The Halfblood King: Book 1 of the Chronicles of Aertu (10 page)

“Yes Grandfather,” Aleron agreed.

“Of course,” Bruno replied.   “I’ve no intention of harming the lad.  I just want to see how well you’ve trained him.”

“Then let’s get started,” Hadaras announced.  

The two faced off against each other, separated by four paces.  They both drew their dagger and tossed them to their left hands, following with their swords.  When Aleron drew his, Karl remarked, “That’s an elvish blade if I’ve ever seen one.”  The blade was long and slender, with a leaf shape and a long central fuller that changed width along with the blade.  The quillions arced gracefully forward and a teardrop shaped pommel completed the hand and a half hilt.  Bruno’s sword was a typical Sudean issue arming sword, the blade four fingers wide at the hilt and tapering abruptly to the armor piercing point.  “Where are you folks from?” inquired Karl.

“We come from Swaincot, near Ellesfort, on the bay, but I served up in the colonies years ago and acquired a few souvenirs,” Hadaras replied.

“That’s some rough duty up on the border,” Karl commented.  “I was always glad the dwarves never asked for our help up there,” he continued.

“Are you ready lad?” Bruno asked.

“Ready!” Aleron answered.

They slowly circled one another to the right, as right-handed fighters often do.  Suddenly, Bruno darted to the left, attempting an offhand strike to Aleron’s right hip.  Aleron deftly executed a low block and then whipped his own blade in a graceful arc, trying to connect with Bruno’s shoulder.  If not for the ground rules, he would have gone for a head shot.  Bruno barely parried the shot, his eyes widening at the speed of the counterattack.  The dance went on for several more minutes, with neither swordsman scoring on the other.  Finally, as Aleron blocked with his dagger, he managed to catch the other’s sword with the forward pointing quillions, locking the blade with a twist of his wrist.  Bruno, surprised by the teenager’s strength, was unable to free his blade, as Aleron took his sword arm in a blindingly fast attack.  The strike to the arm was immediately followed by a strike to the opposite leg, so fast that the onlookers could barely see the flash of steel in the sunlight.  Bruno let drop his weapons, raising his hands palm outward to signify his ceding the match.  As the weapons clattered to the ground, a few of the oarsmen cheered, while the others groaned.  Apparently, a few wagers had been made on the outcome. 

“Corball’s Balls!” Karl exclaimed, “The lad’s as fast as an elf too!  How old is the boy?”

“Not quite fifteen,” Hadaras replied, chuckling at the ancient soldier’s explicative.

Karl raised one eyebrow, “And he already fights like that and that big too?  He just beat one of the best in Bruno there.”

“Fine work lad!” Bruno exclaimed, closing in to embrace the boy.  “Your grandpa wasn’t joking about you.  You’re the best I’ve fought in a long while.”

“Th-thank you sir,” Aleron stammered.  “You are very good yourself, though I’ve only fought my friends and my Grandfather here.  You’re almost as fast as Grandfather.”

Karl raised the eyebrow again, this time at Hadaras, then said, “Come on Bruno, we need to get going, or there’ll be hell to pay when we’re late.  You folks have a good day,” he finished, as he moved off to their horses. 

“Good day to you lad,” Bruno said before collecting his weapons.  “Keep working at it and you could be the best swordsman in the kingdom before long.”

As the couriers rode off, Karl said to Bruno, “They’re from Swaincot, a little cow town near Ellesfort.  Last place I expected to find a nest of scorpions.”

“You aren’t joking Karl,” Bruno replied,  “That kid was the fastest I’ve ever run up against, excepting a couple elves and he said his grandpa is faster.

“The old man claims he served up in the elf lands, on the border.  He doesn’t look like he has a scratch on him though.  He’d have to be damn good just to get sent there and better than good to make it back in one piece.”

That explains the elf-blade the boy wields.”  The men continued discussing the bout as they rode towards the city at a brisk trot.  Bruno was not used to losing and wanted to know everything he did wrong.  Karl didn’t have much to tell him other than that he just wasn’t fast enough.

