Soul of the Prophet: The Elder of Edon Book I

by David Angelo

  “Before you do so,” Tec-Nan said, “may I humbly invite you to partake in a drink with the rest of my tribe?”

  “That’s very hospitable of you,” Black-Tooth said. “Kaw-Ki, what do you think?”

  “I think it sounds wonderful,” Kaw-Ki said. “I’d love to see everyone again after all these years. By the way, Elk, how’s your baby brother doing?”

  “Um…” Elk-Jun started.

  “I’m okay,” replied a voice from just outside the circle. Fin looked to see their guide hobbling up the trail, a bandage wrapped around his thigh. As he came into view, he grinned, showing everyone the gaps in his teeth from where Fin’s elbow had landed.

  “Tic-Ton, what happened to you?” Kaw-Ki said, placing her hand to her mouth.

  “I attacked your prophet friend,” Tic-Ton replied, “and he defended himself very well.”

  “I’m sorry…” Fin said, grimacing and scratching the back of his head.

  “No worries,” Tic-Ton said. “They said it was a minor wound, and it’ll be healed in a few days. As for my teeth, they’re making a set of gold ones to replace the ones I lost.”

  “I’m glad you’re okay,” Fin said. “I would never have been able to forgive myself if anything happened.”

  “Don’t fret about it,” Tic-Ton said. “I respect a man who can defend himself so bravely. My brother might still kick your ass later tonight, but I’m not holding any grudges.”

  “None of us are kicking any asses tonight,” Elk-Jun said. “That’s Aunt Lay-Ray’s job.”

  “Oh Elder,” Kaw-Ki laughed. “She’s still making that cider?”

  “Yep,” Elk-Jun said. “Strongest stuff this side of Sebeth, and she’d love to have everyone take a sip, or two, or three…”

  “No one’s made it past three,” Tec-Nan said with a smile, “but if any of you purebreds think that you can…”

  “Ya know,” Chok said, “Fin here used to work at a bar. I’d bet my weight in rallod that he can.”

  “Don’t count on it,” Fin said. “I may have a decent tolerance, but not much more than any fella my size.”

  “Aw, come on,” Tic-Ton said. “I want to see how much a prophet can pack away.”

  “Let’s find out in the canteen hut,” Tec-Nan said. “That is, if any of you think you can handle Lay-Ray’s kick.”

  Everyone started back toward the camp, talking among themselves as they went, the last of the decade-long feud dying with each word spoken. While Kaw-Ki was commenting on how large Tic-Ton had grown in the years since she last saw him, Rocklier motioned for Fin to meet him at the rear of the crowd.

  “Did you say earlier that you understood what they were saying?” Rocklier asked.

  Fin nodded. “Every word,” he replied.

  “You mind sharing what any of it meant?” Rocklier asked.

  Fin looked at his comrades and the Faranchilldons mingling among each other, carrying on as though the prejudices that held each race apart had never existed. Fin smiled at the progress that was happening before him, and he felt Blizzard’s presence among them, healing the wounds that took so long to heal. The races were coming together, and the Dragon Storm was one step closer to fulfillment.

  “It means that there is hope for Edon yet,” Fin said.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Rocklier asked.

  “Exactly how it sounds,” Fin said, smiling as he followed the caravan back to camp.

  “Fair enough,” Rocklier replied. “I can live with that response, for the moment.”

  31

  FIN AWOKE THE NEXT morning in the loft apartment of the tavern they had booked, without a clue as to how he got back. At first he wasn’t sure if the events from the night before had actually happened or if it was all a dream. But with the sticky-sweet taste of Lay-Ray’s cider on his breath, he recalled the challenge Elk-Jun had proposed, to see who could finish a pint the fastest. It was the last thing he remembered before things got fuzzy. He didn’t even remember who won.

  Turned out Lay-Ray’s cider was made with more than just apples and spices. It also contained a healthy dose of something called “bitter herb,” which had a similar effect to the stuff Fin used to smoke when he was at the pub. This, combined with the excessive alcohol content, resulted in a state of inebriation that Fin was ill prepared for and still felt even hours later.

