The Seeker and the Sword (A Hollow Fate Novella)

by Todd Herzman

  The Seeker

  and

  The Sword

  A Hollow Fate Novella

  Todd Herzman

  For Robyn, the love of my life, and the most supportive person I have ever known.

  Brief Foreword

  The Seeker and the Sword is a prequel novella set in the world of the Hollow Fate series. The events in the story happen several years before the first book, A Dark Inheritance, begins.

  The Seeker and the Sword can be read as a stand-alone story.

  Chapter 1

  Lilah loosened her grip on her sword, her eyes on her opponent’s torso. He was still, too still. As if he didn’t see her as a threat at all. And why should he? She’d never been able to best him, why would today be any different?

  Her opponent shifted his lead leg, and Lilah supressed a smirk.

  Every time, she thought.

  He stepped forward with a left-ways swing. She pivoted her back leg, bringing up her sword to guard, deflecting his strike with ease—but that wasn’t the end of it. A flurry of strikes came her way. She blocked each one, but he had her backing up. One, two, three, four steps. On the fifth she sidestepped a downward strike, then sped into his guard. His eyes widened as she got in close. She couldn’t help but smile as she smashed the hilt of her sword into his chin—

  Only his chin wasn’t there. He’d bent back in a dodge and was out of her grasp too fast for her to think. Her feet came out from under her. He’d somehow managed to sweep her legs and all she could see was the sky until her head thunked onto the grass.

  She wanted to lie there and contemplate how easily she’d been bested. Instead, she grunted, rolled to the side and sprang back to her feet. At least she’d not lost her sword. She stared at her opponent—not an ounce of sweat on his brow—and resisted the urge to swing her sword side-to-side in a figure eight.

  Showy moves only get you dead, her father’s words played in her mind as she took a sharp breath. He’d be watching her from the sidelines. Arms crossed over his broad chest. His jaw set, his expression unmoved.

  ‘That’s two points to me, Lilah. I only need one more.’ Jercolf didn’t speak in a goading way—he was just laying down the facts.

  Which only served to further infuriate Lilah.

  Lilah inhaled deep, then let the veneer crack. She snarled and ran straight at Jercolf. Both hands gripped tight on her sword, she jumped, aiming a downward strike right at Jercolf’s perfectly symmetrical head. He flung his sword up, one hand on the flat of his blade to strengthen his block. As their swords clashed, a yell rang out in the yard.

  ‘DEAD!’

  Lilah and Jercolf disengaged at the sound of her father’s harsh voice.

  Seeker Haldin, arms crossed just as Lilah had imagined, stepped forward and looked from his daughter to Jercolf. His steady gaze locked on Jercolf. ‘Half-swording might work in tournament play, but we aren’t training you to win competitions. We’re training you to fight with Starblades. Do you know what happens when you touch starstone with your bare skin?’

  ‘Were I wearing a gauntlet—’

  ‘You’re not wearing a gauntlet—and you won’t always be. You cannot train as if you will be. Tell me, Recruit Jercolf, what would happen?’

  Jercolf lowered his head in shame. ‘It might have caused my death, Seeker Haldin.’

  ‘It would have. The Starblade would drain you of your lifeforce. You wouldn’t have been able to let go.’

  Lilah bit her tongue, knowing she shouldn’t ask the question on her lips, Does that mean I won? Her father would only admonish her for caring about winning. They might be sparring in rounds, but her father was right—they weren’t training for competition. Not in the traditional sense.

  ‘The two of you have done enough for today.’ Seeker Haldin walked away from them. ‘Stow your weapons. Your time is now your own, do not waste it.’

  ‘Yes, Seeker,’ said Lilah and Jercolf in unison to Haldin’s receding figure.

  Lilah watched her father walk away and wished she’d done better. She wondered if he was disappointed. It wasn’t about competition, but only one recruit would be chosen to become a seeker—there weren’t enough Starblades to go around. The Choosing was two weeks away. There, Seeker Ailena, nearing her fifty-fifth year, would retire and pass on her Starblade to its next bearer. And though they would be judged on more than their ability to fight one-on-one, Lilah couldn’t help but want to win. She wanted to be the next seeker in line—she wanted to make her father proud.

