Nicholas Raven and the Wizards' Web - Volume 1 (59 page)

“Tell me that you have a kettle of stew on the fire, Harbus, and I will be in your debt,” Ramsey joked as he approached the leader of the group and shook his hand.

“Would you expect anything less?” he replied with good humor, his long dark hair peeking out from beneath a weather-stained hood. “Bread, cheese and ale are on the table, too.” He glanced at William. “Who is the boy?”

“Ladle out the stew and I will tell you. But be quick,” Ramsey said. “I want to reach the Clearing before sundown.”

William shot a curious glance at Ramsey. “The Clearing? What’s that?”

“That is our destination,” he said.

After the five guests sat down to eat with Harbus and his men at the cabin outpost, Ramsey told how he had found William and his brother’s body at the hunting cabin, though unable to explain the terrifying entity who had committed the atrocious murder. William listened in subdued silence as the men talked, not in the mood to rehash the details, though knowing he’d have to explain everything at some mysterious place called the Clearing.

“My condolences for your loss,” Harbus said to William.

“Thank you,” the prince replied. “Your words are a comfort.”

“And your culinary kindness is a blessing,” Ramsey added as he finished his meal. “But we cannot tarry much longer if we are to reach the Star Clearing before sunset. I need to make my report and get some rest before the final march back to Grantwick.”

“You have information from some of the other Clearings?” Harbus asked.

“There are others?” William piped up, realizing he shouldn’t have interrupted as Ramsey cautioned him with a raised hand.

“Two are on the march now, Harbus, and they will already be encamped near Grantwick before we arrive.”

“So after all these years of preparation, we’re finally on the move,” he replied with a mix of satisfaction and unease. “At times I thought we were simply putting down roots like the trees we’ve lived among, never really intending to make a stand in the end.”

“You were always an impatient one,” Ramsey said. “But for good or ill, the time has come.” He then addressed William, sensing the numerous questions and boundless curiosity bottled up inside him. “And yes, there are other Clearings within the Ebrean. Five in all. From what I’ve observed of you so far, I think I can trust you with that bit of information.”

“That is where you live? In the Clearings?” William asked. “Not in the cabin where you found me?”

Ramsey chuckled. “That cabin where we found you is just one of many small lodges we have built for our hunting parties to use when needed. The four of us were part of a scouting team and stopped there for a meal before returning home to the Star Clearing. We do not permanently man those buildings. However, others do constantly occupy a series of outposts like this one that surround each Clearing. We protect our residences and monitor all who may roam about.”

“Brendan and I might have eventually found you somewhere along the way in our lost travels,” he said.

Harbus grunted, scratching his whiskered face. “Chances are
they
would have found you first.”

William sighed regretfully. “Sadly, they didn’t.”

Ramsey sensed the crushing grief weighing down upon William, knowing that the best thing right now would be for him to keep moving. He quickly downed the last of his ale and gave his compliments to Harbus. “We can’t tarry here any longer. We must continue for the Star Clearing. I’m sure William is as anxious to get there as we are.”

William nodded as he rose from the table with Ramsey and the others, quickly gathering their supplies for the final stretch. After wishing Harbus farewell, the five travelers exited the cabin into the cool, crisp air of late afternoon and proceeded northward through the maze of trees, rocks and decaying undergrowth. Flashes of clear sky gazed down from above, its blue richness having deepened as the sun continued to dip slowly in the southwest.

Ramsey and his friends traveled the last few miles to the Star Clearing in record time, propelled by a longing for the journey’s end and the anticipation of a leisurely meal among family and friends. William thought that the final stretch was swiftly covered as well, though he was motivated mostly by the desire for answers from someone in charge. He needed to know what the leader of the Star Clearing had in mind for a young prince from Montavia who had lost his way in the woods.

As he contemplated the matter, he hypnotically stared at his boots while treading over the cold ground, hardly noticing that the pace of their hike had lessened. Nor did he hear Ramsey speak aloud to the others as the last brilliant beams of sunlight shot across the emerald treetops in the southwest.

“I said we’re
here
,” Ramsey repeated, tapping William on the shoulder.

“
Huh
?” he muttered, looking up while shaking his mind free of muddled thoughts. “I was just…” He held his breath for a moment in mid-sentence, astounded by the sight before him.

They had just climbed a slight rise in the forest when they halted and stood before a huge clearing tinged with the golden light of the setting sun. The open space, roughly circular in shape, measured over a half mile in diameter and was surrounded by a wall of living trees. And though William was utterly impressed when seeing a rural, yet vibrant village suddenly appear out of nowhere in the middle of a forest, from a bird’s-eye view the Star Clearing would appear as nothing but a tiny speck against the vastness of the Ebrean as a whole. A slight breeze stirred among the thatched rooftops of some of the nearer cabins as the scent of wood smoke wafted through the air. A handful of white stars were discernible in the darkening skies of twilight.

“This has been our home for the last seven years,” Ramsey told William with wistful pride. “Yet I would abandon it tomorrow if Harlow, Linden and Surna were free nations once again.”

“You and the others once lived in the Northern Mountains?” he asked. Ramsey nodded. “I’m guessing not Kargoth,” he added with a slight grin.

“Your questions will be answered soon,” he replied. “Enough talk now. Let’s conclude this journey. It’s been almost a week since any of us have seen our wives and children. I can only hope that they have missed us half as much as we’ve missed them.”

