The Stewards of Reed, Volume 1: The Rise of Fallon (17 page)

Gentry did not even acknowledge Fallon when the boy returned. Gentry’s eyes were closed and his body was slumped even further down along the tree; he was sweating and shaking a little. Fallon held the canteen to Gentry’s mouth but it took some effort before Gentry was able to drink. After Fallon was satisfied that Gentry successfully swallowed some tea (most of it seemed to have dribbled down his chin), he started to rub the paste substance into the bite mark. Now there was nothing to do but wait and see if the strange purple flower with the bright red roots would help Gentry or not.

Fallon stayed by Gentry, who proceeded to fall asleep, though his breathing was quite rapid and shallow and not at all like that of a person resting. Staring up at the darkening sky, Fallon knew it would be nightfall soon. There was no chance of getting Gentry back to the campsite given his condition and his size, so Fallon did his best to make the spot by the tree comfortable. He brought back several blankets from the campsite and wrapped them around Gentry before laying him on the ground as gently as possible. He went back to tend to the horses and then returned to Gentry, keeping careful watch over him until there was nothing but darkness, and his own eyes grew heavy.

Fallon awoke the next morning to find Gentry still sleeping, but to his relief the breathing was no longer shallow and rapid. He made some tea and brought it back to Gentry in hopes of waking him. “Would you like some tea, Gentry?” he asked, holding out his canteen to the sleeping man. But Gentry did not stir.

It was not until almost dusk that Gentry finally opened his eyes. He was still weak and a bit dizzy, but he was alive! Fallon helped him to sit up and ran to retrieve some more tea and food. “How is it possible that I am still here?” Gentry did not realize he was speaking his thoughts aloud.

“Perhaps it was not your time to go yet,” Fallon responded, smiling brightly.

“Alas, I was bitten by a black boca.”

Fallon’s face fell. For the first time it became clear how perilous the situation had really been, how close Gentry had come to dying. After more prompting from Gentry, Fallon recounted how he followed the boar to the purple flower with the bright red roots. “I am just glad it worked,” said Fallon.

Although still weak, Gentry decided he was well enough to start the journey back to Reed the next morning. Fallon had wanted to stop in Graves to see a physician, but Gentry just wanted to go home. “You already healed me, Fallon. You saved my life.”

And with that, a lifelong friendship was forged.

*************

After a good night’s sleep Lady Dinah felt much better. She spent some time walking around the large fortress of a house, trying to find her way to the dining hall. She noticed there were several attendants walking about. She found them odd in many ways. For one thing, they were all men. Also, they barely seemed to notice she was there and just shuffled about their business. They had vacant stares and rarely spoke. Geoffrey’s only words thus far had been: “Aye, my lady.” His voice was always distant and monotone.

She eventually found the dining hall and Lord Quaid, and was delighted to see a vast array of colorful fruits and breads and cheeses spread out before her upon the table. “You have outdone yourself, Lord Quaid,” she said, sitting down. After watching yet another lifeless attendant pour her some tea, she could not refrain from asking, “So where did you come by your attendants, anyway?”

“Oh, they are mainly locals, or outdoorsmen that stumbled across my humble abode and decided to stay,” Lord Quaid replied casually. “You should definitely try the cheese pastry. It is divine,” he said, taking another bite from one of the pastries before him.

Lady Dinah pretended not to notice the feeble attempt at changing the subject. Her suspicions were that these attendants were not necessarily there of their own free will. They definitely seemed to be under some sort of trance or spell – but their plight was not of her concern at the moment. She lifted a cheese pastry to her mouth. “Aye, it is quite divine,” she agreed.

Lady Dinah spent the next few days going through Lord Quaid’s library. She had found a few interesting spell books, but nothing on the history of Reed, the twins or the visit from Steward Elijah.

“Did you find what you were searching for?” inquired Lord Quaid at dinner that evening.

“No,” she replied, the disappointment in her voice obvious. “They must be with another wizard.”

