Majik's World

Author's Note

2011-04-28T03:24:00.000-07:00

Before I go rambling on again...I have to thank those readers who have come by and read my tale. Even though I am still completing the story, I will not be posting another episode at this time. Instead, I will be posting a short story that I have in the works. I haven't decided when I will post the first episode yet. But it will be in the near future. Thanks again to those who have stopped by looking for more of this story, after I have finished the story I will print off a limited run of soft cover books. Until then I hope you will enjoy what I have posted and look forward to my up and coming short story. Happy reading. =)

The Road to War ... Part 5

2008-08-09T20:40:00.000-07:00

He woke up to seeing two men standing over him and he tried to jump back but the stump he was lying up against prevented him from moving very far. The last thing he remembered was charging on two unsuspecting travellers on horseback. He thought they might be messengers but the number of travellers between Rosh and Grenfell had dwindled since he was assigned raiding duties at this point on the road.

“Who are you?” the bandit asked.

“Right now you can consider us your god” Adam said. “Whether you live or die is in our hands right now.”

“W-w-what!” the bandit exclaimed.

“We know you are working for someone else” Dustin began. “We want to know where we can find him.”

“W-w-what!” the bandit exclaimed again.

Adam hit him over the head again with a piece of a large branch and knocked him out again.

“We’re not going to get very much out of him” Corcoran said.

“We’ll just have to tied him up and drag him with us” Adam said harshly. “I’ll get the rope.”

Adam tied him up and they started back on their way to Rosh. The journey would take a bit longer with the bandit in tow but at least they would have a better chance of find the thieves den with the bandit.

“What are we going to do with him after we get to Rosh?” Dustin asked.

“He won’t be with us when we get to Rosh” Adam said. “When we get to the last clearing before Rosh we are going to let him wake up and leave. He won’t even see us. We’ll follow him back to the thief’s liar and we will worry about the perils of entering the liar when we get to that part. Just be prepared for a fight. Corcoran we are going to need you to stay visible unless you know how to make us all invisible so we can find the leader of this pack of bandits.”

“I can only make one person invisible at a time” Corcoran said as he put his hood up and disappeared. He reappeared right after he took the hood of his cloak off.

“OK let’s get moving” Adam said after tying up the bandit. “We don’t have much of the sun left. We should get to the next clearing soon.”

Come back for more from part 5

The Road to War ... Part 4 continues...

2008-08-02T11:19:00.000-07:00

The library was a large vault of magical knowledge. Rows upon rows of book cases; each book case seemed to be overflowing with books. It was a really large library, but it also resided in a large castle. The book cases were lined up on both sides of the chamber with two large tables filled with parchment paper down the centre.

Corcoran got to know his way around the library quite well. He had spent most of his apprenticeship in the library. His focus was at times his own worst enemy; but he managed to fumble through some of the easier spells. Despite studying every day he could not remember more than two spells, a disastrous wizard he was turning out to be.

Kartu had given him a bag to hold all of his scrolls that he scribbled out. It looked as if it could only hold about ten scrolls but he had managed to put more than 30 scrolls in there. Every time Corcoran went to the library he would scribble out a new scroll, sometimes they were quick and easy like his magical fire fingers spell which he had memorized and wrote out every day, others like the invisibility spell which he was mesmerized by took a lot longer to scribe.

Writing was the first thing Kartu had taught him to do. He had excelled at reading and writing. Corcoran could read and write which if he had the time to scribe all of the spells in the library could make him a very dangerous warlock. He merely aspired to be a good wizard with the ability to cast a number of spells without having to rely on scrolls to increase the level of magic he could control.

He had studied for a year and most wizards or apprentices of wizards learn at least two spells in their first three months. Corcoran was far behind the curve, he only knew two spells but he had been able to create many scrolls in his time at the castle. He squirreled them away in his chambers because he knew that if Kartu had found out that he had made so many scrolls he would be dismissed or worse, burned alive with Kartu’s powerful magic.

Corcoran walked over to the bookcase where most of the spells pertaining to the use of the fire element were kept. He pulled out the book of incantations on fire fingers. There were several levels of spells in the book and he was interested in the most powerful spells found in the book. He could never start at the beginning and go through until the end. Studying was a chore he hated doing like taking out the trash; but it was essential if he wanted to become a wizard. So many things get left by the way side when you are in a hurry, this was not something you could breeze through and Kartu knew it.

He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Kartu must be watching he thought. He opened the book to the beginning and started to study it from the beginning fighting his urge to turn right to the back of the book and start scribing.

The Road to War ... Part 4

2008-07-31T02:59:00.000-07:00

Corcoran had just finished washing the room where he had botched an experiment. Kartu had been furious when he had walked in to see pieces of Corcoran’s experiment all over the walls. The experiment had ended with a loud crash and the table he had been working on was in splinters spread across the room.

He had been working on what would eventually be the piece of metal on the end of his walking staff. The spell he had been trying to instil in the metal was a fire bolt spell; but his level of training had not been high enough to enchant the metal. Kartu had scolded him severely as he came down from his private chambers to investigate the noise.

Corcoran had been casting from a scroll he had found in his master’s library. Research was a major part of his apprenticeship. Kartu could recite many spells from memory but Corcoran had trouble remembering the simplest spells. Magic did not come easy to him. If were not for the many pieces of parchment paper found in the library he would not be able to cast a single spell with out them. This had infuriated his master.

The metal he was working with was a small amount but after the explosion it seemed like more than he had used. There were pieces of metal beaded up on the walls and the door had small scars from the molten metal all over it. Now that he was done cleaning the room he would have to go and find Kartu to see if there was a lesson for today.

Kartu was up in the black pool room. He had used this room for far-seeing. The door was open and Corcoran could see an image in the black pool, it looked like his home town of Colodia. Corcoran knocked on the open door for fear of the warlock’s wrath if he did not. Kartu waved his hand over the small pool of mysterious liquid and it returned to its normal black appearance.

“Master” Corcoran began, “Do you have a lesson for me today?”

“I think your failed experiment was enough of a lesson for you today.” Kartu responded. “If you must have another lesson today than it shall be in the library. You need to read up on enchanting items before you try it again. Go, read from the books in my library on enchantment and make sure you learn something before you bother me again.”

Corcoran slinked out of the room leaving Kartu to his far-seeing. He did not want to disturb him anymore; just the fact that he had to report to him after cleaning his mess was disturbing to Corcoran. He made his way to the east tower to follow the spiralling stairs down to the second floor of the castle where the library was located.

There were hundreds of books and spells in the library. Parchment paper was stacked in one corner to create scrolls with for using magic above ones casting level. He had hordes and hordes of parchment paper in his own chamber. He needed them to write out each of the spells he could remember every day. He would need to have a scroll for ease of casting. Occasionally a messenger would visit the castle and request a scroll, Kartu would only allow one kind of spell to be sold on a scroll. It was a spell to create a magical fire to aid with starting campfires. It was a low level spell but occasionally for extra three or four pieces of gold Corcoran would hide an extra higher level spell in with the scroll for sale.

If Kartu ever caught him selling these spells he would be expelled for releasing untold power on those who sought it. Kartu was dead set on being the most powerful warlock on the continent.

Corcoran had his objections to Kartu’s way of conducting business; but he dared not let them known. He would find him on the receiving end of a powerful spell that Kartu kept up his sleeve. He was a very underhanded teacher and Corcoran’s slow speed of learning at times angered the warlock.

Part 4 continues....

The Road to War ... more from Part 3

2008-07-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

It was a while before the unconscious bandit came to. Adam had given him quite the knock on the head. Dustin and Adam had already dispatched the bodies of the bandit’s fallen comrades. They didn’t bury them, just tossed them in a pile well past the edge of the clearing. Messengers were not equipped to bury people. The majority of incidents that required them to carry weapons were for fending of wild animals that were brave enough to attack.

Corcoran had been keeping an eye on the bandit while he was unconscious. He had a fire going to boil water from the stream which was a little bit further away from the road at this point. When the water finally came to a boil the two messengers emerged from the woods.

“Ah, there you are” Corcoran said.

“The bodies have been dispatched” Adam said. “I’m sure that some one will find them eventually. There was another path in forest that we passed, no doubt part of the bandit’s network.”

“And what are going to do about this one?” Dustin asked pointing at the unconscious man lying near the fire Corcoran had built.

“This one is going to lead us to what we are looking for” Adam said. He leaned over the bandit.

“And what is it you are looking for, sir?” Corcoran asked.

“Why do you want to know?” Adam snapped back.

There clearly was some tension between Adam and Corcoran. Dustin was just watching and he could feel the tension building between the two men. Corcoran had disappeared right before the attack, but he down played his magical abilities. Just how much did this man know about magic?

“You came into our camp yesterday” Adam started. Clearly the tension had to be cut. “Since then we have waited for you, slowed our pace for you and at the first sign of trouble you retreat into the woods. You claim you have some magical abilities but not that you are a wizard. Nobody has magical abilities other than Kartu.

“Have you been spying for Kartu?” Adam asked reaching for his blade.

Both men locked their eyes on each other. Corcoran was composed and Adam was ready to leap into action and bury his sword in the gullet of this man in front of him.

“There are many things from the past that I cannot reveal” Corcoran said. “You can kill me now if you think that would aid your quest; but at least hear what I have to say first.”

Adam did not want to hear what he had to say; Dustin could tell just by the look of anger on Adam’s face. Dustin moved towards Adam. He couldn’t quite understand why, but he felt like Corcoran would be of use to both him and Adam. They indeed needed to recruit the help of an assassin but this quarrelling would solve nothing.

“Adam” Dustin spoke up. “I think he can be of some use. I maybe new to the territories of the outer circle but if we are going into a den of thieves we are going to need all the help we can get.”

“You are probably right” Adam said backing off. “Let’s get as much as we can out of this bandit and see if he can lead us to his master.”

Part 4 begins July 30th

The Road to War ... Part 3 continues...

2008-07-23T20:55:00.000-07:00

The forest life was quite loud for the most part of the journey. They had made it to another clearing; this one was smaller than the last and littered with foot prints. Someone had been here not that long ago.

A hush ran through the forest. It was to be expected while traveling but when you stop and are quiet the chirping of birds should be heard once again; but not this time. The hair on the back of Dustin’s neck began to stand on its end. Something interesting was about to happen.

Corcoran, who had be walking between the two horses and boring Adam with his stories, had disappeared. Adam was about to ask Corcoran if he knew how to use his staff in a fight; but he looked around and could not see him. He looked at Dustin; Dustin was looking for Corcoran too.

“Where did he go?” Adam asked.

“I don’t know” Dustin replied. “He was here a second ago.”

Both messengers drew their swords. A loud cry came from the bushes to their left. Out came about four people shouting and carrying short swords. Before Dustin could turn his horse to face them another four rushed out of the bushes on his right. He turned to face them.

Out of the bushes two flashes of fire shot towards one of their attackers. The flames seemed to explode on his back. Clashes of swords filled the area. Adam’s horse let out a whinny as it was struck by one of the attacker’s swords. The horse leapt to its hind quarters and Adam fell to the ground. His horse’s front hooves knocked over one of their attackers and he fell in lump.

Adam quickly got to his feet. His horse frightened by the shouts and the shock began to buck and kick at anything. Dustin was still on his mount. He was managing to fend off some of his attackers. Another bolt of flames shot through the tree line and another one of the angry men from the ambush burst into flames.

Adam slashed the nearest attacker cutting a gash from his right shoulder to his left hip. Another bolt of fire hit the attacker next to the one Adam had killed. Dustin was holding his own; he had stabbed one in the chest and was fending off the last one. Adam came up behind the man that Dustin had squared off with and smashed the hilt of his sword over his attacker’s head.

After all was said and done, the battle only lasted about three minutes. The only casualty was Adam’s horse. It would need some dressing on its wound but it would survive. Seven of the eight attackers were both badly burned and dying or already dead. One was unconscious. There still was no sign of Corcoran.

Dustin surveyed the scene. He was wondering where the bolts of fire had come from and why Corcoran had disappeared. Adam was pulling aside one of the men; he was unconscious and bleeding but not badly.

Corcoran walked out of the edge of the forest: “Quite a mess we have here?” he asked.

Dustin rushed over to him with his blade still drawn. “And where did you get to?”

“I was just beyond the trees there” Corcoran said. “I didn’t go very far, besides it looks like you and Adam took care of these bandits.”

“You left us to fend off the entire group” Adam’s voice was rising. “Who are you anyway? And what were those flashes of fire? Did you throw cast those magical fire bolts?”