  ‘You did well today, but you need to check your emotions.’ Jercolf rested his training sword on his shoulder and walked to the armoury.

  Lilah glared at the back of his head, seething. She tightened her grip on her sword. Check your emotions. The bastard was right, of course, but she wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of admitting it.

  She waited until he was at least twenty feet ahead of her before following. Jercolf wasn’t a bad guy, he hadn’t done anything to offend her. But they were the two most experienced recruits, the most likely to inherit Seeker Ailena’s Starblade. If it didn’t happen for Lilah now, it could be another five years until the next seeker retired. Unless enough starstone was salvaged within the empire to create another Starblade… or, Heavens forbid, a seeker died before their time.

  Jercolf’s swordcraft had always been superior to her own. He’d won his first tournaments at the age of sixteen. Now, at twenty, he was a force to be reckoned with.

  Lilah had never competed.

  Her father had taught her to range in the wilderness from a young age. She could fire three arrows in one breath’s time, draw and throw her knife in less, and she’d studied the manifestations of dozens of Affinities. She was good with the sword, she could perform ketans—swordcraft patterns—until the last of the sun’s rays fled from the sky. Yet she still didn’t feel good enough.

  She stepped back into the barracks and walked past the twenty beds to the armoury on the other side. Only eight of those beds would have heads on their pillows tonight. The Choosing had eliminated more than half the recruits—four per week. Most left would be with the other Deciders or studying in the Dawn Library.

  Jercolf left the armoury just as she entered. Lilah kept her face carefully calm as they passed each other by, no matter how much she wished to sneer at him. He was probably off to the library. They had Recitations with Priestess Lynna, one of the three Deciders, in the morning.

  Lilah placed her training sword on the rack. Her own sword was in here, sitting safely in its scabbard. She touched a hand to its pommel. Her father had given it to her three years ago, on her seventeenth birthday. It was no Starblade, but it was a good sword. She left it there and grabbed her dagger instead.

  She should go to the library, but—unlike the other recruits—her father was a seeker, and she’d been studying to be one her whole life. She knew enough to skip an evening of study. Besides, she needed a break, and there was someone in the city that would no doubt be missing her.

  ~

  Donning her green cloak, dagger strapped to her belt, Lilah stepped onto the cobblestone streets of Hirlcrest, capital of the Empire of Kharleon. She breathed in the evening air and headed toward the Red Rose Tavern four blocks away. Not somewhere her father would fancy seeing her, the place wasn’t as pretty as its name. But the tavern itself wasn’t what drew Lilah to it.

  As she walked, she let her eyes drift over each person she passed. Being a seeker was more than sword fighting and Recitation, it required an alertness to one’s surroundings. Evil stalked every street, every alley. Every forest, every valley. Or s
o the sermons said.

  Lilah watched them in subtle ways. A glance here, a sweep of the eye there, not wanting her intentions to be known. She passed acolytes of the Temple in their robes of grey, those who would know the sermons better than her, heading back to their sacred walls. She passed a city watchman or two in their ring mail armour, hands forever resting on their pommels as they walked. The farther she strayed from the Academy’s stout walls, the more commonfolk she came upon, heading home or to taverns from their trades. Fishers and crafters; smiths and trade merchants; soldiers, sailors and mercenaries.

  These last few were the typical crowd of the Red Rose. Lilah followed a duo of mercenaries—from their rusted yet untested armour she pinned them as caravan guards—through the heavy door into the tavern. The feel of the place hit her like a wave. She smiled at the tables full of raucous laughter and spirited chatter. More than a few patrons had consumed more than a few mugs of ale already.

  Too early in the day for such things, Lilah’s father would say. But her father wasn’t here, and she rarely had much to drink herself besides. The day outside was near darkening, and candles flickered atop the tavern’s tables. The heavy door swung closed behind her. A few heads peered over their mugs to see who entered, but their gazes didn’t linger long.

