When Culfang walked into the woods, he looked for an old oak tree. In this part of Zarail, it didn’t take him long. The trees here had been left alone for hundreds of years. The locals had no reason to cut these trees down. What wood they needed they took from around the city. In that way, they could maintain a perimeter that allowed them to see if there were invaders coming for the city. Once he found the tree he wanted he stepped into it and stepped out of another tree very near the town of Golden Oak.
Two hundred years earlier Culfang had given the city of Golden Oak, then just a village, an oak tree. That oak tree now stood in the middle of the city. It was now enormous and looked as though it were made of gold. Even the leaves reflected the sunshine, as if they too, were made of gold. He would have used this tree, but when the citizens saw him, they would want to talk to him, and he didn’t have time. He had to get to his friend and ask for his help. He did need a horse, however.
He found a small farm on the edge of the city that had several horses. He approached the little farmhouse where an old man was sitting on the porch.
“Good morning, sir,” he said as he reached the porch.
“What do you want?!” He was not a pleasant old man. This didn’t look good for Culfang.
“I was hoping I might borrow one of your horses.” He gave a little bow.
“Who are you that I should trust you to return it?” Culfang didn’t know if the old man couldn’t see well, or if he didn’t care that he was an elf.
“My name is Lenwë Tîwele, also known as Culfang; I am an elf that is trusted by many humans. If need be I can give you something to hold until I return.”
“Are you the same elf that gave that tree in the square?” Now the old man was being a bit nicer.
“That I am.”
“Well, why didn’t you just say so to begin with? Of course, you can borrow one of my horses.”
“Thank you, kind sir. Does it matter which one I take?”
“No, they’re all good animals.” The old man voice was now kind and soft.
“I will return in a few hours, good sir.”
“No need to hurry. I don’t have any use for it for a few days.”
“That is a generous but not necessary. I will see you before the end of the day.”
“Have a good ride.” The old man waved as Culfang walked to the paddock. He found a black and white, painted mare that came right up to him. She was a young horse that looked sturdy enough. He got her saddled and left the small farm behind.
When he was a few miles from the farm, he stopped the horse and leaned forward whispering in her ear. He wanted to reassure her that what he was about to do wouldn’t hurt her. He sat up straight and cast a spell upon the horse. He urged her to walk and then build up speed to a run. When the steed reached a full gallop the spell propelled, them to a speed matched by no creature in nature. What would have him taken days would now take only hours.
He didn’t like using this spell. Once it wore off the animal was no longer satisfied with its normal pace. It only wanted to run at the speed the spell gave it, but he had no choice; he didn’t have time to ride for days.
The terrain went by in a blur, and it didn’t take long for them to reach the base of the mountains, where his friend lived. He slowed the mare down so that they were back to normal speed before they ran into the mountain itself. It was disorienting when the terrain came back into focus, which was another reason he didn’t like to use this spell. When they were about a half a mile from the cave, he stopped the horse in order to walk the rest of the way.
His friend had spells cast about to warn him of intruders and knew he could get through them by himself, but he didn’t think he could on horseback.
“Who dares come to my home uninvited?” A voice boomed from within the cave his friend called home.
“It is I, your friend of old, Lenwë Tîwele.”
“Come in, old friend.”
As he entered the cave, the walls went from rough rock to smooth marble. It soon turned from a tunnel, with a narrow opening, to an ever widening chamber. It finally opened into an enormous cavern. In the middle of the cavern was a pile of gold, silver, gems and jewels. Lined up around the walls of the cavern were chests. Some of the chests were open, and he could see many swords, shields and potions. He knew most of these things since he had brought them for his friend to guard. Items made by elves that could cause wars to break out across the land. Sitting on top of the pile of gold was his friend. He was so well blended into the gold; he almost couldn’t see him.
“Glad to see you again, but it hasn’t been so long since you were here last. Two visits within the same year, I am blest indeed.” It was his gold-scaled friend, a gold dragon of immense power.
“It is good to see you again as well.”
“Are you here to pick up something else?” The dragon had now come down from atop the pile of gold. As he descended his form changed to that of an old, bald man who was clad in gold clothes.