“I already told you” Corcoran responded. “My name is Corcoran and I am travelling to Rosh.”

“But you’re not a wizard?” Adam questioned.

“I may have some magical abilities” Corcoran said “But not enough to call myself a wizard.”

“Next time we run into trouble try not to run too far” Adam said. “We may need you to lend a hand when we reach our destination.”

“Fine, I won’t hide,” Corcoran said. “Just don’t get me killed.”

The Road to War ... Part 3

2008-07-19T11:44:00.000-07:00

Adam was suspicious of the man who called himself Corcoran; there was something familiar to that name that he could not place. Dustin seemed to enjoy the tales Corcoran shared while they had their meal. Corcoran did most of the talking while they were eating. He only ate a small piece of the hare and left the rest for Adam and Dustin. Adam suspected that he was good at foraging for his meals.

At first sun Dustin was up and walking back from the stream with the horses. Corcoran was no where around.

“Where did our mysterious friend go?” Adam asked.

“He’s down at the stream” Dustin replied. “He said he was in need of a quick wash and would join us as soon as he finished washing himself.”

“Well he had better hurry up” Adam said. “Rosh is still quite few days journey from here. We need to get started as soon as possible.”

Adam smothered the last of the smouldering fire with some loose dirt from around the fire pit. The sun was starting its arc in the sky and the warmth it provided was readily being felt by the two messengers. Both put their armour on and were ready to leave.

Corcoran casually strode up the narrow path from the stream. “Ah, there is nothing like a cool dip in a cool stream first thing in the morning.”

“I hope you are ready for the journey” Adam said. “We have a long one and if you are going to come with us you are going to have to walk.”

“I can handle the walk” Corcoran said. “I've walked most of my life the luxury of a horse was not one that was afforded to me.”

“Good” Adam said rather aggressively. “Now let’s go.”

And with that the three of them began the journey once again to Rosh. The road was mostly smooth dotted with hoof prints from the many horses that had traveled the road before them.

Part 3 Continues ... Stay tuned.

The Road to War...More from Part 2

2008-07-16T18:40:00.000-07:00

Adam had the fire going strong. The wild hare was slowly getting charred on a stick. Adam had gutted and skinned the animal before he had started to cook it. The guts were in a pile just beyond the edge of the clearing collecting flies already. Dustin returned with the horses and found a fallen tree to tie them to.

“You might a well get some more wood for the fire” Adam said. “We are going leave the clearing at first sun tomorrow.”

“That will give me a chance to get some practise in with my new sword” Dustin said. “Although this new armour his heavier than what I’m used to.”

“You’ll get used to it” Adam said. “For now we need some more firewood. We only have a little bit here, mind the entrails in the bushes over there you’ll be able to see them by the masses of flies drawn to them.”

Dustin walked over to the edge of the clearing and began gathering some wood. He could see where the entrails were left; the swarm of insects was becoming large. He made an effort to avoid the swarm and continued to gather some wood. Dustin gathered a large armful and brought them closer to the fire.

“Excellent” Adam said. “Now we have some time before our meal is finished cooking, let’s see how you handle your sword.”

Dustin pulled his sword out of the sheath on his back. He had considered changing the placement of it but was accustomed to drawing his axe from that position. He took a clumsy swing at the air and Adam fell over laughing.

“If you find my form so amusing” Dustin said rather embarrassed and angered. “Show me how I’m supposed to do it!”

“Draven must not have taught you very much” Adam said through laughter. He pulled himself off the ground and drew his own sword. “Your stance is all wrong to begin with, you’re not going to chop any trees down with your sword.”

Adam began to tutor Dustin with neither of them wearing any armour. Dustin was catching on quickly, some of the techniques Draven had taught him were completely wrong for a two handed sword. Adam quickly corrected him when he slipped up.

“Good” Adam said. “Now put on your armour. You will have to get used to wearing it while swinging your club.” He said with a smirk.

Dustin put his armour on. He got ready to spar with Adam. Out of the corner of his eye he caught some movement down the road where they had came from. He held up his hand towards Adam with one finger pointing upwards as if to say hold on a minute. He turned his head towards the path they had traveled to get to the clearing.

In the middle of the road was a cloaked figure walking towards them. Both Adam and Dustin brought their swords to their sides, most people traveling alone on these roads were harmless, but none the less they remained on their guard. The figure looked to be a man roughly the same age as Dustin. He walked with a large staff; the possibility of the figure being a wizard was suggested by the metallic end of the staff. He clearly was not a pike man.

As the figure drew closer they could make out more of his features. He appeared to be the same height as Galen; dark hair with a very skinny face. He almost looked as if he hadn’t eaten in weeks. Not uncommon considering if you did not have anything to barter with albeit gold or possessions finding food would be difficult.

“Hello there” the mysterious figure shouted as soon as he got close enough to be heard.

Dustin and Adam walked a little closer to the man so they wouldn’t have to shout.

“Hello there traveller” Adam replied.

“I was just on my way to Rosh” the man said. “I was surprised to run into you gentlemen. My name is Corcoran” he said lowering his head slightly.

“I am Adam and this is Dustin. Why might you be traveling with out the aid of a messenger or an apprentice?”

“I have travelled this road many times” Corcoran said. “I’ve never needed the help of a messenger before.”

“These are dangerous times” Dustin said. “Have you not heard about the bandits that roam this area looking to prey on people like yourself?”

“Bandits” Corcoran started. “What would a bandit hope to gain from a poor man like me? This staff and my clothes are the only possessions I have, would they really attack me for these few possessions?”

“Well that is a mighty fine looking staff you have there” Adam said. “That metal work at the top looks very delicate, reminds me of a wizard I once knew. He carried a staff just like it.”

“Are you accusing me of stealing this staff?” Corcoran asked.

“No” Adam said. “I was merely pointing out that it looked familiar. You look like you haven’t eaten in a few days; our hare is just about cooked. We will share some of it with you.”

Part 3 Begins 07/17/08

The Road to War ... Part 2 Continues....

2008-07-12T10:11:00.000-07:00

Corcoran was still a ways behind the two travellers. He had forgotten to put his hood back on his head to hide himself from view. He had stopped running. His intuition told him that he would not need to run to catch up to Dustin and Adam. As he approached the fork in the road, he wanted to head to Colodia; he felt a calling but he knew his future was in the hands of the two messengers that were on their way to Rosh.

The sun was still below its highest point in the sky. Corcoran wanted to catch up with the two before the sun went down. It had been years since he had been to Rosh. It was one of the first places he had stopped in after being kicked out by Kartu. He was met by bandits in the town and his parlour tricks had been his only saving grace.

If he was to survive in Rosh this time he would need the help of Adam and Dustin. But how would they fit into his master plan? He was planning to over through Kartu and war would be the only way to do it. What would he have to do to get these messengers to aid his cause?

Corcoran began to jog down the pathway. The dense forest on either side his only companion. At a jog he would be able to catch up with the two in about an hour or two. His weapon was flailing along side him as he jogged.

Come back on Wednesday for the conclsion of Part 2

The Road To War ... Part 2

2008-07-09T10:08:00.000-07:00

Adam and Dustin rode for quite a while at a full gallop. The horses were beginning to get tired and it would soon be time to stop to give the horses a break. Rosh was still quite a journey away. If they were on foot the trip would take about a week give or take a day or two.

The road was quite wide through the forest path. Riding side by side was easy and it gave them a clear view of their surroundings. On either side the forest was dense. The lush greenery of the forest was breath taking. The weight of Dustin’s new sword was foreign to him. The sheath bounced heavily on his back with every step his horse took. His new armour was also heavier than what he was used to. Dustin hoped he would get some time to practise with his new gear before they ran into any trouble.

Ahead there was a clearing. At this point they have not been travelling for a long period, only an hour or so. At a full gallop their horses could cover a lot of ground in an hour. Dustin was hoping that they would be able to stop and quite possibly get a chance to rest the horses. He desperately wanted to practice his parries and swings with his new sword.

“We will let the horses rest for a bit in the clearing up ahead” Adam shouted to Dustin. The sound of the horse’s hooves made his statement barely audible.

The two slowed to a trot and tried to get a good look at the clearing up ahead. They could see a place where previous travellers had warmed themselves by a fire. There was hardly any vegetation around the spot where other travellers had built a fire. The clearing was at least fifty feet in diameter and would prove to be much safer than other clearings they had camped in. In the distance they could hear a babbling stream cutting its own path through the forest. There was what looked like a path leading away from the clearing towards what they speculated was the stream. The horses would need some water and this would be a good time to get them some.

There were very few signs of civilization in the clearing. It would be good spot for an ambush but Dustin and Adam would be prepared in the event that anyone would ambush them. Beside them there was some movement. The leaves rustled off to the left of them, Adam pulled a bow out of his saddle bag, placed an arrow on the string drew back and waited. More leaves were disturbed and Adam loosed his arrow. It was nothing more than a wild hare; it would make a good meal for the two travellers.

They proceeded slowly to the clearing on foot. Adam and Dustin were leading their horses while collecting a few scraps of dry wood to start a fire with. When the two arrived in the clearing Adam handed the reigns of his horse to Dustin.

“Take the horses down to the stream so they can get some water” Adam said to Dustin. “I’ll get the fire started so we can cook this hare.”

Come back Saturday for more, part 2 continues...

Chapter 6: The Road to War ... Part 1

2008-07-05T11:06:00.000-07:00

Corcoran was waiting on the outside of the city of Grenfell. He knew that Dustin and Galen would be leaving the city shortly. He would follow them on to Colodia. Corcoran had noticed more people leaving the city than usual. They were headed to the woods that surrounded the city.

The increased activity made him suspicious. Something had changed; it was as if everyone was preparing for something. He had not had any contact with anyone in Grenfell; he had heard a riot from outside of the city limits but he did not know why the people had been rioting. The smell of burnt and smouldering wood was still in the air. The pungent smell was reminiscent of his time as an apprentice of Kartu, the dark and mysterious warlock at the centre of the last Great War.

Colodia was just a few days away from Grenfell, and he would be thankful to be back in his home town. Corcoran wasn’t sure if he would be welcomed by whatever family he had left in Colodia. It had been many years since he had left Colodia. Rumours of his apprenticeship would have spread since he had left, would he be ridiculed and possibly burned for his association with the dark warlock?

He had taken a lot of criticism for being an apprentice to Kartu. Not very many people could appreciate the fact that he left. At least that is what he had told people; not many believed him. Corcoran had to hide in the shadows most of the time, people were afraid of what they did not understand and fear was a powerful force that had Corcoran running from angry mobs. His cloak had served him well; hiding him from plain view when there were many people near and prone to panic if they knew who he was.

As he was resting and eating a few fruits that he had managed to steal from the market in Grenfell, he could hear the sound of horses trotting up to the edge of Grenfell’s city limits. Corcoran donned his hood hiding him from view. He knew that the travellers would be leaving the city at any moment and he did not want to be discovered.

Two men on horseback emerged from the edge of the city. Adam and Dustin, Corcoran had known Adam when he was just a little boy shortly before he had left Colodia to find his own purpose. He was looking for Galen and Draven; he expected them to be following behind Adam and Dustin. The two messengers made a clicking sound and their horses started to gallop out of the city limits. He did not see anyone behind the two messengers. He would have to move quickly if he was to follow them.

Corcoran started running behind the two messengers; they were gaining distance with every second. He let the hood of his cloak fall from his head as soon as he was a good distance away from Grenfell. Whether or not he was seen was not what he was worried about right now; he had to cover a lot of ground to get close to the galloping horses. He needed to at least keep visual contact with them until they reached the fork in the road ahead. He wanted to make sure that he could follow them to either Rosh or Colodia. The rocky road he was running on was uneven and he almost twisted his ankle on more than one occasion. But the two men on horseback were approaching the fork in the road.

The right path leads to Colodia and the path on the left leads to Rosh. Corcoran was expecting a right turn. The two horsemen veered to the left and took the path to Rosh. This unexpected turn of events puzzled Corcoran. Why would they be going to Rosh? Were they not originally planning to go to Colodia? Corcoran thought. Maybe he should finally reveal himself to the travellers to discover their motives for going to Rosh.

Was it the right time for him to reveal himself to the messengers? He had avoided any contact with them including being present for the delivering of the news from out of town. He would have to move quickly and use the power the cloak he wore possessed in order to catch up to the messengers.

Part 2 will be scheduled for Next Wednesday.

Grenfell ... Part 5 Continues...

