Briev was suddenly interrupted by this father ahead yelling ‘stop!’ Kendraa and Briev stopped as they watched their father closely. Him and the twins looked around as if they heard something.
“What’s going on?” asked Briev.
“I don’t know,” replied his sister. “Stay here, I’m going to go see.”
Briev shook his head and said, “No, wherever you go I go.”
“It’s probably nothing, just stay here for a second,” said Kendraa as she walked over to the others.
Briev began to grow irritated that he is STILL being treated like the baby of the family. Before she was even halfway to the others, a golden looking being fell through the trees right in-between Caegan and the twins. They were startled as they turned to face the being, which now had tall wings sticking up from its back. It looked like a man, tall and strong. It all happened so fast, that none had time to react. Before Kendraa could even say a word, the tall winged man grabbed both the twins with the power from one of his hands and threw them to the ground. As Caegan tried to attack the man, he quickly turned and threw Caegan back against a tree with his other hand. Suddenly, four winged hairy creatures bearing four more men came crashing through the trees, landing all around Caegan and the twins. Kendraa turned and looked at Briev with terror as she begged him to hide with her eyes. Briev wanted nothing more than charge the strangers, but instead, reluctantly obeyed his sister’s eyes and quickly crouched down behind a large rock so that he could still see. He tried to listen to what the winged man was saying, but couldn’t decipher his words. One of the other men discovered Kendraa and grabbed her before she could do anything. They were extremely skilled and quick, like nothing the teen had seen before. He couldn’t stop staring at the massive wings, wondering if he was an Angel of the heavens. After concentrating hard to hear them, Briev could only make out ‘it is just us’ from his father, and that ‘there was no one else.’ He watched as his father and sibling’s hands were tied, and were helped onto the backs of the flying beasts. They were also each blindfolded, and had cloth tied around their mouths. He knew that they were being taken captive, and that he would be their only chance in escaping. He told himself to concentrate, and make sure that he watched closely where they went so that he could follow them. Suddenly, the winged man leapt into the sky and was gone in seconds, as the four other men commanded their beasts to fly into the sky as well.
“Ok Briev, you can do this,” the teen whispered to himself as he grew more and more anxious and scared. “Look at the trees, aaand, look at thhh… thhhe rocks.” He carefully stood up as he ran over to where they were just moments ago. “Look at the ground, and the trees… they flew that way, so go that way. They flew… they…” He stopped as he began to grow confused. He shook his head as he walked a few more feet towards where they just were, and said, “The trees… the trees… look at…” His mind was becoming blank, as his immediate memories started to fade away. Tears began to grow in his eyes and he began to spin in a circle. He grew angry as he yelled, “NO! Don’t leave me! I HAVE to remember… the trees… look at the trees… no, DON’T GO! WAIT!” He walked a few feet in one direction as if he was chasing the fading memory, but it was as if it shifted, so he would start walking in a different direction. “I… uh, no, this way… wait… no, I know they… um, thhh… the trees, no, wait…” Tears freely fell from the teen’s innocent face as he stopped pacing, and just slowly fell to his knees. He shuffled himself backward so he was leaning against a tree with his arms wrapped around his knees. His mind had completely left him, leaving him in a temporary state of unclarity and confusion. He just hugged his knees and rocked back and forth as his face went blank and his tears dried. Then there was nothing… nothing for as long as only time could tell.
CHAPTER 7
THE ROAD TO RIVERTON
At sunrise, Ethan woke and gathered his things without a sound, as not to wake his family. He quietly walked over to his brother and sister and gently kissed each one of them on their heads. As he approached the door, the teen turned around to look upon his parents one more time, but noticed that his father wasn’t there. He wondered where he could be as he turned and quietly opened the front door, and exited the house. As he carefully closed the door behind him, he was almost startled by his father, who was sitting in an old rocking chair just outside the home.
“Dad, you scared me,” said Ethan as he walked over to him.
