From his viewpoint, Thonas could not see that Udorus had been standing not far off the trail, watching his reaction to the slaughter. “There they be, go on, take ‘em now and be done with it, and pay me what ye promised.”

 The half-elf patted the dwarf on his shoulder and shook his head, “Not yet, my angry little dwarf friend, not yet.  I’ve waited too long for this for it just to be a quick slaying.”

“But me pay!” raged a red faced Udorus, “You swore ye had a way to get me back in the favor of me clan so that I can return to me home.”

“I am a man of my word,” he reassured him, “continue to lead these two to Salaile, thou hast waited this long, you can wait a few weeks longer.” The sneer on rogue’s face was more the Udorus could handle.

“Yer nothin more then a worthless elf half breed…” but before he could finish his insult, the half-elf’s blade was already at the dwarfs throat.

“You forget thy place Udorus, now get thee gone from my sight or I will kill thee as well as Thonas and his boy. Now go and act your part!”

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

“I hear ye boy, I hear ye, what ye be yellin’ ’bout?” came Udorus’s voice from the trail. Christian and Thonas turned to find him walking up the pass with what appeared to be two dead rabbits over his shoulder, intended for lunch no doubt.

 Before either of them could say a word, Udorus came to a halt at the sight of what had once been his camp.

 “Me wagon! Me Boys! What’d ye do to me things?” he growled as he came towards Christian and Thonas with his war hammer now in hand. 

Thonas drew his sword, “ye can come at me if ye like, but thou are the one that sent the two of us to clear the pass, we had nothin’ to do with the likes of this slaughter” he continued, “thou dost know thyself that the boy can’t hold a sword against one of those rabbits thy hast there, much less a man.”

Udorus stopped where he was, let his hammer drop to his side and sighed, “We best be cleanin’ this up and gatherin’ what we can, before who ever did this decides to come back for the rest o’ us.”

Thonas argued, “shouldst we not head back to Nanholve? Hast thou naught a concern as to who did this to our crew?  We should brandish our weapons and hunt them down!”

“Who is it do ye think the leader of this group?” the dwarf turning an angry eye toward Thonas, “we will continue to Salaile.”

“Aye continue on, then we will die just as these men did, slaughtered by an unknown assailant while the leader of our group is off killing rabbits,” Thonas said with an anger in his tone that caused Christian to take a few steps back, “ I know I shall sleep with one eye open, shouldst I sleep t’all.”

The dwarf stood there, without words, fists clenched and his face beaming red with anger.  Thonas, unable to look at him any longer, turned and walked away from the confrontation.

Christian was uncertain how to take this repartee; he could however see it disturbed Thonas greatly.  Thonas had known the dwarf for some time and was awkwardly surprised that notions of revenge, rage or retribution were not spouting from him. Something was wrong, was the angry little dwarf getting old? Has he lost his spirit to fight, or was there something more? Thonas put his thoughts to the side and pushed himself to tend to the dead as best they could. 

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

It was nearing midnight when they finished burying the bodies and repacking what remained of the goods they were hired to protect.  Fearing the return of monsters, whether human or otherwise, the three continued on foot through the night. They burned torches to light their way on the rocky ascent toward the peek.  By dawn, they found themselves exhausted, physically and mentally.  They had not made good time traveling in the dark and were no more then several miles from the previous days camp. Settling on a small clearing just off the pass, they broke camp for breakfast and hopefully some sleep.  Udorus was more silent then what was usual, and Thonas seemed to be rather restless, regardless of his fatigue. “I shall take the first watch, whilst the two of you get some sleep” he muttered, “I think I will not find any rest this day.”

Christian found himself in much the same state as Thonas, he found it hard to close his eyes without seeing the grim pictures of yesterday’s carnage in his head. 

“Thonas, are ye really as good with that sword as ye say?” Christian asked. 

Thonas turned to look at him with an impish grin on his face and simply replied, “Aye.”

With a rather shy tone, Christian went on, “might ye consider showin’ me how I might wield this one a tad better?” as he waved his broadsword back and forth in front of him.

