Outcasts of Velrune (2 page)

The disappointed villagers followed the order and left the house one by one. The man watched them leave. When the last was out he gave a bemused smile.

“That means you too, Evangeline.”

Max heard a small voice from behind a large cabinet in a far corner of the room.

“Aaahh.”

A little girl, perhaps six, stepped out. She had cat-like ears that sat atop her head. A long tail came into view as she edged closer. Max remembered seeing others like her back in the city, but only at a distance since few were allowed into the inner court.

The little girl clasped her hands together and tried to plead her case. “I want to stay. I’ll be quiet.”

“No, Evangeline.”

The girl hung her head in disappointment. The man smiled. “I have an important job for you to do instead.”

The little girl bounced up and down. “Really?”

“Yes, I need you to go over to your home and have Mrs. Tassi round up some food and tea for our guests. I know they will really appreciate it later when we are finished. Can you do that for me?”

“Yep! You bet!”

Evangeline looked squarely at Max, who now saw one eye was green and the other blue, and waved. “Bye.” She ran out the door, her tail trailing straight out behind her.

With the room now clear the man focused his attention back to Mr. Penna. “Well now, with things a little calmer, perhaps we can get down to business. I am Aric, the mayor of Swiftwater.”

He reached out his hand. Mr. Penna grasped it.

“I’m Chiron Penna. The man you care for is Peter Laskaris, a lieutenant of the Protectors. This is his son; my godson, Maxwell.”

The mayor gave Maxwell a polite nod.

“You’ve had quite a night little one. Don’t worry. Your dad’s going to be fine.”

Max only returned an empty stare. With the villagers gone and the reassurance that the Healer would take care of his dad, sleep began to overtake him.

The mayor smiled and began to ask Mr. Penna all sorts of questions. The first few the villagers themselves had asked, but the mayor soon probed deeper. The conversation faded as Max drifted off to dreams of playing hide and seek with the strange little cat girl.

It had been two years since the night Max and his father arrived in Swiftwater. The Healer, with her home-brew of salves made from local plant life, had worked wonders for his father. Within weeks he was up and moving about. However, a few of his deeper wounds never did heal completely. They left him with aches in his bones that, at times, made it difficult for him to move.

While Max’s father recovered, the villagers put them up in an old house abandoned by another villager who never returned from a trip across the dead lands. The villagers also supplied them with anything they needed, often brought over by the little cat girl, Evangeline. Max liked it when Eve came over because she always wanted to play games with him.

Once Max’s dad regained his strength, he began helping the villagers in return for their kindness. Soon the villagers accepted Max, his father and Mr. Penna as one of their own. Max, unsure of when they would leave, took full advantage of life outside of the big city they had come from. He spent day after day exploring the village and playing by the Swiftwater River, often with Eve. Other times he helped his dad around the village, something he never got to do back home. He could tell his dad enjoyed the village also. Here he laughed freely and even skipped work at times to play with Max. All this made Max’s decision easy when his father asked Max if he would like to stay in the village for good.

Mr. Penna also decided to stay and took to teaching the children in the village. Max found his own place in the village. He would help Eve at her mother’s cafe. It wasn’t a fancy place, but Mrs. Tassi provided good food and cool drinks. She made everyone feel welcome too, making the cafe the place that everyone gathered to relax and talk.

Chores finished, Eve, an endless ball of energy, she would proceed to drag Max along on whatever whim came to her that day. He rarely had much choice in the matter. It didn’t bother him though. Most of the time he would have gone anyway. She was odd, and he liked that.

Max’s friendship with Eve did have one downside; her constant attempts to surprise him. She was agile, and the thin coat of fur on the bottom of her feet made it almost impossible to hear her coming. Despite her fiery red hair and her long tail of the same color, he always noticed her a moment too late. Before he knew it, he often found himself lying on the ground with her perched on top of his chest.

After living the village for a year, the villagers made Max’s father sheriff. Not that the town needed much of one, but from time to time trouble did arise. Tonight was one of those times. His dad had carried Max to bed and tucked him in when a loud knock came at the door. A man shouted.

