The Descendants Book One: The Broken Scroll

by Kurtis Smith

  I don’t want to look like a fumbling idiot in front of her.

  The later it became, the more restless Davin was. There was still no sign of the Lord of Trial either. It had been five days since their last meeting.

  As he started to walk away Egan said, “Where are you going?”

  “To practice.”

  Before Egan could respond he was out of sight, beyond the ring of firelight that pierced the darkness. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the faint light of the moon. When it had, he continued away from the campsite. After he was a far enough distance away not to be heard, he stopped. Pulling out his sword, he began swinging it in one of several different forms Egan had taught him. He favored its quick, short strokes, ranging from all directions. It only required a one handed grip so one didn’t lose the speed advantage. It was what he had used against the soldiers in Liam’s home. It had served him well, so he vowed to remember it above all the others.

  He had just placed his sword back in its scabbard when he heard the familiar grave voice on the air. “Do you have the answer I seek?” it said.

  Davin grew excited. “Yes, Lord of Trials. I have an answer that will be fit for you.”

  “Good,” it said, and the shadow began to materialize into the smoky human form Davin had seen before.

  Once it had finished, the deep, male voice spoke again, “Then tell me, Son of Old, what path do you choose? Will you seek the greater path of your ancestors?”

  Davin told him about the revelation he had experienced with the Lady of the Lake. He explained his stance up to the point of his understanding. Not wanting to go another night failing his test, he kept talking until every relevant thought in his mind over the past weeks was revealed. After he was done his throat was raw and his heart pounding.

  There was a short pause. “You have grown much in a short time. You have passed the tests laid out by your ancestors and therefore will shall keep the Ancients power. I will test you no more. Let it be known that cleverer minds than your own have gone mad under these examinations. You have done well to pass so quickly.”

  “I have been instructed of this, Lord of Trials,” Davin said, confidently.

  “Then you know of the beginnings of our fallen brethren,” it replied. “Never must you look to their ways for strength, lest you fall prey to it. They must never gain power again.”

  Davin stared at the smoky shadow, unsure of what it meant.

  “How could they gain power, aren’t the Corrupt One’s long dead, sealed away for all time?”

  “Banishment and death are two different things.”

  Davin tilted his head. “Do you know something we don’t about them?”

  The Lord of Trials began to fade into nothingness. “I only know that which my purpose is. Do not fall to their ways. Farewell, Davin.”

  “I would never”- he started to say, but the shadow had vanished before he could finish the sentence. Did he actually think Davin would fall to the Forbidden Forms and then lead a new army of Corrupt Ones? That was ridiculous. He didn’t even know what the Forbidden Forms were. And neither did Egan, he’d wager. Even more so, if any did know that mysterious magic, there was not a high likeliness that there were enough Descendants still alive to form an army.

  The other worries drifted from his mind. Another matter was at hand. Excitedly, he pulled the new brownish-tinged Driocht orb out of his supply pack. It glowed brightly as it touched his hand. Unable to restrain himself any longer, he reached for the dark matter within the orb and gathered its power within himself. Deciding to let the orb do whatever it felt, he kept his mind clear.

  Thrusting his hand outward in a rapid movement, he called upon the earth. Nothing happened at first. But then a small patch of ground began to shake in front of him, as if he had ignited a miniature earthquake where he stood. Struggling to keep his balance, he kept the magic going. In the same place where the ground had been trembling, tiny cracks emerged. They grew up with such speed that it looked as if the earth was going to cave in. Worrying, he formed a command in his head. In another second, he raised his hand upward and the ground obeyed.

  A column of dirt and grass began to rumble up into the air. Davin jumped back in surprised. The column stopped ten feet up as he felt the extent of his power reached. The ground around the three foot diameter column clumped itself in a circle, noticeably disturbed from the rising mass. Davin walked cautiously over to it, placing his hand on his work. It was solid and unmovable.

