The boy was quiet for a very long time, for which Andrew was grateful. When he did resume talking, it was to explain why the kloradies – which were apparently a type of bird – only came out at night. Interesting stuff, and had Andrew not been so anxious to get back home, he actually would have enjoyed the explanation.
Chapter 4
Andrew awoke to someone kicking him roughly.
He frowned in his sleep. His dad never kicked anyone, and none of his brothers were nearly that strong – to his knowledge at least. Kyle did just have a growth spurt.
It was also strangely cold.
“Come now,” growled a gruff voice, “you may be the Fire Prince, but it don’t give you any excuse to sleep the day away. We’ve got work to do, and if you want to eat, you’d best pull your weight – not that you’ve got much of it.”
Oh. Andrew remembered now. He was in a crazy world called Klarand where snow was pink, fire acted like water, and they expected him to become their king, except that they didn’t. Or something like that.
The man kicked him again.
“I’m awake,” Andrew protested, pushing himself to his knees. “I think you bruised my ribs.”
“What, are your ribs as soft as the rest of you?” the man retorted. “You need some hardening up. Get dressed and get outside if you want anything to eat. Otherwise, you’ll have a pretty hungry day.”
And with that, the man stomped away. As Andrew pushed himself to his feet and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, he couldn’t help but give a grudging, wry smile. How often had he used that exact same threat to get his brothers out of bed? It felt a bit strange to be on the receiving end.
Nonetheless, he didn’t doubt that the man had meant it, so he threw on his jeans, jacket, and hiking boots and headed outside.
“Ah, good morrow, Fire Prince,” Abraham announced, as he approached the table. “Did you sleep well?”
“Well enough,” Andrew answered, automatically. He was used to sleeping on the ground, thanks to how many times his dad took them camping – it was cheaper than hotels, after all. What he wasn’t used to was how tightly packed the men were in the lean-to and the intensity of the body odor.
“Good,” said Abraham, as Andrew sat down next to him. He’d been told the night before, that as the Fire Prince, this was where he was supposed to sit. Andrew thought it best to not protest. “We’ve a busy day ahead of us. The quaggleshump have begun their yearly migration back to Rizkaland proper, but since you confessed last night that you have no skill with the bow, and you seemed quite … upset with the cleaning, perhaps you would be best going with Karlos to check the traps.”
“Um, actually it was more that I found the appearance of the shwazle very unexpected,” Andrew quickly explained. “I have cleaned animals back home – I have a friend whose dad hunts – but the shwazle was so strange looking I just couldn’t handle it anymore.”
“Ah, that is understandable,” said Abraham. “And certainly reassuring. Well, I suppose that, should you and Karlos find anything worth eating, you two can take care of it.”
“Right, and how will I know if something is worth eating?” Andrew asked. “The only bit of wildlife from this world that I could possibly recognize as edible would be the shwazle, and I think it’s a bit too big for a trap.”
“But I know what should be killed,” Karlos piped up. “Don’t worry, Fire Prince, the traps have been my job since I was seven years old.”
With that protest out of the way, Andrew found himself alone with the boy just minutes later, a sharp knife in hand so that he could dispatch anything they found. Karlos led the way since he was the one who knew where all the traps were. Andrew was seriously hoping that they wouldn’t find anything. Using a gun to kill something from a distance was one thing, as was cutting it up once it was dead. Killing it with a knife? Andrew wasn’t sure he was quite ready for that.
The first two traps were empty, and the third had some sort of rat-like creature that Karlos pronounced inedible and therefore just let it go. Andrew was beginning to think that this job might not be so bad after all … when the next trap held a small rodent. Its body was that of a rabbit, but it had a much narrower head and shorter ears. And its fur was a nice, soft pink. Perfectly normal considering what else Andrew had seen in the past twenty-four hours.
“A rikka,” Karlos announced. “They taste really good in a stew.”
“Right,” said Andrew. “So …”
“We kill it!”
“Right,” said Andrew. His mouth went dry as he gripped the hilt of the knife and pulled it out of his belt. However, Karlos was clearly much quicker at this sort of thing. Within moments, he’d pulled it out of the trap and slit its throat with his own knife. He handed it to Andrew who put it gingerly into the netted bag that he’d been given for this purpose.
Well, that was taken care of. Andrew shouldered the bag and continued to follow the boy.
They managed to gather several more small creatures, all of which Karlos was able to take care of. Cleaning them wasn’t as bad, Andrew actually found it rather informative, and didn’t take all that long. Meat was put into the smokehouse, skins were given to Azhen, the tanner, and everything they couldn’t use was put in a basket to be taken to the RiFi.
Then, since none of the men had come back from hunting the quaggleshump, Karlos announced that they needed to go collect firewood. Since there were multiple fires that had to be kept going, this was a fairly time-consuming task.
Throughout the day, Karlos kept a running commentary on life here in Klarand. Apparently, because of its close proximity to the Firefall, much of Klarand’s wildlife flocked to this forest for the winter. This was why the men came here during those months to hunt. This had been the tradition since the beginning of Klarand’s history, back when there were only ten people living there: the king and queen from the Kastle, and the princes and princesses from the four sections.
