The Stewards of Reed, Volume 1: The Rise of Fallon (3 page)

“Fallon, I would like to introduce you to the Council of Elders. These invaluable souls provide much needed guidance with regard to the safekeeping of this great village.”

Fallon had learned about the Elders in school, the group of eight men and women – all over the age of fifty – who provided counsel to the Steward regarding the village’s affairs. He turned his attention to the semicircle of wooden desks before him.

“Hello,” Fallon said quietly.

“Hello,” each of the Elders echoed in response.

Steward Isaiah began making introductions. “Starting at the left we have Elder Tomar, Elder Lydia, Elder Jacob and Elder Catherine.” Skipping over his own desk he continued, “And to the right we have Elder Anne, Elder Peter, Elder Theodora and Elder Graham.”

Although all the faces before him were friendly and smiling, Fallon was intimidated. He felt immediately that he was being judged, and he shifted uncomfortably as he stood next to Steward Isaiah.

“Fallon, please remove your shirt so we may behold the mark,” the Steward directed. In accordance with tradition, the mark had to be verified by the existing Steward and sitting Council of Elders before any training could commence.

Fallon obeyed Isaiah and unbuttoned his shirt, holding it open to reveal the mark. Almost immediately the room filled with gasps and the Elders began whispering vigorously to one another.

“Is something wrong?” asked Fallon, noticing the Steward was now frowning.

Isaiah did not immediately respond and seemed deep in thought as he studied the mark upon Fallon’s chest. At last he spoke. “Thank you, Fallon, you may button your shirt now. Would you please excuse us and wait for me back in the entry hall? The Elders and I have important things to discuss.”

Fallon was confused, but he obeyed Isaiah and headed through the double doors back into the entry hall, sitting down in the uncomfortable wooden chair once again.

Elder Lydia was the first to speak when Isaiah stepped back into the inner chambers, closing the double doors behind him. “That is not the mark of Reed, no matter how similar. Fallon cannot be our next Steward,” she remarked firmly.

“Aye, was not a precedent for this already set with the twins?” added Elder Tomar, eager to impress the others with his knowledge of the village’s history.

“That was a long time ago and a completely different situation, and I seriously doubt the actions of the Council were meant to be precedent-setting,” retorted Elder Anne, the oldest member of the current Council. “Fallon is already so late in coming, I fear that waiting for another marked boy – one who may not even exist – is not a luxury available to us.”

“What twins? And what do they have to do with Fallon?” In her short tenure, Elder Catherine had not yet learned this bit of lore and was confused by the direction of the conversation.

Elder Graham knew the lore of the twins and ignored Elder Catherine’s question. “Elder Anne has a point. Besides, the mark is not all that different, it is just a bit more… symmetrical,” he noted. “Perhaps it is a sign that changes are nigh.”

“Nothing good ever comes from change,” Elder Peter said sharply. “I do not like this at all. I agree with Elder Lydia. Fallon is not our next Steward.”

Elder Jacob remained silent, still mulling things over in his mind.

Elder Theodora also said nothing, though it was clear from the expression on her face that she was troubled.

Steward Isaiah, who had remained standing in the center of the room all this time, also refrained from joining the debate. Perhaps to give himself more time to reach a decision about Fallon, he proceeded to answer Elder Catherine’s question concerning the twins.

*************

Steward Isaiah turned towards Elder Catherine and started to explain. “The situation we have found ourselves in today is not entirely unique in the history of the village. About five hundred years ago, Steward Elijah and his Council of Elders were faced with perhaps an even more unusual circumstance. Unfortunately the Great Fire destroyed many of the Council records from that time, but Steward Elijah’s personal journal provides a few references to this particular event. His journal speaks of identical twins, Soren and Seth, born to Sebastian and Eleanor, of Corning I believe.”

Steward Isaiah turned to Elder Peter at the mention of his birthplace and Elder Peter nodded in confirmation of this fact.

“On the morning of their 13
th
birthday, both boys awoke to find themselves marked. Soren’s mark was exactly as mine appears today, but Seth’s was slightly different.”

“Slightly different, how?” interrupted Elder Catherine.

“That I do not know. The journal entry does not say,” conceded Isaiah.