2008-07-02T11:00:00.000-07:00

Beneath the front room in the basement sanctuary, Dustin stifled a laugh. Adam was also trying to stifle a laugh. Galen’s direct statement telling the Stephen the magistrate what to do was humorous to say the least. They could barely hear them closing out the brief meeting above them. Adam reached for the pole to close the listening vent.

It was not very long before Galen and Draven came down the stairs to rejoin Adam and Dustin. The look of relief on their faces was priceless. Although the meeting had been brief; dealing with Stephen’s stubbornness was taxing.

“Well that was far from fun” Draven stated.

“Politics are not my forte” Galen said. “So have you and Dustin thought about where to go next?”

“There have been rumours of bandits in Rosh” Adam began. “Drake, our messenger from Rosh has told me of some shady activities going on in the village. I think that would be a good place to start.”

“Rosh, that’s about two days away isn’t it?” Galen asked.

“Yes,” Adam began. “It is in the opposite direction of Colodia. I met up with Drake a few weeks before going to Macote. He told me that there were quite a few bandits in the town. I think that Rosh would be the best place to start looking for some assassins.”

“So when will you be leaving for Rosh?” Draven asked.

“Dustin and I will be leaving in the morning at first light.” Adam said. “The trip will be long so we will have to send Sven into the market to pick up some supplies for us. But in the mean time, Dustin, I want you to accompany me into our armoury. That sword your carrying does not look like it suits you. We have many different types of swords, no battle axes though.”

“Sounds good to me” Dustin replied.

Adam led Dustin up the stairs and into the back room of the Messenger’s Guild. Inside were more stairs that led up to the second floor of the building.

“We have many different types of weapons here” Adam said. “You will need a strong one if you are to go with me to find an assassin. We have to try and stop this war before it begins, the loss of life will be too great this time. The last war lasted ten years and many innocents were killed. We cannot afford to lose any innocents this time.”

The room was dimly lit. Swords were hanging on most of the walls accompanied by a few different staffs. Dustin had never used a staff before, but he still was prone to using his axe. A broad sword caught his eye as he was looking around. Walking over to it he could tell that it was no ordinary broad sword. The hilt was adorned with sapphires and they reflected the light from the candle lit room in a fashion that made it very appealing. Dustin walked over to where the sword was hanging on the wall and picked up; he tried to get a feel for the weight of the sword in his hands.

“An excellent choice” Adam said. “But please take your time while choosing your weapon. A messenger’s weapon is just as important as the message he brings. There is no replacement for the proper weapon to protect you.”

“I really do like this sword” Dustin said. “I’m not sure if it would be the perfect weapon for me. I really am used to the axe I carry with me; I have been practising with the sword that Draven gave me in Norfolk I am just not sure I am ready to give up my axe.”

“We will have plenty of time for practising on the path to Rosh” Adam said. “Does the sword feel good in your hands?”

“I thought it would be heavier” Dustin exclaimed. He brought the sword to an attack position, lifted over his head. The room was too small to swing the sword; he would have to wait until he was outside to do that. “I don’t have that much experience with swords; I’m more comfortable with my axe. I hope you will give me a few tips on the road to Rosh.”

“Not a problem” Adam said. “Will you be using that sword?”

“I think so.”

“Good, now let’s see what we can do about your armour.” Adam said pointing in the direction of the plate mail that was hanging on the wall.

“I thought this was the best armour I could find” Dustin said. “It cost me more gold than I was willing to pay for it.”

“It’s good armour, but if we are to be going into a den of thieves you will need something with more protection.” Adam exclaimed. “This one over here has stronger metal than what you are carrying. You will also need some ring mail to add to the strength of the armour.”

Dustin tried on many different types of armour that were all much stronger against attacks than his own armour. Eventually he settled on some plate mail that had a red hue to it. Adam explained to him that it was the alloys employed in the making of the metal that gave it a red hue to it and not blood stains. All of the armour in the armoury was unused and crafted by the most skilled armourers in the land.

“Good” Adam said, “Now that you are prepared we will wait for Sven to come back with our supplies and we will be off to Rosh.”

Come back this weekend for the beginning of Chapter 6

Chapter 5: Grenfell ... Part 5

2008-06-28T11:07:00.000-07:00

Galen and Draven walked down the short corridor from the stairs to the front room where Stephen, the cities magistrate waited anxiously. The two walked in to see a young maid of about 18 and an old man roughly in his late 50’s. Before Galen or Draven could say anything the old man leapt to his feet.

“Where’s Adam?” Stephen questioned. “And who are you?”

“He’s out on official business” Galen said. “This is Draven of Norfolk; he has been travelling with me.”

“I’d rather speak to Adam” Stephen said menacingly. “Official business, I don’t believe that for a minute. Where is he?”

Stephen tried to push the two messengers aside. Galen and Draven did not budge. They stood solid in the doorway not letting the old man pass. He was surprisingly strong but the two did not give more than an inch.

“This is outrageous!” Stephen exclaimed. “I came to request Adam’s help with the new conscripts and he won’t see me. Do you know who you are talking to?”

“Yes, of course we do.” Draven replied.

“If it is help you want,” Galen started. “Then you should be a little more courteous here in the guild. We will be more willing to help if you were not so demanding.”

“I merely wish to get Adam’s support for training the new additions to the guard.” Stephen said defensively. “He has more knowledge about the forces in Macote and a few years your senior.”

“We share our information with each other” Galen exclaimed. “Adam will be in the field for a few weeks, Draven and I will help train your conscripts.”

Stephen was surprised by Galen’s statement. He had expected Adam to speak with him over the matter of training the new recruits; instead Galen had stepped in the middle of the affair. The messenger’s schedules were somewhat erratic but had to be respected; any discourse was frowned upon and if the person was a magistrate, their position could be in jeopardy.

“Well when can we start training the new recruits?” Stephen asked more calm and composed than when he had first saw Galen.

“We will start after the apprentices get back from Colodia” Galen replied. “They are due back in a day or two. Your guards will be able to put them to work building a new barracks for them to stay in until our missing apprentices return.”

“Where are we going to build a new barracks?” Stephen questioned. “Our city has already out grown our original walls. We don’t have room for another building.”

“Well then I suggest you have the recruits start cutting down trees from the edge of the forest to build a new wall around the city.” Galen responded. “You are the magistrate, make it happen.”

Come back next week, Part 5 Continues ...

Grenfell ... Part 4

2008-06-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

After the fires had been put out Stephen came to the messenger’s guild looking for Adam. He had calmed the crowd down and ordered conscripts into the city guard. Boys barely old enough to grow hair on their faces were being added to the numbers. The guard had gained nearly half of the cities male population shortly after the riot.

Sven came down into the basement chamber where the four messengers were meeting. His voice cracked as he told the four Stephen was here to meet with them.

“He must see you, he cannot wait too long in the front room before coming to look for you” Sven said.

The basement chamber was a room only for messengers. This had been the same since the very beginnings of the guild. It was sanctuary for a weary messenger; it was almost 20 feet underground, mostly cold but in the hot days of the growing season is was a welcomed rest. Only messengers and the odd apprentice were allowed in the inner sanctum of the guild.

“We should go,” Galen spoke first.

“No, not right away” Adam said. “We still have more to discuss. It will not be long before the army at Macote will be on the march. We still have a lot of preparations to make. Donald is working with our forces in Colodia; so at least our home town will be prepared.”

Galen grew anxious. “Great, we don’t want to keep Stephen waiting.”

“You haven’t changed a bit” Adam looked briefly at Galen and continued. “Macote is not heavily fortified. There are a few week links in their guard. If I can get in, we could get a small band of assassins inside.”

“Do you know of any assassins?” Dustin jumped in before Galen made another reference to seeing Stephen.

“There are bands of thieves all over the place.” Adam replied. “Each band has a leader, the leader is an assassin. These leaders never show themselves unless they encounter a messenger that has reduced their troop on more than one occasion. It’s rare that you would run into the same rogue band of thieves more than once but it has happened before.

“Galen, since you are so keen on not keeping the magistrate waiting” Adam continued. “Why don’t you go see what the old man wants? Dustin and I will decide where to look for these elusive assassins. Draven, you should go with Galen as well.”

The two nodded in acceptance and disappeared up the stairs. Adam and Dustin were left in the cool well lit basement. They waited until they could not hear any more footstep ascending the stairs and both were quiet.
“If you listen closely you can hear what they are talking about.” Adam said as he got up from the table and walked over to a peculiar miss placed pole.

Adam pulled on the pole and up in the ceiling Dustin could see a light shining through a small hole. The smoke and the dust in the air were illuminated, creating unique patterns through the seemingly stale cellar air. Adam turned to Dustin and put his finger up to his lips as if to say ‘be quiet’ and they both were still and listened for voices upstairs.

They could hear Stephen shuffling around upstairs as he waited for Adam or a messenger to appear. The magistrate never came alone, he was always accompanied by his aide; a young woman no older than twenty. Adam and Dustin could not hear the magistrate’s aide; she must be quieter than a mouse. The magistrate’s aide did not speak at all in public; it was not her place.

Come back next week for more ....

Chapter 5: Grenfell ... Part 3 Continues ...

2008-06-14T18:23:00.000-07:00

Grenfell’s messenger guild was on the north side of the city. The sounds of the rioters were still loud enough to be heard outside the doors of the messenger’s headquarters. The building was only large enough to house ten messengers and apprentices at any one time. The streets were clear enough for Galen, Draven and Dustin to approach from the front of the building.

“So this is a messenger’s guild.” Dustin spoke half out of breath. “Not exactly what I thought it would be.”

“Times are different now with war on the horizon,” Galen said.

The three found the doors locked. Galen knocked brashly. From inside a voice shouted: “Only messengers are allowed to enter. Identify yourselves.”

“Galen of Colodia,” Galen responded. “I have with me Draven of Norfolk and Dustin of Atanna; now open the doors at once!”

The sound of a large plank of wood scraping the backside of the door could be heard. The doors were open and inside were two men that any of the three messengers did not know. They motioned them in quickly and closed the doors and locked them as soon as the three crossed the threshold. There were few windows to provide light inside so the interior corridor which led to the back door was lit by candles.

“Take the third door on you left into the basement,” one of the men behind them spoke up. “Adam and the other apprentices are meeting in the basement.”

Galen, Draven and Dustin walked down the candle lit corridor to the third door on the left. A flight of stairs that seemed longer than it should be led to the basement. The stairwell was lit by candles and added an ominous feeling to the descent. There was a small landing where the stairs changed directions and led deeper underground. The three could feel the cool damp air of the basement as the started down the second flight of stairs.

At the base they could see a dirt floor littered with foot prints. The light coming from the room was almost as bright as the sun. Hundreds of candles adorned the loose brick walls. There was a large round table in the middle of the room where Adam and the other apprentices sat.

“Galen, how long has it been?” Adam asked.

“Far too long,” Galen replied. “We heard your address to the people, is Macote ready for war?”

“Always straight to business, that’s what I’ve always liked about you.” Adam replied. “I see you still haven’t changed a bit. To answer your question, they’ve been preparing for war for a while now. I’ve been waiting to hear from Stephen to see if he will need some additional help training conscripts.”

“The whole city is rioting,” Dustin jumped in. “Shouldn’t we be helping with crowd control?”

“You’ll have to pardon my friend here,” Galen said. “He’s from a small outskirts town and is still wet behind the ears.” Galen turned to Dustin, “The city guard will take care of the crowd. We have more important issues at hand right now.”

“Yes indeed we do.” Adam said.

Come back next week for more of the tale...

Chapter 5: Grenfell ... Part 3

2008-05-31T20:22:00.001-07:00

There was a loud crash outside the inn which woke Dustin up. He flew out of the cot that served as his bed and grabbed his sword that felt alien in his hand at this ungodly hour. Sounds of men shouting at each other filled the early morning air and seeped through the thin pane of glass that served to keep the outside air, outside.

The whole town was up in arms; rioting in the streets to secure their safety. Guards were being trampled and every body was carrying torches and farming tools. Dustin raced down the two flights of stairs that separated his room from the ground level. At the bottom of the stairs Galen and Draven were waiting.

“Adam’s over at the guild with the other messengers” Draven stated. “This whole situation is bad!”

“Agreed,” Galen said. “Now how do we get over to the guild without being torn apart by the crowd?”

“Is there a back alley we could sneak out through?” Dustin asked.

“The inn keeper is not here,” Draven added. “I think he may be out with the rioters.”