With his smile widening even more, Thonas again said nothing more then “Aye,” he had been waiting for the right opportunity to teach the boy how to use the sword.

            For a fair part of the morning, Thonas taught Christian as much as one could absorb in one day.  Now mind you, he was far from proficient, but at least he could now hold his weapon properly, execute standard parry and thrust moves, as well as maneuver through some basic footwork.

            “What ‘are ye teachin’ him that fer?” Udorus growled when the clanking of metal on metal awaked him.

            “So he can attempt to defend himself shouldst need be, you grumpy ol’ dwarf, I think he does not wish to end up like our mates.” Thonas bantered back.

            Much to Thonas’ surprise, Udorus snapped into a tone unlike himself, “He ain’t needin’ any trainin’ from the likes o’ ye, he can carry these packs just fine without knowin’ how to be swingin’ that piece o’ scrap metal ye be callin’ a sword. I be payin’ him to carry, not to be fightin’.” 

            Christian took this parley as a sign to sheath his sword, and began focusing on preparing something to eat. Thonas, still somewhat in shock over the comments and actions Udorus had made, sheathed his sword as well, he had always known the dwarf to encourage weapon prowess and the ability to defend oneself.  Something just wasn’t right; while he couldn’t put his finger on it, he knew that no matter what, he will keep a protective eye on Christian, and a suspicious eye on Udorus.

            Thonas and Christian chose not to sleep during the rest of the daylight hours and the three continued toward the peak of the mountain pass.  Finding that they could not keep safe footing from their exhaustion, they chose to camp just after nightfall.  Even though they decided to sleep in shifts, Thonas feigned his rest during Udorus’s watch. His trust had completely diminished in the dwarf and his desire to reach Salaile as quickly as possible increased with every passing moment. 

            The final watch of the night lay with Christian, only then did Thonas allow himself a few hours of sleep.  He knew if something happened to the boy, he would be awakened, just as he had the morning of the ogre attack. 

Christian found himself standing idly on the pier uncertain of whom he should approach looking for work. The smell of the salt water and call of the gull’s overhead distracted him from his mission.  While he grew up in Nanholve, the harbor was almost as foreign to him as another country.  His father had done all he could to protect him from the lower class rabble that usually found their way to the waters edge.

“Outta me way boy!” a gruff, angry voice bellowed from behind him. Yet, before he realized the shout was directed at him, Christian was pushed out of the way, tumbling over several crates that were just unloaded off a ship. For the second time today, he found himself face down on the ground.  Looking over his shoulder from his now prone position, he found that his aggressor of all things was a dwarf.  While not being too worldly, he still knew better then to confront a dwarf that was obviously in a sour mood, and decided it best to let the incident pass with no further note. He drew himself to his knees and brushed off the front of his tunic.  The dampness of the boards beneath him guaranteed he would smell like fish the rest of the day.  I firm, scarred hard fell on his shoulder.

“Sorry about that lad, that old dwarf has a bit o’ a problem controlling his temper when he’s in a hurry.”

Christian whirled around as he stood to find a man, perhaps in his late thirties, addressing him with a hardy grin, “Thonas is my name, hast thou one of thy own lad or didst thou leave it in the dirt there?”

Eying the man with a genuine apprehension, “Christian,” he muttered, continuing to  brush the remaining dirt from his tunic and pants, “My name is Christian.” Gaining his courage, “What matter is it to ye?”

Thonas, surprised at the spark in the boy, but no less amused, continued lightheartedly, “Well, I see me boss isn’t the only one with a temper this day, I’ve never seen thee around before”, he lied, “what brings thee here, new in town?”

“Nay,” he replied, attempting to maintain his sternness, yet the fear in his eyes gave away his youth and inexperience, “I’ve lived here the whole of my life, if it matters to ye, my father has decided today would be the day for me to find gainful employment.”

Silently commended Adrian’s good work at getting the boy to the pier, Thonas threw an arm around the boys shoulders, and began leading him toward the west side of the docks, “Well then, today is thy lucky day lad, it just so happens we are in need of one more sword for our caravan to Salaile.”  

