The Sword of Light: Book One of the Veredor Chronicles (12 page)

Eben took from
his pocket the parchment letter and handed it to King Ignis. He
opened the letter and read it to himself.

‘
I suspected this was so, and now I can see it is true. I
think Lady Kaloren is your mother,’ he said. Eben felt a rush of
excitement at the news.

‘
My mother. Are you certain?’ he asked, his heart pounding
from the revelation.

‘
Yes, I am sure. She is a great woman, and I know she wouldn’t
have wanted to be separated from you. She would have left you with
Carlin for your own protection. I’m certain Carlin sent you to the
hunter to ensure you were safe. He did not tell me about you. It
troubles me that no one ever came to take you back to your
parents.’

Eben felt his
elation turn to apprehension. ‘Do you think she is...?’ He felt
distraught at the thought that something terrible had happened to
his parents and couldn’t finish the question.

‘
I don’t know,’ replied King Ignis soberly as he handed the
letter back to Eben.

Eben felt like
a thousand thoughts of possibilities were going through his head at
once. He realised that he would have to go west to find the
answers.

‘
Your sword; it’s the Ecorian Sword,’ said King
Ignis.

‘
I don’t know what Ecorian means,’ said Eben.

‘
Your sword is one of three swords which were used to defend
Veredor. In ancient times Veredor was ruled by a powerful and
virtuous lineage of emperors called the Ecorians. That sword became
known as the Ecorian Sword because the Ecorian Emperor always
carried it. The original name of the sword is the Sword of
Light.’

Eben looked
down at the sword that lay by his side in its scabbard. ‘Why would
my mother leave such a sword with a small child?’

‘
I don’t know,’ replied King Ignis. ‘However, I do know that
the Sword of Light is a powerful weapon and much more than a simple
sword. It was forged out of the essence of the cosmos and has many
mystical powers. Your mother wanted you to have this sword, and I
know that you will have to learn to use it. These are dark times,
Eben. Few men stand against the darkness; a powerful evil is
growing in Veredor.’

Eben felt a
sudden weight of responsibility at hearing these words from the
King. He thought back to his time in Clemensdale where he was safe
and secure.

‘
Azagord said that his master wanted to cast the sword through
the Cosmic Gate. What did he mean?’ asked Eben.

King Ignis
pondered the question for a few moments. ‘Azagord came south to
find the Sword of Light and take it back to his evil master in the
north. His instructions were to recover the sword and kill the one
who carried it. He believed the Zyranians had the sword. Azagord
attacked Zyran because of this belief. Only now do I see that
Kaloren secretly carried the Sword of Light all along.’

‘
What is the Cosmic Gate?’ asked Eben.

‘
I only know of the Cosmic Gate from folk stories. I never
believed that it existed until I had spoken with Azagord,’ said
King Ignis. ‘The Cosmic Gate is a place where Veredor meets with
the cosmos beyond. It is the only way to come into Veredor and the
only way out of Veredor. The old stories tell that the Cosmic Gate
was built by an ancient race to protect Veredor from the powers of
darkness. I think Azagord’s former master wanted to cast the Sword
of Light out of Veredor so no one could use it against him. This
news worries me deeply. If the gate has collapsed we are all at
risk. The outer cosmos is said to be a realm inhabited by many
creatures of darkness.’

‘
Did Azagord say that it had collapsed?’ asked
Eben.

‘
No, he didn’t say; however, your letter from Carlin to Erako
says that the Fiorians were hoping for the Cosmic Gate to remain
firm, and the letter was written when you were very young. This
concerns me: if they were worried about it then, what
now?’

‘
We should ask the Fiorians Knights,’ suggested Eben. King
Ignis cast his eyes downward.

‘
After Carlin died and until the time of my imprisonment I was
searching for any remaining Fiorians. I never found
any.’

