The Weapon Bearer (Book 1) (17 page)

Kilen thought before answering, “No I think I understand it all, but where did the four realms come from?”

“That was Heathmos’s doing, to split up the lands so that each could govern a smaller amount of wizards. Each land specializing in that type of element, where it could do the most good or the least amount of harm. The desert is less likely to be damaged by fire so fire wizards go there. The water wizards have an affinity for water so the swamps, marshes, and water prominent regions to the west are theirs. The mountains have the most wind and so the Wind Realm is there in the north. The Earth was left with what was left over and those wizards grew their land to suit them, making mountains and valleys to suit their strength. Actually, all wizards came to carve their land with the councils that were there. The great trade rivers and the mountain passes, the great trees, and volcano dwellings were all created by wizards to suit the wizards of the land. Leviathan Lake, where Keepers is, was made by wizards of the Water Realm. The very land we travel through was shaped and sculpted up until the dark…until a while ago.” Brent changed the subject quickly, “We have slowed are pace. We must travel faster if we are to reach King Atmos before next Springfest.” Brent pushed his horse into a canter and everyone followed his lead. Kilen knew that whatever happened in history next would have to wait for another lesson.

Kilen received little training in using elements along the way as Brent could only explain how to do most of them instead of showing them. Each time the party met travelers along the road Brent questioned them about burnt lands and army movements. Leroy would cook food from whatever he found, using a variety of herbs. Kilen started chapter 2 in his book, taking rubbings of herbs and writing their uses, how to find them, and some recipes to use them in for both cooking and poisons. Leroy hadn’t intended to teach this, but with his knowledge he was able to tell which plants and berries not to eat. Bowie and Leroy spent a lot of time collecting herbs and showed him how to use a bow. Leroy, in turn, brought out his father’s two silver knives rolling them on the back of his fingers and then throwing them with skilled accuracy. He threw them slicing two of Bowie’s arrows stuck into a tree, before Bowie could stop him and tell him how much the arrows were worth. The party only stopped long enough to let the horses rest, drink, and to make a fire and cook what they found along the way. Kilen kept the party’s vigor and mounts renewed. This took little effort on his part and he found that the process was getting easier. Kilen even practiced floating water around the party as they traveled deserted parts of the road.

Kara talked to and patted her horse frequently. She had begun soiling herself and each time Kilen would change her and wash her clothing. Each time she spoke or moved Leroy would watch her. He always sat on the opposite side of the cook fires from her, fingering his silver knives. Kilen paid close attention to the herbs that Leroy put into her broth, making sure to ask which each one was for. He wished he knew more to protect his sister from the boy. Kilen had seen Leroy on two occasions check his daggers in his sleeves when Kara spoke to her horse. He couldn’t understand Leroy’s suspicions of Kara. To him, she was innocent and incapable of harm. He finally spoke to Brent while they packed up their noon meal on the third day and was remounting for the road. “Why is it that everyone hates the fire wizards?”

Immediately Leroy riding alongside Bowie said, “We don’t hate them…we are afraid of them.”

Brent spoke calmly to Kilen as they rode, and Leroy said no more. Kilen knew that Leroy had seen him watching Kara, “Fire wizards are rarely in total control of their emotions. Imagine if a fire wizard gets angry at its king, one moment all would be peaceful, and the next all the wizards in town are trying to subdue a blazing thinking inferno. That doesn’t count the damage done to servants and the castle while they are raging. If Kara became fully awakened she could burn us all to a crisp, with you trying subdue but not harm her. I can keep her subdued but I don’t think that I posses the power to prevent her from harming anyone of us if she were fully awake. Long ago there was a war involving the fire wizards trying to take a part of the Earth and Water Realms. They would choose villagers or animals like oxen or horses and give them a piece of fire elemental armor. That person or animal would lose all rational thought and often burn villages or towns to shambles by themselves. Then the wizards would march through killing everything in their path. I’ve even heard a few accounts when fire rings were given to small children. Could you hurt a tiny child, even if they were on fire? Most of the villagers tried to put out the burning children not knowing that they were armor bearers. The children took the lives of their families and were left to wander the country forever burning until they simply died of exhaustion. I know that the idea of a wizard using people like this must make you burn with some kind of anger. A person controlling fire elements feels that anger about everyone and everything at every moment of the day, even while they sleep. It takes a very long time to overcome.”

Kilen watched Kara and realized it would be a very long time before he would be able to talk with his sister again. His eyes started to tear up, feeling sorry for her. She was normally a gentle caring person, and now she would fight the rage for the rest of her extended life. He fingered the blue ribbon that now hung, tied to the hilt of his father’s sword. It was a constant reminder of what his life was to become.