“It’s just as well,” Galen said. “I couldn’t stand the food he served; it was almost as bad as this situation.”

“So how are we going to get to the guild?” Dustin asked.

“We’re going to have to find the back door and weave through some alleys to find it.” Draven said. “Galen, how well do you know this town?”

“Not as well as I want to right now,” Galen replied. “C’mon lets go.”

The three of them ran back through the kitchen and found the back door. On the other side of the door was the alleyway that ran parallel with the road filled with rioters. They would have to move quickly to avoid attracting any attention from the angry mobs. Galen kicked the door open and they all turned right following Galen’s lead.

The alley way was narrow, but not so narrow that they couldn’t run two wide. If they had been hemmed in it would be a problem, luckily everyone was in the street causing trouble. Anyone looking down the narrow alleyways between the houses would have seen them but they ran as fast as they could. Up ahead was a dead end, they would have to choose which way to go and make the right choice first. They could still hear the shouts coming from the streets and they got louder as they approached the end of the passageway.

“Right or Left” Dustin asked?

“Left” Galen shouted back at them.

The three barrelled around the corner into another alley that left them in plain view of the rioters. They were near the centre square of the town and could hear the shouts and loud crashes as various effects were damaged. The crowd wanted blood, and by the sounds of it they wanted the blood of their town’s leader, Stephen. He had been to slow in reacting to the news of Macote building an army. The whole town was full of fear and angst. The three messengers would have to get to the guild fast before the town turned on them.

Come back next week, part 3 continues...

Chapter 5: Grenfell ... Part 2

2008-05-24T20:56:00.000-07:00

After the announcements of the news at the centre square, the four travellers accompanied by Adam walked in through the tavern doors. There was talk about the recent news Adam had just told. Rumours of the Macote army were growing and becoming more far fetched then the actual news itself.

The wench tending the bar brought them some ale. Sven had stayed only long enough to excuse himself; he had to report into the local guild. Apparently Grenfell was a much larger town and had a messenger guild in residence. All of this was very new to Dustin; the villages he had brought news to in the past knew nothing about a messenger guild. Even the idea of cities growing beyond their original walls was new to Dustin.

Before Dustin had left Atanna he only knew of the closest villages the mention of a large city like Colodia was exciting. The mere mention of any kind of adventure would get any young adult from a small isolated village excited. Dustin was one restless individual and felt he had to leave Atanna even before he became a messenger. Now he found himself drinking ale with two messengers from Colodia and one messenger from Norfolk. Times had changed.

“Do you know how many soldiers Macote has recruited?” Galen asked Adam.

“I only heard rumours of the true number,” Adam replied. “Although I did see a large number of soldiers going in and out of their barracks; I’m not sure if it was the only barracks in the city. I only saw the one but it was far too small to house all of the soldiers that were going in and out.”

“Did you get a chance to meet with Redfield before you left Colodia?” Galen was just filled with questions for Adam.

“Yes I did,” Adam paused almost long enough for Galen to ask another question. “He has decided to implement conscripts into the guard contingent in Colodia. I would imagine that Stephen will be doing the same after the news I have brought with me.”

“Does Grenfell have a lot of guards?” Dustin jumped into the conversation.

“Not as many as Colodia,” Galen replied. “But they will need to be prepared in any case. I’m sure that there are other cities other than Macote preparing for war.”

“Indeed there are,” Adam began. “Lattan has heard rumours of Tyron building an army. Lattan has already begun taking conscripts into their guard. Tyron is easier to get into than Macote but even still leaving with information is hard.”

“I think we will find out at first sun if Stephen will be drafting citizens into the guard.” Draven chimed in. “I think we would be needed to help with the training effort again.”

“It’s quite conceivable,” Galen said. “We will have to get some rest. We’ll meet again in the morning.”

The four retired to rooms that had been prepared for them but the owner of the inn. What will the new day bring for the four messengers?

Come back next week for Part 3 ...

Chapter 5: Grenfell ... Part 1

2008-05-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

Dustin gazed upon the village of Grenfell as they approached. Galen was to his right, Draven and Sven followed behind. Grenfell was larger than any city Dustin had been in before. There were no grand gates just a clutter of buildings with a clearly defined road running between them. Some of the buildings were much larger than anything he had seen before. Dustin’s excitement had pushed his hunger to the back of his mind.

“Have you ever seen anything like this before?” Galen asked Dustin.

“Only in dreams” he replied.

At the entrance to the city Dustin could see a group of men running towards the end of the road. He suspected that these men racing to the edge of the city were the escort he had been told about. The four were tired from the trek and had fought off a random band of thieves. The band of men stopped just at the edge of the road where the town road began the road from Bingham ended.

“You must come quickly” the stocky guard said to the four travellers. “Adam is about to address the people with news from Colodia.”

“Adam is here?” Galen spoke up. “This must be bad, come on let’s go!”

The four rushed to the centre square of the city. As they rushed through, Dustin caught a glimpse of wall structure that had been buried by houses. At the centre square Adam had already begun telling his news from Colodia. The people were absolutely quiet rapt by the news of the Macote army’s numbers.
Macote had built a large army, but have yet to move against Colodia. Their forces have been at bay for quite a few months now. Adam was the first messenger to manage to get into the city since Macote began recruiting more people. Their security had been tight since rumours of war began to circulate throughout their population. Adam had to sneak in behind the walls through underground passageways that had not been used since the last war over fifty years ago.

Inside he had learned of Kartu; an old warlock based in the centre of the inner circle of cities. He had a dark and unexplained past and was at the centre of the last war over fifty years ago. One would think this old warlock would have passed away many years ago; residents of Macote fear the mere mention of his name. Rumour has it that he controlled all of the inner cities and was preparing to rule over the outer circle as well. He had tried this during the last war, but a local hero was there to stop the massacre and end the war.

The Galen of legend had spurned a new fad of people naming their first born after him. He had led a small band of mercenaries to victory over the vast armies of Macote and most people who heard the news of his plight had honoured him by passing on his name.

Galen the messenger, travelling with Dustin and Draven was one of the children named after the legend. His mother had been only a young girl when the war began and had heard all of the heroic stories. Galen had caught a glimpse of the man of legend when he was but a little boy. News travelled much faster back then; there were more messengers and fewer dangers on the roads between cities. Now times were different and right now, Dustin, Galen and Draven had finally made it to the centre square.

Adam was telling his news from Colodia with some added new from Macote. Everybody’s attentions were fixated upon the rough looking man at the centre of the square on a table. He was perched on the table so all of the folks in the city were able to see and hear him. The crowd was large and quiet with the exception of the occasional gasp.

Come back next week for Part 2

Chapter 4: The Hidden Wizard ... Pt 5

2008-05-10T16:05:00.000-07:00

The picture in the black pool faded. Kartu turned away and walked onto the balcony of the third floor. The moon was out and cast a soothing light on the fields surrounding his castle. He could see quite the distance from his little perch high up in his liar. Kartu cracked a smile which was an adventure in itself. He was not prone to smile.

Long ago he had seen the war fought and won. The Inner circle was stronger now; their odds of losing this time were smaller. Macote was the nearest city to his liar and reports came in every other day. From his vantage point Kartu could see the messenger riding across the plains up to his castle. The last messenger had left over two days ago; he was expected back any time now.

Kartu had kicked Corcoran out of his castle many years ago. Corcoran had been too mischievous. Always meddling around parts of the castle that Kartu kept under lock and key he was. His slow apprentice could hardly handle the simple fire bolt spell he had tried to teach him at the beginning of his apprenticeship. Under his tutorship Corcoran had learned about ten spells, only two were difficult. This resulted ultimately in Kartu’s frustration with his apprentice. Kartu had taught others before Corcoran and most had picked up his teachings quickly. He had been reluctant to take on any new apprentices mostly because all of them except for the three he had stationed in the nearby inner circle cities had turned on him.

Even in exile Corcoran was doing exactly what Kartu had wanted him to do. Corcoran was working on holding back the two messengers that could actually change the odds. This pleased him.

A mist seeped up from the ground surrounding the castle. Kartu walked back inside his dusty palace and headed to the ground floor. On the ground floor the few servants he kept would prepare everything he needed, food, drink, you name it. Kartu ate and retired to his chambers on the ground floor.

Come back next week for the beginning of Chapter 5.

The Hidden Wizard ... Pt 4

2008-05-03T18:50:00.000-07:00

Corcoran finished telling his tale and left the town of Norfolk a little bewildered. The mere thought of 50 years passing to what he thought was only 30 cast a strange shadow of doubt over his intentions. The conflict he had left behind would be at least 60 years in the past; this “Galen” could not be the same one he had heard stories of while he grew up. Was it possible that the Galen he now wanted to slow down was actually the son of the legend? So many questions ran through his mind.

He wondered what kind of spell his old master had cast on him. He knew that his invisibility cloak did something to way time flows around him every time he used it but he did not think that he would miss 20 or more years just by using it. Something was strange about how his old friend Richard could hardly remember him. It was a good thing the walk to Pespid would take another four maybe five days, he had a lot to think about.

Planning a new conflict would be difficult if there were no news of any unrest through out the known world. He would have to meet with the messenger in Pespid, maybe he would learn of any unrest. The many years between his childhood and now would certainly throw a kink into his plans. It was just a small twist; he could overcome a small twist.

The sun was still high in the sky, but there was a cold wind coming from the south. Corcoran could feel the moisture in the air; a storm was coming. The storm would slow the messengers down, but it would also slow him down. He would have to continue in the rain. Thunder cracked in the distance letting him know that it would not be a safe journey; but in this day and age no journey was without its own risks. At least he would be able to avoid any encounters with beasts. He did not want to use his cloak or magic unless it was necessary. Learning about the slow passage of time worried him so.

The overcast skies enveloped the sun creating eerie shadows everywhere. Weather was the least of his worries. Corcoran pressed on through the now darkening forest. The occasional flash of lightening was his only light as the thick rain filled clouds blotted out the sun, with the inevitable crash of thunder filling the air and his ears the heavens unleashed their torrents of rain. It was pathetic how the weather seemed to emulate the confusion in his head.

Corcoran’s curiosity had made him want to sabotage these two messengers on their way to Colodia. But what was more curious was the passage of time around him; intuitively he linked the difference in time to magic. Had his old master deceived him? The old man practised the dark arts so the assumption of deception would be a definite.

As the rain rapidly soaked through the magical cloak Corcoran wore his thoughts went back to his tenure as an apprentice of Kartu. The evil master Kartu thoroughly enjoyed toying with men’s perceptions of the truth. His heart knew that Kartu was behind him but also lay ahead of him; a chill ran up his spine. Corcoran felt like he was being watched. Every time he thought of Kartu he could not shake the feeling of eyes preying on his every move. Could his old master be watching him back in the fortress that he used to call home? Corcoran had seen the black pool that Kartu used for far-seeing. Thinking about that black pool made another shiver run up his spine. He pressed on through the rain; next stop, Pespid.

Come back next week for Part 5...

The Hidden Wizard ... Pt 3 Continues

2008-04-26T20:49:00.000-07:00

“Has it really been 50 years since my last time here?” Corcoran asked.

“Yes is has,” Ricky replied. “A lot has changed in the world since you last came through this way. You certainly have aged well.”

“I thought only 30 years would have passed” Corcoran stated bewildered. “Tell me, how much has this village actually grown? Last time I came through here the walls were not as high.”

“The population has more than doubled,” Ricky responded. “We increased the height of the walls not too long after you left here. A small band of thieves would climb over the walls after nightfall and we caught two of them and hanged them in the square. At that time a fellow by the name of Erickson brought a couple of apprentice messengers with him from Pespid. Erickson organized us and had the height of the walls increased.”

The two talked nearly till sunrise the next morning. You could see the pale orange glow of candles shining through cracks in the door all night. They talked all night and Corcoran has yet to unleash his plot to slow the two messengers down. While they were talking, Corcoran learned that Draven would be returning from Pespid around the same time Dustin and Galen would be coming through Norfolk. When the two came through Norfolk, Corcoran would be more than a week’s journey ahead of the swift messengers.

Finally, before Ricky was about to put out the candles and rest for a few hours, Corcoran mentioned his plan.

“Richard, did you know that some messengers from both Colodia and Atanna would be coming through here?” Corcoran spoke candidly. “I need you to slow these two down a little; it looks like your little militia here could use some training. I’ll bet that you could whoop any of them in a fight.”

“It isn’t right to slow down a messenger passing through.” Richard spoke with a town that reminiscent of a man of authority. “Even if we could slow them down it would take a lot of convincing. Draven has trained them well, but I could still whoop them in a fair fight. Why do you want to slow down these two messengers?”

