Fractured Earth Saga 1: Apocalypse Orphan (13 page)

Wolf lowered the
sled
and shook Onel’s hand carefully so as not to break it. His hand covered the smaller man's hand to the wrist.

“I am pleased to make your acquaintance. Haakon has told me of your kingdom and the troubles that beset your land. We have hunted today and returned with much meat. Will you and your men stay for supper?” He glanced at Haakon, adding, “Of course, it is Haakon’s decision.”

Haakon smiled broadly and said, “I would be honored if you and your men would eat with us, Onel. Please, make yourselves at home here.”

Onel nodded. “We will camp for the night so I can talk to this stranger. To do so is the king’s business.” He said to Wolf, “I like the timber of your voice and the inflection you put on your words. It is refreshing to hear our language in another tongue—and seeing the beasts you have slain is enough to win an audience with our king. I want to hear the story of this heroic deed. From the look of your garments, it appears these beasts injured you. I am also a qualified leech. I will tend any wounds you have while you regale us with your tales.” Onel turned to one of his men and said, “Take your detail and set up camp behind the barn. We will dine with these loyal citizens tonight.”

Haakon was ecstatic. To have the tax collector stay overnight at one’s home was an honor. He called out with excitement, “Nala, Leesa, Brithee! Bring barley beer to quench our thirst and prepare to roast a whole dintar. We will turn it on spits outside. We will invite the community to this feast. Reon, run over to the neighbors and invite them. Tell the priest at the chapel. Let them know they may bring anyone they wish. We will cook two dintars for this feast to honor our new friend. Run, boy!”

Reon darted off to do his father’s bidding as Wolf held up a hand to protest.

“Haakon, I have no desire to elevate myself above others. Your son killed a beast single-handed with his spear. He should be acclaimed too. I only wanted to help you by hunting, and I hoped to offset some of the expense I have caused you.”

“Your words do you much honor, sir,” Onel said with a smile. “You are a man of great pride tempered by responsibility. What Haakon has done for you is just and right—inviting me to dinner assures your meeting with our king. Inviting the priest and his neighbors assures that you will be welcome at any home in the valley. All will want to help you. When the storms come to this area, many will die. It is seldom a feast of this type occurs. Indeed, I do not remember ever dining on a fully spitted dintar. You and Trulane have killed four, plus a dire lion. The wealth you are spending by serving two dintars is more than some families make in a year.”

“How many more farmsteads must you visit before the storms?”

“I will not fulfill my king’s orders. To be honest with you, Haakon’s farm is the first I have visited.”

Wolf gazed thoughtfully at the tax collector and asked, “What is the value of a dire lion and a dintar as far as the taxes you would collect?”

“The dire lion would pay the valley’s taxes for two tax periods. The dintar only pays Haakon’s families’ fees for two tax periods.”

“How long is a tax period?”

“Thirty days. Why do you ask?”

“I would like to present the dire lion to you to pay the valley’s taxes,” Wolf offered. “I also want to present the king with the larger dintar as a token of my esteem for His Majesty.”

“This is great charity you bestow on the citizens of this land,” the taxman replied. “I will return tomorrow to the king with the dire lion and the dintar. Will you accompany me?”

“I would prefer that you go first and tell your king about me. Send a messenger from the king to Haakon’s home to inform me of when I can have an audience. I will present myself to the king then. I have work I must do before I can travel,” Wolf explained.

“What a noble soul you have,” Onel said. “So be it! Tonight we feast. Tomorrow I will leave for the capital.” He gestured to one of his men. “Captain Lintal, prepare the dire lion and a dintar for travel. Haakon, do you have salt for us, in sufficient quantity, to preserve the meat?” After a nod from Haakon, he said, “We leave at first light. Now, tell me how you overcame these fierce beasts, my friend.”

Wolf nodded at Trulane and said, “Trulane is the one who tracked them. He knew where their lair was. Two dintars stood in front of the opening, so we circled downwind, and we found a spot where we could attack. Trulane threw his spear into one beast. I threw mine at the same time.”