**

They had been
sailing all the first day and into the second night. The sun was
high in the sky on the following day. The sight of the Ortarian
coast gladdened all their hearts. Eben could see high cliff faces
to the north which gave way further south to a rugged coastline
interspersed with small bays and inlets. A blue sky and a warm
breeze welcomed them as they approached the coast.

‘
There’s a small fishing village to the south,’ said Baftel,
turning the rudder and angling the boat.

Eben hadn’t
slept at all since the conversation with King Ignis. Learning that
his mother was the leader of the Fiorian Knights had sent his mind
into a spin. There were so many questions racing through his head.
He looked at the sword. Why didn’t his mother use the Sword of
Light to fight the evil if it is such a powerful weapon? Why would
his mother leave the sword with him when he was so young? Where had
she gone? Why hadn’t she returned? What happened to his father?
What did the Fiorians know? Were there any Fiorians remaining in
Veredor? He needed to know the answers.

They slowly
approached a little fishing village that was set on rocky slopes
around a small cove. There were various fishermen’s huts and
several small boats that had been pulled up onto the beach. Baftel
slowly steered the boat into the small cove, and a few of the
villagers stood on the beach and looked out fearfully toward them
as they entered the cove.

They softly
struck the sand a little back from the water’s edge. Red jumped out
of the boat, and waist high in the water, he started to pull the
boat toward the beach. Eben jumped overboard and helped Red drag
the boat to the shore.

‘
Ahoy!’ shouted King Ignis as he stepped off the boat into his
kingdom.

The others
followed. A few moments later they were all on the beach just down
from the village. One of the villagers approached. He was an older
man with a short beard, slightly balding, and a weathered face. He
seemed somewhat anxious about their arrival.

‘
Hello Strangers,’ he said, looking at Baftel, who was the
only one of their company clothed as a seafarer.

‘
Hello there,’ said Baftel politely.

‘
We don’t have anything for you here. It would be best for you
to move on,’ said the villager. Eben could see the villager’s hands
were trembling as he spoke.

‘
We don’t want anything from you,’ said King Ignis
diplomatically.

‘
I assume you will you be leaving then,’ said the
villager.

‘
We were hoping to buy horses and some food for our
journey.’

‘
We only have fish,’ replied the villager grimly. ‘The King
has taxed all our possessions. He has left us in
poverty.’

King Ignis
looked concerned at hearing the news. ‘We won’t bother you at all,
and we will move on in a few minutes. We would be very happy to buy
some fish.’

‘
We can sell you some fish. I’ll go back to the village and
bring some back for you.’ The man turned and walked back to the
village and was out of sight a few moments later.

‘
These seaside villages were thriving a few years ago,’ said
King Ignis, looking up to the huts with sad eyes.

‘
Where will we go from here?’ asked Red.

‘
Directly west,’ said King Ignis. ‘The coastal road is up on
the hills just yonder. We will cross the road and travel overland
through the wilderness.’

‘
If I come with you I will never again sail across the Sea of
Zyran,’ said Baftel.

‘
What do you mean?’ questioned Cassiel, troubled by Baftel’s
words.

‘
I can also see with my magic that I will not make it to
Galdir.’

‘
What will happen?’ asked Cassiel.

‘
I’m not sure. I know my life will be in grave danger if I
follow you, and perhaps I will die, but if I return to the sea I
will live.’

‘
What about us. What will happen to us?’ asked Red.

‘
I don’t know,’ said Baftel. ‘All I see is a mist. Your way is
hidden from my eyes. I believe that a secret power is defending
your company from prying eyes; the power prevents me from seeing
anything about you.’

‘
If this is true you should return to the sea and not come
with us,’ said King Ignis.

Baftel looked
to the King for a moment. ‘Is it better to be a dead eagle or a
living toad?’ he asked.

‘
A living toad,’ answered Red, as if the answer was
simple.