Of course, that led to an explanation of the “Ten” themselves. Apparently, they had come from another world, like Andrew himself, and were brought here to rule Klarand and to protect it and Rizkaland, the country which gave its name to the world itself and to which Klarand gave allegiance, from Amber. She was, from what Andrew could gather from Karlos’ description, a crazy lady who could turn herself into a dragon but couldn’t die.
Not someone Andrew wanted to mess with anytime soon.
During those days, all of the Ten would come here every year to hunt, and some years the Eight, who ruled Rizkaland proper, came as well. After the Ten and Eight disappeared (to that day, no one knew what happened to them, though common belief was that they simply returned to their own world at long last, and Andrew hoped that the theory was correct), their children kept up the tradition.
These days, only Lower Klarand took advantage of the hunting ground. Twelve men were selected each year to travel with the Lord of Lower Klarand and hunt.
“Lord of Lower Klarand,” Andrew repeated when Karlos came to that part of the explanation. “So … which of the men would that be?”
“My dad, of course,” Karlos answered, automatically. “Why else would he be the one at the head of the table?”
Andrew supposed that made sense.
“Truth be told, I’m not actually supposed to come on these trips,” Karlos admitted. “At least, not until I’m older. But I’d sneak after them and they wouldn’t find out until it was too late to send me back, and now they just bring me along anyway.”
Andrew wasn’t sure why, but he found that confession amusing.
Eventually, enough wood was collected, and the men returned from their quaggleshump hunt. Andrew was recruited to help clean and dress them, and Karlos scampered off to do something else.
The quaggleshump were a type of very large bird, nearing the size of an ostrich. However, unlike an ostrich, they had wings that were clearly built for flight. In build and body, they looked much more like a pelican, down to the beak. They were also a rich, dark purple
and had what looked almost like donkey ears, except that they were, again, purple, and covered in fine feathers instead of fur.
Completely normal for a world with purple leaves.
When they were finished, Abraham took Andrew aside for some lessons.
Chapter 5
“Here, catch, Fire Prince!”
Andrew turned just in time to see Abraham toss a sword at him. Needless to say, he did not catch. He quickly jumped out of the way. The sword clattered to the ground beside him.
“Why’d you do that?” he protested. “You could have killed me!”
Abraham raised an eyebrow. “I assure you that I had no intention of doing that. I told you to catch, after all. Now, pick up the sword. You disgrace the weapon by leaving it in the leaves like that.”
To tell the truth, Andrew didn’t care that he was disgracing the weapon, but since Abraham was holding another sword, Andrew decided that it would be best to have something with which to defend himself should the man suddenly decide to attack him. Not that he thought Abraham to be particularly violent or insane, but you could never be too careful around a guy with a sword.
So, Andrew wrapped his hand around the hilt and picked it up. He had never held a sword before in his life, as he had mentioned. He had dueled his brother with sticks and plastic weaponry, but never a real sword made of solid metal. As a result, he was unprepared for the weight and dropped the sword as soon as he had picked it up.
“That thing must weigh a ton!” he exclaimed.
“Nay, not quite, Fire Prince,” Abraham answered, smile lines creasing his eyes. “That’s a mere light-weight blunt. Karlos uses it for his own practice.”
Abraham was comparing him to the kid. Andrew again picked up the sword. Now that he was prepared for the weight, it honestly wasn’t that bad. In fact, to prove this point, he lifted it – with both hands – above his head.
At that moment, Abraham rushed forward, and before Andrew had a chance to react, he was on the ground, the sword several feet away.
“What was that for?” Andrew protested, as he pushed himself back onto his feet. “You could have killed me! Again!”
“I assure you that I had full control of my sword at all times,” Abraham said, unperturbed. “You should not have so foolishly left your whole body exposed. Now, pick up the sword again and we’ll resume the lesson.”
So, Andrew picked the sword back up, but this time didn’t lift it over his head. He held it awkwardly at about waist-height.
“Always respect your sword,” Abraham said, solemnly. “For it is not only your weapon but also your defense. You just committed the simplest and most dangerous mistakes a person can make – you left your whole body exposed.”
“I didn’t expect you to attack me,” Andrew countered.
“Ah! So there your mistake began,” said Abraham. “Never assume that a man won’t attack you, especially if you can see that he has a sword. And even if you cannot see that he is armed, still, do not relax. You never know who your enemy is.”
“So you’re telling me not to trust anyone?”
“I’m telling you to not let your guard down at any time.”
And then, without warning, Abraham attacked Andrew again, and the sword was again knocked from Andrew’s hand and went flying clear across the clearing.
“But I wasn’t ready!” Andrew protested.
He noticed Abraham’s raised eyebrow and scampered over to retrieve the sword.
“And what did I just tell you?” asked Abraham. “Stay on guard at all times.”
Andrew picked the sword back up. “I’ve never held a sword before in my life, and you’re expecting me to know how to ‘stay on guard!’”
“No, I’m showing you how vitally important it is,” Abraham corrected. “You may have come from a world of firepower, but in this world, battles are more often decided by the sword. You are no longer a common man. You’re now the Fire Prince. Not only will people look up to you, but you’ll also have enemies.”
