. He would have more enemies than he already possessed. More than he would be aware of.

  Kaiden finally stopped. He was breathing heavily and Von thought it was as much from fear as from physical exertion. He didn’t understand what could frighten Kaiden so much. If there was some kind of beast out there, a vyr, as Kaiden claimed, they had the dogs and there were two of them. They also had fire to keep any animals at bay.

  “We can rest for a few hours before the sun comes up,” Von pleaded his case. “Plus the wind storm is starting to pick up again. It is too dangerous to travel right now.”

  “It is more dangerous to fall asleep.”

  Von stared at Kaiden blankly. Maybe the cold was getting to him. They would need to build a fire before Kaiden began to lose more of his senses.

  “We can use this snow drift as a wind break.” Maybe if he kept Kaiden busy his mind would not wander into strange fantasies. Von had seen it before, and worse than this. Hypothermia setting in, men losing their faculties. He’d even seen grown men who had spent their whole lives in the frozen north lose their senses, strip off there clothes and wander off into the snow. He didn’t believe Kaiden was that far gone yet, but if he did not begin to warm Kaiden it would only be a matter of time.

  Von pulled out his sword and used the blade as a shovel to dig through the snow. Kaiden followed his lead. Maybe he was finally starting to see sense. They dug a small concave opening into the side of the drift. It was large enough for the two men and the four animals to huddle together away from the wind.

  Von left Kaiden to search for fuel to light a fire. His sword made quick work of a few dead tree branches. He normally would not have used a sword for such a thing, but somehow was sure the blade would not dull.

  After three trips and just as many arm loads of wood Von decided there was enough fuel to last the night. Especially since Kaiden accompanied him on the last two trips. The two torches still burned. Von used one to ignite the dead branches. Soon there was a sizable fire giving off enough heat it actually made Von start to sweat. He didn’t care if the firelight was visible to the Halfen. He was sure they were too far away to be a threat. Even if they were closer than Von expected they would be fools to continue to travel in these conditions.

  The wind steadily rose. Outside their shelter it whipped around in circles. Flurries of snow cut the visibility to only a few spans. Von was glad he insisted on stopping. Building a shelter in this storm would have been difficult, if not near impossible. Traveling on a mountainside in it could have been deadly.

  Von and Kaiden covered the horses in blankets and huddled between their mounts with the two dogs. He began to regain warmth in his fingers and toes. Von sat, cloak wrapped tightly around him, lost in the dancing flames of the fire. The burning wood turned to embers and reminded Von of the forge fires. Fires that gave life to steel. With his own strength he would use those fires to bend and mold steel and iron to his will. Force it to obey him. The fire pulled to him, pulled like the strange alloy from the cave, pulled like the sword at his hip. The red and amber burned a conduit to another place. He drifted off in the glow of the fire.

  Kaiden nudged him. “Don’t go to sleep.”

  Von jumped, startled out of a haze by Kaiden. “I think we are safe here. The dogs will warn us if anyone, or anything approaches.”

  “It isn’t safe to sleep. That’s when it comes.”

  Von hoped Kaiden wasn’t losing his mind. He would need him able bodied if the Halfen did manage to catch up. Von tried to assure him. “You’re okay now Kaiden. You are safe.”

  “No. We aren’t safe. It’s out there. Waiting for us.”

  Von didn’t know what else to say. He sat there, hoping the warmth of the fire would help Kaiden regain his wits. Maybe food would help him. “We may as well eat now so we can get moving again when the sun rises.” And this storm ends, Von thought.

  Von reached into his saddle bags and pulled out more mutton. It was frozen solid. Reheating it on the fire did not take long and soon their bellies were full. A full belly did not help to keep him awake.

  Kaiden threw more wood on the fire, warming the makeshift shelter even more. Von was finally getting comfortable. The inside of the snow walls began to melt and drops of water rolled down the curve of the shelter. Von loosened his cloak a little and watched the flames lick across the burning branches. It was hypnotizing. He wanted to sleep. Wished Kaiden would let him. He lost himself in the flame’s dancing glow. Soon he was seeing images in the fire.

