The Elementalist (The Kothian Chronicles Book 1) (10 page)

"Something tells me it probably wasn't," Zack replied for once agreeing with him.

Aileen soon had them doing chores. Stanton and Danton were to put up some kind of canvas sheeting for them to sleep in, tying one end to the wall and the other to the wagon, with a second sheet on the ground, this would at least keep the damp away. Aileen had Mikel and Melia soon collecting firewood, whilst Zack and Maxim were sent to collect water from a stream that flowed just a short walk away.

With the appearance of the moon and the twinkling of the stars in the clear sky, it was sure to be another cold night ahead. Zack found the footing a little slippery underfoot as they neared the water's edge, "Careful Zack," Maxim said as he watched his friend lower the bucket he was carrying, into the brisk but shallow water. With one bucket filled, he passed it up to Maxim, who handed him the second.

With two buckets of water to carry, the two made their way back to the others, "How are you feeling now Max...I can call you Max...Is that okay?" Maxim stopped and thought for a moment. "Sure...I can live with that," he said trying the shorter version of his name for himself. "I am feeling much better, thank you for asking Zack," he added realising he had not answered the main question.

"We can practice some reading again later, if you wanted to that is," Zack said waiting for Maxim to catch up again.

"Thank you I would like that very much. You have been so very kind to me Zack," Maxim said smiling, although he was not sure whether Zack could actually see his face, but he felt the need to anyway.

By the time they reached the others, Aileen had already gotten a fire burning in the hearth of the ruins, and she also had several pans sat upon a rack above the flames. "Ah here is my water...quickly," she said gesturing them nearer. "We all want to eat," she added hastily taking one of the buckets.

The other bucket was taken for the horses. Surprisingly, Mikel had been the one who had already removed the saddles from his, Zack's and Maxim's horses. "I've brushed yours down Zack, just finishing yours now Maxim," the older boy shouted over to them as he saw them approach. Melia was doing the same for Danton's horse, having already brushed her own. Stanton had told them there was a bag of feed for the horses on the wagon, which he would bring over when camp was set up. "That man seems to have thought of everything," Melia said with chuckle. "Aye and to think he's travelling light," Mikel quipped.

Zack watched on, as Maxim went over to Mist, as the horse immediately seemed to recognise him. "Thank you for carrying me so far today Mist," he heard Maxim say to his horse. The creature nodded its head as Maxim stroked its neck, "I hope you'll be warm enough tonight. Stanton has some horse blankets for you all." Zack watched the strange behaviour, not quite certain what to make of it. Something he had seen Maxim do earlier that day also had him puzzled, when they had crossed the river.

When he thought nobody else was looking or listening Zack stood beside his horse, "Thank you," he whispered patting it on the neck as he had seen Maxim do. He wasn't sure whether the horse understood him, but he certainly felt foolish for trying to talk to it all the same.

After a short wait, Aileen eventually told them supper was ready. "Who's first then?" she shouted to them. Mikel stood to go bounding forward, but paused, "Melia, after you," he said in a very un-Mikel like fashion. "Thank you Mikel," she said looking at him strangely. "I think somebody is trying to impress the girl," Zack whispered over to Maxim.

Supper consisted of a thick stew, made from thick chunks of vegetables and some beef Aileen had brought along. It not only tasted delicious, it also had the desired effect of warming them up. As they sat down to eat, Stanton suggested they would need to keep one person as a look out, "A lot of bears and wolves around these parts," he said, and as much as I like animals, I wouldn't fancy waking up to find one had eaten its way through our supplies, or taken a fancy to one of our horses."

Using a small orb of light created by Danton, Zack sat huddled beside Maxim. In his hands, he held a book, and little by little, they went through the words together. Maxim tried first, and Zack corrected him if he said them wrong. There were certain words Maxim seemed to recognise quicker than others, and Zack thought, that considering they had only had a couple of lessons, his pupil was doing very well. As Maxim could already write his name, he thought perhaps when they got to Pitford he would teach him how to write other peoples.

Chapter 9.

After a cold and very uncomfortable night, Mikel was last on watch duty. In an effort to try to keep warm, he paced around quickly, stamping his feet on the cold ground as he went. The fire in the hearth had died down, so he thought it best to gather some more wood. He thought he heard the horses a little restless, so decided to investigate. After checking they were okay, and with his arms laden with suitable sticks for burning, he turned suddenly at a noise behind him.

A lone dire wolf, making a low snarling noise, emerged from between the trees, and with its teeth showing, it slowly crept nearer. The creature was much bigger than he ever thought a wolf could be. Mikel knew not to panic when in such a position, and slowly stepped backward. "Nice doggy," he said trying to remain calm. The wolf crept nearer, and did so quicker than he was moving backwards. Without any weapon at hand, he concentrated harder than he had ever done before. Focusing his will on one of the smaller stones that lay around his feet, he used the magic to launch it at the wolf.

Feeling very smug with his efforts, he watched on as the small missile hit the wolf in the flank. It yelped loudly and stopped in its tracks. The creature however was not put off by the blow, and if anything the wolf appeared even more viscous than before, at it snarled even louder than before. The beast closed the gap quickly between them, and Mikel was thinking he was about to be savagely bitten.