Brent spoke in the silence trying, to change Kilen’s mind off of the subject, “I must tell you about my mission for King Atmos. I am here looking for evidence of the Fire Realm’s movement. So keep your eyes open for any signs of burnt grass, trees or even dirt. Ten years ago the Water King stopped the Fire Realm from combining power with the Wind Realm to the north. If the Fire Realm was able to ally with the Wind Realm, the fires of war would blow farther than ever before. The Water King, Premas, prevented it by stopping troop movements along the pass of Heathmos, which stretches along the borders of the Earth and Water Realms, from the Fire Realm in the south, to the Wind Realm in the north. We now have had rumors that the Fire Queen looks to try the plan again with no Water Realm King to stop her. I have found that at least two different parties of fire weapon and armor bearers are using the pass again. Several villages along the way have been attacked for supplies and some buildings have been burnt down with no purpose. When this happened ten years ago the Premas the Water King tried to stop them. He plead to the Earth Realms former King, to help him secure the pass. The Earth King was suspicious of everyone, using too much earth imbued armor. He fortified his borders and let no one in or out. The Water Realm King had to stop movements from the north and the south, taking great casualties. Instead, he left the Fire Realm to the south do as they pleased and sent small contingent of weapon bearers to distract them and lead them away from villages, using the Fire Realm’s anger against them. He beat back the Wind Realm all the way to their capital. The Earth King had received false information of the Water Realm, letting the Fire Realm pass into their lands, and that the Water Realm was moving into the Wind Realm. The Earth King became angry sending his armies two directions, one to stop the Fire Realm from crossing their borders in the south. The second he sent to crush the Water King for his treachery. The Water Realm’s army was still in the mountain passes and unable to protect the kingdom, or prevent them from entering. When the warring started the Water Realm’s army was considered traitorous followers of the King Premas, and were said to disappear into the mountains and forests bordering the Water Realm. The Earth Realm king unseated the Water Realm and quelled the armies to the south. The Earth King then passed his command to his son and our current king, King Atmos. He struggles to maintain control over the people here in the Water Realm, and maintain their protection from the Fire Realm. The Water Wizards follow his command purely on the protection it gains the Water Realm.”

Kilen tried to understand the world’s politics and asked, “Why does the Fire Realm attack the other lands?”

“Partly because they have no outlet for their anger, and partly because of the type of lands that we live in. In the southern most part of the Fire Realm there is sea and coastline. This coastal land is the only land with tree’s and suitable vegetation for their people. The king lives on the coast and gets most of its supplies from bordering islands. Those islands belong to the Culcara. The Culcara people stick to coast lines and can swim miles, and dive deeper than any other human. The Culcara treat their wizards as slaves working off the debt they owe the people for the killings during the wizard wars. The Fire Realm king wishes to enslave all the water and earth wizards to build back up his desert into a land much like the Earth and Water Realms. Years ago wizards tried to help them by cutting a river into the land from the coast to Lake Leviathan. So that they could start building towns along this river all the way to the earth and Water Realm. When we sent wizards to them to help the river’s construction, the fire wizards grew angry at the our wizards inability to build it fast enough. The fire wizards struck out and nearly all the wizards were lost in the battle or by the wilderness they were forced to escape into. The river was never finished, and now the Fire Realm seeks to take our wizards to finish the work.”

“That doesn’t sound unreasonable, I mean to want the work finished,” Kilen said.

Brent held up a finger, “It really isn’t unless you consider the likelihood that you will be sending ally wizards to their deaths. If there was a way to make sure they could finish in peace, the task would be a grand one to accomplish. Unfortunately, the Earth King is becoming as his father was, in being too paranoid to let wizards go beyond the border of the Earth Realm. The canal is a small problem that has been complicated by the very anger that is the fire wizard.”

Kilen and the party continued to ride the rest of the day. They had noticed the increase of trees in number and in size. Kilen knew that they must be getting closer to the Earth Realm’s border. Leroy found excitement in almost every new plant he found, telling everyone of its rarity near Keepers. He continued to stuff his pockets and small leather pouches. Kilen couldn’t figure out how he kept them organized up sleeves, in apron pockets, and in his pack. They disappeared as soon as he found them, and his eyes started to search for more. When the trees started to thicken in size and number enveloping the party, Kilen began to feel a sort of glow inside of him. It felt like sunlight on a warm summer day breaking through the clouds. Kilen closed his eyes and opened himself to the warmth, before long nothing existed except for him and the warmth filling him. He let the warmth caress his body, feeling like he was swimming in a pool of sunlight.

Kilen started to hear shouting and began to open his eyes despite the pleasure he was in. When he had regained his vision he noticed that he was standing in the saddle with his arms stretched, with palms raised towards the sky. He felt as though he was welcoming the sunlight to caress his body, only here underneath the canopy of tree’s there was no sunlight. He felt his magic and again started to feel the sunlight grow, he could feel the tree’s, grass, and soil around him. Kilen knew that he now had the ability to feel earth along with the sight of the water. Kilen fought the desire to welcome the warmth of the earth magic, and turned to his still panicking friends. “I feel good,” was all he could say, looking at his hands.

“What happened to you just know Kilen?” Brent asked still a little scared.

Kilen answered slowly still feeling the desire to welcome the sunlight, “I feel like I have the sun on me, warming me like a cat on the porch. I want to let the warmth fill me. I feel the earth around me, everything even the grass.”

The others looked at Brent thinking Kilen had gone mad. He answered with a questioning smile, “Sounds like you have just had an awaking of a magic, only weapon bearers don’t have awakenings.” He thought to himself for a moment and then spoke again, still studying Kilen. “You are peculiar in your use of magic, and how fast you learn it. I’ll hope that Twilix is able to understand you more.”

They all looked around in wonder and awe, except for Brent. The tree’s around them only a day’s ride into the Earth Realm had thickened so much that you could hide a horse behind them. Here there was little to no underbrush and you could see for a good distance considering being in a forested land. The ground was green with moss that made it comfortable to walk on. The road here was winding in and out around overgrown trees and was sometimes moved because of tree roots coming out of the ground. With no cart, they could traverse the land easily. They found a small opening in the trees that had a ring of stones used by travelers to prepare a fire for cooking or camping. Brent moved in and dismounted, “Time for a bit of a break. The first Earth Realm town is up ahead shortly. We will want to clean up a bit before moving along. If you could fill us a pot of water for washing Kilen?”