The Weapon Bearer (Book 1) (29 page)

Jace sheathed his sword and stood waiting for Kilen do the same, Max relaxed in the back of his mind. When he did, Jace approached, “I have been following you all day, just like your father did to me when he first trained me.” Kilen was now struck with shock. Jace was his father’s student and now was going to pass on that training to him. It was as close as Kilen would get to being trained by his own father. “I was testing your abilities, self awareness, bravery, subtlety, and a few others.” Jace turned and walked away, waving a hand for Kilen to join him. “It’s not your fault really, your sword gave you away. I only had to ask a few people where the weapon bearer with no rank had gone. Everyone sees the sword and wonders why you don’t have a sword and shield pinned to your shoulders. Once I did that I could have walked the same footsteps you did. You did upset Master Horval a lot though,” Jace laughed as though he had told a joke.

“So what do I do to change that? I was told to never take off the sword or leave my rings unguarded,” Kilen said in rebuttal.

“Like I said, it’s not entirely your fault. Although I would have thought you would have come to the conclusion yourself. We need to get you a new sheath and cloak so that you don’t stand out so much. How was it you recognized me, anyway?” They winded the streets in Deuterium, Jace leading the way and Kilen blindly following.

“I saw the tear in your cloak just as you rounded the corner in that alley. Again at the range I was able to pick out the small tear as you left the crowd.” Kilen felt a bit of remorse for taking credit for Max’s look on that detail. He justified it to himself that it was his head so it had to be his thought, and then wondered if it really was his own.

“You have quick eyes then, and I’ll have to work on my stalking technique. It will have to wait for another day before I teach you those tricks. Each scout develops his own ability to stalk. The good ones will never let you know they existed until you have a knife in your throat. I was close enough to you three times today. Once outside the herbalist’s shop, once inside the Inn, and I’ll let you figure out the third. By the way, the herbalist was casting lots at everyone that walked by her shop after you left. I’ve never seen her do that before.” Jace shook his head as if he was having a conversation with himself. “In here.”

Jace turned into a rickety old shop near the outskirts of the city. The sign on the door was a animal hide and needle, a leather workers shop. The place was covered in dust and the floor hadn’t been swept in some time. A frail old man sat behind the counter trying to push a needle through a water skin he was making. “Oy Mr. Carvin, are you in need of water skin these days or just back to have another piece of leather fixed up?”

“Actually Andrew, I need a sword sheath for my friend here, something plain and a bit beat up if you have anything.”

The frail old man looked Kilen up and down, “Well let me see the sword then. Ah yes a standard weapon bearer’s blade. Probably thirty-two inches I bet. I think I have one in the crate over there.” The old man went and picked out a few and Jace pulled one out that had scuffs and nicks in it but was whole and sturdy. “That will hold up good for you, cost ya eight coppers.” Kilen threw him a silver piece and replaced the sheath he had. The new one was broken in and comfortable. He wondered if his father had actually ever worn the silver worked sheath he had replaced. They bid good tidings to the old man and continued on through the town. Jace talked as they walked.

“You did well in some areas today. You were very brave to chase me down. You told me that you didn’t have any sword experience and yet you challenge a stalker in a back street by yourself. Bold, brave, and stupid, if you ask me. But you do have your father’s sense of flare. If in the same situation in the future, be sure to move down the wall before jumping over. If you jump over at the same spot I did, I could have been waiting for you to reach the top of the wall. Kilen opened his mouth to defend himself in some of the areas Jace had mentioned, but Jace cut him off. “Listen, I don’t mean to be so hard. I wanted to see who you were, who you associate with, and how you conduct yourself. I think training you will be less difficult now that I know a bit more about you without you knowing I was there. Honestly, I didn’t expect you to notice me until days from now.” Jace smiled at Kilen, he knew that he had done well chasing after his stalker even though it was dangerous. “Here is a tailor I often go to. Get a plain colored cloak, not too nice, and head back to the barracks to drop off your old sheath. Then do what you need to finish for the day. Water Wizard Twilix has asked me to have you come to the king’s gardens for training after dinner. The castle guards should be able to help you find it if you need the help. Do not be late for that or she will make her training worse. Remember to be polite and learn everything you can.” Kilen noticed that Jace emphasized the word ‘everything’ before he pulled his hood up and walked out away into the city.

