The Huntsman of Adamos (Quartet)- draft

CH DISCRERNING MAGIC

Banth waited until Fleur was gone to question Rieth and Siger more.

Rieth wrote his suspicions ‘I think the thieves are living somewhere in Lumberton or hiding with someone in Lumberton until they can sneak back to their hideout. But they are using the roads to disguise their trail so they must be close to the town.’

Banth scowled but nodded slowly, “Fleur and I think the same thing, but don’t tell her that or she will drive everyone insane with questions, trying to discover who is helping them and the brigands might flee before we can capture them.”

Brie’s jaw ticked with his anger. “I am definitely sending a letter to Lord Abrieth when I get home. It is wrong that your Protector is more concerned about his prestige in the community and making money than actually doing his job.”

Banth’s expression became worried for a moment, then he suggested, “Let me talk to Captain Vole, perhaps we can get the Mariner Security Unit to investigate and won’t have to bother the First Protector of the Kingdom with such a minor problem as brigands.”

Brie looked about to argue but Rieth gave his head a slight shake and Brie retorted something other than the argument for bringing in Royal Guardsmen. “I hope your Captain Vole can help. These men almost killed my brother, then they killed a lumberman, and tonight they killed a member of the miner’s guild. I know you think being in a small community makes it a minor matter when weighed against the security of the kingdom, but two murders are not minor matters. There are too few of us.”

Eyes narrowed, Banth studied him, “You sound like King Karstien.”

Brie looked the old veteran in the eyes. “Veteran Banth, our people went from millions to thousands in a generation. I am the only swordmaker I know who was trained in the methods of the old kingdom. I knew more Aetherians and Xelusians then than live now. The Blind Oracle rescued as many as she could but those who are from the old kingdom still feel all we lost.” Brie got up and went to his room, Rieth followed.

“Wow,” Finn said softly. “Siger, were there really that many?”

Siger nodded, “I lost most of my family in the old war, then many I knew died in the harvest or to the undead that rose from the dark dust. The Devourer moved across the face of Aetheria like a storm and sucked the life from all that lived. The Blind Oracle organized rescue parties for the Aetherians, then she took a group to Xelusia to search for survivors. None of us could believe the Xelusian royals had released that demon on their own people. She gathered us all in the basalt and obsidian fjord fortress of Odini. I was lucky to be there, as were Rieth and Brie. King Karstien appeared in the middle of the ruins of the City of the Kings, somehow she knew exactly where and when he would come, then we were attacked by the undeads and shadows as we tried to escape. If the Blind Oracle and the King hadn’t used their magic to shield us in the Relic of Time chamber the Blind Oracle built, none would have survived. She sacrificed her life and her light to save the few of us that survived. It is a debt we can never repay.”

Banth, Finn, and Bolton all looked at him with understanding. Bolton added quietly, “For four hundred years before the last war, we watched and fought against the shadows of the darkness who were freezing planets to death, ripping open the fabric of the dimensions to feed, or indwelling living beings. We all lost friends, people we loved to fight them.”

“The War Oracle paid the price of grief without flinching. She stood strong when any other would have collapsed. We didn’t know the details but none of us doubt the sacrifice she made to save the Remnant, it was something she would have done without hesitation. She is the reason we are here,” Finn said tiredly.

Siger looked at them but Banth explained quickly, “If the War Oracle and the Guardian had not made the sacrifices they did, none of us would have survived the war against the Devourer so the King could go back to rescue you, is what Finn means.” Banth stood up and leaned on his cane, “You young men should get some rest. If I know Protector Corbin, and I do, he will be here before Fleur turns off the light to question us about what happened.”

Siger went up to the room he was sharing with Rieth and Brie, both looked at him expectantly, but he shook his head, “Finn almost told me the truth, but the old veteran Banth deflected it with an explanation.”

“I think Bolton wanted to tell me, but instead he just said Fleur was special. I have never met a group so resistant to discernment magic.” Brie frowned, then added quietly, “Shadz did a good job putting her here and surrounding her with these warriors. If it wasn’t Fleur’s nature to make life better for all around her and defend the oppressed... if she was willing to be meek and stay in her lighthouse, we never would have found her and you would have lost your head, dear brother. You must gain their confidence, or they will never let either of you leave.”

Rieth nodded then laid back and stared at the ceiling. He quietly confessed, “We kissed, just before the alarm bell sounded... She started to tell me something...”

“What?” Siger asked.

Rieth breathed out slowly as he whispered, “I don’t know.”

In the morning, Fleur was quiet when Rieth, Brie, and Siger stopped to get Nick and return him to his mother.

“Fleur, about last night...” He tried to talk her, but she just shook her head.