“Yes, I am here for you.” The dragon gave him a look of confusion. “I would like you to join me in the fight against Vileheart.”
“You know I have to stay here and guard what you’ve entrusted to me.” He was surprised, he was being asked to leave such dangerous things unguarded.
“I have a temporary guard to take your place.” He didn’t want to give him an excuse to say no.
“If you have someone who can guard this cave, why don’t you ask them to fight by your side?”
“I did ask him and he refused. Nevertheless, he is willing to take your place here for a short time.”
“Who is it that will be in my home while I’m gone?” He didn’t like the thought of someone he didn’t know staying in his cave.
“Lorranu, he is an elf that you may know.”
“I do, but I didn’t know he was still in these lands.”
“Neither did I until recently. Does that mean you will join me?”
“Yes, I will.”
“Thank you, old friend. I must return my steed to its owner. I would like you to meet me at the walled city of Dendra. Lorranu will be here soon, and you can come then.”
“I look forward to seeing him again, and I will see you soon.”
“There is one more thing you should know. Vileheart has a dragon of shadows on his side.”
“If you would have told me that first, I wouldn’t have hesitated to say yes. I have not had a real challenge in centuries. I look forward to sending his pet back to the dark.” They said their good-byes and Culfang left his cave.
While he was riding back to the little farm, he marveled at how easy it had been to get the dragon to fight by his side, even before he mentioned the dragon of shadows. He really thought it would be much harder to sway him.
When he returned to the little farm, he did his best to comfort the mare. He knew the next week or so was going to be rough on her. He would give the little old man some gold to compensate for the work he would lose from the horse not being able to work.
Once the farmer had been taken care of he walked back to the old oak and faded into it.
*****
Arden rode through the woods at a good speed. He didn’t want to tire his horse too soon. He had the rest of the day to ride before he could stop, and the day was still early. If not for the horse needing to eat, he would have ridden until sunset. But since the horse was doing all the work he would stop at noon for lunch and a short break.
When he stopped at noon, he hadn’t run into any monsters. He thought he might run into a group or two on their way to join Vileheart, but the morning was nice and calm.
They stopped at a creek that was running at a lazy pace. There was a clearing that included the creek and a bent tree that was perfect for reclining, and after his meal, he did just that. He closed his eyes and listened to the song of the creek and the slight breeze in the trees. The next thing he knew there was a horse’s nose snorting in his face. It was a good thing the bent tree was low to the ground because he fell when the horse startled him. When he got to his feet, a little indignant, he realized he must have fallen asleep. It hadn’t been a long sleep, but the sun had moved passed its peak.
“You weren’t supposed to let me fall asleep,” he said to the horse. The horse snorted in reply.
“Okay, thank you for waking me, but you wouldn’t have had to wake me if you would have kept me from falling asleep in the first place.” The horse tapped the ground with its hoof, as if to say ‘let’s go’.
“Alright, alright, give me a minute, and we’ll leave.” He walked down to the creek to get a drink, but before he put his hand in the water he remembered what happened to William. He tensed up in anticipation of pain and stuck his finger in the water. It was cold, but nothing happened; it was only water. After a quick drink, they were on their way.
They sped up their pace to make up for the time they had lost, but the horse didn’t complain. The afternoon was as nice as the morning had been and the terrain was good. It was beautiful country and Arden was glad he had been asked to do this task.
As they rode the trees started to get thicker. Arden wasn’t worried about it at first, but then he realized how easy it would be for monsters to set an ambush. He slowed the horse down to a fast walk and kept closer watch on the trees ahead of them. As they came around a hill, he did indeed see an ambush, but it was too late.
Luckily, the ambush wasn’t for him. Unfortunately, it did ensnare a soldier. He slowly made his way to the soldier laying broken on the ground. When he reached him, he saw it was a soldier from Seahold, and that it was too late to help him, he was dead. The man must have been a scout. At least, he now knew he was on the right track. Most likely, he had been killed so his horse could be taken, for food. If that were the case, they would be back for this man’s body. He hated to leave the body there, but the monsters could be back any time. It was a tough decision, but he rode on.