Christian started to protest, being unsure this was the crew he wanted to sign on with.  He was even prepared to explain that he had never used a sword, or any weapon for that matter, but Thonas was already pushing him toward the caravan and the dwarf he had the unfortunate opportunity to meet a few minutes earlier. 

“Udorus, ye mean little bastard,” Thonas yelled from across the docks, keeping a tight grip on the boy, “I’ve done found our last man!”

The dwarf let out an audible grunt and turned to see their latest traveling partner.  Looking Christian up and down, he shot a waxy glance back to Thonas, “What do ye be wantin’ him for?”

Thonas just laughed and waved off the dwarf who had returned to his work of loading  the wagons.

“Christian, was it?” Thonas feigned, “go and get yer travelin’ things lad, we head out in an hours time.”

 ————————————-

He had no idea what he would need for the trip, or even how long he would be gone. Christian packed his clothing and gathered up a few days worth of dried meat.   Thinking back to earlier that morning, the confrontation with his father, and the things that were said just a few short hours ago, he inked a note for his father that said nothing more than, “Found Work”.  Leaving the note on the table, he pulled the sword from above the hearth and headed out the door. His father had always told him the weapon would be his upon coming of age and if his father thought him old enough to find work, then he must in fact be of age.  Hesitating for a single moment he wondered if he should find his father and at least say goodbye in person, but, his stubbornness won, and he turned and headed toward the dock.

Christian had never traveled outside of Nanholve, and the thought of going to Salaile excited him, yet scared him at the same time.  His pocket was empty of any coins, he spoke only his common language and he knew magic and various humanoids were prevalent in the larger city.  Christian had only seen slight of hand magic in his home city when someone that claimed to be a wizard would perform small tricks on the street corner for tips.  Aside from the occasional dwarf, such as Udorus, he was not familiar with other beings that might be in Salaile. He had no idea how he would communicate with anyone if they did not speak the same language he did.

While he carried a sword at this side, he had never drawn it in battle. In fact, he had never been allowed to handle it at all.  His father never taught him to hunt as all of their food came from the market place or his father’s store. The only thing he had ever done was fish and he was certain that expertise would not be incredibly useful while traveling over a mountain.  In larger cities, one could have gone to the local weapon master to learn the art of swordsmanship, but one had not been present in Nanholve in almost a decade.

            His worrying lasted long enough that he did not realize he was standing at the pier already, his travel sack slung over his shoulder. Christian felt out of place, and vulnerable.

Installment #3, unedited and raw.

Adrian stood above the boy’s bed, bucket of water in hand.  He had to be tough; it was time for the boy to leave his home.  The old man was having second thoughts, what if he just took the money and moved on, taking the boy with him.  No, that would never work, he had made a promise to Thonas, and he was a man of his word.  He knew Thonas would not intentionally allow harm to come to the boy, but who knows in what troubles they would find themselves. The old man pushed the thoughts out of his head; this is how it had to be.  He had known this day would come, even though he wished it had not. Today, the boy he had called his son for so many years, would be gone from him.

Christian’s arms flailed and he gasped for air, he was choking, no, drowning.  He could taste the seawater in his mouth and feel the burning of the salt in his eyes and nose.  The boy threw his body upward, as if swimming to the surface of the sea, trying to escape his watery demise.  However, he only succeeded in throwing his body off the bed and onto the floor with a wakening thud.  Adrian watched the boy lie there for a moment, face down, with water pooling on the floor around him, his chest heaving, trying to catch his breath.  Blood dripped from the boys nose, and pain shot through his head from the inhaled salt water.

“Get thee up!” came his father’s familiar voice from above him.  Getting his bearings, Christian stood, dripping wet and bloody.  He was certain he saw his father wince at the sight of him.  “Ye’ll be lazy and useless in me house no more” his father growled, “get out of me home and do not return ’til ye have respectable paying employment!”

The boy ducked just in time to avoid the bucket as it flew past his head and out the window into the street.  “Ne’er have I seen a lad o’ eighteen years with out a job!” finished his father. 

