Brightflame Accension (Book 1) (27 page)

“You peer into the hearts of others without thought,” Matthew scolded. “You would do best to shut your mouth before you find trouble.”

Baruktaråg tightened grip on his axe beside Matthew. Modwyn flushed. The nameless Imperials’ knuckles grew white on the pommels of their swords. The standoff lasted for only a moment, but Will imaged that he could feel the tension in his lungs the air was so heavy with it.

With a fluttering of cloaks, Matthew and Baruktaråg strode off in the direction of the courtyard, whispering softly to each other. Will and Ehan glared at the men suspicious before they stomped off as well. Modwyn shrugged and strutted after the boys.

“We ride for Slyminia tonight. Gather supplies, you four, we will stake out a path,” Matthew said to the Imperial men and Modwyn as he unrolled a painted map. Baruktaråg whispered something in Matthew’s ear to which Matthew nodded affirmatively. When the men had stalked off, Matthew gestured for Will and Ehan to approach.

“Lord Payne offered three knights for the mission, to make amends for his daughter’s transgression. If the Emperor thinks them necessary to the hunt, we must tolerate them. However, do not confide in nor trust them. A Payne will always protect his own. The fourth I do not know. He is very young.”

“Modwyn is a good man. As my Master-at-Arms, he has taught me much,” Will objected.

Matthew said nothing for a moment. “So, the Brightflame, eh? How did you come up with that?”

Will looked sheepish. “Apologies, father. It was the griffin that first called me Brightflame, and then Art used the name as I dueled. After that, it stuck.”

“Do not apologize. It is a name fit for a hero. Besides, you don’t think Stormhand is a family name do you?”

Will did. Matthew saw the look on his son’s face and laughed. “No, before I came to the Empire permanently I was called Mattias, son of Groltoc. The Imperials changed my name to sound less foreign and thereby, more fit to lead their army. My men dubbed me Stormhand, having seen my abilities. Our people do not have surnames as the families of the Empire do. We are known only for our own deeds, not for the fame of our ancestors. Every man is his own man.”

“Tell me more about the Furialists.” Will had a great many questions about his father’s people.

“We must get on the road first, son. Then, I will reveal all.”

Baruktaråg retrieved a folded map from within his pocket and laid it over his knee. “Will, what do you and Ehan plan on doing? How will you rescue Arthur from the Hunters?”

“I cannot say exactly. I had thought that you might help us with that,” Will said, gazing at the map over the dwarf’s shoulder.

“We will remain with the party for a time, giving Will time to train with the Stormhand, then dispatch to defeat the remaining four Hunters,” Ehan answered confidently.

“A fine plan,” a voice said from behind them. Smiling, Modwyn approached, laden with supplies, followed by the three Imperials who also bore heavy packs.

Matthew furrowed his eyebrows and snatched his own pack, striding away. The company spent the rest of the day packing their horses in silence. Will did not recognize Matthew’s horse, though it bore close resemblance to Soulfire. Will looked at the new mount with interest.

“Custard sired him three years ago. When you left, Will, I travelled to retrieve him,” Matthew explained. Ehan approached with an expression of contempt on his face.

“I will admit that the Furialist stallions are of higher quality of than the Imperial nags, but these horses you breed are too fat and too slow. My people’s steeds can gallop at twice the speed of yours and for three times as long.”

“Sashan, battles in the Empire are not the lightening strikes you have participated in on the flatlands,” Matthew grinned. “On this side of the mountains, you want a hearty beast under you, one that can carry armor and withstand the shock of a joust.”

Ehan looked skeptical, but did not argue further.

That night, the party rode into the darkness. Matthew and Baruktaråg had decided it safer to ride by night and out of sight of any that might warn the Liberated Army of their movement.

Will was weary of the road. The beauty of the roadside shrubbery was lost in the long hours of night. The moon had not been shining brightly since they had started out, and tall trees lining the pathways obstructed the stars. The darkness swallowed everything else. Will could tell that they were passing through mountains by the cold climate and thin air, but beyond that his sense of geography was foggy. The more he disengaged with the outside world, the more Will sunk into depression.

During the long night of travel, Will and Vale conversed about the Shadow Liberator’s guerrilla war. But, always in the back yet often in the front of his mind was the memory of Art’s capture. Despite Vale’s belief that Will could not have done any more for his friend, Will could not forgive himself for missing that second throw.

Concerned, Matthew saw this self-blame and struck up conversation with Will, trying to keep his son’s mind from dark thoughts.

“Your mother is well.”

Will smiled, remembering the warm eyes and kind heart of Elizabeth. “She did not care to ride to battle with you?”

Matthew’s expression was that of confusion. “Why do you ask that?”

“Mum was a master weaver, skilled in magic. Not that you would have told me that; you told me nothing before I left.” Will thought he sounded resentful though he was not.

“Elizabeth never loved war. Only briefly did she serve in the Imperial army, and only then as a healer. Capable though she was, the woman preferred assisting allies to maiming enemies. But this preference is not the reason for her absence.”

“Did you love it? War, that is.”

Matthew’s face lit up in the night. “I did… and still do, though I have not entered a proper melee for nigh on two decades. Each night, when I rest my head upon my pillow, I dream of battles past. On the field, I was a god, untouchable, unbeatable. Certainly, there were moments of great loss and misery and horror; I am not proud of all the things I have seen and done. But in the heat of battle, at once beautiful and terrifying, there is solace--as if my purpose in life has been realized.”

Will did not know how to respond. His father was being open with him in a way Will had never known before. Matthew ended the silence between them with a murmur.

“Pardon?” Will asked.

“The reason your mother did not ride out by my side, as she did in days of old, is that she has grown large with child. Two children actually, if the midwife is to be believed.”