They stopped for the night before the sun set and decided against building a fire. He would eat cold rations and be happy he was alive. He turned in early but was unable to fall asleep right away. Valeris had filled his head, and he couldn’t shut off his mind. He stared at the stars for a long while before he finally drifted off.
The night had been chilly, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle. It did leave him a little stiff and sore when the morning came, but a few hours in the sun would set him right. A hot breakfast would do the job quicker though. Since the sun was up he risked a fire. The smoke might be seen, but it was better than a glowing fire at night. He had the coffee on and was pulling dried meat from his pack when he heard footsteps. He whipped around with his sword drawn; it was another soldier.
“Mind if I share your fire?” He could tell by his uniform that he was from Seahold as well.
“I don’t mind one bit.” Arden put away his sword. “Where’s your horse,” He heard the man’s footsteps but didn’t hear any hooves.
“It was taken in the night. It must have been thieves, because I didn’t hear a thing. If it were an attack, I would have heard something, right?” He was doubting himself.
“It sounds like you haven’t had any sleep for a while.” Arden guessed.
“Not much, just enough to lose my horse.” Arden handed the man a mug of coffee. “I was sent as a scout, but I don’t do well on my own.” Arden thought that was a strange thing for a soldier to say. That was when he really looked at him. It wasn’t a man at all; it was a boy of maybe fourteen years old.
“Why did they send you as a scout and not someone with more experience?” He feared the troops on the way might not be any older than this boy.
“I really don’t know, and it’s not my place to question orders.” Arden made them both breakfast while keeping an eye on this ‘soldier’. For all he knew this boy could have snuck into the ranks and when he was discovered playing soldier was sent ahead to teach him a lesson. Or he snuck into the ranks and was chased off by some of the older boys and went the wrong way. Maybe he was trying to show the older boys, he could be a soldier. Either way he couldn’t let him walk all the way to Dendra. He would have to take the boy with him. He might not like going back to the troops, but he would protect him. And when he left he would take the boy to Dendra with him.
“I’d like you to ride with me.” Arden broke the silence that had lingered since they started eating.
“Which way do you ride?” Arden pointed toward Seahold.
“I’m going that way.” The boy pointed toward Dendra.
“Without a horse you don’t stand much of a chance.” He watched as this sank in. “If you ride with me, you’ll get to where you’re going in less time than it would take to walk, and you would be safer with me.”
“If you’re going that way,” The boy pointed. “How am I going to get there?” He pointed the opposite way.
“King Wayland has sent me to let the troops know where he is, and you were going in the right direction, but after I let the troops know which way to go, I’m going back to the king.” Arden let him think about it while he started packed things away. When the only thing left to do was put out the fire, he asked again. “Will you ride with me?”
“I think it would be best if I did. We can watch each other’s back, and riding is better than walking.” Arden thought he would. He put out the fire and got on his horse, then he helped the boy up. His horse complained about the added weight but started moving at Arden’s urging. They rode in silence for a short time before the boy started asking questions.
“Did you say the king sent you?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Why did he send you? Are you one of his personal guards, or a general?”
“I’m the first mate on the flagship, Sea Talon, and I’m his friend.”
“Why is he helping take back Zarail?”
“His ancestors promised to help reclaim Zarail after the war ended. Now that the war is over, he’s fulfilling that promise.”
“Who’s going to be king if we succeed?”
“Before I answer any more questions you need to answer one for me.”
“Okay,”
“What’s your name?”
“Jabin,” he said in a low voice.
“Well, Jabin, it’s nice to meet you; my name is Arden. My friend Selwyn is the heir to the throne.”
“You know two kings?” Jabin was in awe.
“No, I, in fact, know three.”
“Wow, will you introduce me to them when we get to Dendra?” Jabin was excitedly.
“I think I can do that, but you’ll have to be on your best behavior.”
“Yes, sir,” All that day Arden was expecting an attack, but none came. When it was near sunset, they came to the troops setting camp for the night.
“Halt, who goes there,” the perimeter guard yelled.
“The name is Arden; I was sent by King Wayland. I need to see whoever is in command.”