He heard another noise from behind him, and thought a second beast had circled around his back. He felt something on his shoulder and flinched, dropping the sticks, he panicked and turned to run. Despite knowing it was the worst thing to possibly do, he did it anyway. He turned straight into Maxim who was stood behind, "Run Maxim...there's a bloody wolf..." he gasped.

Maxim grabbed his arm, "Don't run," he said calmly. For whatever reason Mikel did as the younger boy suggested. He did not know why standing between a younger boy and a dirty great dire wolf was the right thing to do, but somehow he felt okay doing it. He turned his head to see the wolf crouching, as if ready to pounce, when Maxim stepped forward with his hand out.

Mikel witnessed what he could only describe as an amazing sight, as Maxim slowly walked right up to the wolf. The creature relaxed from its crouched position, and stopped showing its huge fangs. The dark haired wolf stood still, its head almost as high Maxim's chest. "He is just hungry," Maxim said casually. Mikel just nodded, "That's what was worrying me..." he replied completely dumbfounded.

Maxim suggested Mikel go see if there was any meat left in the wagon. Mikel did not argue, and quickly scampered back to fetch some. As he went, he could feel his heart pounding so hard, he thought it might burst from his chest. He found what he was looking for inside a parcel wrapped with brown paper, where inside was a large thick cut of beef. If it meant him having to eat vegetable stew for supper that night, then so be it. He quickly and as quietly as he could, returned to find Maxim standing beside the creature. Not only was he stood beside a beast capable of tearing his throat out, he was stroking it behind its ears, as one might a playful puppy.

Mikel went to hand Maxim the meat, "You should give it to him," the youngster suggested. "Think of it as an apology for hitting him with that stone," he added. Mikel just nodded. How by the gods did Maxim know he had hit the wolf with a stone? Logic told him to stop thinking too much; it was obvious that the youngster must have seen him do it.

Mikel gingerly lifted his hand forward, holding the large piece of meat on the edge, just in case the wolf decided it wanted his fingers as well. The creature carefully took the meat from his trembling hand. Maxim smiled at him, "I think you two will make good friends," he said. The wolf placed the meat on the ground, and stepped forward towards Mikel. "Don't be scared," Maxim told him, "He just wants to be friends. Hold your hand out again."

Mikel paused, but again did as Maxim asked. He could barely look as the large jaws of the wolf neared his hand. His eyes squinted closed; he could not look, as he felt a warm, wet, kind of roughness brush his skin. He opened his eyes to see the wolf licking his hand. "There, see you two are getting on well," Maxim added, "I'll leave you in peace, while I take this firewood back." Mikel looked at Maxim, "Don't leave me alone with it...please," he asked in desperation. Maxim placed a calming hand on the older boy’s shoulder. "He won't hurt you...he likes you," he said as he bent down to pick up the sticks dropped by Mikel.

Mikel, although absolutely petrified, somehow knew the wolf was no longer any kind of threat, and after a few seconds of it licking Mikel's hand, he bravely ruffled the dark hair behind its ears. "Are you going to eat the meat I bought then?" he mumbled looking down at the large piece of beef on the ground. As if it understood him, the wolf picked the meat up, and after a moment looking at Mikel, shot off through the trees.

After standing still for a little while, trying to make reason of what had just happened, he decided it best to return. He found Maxim placing some sticks on the fire, and Aileen pouring some water into the kettle for boiling. He knelt down besides Maxim, and after staring into the newly created flames spoke softly. "Thank you Maxim," he said. "I would also like to apologise...well...you know for sometimes being a little mean to you...I guess...I'm just a bit of an idiot sometimes," he rambled. Maxim said nothing, but did turn to face him. The youngster placed his hand on Mikel's arm and smiled, as if to say everything was fine. The moment was cut short by Aileen who barged between them, "Come on you two, stop hogging the fire, this kettle won't boil itself."

The whole group was up before the sun actually decided to make its appearance, and after a few grumbles and groans, mainly about how cold it was, they settled down for breakfast. Although it was only porridge, it was sweetened by a little honey, and as far as Maxim was concerned, any meal was a good one. Since that morning in Woodhaven, he felt different, it was if something had awoken inside of him. He found he seemed to know things he shouldn't, and do things that would normally have seemed impossible. Whatever it was, he felt it was something good. Moreover, he was eating regularly, and had what he could think of as real friends. It was clear these people cared for him, even willing to risk their own lives for him.

After packing the camp away and re-saddling the horses, they were all ready to move on again. Stanton told them by mid-day he hoped to pass a place called Ecrin, and although Danton confessed to knowing of it, he had never actually been there. Apparently, it was a small town, mainly made up to support the surrounding villages and farmsteads. Here there would be no soldiers, as there was no garrison, and they would also be able to stop for a warm lunch, and buy any further provisions they may need.

With the thought of stopping, if only for an hour or so, to do something other than travelling, firmly in their minds, the group set off. Zack found his horse in a fine mood, as the young filly behaved impeccably. He was wondering whether thanking the creature the previous day had anything to do with it, and when he thought nobody else was looking, he leant forward and rubbed her neck, "Good girl," he said.