Haakon looked up quickly and frowned. He knew what a spear wound looked like, and the animal he was cleaning had not been killed by a spear. The fur was burned around the death wound, and the skin nearby was charred. Something suspicious was going on. He lowered his eyes and continued preparing the dintar for the feast. He would question Trulane later about the strange wounds. For now, he listened as Wolf continued his tale.

“We were lucky. The two beasts were slain instantly. As we approached them, two more emerged from the lair, attracted by the death throes of the first two. Trulane had a second spear, and his aim was true again. A third beast went down. The other beast hesitated, allowing me to grab my spear from the body of the first animal I had slain. It charged me and leapt forward, ripping my shirt as you see it now. It impaled itself on my spear and died. By a stroke of luck, I was uninjured. We came upon the dire lion already dead. It must have fallen off the cliff and broken its neck.”

Trulane looked at Wolf with pain in his young eyes. He thought that this was the perfect opportunity for Wolf to reveal his incredible power. Wolf lowered his head, avoiding the youth’s gaze. Trulane was dismayed that the stranger didn’t want the others to know how special he was; yet, he had promised. His young heart was bursting with admiration and he wanted all to see what a great man Wolf was.

Onel caught the uncomfortable exchange between Wolf and Trulane, and he sensed that something was amiss. He also knew that all truths come out eventually, and he had no doubt he soon would come to learn the truth of the situation. “That is some
story
, my friend!” he said at last. “I’m sure it was much more exciting than you made it sound.”

“We were just trying to survive. I was never a good storyteller,” Wolf said contritely.

“Perhaps when we’re better acquainted, we will be more forthcoming with each other,” Onel said with a guarded smile.

“Perhaps,” Wolf said.

The fires were kindled. Two skinned dintars were placed on spits and slowly turned as Nala sprinkled herbs on the meat. Wolf was growing ever more anxious to return to his ship so he could talk to Syn. He had so many unanswered questions. He listened to the villagers as they discussed the mundane realities of everyday life in this era. Glancing across at Trulane, he saw that the young man’s confused expression had turned back to pure adulation. Wolf then noticed Onel’s watchful eyes on him, studying his every move. His gaze moved from the savage rips in Wolf’s clothing to the giant’s powerful hands and arms; the breadth of his shoulders, and his broad chest. This stranger was a specimen of manhood. Onel had never seen a man so muscular.

Much drinking and idle banter filled the air as neighbors began to arrive. A priest rode up on a plodding animal that resembled a donkey. He dismounted and approached Onel, shaking his hand.

“My good friend, Father Dontile,” Onel declared, “May I present the guest and provider of this feast, Wolf.”

Wolf rose to his feet at the mention of his name. The priest looked him up and down, and then smiled and stepped forward. Placing an open palm on Wolf’s chest, he intoned, “Bless you, my son, for offering this great meal to the needy of our land.”

Wolf replied earnestly, “I thank you for your gracious blessings, good sir. Many years ago, a wise man from my land spoke many famous sayings. Here’s one of them: ‘It is better to give than to receive.’”

“Well said! I wish more people would choose to live by those wise words,” the priest replied. With a chuckle, he added, “I see you are well fed, my friend. You are a remarkable man.”

“Thank you, sir, but come let us eat. Some of the outer meat should be cooked, and I prefer my meat rare anyway.”

Wolf took his Bowie knife out. It drew covetous stares from several nearby guardsmen as they noticed the artisanship and keenness of the blade. He cut a piece of meat from the dintar’s haunch and placed it in a wooden bowl, handing the generous portion to the priest. He carved more servings and passed them to Onel, Haakon, Trulane, and Captain Lintal. They consumed the savory meat with gusto, accompanied by much talking and laughter.

Father Dontile gazed at the villagers enjoying the festivities and remarked in a troubled voice, “Soon the storms will arrive. We must seek shelter. The storms will rage for two or three days, bringing destruction to these lands. The castle is the safest place to be, and many will go there for the protection it offers.”

“How big is this castle you speak of that holds so many people?” Wolf asked.