“Rieth, I can’t, you need to find someone else... I can be your friend, that’s it. I’ll see you after the harvest. Stay safe.”

He took her hand, and tapped on her wrist, ‘I’ll wait till you’re ready.’ Then he walked away with the others.

Fleur’s mouth made a thin line, inside she made a cup of pain soothing tea and put her drops in her eyes. Using her power last night meant she had a terrible headache today, but her heart hurt more than her head. Rieth had said he loved her, and she couldn’t say it back, no matter how much she wanted to, because the Huntsman of Adamos still lived in the Kingdom somewhere and he would kill her if he knew she had survived.

She pinched between her eyes, thinking off all the years she had lied to everyone about Yuriel being Yuli’s father. She decided it was better to reject Rieth now, she couldn’t leave these islands, and someday he would need to leave to work, he was too talented to spend the rest of his life here. He had told Yuli so much about other worlds that Yuli desperately wanted to travel now, but they couldn’t. He wanted them to be a real family with Rieth and in her heart so did she, but she couldn’t take that risk of encountering anyone from the royal family, not with her son. She could clearly remember the hate for her in the Huntsman’s eyes and in his soul. If High Lord Yurieth found out about either of them... She nodded thoughtfully; it was better to stay in the Southern Star because huntsmen couldn’t sail, and the portals would only be on Brightwater.

“Mom, are you okay?” Yuli’s worried voice startled her and she almost dropped her cup.

“Yes, just tired. I used my seeking magic and my shine to calm the family we helped,” She explained.

Yuli hugged her, “Dosander said he felt his dad die. He’s like Nick, he can feel the ground beneath him.”

“Desandra said he was going to start as a first-year novice in the mines.” Fleur revealed. “After the lumber harvest, when things have calmed down, we will take him and go talk to Nevin. Perhaps his apprenticeship can still be had.” She pressed a kiss on the top of her son’s head and prayed her hope wasn’t in vain for a family that lost so much last night.

While Rieth and Siger work the lumber harvest, Brie spent his time training to local guardsmen to use and repair their weapons, and to make and maintain armor. He remembered Kaleth once told him how Prince Damien had once reduced the Royal Guardsmen to a few dozen untrained novices to make it easier to get away with his evil and build up his own army. Brie had really begun to wonder if that is what Corbin was doing on a smaller scale. One of the young men had said he heard Corbin talking to the Mayor about running for governor after he caught the brigands. Brie ran Rieth’s shop and worked part time for Gand as a blacksmith. Brie began watching the Protector and by the end of the first week, he knew that Banth’s assessment was true. Corbin was useless as the Protector of Lumberton and Arbor Isle, he was more politician than warrior.

Rieth and Siger arrived at Rieth’s shop with Paulos from the last day of working the lumber harvest for the Southern Sun Mill and devoured the meal Brie had made. The Huntsmen’s skills quickly made them valued as toppers and high-scalers, the most dangerous jobs of the harvest. Abner, the Southern Sun mill owner was so impressed that he paid them both full wage, instead of the novice wages of first-year hires. No one begrudged them the higher pay rate because no one was hurt harvesting the designated tracts of the Southern Sun during the dangerous late winter harvest. It went so smoothly that they were done in three and a half weeks instead of five, even with an early spring storm causing a small delay mid-harvest. Abner was more than happy to pay the full five weeks since none of the valuable exotic wood had been damaged and no men had been injured. Many of the lumbermen thanked Rieth and Siger personally, they were all looking forward to going home early.

The Portal Station was opening in Brightwater port tomorrow with a celebration at the end of the week. Abner was running three full shifts to get the lumber milled and ready for export. He had allowed Rieth to tag two full heart-blood trees as the color for Serapha’s rooms then called and accepted the promissory note from High Lord Abrieth of Adamos. Abner had promised Siger that if he ever returned to Arbor, he would always have a job during the harvests.

The next morning as everyone prepared to go to Brightwater for the portal station opening, Rieth made the hour’s run to Soldier’s Cove. As he sped through the trees, feeling the waking springtime all around him, he felt almost giddy. It was the same sensation he had as a boy running through the forest of in the territory of Adamos. His excitement to see Fleur after two long weeks turned to dread as he crested the last hill. A dozen giant ships were in the cove; the fleet had come south for the end of winter crab fishing season. There were nearly two hundred people milling around in Soldiers Cove. Slipping unnoticed through the crowd, he headed for the Cat’s Soup.

Rieth stepped in the door then stepped out again. Fleur and Desa were serving a dining room full, while Fleur was talking animatedly about the brigands with a tall, white-blonde haired man with silver eyes and several others wearing Mariner officers insignias. Rieth slipped in through the side door of the kitchen to eavesdrop and wait for Fleur to come back.

