Gods Of Blood And Fire (Book 1) (29 page)

“One day after I had finished my morning swim in the lake I got out of the water and sat down in the grass beneath the tree where I had first seen Gildor. I remember the air was cool and I was unhappy because I knew the approach of winter would end my morning swims.

“The old man had called me to the house. I went into the cabin, and this Elven long sword lay on the table.” Kian pulled the blade out and held it up in the fire light. He told me it was the one he carried when he was the Sunblade First Sword to King Celebrindal. “I was the greatest swordsman the Elven lands ever knew and I have only been beaten once by a student in nine hundred years”

I asked the old man, “Of all the students you trained none ever bested you? Not once?”

Gildor shook his head. “Only you, Son. Now the blade belongs to you.”

“So you see, if a poor Half-Elven boy like me can make good, I’m sure you children will grow to make your mother proud.” He didn’t tell them about his departure from the valley, it was a memory he wanted to keep for himself.

Kian remembered it like it was yesterday. He had picked up Gildor’s sword, it felt like it was meant to be in his hand. Then he put it back on the table. “No, I can’t take your sword, Master. Besides what will you train the next apprentice with?”

The old man’s lip had begun to quiver. “I will never train another, Kian. You are my greatest achievement. I am like a smith that has forged a perfect sword. Any he makes after would never live up to his masterpiece. You are my masterpiece, Son, my greatest creation. There will never be another like you, boy.” A tear had rolled down the old man’s face. Kian had never seen his master cry in all the years he had been in the valley.

Gildor told him, “It is time for you to meet the world, Kian, and it to meet you.” Kian could remember the tears that had filled his eyes when he had embraced his master.

“You have been more than a master to me, you have been the father I never knew.”

Gildor pushed him back and looked him in the eye. “And you have been the son I had always wanted.” They both smiled. “Now, boy, come here, I have some other things for you. We can’t have the new Sunblade sally forth wearing rags.”

Gildor had outfitted him well, black-leather shirt with the sword arm bare. A black leather bracer reinforced with steel for the bare arm, leather pants, and a good pair of boots. He still wore them now, only the black-hooded cloak he had been given was lost when the boy Julian had been injured.

He had hated to say goodbye, he told his master he would stay awhile if he wanted him to. Gildor had told him the valley was for forgotten old men. The world outside the valley was for the young and he must go.

He remembered what Gildor’s last words to him were as he walked out of the valley. “Use what I have taught you for what is right and good, Kian. You are the Sunblade now and the First Sword of the realm. Always fight the darkness, never let evil creep into your heart. Where ever you go, Son, I will be with you.” And Kian knew it was true. The old man would always be with him, riding in the scabbard on his hip.

Kian looked down, Tressa had fallen asleep in his arms and the boys were yawning. “Did you like the story, boys?” Kian asked. Both nodded.

Endra shooed the boys to their bed rolls and Kian laid Tressa next to them and covered her with a blanket. Kian and Endra both sat down near the fire. “You know they have taken a liking to you, Kian, especially Tressa. It’s very unusual for them, they are ordinarily very wary of people.”

“They are fine children, Endra, you have done well by them. They couldn’t ask for a better mother.” Endra felt her face flush, no one had ever told her she was a good mother.

“You see them as good children, most people we have run across don’t and they are not always this well behaved. I think they feel safe for the first time in their lives, thanks to you.”

Kian looked into the fire. “While I live no one will harm them or their mother.”

Kian stood up and adjusted his sword. “I’m sure the others feel the same way as I do about the little ones. I will take watch, get some rest.”

“Wait, Kian.” Endra stood up. “I am sorry for what I said before. I don’t think I explained what I wanted to say. I mean, I could have said it differently. What I mean to say is…”

He picked up his cloak and pulled it around his shoulders. “You need to say nothing more, my friend, I have put it to rest. You’re a fine woman, Endra Korlest, and very, very beautiful. You knowing that is enough for me. You owe me no excuses or explanations.”

Endra just stared at the man, she could not find words for what she wanted to say.

“I am going to have a look around, I will wake you later.”

She started to follow him. Endra wanted to stop him and tell him what she really thought but she froze. “Goodnight, Kian,” was all that came out.

He nodded to her and smiled then walked out into the darkness. Endra walked over near her children and loosed her sword belt and threw it down. She spread out her cloak on the ground and laid down with a huff, sleep would be long in coming.

Kian stood on a small rise above the creek bed. He could just make out the glow of their fire. His thumb rubbed back and forth on the pommel of his sword. He had made Endra uncomfortable, he should have kept his thoughts to himself. He was afraid he had been making a fool of himself. He just couldn’t help it. Endra’s beauty made him do and say stupid things.

At least the others were not here to torment him about her rejection. They had been giving him a hard enough time ever since he talked K’xarr into letting her come along.

He had denied it when they accused him of having feelings for the woman, but looking back he was certain they could tell how he felt about her. He had acted so ridiculous, it was time he stopped fantasizing about her. What would a magnificent woman like her want with a half-breed anyway? What kind of life could he give her? He was starting to understand why his mother hadn’t married Elu.

He took a piece of leather that he had wrapped around his wrist and tied his hair back. He would let her sleep most of the night, he needed to be alone for a while to try to get his mind off of her. He always knew there could be nothing between them, but it hurt to hear her say it.

These were the times he missed his mother and brother. They would understand. He thought a great deal of his friends, but sometimes he felt very alone, they didn’t comprehend what it was like for him. They couldn’t, they were human.