Shaking his head in disgust and without another word, the old man stormed from the house, slamming the door behind him. He paused outside the door wondering if he had been too harsh on the boy. No, this is what needed to be done, he had to leave, and it was time.

Christian stood there, silently for some time after he heard the door slam.  He thought to himself, “had his father lost his mind?  Had the old man gone crazy over night?  No talk of getting a job had been uttered out of his mouth before the rude awakening a few minutes ago; he had always assumed he would take over his father’s general store when the time came.  The boy had no idea what he had done to anger his father so.

“Mayhap this would be a good day to choose a profession,” he muttered to the walls as he began exchanging his wet clothes for dry.

_____________________________________

The boy expected to find his father in the store below his bedroom when he descended the stairs, but the living quarters and store were empty.  A hastily scrawled note was stuck to the door announcing a late opening this day. He could not remember his father ever delaying the opening of the store, but nothing today had been normal.  Christian ran his fingers through his hair attempting to straighten it as much he could and stepped out his door to find morning had fully come into his hometown of Nanholve.

Sounds of merchants putting their wares out for sale crept through the streets and the ring of hammer on metal, courtesy of the local blacksmith, woke anyone not already roused from their beds.  He was not sure where to start looking for work.  He pondered whether he should find an apprenticeship in the city or perhaps make his way to the pier and accept a position with one of the ship captains or with a caravan heading to Salaile.  Remembering his watery awakening, he thought perhaps the latter of the three would be his choice, he had, after all, never been to Salaile.  With his decision made, he headed toward the sound of the waves slapping on the sides of the ships in the harbor.

_________________________________________ 

            Thonas watched him ambling down the streets, weaving between crates and merchant carts lining the roadway.  He had grown into a decent looking young man; he possessed dark, almost black hair, luminescent green eyes and a thin, but strong build.  Adrian had done well with him.  Christian was healthy, strong young man.  He would need both of these attributes for what was in store for him.  Hopefully, he was as mentally strong as he was physically. 

Thonas nudged the dwarf working next to him loading a wagon and pointed out the boy as he neared the docks.  “That be him,” he announced.  The dwarf nodded with a grunt and pushed his way through the crowd towards the boy.

Installment #2, unedited and raw.

Thonas found a bit of spring in his step as he wound his way through the alleys and cobblestone streets of Nanholve.  A faint glow was beginning to form at the edge of the sea as the sun was fighting its way from it’s nightly slumber.  He heard the scrape of footsteps move quickly out of his way as he crossed out of one shadow into another.  While most in the sleepy port city did not know his name, they recognized his face and stayed out of his way. 

            He found his way to the port side Sailor’s Mast Inn, where he was too meet up with the rest of his traveling party.  Once again, as he had many time in the past years, he had accepted a job escorting a caravan over the Pass to Salaile.  Once his mates had waken up, they would prepare for an early afternoon departure. 

            The front door of the Sailor’s Mast had the look of a patchwork quilt.  Different sized and shaped pieces of wood had been hammered into places that either a fist, foot or head had been pushed through during a rowdy night of drinking.  Boards cover what had been several windows. The sign announcing the name of the inn had long been torn from it’s hanging post and was simply nailed to the side of the building above the door. 

            Several scrolls had been nailed up next to the door looking for workers to join on upcoming sailings and caravan.  The scrolls that were generally successful were the ones that had pictures along with the words as the average sailor hasn’t grasped the art of reading. One such successful sign displayed a rather seedy drawing a voluptuous woman with an arrow pointing to the brothel next door.

            Thonas shook his head at the sign, “Rosie,” he laughed, as he pushed his way through the door. Being so early, the downstairs of the inn was deserted. The Sailor’s Mast was a two-story building.  The downstairs brandished tables scattered about randomly, some with chairs, and some without, a bar and a kitchen for preparing the slop the owner tried to pass off as food.  The walls were decorated with various sailing paraphernalia, such as nets, pieces of sails, ores and the like.  Dirt and mud disguised the true nature of the floor, but Thonas was pretty sure it was wood under all the muck.  The upstairs provided eight sleeping rooms, each with four cots, save one.  There was one room at the end of the hall with only one bed. Everyone knew that was for the pub wenches that were taking turns entertaining guests.