  Lilah looked about the place for the one she’d come to see and found her carrying four mugs of ale to an eager set of sailors at a corner table. Serena dropped off the drinks, wiped her hands on her apron, then spotted Lilah standing by the door. A bright smile lit her eyes afire; a smile Lilah knew reflected her own. Lilah’s alertness fell away as she marvelled at Serena’s brown eyes. Their gazes locked for only a moment as Serena had to step away and rush food out to patrons.

  Lilah found a table that gave her a sweeping view of the whole of the Red Rose: the stairs leading up to the few rooms on the second floor, the bar at which the two mercenaries she’d followed in had sat, and the door to the tavern itself. Serena popped from one table to another with expert fluidity, a well-practiced smile planted on her face for the patrons—an entirely different smile than the one she’d worn when she’d seen Lilah. It wasn’t long until Serena made it to Lilah’s table, and the smile lit her face again.

  ‘Was wondering if I’d get a chance to see you this month, what with the Choosing in full swing.’ Serena put a hand on her hip, the other rested on the table. ‘Shouldn’t you be off in the library, clashing swords with Jercolf, or at some altar, praying for the stars’ light to fall upon you?’

  Lilah’s smile cracked. ‘Perhaps I should be, I doubt any of the others would be at a tavern tonight.’

  Serena frowned and sat beside her, taking Lilah’s hand. ‘Hey now, don’t be getting all serious on me, I was only making jest. I know how hard you’ve been working. You deserve an evening off.’ She glanced back at the bar, her attention diverted by her duties, then looked into Lilah’s eyes. ‘Besides, I’ve missed you.’

  Lilah squeezed Serena’s hand. ‘I’ve missed you, too.’ She sighed. ‘Sometimes I wonder why I care so much about this.’

  Serena furrowed her brow. ‘Becoming a seeker is all you’ve ever wanted since I met you, all you’ve ever trained for.’ She touched Lilah’s shoulder. ‘You’re only having doubts because you’re getting so close.’ Her head swivelled around and caught the tall bartender, Simeon, waving for her attention. ‘I’ve got to get back to work; I’ll get you your usual.’ Serena pecked Lilah on the cheek. ‘You sticking around till the end of my shift?’ Serena smiled a different smile than before, a smile that promised more than a kiss on the cheek if she did.

  ‘Most definitely, but I can’t get back to the barracks too late. They wouldn’t look kindly on me sneaking in come morning.’

  Serena had no time to reply as impatient patrons thudded mugs on tables and she had to flit back to the bar. Lilah settled into her seat, stretched out her sore shoulders, massaged her forearms, and rolled out her wrists. She was well-conditioned for sword fighting, but that didn’t make going toe-to-toe with a man like Jercolf any less taxing.

  Lilah took a closer look at the patrons. The mercenaries at the bar knocked back their ale, lost in a conversation she couldn’t hear. The sailors in the corner talked loud and laughed louder but kept to themselves. A clean-shaven set of soldiers played cards, barely talking or touching their drinks, exchanging guarded glances over well-hidden hands. If there was a magic user among them, she couldn’t tell.

  Apparently some seekers had a sixth sense for spotting those with Affinities: witches, wizards, mages, and monks. Lilah wasn’t sure how true that was—it sounded too close to magic for her liking. Besides, she would never convict someone of being a magic user without proof. There were too many who might level the accusation as an excuse to be rid of someone. What better way to solve a quarrel with your neighbour? That happened more often in small towns and villages, where there were no seekers to mete out justice in a fair manner.

  Lilah levelled her attention upon one of the mercenaries by the bar. The man, grey haired with a shaggy beard, leered at Serena as she served. It wasn’t as if such a thing was unusual—Lilah of all people knew how easy it was to stare at Serena as she worked—but this fellow wasn’t being entirely subtle about it.

  Serena placed a tray with a steaming pot of tea and a plate of meat and vegetables on Lilah’s table. Without looking, Lilah rifled in her coin purse for two coppers. Her fingers found the right sized coins and she handed them to Serena.