He walked on cursing himself for being so melancholy, the self pity had to stop. His mother always told him when the children of Thieves Port teased him, “You can’t change what you are, Kian, ignore their taunts, only you can make yourself a lesser man.” She could always make him believe in himself, he hadn’t realized how strong his mother had been until he had gotten older. He shouldn’t complain, his life could be much worse, he could still be stuck in Thieves Port.

A twig snapped, he spun and drew his sword in one motion, the moon light reflecting off the polished Elven blade. A figure was standing just a few yards from him dressed in a robe with a deep cowl, there was no doubt by the shape that the stranger was female.

He had not heard or saw their approach. “Who are you?” He asked.

“You do not know me, Kian Cardan, but I know you.” The woman’s voice was smooth and almost soothing, but Kian was wary.

“How do you know my name?”

The woman began to walk very slowly in a circle around him. “I know many things, swordsmen like you are in grave danger and do not even know it.”

Kian gripped his sword tighter. “I’m not afraid of you. I do not fight women if I can keep from it, but I will defend myself.”

The woman giggled. “The danger is not from me, silly. No, I find you very interesting and have no wish to harm you. The danger is from another that has taken interest in your skill with the blade. I just came to warn you to be on guard and to not be so trusting.”

Kian sheathed his sword, the woman was offering no danger. “Why would you warn me, milady?”

“I have found few men of courage and virtue in this world and I find the traits very endearing. I wish I could help you more, Kian Cardan, but a warning is all I can give. Heed my counsel or you will face a horror like nothing you could ever imagine. ”

“What or who is the danger?” As he finished his question the woman vanished before his eyes, leaving Kian to wonder if the conversation had even happened at all.

When the first light of morning came the men rode back into camp. Endra woke and rolled out of her mammoth cloak, sleep still making her head fuzzy, concerned that the birds were singing and she could feel the warmth of the sun on her skin.

Kian hadn’t gotten her up for her turn on watch. Her first thought was something must have happened to him in the night, but she saw him sitting near their small fire poking the embers with a stick.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” she asked.

“I wasn’t tired and I had to think on some things. Besides, you needed the sleep.”

Endra said no more, she could see something was troubling him and this time she would keep her mouth shut. Beside she had a pretty good idea what it was.

K’xarr walked over to the fire, chewing on a piece of dried beef. “We found out Abberdon has invaded Bandara and there is work to be had, the Bandarans are outnumbered and hiring men as fast as they can, but most of the companies in the area have already joined the Abberdonians. The Bandarans have lost their King, he died not long ago and the new King is young and untried.”

Vandarus interrupted. “Yes, Prince Cain is King now, his father King Aaron wasn’t much of a military man but he was our King and was well liked by the people. King Havalon, the ruler of Abberdon, is a warrior King and a fine strategist. This isn’t the first time that bastard has crossed our border. My country will be hard pressed to stop the Abberdonians if this ends in a full scale war. From what I’ve heard Prince Cain is a good man but he’s young. Bandara will need all the help it can get.”

Cromwell slapped Vandarus on the back. “Settle down, blondie. I’ll save your homeland for you. If that’s the side we take.”

So the camp was packed up and the group prepared to leave. They were about twenty days ride from Turill, Bandara’s capital. Maybe less if they kept to the Gold Road. “The Church is strong in Bandara, maybe the children and I should just go our own way,” Endra said.

K’xarr thought for a moment. “No, I think it will be fine. With this war going on the agents for the Church won’t have time to be hunting for a woman and her children. I can’t believe you’re that important to them. We’ll just watch our step and it will be okay.” Endra resolved to go on with them, she didn’t want to leave anyway. The countryside should be safe enough for them if they kept to themselves.

The days passed slowly while they waited for night to fall so they could travel on. The children were enjoying the warm weather and were doing well. Kian had said nothing more of his feeling for her and he was much more reserved when they were together now.

He was still very nice to her, but the sparkle had gone out of his eyes when he looked at her. She didn’t like it, she missed the way he got excited when he was around her.

The more time they spent together, the more her affection for him grew. She had been too much of a coward to say anything about her true feelings and now it was too late. Maybe it was for the best, but it gnawed at her all the same.

Neither K’xarr nor any of the others had mentioned leaving her and the children behind lately, and in truth they hadn’t seen anywhere that would be a very good place for them to stay. Time was growing short, if she was going to leave before they got to their destination it had to be soon.

They had ridden in to the Kingdom of Bandara at night and it was hard to tell what the land looked like, but at daybreak she saw how truly beautiful the Kingdom was.

It was just as Vandarus had described it. Full of fine-looking pasture land for all the cattle and sheep herds they saw. The countryside looked like a field that had been sewn with small farms, most of which looked very well maintained and the crops in the farmer’s fields grew in abundance throughout the land. Endra could tell the war had not reached far into the Kingdom yet.

“Your homeland is lovely, Vandarus, it’s no wonder you’re so proud of it,” Endra told the young warrior.

“It is a true paradise, isn’t it? I wish we had the time, I could show you Turill. You would not believe how beautiful it is.” The Bandaran smiled broadly at her, pleased she appreciated his homeland.

A passing merchant had told them that the armies were to the north and had only just engaged each other. After hearing that K’xarr had pushed them on harder, he didn’t want to get there too late to be hired on. He had also started traveling by day again. It was dangerous but they had made good time.

Vandarus had drove K’xarr crazy until he had agreed to offer their services to the Bandarans first.

Endra saw K’xarr drop back to come alongside her. This would be it, they were less than a day out of Turill, the great walls of the city loomed in the distance, time for them to stay behind, safe or not.

K’xarr ran his hand through his dark wavy hair, he looked tired to her. “Endra, I’m sorry we couldn’t find a good place for you and the children, if you want to risk it you can ride on into Turill with us.”