  “Incredible,” he said under his breath.

  It had only taken a matter of seconds, but it had been louder than he’d expected. The others were sure to have heard it and Egan was sure to rail him for making such noise. There might be spies about. It didn’t matter, though. He didn’t care. A grin crossed his face he was unable to contain. The passing of his final test and his impressive manipulation of the earth had put in him an excellent mood.

  Davin trudged back through the falling snow to the campsite. Egan would be most pleased with him.

  Returning within range of the orange and yellow firelight, he opened his pack and pulled some mountain berries out of it. Looking around, he saw Egan was lost inside the book he had been reading several nights ago. Kayleigh and Teague and fallen asleep. Davin didn’t blame them, Egan had run them hard. And without the endurance of the Ancients, they were likely to be exhausted.

  “Well?” said Egan, not even glancing up at Davin. This lack of concern was puzzling.

  “Nothing to worry about. I have to admit. I am relieved.”

  Egan nodded, smiling slightly, but kept his face planted in his book.

  “I would expect you to be…I am too,” he said, tonelessly.

  “Thank you,” Davin replied, not sure what was happening. Why was he acting so nonchalant? He considered letting it go for the night, but it didn’t make sense. Egan was so disappointed when he had failed before. Why did he not care now?

  Letting his curiosity overtake him he said, “Why are you acting this way, Egan? Weren’t you worried at all if I would prevail?”

  To Davin’s surprise, Egan glanced up at Davin as if seeing him for the first time since he returned that night. Then the look of surprise faded and he spoke with more emphasis this time.

  “Yes, of course I am Davin. Well done.” He paused and started on a new topic, seeming more like himself. “We have more likeliness of succeeding in our tasks now that you have nothing else to be distracted by. I want you to train Kayleigh in sword play for several hours every night until we reach Swift River. When that time comes, I will take her as my student. Will you do this?”

  “I will,” said Davin, still wondering about Egan’s previous attitude toward him. He let it go as he resumed his eating and Egan returned to his book. He would not let anything ruin the pleasant mood he was in.

  If he wants me not to be distracted, he chose the wrong task for me.

  ***

  Every night Davin and Kayleigh retreated away from the campsite for the training sessions. During the days, while they traveled, Teague was asked to give them a detailed layout of Talamaraon City. He spent hours telling them about the various districts, the soldiers’ patrol zones, and the amount of traffic on the streets. It was amazing how well he could describe the city, just from his memory. When Teague’s descriptions finally made it to the castle in which he lived, another level of detail was added. He told them he could have drawn them a map, had they had parchment and ink.

  Davin’s brain ached each night from the information he was made to process. He had tried to keep all of what Teague had told them straight and what he was teaching Kayleigh. Even for an Ancient, it was tough.

  Once he started the lessons with Kayleigh, his initial anxiety ebbed away and he was lost in his instruction. She was accepting of anything he told her, even when he fumbled over what to do or say next.

  They had spent several hours a night on the basic strikes and blocks, as well as a few helpful phrases to keep in mind in swordplay
. Kayleigh was beginning to express her boredom. She memorized each new subject quickly, claiming that an aspiring Scholar had to have an excellent memory. She had mastered the theory and was already a sharp student at the basics. Davin was hesitant to move forward to more advanced lessons, though, for fear of hurting her.

  “There is no way you can possibly be serious about this,” Davin blurted out before his brain could stop him. “You’re not ready to spar with me.”

  She looked at him, unblinking. “Isn’t it only up to me to decide if I can handle it, Davin?” Her voice was firm but not angry.

  Davin faltered. “I suppose so, but I don’t understand how you will know what to do when. You have not even finished learning the basics. I would destroy you.” Amused, she raised her eyebrows. “I mean,” he amended, “if we were fighting for real I would destroy you…” his voice trailed off. Scratching his neck awkwardly, he turned away.

  Kayleigh raised her sword and got into one of the starting positions Davin had taught her. “Try me.”