“Perhaps Seth’s mark resembled the mark upon Fallon’s chest?” Elder Catherine ventured.

“Perhaps, perhaps not,” answered Isaiah. “Sebastian brought both boys to the Council that day, and the Elders debated at length. It was eventually agreed that Steward Elijah would start to train them both. In the meantime, a messenger was sent to Lady Delia – that would be Lady Dinah’s mother – to request a meeting regarding the situation.”

*************

Although she had never met her, Elder Catherine was familiar with Lady Dinah. She was one of the Western Wizards – one of the few remaining anyway – who took refuge in the village during the Second War of the Wizards. It was the aftermath of that visit which still haunted Elder Catherine. In retaliation for providing refuge, the Eastern Wizards unleashed a terrible plague upon the village. For months the villagers lived in fear, afraid to leave their homes, afraid to tend to the sick. So many innocent people died, and they died in so much pain.

She remembered working with her father, one of the village physicians, in a desperate attempt to heal the sick. She remembered the anguish on the faces of the dying and the faces of their families. She remembered rushing from house to house; she remembered many a sleepless night. Alas, all of their tireless work was for naught – of all the sick that she and her father and others had tended to, not a single one survived.

Many villagers blamed Lady Dinah for the Plague, and they privately blamed Steward Isaiah as well for providing shelter to her and the other wizards during the height of the War. These are things left unspoken in certain company.

*************

Lord Cephas frowned. “Your accent is much improved, but you still have the look of an Easterner about you.”

“But I
am
an Easterner, my lord,” replied Wendell, taking care not to sound too annoyed by the observation.

“We must purchase some new clothes for you in the West,” replied the Lord, ignoring his servant. “I shall take that from your allowance, of course.”

“Aye, my lord.” Having been a faithful servant for the better part of twenty years, Wendell knew better than to argue. “How far must we travel?” he asked after a while. He had never been to the Western Territories, and was somewhat anxious about the upcoming trip.

“Far. You shall see the shores of the West Samora Sea before the journey is through.”

Wendell had not studied the maps and was not familiar with the geography, but he nodded anyway. “And for how long shall we be gone?”

Lord Cephas studied his servant carefully. “Are you not up for the task, my dear Wendell?”

“I am, my lord. It was simply a question.”

“We shall be gone for as long as it takes,” the wizard sighed.

“Aye, my lord.”

*************

“It took several months to arrange a meeting with Lady Delia,” noted Steward Isaiah, “so the training of Seth and Soren continued. Steward Elijah’s journal tells us that both boys were excellent students. Soren excelled at some things; Seth excelled at others. Steward Elijah conceded that both were fine candidates to be the future Steward. It was quite a predicament. Eventually Steward Elijah had his meeting with Lady Delia. There is but a single brief entry in the journal in reference to that meeting:
I have spoken to Lady Delia and it is agreed, in the end, only one may lead
.”

“Steward Elijah continued to train both boys for the entire seven-year period. The journal does not provide any rationale for this decision. We may only speculate that Elijah was hopeful that by the end of the training it would be clear which boy was most deserving to serve as Steward. Regardless, he eventually chose Soren, acknowledging only that Soren’s mark was the same as the mark borne by all the Stewards who came before him. And thus the journal ends; there are no further entries.”

The room was silent for some time as the Council members contemplated this piece of their village’s history. Eventually Elder Catherine spoke again. “So Soren became the next Steward of Reed – but what became of Seth?”

Isaiah paused for a moment, contemplating the question. “I am not certain,” he said. “I have always assumed that Seth returned to work his father’s land. They were shepherds, I believe.”

“Aye, they were,” confirmed Elder Peter. “Though I believe their land now belongs to my wife’s family, and has for nearly three hundred years.”

*************

The room grew quiet again and Steward Isaiah finally made his way back to his desk. “Now that we have reflected upon the lore of the twins, I am curious as to your thoughts about Fallon,” he said, sitting down at his desk between Elder Catherine and Elder Anne. The Steward turned to Elder Tomar.

“I believe this history teaches us that while similar marks may appear on occasion, there is only one true mark of Reed, and only the person who bears that mark is truly destined to be the leader of our village. Thus, we must wait for a boy with the proper mark.” Elder Tomar’s argument was a good one and many of the Elders pondered it for a time.