Baron, who was sharpening two shiny daggers, replied, “I told you I would see you off in the morning.”
Ethan sat his pack down as he said, “How long have you been up?”
Baron stared at the daggers in his hands as he replied, “A few hours. I couldn’t sleep, and besides, I wanted to give you something before you left.”
Ethan looked at the familiar blades, and said, “Grandfather’s daggers?”
Baron smiled as he looked at his teenage son and handed him the daggers. He then said with pride, “These are my most valuable possessions. They are the only things I still have of your grandfather’s, but they are just collecting dust at this point. I have never needed them, but I fear that you will. They are very special to me, so I trust that you will take good care of them.”
As Ethan tied their sheaths to his belt, he replied, “Of course I will. This means the world to me, thank you dad.”
Baron felt himself becoming emotional, as he stood and placed a hand on Ethan’s shoulder, and said, “Be safe son. Return to us before too long, safe, and in one piece.” Before he lost his composure, the proud father ended with, “Now, go on then, the King will be leaving soon. I’ll see you before too long.” He then opened the door and started walking in.
Ethan turned and said, “I love you dad, and thank you, for everything.”
Baron turned, smiled, and nodded as he closed the door.
Ethan walked through the empty streets to the southern gate of the village. With every step, his excitement increased. Just before reaching the southern gate, Ethan stopped and turned around. He looked back in direction of his home and family. After taking a moment to reflect, the teen turned around and passed through the gate. Awaiting him was King Daane and the Kain’s Guard. Ethan could see the great Keeper of the Bow towards the front of the party as she stood still, waiting for their departure.
“Ah, good, so you didn’t decide to bail on us,” said Ayden as he walked over and slapped the teen on his shoulder. “Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s hit the road boy.” Ayden then turned around and walked to the front of the company. He mounted his pitch-black stallion, Ronan. Daane approached Ayden on top of his buckskin gelding, Brenthar. In unison, the two brothers turned their steeds and faced the Kain’s Guard.
“My brothers, today we travel to the southern city of Riverton,” said Ayden, “let us ride true today as we head south. Soon, we will muster the Trueborns and the army of the Kain. Do not get comfortable in the City on the River, for we will not linger there long. After our army is mustered, we will turn our direction back north to the capital, and reclaim what it rightfully ours!”
The men of the Guard raised their swords in unison, as Ethan quickly grabbed one of his grandfather’s daggers, and held it high with his new brethren. Ayden and Daane then turned, and started to walk south down the road to Riverton. The Guard followed one by one. Ethan didn’t have a horse, so he rushed to keep up with the Guard and the King.
The company traveled for hours through the southern valleys of the Kain. The lands to the south of Greenglen mostly consist of rolling green hills and dotted fields of crops. They traveled through the fertile farmlands of the Kain, where most the capital’s produce was cultivated. The southern farmlands consisted of very few towns, and Greenglen was the largest of the surrounding villages. Homesteads were far and few in between as you travel further south through the southern valleys. Mostly ranchers and farmers reside in the lands between Riverton and Greenglen. The road was small, but well-traveled and manicured.
Ayden suddenly dismounted his stallio
n, and led him by the reins. He walked up from behind Alandra, and said, “Hey, what are you doing?”
Alandra slowly turned around and looked at the Captain as he smiled back at her, “What am I doing? Well, I believe that I am walking… just the same as you.” Alandra sarcastically rolled her eyes and turned her attention back in front of her.
Ayden stared at the Keeper for a moment before replying, “I know you liked it. You don’t fool me ‘malady’.”
Alandra kept looking forward as she replied, “What are you talking about?”
“You know what I am talking about,” replied the Captain with a smirk, “You know… when we… you know.”
Alandra suddenly turned around, causing the Captain to stop. She looked at him with seductive eyes as she brushed the back of her hand against his cheek.
“When I kissed you?” said the Keeper, “I don’t seem to remember, can you remind me of what I did?”
Ayden looked a little embarrassed as he replied, “What, here? Now?”