“Arden of Sea Talon,”
“That I am.”
“Follow me.” As he was leading them into camp, he waved another guard over to fill his position on the perimeter. He took them to a large tent. “Please wait while I inform him you’re here.” He stepped out a moment later and held the tent flap open for Arden. Jabin, who had been stuck to Arden’s side since they walked into camp, stepped in with him. He stayed right inside the tent while Arden walked over to a table where the general sat.
“Arden, it’s good to see you again; it’s been too long.” Arden recognized the general from a few gatherings at the castle, but he couldn’t remember his name. “And Jabin, it’s nice to see you’ve come back to us.”
“Sorry, he won’t be staying. He’ll be leaving with me in the morning.”
“Where is it, you’re going in the morning?”
“Back to Dendra, where the king waits, he sent me to point you in the right direction.”
“Good. There’s no telling how long we would have roamed the wilderness looking for him.”
“I’ll draw a map for you to follow.”
“A map would be a blessing.” After a moment, the general had a question for Arden. “So, where did you find Jabin?” He motioned toward the boy with a nod of his head.
“He found me. I was cooking breakfast when he came up to my camp. He said he was a scout and that his horse was stolen in the night while he slept. I offered him something to eat and a ride,” Arden explained. “Mind telling me why this boy was allowed to join the ranks of this campaign?”
“He wasn’t. He’s an orphan who followed us. Some of the men caught him stealing food. He’s sort of became our . . . mascot, I guess you could say.”
“Alright, so how did he end up a day’s ride from here, alone?”
“Yes, well, some of the men may have been teasing him, and they may have gone too far. So he snuck off, and then he took a horse, and he left camp.”
“Well, he no longer needs to worry about being teased from your men,” Arden stated matter-of-factly.
“I do hope you can find a home for him. Now, if you would excuse me, there are a few good men who will be glad to hear he is well.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll stay here and draw that map for you. We’ll be out of your way by the time you return.” Arden didn’t like that he hadn’t sent Jabin back to Seahold as soon as he was discovered. As the general started his way, Jabin shrank away from him.
“You take care of yourself, Jabin.” Jabin went to Arden’s side, as soon as he was gone.
“He didn’t hurt you did he?” he asked Jabin when he saw him shy away from the general.
“No. He just scares me.” The general had some pretty bad scars on his face so it was understandable. He drew the map to Dendra, and they left the general’s tent. They found a spot on the edge of camp and set up their own area for the night.
*****
Tiernan rode toward Stonehaven to find their troops. With luck, he would be able to find them before they had gone too far south. He also wanted to warn them about the forest if they went too far north. He rode east that first day, stopping only for a short break at midday. He didn’t have any encounters all that day, which he thought was unusual.
Before dusk caught him, he found a suitable spot for camp. Like Arden, he didn’t set a fire for fear of attracting something unwanted while he slept. He kept his horse close by to warn him if something did come around. Since there was no fire to tend to, and no one to talk to, he went to sleep early. That would mean he would wake early, but that was fine by him. The sooner he found the troops the sooner he could get back to Dendra.
A few hours slipped by, and he found he couldn’t fall asleep, but it turned out to be a good thing. His horse gave a low whinny that alerted him, there was something close by. He slowly pulled his sword free from its scabbard and sat up listening for anything that might have scared the horse. A few minutes went by, and he still heard nothing. He lay back down but kept his sword clutched to his chest. Moments later he began to drift off to sleep, and that was when he was attacked.
His horse let out a loud, scared whinny this time. He was up and on his feet in a heartbeat. It was dark, but his eyes had adjusted well enough for him to see that a small band of orcs were closing in around him. Rather than wait on them to attack him, he took the fight to them.
He didn’t even try to hide. He strode right up to the closest one, and as it jabbed a spear at him, he stepped to the side. The spear missed him, and he swung his sword across its middle; it fell with a thump. The others must not have heard because they didn’t make a sound or rush him.
He strode up to the next one. It must not have seen him because it didn’t even defend itself. He ran it through and it too hit the ground with a thump. The one closest to it had heard something because it came running at Tiernan with its spear held like a lance. Tiernan stood still until it was upon him. He spun around, and as the orc passed him, he brought his sword around sinking the blade into the back of its neck. It continued for a couple of steps before it slumped to the ground.