“I seem to recall Lord Clintock took a sizable portion of the library,” Lord Quaid offered. “Perhaps you should visit him next.”

“Aye, thank you.”

The following morning Lady Dinah and her horse were again lifted up in a swirl of fairies and brought to the edge of the forest. For a moment she considered making her way to Lord Clintock’s house upon the western cliffs of the Cook Mountains, overlooking the West Samora Sea. But the trip to the Taiga Forest had exhausted her, and Lady Dinah knew the weather would soon turn, so instead she started back east towards her home in Mt. Xavier.

*************

The Steward was getting ready to head back to his son’s house when he saw Gentry and Fallon riding up the street. He went out to greet them and find out how the trip to the Cadian Forest had gone when he saw Gentry’s arm, which was still a bit red and swollen around the snake bite.

“What happened?” the Steward asked, concerned.

“Black boca,” Gentry replied.

The Steward took a step back in shock and eyed Gentry carefully. He was at a loss for words. He had never known anyone to survive the bite of the black boca, and yet Gentry was there before him, still breathing.

As if reading the Steward’s mind, Gentry explained, “Fallon saved me.”

Isaiah looked at the boy, waiting for further explanation, but Fallon just stared at the ground. Seeing that Fallon was not eager to speak, Gentry happily told the tale of the snake bite and the boar and the purple flowered plant with red roots for him.

“Fallon, do you still have that botany book I gave you?” asked Isaiah.

“Aye, sir,” replied Fallon, and he began searching in his bag. “Here it is.”

Steward Isaiah flipped through several pages until he came to one with a sketch of the very plant that Fallon had found. “Is this the plant?”

“Aye, sir.”

“It is called the kurrin root. A very rare plant that is rumored to have special healing powers. I have never actually seen one myself.”

Isaiah looked again at Fallon and after a while he asked, “How did you know the boar was going to lead you to something that would help with the snake bite? You took quite a risk. You might have become helplessly lost and for all you knew the boar was just trying to return to his den to die.”

Fallon did not know how to respond to the Steward. He did not know how he knew to follow the boar. He had just
known.
“I do not know, sir,” he said softly, with his eyes lowered.

The Steward stared at Fallon for some time. He was clearly puzzled by the story. “Cheer up, Fallon, you did a good thing,” he said finally.

The boy picked up his head and smiled but said nothing.

“By chance did you happen to find the leaves from the bionna plant I mentioned before you left?”

“No, sir.” Fallon had forgotten all about the Steward’s request.

“It does not matter. We shall save that potion lesson for another time. I look forward to hearing more about your trip later. I must leave for my son’s house now.”

“How is your grandson doing?” asked Gentry, just now remembering the gravely ill child that had kept the Steward home.

“Fine, thank you. I think he is on the mend now.”

“I am glad to hear it.”

The Steward was reluctant to go into details about his grandson and was hoping they would not ask any more questions. Both Gentry and Fallon were fairly worn out from the trip and were not inclined to continue the conversation, much to the Steward’s relief. As it turned out, little Calvin had contracted the second wave of the Nye fever that was going around the village. Fortunately, Elder Catherine had plenty of meehli flower on hand to help with the nausea and dehydration. The Steward knew that the only reason she had the flower was because Fallon had mentioned it as an alternative to the scarce seaginger root all those months ago. So in a sense, Fallon had saved two lives that week.

Trust your instincts
, the Steward thought angrily as recalled Lady Dinah’s advice. Deep down he was still not certain about Fallon.
Something is different about him, something not quite right
. But Fallon had just saved two lives, including Calvin’s. Plus, he has those dreams, and was also gifted with superior instincts.
How else would he have known to follow the boar
? The Steward had been looking for some sort of sign to lead him to the right decision about Fallon.
Had the events of this week been the elusive sign?
The Steward sighed. The question in his mind went unanswered.