“Was it like this?” Alandra said as she moved her lips within an inch of the young Captain’s, and lingered there for a few seconds before abruptly pulling back. “Oh, never mind, I guess I don’t remember.” She then replaced her seductive gaze with a smile as she turned and walked away.
Ayden’s grin turned south, for he realized she was just teasing him. He then whispered to himself, “Oh, you will have me again, you just wait.” As he grinned once more, he turned and mounted his stallion and kicked into a gallop, running past the Keeper to the front of the line. Alandra refused to notice the Captain’s passing at first, but couldn’t help but to watch as the he rode past, revealing a slight smile.
It was nearing sunset as the company continued to travel on the road. Ethan was fighting back fatigue as he struggled to keep up. As he looked to his left, he saw two small children standing on the porch outside their home. Their parents were nowhere to be seen. Ethan contemplated on whether to see to the seemingly abandoned children, or to keep up with the company of the Guard. Reluctantly, Ethan turned and walked over to them.
“Hi there, my name is Ethan, what’s yours?” asked the teen.
The older boy, barely six, said, “My name’s Branne.”
“Nice to meet you Branne,” replied Ethan. “And what’s your name sweetheart?”
The younger girl shyly looked at the ground and rubbed her foot into the ground.
“It’s alright, I am a friend,” said Ethan in a comforting voice.
The young girl looked up and finally said, “My name is… um… Talliel.”
“Well, it’s nice to finally meet you too, Talliel,” replied the teen, “where are your parents?”
Branne said, “Mother and father went to the big city, and haven’t come back.”
“The big city?” asked Ethan. “Do you mean the capital? Did they go to the capital?”
“Ya, with their carts,” replied the young boy.
Ethan looked to see that their clothes were filthy, and dirt covered their faces. He looked behind them into the house, only to see that the place was barren of all stores. The cabinet doors were all opened, and empty containers littered the counters. He turned his attention back to the young children.
“How long has it been since your parents left?” asked the teen.
The two children looked at each other, then back to Ethan as Branne said, “Is mother and father going to come back?”
Ethan didn’t have an answer for the young child as he looked into his eyes. He could tell that their parents have been gone for over a week, and that they had already eaten all the food in the home. Knowing that the parents that belonged to the children were most likely dead, Ethan said, “Don’t worry young ones, for I’m sure that your parents are just waiting for you to come see them in Riverton. That’s where I’m going. Would you like me to take you there?”
The two young children looked at each other and smiled, before Talliel yelled with glee, “Yay! Let’s go!” She turned around and ran back into the house, and began to gather her dolls.
Before Branne could turn and join his sister, Ethan stopped him and said, “Wait, I have to go make sure it’s ok for you to come with us. Go help your sister gather your toys as I go ask, ok?”
“Ok,” said the boy with a smile as he turned to help his sister. He said then with excitement, “Come on sissy, we have to get all of our toys before we go to mother and father!”
Ethan turned and ran back towards the company with a renewed strength. As he approached, he yelled, “Wait! Stop!”
Daane stopped and turned around towards the teen. He said, “What is it young man?”
Ethan fought to catch his breath as he said, “There… there are two small children back there, and I think their parents were killed on the road to the capital. They are all alone, we can’t just leave them!”
Daane looked at the young teen and felt the sincerity in his plea. There was something that reminded the King of his own son. A sense of pureness and selflessness resonated off the teen.
Ayden then road up from behind the King and said, “We cannot look after every fostered child of Kain, or we’ll never make it to Riverton. I am sympathetic, I am, but we cannot bare such a burden at this time. We must continue forward.”
As Ayden turned to walk away, the King looked into the pleading eyes of the young teen, and felt his love for his people. He then said, “We can surely accompany two more. You there, give me your horse.”
The King motioned to a nearby Guardsman for his horse, as the soldier of Kain dismounted the mare. Ayden just shook his head and continued to ride to the front of the company. The King took the mare and handed it to Ethan and said, “Go young man, for those orphaned children are now your responsibility until we reach Riverton.”
