Just before dinner, Seth was sparring with Brock behind the house. When the sunlight began to fade away, Brock tossed his practice sword to Seth. “Put them away.”
Seth watched Brock head back into the house. He smiled at his reflection in his sword’s blade. Brock may not be his real father, but he was his father. Yeah, whenever he needed something, Brock and Sally were there for him, no one else. Seth grimaced. How would they react when they find out he failed to find the Dark Elves? Brock promised to raise him as his real father, the knight, would have. Would he take that as a failure? Seth was so sure that his little party would find them that it never occurred to him that he could fail. His stomach twisted as he entered the house.
“Seth, come out for dinner!” Sally yelled from the kitchen.
Seth was sitting on the edge of his bed. “I’ll be right there!” The gleaming sword that Brock made for him stood in the corner. Whenever he was alone, its beauty commanded him to admire it. Someday he would be worthy of that great gift and avenge the family he never knew. Maybe perhaps even avenge the woman who saved his life. But first he had to get past tonight and tell the others that he had failed.
As Seth sat down, his mouth began to water when Sally placed the pork pie in front of him. “Thank you,” he said as he heaved a forkful into his mouth.
Brock grinned. “He’s getting better, Sally. He really is.”
“I know, but, Brock, is it too soon?” she asked.
Seth looked up from his plate. “Too soon for what?”
“We’re easing into it, Sally,” Brock began. “Trust me.”
“Easing into what?” Seth demanded. “Father, I love you, but sometimes you talk about me like I’m not even here.”
Sally bit her lip.
Brock sighed. “You’re already involved. The meetings, learning to fight, your volunteering to find the Dark Elves and finding out what they’re up to are all part of it. I’ve told you about your father being a knight, but—there’s more.”
Sally shot Brock a fearful glance.
“I—it has to wait, son. I promise you will know soon enough.” Brock’s eyes softened. “You have to trust me, Seth.”
“Do I have a choice?” Seth asked.
Brock shook his head. “No, you don’t. I—”
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Are they here already?” Sally asked as she got up to answer the door.
Seth smiled as Alya, wearing a red cloak, walked through the door.
Alya saw that the family was eating dinner. “Am I too early?”
Brock smiled. “It’s okay.”
“Would you like some? It’s pork pie,” Sally said as she motioned Alya to the table.
“You’ll like it,” Seth said.
“Why not?” Alya said as she sat down next to Seth. “Thank you for inviting me to the meeting,” she said to Brock.
“No problem.” Brock straightened up. “Seth is really doing great with a sword now.”
Alya winked at Seth. “I had no idea.”
Brock let out a small chuckle. “Let me tell you what happened today. You, see…”
Seth rolled his eyes as Brock told Alya how he disarmed his father. It was evident that Brock was proud of him, but—but will he still be after I tell them I failed? He took another bite of pork pie.
Thirty minutes later, Paul, Larry, Dane, William, and Jacob were drinking ale around the fireplace. Seth stared out the window, waiting for his special guest. His eyes lit up as Keya and Jena came around the corner.
“They’re here,” Sally said as she opened the door.
“Sorry we’re late,” Keya said. “Recovering from healing a broken hand. It took longer than I thought.”
Brock put his ale down on the table. “Now that everyone’s here, let’s get started.
Seth stood next to Jena and reached for her hand, hoping that she’d take it. He wanted her to be unafraid to show the world that they cared for one another. The blood rushed to his face as he felt Jena’s warm touch. He looked into her eyes and touched her soul. For a moment, he felt they were one.
Alya, Larry, William, and Dane sat in the remaining chairs around the kitchen table. Keya, Sally, Jacob, and Paul sat on the couch, facing them. All eyes were focused on Brock as if he was the leader of this small band.
“I first want to introduce Dane the Devoted and his companions, Jacob and William,” Brock said.
Larry swallowed hard. “How do you know them?”
“We found them injured in the Sarun Grove,” Brock replied. “Turns out they were knights under King Galin.”
Paul frowned. “How do you know? Were they with you at Staerdale Castle?”
“No.”
Paul leaned forward. “Did they tell you? Was that it?”
Dane looked uncomfortable. “If this is a problem, we’ll move along.”