            Thonas had never ventured into that room; however, he did have the luck of sharing his room with the group leader, Udorus, a mean, angry little dwarf.  Most nights, cold or not, he usually had to sleep with the window open, just to prevent suffocating from the smell the dwarf released from his bowels unconsciously.

            As Thonas neared his room,  he was surprised to hear the voices of two people talking. He was certain one of them was Udorus, but could not place the other.  Both voices were low enough that he could not make out what they were saying.  He hesitated, and forced a cough before opening the door, hoping to give them a chance to halt their conversation before he entered.  Thonas glanced quickly around the room to assess the situation and found Udorus was sitting on the edge of his cot and a cloaked figure stood above him, the strangers face completely concealed from view.

            With a jump at the sight of Thonas and a stutter, Udorus sputtered to the cloaked figure, “I be tellin’ ye already, I don’t be needin’ any more crew for this trip, Thonas there,” the dwarf pointed a shaking finger towards the door, “has rounded up our last person this mornin’.” 

            The cloaked figure gave a slight jerk at the mention of Thonas, but did not look his way.  The unknown man nodded, drew his cloak closer around his body and swept himself out the door.

“What was that all about?” Thonas asked.

“It be nothin’” Udorus replied hastily, waving off the whole conversation, “Just some jobless wanderer lookin’ fer work.”

            Obvious that the dwarf would speak no more about the matter, Thonas changed the subject. He tossed a coin purse to Udorus and told him, “There is the gold I promised ye for taking the boy on this trip, he’ll be on the pier this morn.  Remember you our plan?”

“Aye,” the dwarf replied, “ I know what yer wantin’ me to do.”

Here’s the first chapter of a “book” I started to write a couple years ago.  It’s unedited and raw.  I’ll post the next chapter soon.

     The sign hanging from the post above the door squeaked as the breeze blew in off the ocean.  The predawn light did not allow for the wording to be read off the sign, but he knew what it said.  For nearly two decades he had frequented this little shop.  There was little he didn’t know about the building and the contents inside.

     The building was not fancy, wood and white-washed plaster had been the original siding, but years of standing next to the sea left large patches of moss growing over the sides and roof.  It appeared as if the building were sprouting patches of hair on its otherwise balding head. The white-wash was long from the white it had been years ago when it was first built.  It was now grayed and had long stains running down the sides from years of rain bleeding off the roof.

            The two front windows, one on each side of the central door, were dingy. The residue of the sea salt carried in the air left the glass covered in a white, crusty film.  It would appear the owner had long lost interest in scraping them clean. Small areas were rubbed clean, probably from a child that had ventured up to see if there were candies for sale inside.  A single wood door was the only entry or exit for the storefront and living quarters above and behind.

            He stood in the shadows, watching, waiting for a sign that the owner of this store he watched so intently was roused. The combined smell of sea, fish and garbage wafted through the alleyway causing his nostrils to flare in the hopes of gaining fresh air.  He had been unconsciously twisting the end of his  goatee into a sharp point as he leaned against the wall of the abandoned building facing his target. 

            His other hand fingered the dagger tucked neatly into his belt. He did not worry about being seen as most of the city was not yet awake. The only ones wandering the streets now were the drunken sailors heading back to their ships, wenches returning from their advantageous nights with well paying travelers, beggars digging for scraps and thieves feeding on all of them.  To the average person, he surely would have qualified as the latter. 

            As he stood his vigil, his mind wandered. How many times had he stood in the shadows watching this building over the last eighteen years? “It will be good to put all this secrecy and falsehood behind us,” he attempted to reassure himself.