  Davin stared at her for a minute, then shook his head and stifled a laugh. But it was a serious matter. And he had to quickly bring himself back to reality.

  “I can’t fight you like this,” he said.

  She sighed deeply. “You can control your skills and strength, can you not?” Davin nodded, feeling sheepish under her scrutiny. “Then do that. We don’t have time to focus on the details. I will learn fastest by trial and error and real fighting. Do not worry if I am harmed. I will be aware that you did not intend to hurt me and none of my wounds will be bad enough to have permanent damage.”

  You can’t know that, woman.

  She was more confident than he was about causing her only minimal harm. And he didn’t want to cause her any harm at all. But she was right; they had to move things forward quickly.

  “Alright, I will do it,” he said, finally.

  She readied herself for the fight. “I am a stronger woman than you think, Davin. But,” she paused, “I can appreciate you looking out for my safety. It…it is very sweet.” Davin could feel his cheeks going bright red. She saved him the trouble of responding by taking a swing at him. “So stop it.”

  “Y-yes,” he answered, completely taken aback by her change in attitude. It took him a minute to recover. “I will make sure I don’t worry about hurting you then.”

  She grunted and rolled her eyes. “It’s about time.”

  The next two hours they spent exchanging blows, starting slower and then gradually speeding up. What Kayleigh lacked in physical strength, she made up for in spirit and her sharp memory. Davin was beyond impressed with the way she could make a mistake, take note of it, and then never let it rise again. He still landed some sharp blows that left her bruised and lightly cut, but, on the whole, she didn’t allow him too many opportunities.

  For the first couple of rounds, when striking her accidentally, he made the mistake of rushing over to see if she was fine. This foolish move was how he had received his share of cuts and bruises. She did not take too kindly to him coddling her, and he quickly learned not to do so.

  When it had become late into the night, she finally stopped him. “I am too tired to carry on more tonight,” she said. She panted heavily as she bent over and put her hands on her knees.

  Davin noticed he too was panting, but not as severely. And he certainly wasn’t exhausted. He thanked his ancestors for that. “I am impressed with how much you have learned in these few nights. I honestly didn’t expect the lessons to go this smoothly.”

  She shrugged. “What can I say? I am gifted, I suppose.”

  “I see you’re the kind of person that doesn’t let success make you arrogant.”

  ***

  The next day the travelers left the foothills behind. It was no secret that they welcomed the departure. They proceeded into the yellow grasslands and flat expanse in front of them. The few rolling knolls that were interspersed in the tall grass of the landscape hardly warranted mentioning, though the change from mountain scenery that Davin was so used to never ceased to be refreshing.

  Early in the day, Egan fell back beside Davin. Davin knew he had something important to say otherwise he wouldn’t have bothered him.

  “Swift River should be directly to our east from this point,” Egan told Davin.

  Davin noticed that Egan didn’t seem nearly as excited as he was to be meeting up with Niahm. He pushed the thought aside, though, because Egan knew this was what needed to happen, even if it meant a fight they couldn’t win.

  “As soon as we can reach a town to sell us provisions and a pooka to ease the journey, we should. Our minds and bodies ought to be fit for whatever duties may be required when we get to Swift River.”

  Egan nodded, agreeing with Davin. “And we should keep our ears open for information about the army and O’Hara’s plans. It would allow us to avoid their attention as much as possible, which will be necessary if we are to infiltrate Talamaraon City.”

  “Thank you, Egan,” Davin said, “for coming with me. I honestly did not think myself a good enough a fighter, with Driocht or otherwise, to succeed on my own.”

  Egan put his hand on Davin’s shoulder and squeezed. “I would not have agreed if it weren’t for your conviction and heart. They have much changed since I met you. You truly believe we can succeed, and that is where I falter.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you had doubts before?”

  “You know as well as I, my doubts were last thing you needed to hear.”

  Davin nodded. “True.”