They wandered through the Star Clearing across a patchwork of dirt paths, passing several homes already glowing with firelight. All were ready for the coming colder months as piles of chopped wood had been neatly stacked along the sides of the buildings. Most homes stood beside generous plots of land that had been thriving gardens during the spring and summer, but now lay fallow, awaiting the inevitable snowfall of the winter season. A large stream passed through the middle of the Clearing, though William noted that several homes had wells dug nearby. Near the farthest edges of the circular village along the northern border, a handful of large fields were cultivated to grow corn, hay, apples and other vegetables, while chickens and livestock were raised on a separate farm nearby. William assumed that the other four Clearings were similarly arranged, guessing that Ramsey and his men were involved in some type of protracted struggle against Vellan. Though he terribly missed Montavia after only a thirty-one day absence, he couldn’t imagine the heartache that Ramsey and the others felt after being separated from their homes for seven long years.

As they advanced toward the center of the Clearing, one by one, Ramsey’s three companions bid him and William farewell and returned to their homes. Since he was in charge of this expedition, it was Ramsey’s responsibility to report his findings before he could finally see his own family. Soon after, he escorted William to a sprawling wood cabin of two stories set beneath several tall trees and mottled with the purple and gray shadows of twilight. Burning torches were affixed in metal holders near the main doorway and along the front of the building. Off the cabin’s main section were several smaller wings of similar construction built at varying angles to match the flow of an adjacent stream coursing through the gently sloping landscape.

“Is this where your leader lives?” William asked. Though the structure didn’t match the scale and elegance of Red Lodge, it was impressive to behold nonetheless.

“He does,” Ramsey said, “though other families reside here as well. In fact, we all lived here to begin with when the first few of us moved to the forest. This was the original building we constructed that served as our home. Now it mainly houses our government, so to speak, as the rest of the Star Clearing expanded around it. But many still visit the large common room a few times each week to catch up on the news of the day or to relax during some of their free time.”

“Still, your leader must consider himself very lucky to live under such a fine roof. His part of the residence must be vast indeed.”

“Quite the contrary,” a vaguely familiar voiced called down from a small wooden balcony above, the tall figure wrapped in murky shadows. William couldn’t distinguish the man’s face, though he recalled hearing his voice recently. “My quarters here are quaint, to put it politely, and my wife wonders why we don’t build our own cottage nearby. But I tell her that since I was elected to represent this Clearing, I should remain where I am accessible to everyone.” The man noted that Ramsey was grinning at his comment. “And how was your trip to the Fox and Pumpkin Clearings?”

“Productive. The men are already making their way to the border of the Ebrean, but I can provide you the details later. I am just glad to be home,” he said. “And I have brought a guest.”

“So I see. Hurry inside. We’ll meet in the small dining area. We’ll have dinner while we talk. I hear there’s roasted lamb tonight.”

“We’ll be right there,” Ramsey replied as the man stepped through a small doorway and disappeared inside.

“He seems an affable sort,” William said. “And though I look forward to meeting him, his voice is vaguely familiar. But how could that be?”

“Maybe hunger is playing tricks on your mind. As you’ve never been to these parts before, how could you have ever met our leader?” he asked. “Anyway, the sooner we’re inside, the sooner all your questions will be answered.” He indicated for William to follow him up a stone path to the front entrance, after which Ramsey opened a sturdy but ornate door constructed of pine wood, allowing the warmth within to greet them. They stepped inside as the flaming torches gently flickered in the evening air.

After passing by the common area occupied by a handful of people, quiet conversation and a crackling fire, Ramsey and William walked down a narrow hallway. They entered a small room with three round tables and a fireplace built into one corner. The table nearest a window had three place settings and a flickering candle. The pine walls, floorboards and ceiling beams had been recently cleaned and polished, and the warmth from the fireplace made William think he had stepped into a fine inn along a well-traveled highway. A moment later, someone entered the room behind them.

“My wife is going to join us for dinner, Ramsey, but we’ll have to set an extra plate now that you’ve brought a guest,” said the man who had been on the balcony. “Who do I have the honor of welcoming to the Star Clearing?”

Ramsey and William turned around to greet the man, but before Ramsey could utter words of introduction, he noticed that William and his leader were staring at one another with expressions of vague wonderment as if each were trying to attach a familiar face with a forgotten name. Though they had only briefly encountered one another sixteen days ago, it didn’t take long for either of them to recognize the other’s face.

“
Eucádus
?” William articulated the gentleman’s name with mild shock, remembering that this man from Harlow had asked him and his brother several questions after they arrived unannounced during the war council at the Blue Citadel. The tall man with light brown hair, leaf green eyes and a freshly shaven face appeared less haggard and anxious than he had been at the sometimes boisterous session. “You’re the leader of this place?”

“Indeed I am.” Eucádus was pleased that the boy had remembered him since he and Brendan had been bombarded with inquiries from so many people during that hectic afternoon in Morrenwood. “And how does a young prince from Montavia find his way deep into the Ebrean Forest to my very doorstep?”

Ramsey stood there agape. “You two know each other?” An awkward grin was plastered across his face until he suddenly processed Eucádus’ last few words. “And did you say
prince
?” Eucádus nodded. “Of Montavia?”

“It seems that Ramsey is not aware of your lineage, Prince William. Did you not see it fit to inform him?” he asked with amusement.

“The truth is, we had both kept personal information to a minimum as there were issues of trust,” he said. “But had I been informed by name that you were the leader Ramsey had spoken of, I would have felt more at ease to reveal my true heritage.” William reached into his pocket, remembering that he and Brendan had removed their silver rings while in the village of Parma. He slipped it on his finger, glad to have a bit of normalcy return to his life. “I suppose it’s safe to wear now that I’m among friends.”

“You have nothing to fear here, Prince William,” Eucádus assured him. “Right, Ramsey?”

“Not a thing, Prince William,” he meekly replied, hoping he hadn’t inadvertently insulted the boy through his words or actions during the day.