  Fin sat up slowly, but a wave of dizziness forced him down. He turned to see if he had accidentally awoken Scarlet, only to see her side of the bed empty. She’d obviously gotten up earlier. In fact, everyone who had slept in the loft was gone, their beds made, and their things packed. They had probably gone to the field out back to train, responsible soldiers that they were. Fin would’ve felt ashamed to have overslept, but no amount of chastisement could be worse than the throbbing pain on the inside of his skull.

  Trying again, Fin pulled himself out of bed and staggered toward the chamber pot in the corner of the room. After attending to his morning business, he made his way down the stairs of the loft, clutching the banister as though his life depended on it. By the time he reached the common area on his way to the dining room, he had remembered how to walk, and his staggering was less pronounced.

  The sunlight in the dining room stabbed his eyes like needles. He held his hand up to shield them and moved toward a chair at a table that faced away from the windows. Chok was in a chair next to him, taking small slurps from a cup of black coffee.

  “How are you doing?” Fin asked.

  Chok let out a groan that resembled a dying goat.

  “Same,” Fin said, sinking deeper into his chair. “I can still taste the stuff on my breath and—”

  “Stop…” Chok replied. “I tasted it again when I woke up this morning, all over the floor of my room and everythin’, and I don’t want to taste it again.”

  “Sure,” Fin replied.

  He was alerted to the patter of footfalls approaching his table, and before he knew it, a young, perky Faranchie girl was standing next to them, an apron tied around her waist and a notepad in hand.

  “What can I get for you three fine gentlemen?” she asked in an irritatingly happy tone.

  “A gun,” Chok grumbled.

  “Ohh,” the girl said, “you’ve been hitting the taps. I’ll get you all some herbal tea right away.”

  “That’s very kind of you,” Fin said, “but I think I’ll just stick to coffee.”

  “No problem,” she said, and walked back to the other side of the room.

  “Did she just say three?” Fin asked.

  Chok made a motion to an area next to him, where Chinaw lay sprawled out along the length of a nearby booth. His tongue hung out of his mouth, and a small puddle of saliva had formed near the side of his face and dribbled onto the floor.

  “For someone who says he doesn’t sleep that well,” Fin said, “he’s certainly hitting it hard.”

  “He drank more than the both of us combined,” Chok replied. “That cider has an effect on him.”

  The waitress returned with Fin’s coffee.

  “Thank you,” Fin said gratefully.

  Chok buried his face into the crook of his arm. “Why must the sun be so bright?”

  “The almanac says it’s going to be cloudy today,” the waitress said, “so you won’t have to worry about the sun for too long.”

  “I’ve never really trusted the advice of almanacs,” Fin replied, looking at his haggard reflection in the surface of the coffee. “My foster father told me once that they were a waste of fine paper and were destined for the outhouse.”

  “Then he hasn’t read the one written by my father,” the waitress replied with a wink. “It’s the best in all of Edon, and every farmer who knows their stuff uses it. You should check it out.”

  Why must you pester us at this time in the morning?

  “I might,” Fin said, trying to end the conversation. To his relief, the waitress skipped away with a giggle.

  “I hate morning people,” Chok said
when she was out of earshot.

  “Alto was one of those,” Fin said, taking his first sip. “He used to get up every morning before the rooster, even if he was running on two hours. But then his age caught up to him, and he handed his morning duties to Scarlet and me.”

  “Lucky you,” Chok said.

  “I would’ve said no if it weren’t for the fact that his aches made it hard for him to get out of bed. It was the least I could do to thank him for giving me a roof over my head.”

  “Back when I was on the plantation,” Chok said, “the kitchen slaves used to wake up before the rest of us to make the master’s bread. They were probably the most annoying, irritatin’ souls I ever met, more so than my master’s children, and they were a whole different level of irritatin’ that I never want to encounter again.”

  “Were they bratty?” Fin asked.

  “Worse,” Chok replied, looking up through a pair of bloodshot eyes. “I was a few years younger than you when I started workin’ for that family, and they had kids who were my age. Now lemme tell ya right here, right now, I’d take a million screaming infants over those little turds any day of the week. Because when you’re a Cullidon kiddie who’s been born with a silver spoon up his ass, you’re keen to rub your superiority in everyone’s face, all…the fuckin’…time.”