“I am only attempting to get ahead of them,” Corcoran said. “I didn’t think you were much of a law man; I merely want to arrive in Colodia at the same time.”

“Regale me with your story about the old wizard you were chasing while I think about stalling those messengers.” Richard responded.

Come back next week for part Four...

The Hidden Wizard ... Pt 3

2008-04-19T16:57:00.000-07:00

As the first light of day hit the gates of Norfolk Corcoran was walking up the path towards the entrance to the village. It had been years since he had walked away from this town. He hoped that Richard still lived in Norfolk. Richard would be able to help him delay the travellers.

The guards at the gate did not stop him, they just opened the large wooden doors that served as the gate and let him pass through. He walked over to the centre of town; the daily market was just setting up. Richard was not one of the merchants he saw setting up their stands for the days trading. The market would be a good place to find his old friend, everybody stopped in the market at some point during the day. The square was large enough to fit the entire population; made it a suitable gathering spot for returning messengers.

Corcoran spoke to some of the people in the square, hoping someone would be able to lead him to Richard. Most people didn’t know who this ‘Richard’ was; they all thought he was looking for ‘Ricky.’ It certainly was possible that Richard had gone by the name Ricky, the two names sounded alike. A man dressed in ragged clothes offered to bring him to Ricky’s place of residence. He also was warned that Ricky was a cruel old man with a short temper. These characteristics certainly suited the man he was looking for, although he did not think that Richard would be very old; but it has been thirty or more years since he had left Norfolk behind.

The dwelling the ragged man showed him was a small stone building near the wall that surrounded the village. Pieces of mortar were piling up around the base of the building and the lonely wooden door had long since faded to an off white colour. Corcoran gave the man a small silver coin and he was off. The building had no windows on either side of the door, Corcoran moved to his left to get a view of the side of the building to get a view of the side of it. If Ricky was indeed Richard, he would certainly recognize any windows that would be on the side of the house. Years ago he had helped Richard build a dwelling for himself, the sad state of this building made it hard for Corcoran to recognize the work of his own hands. The surroundings looked just like he remembered, but the house seemed out of place compared to the obviously newer buildings in the area.

He walked up to the door and hesitated before knocking. There was no answer, immediately he was filled with rage towards the ragged looking man who had lead him to this building. He knocked again, louder and more forcefully. He waited and listened. At last he heard some movement within the dwelling. He could hear someone cursing the day that someone would knock on their door.

The door swung open violently to reveal a half naked wrinkled old man with fire in his eyes. “Who dares wake me at this ungodly hour?”

“I’m looking for Richard,” Corcoran stately calmly. “Might you be the Richard I knew many years ago?”

“Who wants to know?” the fire in his eyes subsided slightly.

“Corcoran of Colodia” he replied.

“Now there’s a name I haven’t heard in many years” the old man’s demeanour changed quickly after hearing the name Corcoran. “You can’t be the Corcoran I knew; you’re too young to be him.”

“So you are the Richard I knew.” Corcoran said, “May I come in.”

Come back next week, Part 3 continues...

The Hidden Wizard ... Pt 2

2008-04-12T14:16:00.000-07:00

Corcoran stopped just beyond the edge of the clearing. It was still mid day and the sun was still at its highest point. Dustin and Galen would be going through to Norfolk this way; he would have to maintain his lead to remain hidden. He speculated that he was only four days ahead of two; he would have to slow them down some, but how?

Thinking back to his past he could remember a number of refugees from the conflict had gone to reside in Norfolk before the end of the conflicts. They had run away to avoid the conflict; they had thought that they would lose the war. On Corcoran’s way through back when he was still just a confused young man, he had stopped in Norfolk; in some respects his journey really began in Norfolk as a boy of only 14. His life had changed since he was last in Norfolk. He had run into some of the people who had run away from the war; a couple of them were defectors from a long since forgotten army. He knew back then that he would be coming back through this way. A plan was hatching in his head; he took a quick pull off the water bag he was carrying. He would have to get to Norfolk close to five days ahead of Dustin and Galen to slow them down.

The old refugees would be able to slow them down. If news of a new conflict had spread this far; there would be more information about it in Norfolk. Corcoran was certain that they would still be there and nervous about the rumours of another conflict. He would be able to sway them to create their own little militia in Norfolk. But that would have to wait until he got there. He remembered that there was always two guards at both entrances to the town of Norfolk; they would be able to slow them down.

Corcoran began his trek back to Norfolk. This time he would have to travel the road. He would be going into a town that had built a wall around itself to keep the forest out. There had only been a few people in the town guard last time he had been through Norfolk; he suspected that a few new and younger members would have become part of the guard by now. That would be the key to keeping a safe distance between them. He hoped that he had enough gold to pay the guards to delay them. But he had to keep moving through the night.

He would have to arrive near the edge of the clearing Norfolk sits in before the next rise of the sun. He would have to keep moving through the night because he would not get there by night fall. Travelling between towns and villages took longer than it used to before his horse had given out. There have not been very many horses out this way since the last conflict; they had been taken to battle many years ago and only a few stragglers had fought to keep ownership of them.

He pushed on through the forest. He lifted the hood of the cloak he had stolen from his master before he had been cast out. He was hiding under the cloak that would keep him invisible until night fall. At least he would be able to avoid any unnecessary encounters on the road to Norfolk.

Come back next week for more...

Chapter 4: The Hidden Wizard ... Pt 1

2008-04-05T15:13:00.000-07:00

He had travelled for days and yet there was still no sign of civilization. He always followed the path less travelled so there was no doubt in his mind that he would find what he was looking for. Corcoran thought he was close to Maldor; but he could not be certain. Every path he had been avoiding showed no signs of recent travel.

Corcoran made a brief stop in Atanna. While he was there he had heard the news that Dustin had brought back from Maldor. He had learned that Dustin would not be bringing any more news back from Maldor; Dustin would be heading to one of the outer circle cities called Colodia. Corcoran was so intrigued by the news that he had decided to follow.

He was not much of a wizard right now, he had only mastered a couple of incantations; but those spells had guaranteed his safety so far. His master had cast him out after he failed to learn more than one common spell. Ever since he had been cast away Corcoran had been searching for purpose. He was inspired by the news of a new conflict arising in the outer circle of cities; Corcoran knew that he would have to follow Dustin on his path. Hiding in the backdrop of the forest he would follow the fledgling messenger.

He once lived in Colodia so he knew the way from Atanna; but he would have to remain hidden from the messenger as it was too soon to reveal himself to the messenger. Corcoran had other plans. He would have to travel at night to avoid detection. The road to Colodia would be too obvious; he would have to travel close to the paths that lead to the other towns on his journey. Never travelling on them; just around them or crossing over them.

The news of the conflict gave him a new purpose. Corcoran knew about previous conflicts in the region, those conflicts had driven people out of the west and into little settlements like Atanna and Maldor. The last conflict had been 30 years ago; he had only been a boy of 3 at the time but rumours had been spread and stories from the conflict had been retold. Of course the stories had changed and the hero’s names were changed to those that meant more to the smaller societies that had flourished in post conflict times. Although there had been one name that had not changed; Galen was the only name that had remained the same. By the time Dustin had become a messenger, the name Galen had not been a legend in the Atanna area.

Was it just coincidence that Dustin would be meeting up with a messenger going by the name of Galen? Corcoran just had to find out if this man was the man of legend. Although the legends never mentioned anything about Galen’s home town of Colodia; he was curious. Corcoran had left Colodia when he was only 14. He was interested in the rumours of magicians and wizards in the west. The news from other messengers had intrigued him from an early age and had talked many different messengers into taking him to one of the cities of legend.

This had all transpired in the past. Now he was on his way past Maldor and en route to Norfolk. He would have to camp out in the forest near the small clearing in between Norfolk and Maldor until Dustin and Galen would pass by. Thankfully he had been given the gift of patience from his old master who was patient up until the last year he studied under him.

Come back next week for part 2!

Ch 3 The Outer Circle ... Pt 4

2008-03-29T17:03:00.000-07:00

Draven, Galen and Dustin left Bingham with Sven the apprentice and left Marcus behind. The path ahead was surrounded by the seemingly endless forest. So far the journey had very few highlights; the large boar that confronted them on the trip to Pespid was the only encounter on their journey. Even though there had been rumours of thieves in Norfolk they have yet to encounter any.

Grenfell was still a few days away. They were not expected to be there; this is good considering that apprentices always travel on foot. Sven walked as the three messengers rode slowly. The trip to Grenfell would be long and slow something the horses would be thankful for as they were pushed to their limits on previous treks.

“Sven” Dustin spoke up. “How many trips have you made to Grenfell?”

“This will be my ninth trip” Sven replied.

“Have you had many encounters on the journey?” Galen joined in.

“I’ve been followed a few times by wolf packs,” Sven paused. “But there has not been very many other encounters; most trips are uneventful.”

The forest was silent. You could here the each of their steps; it was eerie. There was no sound of birds or forest creatures at all. A hush had fallen over the forest which could only mean one thing; something wicked was nearby. A branch snapped beneath Sven’s foot and they all stopped. The four held their breath and listened to the silence. They could feel eyes on them.

Another branch cracked in the distance. The four drew their weapons not knowing what to expect. There had not been any rumours of thieves or rogue bands of mercenaries in Bingham. Another moment passed. They could still feel eyes staring them down; looking around they could not see any immediate danger. They pressed on with weapons at the ready.

All four were on their guard. There were very few men who would challenge three messengers who were ready for battle. A band of thieves may be daring enough to attempt it, but only if their numbers were many. Mercenaries would try it; but there would have to be a large bounty on the messengers as in most cases neither group would associate with each other.

From their right flank came the sound of bushes being violently pushed aside. All of them turned to look; but alas no man shaped shadows were present. Sven was growing anxious.

Sven was the only one without a mount. He did not know any of the three messengers he was accompanying and was worried that they would flee at the first sign of trouble. “Who’s there?” Sven shouted. “Show yourself.”

Galen hushed the boy. They all waited to see if anyone would appear. No one appeared. Up ahead the road was clear, behind them the road was clear, on either side the forest lie dormant. All four could feel the adrenaline surge through their veins and their hearts pounding in their chests. Before any of them could make another sound a bird called out in the distance. The four of them were relieved.

Come back next week; Chapter Four begins next week!

Ch 3 The Outer Circle ... Pt 3 continues...

2008-03-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

After Dustin had told his tales from his home town, the four retired to the inn. Here the inn was refurbished; only two months ago the inn had been the only saloon in town. At least the food was good. The lodgings were not so great. There was only enough room for small cots set up in about four different rooms on the second floor of the saloon.

Bingham was a growing village, only about eighty people lived in the village. The numbers were gradually climbing. Dustin had some time to look around before he retired for the night. Around the edge of the village some new buildings were under construction. It was clear that the village had been growing. Dustin did not get much of a chance to talk with some of the people around the village, but he did learn that the new buildings were for people who would be displaced by some coming expansions of the barracks. The inn had been housing most of these people but they had to move on soon. Six families in total would be displaced just for the addition of a barracks in the town.

When the sun returned on the horizon the next morning, Dustin was up and ready. He had already left the room he was sharing and was sitting on the porch waiting for the others to get up. They wouldn’t sleep much longer. There was no celebration for messengers, just long winded stories, food and shelter. No real worries except for the space in between towns and villages.

The four would be leaving Bingham and the forests as well. Grenfell was the only town between Bingham and Colodia. From what Galen was saying about Grenfell, Dustin knew they would have to stay for a while in Grenfell.

Dustin’s mind turned to the apprentices that would be joining the three for the journey. He could remember his time as an apprentice. It was his father that first showed him the ropes. His father had been stern with him, especially on his first trip to Maldor. They had encountered a wolf pack and barely made it out of there; but he was still quite young back then.

He wondered which of the three apprentices the town had would accompany them to Grenfell. They had met all three yesterday after Dustin had regaled the people of tales from Atanna.All three were relatively young, Sandy looked to be about thirteen, Andrew looked to be about twelve and Sven looked to be the oldest of the bunch; roughly fifteen. Of the three apprentices Dustin thought that Sven would be the most useful. As Sven was the oldest he would prove to be more useful if they were attacked on the road to Grenfell.

Draven was the first to emerge from the inn. Dustin was still sitting on the porch watching the few people who were just starting the day. There were only a few people, mostly vendors from the market that were on their way to set up their kiosk to barter their wares. Draven sat down beside Dustin on the porch.