“The castle at Springdale is magnificent,” Onel said. “It was built decades ago under the direction of a master artisan. He was commissioned to build an impregnable stronghold to ward Waylan’s lands. The king insisted that it have its own water source and be able to withstand the massive storms that come when the Brown Star appears. The artisan proposed to the king that a mountain in the Dale Peninsula be hollowed out into his castle. A natural spring at the base of the mountain would supply ample water to the settlement. At first, the king thought the idea was preposterous, but after seeing the artisan’s drawings, he agreed to the undertaking. A small town grew in the valley around the mountain. A well was built to capture the runoff from the spring, and the king called his new castle Springdale to honor both the area and the small spring.”

Onel continued: “The mountain was made of a heavy, gray rock that was very difficult to carve. After years of work, the castle was finally to a point where the king could occupy his new home. The construction took many years, and to this day, corridors and caverns are being carved into the rock. It is a wondrous monument.”

“It sounds awe-inspiring!” Wolf said. “As soon as I am done with my travels, I will return here to await your word of whether His Majesty will meet me. I also would like to talk to the wise man that lives at the castle,” Wolf said as an afterthought.

“Wise man at the castle? Who said that?” Onel asked, a hint of a smile crossing his face.

“It was I, honorable sir,” Haakon said. “I thought that if he went to see the king, you would meet Wolf as well and convince him to stay. You are the king’s trusted adviser and very learned.” Haakon flashed Wolf an apologetic look.

“Wise man indeed,” Onel chuckled. “I am well educated, yet I learn something new every day. This world teaches humility indiscriminately, and its grading system is life or death. So far, I have been lucky in my testing. If you have questions, the best I can do is listen.”

“Spoken like a true scholar,” Wolf said. “Still, I must see to my own affairs first. I await His Majesty’s answer to whether he will grant me an audience.”

“I assure you that if you come with me tomorrow, you will talk to the king in the next few days if you wish. But I understand you must attend to your own affairs first,” Onel said. “I will leave tomorrow and return to Haakon’s farm by the next tax period. I will come myself to inform you. The journey will be easy because we will not have to collect taxes, thanks to your generosity.”

Wolf and Onel looked out across the crowd of villagers. The mood was festive, and the food and drink flowed freely. Several men walked up to Haakon and shook his hand. They knew his new friend, a giant from an unknown land, was their benefactor, and it endeared Haakon to these humble people. The shock of Wolf’s massive size on the neighbors had worn off, and he was welcomed with open arms.

Leesa and her friends flirted with Wolf openly. He was baited into dancing with Leesa on several occasions, and she basked in the jealous attention of her friends throughout the evening. The dirty looks she received from some of the older women for her brazen flirting didn’t faze her, and the older men grinned as they noticed Wolf’s attempts to deflect the young woman. Others laughed with delight at his predicament. Onel threw fuel on the fire by remarking to Father Dontile that Leesa was of marrying age, and they turned and smiled at Wolf, who avoided their gaze. Nala breathed a sigh a relief when Wolf declined the suggestion.

As the first light of dawn streaked the horizon, the revelers drifted off to their homes. Wolf said goodbye to Father Dontile and Onel. Then, he hugged Nala, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around. When he let her down, they exchanged a strange look, and Nala’s pretty face flushed red. Wolf also felt a spark of…
something.
Nala gave him a basket packed with cooked meat, several pies and loaves of bread, and crocks of jellies and jams. He shook hands with Haakon, hugged Reon and Brithee, and turned to kiss Leesa on the cheek, but she threw herself into his arms and kissed him passionately. Wolf gently pushed her away and noticed she was breathing hard, shaking with the intensity of the kiss. He led her over to Nala and said to Trulane, “I will return before the next taxing period. Remember what I asked of you.”

“I will honor my promise, and I will await your return,” vowed Trulane.

Wolf waved goodbye to Haakon’s family and departed for his ship. As Onel watched the large man disappear into the distance, he said to Haakon, “You have done well, my friend. That man will turn the tables on Jonar if we can convince him of our just cause.”