            The faint glow of a candle from the upstairs bedroom brought him back to the present; it was time.  He moved so quickly and silently, that any rogue would have been impressed.  He cracked the door just enough to reach his hand to the top and restrain the bell tied to a leather tether above the door before it rang out, drawing attention to his entry.  He allowed himself a smirk in amazement at how many people do not bolt their doors.  A single floorboard did not give away his presence as he moved through the shelves an leapt the counter baring his way to the living quarters in the back of the store.

            Drawing back the separator curtain, he helped himself to a seat at the modest kitchen table.  This allowed him a clear view of the stairs leading to the sleeping quarters above.  The kitchen and living areas were still dark, but the man reviewed in his head the location of each major object in the home. Several cushioned benches found their way in an otherwise bare living quarters, and the kitchen area held only a table, two chairs and a fireplace.  A empty cooking pot would be hanging in the fireplace and yes, there it is, a magnificent broadsword placed over the mantle. 

            The sword looked very out of place in such a humble home.  The blade was intricately carved with runes that most humans could not read, and gold was laid into each one.  The hilt, while wrapped in leather, was seamless, smooth and soft to the touch.  It’s balance was so precise it could be balanced on a single nail.  The craftsmanship of such a weapon is not one to be found in the realm of humans. Surely any visitor to this home would question how such a masterpiece came to the likes of a shopkeeper.  However, he was certain, in almost two decades, there were very few people that had the opportunity to grace this kitchen with their presence.

            While it couldn’t be seen fully from his vantage point, he knew the upstairs contained only two bedrooms, one for the man of the house, and the other for his boy. The woman of the house had died long ago.  Perhaps that was the reasoning behind the modesty and lack of decoration within the home.

            The room lightened slightly as the candle and the man carrying it descended from his bedroom.  Before the light fully came upon his unexpected visitor the old man caught sight of the shadow of a man sitting at the table.  He tried to step back, letting out a little cry of shock and tripped backward onto the steps. The flame of the candle jumped, hot wax splattering onto the hand of the old man making him wince.  Whether it was truly from the wax or if it was from the sight of the man at his kitchen table is not completely certain.

            “Careful Adrian,” the younger man teased leaning forward so the light of the candle engulfed his face, “Ye’ll wake the boy; we’re not quite ready for that yet, are we?”

            Shaking his head in reply, he found his way down the remaining steps and joined his visitor at the table, feigning a deeper anger then was truly there, Adrian attempted to scold him,  “What’s the meaning scarin’ an old man like that, don’t ye know how to properly knock on a door?”  he replied with nothing more then a half-cocked grin, it just wasn’t his style to enter the customary way and Adrian knew it. The old man fell silent, staring hard at the man before him. He visually searched the kitchen for something to waver or change, hoping this was still a dream and he had yet to wake. 

            As he looked around, the room seemed to grow unfriendly with nothing more than the candlelight to try and chase away the shadows of the lingering night. The corners grew deep, as if they never ended and one could simply disappear into them forever. Drawing his attention back to his guest, the old man knew he was awake; he could not fool himself, as much as he wanted to.  Drawing in a deep breath he looked directly at the man sitting across from him, and even though he knew what the answer would be before he even finished uttering it, he asked, “Yer ready for him are ye?” in a dry whisper.

            Preparing himself, he held fast to the table with both hands, fearing he would fall to the floor if he did not, his gaze dropping from gray eyes of his guest to the rough and scarred wood under his hands. He felt the room spin, and while he didn’t look up, he knew the reply had been a nod.  Adrian continued in his whispered voice, his eyes cast down, “I’m not sure he’s ready for you.”

            “It matters not if he’s ready for me,” he reminded Adrian pushing himself up from the old mans table, “He is mine, and I have paid thee well for thy care in raising him.”

            From inside his vest, he pulled a purse of coins and tossed it on the table in front of the old man.  “Here is thy final payment, be sure he is on the pier this morning, I will take it from there.”

With that being said, he turned on his heel and strode as silently from the kitchen and storefront as he had entered. One thought filling his head, everything would be as planned.

            Adrian did not bother to look up as his visitor left the house.  He lowered his head to his hands and wept. It would not be until the sun fully shown through the kitchen window, relieving the now spent candle of its duty that he stopped.