The oarsmen were laughing and slapping each other on the back as they exchanged coin.  Win or lose, they all enjoyed the show.  The ferryman began accepting fares and the passengers began filing onto the boat.  Many of them were laughing and talking about the match they had just witnessed.  Aleron stowed his helm and untied his and the packhorse, as Hadaras untied his own mount.  They mounted up and Hadaras led the way toward Arundell.

“That went well,” Aleron commented, “Bruno was really good and a pretty nice fellow too.  I half expected him to be angry when I beat him.”

“I think he was too perplexed to be angry,” his grandfather replied.  “According to Karl, Bruno is one of the best swordsmen in the city.  They recruit the royal couriers from the best of the army ranks.”

“Huh…” was all Aleron said in response, as they rode to the city gates.

Chapter 10

Carpathday, Day 16, Growing Moon, 8760 Sudean Calendar

By late morning, they passed through the city gates, leaving the dusty road behind them.  Aleron had never seen anything like the walls of Arundell.  Five arm-spans thick and ten high, with watchtowers every fifty paces and zigzagged with redoubts, providing a clear view of every inch of the perimeter, the city walls appeared impregnable.  Dual portcullis formed the gate, to facilitate heavy traffic in both directions and travelers had to cross a drawbridge, spanning a deep moat, to enter or leave the city.  Though the gate and drawbridge were easily five arm-spans wide, travelers still bottlenecked in both directions and it took quite some time to gain access to the city.  The two couriers were far ahead, as soldiers positioned at the drawbridge halted traffic to allow them to pass unhindered.  After passing through the walls, the street opened up into a vast open marketplace.  Wooden stands and carts dotted the cobblestone expanse, while shops of a more permanent nature, lined the outer edges.  Beyond the market could be seen orderly blocks of low stone houses, divided by narrow streets and occasionally punctuated by tall mansions of polished granite and marble or the imposing spires of the occasional temple.  Far in the distance, he could see the towering minarets of the Royal Palace.  “Where will we be going first, Grandfather?” he asked, trying to take in all the sights. 

“First thing my boy is to get to the inn, stow our gear and care for the horses.  Then some food and a hot bath are in order,” Hadaras answered.

“Will we get to look around the city?” Aleron inquired, looking a bit crestfallen.

“Don’t worry Aleron, after a short rest, we’ll be able to wander the markets.  The one by the docks is even bigger than this one, with much more interesting merchandise, but we won’t get to that one until at least tomorrow.”

“All right,” the boy conceded. 

Hadaras knew exactly where he was going and they rode straight through the crowded marketplace, in an easterly direction.  Exiting the market square, they travelled two city blocks before coming upon an inn, on the opposite corner of the street intersection.  The sign above the door read, ‘The Golden Dragon’, over a realistic portrayal of just such a beast.  A smaller sign on the corner of the building read ‘Stables in Rear’, with an arrow pointing left.  They waited on a large, important looking carriage coming from the other direction before crossing to the entrance.  Hadaras dismounted after passing the reins to Aleron, saying, “I’ll go in and see if there are any rooms available.  You wait here.”  Aleron waited until his grandfather came out again. 

“As luck would have it, they’ve a double room available for the next five nights.  I’ve stayed here in the past and it’s a reputable establishment.  Let’s get the horses taken care of so we can rest.”

After three and a half weeks on the road, Aleron would have gladly settled for less than reputable, as long as there was a bed involved.  “Great,” he replied as he dismounted, “I can’t wait to get settled into something with four walls and a bed.”  They led the horses to the stable and got them settled in, taking turns bringing saddles and baggage to the rooms.  When all their belongings were stowed, they unbuckled their swords and, keeping their daggers, went back to the stables to brush down, feed and water the horses.  By the time they finished and returned to the room, they were several bells past midday and had not eaten since dawn.  “Are we going to get some food soon Grandfather?” Aleron inquired.  “I’m famished.”

“Let’s head to the common room then,” his grandfather answered.  “This establishment always has something cooking.”  They proceeded to the common room and Hadaras requested of the proprietor for a couple of hot baths for the room.  The innkeeper obliged, informing him that it would cost two silver extra for the service.  They saw that braised venison haunch was on the menu, so he ordered two platters with sides of bread and boiled cabbage. 