  Davin felt no need to speak anymore on the matter. They both understood one another completely.

  “I haven’t quite gained my bearings since we left the mountains. Where is the nearest village?” Davin asked, changing the subject.

  Without looking around Egan said, “We should be coming up on a small plains village called Habok. It is a two day’s ride west to Cruud and a three or so day’s ride east to Swift River.”

  Davin looked at him curiously. Egan seemed to be straining his ears to hear something. Davin did the same. After a moment he heard it too. There was clanking of metal on metal and it reverberated over the plains.

  “I think I hear something in the distance. What is it?” Kayleigh asked, looking around her in confusion.

  “It is the army…at least some of it,” Teague interjected. “I recognize their sound from leagues away; it is has to be at least two full regimens on the march.”

  “We cannot take that many men on our own, even with our powers,” Egan told them all, but kept his eyes fixed on Davin. “We must stay out of sight.”

  Without another word Egan took off in the direction of the clamoring. He sprinted up a large knoll and reached the top, obviously wanting a good look at the regiment of soldiers.

  Davin didn’t waste another second. He shot a quick glance at Teague and Kayleigh and took off as well. He could hear their hurried footsteps behind him, trying to keep up.

  When he reached the top the sight overwhelmed him at first. He stretched out with his vision to get a clearer picture. A couple hundred men lay in front of him, which meant more than one regimen. Their silver and midnight blue armor gleamed in the late morning sunlight. They marched in perfect unison and headed due south. Davin was just able to make out the copy of the scroll hanging at each one’s side.

  “Where do you think they march to?” Teague said. Davin eyed him, already knowing the truth.

  Kayleigh was the one to answer. “Is it not obvious? They must be heading in the mountains. They’re after the scroll piece we just claimed.”

  “What do you bet they have been given our power as well? If they don’t go mad first, they will die in the High Passes,” Davin said, heavily.

  Egan shook his head, disagreeing. “O’Hara wouldn’t risk that number of men on something with where they all might die, would he?” Davin figured this actually made more sense so he didn’t argue the point.

  Kayleigh spoke up, though, “I’
m not so sure about that. They don’t seem too concerned with who they send to their death.”

  The four of them watched soldiers march for several minutes. During that time one of the soldiers in the second regimen fell out of step in his march. He stumbled along for a few feet, trying not to collapse to the ground. A Dous Captain caught this happening and pulled the Lowman out of the ranks. As if knowing what was coming, the soldier dropped to his knees in front of the Dous Captain. Another soldier was summoned, this one of a middle rank of First Tenant. There was a short conversation. The First Tenant pulled forth his bow, knocked an arrow and fired at the Lowman’s chest from only feet away. The soldier dropped dead as the arrow pierced his heart.

  “That’s Deverell’s doing, that is,” said Egan. “I won’t watch this anymore.”

  He began walk away. Seeing that the others weren’t following, he called to them. “Come; let’s leave these fools to their doom. If it is the High Passes they wander into, the Auki will not rest until they are all dead.”

  Davin had trouble tearing his eyes away. How was he ever going to storm into the King’s chamber, confront Deverell and survive? Those soldiers were only a small percentage of the numbers O’Hara had at his disposal. And what they had just seen was a good example of Deverell being willing to do whatever it took to keep the fear alive and people in line. Davin only hoped that they could sneak into the capital city without being detected. If it came down to a battle, he and his fighters would be obliterated. This thought scared him.

  Finally tearing himself away from marching soldiers, he turned and joined the others again. I am no different from those men. I knowingly head to face my death as well. But like these men I do what I must, what is required of me. The soldiers do what they do because O’Hara and Deverell command it. It is their duty; just as using my gifts to stop those men have become mine.

  It was only a matter of time. He could convince the others to change their plans and face O’Hara and Deverell at a later time, but it would only be delaying the inevitable. No. His mind was made up. He would carry out his plan or die trying.