Ethan looked to the King with respect and gratitude as he said, “Thank you my Lord, I promise that they will be of no burden!”
Ethan took the mare and went back to the home of the orphaned children. The King watched on as the teen ran with haste to collect the children. He saw the kindness that still resided in his people. The kindness shown by the selfless teen inspired him, and reminded him of the strength and purity of the Kain.
As Ethan arrived at the home, he saw the two young children waiting outside their home with their arms filled with various toys. Ethan went into the home and gathered as many cloths and provisions that he could find, and quickly packed them into bags. He helped the two young children onto the mare, and secured their bags. He knew that the company would not wait for them, so he moved as fast as he could.
After he placed the rest of the children’s belongings on the mare’s back, he said, “Alright guys, we got to move quick to keep up with the others. Are you ready to go meet up with your parents?”
The two children replied in unison, “Yes!”
“Alright, let’s go!”
Ethan rushed to catch up to the company, forgetting any fatigue that had previously consumed him. They then rode through the night, and into the next morning. They were now only a few miles from the southern city of Riverton. Ethan struggled to stay awake as he led the two small children behind the company. Daane and Ayden arrived at the top of a small hill, only to see the outskirts of the city on the other side. They both stopped as they looked at each other. Looking back ahead, the two led the company into the domain of the southern kingdom of Kain, and the stronghold of Riverton.
Riverton is the largest city in the northern territory next to the capital. It rests on the Andwail River, which flows south from Mount Karnith. The lands between Riverton and Greenglen are fertile and relatively flat, with rolling green hills and very few trees. A few miles north of the city, the rolling green hills start to roughen and become more jagged. Pine trees grow in large numbers as you enter the northern outskirts of the Andwaith Forest. The Andwail River flows slow and steady through the central plains, but as it approaches the Andwaith Forest, the land starts to descend rapidly, causing a series of waterfa
lls and white rapids until it stretches outside the Kain’s territory, and into the neutral and desolate Plains to the south.
The city’s center rests in between where the river splits in two. In the center of the forked river is a large island made of granite, for the river reconnects to the south of the city. Both sides of the split river flow over tall cliffs creating impressive waterfalls. On the western side of the city resides a dam made of the very granite the city rests on. The dam controls the western side of the river and allows the waters of the river to rest in the large reservoir, which is used to provide drinking water to the city’s inhabitants, and to the stables of the Trueborn. The dam was actually a series of dams that gradually control the river down the steep ravine. Crossing the reservoir is an arched bridge of cobblestone. Tall wooden spires capped with torches line the sides of the stone bridge to light the way of travelers. At the end of the bridge is a draw bridge made of solid pine. On the other side of the draw bridge is a tall wooden gate. To each side of the gate runs a tall stone gate that completely encircles the city. The eastern part of the river thunders down over several falls, and meets the western part of the river at the bottom of the ravine. Several smaller stone bridges cross the river and connect the city to the eastern outskirts. To the east of the city is where the great stables of the Trueborn reside.
The island in between the split river house most of the people that reside in the southern stronghold. The city closely resembles the capital of Menethiel to the north. Most of the buildings were built with a combination of wood and stone. The streets are laid with red bricks, and were built in a square grid. At the center of the island rests the town hall and the home of the city’s mayor, Tylandrius, along with his wife and daughter. The town hall takes up an entire city block. It is encircled in tall stained glass windows. At the center of the hall rises a tall tower of brick, where the mayor and his family live. The city is known for being the home of the Trueborns, an ancient race of horses dating back to the beginning of the Guardians of Kranos. They are led by the ‘Mother’, as she is called. The Trueborns aren’t the only thing that the city is known for. The people of the city are also known for their diversified crafts and trades. Everything from dresses to wagons are manufactured in the city.
The Reclaiming: The Keepers Saga: Volume Two Page 12