  Lilah’s gaze drifted away from the man at the bar, still leering, to Serena. ‘That greybeard mercenary at the bar, he come here before?’

  Serena sighed. ‘Every night this week.’

  ‘I don’t like the way he’s looking at you.’

  Serena raised an eyebrow. ‘Neither do I, but what am I to do? These men stare at me all the time, some of them get to talking, too. You know what it’s like.’ She smirked, looking Lilah up and down, then the smirk fell away. ‘Besides, if they get handsy, Simeon deals with them.’

  ‘I do know what it’s like.’ Lilah pulled her cloak back to reveal the dagger on her belt. ‘Then I show them this and they’re less inclined to be so free with their gaze.’

  Serena put her hands on her hips. ‘I can’t very well strap a dagger to this dress.’

  Lilah looked down at how far the dress went. ‘You could wear an ankle strap; it would be hidden by the hem.’

  Serena put a finger under Lilah’s chin and brought her eyes back to hers. ‘Just be happy in the knowledge that you’re the only one I want staring at me.’ She kissed her on the lips then disappeared back to work by the time Lilah’s eyes opened again.

  Lilah let out a sigh and watched her walk away.

  Chapter 2

  Lilah woke to the morning bell ringing in the barracks. Each ding thudded her sore head. By the time she’d made it back to the Academy the night before, the other recruits were all fast asleep—like she should have been. She shrugged off her blanket and stood from her bed, stretching out sore muscles and suppressing a yawn—the last thing she wanted was to let the others know she was tired.

  Lilah changed behind a small privacy screen in the corner and smiled thinking of last night. It was the first night since the Choosing began three weeks ago that she’d been with Serena. Being with her always cleared Lilah’s mind. Something she needed if she was going to get through the coming weeks.

  When ready, she lined up with the others. Seeker Haldin strode through the barracks door. Lilah stood at attention with the rest. Her father stopped at the head of their lines.

  ‘You should all know what’s in store today, but should you have forgotten: Jercolf and Lilah are with Priestess Lynna for Recitations, Jansen and Senja are with Ranger Ellison for woodcraft, and Daina and Joushu have a free training day.’ He looked at Daina and Joushu. ‘Use it wisely.’ He turned to the remaining two. ‘Bran and Urila, you’re with me.’

  Seeker Haldin left the room. Bran and Urila
made for the armoury, while the other pairs left without a word. The recruits hadn’t chatted with each other much since being put together—they all saw each other as competition. Some of them, like Bran and Urila, would be too old for the next choosing if it didn’t come around for another five years, and kept to themselves even more.

  Lilah grabbed her dagger from the armoury. Jercolf had an eyebrow raised as she stepped back into the barracks.

  ‘Expecting trouble in the Temple? Priestess Lynna seemed fairly harmless to me.’

  ‘A seeker should always be prepared, no matter where they are.’ Lilah strode straight past him to the door. ‘Are you coming?’

  His heavy steps followed. ‘The Temple walls are protected from evil, aren’t they?’

  Lilah huffed as she walked into the yard. The sun was only just coming up. ‘You know as well as I that those protections are from people using their Affinities to blast through the doors. They don’t do a damn thing stopping anyone from walking through them.’

  The sun peeked over the Academy’s walls. Lilah shielded her eyes as she headed to the gate. The guard on duty nodded to them as they walked through, and their boots hit the cobblestone streets of a city still waking. The Temple was only a block away. The Academy and the Temple had been tied together for centuries, it was only reasonable to put their buildings close by.

  Lilah looked up at Jercolf beside her. He was tall, handsome, strong. Only a year from being old enough to be knighted, and any sensible person would have assumed that’s where his life was going, considering the tournaments he’d won.

  ‘Why did you enter into the Choosing, Jercolf? You don’t seem…’

  ‘Like one to fight the holy fight?’

  ‘You’re an amazing fighter, I won’t argue against that. And seekers are revered… but their lives are not often the object of jealousy.’

  ‘We all have our reasons.’ His voice became terse, and his expression returned to its usual blank slate.