  “I’ve met my fair share of those,” Fin growled. “They’re worse than Rixis.”

  “They were also the most useless bastards you’d ever meet,” Chok replied. “Couldn’t do a damn thing without their daddy to cover for ’em.”

  “What’d they do when their dad ate it?” Fin asked.

  “Who told you ’bout that?” Chok snapped.

  “Um…”

  “It was Kyu, wasn’t it?”

  Fin nodded.

  “She’s the only other person who knows that story,” Chok said. “But who am I kiddin’? You would’ve heard about it sooner or later. Hell, she’s probably told the whole resistance by now. But it don’t matter much anymore. It’s all behind me now. Anyway…where was I?”

  “You were talking about your master’s kids.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Chok said, leaning back in his seat. “So, some of my master’s sons ended up like their father, when they tried to stop me and my gang from escaping. But they had it comin’ from the start.”

  “You killed all his children?” Fin asked.

  “Naw,” Chok said, shaking his head. “Only the sons who tried to attack me and prevent my escape, and that was in self-defense. And the master, but he was collateral.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “I mean it wasn’t intended,” Chok replied. “I was tryin’ to get someone else when I chucked a firebomb in the room where he and his wife were hiding—though they both had it comin’ too.” Chok shifted in his seat to face Fin. “You see, there was another reason why I wanted to break free, and it was to find a gal who had wronged me in a really bad sort of way. This feller I’m talkin’ about was the master’s only daughter, his eldest, and it was her bedroom that I firebombed that night. I came so close to sending her to the ash heap, but she got away without so much as a cinder on her dress. And for all I know, she still walks this land as we speak, her crimes still unpaid.”

  Before Fin could grill him for more info, Kyu burst into the dining room, panting, her face pale.

  “Guys,” Kyu gasped. “I don’t remember how I got home last night.”

  “Same,” Fin replied.

  “You didn’t have hardly nothin’,” Chok added.

  “Oh, come on, Chok,” Kyu said. “You know I’m a lightweight. I’ve never been able to hold my liquor as well as you.”

  “I remember,” Chok said. “Anyway, you fell asleep in the wagon, and I had to carry you up the stairs when we got back to the inn. Then I tucked you in and read you a bedtime story.”

  “Did you really?”

  Chok sniggered. “Everything but the last part. I’ll help you get comfy, but I ain’t readin’ to ya.” Chok paused to take a sip of coffee. “By the way, you’re a whole lot heavier than I remember.”

  “Oh really?” Kyu said, straightening herself out. “Or maybe you’re not as strong as you used to be.”

  Fin braced himself for an argument, but all Chok and Kyu exchanged were smirks and sideways glances. What normally would’ve spawned an argument was treated with as much seriousness as a playful roast. Either that or they were too hungover to continue.

  “Anyway, where’s Black-Tooth?” Kyu said, looking around the tavern.

  “He’s across the street,” Chok said. “Unlike us, Mr. Temperance didn’t have anything to drink last night and spent most of the evenin’ studyin’ a map of the area with Rocklier, tryin’ to find some way to attack Fort Titan. I don’t think they got any sleep last night.”

  “They probably feel worse than we do,” Kyu said. “Also, what about Scarlet and Kemp?”

  “Scarlet left before I got up,” Fin said. “I don’t know where she is now.”

  “And Kemp’s still in her lab,” Chok added. “Hopefully she’s working on a cure for hangovers in there.”

  Fin placed his mug against his forehead, the warmth from the coffee helping to soothe his throbbing head.

  “Scarlet’s been acting a little strange lately,” Fin said. “I remember before we left last night, she seemed to be more worried than usual.”

  “Well, duh,” Chok said. “She didn’t want you to go. No one knew what was going to happen with them Faranchilldons. You ought to be thankful to have a woman who worries about you night and day.” Chok paused and glanced up at Kyu. “Unlike some people.”

  “Is that an insult?” Kyu asked.

  “Not in the slightest,” Chok replied and went back to his coffee.

  “I know that,” Fin said. “Scarlet worries about me all the time, and vice versa. But something seemed…off this time. It’s like she was worried about something else, but when I asked her what was wrong, it seemed like she wasn’t able to tell me.” Fin looked down at his reflection in his mug. “I wonder if I pissed her off when I came home last night sloshed.”