Considering Maxim had never ridden a horse before, he did not look like a novice; a point that Mikel made in discussion with Danton, as they rode side by side at the back of the group. Mikel thought about telling him about the incident with the wolf, but thought better of it. Danton confessed that he had never seen anybody quite like Maxim, "Each day, just when you think he cannot surprise you, he does just that. I mean what happened with the horses at the river yesterday was bordering on bizarre," he told the younger man. Mikel just nodded, he had finally concluded that Maxim was indeed going to be a powerful young man.

It was just before midday when the outlying farmsteads came into view, as the road they travelled appeared a little better maintained than the one yesterday. There were fewer ruts for starters, meaning the wagon did not bounce around so much. Stanton stood and pointed over slightly to their left, "There's the town of Ecrin," he said, as if they had doubted him. Aileen told him to be quiet and sit back down, which he did without question.

Zack trotted up beside Maxim, "I have some coins for you to spend, should you wish to buy anything Max," he said holding his hand out. Maxim looked over at the other boy; his dark hair was in need of a trim but the face beneath showed nothing but kindness. Knowing the offer was a sincere one, Maxim held out his hand. He felt the touch of metal in his palm, "Thank you Zack that is very kind." The two held each other's gaze for a few moments before retracting their hands.

Melia was quick to move her horse up the other side of Zack's. Danton noticed how she always tried to intervene at moments when Zack was giving attention to somebody else. As usual, Zack was polite to her, as he was everybody really, but there was certainly nothing to indicate he could be attracted to her. Danton thought that perhaps it was time for him to have a quiet word with her, when the next opportunity arose.

The town of Ecrin had little more than a couple of stores at its centre. It had a smithy, a bakery and general store that appeared to sell pretty much most things. The largest building seemed to be the inn, where they agreed to meet up after they had browsed the store. After the group had split up, Stanton and Aileen went to talk the smithy about getting some of their kitchen knives re-sharpened, Danton went to the bakery to get some bread for their travels, whilst the others all headed into the general store.

The elderly man seemed very weary of them as they entered. Maxim, despite never being in the town before, never mind the store, headed for an area at the back. He crouched down to examine a dusty box on the floor, where inside there were bits of this and that, as well as a few old tatty books. Despite not being able to read, he selected two of them, and went to the counter to pay. He waited as Mikel was in front of him paying a few coppers for a rabbit. "Only caught that this morning," the man told him as he handed over his coins.

Maxim asked how much he wanted for the books, but the old shopkeeper seemed not to know. "Bloody hell them things been in that box years. I tell you what young man, if you buy something else I'll let you have them tatty old books for nothing." Maxim did not really want anything else, but looked around quickly and noticed hanging from a stand, were a few trinkets and bracelets. "I'll have that one there, and those two, please," he said pointing them out. Maxim was actually unsure how much money he had, as he had just shoved it in his pocket after Zack had handed it to him. "Call it a sixpence my young friend and we'll have a deal," the old man said.

Maxim actually knew what a sixpence looked like, being as it was all he was given by the orphanage. Fortunately, amongst the coins Zack had handed him such a coin existed. He paid and left to join Mikel outside, who seemed to be looking for someone. "You bought the rabbit for the wolf didn't you?" Maxim asked as he stepped up beside him. Mikel nodded, "I don't think he followed us though, so looks like we might be having it for tea ourselves." Maxim patted him on the back, "It was still a very kind thought Mikel. Here I bought this for you," he added handing the older lad one of the books. Keeping his voice low, he uttered the words, "It is about magic, and animals...don't ask me how I know...because I don't know." Mikel looked at him, "Thanks," he said with a lump in his throat.

Zack was much slower around the shop. He realised if he wished, he could probably buy the entire place and still have change left in his purse. He was looking for something special, but many of the shelves were filled with items that would be needed by households for everyday use. These varied from blocks of soap, reels of cotton, varieties of tools for both garden and workshop use to a wide choice of foodstuffs. There were racks with clothes upon them, although some had clearly seen better days and had been patched and repaired; there was nothing there he needed or particularly wanted. He also found himself at the back of the shop, rummaging through boxes full of miscellaneous items.

He eventually found what he was looking for, and after collecting a couple of other items, went to pay, where he found the old man in a talkative mood. "You youngsters all together then?" he asked as he wrapped Zack's items in brown paper. He nodded to the affirmative, but thought it best he did not reveal where it was they were going, or indeed, where they had come from. Once his goods were all ready and wrapped, he paid and wished the man a good day.

Zack found the others waiting outside for him. "Thought you had got lost," Mikel said, "We were just going to send Melia in to rescue you."

"Ooh what have you bought Zack?" Melia said trying to peek at the parcel under his arm.

"A little bit of this and that," he replied not giving anything away.

They did not have to wait long for Stanton and Aileen to arrive back at the wagon. Danton however had already gone ahead and checked out the inn, "I've been in and ordered us some food and drink. There is a nice warm fire burning inside," Danton said gesturing for them to take the horses about the back for the stable hand to take care of.