It was typical for the Elders to provide their final judgments in order of their seat assignment, so Elder Lydia spoke next. “I agree with Elder Tomar. My position has not changed. Fallon does not bear the mark of Reed. He cannot be our next Steward.”

Everyone in the room now turned their attention to Elder Jacob, who had remained silent thus far. The old man spoke slowly. “Five hundred years ago, the sitting Council was forced to choose between two potential candidates, and Soren was selected over Seth for no other reason than his mark better resembled those of previous Stewards. If two boys stood before us now – one with the proper mark, one without – I would agree with the logic of Elder Tomar. Alas, there is no boy with a proper mark before us today. There is only Fallon. So I choose Fallon. I do not choose to wait for that which may never come.”

Elder Catherine’s quiet voice spoke up next. “I believe the history of the twins teaches us that slight variations in the mark are indeed possible. Perhaps the mark of Fallon is the same as the mark of Seth. I argue that being different does not necessarily mean Fallon is not the chosen one to lead our village. He was marked on his 13
th
birthday; he
is
special. There is a reason he stands before us today.”

Steward Isaiah remained quiet and turned to Elder Anne.

Elder Anne spoke firmly. “By Steward Elijah’s own account, both twins demonstrated aptitude for being the next Steward, even though Seth’s mark was slightly different. Therefore, I see no reason why Fallon should not be given the same opportunity to prove himself worthy. Steward Isaiah may be in fair health now…but he is not immortal. We cannot risk leaving the village without a Steward – to do so would most certainly mean our destruction at the hands of the Komanites. Alas, I fear we do not have time to wait.”

Isaiah frowned in contemplation of Elder Anne’s words and turned to Elder Peter.

“This village has never been under the direction of a Steward that did not have the exact same mark that Steward Isaiah bears now. There is a reason for that. Perhaps this is a ruse put forth by the wizards to see if we remain true to our history, our identity. I do not want to be the first Council that allows an impostor to serve as our Steward.” Peter’s voice had been quite forceful on that final point, but he sighed and continued on in a softer tone. “Admittedly, I should be the last to speak of the virtue of patience, but this is what I urge of us now. Our true Steward is out there. He shall come forward some day; we must await his arrival.”

Elder Tomar and Elder Lydia nodded in agreement. Elder Theodora bit her lip.

The vote was currently tied 3–3. Being somewhat different herself with a mother from Henly, the Elders had expected Elder Theodora to sympathize with Fallon’s situation. For once she surprised them. “While I do not believe Fallon to be an impostor – and what a horrible choice of words, Elder Peter,” she admonished, “it does bother me that his mark is not the same as Steward Isaiah’s. This village has been around for thousands of years, and to our knowledge, the Stewards have always had the exact same mark. I cannot think of a reason why it should be any different now. I agree that we must wait until a boy with the proper mark arrives.”

“The reason why the mark would be different now is that change is afoot. The Komanites are becoming more relentless in their raids. There are rumors that tribes from the East are invading. The world is not static, it never has been. We must be prepared for change. We must embrace it.” Elder Graham tapped his ornate walking stick on the ground for emphasis and added, “We must embrace Fallon, for he shall be the one to navigate us through these most unusual times.”

The others had heard the rumors of tribes from the Eastern Territories invading some of the borderlands in the Durango Region, something that had never happened in recorded history. Reedites took comfort in knowing their village was at the far western edge of the Western Territories – and that the mighty Atlian Mountains would prove a formidable barrier to possible invaders – but the news was disconcerting nonetheless.

The vote was now tied again, 4–4. All eyes were on Steward Isaiah.

*************

Edwin stared in disbelief at what his eyes beheld. He had been a shepherd in the shadow of the Divisidero Mountains for more than four decades, but he had never seen an Easterner before, let alone an entire family of them. He had come across their camp this morning as he was guiding his flock to their favorite feeding grounds. He counted eight in all. Their eyes were sunken and dull and their skin stretched tight across the frames of their skeletons. Their clothes hung in rags from their bodies. Their movements were listless – even the children were without energy.