The Road to War ... Part 3

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.

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

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.

The Hidden Wizard ... Pt 4

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 2

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...

Ch 3 The Outer Circle ... Pt 4

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...

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

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 1

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

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

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

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

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

"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

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

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

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....

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