“Mr. Laskaris, I’ve spotted a bandit in the village not far from your house.”

Max did not recognize the man’s voice. The image of the battle on the road flashed through his mind. Max gripped the blanket. His father rubbed Max’s head and smiled.

“I’m sure it’s nothing. You stay here. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“But…”

“It’s only one. I think I can handle that. Don’t you?”

Max gave a weak smile. “Yeah.”

Peter left Max’s room. Max heard the front door open and a conversation start. He listened intently, but the voices faded as his dad and the stranger moved away. Without warning a loud whisper came from the open window next to his bed.

“Max!”

Max practically jumped out of his skin, despite having recognized the voice. He took a deep breath to calm himself while Eve climbed in through the window.

“Eve, I told you, don’t sneak up on me like that.”

“I’m sorry, Max, but we’ve got to get out of here.”

Max‘s eyebrows furrowed. “What? Why?”

Eve took hold of her tail. “It’s not safe. Please come with me.”

Max smiled. She always grabbed her tail when she felt nervous. “Eve, you’re silly. Dad will return any minute.”

“No, Max, something is wrong. Please come with me.”

Max’s smile faded away. He swung his feet over the edge of the bed. “I need to check on dad.”

Eve grabbed Max’s arm. “No, Max, you must come with me.”

Max had never seen Eve so scared. His heart raced. He stood and tried to run after his dad, but Eve pulled him back and shoved him towards the window. Max hit the sill and tumbled out. Behind him, Eve nimbly climbed out. He regained his footing only to have Eve grab his hand and pull him along. She took him behind several houses then cut between a pair of them. Max had seen no one else until they crossed the main street in town. Here, he glanced to his right and saw a large number of men standing outside of his house, none of them from the village. He tried to stop in order to find his father, but Eve jerked him along into the cafe. She took him in through the kitchen, back to a row of cabinets that lined the floor. She opened the door to one of them.

“Get in, Max”

Max didn’t move. “Those men out there…?”

Eve shoved Max into the cabinet. He managed to turn round to face Eve. The fear he had seen earlier had disappeared, replaced by a fierce determination. As he watched, claws shot out from the top of Eve’s hands, extending several inches beyond her fingertips. A chill ran down Max’s spine.

She has claws? Why didn’t she tell me she had claws?

Eve spoke in a soft tone, contradicting the sharp weapons she had just revealed. “I’ll be right here, Maxy.”

Eve closed the cabinet door. He heard the lock slide through the handles. Max tried to shake his head clear.

What is happening? One moment I’m in bed and the next I’m crammed into a kitchen cabinet. Now Eve’s turned into a wild beast.

Shouting came from outside the cafe, dulled by the walls and cabinet door. Max knew those sounds. He had heard them the last time bandits had attacked his father. Now, though, he could not even watch. The shouting stopped. He had never experienced such silence. He tried to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge. After what felt like an eternity of dark silence, he heard the individual shouts of villagers calling for someone. He didn’t hear his father’s voice among them. Finally, Mrs. Tassi’s relieved voice came from outside of his hiding place.

“Eve, there you are. Do you have Max with you?”

Eve didn’t respond. Max wondered if she was still there. He tried to speak himself but found his voice gone. Mrs. Tassi spoke again in her caring tone she reserved only for Eve. “It’s okay sweetie. They’re gone. No one is going to hurt Max.”

“He’s in here, mother.”

The small, weak voice sounded nothing like Eve. Max reeled. In one night she had been scared, then fierce, then as fragile as he had ever seen her. His heart rose into his throat.

What happened tonight? What happened to dad?

Footsteps approached the cabinet. The door opened. At first the light from the kitchen blinded him, but slowly his eyes adjusted. Mrs. Tassi crouched in front of the cabinet.

“You can come on out now, Max.”

Max crawled out of the cabinet as best he could. When he emerged Mrs. Tassi picked him up and held him. Eve stood over to the side. Her claws remained out, but the tears that now flowed had put out the fire in her eyes.