As it turned out, the inn, like many residences in Arundell, had running water inside the building.  The city was supplied by springs, high above in the hills and transported via underground aqueducts.  Metal pipes tapped into the pressurized aqueducts to carry water into the buildings without the need for pumping.  The inn had the added feature of routing the water through black copper tanks on the rooftop, preheating the bath and cooking water to save fuel.  Often, in the summer months, the bathwater would be so hot as to require tempering with cold water before use.  After their meal and a hot bath, to wash away the weeks of road grime, the pair donned fresh clothes and buckled on the small swords and daggers they had packed for wear about town.  Hadaras locked the door behind them with the large padlock provided and they headed out to the market.

***

The market square was still bustling with activity when Aleron and Hadaras arrived.  They perused the stalls and shops together.  Aleron had never seen such a selection of goods in one place.  There was merchandise not only from across Sudea, but all over the Aertu as well.  Aleron hefted a Sunjibi broadsword in one shop, wondering aloud who in the world could wield a five pound, single-handed sword.  His grandfather informed him that westman arms and armor were often much heavier than the norm, due to the great strength of that people.  The two separated as Hadaras stopped to speak to one of the vendors, while Aleron continued browsing.  Aleron looked up and saw a young, auburn haired girl of around fourteen, dressed in a fine gown of sky blue and surrounded by four armed retainers.  Their eyes met and Aleron thought her’s might be the greenest eyes he had ever seen.  She smiled at him and one of the retainers, noticing the exchange, scowled at him in turn.  Since he wasn’t watching where he was going, Aleron bumped into another young man, who was perusing the wares.  “I’m sorry,” Aleron said to the other, who appeared only slightly older than he did.

“And so you should be,” the other youth stated in a loud voice, shoving Aleron backwards.  The other youth was about Aleron’s size, with black hair and a fringe of a beard.

“I said I was sorry!” Aleron stated, as the other reached to shove him again.  Aleron grabbed his aggressor’s right hand and twisted inward, until the palm faced the sky, bending the thumb back towards the ground.  As his attacker fell to his knees, groaning in pain, Aleron noticed another youth, darting for the dagger on his right side.  Aleron shifted slightly and mule-kicked the second attacker in the midsection.  He thought he felt a rib crack beneath his heel and the second youth was curled on the ground, coughing.  He twisted all the harder, as he repositioned himself to see both attackers.  He said to the first, “I’m going to refrain from breaking your arm and you should tend to your friend.  I think he may have a broken rib or two.  If I notice either of you follow me, I will assume the worst and I will kill you.  Are we understood?”  The other nodded in affirmation.  Aleron released him and stepped back, hand on his dagger hilt in an ice pick grip.  The black haired youth scrambled to the aid of his companion and Aleron looked around for the first time since the altercation began.  The market goers had given them a wide berth and the girl, who Aleron had quite forgotten about, was watching him wide-eyed, with her retainers keeping a wary eye on him as well.  Hadaras was watching from the other side and with a slight grin, motioned him over.

“You must try to stay out of trouble, my boy,” Hadaras admonished the youth, jokingly.

“I didn’t do anything to him, other than bump into him,” Aleron defended.  “I don’t know what his problem was.”

“I believe the problem had more to do with the pretty girl you were both eying before you bumped into each other,” his grandfather offered.  “I’m fairly certain that those two lads know her, or at least know who she is, which would explain the posturing.” 

“I never understood that, Grandfather.”

“You never understood what?”

“The fellows who think that pushing the others around will impress the girls,” he answered.  “Most girls are not impressed by that, from what I’ve seen.”

“Just enough of them are, to keep it going and it’s been going on since men first came into being.  You can bet your last copper on that to be true.  Come on and let’s see what else they have here.”

They spent the remainder of the afternoon and well into the evening, perusing the various offerings of the vendors.  Aleron had some silver with him, but Hadaras reminded him several times, that they would be travelling for the better part of a year and they would not want a lot of extra weight.  Therefore, the swords, knives and armor that caught his eye, did not make it off the vendors shelves into his possession.  He bought a few cakes and something to drink.  As well, he purchased a new pair of gauntlets that appeared to be made from the hide of some sort of large snake or lizard, the dark green scales glittering in the sunlight.

With the day behind them, they returned to the inn for a hearty supper and retreated to the room, for a long awaited sleep.