*************

Hundreds of miles to the east, Cedric watched with a growing sense of dread as a continuous stream of Easterners made their way down the mountain trail. A handful of Easterners had tried to sneak into the Durango Region in recent months, but the locals had been able to drive the unwelcome visitors, who were weak and starving, back with relative ease. But now they came in droves, and many came armed. The locals in the borderlands were quickly becoming overwhelmed. Cedric knew that if things continued as they were, it would not be long before the Easterners made their way into Inverness and Cortez.

Cedric turned away from the marching ants in the distance and galloped as fast as he could to the only one he knew that might be of help. He only hoped that Lord Jameson would be there to receive him. The wizard had been absent much as of late.

Cedric did indeed find Lord Jameson at his home in the hills outside of Cortez and hurriedly told him all that he had seen.

“What shall be done?” Cedric repeated the question he had been asking for months now. “The situation is becoming much worse, and I fear what may happen if we do not act quickly.”

Lord Jameson sighed. “I am but one wizard, Cedric. I cannot fight this battle alone.”

“Then send for the others.”

“I have written to Queen Dinah, but these things take time.” Lord Jameson did not blame the queen for her cautious approach. There were but a few Western Wizards remaining following the Second War, not enough to risk on things that remained as yet uncertain.

“How much time?” Cedric said with growing desperation.

Lord Jameson could only shrug and shake his head.

*************

Weeks and then months went by with Steward Isaiah no closer to making up his mind about Fallon. He stepped up the training somewhat, mostly out of guilt as the boy had not done anything to disprove himself worthy – but there was still a palpable distance between the two.

Beatrice noticed it most of all and on several occasions scolded the Steward. “You are quite cold with the boy, but he only tries to please you. I do not mean to tell you your business, Isaiah, but it seems you would have better luck with him if you were not so…distant.”

The Steward acknowledged her, yet he did not know how to go about improving things. He knew the distance would disappear once his doubts about Fallon did – but he did not know when or if that would ever happen. Isaiah was frustrated with himself and the situation. He promised the Elders that the first year was just a trial period and that he would refrain from delving deep into the training until he knew for certain that Fallon was the chosen one to replace him. There were only a few months remaining in the first year of training, and he was no closer to making up his mind than he was the first day he learned Fallon’s mark was not as it should have been.

Fallon also struggled. The unsettling dream had come back again; it was the same as before, yet not quite. He was in low spirits again, though he spoke not a word of it to the Steward or anyone else.

Fallon had been allowed to go back to Littlebrook for a few weeks around the winter solstice. And for three days starting after the shortest of all days, the House of Tobias was aglow with candles and filled with the smell of lamb roast, sweet bread, stew, pastries and pies. Tobias brought forth his fiddle, and many a dance was made around a bonfire beneath the stars, his sons and his neighbors alike leaving soft footprints in the snow. The song Elizabeth sang was an old one.

A new year to mark the time

Another year to remember

All the things one must never forget

On a starry night in Dodecember

Remember those who came before us

And those who left us all too soon

Hold the children close and tight

Beneath the distant winter moon

For tomorrow is a gift to all

Who linger in this life

’Tis a day to search for truth and beauty

’Tis a day to chase the light

And this may be the year one finds

All that is sought and more

For anything is possible

For those willing to explore

A new year to mark the time

Another year to remember

All the things one must never forget

On a starry night in Dodecember

It was the coming of a new year, and for a small time Fallon was filled with hope and promise. As he watched Zeke and Talia twirl around the fire, he could not help but think how much they had grown. And later as he listened to their schoolhouse gossip, Fallon could not help but be a little sad at everything he was missing.

A few days later Fallon was saying his good-byes. Parting was difficult as always, but the pain was somewhat lessened by the fact that he was finally allowed to take Attawan with him. He rode his horse alongside Isaiah as they traveled back from Littlebrook to the Steward’s house.

*************

It had been a lonesome winter, with the Steward saying little to Fallon outside of their training sessions. Fallon occupied much of his free time reading or tending to Attawan, his mind always drifting back to his home and the people he loved. He continued to be haunted by his dreams. He continued to suffer in silence.