“I am to be an older brother?” Will was surprised yet he felt a grin spread across his face.
Siblings, Vale. How about that?

“Indeed.”

“What are you still doing here?” Will said. “You see that I am well, having escaped unscathed from the assault on the Academy. We can finish this quest without your aid. Go, be with her.”

“You do not understand. The Emperor himself assigned me to the company. Should I abandon this mission, our family shall be branded traitors and I would be executed for treason as a deserter.”

“The Emperor forced your hand,” Will said with iron in his voice. “What need does he have of you specifically, mighty warrior though you are?

“It is no secret to him that my enmity against the Hunters runs deep. He knows that when I am placed once more on the Hunters’ trail, I will not be stopped.”

“Is there anything that can be done?”

“Finish the job.”

The two fell into a brooding silence. The sounds of the horses suddenly seemed lonely in the vast darkness.

After a time, Will built up the courage to ask the questions that had been bothering him since learning Matthew’s identity. “Father, why did you not tell me earlier? About the Furialists and powers I possess? And the army? About you?”

“I did not think you prepared. I feared that if I prodded your true nature before you were ready emotionally, I would find my son becoming the angry youth I was myself. But now that you know about the characteristics of our power, I can show you,” Matthew said excitedly. “Teach you.”

“And about Mum’s frevmat? Lumina is not merely a loyal pet, is she?”

“No, she is not. Your mother and Lumina have been joined ever since their stay at the Academy,” Matthew sighed.

“Talking about frevmats could not have harmed me. Why could you not discuss that?”

Matthew frowned, a pained look coming across his face. His father had a reason for the concealment but could not bring himself to say it.

Will spoke, breaking the stillness that had frozen their conversation, “Did you go to Bladebeard Academy as well? Is that where you met Mum?”

“No and no. Before the five, now four, Hunters betrayed our people, William, we had great halls with legendary teachers and master warriors to train our emberlings. I studied under the Firedrake, an instructor of peerless renown. I was one of many who travelled far from their homes for the chance to be her pupil.”

“Where are our people? You have been to their refuges before to retrieve Soulfire and this new horse. Why do they not assist us against the Shadow? They could turn the tide of this war.”

“My son, there are too many listening ears around to describe to you the exact location, but I will say that they are too few to make an impact on the war. Our people reside in the great North, in a secret location far beyond the casual traveler’s range. And yes, I have visited them, but again they cannot and will not help us anymore,” Matthew said sadly.

“And as how to how I met your mother… I’ll say that in my service to the Emperor I traveled far and wide, meeting many people. In the final battle of the Four Years War, I saved a beautiful leopard from the roasting spit of a host of goblins. When I released it from its shackles, the leopard dashed away. Curious, I followed the beast, which lead me to the fairest maid I have ever laid eyes upon.

“This maiden, Elizabeth, fell madly in love with me, and I could not in good conscience get rid of her. So, taking the only logical course, I married her,” Matthew joked. “The Emperor himself was present to bless the nuptial.”

Will frowned. “You speak of the Emperor with such reverence, though he commands you be away from your wife now.”

“That is the life of a soldier, William. I cannot blame him for the timing of this revolt.”

“The man seems wise enough, but he so far has not put down the rebellion,” Will said. “With all the Empire’s power behind him, our Emperor ought to have crushed the Liberated Army like a nut between two rocks.”

“Do not speak like that,” Modwyn said sharply, overhearing Will’s remark. “The Emperor has formulated a wonderful plan; I have no doubt of that. We may not see the effects of such plans yet, but shortly, very shortly, we will dispense of the Shadow and his Liberated Army.”

“Yes, Will, do not be so hasty to judge,” Matthew said. “The Emperor is the one hundredth and eighty-seventh in his line to seat the throne. He has governed our people well for years, keeping the Empire whole despite the Shadow’s insurrection. Other than an occasional raid from the Liberated Army, he has kept the land at peace and, more importantly, prosperous and well fed. He is a charismatic leader who has influenced the allegiances of many. The Empire’s citizens would follow him to the death. Enough of this talk out of you.”

Will nodded. Ahead of him, Will saw Ehan shake his head and wondered the Sashan’s opinion of the Emperor’s politics.

As they made camp, Matthew changed topic, “Will, I wish to begin your training before the day breaks. It appears that in Boewdard’s lust for an apprentice in Lady Payne, he has left you by the wayside, teaching you little.”

“Boewdard taught me many things,” Will protested.

“Can you summon fire, the most basic of a Furialist’s talents?” Matthew asked impatiently.

“I have never tried,” Will said ashamed.

“Precisely, Boewdard has kept you ignorant of your true powers so that you posed less of a threat if his experiment failed. I must now begin to teach what the Blademaster withheld.

Conjuring a ball of flame in his hand, Matthew continued, “Fire, while destructive, is essential to life. Like the sun to a field of wheat, the flames inside you and me are a source of strength and sustenance. The fire burns, but with the proper application…” Matthew pulled a dagger from his belt and drew it across his palm.

A red line opened in his skin, leaking blood. Matthew smiled at Will’s horrified expression. “With the proper application, our fire can heal.” Matthew summoned again a ball of flame in his hand and gently worked the fire into the wound, sighing as the tendrils of fire licked at his gash. Within a few breaths, Matthew raised his repaired hand to Will. “Now, you try to summon a fire.”

“I can try,” Will said, rolling up his sleeve.

Concentrating hard, Will
clenched his muscles tight. Nothing happened. Will flexed his whole arm again, fighting with all his might to conjure a flame. Again, nothing happened.

“I can’t,” Will said, defeated.

“Try again,” Matthew urged intently.

Will screwed up his face for a final attempt. Without warning Matthew smacked with across the face. The slap did not hurt badly, but Will was surprised.