‘
But the living toad never knew what it was like to soar in
the clouds,’ said Baftel. He paused and his eyes drifted back to
look out to sea. ‘And eventually the toad will die as all living
things do; therefore, I will come with you. If I can help you it
would be better than returning to the sea. I have no skill with
battle magic, yet I can see things that are hidden.’ He then went
back to the boat to gather his supplies and his bag.

The villager
returned and handed a sack of fish to King Ignis.

‘
That will be a bronze piece,’ said the villager. Cassiel paid
him for the fish.

A few moments
later Baftel came walking up from the boat. ‘You can keep my boat.’
The villager looked uneasy at hearing the offer. ‘I won’t be coming
back for it.’

‘
We should move on,’ said Cassiel, looking toward the track
that led away from the village and up the slopes toward the
hinterland. A few moments later they walked by the village and made
their way up the hill.

**

They crossed
the coastal road and entered the wilderness. King Ignis led the
way. The land was hilly and wild; often they would come to small
patches of forest, but mostly they were trekking through rocky
treeless hills. They were all hungry and hadn’t eaten a decent meal
since before the rescue. It was agreed that they should find a
hidden grove to set up camp. They found a small gully with a
perfect clearing for camping that was hidden from view and
protected from the wind. The day had started to grow cold and heavy
clouds had gradually covered the sky.

Red was busy
trying to get a fire started; he was clicking together flint rocks
which Eben had given him from his bag.

‘
That’s not how you do it,’ said Cassiel with a slight
laugh.

‘
I know what I’m doing,’ said Red as he continued to strike
the flint rocks.

‘
Let me have a try,’ suggested Cassiel. He stepped over, but
Red wouldn’t hand him the rocks.

‘
Leave it to me,’ said Red, raising his voice.

Cassiel
pointed his hand at the fire and a magical flame shot forth
instantly igniting all the wood. Within a few moments the fire
started blazing. Red recoiled back and stared up at Cassiel.

‘
Cheat,’ said Red. He stood up, crossed his arms and turned
away. Cassiel seated himself down beside the fire. Eben watched as
Red walked to the edge of the gully and sat on a fallen tree trunk.
The others sat around the fire and enjoyed the warmth. Eben stood
up and walked over to Red.

‘
Is everything alright, Red?’

‘
Sometimes Cassiel makes me feel like a clown.’ Eben sat
beside Red and they both looked back toward the fire as the evening
darkened. Red glanced at Eben with a smile. ‘I was a clown. Now I’m
in the business of rescuing kings.’

‘
True,’ said Eben.

‘
You know, Eben. Some people are wizards and others are great
warriors; some people are rich royals and others are respected
nobles, but in the end all of that doesn’t matter much.’

‘
What do you mean?’ asked Eben.

‘
I mean: what good is it to have all the gold, power, and
fortune if you don’t have friends and people who stand by you?’
Eben could see the point that Red was trying to make. ‘In the end,
that’s all that matters in life. Remember when you freed me. I was
really worried before you came walking into that abandoned village.
I thought that I was going to die hanging upside down from that old
tree.’

‘
You repaid me soon after when you saved me from the muckron,’
said Eben.

‘
I couldn’t leave you there fighting that muckron alone. You
saved my life and no one had ever done that before. You could have
easily left me hanging there to die. The truth is that I could have
been a really big problem for you; you didn’t seem worried about
that. You made me believe that there are good people in this
world.’

They watched
the fire from the edge of the clearing. King Ignis was stoking it
up with a stick as Stella and Baftel prepared the fish for
cooking.

**

After a meal
of fish they all slept by the fire and took turns keeping watch. It
was a quiet night and uneventful. The following morning the company
rose early and prepared for the journey further west through the
wilderness. They started out, and King Ignis led the way at a
marching pace. Eben could sense his impatience; the terrain was
proving rough and difficult. They made slow progress westward.

‘
We must find some horses,’ said King Ignis.

‘
We could go further north and stop at a village on the main
highway and buy some,’ suggested Cassiel.