Mrs. Tassi laid a soothing hand on Eve’s. “It’s okay, Eve. It’s over. You protected him. Now why don’t you put those things away?”

Mrs. Tassi forced a tiny smile on her worn face. Eve sheathed her claws and wrapped her arms around Mrs. Tassi.

“That’s my girl. Now, go outside and find Mr. Penna and bring him back here.”

Eve hesitated for a moment. She turned to Max, looking lost for a second, then ran out of the kitchen.

Max swallowed hard and found his voice again. “Where’s my Dad? Why did you send Eve for Mr. Penna instead of Dad?”

Mrs. Tassi took a deep breath and let it out. She stroked the side of Max’s face as tears ran down her own.

“I’m afraid your father can’t come, Max.”

As Mrs. Tassi carried Max out to one of the tables, his mind raced.
What did she mean, dad couldn’t come? Was he hurt again? If the Healer was taking care of him, why can’t I go there?

Max started to get angry. He wanted to see his father. Mrs. Tassi sat down in a chair and began to rock slowly back and forth. Max’s anger faded, replaced, once again, by fear. Footsteps sounded at the door to the cafe. He twisted in Mrs. Tassi’s arms to see Mr. Penna standing before him with Eve peeking round from behind. Mr. Penna crouched in front of him.

“Maxwell, my son.”

Mr. Penna held out his arms. Mrs. Tassi let go of Max and he reached for Mr. Penna.

“Where’s dad?”

Mr. Penna took Max tightly in his arms. “Though both of us thought him to be more, your father was indeed a mortal man. Tonight others have taken him from us. I can only give you myself in his place. I am sorry, Maxwell.”

Deep in himself Max had known what had happened. He clenched Mr. Penna and sobbed. He felt Mr. Penna cry with him as Mrs. Tassi and Eve embraced them both.

CHAPTER TWO

Max stared out the window at the cafe down the street, wishing Mr. Penna would hurry and finish the lesson. It was a sunny day outside, and he wanted to enjoy it, but he doubted Mr. Penna would let him out early. Since becoming his sole guardian after Max’s father, Peter, died eight years before, Mr. Penna insisted on his studies.

“Maxwell. Maxwell! Are you paying attention?”

Max turned quickly away from the window and faced the front of the room where Mr. Penna stood, arms crossed, shaking his head.

“As I was saying, Maxwell Laskaris,” Mr. Penna sighed, “the Lifestone can create life itself, and its use is responsible for this world we now live in.”

“Isn’t the Lifestone just a fairy tale, Mr. Penna? I mean, no one has reported seeing it in centuries. Besides, why would we even need it? Things are fine here with the Protectors watching over us.”

Mr. Penna massaged his forehead as he turned away from Max. “You and your ideas about the Protectors again. You know, your father exemplified their good qualities. There are few others like him.” Mr. Penna faced the window, “I never had a better friend than your father and I promised him I would teach you as he wished. I hope he was right.” Mr. Penna let out a long sigh and turned back around. “I suppose it is getting close to practice time and that crazy lacarnian girl will be waiting for you. That is enough for today. You are excused.”

Maxwell didn’t give Mr. Penna a chance to change his mind. He leapt up from his seat, ran out of the house, and headed for the cafe down the street.

Eve, or, as Mr. Penna calls her, ‘the crazy lacarnian girl’, should have finished her chores by now. I‘ll grab Eve and head to Tyco’s for sword training. After a full day of lessons from Mr. Penna, I need a little action.

The villagers knew Max’s routine as well as he did. Mr. Penna might be his caretaker legally, but the whole village acted in his father’s place. He liked having so many people care for him, though they often tried to protect him too much. He didn’t complain about it, not after Mr. Penna told him they did so because they felt responsible for his father’s death. In fact, it helped drive him to be even more like his father, to show them he could stand on his own. His body was already on its way to being a carbon copy; the same dark, unruly hair, brown eyes and even the same slender, muscular body. He still had a couple of inches to go to reach his father’s height of 6 foot, but that was only a matter of time.