Captain Vole of Valent and his officers listened carefully to her assessment of the bandits, their weapons, and that she had met a Lumberman and Woodsmith with forester skills who couldn’t track the villainous men, which led her to believe someone from the towns or someone with a boat was helping them evade detection. Desa and Banth added details when Fleur paused to catch her breath. As the group finished their meal, Vole and his officers agreed they needed to have someone from the Mariners’ SecUn begin an investigation. They left and a new group filed into the dining room.

Desa smiled at his when she came into the kitchen. “Rieth, welcome back. What are you doing here?”

Rieth penned, ‘Southern Sun harvest is finished early, I came to tell Fleur goodbye. I didn’t know you were so busy. Paulos is taking his dead friend home to be properly mourned. He asked if I would come, and Brie wants me to come home for a while. We are taking the portals to Olympia today.’

Desa was reading when Fleur rushed in and almost collided with Rieth, Fleur smiled at him, “What are you doing here?”

Desa quickly recited the note aloud as she dished up bowls of rich cauliflower and cheese soup while Fleur made baskets of thick, fried potato wedges to go with it. Desa carried out the serving tray while Fleur carefully lowered more potatoes into a cauldron of hot oil before she began chopping rapidly.

Fleur was talking so fast, “I’m sorry I can’t go see you off, but it is always like this when the fleet comes through. They came early for the party in Brightwater at the end of the week. We’ll have days like this every time they hit port for the next month or two before things quiet down.... Oh, I wish you weren’t leaving. My friend Shadz is coming for the portal celebration. I wanted him to meet you.”

She sounded so excited, so he tapped on her wrist. ‘I am sorry. I wish I could be here but Paulos asked and I couldn’t refuse.’

“It’s good that you be there for your friend, have a safe trip," Then she smirked at him mischievously, “And don’t get your head almost cut off again, because I’m going to be too busy to sew it back on.”

He laughed silently and pulled her into his arms but before he could kiss her, she put her finger on his lips. “Rieth, we can’t do that again. You need to find someone else.”

“Why?” He whispered harshly.

“You know why. You know what I was, you don’t need that any more than Yuli does.” She tried to step away, but he held her firmly.

“But what if I love you?” Rieth rasped out.

“Then you have until you get back to get over it,” She answered primly, turning her face away, but he put his finger under her chin and turned it back.

“I won’t,” then he kissed her.

Fleur couldn’t help but kiss him back, she loved him, and could feel that he loved her. Desa came in and scooped the potato wedges out of the hot oil, and quickly made another tray of soup bowls and potato baskets. She tried not to intrude on their moment, but she couldn’t help the grin on her face as she left the kitchen. Fleur was left breathless by the kiss, but she when she tried to shake her head, he cupped her cheeks.

Rieth whispered, “What is in the past, matters not. Only now matters. Only our hope. Think about it. I love you.” His lips pressed tenderly on hers for a moment then he was gone.

A timer buzzed and she turned automatically to get the sweet breads out.

Vole came in as she scooped more potato wedges out of the oil. He reached for one and she smacked the back of his hand, just as Desa came in for more servings, “Eleven more, Fleur.”

“Hey, you’re supposed to be blind.” Vole complained laughingly as he popped the hot potato wedge in his mouth.

“I may be blind, but you’re a food sneak, cousin,” Fleur teased, “And you can’t charm me, our hair is the same color.” Vole pretended to be offended and Desa laughed at the cousins before revealing, “Fleur is only blind to love.”

“Des! Really?” Fleur exclaimed as she blushed. Turning away, she began putting the sweet breads into baskets for the tables.

“Really what? Who’d you meet?” Vole demanded in a teasing tone.

When Fleur rolled her eyes and didn’t answer, Desa answered for her. “The Master Woodsmith who made the carved doors is quite smitten with your cousin.”

“Is he now?” Vole grinned.

Fleur made a disgusted sound and carried the tray of sweet breads out, as she muttered, “Honestly, Desandra! Your imagination always gets the best of you. Rieth and I are just friends, that’s it.”

“It didn’t look like friends the way he kissed you,” Desa called after her, then giggled. “He really loves her,” she confided to Vole as she turned to fill more soup bowls.

She missed the cold, calculated look that flashed across his face. He was smiling so charmingly when she turned back she almost swooned. His silver eyes seemed to shimmer. He took a fried potato wedge from one of the baskets and asked, “Go deliver those bowls them come back and tell me all about this talented woodsmith who is interested in my cousin, dear Lady Desa, and don’t leave out any details, Fleur never tells me anything good. Do you really think they are in love?”

Desa bit her lip and nodded rapidly, “Very in love. I’ll be right back.” She returned immediately after delivering the last meals and told him everything she knew because she couldn’t help it.