“We move on to Grenfell today” Draven stated. “You should grab something to eat before we leave. It’s going to be a long journey.”

“I know,” Dustin replied. “Is the cook up, I’ll have to enjoy more of his offerings before we leave.”

“I don’t think so; you may have to grab something from the market. We will be leaving as soon as Marcus brings the apprentice by.”

“Which one will be going with us?” Dustin asked.

“I think it will be Sven” Draven replied. “I asked Marcus about him while you were looking around yesterday. Apparently he has been to Grenfell a number of times and is almost ready to make the trip on his own.”

“Really,” Dustin stood up. “I was hoping we’d get the oldest. I didn’t think that he was ready to be a messenger. Looks can be deceiving.”

He started towards the market when he spotted Sven. Sven was on his way over to the inn. He carried with him a few supplies and he was ready for the trek to Grenfell. Sven was the only one of the apprentices that wore a helm, this was uncommon. Most messengers wore hooded cloaks with the hood resting on their backs. This was the fashion for most messengers; Dustin wore a blue cloak without a hood.

Sven walked up to the two of them on the porch; his pimply face partially hidden by the wisp of hair that fell out of his helm. “Are you guys ready?”

“We will be leaving shortly” Draven replied. “We still need to have something to eat before we travel. Sit a spell in the saloon while we go grab something to eat.” And with that Draven and Dustin walked over to the market leaving Sven behind.

Come back next week for Part 4

Ch 3 The Outer Circle ... Pt 3

2008-03-15T16:31:00.000-07:00

Dustin, Marcus, Galen and Draven made it through the rest of the forest with out incident. Now they were nearing the edge of the forest before Pespid. The road opened up to a large wide area, you could see where the grassy area met the woods clearly. In the middle were the walls of Pespid.

There was a house on either side of the road near the gates. Just outside of the gates were two guards, they were lightly armoured. As the four of them approached they could hear a horn sound from just within in the gates of the city. Before they had passed the two houses outside the gates, the gates were opened and four members of the Pespid militia were there to escort them to the centre of town.

Pespid was considerable larger than Dustin’s hometown of Atanna. He was surprised by the amount of fan fare the four of them were receiving. All of the people began to line up on both sides of the laneway as they were escorted to the centre of town. People were pushing and shoving just to get a look at the four as they rode to the centre of town.

“The only news we have for you is that the militia in Norfolk is growing in numbers and are better trained” Marcus shouted towards the crowd. “We will be moving on to Bingham in the morning, be comforted in the knowledge that our own militia is strong and well trained.”

And with Marcus’ announcement the four retired to the inn for the night. Bingham was not that far away from Pespid, the trip would only take a couple of days. They would only stay long enough to gather some supplies and rest up for their next leg of their journey. The last part of their trek through the forest would be the road to Bingham. News from Bingham would not arrive for another week and the four needed to move on. Colodia was still a week’s journey away.

In the morning they rode to Bingham. The passage was uneventful. Bingham did not have any walls surrounding it. The town actually looked a little like Dustin’s home town of Atanna. This gave Dustin a sense of euphoria as the four of them rode into the centre of town.

They were met by three guards in the centre of town. They were lightly armoured and were armed with pikes. This place was so small that even the barracks that housed the guards was originally the inn. The lodging sign had been moved to a smaller building a little further down the main strip. Bingham’s market was just to the left of the barracks. With their arrival the people in the market stopped and stared.

The people were slow to gather round; almost as if they were waiting to be called. Most visits from messengers started right after a crier announced them; here there was no town crier. Draven only had news from Norfolk, but Dustin who looked like a fledgling messenger would bring news from Atanna. Even though Dustin’s news would be out dated, the people of Bingham would want to here about a village they’ve never heard of before. News from small outsider villages was always welcomed. Dustin would be happy to tell others about his home town, even though it would make him a little homesick.

To be continued...
Come back next week for the continuation of part 3.

Ch 3 The Outer Circle ... Pt 2

2008-03-08T11:20:00.000-08:00

Before the sun graced the horizon, all of the birds in the forest woke up all at the same time. The constant chirping woke Dustin from his sleep. He had taken the first watch and was able to get some undisturbed sleep up until now. Marcus was on the last watch, he was awake and watching the fire slowly turn to embers.

The clearing was not very large. The horses were tied to a large stump near the edge of the clearing, the road ran through the side of the clearing and the four had made camp in the centre of the area. In the centre of the clearing you have a better chance against attackers, thankfully the night was uneventful.

Dustin got up and walked over towards Marcus, “So, what’s Pespid like?”

“Huh, oh well it’s larger than Norfolk. Probably three times the size of your home town of Atanna.” Marcus replied.

“Really, do all the villages get larger as we approach the Outer Circle?”

“Some do” Marcus answered. “Some smaller villages started popping up here and there around the larger cities. The distance between cities decreases as you get closer to the outer ring.”

“Will it be a long journey to Colodia from Pespid?” Dustin paused for a breath, “I know there are two villages in between Pespid and Colodia, but are the distances shorter?”

“I’ve never been to Colodia” Marcus replied. “I don’t know exactly how far Colodia is from Pespid, but I do know that it’s only a one day journey to the next town on your way to Colodia. Bingham is the town closest to Pespid. I think that’s as far as I will be going.”

“You’re not going on to Colodia with us?”

“No, I am needed in Bingham for some training. There seems to be a lot of that going on lately.” Marcus replied. “I’m sure the three of you will have no problems from there. I think there are a couple of apprentices in Bingham that will be going with you.”

“I haven’t been around many apprentices, Atanna is really quite small and the other towns really only had one or two Messengers.” Dustin said.

The others began to stir. The sun was just gracing the horizon when the four of them were ready to move on. They had to move quickly this time; the next clearing was quite far away. Another long ride began when the sun cleared the horizon.

As the day went on, Dustin could really feel the length of the journey. Was he really cut out to ride further than he had before, deep down he was positive. The day seemed to take forever to reach high sun; Dustin could not remember the last time a day moved this slowly. Wind on his face kept mixing with the wisps of dust stirred up by the two horses in front of him, stinging his eyes. The four rode on, wordless.

Come back next week for Part 3

Ch. 3 The Outer Circle ... Pt 1

2008-03-01T12:29:00.000-08:00

Small farms peppered the side of the road leading to the forest. Four messengers and their mounts galloped towards the thick forest. This part of the forest was dangerous; back in the village of Norfolk Dustin had heard rumours of thieves hiding just inside the edge of the forest. It’s a good thing they travelled in pairs, the road was not much wider.

Staying in Norfolk gave them all a chance to hear rumours from the people in the village about the forest between Norfolk and Pespid. Some were saying that there’s a band or two of travelling thieves, a few rabid packs of wolves and maybe lions and tigers. Dustin thought that the part about lions and tigers was probably pure speculation as there was not much travel between villages. Thieves and rabid pack wolves almost definitely will cross their path on the way to Pespid.

Draven had told him about his last trip between Norfolk and Pespid. He had to travel with two apprentices just to even the odds. Every town had apprentices, they were not hard to find. With the celebrity like status of a Messenger, who would not want to be one. But on Draven’s last trip, he had almost lost one of his apprentices to a rabid pack of wolves. The road ahead was definitely hard.

As the four entered the forest, they could hear a multitude of creatures roaming the forest. The road was large enough to ride two abreast, Marcus and Draven led while Dustin and Galen were behind. Ahead there would be another clearing, made by previous Messengers, these kinds of clearings were intended for one night stays as they travelled between villages. The first clearing on the journey was only an hour ride through the forest so no one was pushing the horses. The second clearing would take a full day to get to. At least they would not have to push the horses too hard.

“Galen, you’ve travelled this road before,” Dustin spoke up. “Have you seen any bands of thieves on this road before?”

“There have been a couple of random packs of thieves in this forest” Galen answered. “You certainly do not want to take this road alone. It’s not just the thieves that give you a problem in this forest, you will have to fend off some wild animals as well. The boars are pretty large in this forest as well.”

And with that last sentence, a hush fell over the forest. Something large was near. The hair on the back of Dustin’s neck began to stand up. Only the sound of hooves trampling the few blades of grass could be heard as they moved forward. They could not turn back now, they would have to face whatever was a head.

A loud grunt came from the left side of the forest. All pulled the reigns on their horses and stopped. The horses were well trained, they didn’t make a sound. In the brush they heard a branch break, and heavy foot steps. Before they could blink an over sized boar measuring four feet at the shoulder crashed through the trees and blocked their path. All four drew their weapons.

The boar snorted and mucus flew from its snout. Scraping its hoof on the ground it put its head down and charged. Draven and Marcus reacted fast, Marcus missed the boar as it charged past, but Draven’s sword made purchase in the soft unprotected belly on the boars left flank. The boar squealed in protest and stopped after butting Dustin’s horse, it was surrounded. Four Messengers dispatched the boar quickly, with no major injuries to the four, the boars life was ended right in the middle of the road.

They dragged the carcass of the boar with them to the clearing. Their supplies would last another day as the boar would make a good meal for the night. Afterwards the smoked left over pieces of the boar would join their supplies. The road to Pespid was long and they would need some replenishment before the last leg of the journey.

Come back next week for Part 2 of "Chapter Three: The Outer Circle"

Norfolk ... Pt 4 Continues

2008-02-23T16:18:00.000-08:00

Outside people were coming and going. Not many line ups here, but the occasional one would happen. Dustin quickly grabbed some supplies and headed back to the inn. Galen and Draven would be waiting there.

Marcus from Pespid was expected to enter the gates of Norfolk at any minute. The three messengers had been waiting for his arrival. They were anxious to hear news from Pespid. The coming dangers would be a little clearer after Marcus delivers news from Pespid. All three of them were hoping that the news would be good news.

One of the guards of the gate opened the door of the inn and walked into the saloon where Dustin, Galen and Draven were sitting. “Sirs, Marcus will be entering the gates shortly, we have seen him ride out of the forest and should be at the gates by now” the lanky guard announced.

“Thanks” Galen muttered.

Dustin had never met Marcus, but from the words of the lanky guard he guessed that Marcus has been to this village on more than one occasion. This being his second time in Norfolk, he was not surprised when Draven was the only person to call him by name. Being on the road for most of your days, you do not get much time to make friends. As a messenger, Dustin’s only friends were other messengers. Sometimes made life boring, but it was his duty as a messenger to bring news to other towns and villages from his home town. With his absence Atanna's two other messengers would have to bring news to the surrounding towns.

The three were playing the waiting game. Soon Marcus would be escorted from the gates to the saloon to meet with the three. It was not very long before they heard the door creak open. A well armoured tall scruffy man walked through the doorway to the saloon where the three messengers were waiting. He carried a broad sword about his back and was sheathed behind his long green cloak.

“Draven, Galen, good to see you again” the tall man spoke. “And you” he said turning his attention toward Dustin, “must be the one from Atanna.”

Dustin replied “Dustin.”

“Now that we are all here,” Marcus began. “Draven told me you would be delayed here for training the militia and I told him I would meet all of you here. There will be some more training along the way. We have to get back to Pespid soon; I hope all of you are ready for the journey."

“We’ve been waiting for you” Draven spoke up. “Our horses are ready, let’s get moving.”

Galen, Draven and Dustin stood up and headed towards their mounts. Stable hands had prepared their horses out behind the inn. At the gate, Marcus was waiting, the gates were open. The four rode out towards Pespid together.

Next week: Chapter 3: The Outer Circle

Author's Note

2008-02-23T13:48:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome to "Dustin's Chronicle." I hope you will enjoy reading my story. I have decided that this story will be published both here on "Majik's World" but also in the form of a hard cover and e-book. The story is still incomplete and when finished a new tale will be in the works. Before I started to write this tale I was just a fledgling blogger, and still am, but I needed to start a second blog and this is the fruits of my labour. I would like to take some time to thank those who have been reading my work, and also would like to mention that up until now I have only allowed comments on a couple of posts. Comments are welcome, whether they are good or bad. I have decided after a long time of pondering this; that good comments that read like reviews will make it into the final product. I hope you will enjoy your stay here and please take the time to read from the very begining.