He could only see two more, and they were both coming at him. They dropped their silent approach and were yelling. He stepped behind a tree and waited for them. Not being very bright they ran right passed the tree. Tiernan lunged forward as they went by and stabbed one in the back. Its companion looked back, but instead of stopping to avenge its friend it kept running. Tiernan didn’t want it to bring any more friends to play, so he chased it down.
It started to slow, thinking it was safe, and then it heard Tiernan’s footfalls and sped back up. Had it not slowed down it might have gotten away, but that little pause was all Tiernan needed to catch up. When it heard him getting closer it looked back to see how close he was, and tripped over a tree root. It went down face first and slid into a tree. By the time it scrambled to its feet it was too late; Tiernan pinned it to the tree with his sword.
With the ugly business finished Tiernan returned to his camp. He decided it wasn’t safe to stay there, so he packed up and left the bodies behind. He rode for an hour or so before he stopped to set camp once again. When he lay down this time, he fell asleep right away.
He woke before dawn and packed his things. He waited until it was light and started a fire. He thought he deserved a hot meal after the night’s workout. It wasn’t long before he was back on the trail and already wishing he were done with the mission. He didn’t like to backtrack when he still had unfinished business, but he also knew they needed these troops in order to conclude that business.
He rode through the woods on an easterly direction until he stopped at noon. After a quick meal and a rest for his horse, he headed in a more southernly direction. He rode until sundown without seeing any troops, not even a scout.
After his evening meal, and after camp was set, he watched the sun go down in a beautiful display of colors. He watched until the color faded to a dark blue and then to black. He was about to do a little carving while he waited to get sleepy, but after picking a piece of wood he noticed there was still light in the sky, but this light was in the east. After studying it for a bit he decided it had to be firelight, and by the brightness, it could only be the army he was looking for. He packed camp because he was sure it had to be the troops from Stonehaven. He rode that way and wasn’t surprised to see he was right.
“Halt, who goes there,” yelled a guard at his approached.
“Tiernan of Golden Oak, I have been sent by King William to lead you to him.” He was surprised that the guard bothered to ask. If it is night, and something is approaching your perimeter, it’s usually some sort of monster.
“Yes, I remember you. You were training the young princes with Osric and Arden.”
“I’m sorry, have we met?” Tiernan didn’t think he knew this man, but he had met a lot of people since leaving his home.
“No, I’ve seen you and the others in the Black Dog. Please let me take you to the general.” Tiernan followed the man to a tent at the center of the camp.
“I’ll let the general know you’re here.” He disappeared into the tent. When he came back out he looked like a scolded child. “Please go right in.” He held the flap up while Tiernan entered.
“Welcome and I’m sorry for the treatment. He should have brought you straight in. I hear you have news.” The general was much younger than any general Tiernan had ever seen. He didn’t think he could be older than twenty-five.
“Yes, I do. If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you.” He felt like he needed to be talking to someone older.
“Of course, don’t let my looks fool you, I’m fifty years old.” When Tiernan eyed him with suspicion, he continued. “I found a potion on an ogre I killed. I had been hurt in the fight and thought it was a healing potion; I was wrong. Instead of healing me, I became younger. It was hard to convince the troops that I was the general, but they eventually accepted it.”
“Wow, I know a couple of people who could use such a potion.”
“As do I, but that was the only thing it was carrying; now how about that news?”
“Oh, yes, King William is awaiting you, and your men, in the walled city of Dendra. I will draw you a map, but then I must get back and inform the King when he can expect you.
“You’re not leaving tonight are you?”
“No, first thing in the morning,”
“If you would like, I can give you this tent, and I’ll find other arrangements.” Tiernan was still thrown by his young looks.
“That won’t be necessary.” Tiernan looked around at all the open space. “But we could share it,” Tiernan suggested.
“That’s acceptable,”
“What of my horse,”
“It will be taken care of.”
“Good,” He unpacked his horse and laid out his bed and was asleep soon after.