“I never said I wanted to be your Fire Prince,” Andrew pointed out, raising the sword again, this time gripping the hilt tighter.
“It might not be the life you desire, but it is the life to which you have been called,” Abraham answered. “Indeed, I’d be worried if you did desire our throne, for then I would have known you to be unfit.”
“Right, so I get the job because I don’t want it? Excellent qualifications.”
“You respect the power and responsibility that comes with it,” Abraham explained. “You will not abuse it.”
“Ah, but what if it goes to my head? It could, you know.”
“We will worry about that should it happen,” said Abraham, and he did not sound amused. “For now, it is my responsibility to make sure you aren’t killed the first time an assassin is hired to kill you. Now, first of all, your stance. I could knock you over with one blow, and not a strong one at that. Stand with your legs further apart, and bend your knees slightly.”
“Why?” Andrew asked, not personally seeing the point of learning how to fight by this world’s rules when he didn’t intend to stay here very long.
“Because I don’t think you’d like to end up on the ground again,” Abraham replied. “I’ve already knocked you down once – do I need to do it again for demonstration?”
Now, Andrew could have been sensible and done what Abraham had told him to do, but he was a bit past that. He’d worked hard all day, was thoroughly worried about his younger brothers and dad, and he certainly hadn’t asked for a lesson in swordplay.
Instead, he remained in the position he was in.
Naturally, he was again on the ground within seconds, the sword several feet away from him once more. His own fault, he understood, and he didn’t protest this time as he got back to his feet and retrieved the sword.
“I told you that you needed a better stance,” Abraham informed him.
“Yeah, you did,” Andrew’s pride allowed him to admit. “So, I get the job of Fire Prince just because of some prophecy? No other qualifications? Just grab the first redheaded guy who pops out of the Firefall, declare him your Fire Prince, and hand him your kingdom? What kind of brilliant plan is that?”
“Fire Prince, I can understand that you’re upset,” said Abraham, “but that prophecy was sent by Alphego Himself. He was the one who chose you and sent you to us. This was the first time in Rizkan history that a door has been opened through the Firefall. I don’t know why you were chosen, but you were. You can’t escape your fate, no more than I can.”
Andrew paused. Abraham was the Lord of Lower Klarand, but did he want the position? Perhaps no more than Andrew wanted his. For a moment, Andrew almost had sympathy for the man, but only a moment.
“But at least this is your country, and you still have your family,” Andrew pointed out. “This isn’t even my world.”
“You can bemoan your fate later, Fire Prince. For now, back into position – unless you actually enjoy the ground!”
Andrew decided that protesting wasn’t an option anymore. He did as he was told. Abraham walked over to him and corrected the spacing of his legs and the position of his free hand, then stepped back and nodded. “Now you won’t be so easily knocked over next time,” he announced.
“Now what?” Andrew asked, not because he was interested, but because he knew that Abraham was going to tell him what whether he asked or not. “Please don’t tell me you’re going to attack again.”
“No, you’re not ready for another attack, and I believe I’ve made that point clear enough that I don’t have to make it again,” Abraham explained. “Now, to begin with, you need to hold your sword properly. At first, you held it too loosely, but now your grip is too tight.”
“I don’t want you to knock it from my hands again,” Andrew pointed out.
Abraham chuckled. “I understand that, but now you’re too rigid, and you won’t be able to move fast enough to block my sword.”
Andrew’s shoulders sagged.
Would there be any pleasing this guy? “Haven’t we been practicing long enough?” he tried.
“No, there’s still light,” Abraham countered. “Now, hold out your sword.”
Andrew did so and the man adjusted his grip on the hilt. “There we go, not a great change, but it does a world of difference when you must change direction mid-cut. Now, one more thing before we get into actual practice. Never block with the edge of your sword – always with the flat. Otherwise, one of the blades will bear the evidence, and to remove it will take more time than you’ll care to take.”
The look Abraham gave him made it clear that Andrew would be the one removing the evidence from whichever blade was damaged.
Andrew nodded sullenly. “Got it.”
“Good,” said Abraham. “Now we’ll begin.”
Needless to say, Andrew only had the sword in hand for half of the lesson and spent about a third of it on the ground. At last, Abraham declared it over, with a sigh and a declaration that he had never had a student less inclined to learn.
Andrew was relieved for all of five seconds, and then Abraham pulled the bow off of his back and handed it and an arrow to him.
“Now for archery,” he announced.
“But you said we were done for the night,” Andrew protested.
“With the sword,” said Abraham. “You have a lot to learn, Fire Prince, and little time to learn it in. There’s light yet, so we’d best take advantage of it.”
Andrew just stared at the items in his hand, then shook his head. “I might know a full-blooded Cherokee, but I don’t know the first thing to do with one of these.”
“Pardon, Fire Prince?”
Andrew shrugged, figuring he might as well explain. “We used to have bows and arrows in our world, and the two people most famous for using them are Robin Hood and Native Americans, and the Cherokee are a Native American Tribe. My best friend’s dad is a Cherokee.”
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