  He thought he could see the fortress he’d spent his early childhood in. The spring that ran into the river where his brother and he played as kids. An invading army. Men on horseback, as unstoppable as the waves of the ocean. What could stand against that?

  He saw his mother. Was that Oded? The words “Run” rang in his head. He ran. Something dark chased him.

  He was playing pirates again with his brother. They searched for buried treasure. Bethrone was there, playing the usual damsel in distress. They rescued her from dragons or brigands time and time again. The shadow in the back of his mind was there again, chasing away fond memories.

  He ran. A sword. He could see it. He needed it. Why? He already possessed a sword.

  A small castle with huge iron doors. They opened and inside were more iron doors. A forge. Weapons. Powerful weapons. Two armored braces. In the back of his mind darkness crept in.

  “Come to me.” The voice howled on the wind. Invaded his mind. “Come to me. I will taste your flesh. Avenge my child.”

  Von wanted to listen. Tried to follow the voice. It was his new master, but he couldn’t move. He tried to scream. The flames grew. They would consume him. Envelope him. It was a bonfire now, growing, taking form. It took shape. A creature towering over him. A dragon. Enormous bat like wings beat the flames hotter. Its mouth filled with sword like teeth, the claws razor sharp spears. The heat from the beast’s breath burned Von’s mind. Freed it from the grasp of the wind.

  Von started awake. He still couldn’t move. He struggled against whatever held him. He realized he was bound tightly, hand and foot. He strained to get his head free from his cloak. It was morning. He was laying next to Isk and Jen. Where was Kaiden?

  “I was afraid you would not wake,” he heard Kaiden’s voice.

  Was Kaiden tied too?

  “What happened? Why am I bound?”

  Kaiden was at his feet, untying the cords. “I’m sorry. When you would not wake I found it necessary. If the vyr had taken over your dreams it would have led you to your death.”

  “What are you talking about?” Von was fast losing patience.

  “The vyr. I did not tell you before because I knew you would not believe me. It took my mind as I slept. That is how it takes its prey. It called to me. I did not know how to resist. I couldn’t resist. I followed the voice of the vyr to what would have been my death had Oded and his men not been there.” Kaiden loosened Von’s wrists. “Had Soren not been there we all might have died. He killed it. This must be another one.”

  Von remembered the voice calling to him in his dreams. Threatening to eat his flesh. “I heard a voice,” Von confessed. “It called to me. I wanted to follow it.” He left out the part about the dragon.

  Kaiden nodded. “Ode
d made his men tie themselves together at night as they slept to keep anyone from chasing out into the night after the calls of the vyr. That is why I bound you. There was something outside our camp last night. I hoped it was not a vyr. Whatever was out there, I think there was more than one. Maybe one chased off the other, or at least kept it at bay. I don’t know. It was hard to tell in all the wind.”

  Maybe it was a dragon Von thought. “You say Soren killed one?”

  “Yes, I am sure of it. It had a hold on my mind when it died. I felt the life go out of it.”

  “I think the one following us was that one’s mother.” Von wasn’t sure if he was realizing Kaiden had not gone crazy or if he was joining in the hysteria. “It spoke to me last night. Said it wanted to avenge its child.”

  “If that is the case, it is more dangerous than I thought. It hunts for more than food.”

  “Yes, we will need to travel with more urgency. We can’t spend anymore time in these mountains than necessary.”

  “That is what I was trying to tell you last night.”

  Von did not mind admitting he was wrong. “I’m sorry I did not believe you.”

  “No harm done. Let’s get moving.”

  They saddled their horses quickly and were soon on their way. Von again followed Kaiden’s lead, but was not sure exactly where they were. The manner they traveled the previous night made it difficult to know how many leagues they actually covered. He wasn’t sure they were even traveling in the direction they wanted to. The storm hadn’t done them any favors either. Kaiden was confident when they drew closer to Haven Keep they would be able to see it. Supposedly it was large enough. As long as they were heading basically toward their destination they should be fine. Especially if they were still in the right pass, which unless they had made a huge error in judgement, they were.