  “She’ll get over it,” Kyu said. “Women have to put up with a lot of shit from their partners. Just as long as you don’t make it a regular thing. There’s only so much a girl can take.” She glanced at Chok. “Trust me, I know that for a fact.”

  “Haw, haw,” Chok replied. “You’re so hilarious.”

  The door of the tavern opened, and Black-Tooth and Rocklier entered the dining room, talking. Rocklier carried a rolled-up piece of parchment under his arm. They both looked exhausted, and bags had formed under their bloodshot, shadowy eyes.

  “I’m getting too old for these all-nighters,” Black-Tooth said as they made their way to the table.

  “Speak for yourself,” Rocklier replied. “You’re still young. Once you hit thirty-five, it’s just this side of toe torture.”

  “Then why’d you stay up with me?” Black-Tooth asked.

  “Because you needed my help,” Rocklier said. “Admit it, if it weren’t for me, this map would’ve been a lot more difficult to comprehend.”

  “Good morning,” Fin said as Black-Tooth and Rocklier pulled chairs toward the table and took their seats.

  “There’s no such thing,” Black-Tooth replied.

  “Oh, come now,” Rocklier said. “What’s there to be sour about? We have an attack plan, don’t we?”

  “Sort of,” Black-Tooth replied. “But it’s rough around the edges, and we don’t have time to sand it out.”

  “It’s that bad?” Chok asked.

  Black-Tooth glanced at Rocklier. “Why don’t we show everyone what you what we came up with?”

  “Wait a second,” Kyu said, just as Rocklier was about to roll the map out on the tabletop. “Shouldn’t we go into the basement?”

  “There’s no one up here,” Black-Tooth said. “Besides, it’s too damn dark in that dungeon. Rocklier, roll out the map.”

  “You got it
,” Rocklier replied. He unrolled a large, thirty-by-twenty-inch piece of parchment displaying a map of the immediate area. The old depictions of land masses and roads were covered with markings, notes, and an assortment of other odd, cryptic syllables, some of which looked like they had been made the night before. Great emphasis appeared to have been made around a drawing of a triangle near the center of the map, deep within a sea of dark-green splotches.

  “If you’re wondering where Kaw-Ki is right now,” Black-Tooth said, “I’m letting her sleep in. She deserves a day off after all she did for us last night.”

  Chok grinned. “And judgin’ from the sounds coming out of your bedroom, you must’ve been very thankful.”

  “So that’s why you kept me waiting,” Rocklier said. “You said you were just going to give her a good night kiss.”

  Black-Tooth rolled his eyes. “Anyway…” He placed his finger over top of the triangle. “As you can probably tell, this is Fort Titan. It’s about twenty miles away from here, smack dab in the middle of a sprawling forest of firs. If one manages to make their way through the thicket of trees, they end up in the crosshairs of Titan’s cannons and sharpshooters, who sit atop a thick, thirty-foot-high wall of stone.”

  “The forest acts as a sort of defense mechanism,” Rocklier said. “The trees were planted after most of it was cleared away to build the fort, when construction was completed. That was a little over a century ago. Today, Titan is almost invisible unless you’re standing within shooting range. It goes without saying that, nine times out of ten, Titan sees you before you see it.”

  “And even if you do manage to get the jump on Titan,” Black-Tooth said, “the fort is home to some of the best, most well-armed soldiers in the Edonion elite forces, led by none other than General Tyrannous.”

  “You mentioned him last night,” Fin said. “What’s the deal with this guy?”

  Rocklier shook his head. “Tyrannous is the most decorated general in parliament’s fleet. “He boasts decades’ worth of military experience under his belt and a level of loyalty to the Imperial Parliament of Edon that few could ever imagine. He bathes himself in scalding-hot cooking oil so that his skin is covered in thick calluses that act like a type of shell underneath his reinforced obsidian armor, which itself is so strong it can withstand a musket shot at point-blank range. It’s bad enough that we already need to contend with the hardened soldiers of Fort Titan, but the fact that Tyrannous is there makes it difficult.”