The Order this story is intended to be read is as follows:

Prologue:
Let the Saga Begin...
Chapter One:
The Road Behind....
The Road Behind... Pt2
The Road Behind... Pt 3
The Road Behind... Pt 4
Chapter Two:
Norfolk
Norfolk ... Pt 2
Norfolk ... Pt 3
Norfolk Pt 4
Norfolk ... Pt 4 Continues
Chapter Three:
Ch. 3 The Outer Circle ... Pt 1
Ch. 3 The Outer Circle ... Pt 2
Ch. 3 The Outer Circle ... Pt 3
Ch. 3 The Outer Circle ... Pt 3 continues
Ch. 3 The Outer Circle ... Pt 4
Chapter Four:
Chapter 4 The Hidden Wizard ... Pt1
The Hidden Wizard ... Pt 2
The Hidden Wizard ... Pt 3
The Hidden Wizard ... Pt 3 Continues
The Hidden Wizard ... Pt 4
Chapter 4 The Hidden Wizard ... Pt 5
Chapter Five:
Chapter 5: Grenfell ... Part 1
Chapter 5: Grenfell ... Part 2
Chapter 5: Grenfell ... Part 3
Chapter 5: Grenfell ... Part 3 Continues
Grenfell ... Part 4
Chapter 5: Grenfell ... Part 5

Norfolk ... Pt 4

2008-02-16T19:46:00.000-08:00

The training continued for about a week. At the end of the week Dustin had learned how to handle a sword and was ready to use the sword his father left him. His Father's sword was the only thing other than some supplies that he kept in his saddle bag. He still was no where near being an expert with a sword, but Draven had taught him well. Although old habits die hard and it was his axe that he still preferred. The time for travelling was near though and he would rely on his axe more than his sword.

Draven, Dustin and Galen had trained hard and had given the small militia in Norfolk a good head start. Tomorrow the three would be off. Their quest to Colodia would resume and Norfolk would be just a distant memory. Never the less, Dustin couldn't shake the feeling that the world had moved on with out him. Was he ready for the trip to Pespid? For that matter was he ready to continue on to Colodia?

"Dustin I hope you will be ready to leave in the morning. We have been waiting for the messenger from Pespid to continue. He should make it in to town later today." Galen continued, "He will be bringing some news from Pespid and then joining us for the trip to Pespid. Make sure that you have everything you need before he gets here."

"Will we need a lot of supplies for the journey to Pespid? I know that it's a few days journey but what else will I need other than some preserves for the trip?" Dustin asked.

"You will need enough preserves for at least four days. You should be able to find everything in the market" Galen replied.

Dustin and Galen parted for the moment. The market in Norfolk wasn't very big at all. It was about the size of the centre of town in Maldor. For a village of about 200 people the market was quite busy. There were multiple stands selling food preserves as well as fresh fruits and vegetables. A clothing stand was the only thing that really seemed to be out of the norm for this market, but it was what was hidden behind the clothing stand that caught Dustin's attention.

He had only been here once and that was just to buy some fresh food from one of the vendors at the market last time he was here. The armoury was neatly hidden behind a clothing stand and this time Dustin noticed it. Dustin slipped quietly behind the clothing stand and walked in the open door of the armoury. Inside were two men, one obviously the owner of the shop and the other was a hired hand that had been training with the rest of the militia. He didn't know the guard's name, but he did notice that his armour was a little stronger than his own.

Inside there were quite a few different types of swords, axes and some different types of armour. There was a couple of different pieces of armour that was hanging on the wall that Dustin was interested in. They looked stronger than the armour he currently was wearing.

Dustin approached the small counter at the back of the shop. The old man who was the proprietor of the shop turned to look at him. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm interested in trying some of your armour." Dustin said, pointing at some of the plated leather armour on the wall.

"Ah, that is one of our finer pieces of armour. Pricey but an excellent choice." The old man said walking over to the armour on the wall.

"Just how much are you talking about?" Dustin asked, as he checked to make sure that his money bag was still tied to his waist. Usually when he was looking for new armour the cost was only about four or five pieces of gold. He normally carried much more than that but still four or five pieces of gold was expensive.

"This particular piece is ten pieces of gold." The old man said. "But seeing as you are one of the messengers training our little militia, I can give it to you for eight."

"That is a little pricey, how about six pieces of gold?" Dustin said, trying to haggle with the old man.

"I can't let this fine piece of armour go for only six pieces of gold." The old man said, "Maybe for seven?"

"I don't usually pay more than five pieces of gold for armour, but since this is finest piece I've seen so far, I will throw in the armour I have now and give you six pieces of gold" Dustin replied to the old mans second offer.

"You drive a hard bargain. I'll take your offer, even though your current armour really won't fetch more than a gold coin." The old man was hesitant to hand over the armour, but he did hand it over after Dustin had removed his armour. "I thank you for purchasing this fine piece of armour. Can I offer you something else, maybe a nice broad sword or a strong battle axe?" The old man asked, trying to get more from Dustin.

"No, you've dipped into my money pouch further than I had hoped." Dustin replied. He put his new armour on and left the armoury.

To Be continued....

Part 4 will be continued on February 23, 2008 come on back for more!

Image source: Wiki Media Commons

Norfolk ... Pt 3

2008-02-09T13:56:00.001-08:00

The sun shined brightly in through the window in Dustin's room. From outside came the sound of clashing steel. The training had begun. Dustin got up from the small bed in the centre of the room and walked over to the window. He couldn't see the training going on as the window faced the stable behind the inn.

Galen was already up and in the middle of the village. As a messenger training was part of his job. If he didn't train his chances of surviving a random encounter were slim at best. Back in his home town he would be training with the small army of Colodia.

Dustin walked out of the inn and he stopped on the porch. There was a total of twenty men with a combination of steel and wooden swords practicing parries in the centre of the road way. Galen was watching over the exercise with the careful eye of a teacher. Draven was sitting down on the small bench on the inn's porch.

"Glad to see your awake" Draven said getting up. "Come with me, I have much to tell. The news from Pespid was interesting and you will need to know the new developments."

Draven walked down the two stairs that led up to the inn. Dustin followed, "So I finally get to hear the news that has changed this peaceful town."

"Yes but first a history lesson." Draven said walking towards the gates to the north end of Norfolk. "You've already heard of Pespid, Colodia and a few other villages scattered here and there. But there is a whole circle of large towns closer to an inner circle of cities. Norfolk has grown in recent years because there have been people moving from the outer circle, there is great unrest in the inner circle."

"Just how many cities are in the outer circle?" Dustin asked. "For that matter how many cities are in the inner circle?"

"I only know of a few," Draven replied. "But the actual number is known only to those in the inner circle as well as the kingdom that lies in the centre of the inner circle."

"Wait a second," Dustin interrupted. "There is a kingdom that lies within the inner circle? Does the kingdom have a name?"

"Dustin, I know you are just full of questions right now. It is a lot of information to process if you let me finish I will tell you all I know about the outer circle, the inner circle as well as the kingdom encircled by the cities on the interior."

"Ok, I'm listening" Dustin stated.

"Alright, well I only know of about three cities in the outer circle and one on the inner circle. Colodia is one of the outer circle of cities. I have only been there twice, each time I was escorted to the inn. This is a custom you will need to get used to as Pespid practices this custom. Pespid is much larger than Norfolk and has a larger force for protection.

"I can only tell you what I know from my experiences, but there is a lot to learn and the need for an armed force in every village and town is becoming a reality. The times of peace are short and there are rumours of war on the horizon. People are becoming restless and idle hands tend to breed violence during times of unrest."

To be continued...

Next instalment: February 16, 2008.

Norfolk ... Pt 2

2008-02-02T19:12:00.000-08:00

Some food came for them. It certainly was not a posh meal but a meal none the less. Just a simple stew made from rabbit and some vegetables, very thick. Dustin was glad to eat something it had been a couple of days since he ate. The last time he ate anything was in Maldor at the saloon. There was no beer here to wash the meal down with, just some slightly murky water from the well in the centre square.

It was unusual that they would be kept out of the town hall while Draven was telling the news from Pespid. In most cases the news from other towns was shared with other travelling messengers, something was a little off. Thankfully the stew was not.

An old man walked into the small saloon style room, “Draven will see you in the morning.” He stated.

The sun was still high in the sky, why would they have to wait so long to see their counter part? “Why the wait, we should not have to wait, there is urgent business that the three of us need to discuss.” Galen spoke up. “This is not custom to make messengers wait!”

“I’m sorry sir, but you will have to wait, we have Draven under guard right now and he will not be able to meet with you until the morning.” The old man replied.

“This is highly unusual, do you doubt our credentials?” Dustin chimed in.

“No we don’t doubt your credentials sir; there have been some changes in this village. We now have a different structure to abide by.”

“That is no excuse to keep a messenger waiting! The three of us are expected in Pespid in two days, time is of the essence. We will speak with Draven with or with out your blessings.” Galen retorted. His hand moved to the hilt of his sword.

Just as Galen stood up, the old man was pushed aside by Draven. “Sit down old man; did you forget who keeps this town safe?” Draven said. “I’m sorry about my friend here but things are changing in this town. Dustin it’s good to see you again.” He said sitting down at the table with Galen and Dustin.

“It hasn’t been that long my friend.” Dustin chimed in, “So what kind of changes are happening in this town?”

“Well since this place has grown since I first got into the messenger business, they want a leader who will be here all the time instead of us messengers who are almost always away on business.” Draven replied.

“So what news did you bring from Pespid?” Galen asked eager to hear the news from the next town.

“Well things have been changing there too.” Draven started, “people are very uneasy in Pespid. There have been more news from other towns and Pespid has started a small militia. Similar to what is going on here in Norfolk.

“With more news about the growing anarchy in the outer circle, people have become paranoid. There are rumours of cities in the outer circle aligning themselves with cities from the inner circle. Everything is a mess. The larger inner cities are building armies but nobody has a clear idea why, just rabid rumours that are spreading like wildfire.”

“Armies, outer and inner circle cities” Dustin questioned. “How large are these cities? I’ve heard rumours of large cities before, but I never thought they existed. How far away are they from here?”

“Quite a few days journey, but we can’t start in the morning. We have to help with some training. There are some new recruits and the three of us will help them train for a few days. We are not expected in Pespid for several days, this will give us a chance to create a game plan.” Draven explained.

To Be Continued...

Next installment: February 9, 2008

Norfolk

2008-01-26T01:53:00.000-08:00

Norfolk was one of the larger villages in this part of the known world. Dustin had only been here once before, Galen a seasoned messenger claims to have been here over a hundred times. The large wooden doors of Norfolk were always locked; you had to be a resident or a known messenger to gain entrance.

The forest seemed to drop away from the village, for a small village it was heavily fortified. One would think that the village was a strong hold for a large army by the size of the wall encompassing it. There was no castle here, just a large wall with two entrances, one on either side. The path leading up to the gates gradually changed from dirt to a cobblestone road. The sound of their horse’s feet changed from a thump to a click as they approached.

On the wooden gate were two large iron rings and a small hole just big enough for a pair of eyes to peer out. Dustin used the ring to knock on the gates. A pair of eyes peered out from the hole in the gate; “Oi, who goes there?”

“Galen of Colodia and Dustin of Atanna” Galen exclaimed. “We have an appointment with Draven, let us pass!”

Shouts came from behind the gate, and they could hear men removing the plank of wood that served as a lock for the gate. The gates opened and behind them were four lightly armoured men. Dustin did not remember seeing any lightly armoured men on his last visit to Norfolk. This was new.

“Draven is in the town hall, he has just returned from Pespid. You will have to wait until he has finished bringing us news.” A raggedly dressed man called out from just behind the gates. “These men will accompany you to the inn.”

They just nodded and followed the four lightly armoured men to the inn. Dustin doubted that these men were well trained, definitely not by any military standards. As a messenger he was used to pomp and circumstance when he arrived at a town or village, he was not used to an armoured escort. This was new to him. Galen on the other hand was; Colodia welcomed all their messengers with armoured escorts. Colodia was one of the largest towns in the known world.

Two of the escorts returned to the gates and two stayed outside of the inn. Galen being accustomed to being escorted was not surprised. Dustin was full of questions. After checking in, Galen and Dustin sat down in a room similar to a saloon.

“I don’t remember any armed escorts on my last trip here, were they here the last time you came through here?” Dustin asked.

“No, they were still being trained” Galen replied. “There was no need for any armed forces here last time I came through, something has changed.”

“I can understand a need to protect the village, but why would you train anybody other than messenger hopefuls?”

“Well times are changing Dustin, that’s why I’m bringing you to Colodia. There is a new threat on the horizon, not just wild angry animals. There is a real need for people who can fight and are trained to fight. Right now messengers from all of the out land towns and villages are being brought to Colodia. All will be revealed in time, Draven undoubtedly has heard about the new threat. I’m sure he will give us some new information as well as tell us of some new developments.”