Brock glared at Paul. “Are you purposely trying to make things harder than they already are?”
“Just answer the question,” Paul demanded.
“Yes,” Brock began, “they told us after we pulled Dane out of my bear trap.” He glared right into Paul’s eyes. “Do you trust me?”
“With my life.”
“Then trust me now.” Brock watched Paul ease back into his seat. He looked over at Seth.
His gaze brought forth the realization that he had to report his failure to the group. After his glorious speech at the last meeting, he was expected to come back with results, not a failure. It was hard enough that the other men did not respect him as a man, not yet. His telling on himself would only reinforce their doubt in his abilities to join the fight, to be like his father.
“Seth, you ready?” Brock asked.
Seth gasped for air. The time was now, where he’d tell his adoptive father that his faith in him was misplaced. His stomach twirled like cotton candy. “Yes, Father.” He shot Jena a pleading glance, who merely smiled back at him. How could she take this so lightly? She knew we failed and—
“Seth?”
“Sorry, Father,” Seth said. “My team went to the market all day, looking for the Dark Elves, and they never came into town.” There, he’d said it. His muscles tensed, waiting for the verbal spears to be skewered through his heart. “We pretended to be playing by the water. No one noticed us, but we were vigilant.”
Paul laughed. “I knew the boy was full of it.”
Larry glared at Paul. “Really? What did you find out?”
“Nothing, but I didn’t promise anything, either,” Paul said.
“We were all supposed to go looking, not just the boy,” Brock said. “I didn’t see any either but—” He shot a questioning glance at Sally. After she had nodded, he continued, “Even though you didn’t see them, they could have been there.”
Alya blinked. “What do you mean?”
“Father, how can that be?” Seth asked. Was Brock trying to cover up for his failure? Could it not be his fault? Maybe he wasn’t a complete failure after all.
“Sally and I served at Staerdale Castle under King Galin,” Brock said.
“Kade’s brother?” Alya asked.
Brock nodded. “Yes. Sally was the queen's handmaiden and I was the king’s blacksmith. At one time, I trained to be a knight.”
Dane scoffed at him. “You? A commoner?”
“Galin’s father didn’t care about bloodlines, only character. It wasn’t until I defeated Kade in a match that there was pressure put on him to remove the commoner from among the knights. As my duty was to the Kingdom of Axain, I stepped down. He didn’t force me,” Brock said.
“I don’t understand,” Jacob said.
Brock straightened out. “There’s more. We were friends with Thea the Loyal.”
Only for a second, Alya’s face twisted.
“One night at the Rusted Feathers Tavern, Sally was waiting for a friend to plan our wedding. She sat in a back booth along the wall. When Kade and Beldroth came in, she hid her face. After about ten minutes or so, her head hurt to the point where she had to close her eyes. When she opened them, the room was filled with dark elves.”
Alya’s face went white. “What?”
“Yes,” Sally said. “Dark Elves can appear human. Beldroth cast a spell so Kade could meet their leader, but not know which human form he took. I happened to be in range.”
Alya frowned. “That’s ridiculous.”
“What are you saying, Father?” Seth asked.
“They could have been right in front of you and you wouldn’t have known,” Sally said. “The Dark Elves infiltrated the king’s court, the knighthood, and just about everything else.”
Brock nodded. “That’s right, we had no idea.”
I’m not a failure, Seth thought. “How can we see them?”
Alya rolled her eyes. “This is silly. They cannot do that. Can we focus on real life?”
Brock ignored her. “I don’t know. But we still have to find out what they are looking for.”
“What’s the plan?” Larry asked.
“Larry, you and Paul head up to Arrowhead Pond and watch it for a couple days,” Brock said. “Tell the others about this… development, too. We’re going to need all the help we can get.”
“Sure,” Paul said.
“Others?” Dane asked. “What others?”
“Just friends, that’s all,” Brock said.
Alya rubbed her chin. “I can keep an eye out in the market square.”
“Sounds good,” Brock said. “Dane, could you and your party look for signs of a campsite on the west side of the Bahr River?”
Dane nodded. “I can do that.”
“What about me, Father?” Seth asked.
“Sarun Grove, you know that area best,” Brock said.