To Be Continued....

Next Instalment: February 2, 2008.

Image source: http://newcastle.northernlife.biz/castles2.html

The Road Behind...Pt 4

2008-01-18T23:31:00.000-08:00

"So where are you planning on going?" Dustin asked. "Us messenger types only make appointments if we're going some where."

Galen hesitated. He looked into the fire and said "I will explain in the morning, now get some rest, we still have another half day to Norfolk."

At the first sign of the new day the forest around them erupted with life. The sun had just peaked over the horizon to give the forest its first spot of day light as Dustin woke up. Galen was already up and packing up his horse.

"Get up sleepy head, we have to go."

Dustin put his arms over his head and quickly sat up.

"We'll be at the gates of Norfolk by high sun if we get moving now." Galen said before jumping on his horse.

At either end of the clearing was a narrow path, just wide enough for one horse. Galen was in the lead, setting the pace. Dustin was still curious about what their appointment with Draven was all about. He knew that Galen had promised to show him how to get to Colodia, its possible that he was going to show Draven how to get there as well. But why wouldn't Galen tell him that's why they were headed to Norfolk, and why were they in such a hurry?

Travelling between the villages was dangerous. But that didn't explain why they were in such a hurry. A messenger usually travels between towns as quick as possible to minimize the threat of a wolf pack trying to make you their dinner, but when travelling with another messenger gives you more of an opportunity to defend yourself against a wolf pack. More often then not a wolf pack will leave you alone if you are travelling with some one. On the narrow roads like this one, the biggest danger you face is a rogue boar angry with you just because it can see you. The horses hooves thundered along the ground and Galen was showing no signs of slowing.

The forest started to get thinner, this was a good sign. A small patch of civilization was near, Norfolk was only about an hour away now. The road began to widen and Dustin tried to catch up to Galen. He wanted to ask him again why they had an appointment with Draven.

"So I've been thinking, are you showing Draven how to get to Colodia as well?" Dustin asked "Is that why we're going to Norfolk?"

"You're partly right, Draven is going to Colodia with us, but he already knows the way." Galen shouted. "There are three villages between Norfolk and Colodia. We are expected in Norfolk and Pespid, but the other two are much farther out, they won't be expecting us."

The large wooden doors of Norfolk were in view now. The stone wall surrounding Norfolk was clearly visible. All will be revealed soon.

To Be Continued....

Next installment: Jan 26, 2008

The Road Behind... Pt 3

2008-01-11T02:56:00.000-08:00

The road to Norfolk was narrow; not enough room for two horses to run side by side. Dustin and Galen raced through the thick forest; it would not be long now before they would reach Norfolk. It was only a short distance between Maldor and Norfolk compared to the distance between Atanna and Maldor, or even Colodia and Maldor. There wasn't many places to stop on the road to Norfolk, but from the pace Galen was setting, Dustin and Galen wouldn't be stopping to give their horses a rest.

The sun was starting its slow descent on its journey to the other side of the world. Up ahead Dustin could see the forest get a little thinner. There's a clearing ahead, he remembered. Draven had made him stop there on their last trip, it would be safer to stop for the evening, no telling what wild beasts were lurking in the forest. Galen slowed his horse as the path gradually got wider.

"We'll camp in the clearing tonight," Galen shouted back at Dustin. "At first light we will continue on to Norfolk. We have an appointment to keep with Draven. You remember Draven don't you?"

"Of course, it hasn't been that long since he brought me out this way." Dustin replied. He let out a sigh of relief, it was good to finally know why they were headed to Norfolk instead of Colodia.

The forest slowly gave way to a large clearing. Scattered around were the remnants of previous travellers camp fires. Branches from trees were occasionally piled near the ashes. As the sound of his heart pounding in his ears subsided, Dustin could hear the sounds of the forest.

"Gather up some wood, we'll need a fire." Galen ordered. Galen wasn't used to travelling with another person. He was on a mission and he needed Dustin to complete it. "We'll need to keep the fire going all night, lets be quick, the light is nearly gone."

The two of them gathered branches that lay around. All of the piles that were left by previous messengers would help. There were no more travellers anymore. The world had grown distant, and people were more apt to stay in one village all of their lives. Once Dustin had heard of a band of mercenaries who aided those who wanted to see other towns, but that had been a rumour from his childhood.

Dustin pulled out a small bow and relatively straight branch from his saddle bag. He had used these two items to start many fires in the past. Just as he was about to make an attempt to start a fire, Galen struck some flint a couple of times and within seconds there was the warm light of fire upon his face. "Where did you get that?" Dustin asked. Flint was very rare; he had heard of it before but never actually seen it.

"We have lots of it in Colodia" Galen exclaimed. "When we finish up in Norfolk, I'll make sure you get some in Colodia.

"So what's this appointment with Draven all about?" Dustin Asked.

To Be continued: Next installment Jan 18, 2008

Image Source: Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection

Special Thanks

2008-01-05T14:05:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. I just wanted to thank everyone who has been reading this web-novel as well as give some link love to a few people who have helped me with issues of Writers block.

I created a discussion in Blog Catalog to help get over a little writers block, the following people helped me break out of it:

timethief from: one cool site: wordpress tips
cooltool from: Cool Tool Deluxe
Donlewis from: it's a funny thing
and
mugshot from: VVide

Thank you all for your suggestions and to Donlewis, sorry no royalty check I didn't use your suggestion but thanks for helping me re-energize my creative batteries.

The Road Behind... Pt 2

2008-01-05T00:11:00.000-08:00

Dustin walked into the Inn, and made arrangements for his stay. Only one night, that's all he needed. Tomorrow would be another day, and he would hopefully be on his way.

The sun was still high in the sky, a nice drink from the saloon would be perfect, he thought. Maldor was still buzzing; even the blacksmith was still working. You could here him swing his hammer onto some white hot metal in the warm afternoon. But Dustin was headed for the saloon; he would stop by the blacksmith tomorrow before Galen was to arrive. But for now, he needed a drink.

One of the benefits of being a messenger is that he could drink for almost nothing. A round of drinks for the folks at the bar would only cost one gold coin. That was pretty cheap considering everyone else was only served two drinks for a gold coin.

There was always plenty of room in the saloon, most towns were sparsely populated, the largest Dustin had seen was his own town of Atanna with close to 90 people residing. Maldor was home to only 30, not including the three messengers that hailed from here. The saloon in Maldor doubled as a town hall. Townsfolk would meet here to discuss a variety of topics that affected their small town. Although the need for these gatherings was usually dictated by messengers coming into to town, undoubtedly there would be another of these gatherings following the return of Galen from Colodia.

Dustin spent the rest of the day in the saloon, listening to tales from locals until the sun hid behind the horizon. He returned to the hotel and turned in, the trip from Atanna had been long and he was tired. Tomorrow would be a long day.

He woke late in the morning. There was a commotion in the centre square of the town. He jumped up, threw on some clothes and strapped his axe to his back. Looking out the window of the room he could see the whole village gathered around a man on a horse. Dustin recognized him; it was Galen from Colodia, no doubt delivering news from his home town. Dustin rushed down the small flight of stairs and rushed out to hear the news.

"Dustin, come quick!" Galen shouted as Dustin walked out of the Inn.

Dustin pushed his way through the small crowd, "What's the rush?" Dustin asked.

"Get your horse, we have to leave fast!" Galen exclaimed.

"Why? What has happened?" A member of the crowd shouted.

"I'll explain on the way," Galen said talking only to Dustin. "Saddle up, we have to go!"

Dustin turned and ran. He would have to get his horse ready himself, as the whole town was in the centre square. It would only take a minute and they'd be rushing off.

"Let's go!" Galen commanded, turning his horse to the north as Dustin rode out from behind the Inn.

They rode out of town to the north. Ahead was the village of Norfolk, Dustin had known about Norfolk, he had been there once before. It had been months since he had seen Norfolk. Draven, the messenger he had met from Norfolk had been his guide on that trip. This time he rode with Galen of Colodia. He was confused. Dustin had been under the impression that he would be accompanied by Galen to Colodia, why were they headed to Norfolk?

Galen pushed his horse as Dustin struggled to keep up. Galen's horse was faster than Dustin's trusty steed. The sun had just reached its zenith and the two rode hard and fast. The road to Norfolk was lined with a thick forest on either side of the dirt road. Travelling this road had been dangerous in the past; Dustin had encountered many beasts intent on making him their dinner on his last trip. This time the forest was silent, only the thundering sound of the two horses galloping through filled the air. If the horses could keep up their pace, they would be in Norfolk in less than a day.

To be continued: Next installment January 11, 2008.

Image source: Alpena

The Road Behind....

2007-12-28T17:42:00.000-08:00

Dustin began his journey in Maldor. Maldor was in the east, wasn't known for anything, but in this time frame most people only knew what the surrounding cities were. Each town was separated by large farms, various farm animals roamed through some fields. But all the towns were small, no more than 30 buildings per town. He was the only link between townships, travelling back and forth looking for news and bringing news back.

Communication between townships was difficult, the distance between townships prevented towns from interacting with others. Maldor was a quiet little town, that is until Dustin rolled in. He had been travelling by horse, just like anybody else who wanted to go to another town.

The town was a small X on the map of the known area. Maldor was between five other towns, and had two main streets. About 20 structures were lined up on either side of the two roads running through town. At the intersection in the centre of town was an Inn on one corner, a saloon on the opposite corner, a jail and a blacksmith on the other opposing corners. It was quaint. Sun was still high in the sky and all of the town was busy.

The Inn would have a place to tie up his horse, the journey to the next town would have wait until tomorrow. This was his thirtieth trip to Maldor he had made one or two friends in Maldor. The messenger business was booming he made a decent amount of gold just delivering messages between towns. As he grew up in Atanna, a neighbouring town, he had heard rumors of Maldor, and the three other towns surrounding Atanna. But this time he was only passing through.

Dustin had an appointment to keep with the messenger from Colodia. Galen was his name. The two had met on Dustin's last trip to Maldor, fifteen days ago. Curiosity had seized Dustin the occasional messenger from two towns away would stop into town. Messengers always drew a crowd they were the celebrities of the known world. There were rumors of great big towns, the handful of messengers that had seen them always had a story to tell of them. This time Galen was meeting him to bring him into Colodia. He had been promised a guide to bring news to Colodia from Atanna.

He didn't have any news for Maldor today none of the towns people even noticed him. Usually he was greeted with fanfare, today was different. The air even had a different smell to. Something had changed.

There was a distinct difference between the way people of the town went about their business than in previous trips, he knew his trip to the town of Colodia was ahead and the journey between the two towns would take at least six days. At least that is how Galen described his trek, not many details, just the number of days between Maldor and Colodia. Dustin walked his horse into the stables at the Inn, requesting lodgings for his horse for the night from the stable hand. Of course he still had to make arrangements for his lodgings for the night. Thankfully the small Inn really only catered to messengers, there was only a handful of them and a room for each of them.

He always carried his saddle bag with him, even though his horse was safely stowed in the stables, there still was a few items he needed to carry with him. Of course he carried gold on him, they were coins, only an inch big, but one of the necessary evils of the messenger trade. He also carried a very large axe this was sheathed and slung across his back. Each trip carried its own dangers he knew the trip to Colodia was no different. Danger was part of the job, he accepted that.

To Be Continued - Next installment January 4, 2008

Image source: Federal Highway Administration

Let the Saga Begin...

2007-12-21T23:02:00.000-08:00

The wind rustled the leaves whistling unnamed tunes. Dustin's campfire burned low, slowly turning to coals. He reached down and grabbed a couple twigs to throw into the fire to keep it going.

The half moon half lit the small clearing. He had stumbled upon this clearing two days ago. Dustin stood up, hearing an owl cry out in the distance. This forest had not been too kind to Dustin they were filled with wolves, large angry hawks and packs of boars. The journey from Maldor to this clearing had been long and troublesome. Now was his time to rest.

The sounds of the forest were full of noise, at least until you were the hunted, then the silence was deafening. Makes sleeping and almost impossible act, but he would be moving on soon. The next stop would be in Nevny Garen, another three day journey from this clearing. His water reserves were pretty low he would have to find some soon. He could hear a river raging away nearby, could be a mile away, he would have to go investigate, any source of water is a good source of water. He would follow the sound of the river in the morning, but first he would put some larger branches on the fire for now. The light it offered cast the whole clearing in a yellowish glow and kept the wild out of striking distance.

The sun would come soon...