Seth nodded and said, “Yes, Father.” He looked into Jena’s eyes. “Will you help me?”
Her smile filled Seth’s heart with warmth. “Of course I will.”
Alya got up from the table. “I have to go. When do we meet again?”
“A week,” Brock replied. “Here, after dinner.”
Alya waved as she walked out the door.
For the next hour, the serious conversations turned into laughter as they drank more ale. Keya and Jena left, leaving Seth with the loud adults. Dane pulled out a cigar. “I’m going to smoke this outside. Be back in a minute.”
Seth stared out the window onto the moonlit street, hoping to see Jena running back. That dream would not happen and he knew it. The cherry of Dane’s cigar lit up. His eyes were drawn towards Dane as he walked across the street. A hooded figure stepped out of the shadows.
Who’s that? Seth thought. Was Dane betraying them or just trying to get some companionship after he left? No, there was no hugging or advancing on the dark figure. He stayed back like he—he talks to Jacob.
As soon as Dane turned around, Seth jumped away from the window. Should he say anything? Yes—no, of course not. He was just jumping to conclusions, right? Yes—no, his head began to hurt from the war being waged inside. Was he the man his father wanted him to be? No, not if he didn’t do anything. But, he’s only a boy. He should stay out of it, or maybe tell Brock. Yes, that’s it. Seth shook his head. No, I am the man my father wants me to be.
As soon as Dane came back into the house, Seth grabbed his shirt sleeve. “Who was that?”
“Mind your business. You’re not too young to not get hurt,” Dane said as he pushed Seth away.
“What’s going on?” Brock demanded.
“I saw him talking to someone across the street in a hooded cloak,” Seth said. “I just asked him who it was.”
Brock glared at Dane. “Well?”
Dane frowned. “A merchant asking for directions to the market square. How should I know?”
“Seth, did you hear anything?”
Seth shook his head.
Brock sighed. “I think we’ve all had too much ale,” he said as he motioned everyone to the door.
Seth watched the last man leave the house when Brock put his hand on his shoulder. “Seth, I know you meant well. But, leave the accusations to the adults,” Brock said.
“I did the right thing. I’m trying to be the man you want me to be,” Seth said.
“I know,” Brock said, “I know. Now go to bed.”
His soft words were like a dagger piercing his soul. They echoed not with pride, but disappointment. After closing his bedroom door, Seth stared out his window onto the street to see Dane and his men stumble into the darkness. I don’t trust him.
Elmar and Malon paced around their room in the Red Scale Tavern. “Where is she?” Malon demanded.
Shania quietly stepped into their room in the Red Scale Tavern, laying her red cloak down on the bed. Elmar and Malon were pacing around the room, appearing anxious. “Has the squad from Iron Fist Keep arrived yet?”
Elmar nodded. “Today, and I gave them your instructions.”
Malon rolled his eyes. “Shania, this is completely unnecessary. Just kill the boy and get it over with.”
Shania glared at him. “No, not yet.”
“Why not?” Elmar asked. “We know the blacksmith and his wife smuggled Prince Galin out of the castle.”
“That doesn’t mean that Seth is the prince,” Shania said. “Look, we have to be sure.”
Elmar cocked his head. “Why do you care about him? Humans are no different than the pigs they slaughter for food.”
Ignoring Elmar, she turned towards Malon. “What did the squad leader say? Do they have a war mage with them?”
Malon nodded. “Yes, but he’s an apprentice, not a full wizard. Maybe this is not as important to Tanyl as you thought. Elmar has a point; just kill them and get it over with.”
Shania looked away. Sure, Malon had a point, but… why was she hesitating? She had to avenge her family. What if— “It would be easier, but then we would leave Crey Village without certainty that the prince is dead. No, we have to make sure first. That is the only way.”
Elmar sniffed. “You’re weak.”
She kicked Elmar in the groin. “Enough of this insolence or I’ll report you to Tanyl and his mages will punish you,” Shania said. “Now get out.”
Malon helped Elmar to his feet. “Make sure the reason you’re delaying is for the benefit of the Darkstriders, not yourself.” He dragged Elmar out of Shania’s room.
Shania stared out the window at the full moon. “Prince Galin, where are you?”