Kilen did as he said and bought a plain green cloak that was a bit tattered at the edge from being cut wrong. He had owned a few like this when he was growing up. He put the cloak on and made his way back to the castle’s main gate. The guards stopped him there. He told them who he was and showed the elemental marks on the first few inches of the blade. They admitted him without any other argument. Kilen found himself walking towards the archery range, hoping to salvage a little time with Bowie and Leroy.

When he arrived, he found Bowie alone sleeping next to the stairs at his barracks. Kilen tapped Bowie’s foot with his boot and Bowie shaded his eyes to look up. “Oh, good. Hey I’ve got the range for two hours every morning until our real training starts. If you come out there I’ll help you get better at shooting a bow.”

“That sounds great, Bowie. I appreciate that a lot. That shot you made there at the end was pretty sloppy, though. I don’t know if I want a teacher that makes a shot like that. Will you be sober in the morning to help me?” Kilen smiled. Even with Bowie drunk he was sure his friend would be a better instructor than any he could find here. Bowie would put a lot of care into his instruction and it would be instruction Kilen could trust not to be sabotaged.

“What do you think I was trying to do before you woke me up? Now help me back to my room so I can get some more sleep. Apparently you won’t be the only one showing up for some training. After you left some of the soldiers asked me to help them. They said they would pay me.”

“I won’t mind being the only one. I’m sure you will do a great job.” Kilen helped Bowie get to his feet and took his arm around his neck to help take the weight as they shuffled into the barracks. Kilen laid Bowie down and turned to leave.

“That bow there in the corner, I bought for you. Take it with you. I don’t have very much room in this stall to store things.” Bowie was right. His stall was packed already with clothes, saddle bags, fletching supplies, and a peg made just for his hat and feather. Bowie had been busy it seemed. Kilen picked up his new bow, a set of strings, and quiver with a dozen of Bowie’s arrows inside. He turned to leave and already heard Bowie snoring.

He walked across the training field. With his hood up he was ignored, unlike days past. The talk around the grounds was how an archery instructor had gotten bested by a recruit. Kilen looked at his new bow and was amazed at its excellent quality. He never imagined that he would own so much in his life. He had amassed such things that no man in Humbridge would have ever needed to plow the land, such as a set of armor, sword, magic rings, and a coin sack full of gold. Suddenly he felt very humbled. He arrived at the barracks and passed Ted as he entered.

“Hey, you just can’t come in here. This is the weapon bearers quarters!” Ted had already pulled his long knife. Kilen slowly pulled back his hood and revealed his face slyly smiling at Ted. “Oh sorry, Kilen,” he clumsily re-sheathed his blade. “Leroy is in your room and your three horses have been fed and brushed down.”

“Three horses?”

“Aye. There’s a piebald, skewbald, and the tan plow horse,” Ted said while looking at his chart.

“Oh yes, the plow horse is Leroy’s. Is it a problem to house it here for him?” Kilen hoped to keep the horse well away from castle use just in case he needed Leroy to get supplies for him.

“Oh no, we can keep it here, but if it’s not yours than Leroy will have to care for it. With three it is a bit time consuming when I have other rounds to make sir.”

“That won’t be a problem. Matter of fact I’ll have Leroy help you care for them. I’ll need him to exercise them from time to time also, so you should get some help with the other two. Thank you, Ted. And if you don’t mind it’s just Kilen not sir, or lord, or the like.”

“Just like Jace then. I’ll do my best but it’s not in my nature. Thank you for the help with the horses, its welcome but not needed for the other two.” Kilen nodded and keyed his way into room seven. Leroy sat on the floor with a large lamp with oil heating a pot of tea. He had cut cloth into squares and was filling them with more bags of individual portions of tea.

“Kilen, great news. I asked Master Horval for some ingredients for the Kapel dishes and he wanted me to teach him. So he made me a cook and said as long as I teach him some dishes and some recipes for tea, that we could use whatever we needed from the kitchens for your diet. I’ve already started to prepare four roasts, chickens, and a couple steaks. The finer cuts were saved for the king and nobles.”

“That’s great, I start my wizard training tonight and I’m afraid that I will need them sooner than I thought.” Kilen began rearranging his belongings in the room to accommodate the large supply that Leroy had obtained from the kitchen. Leroy stood and turned out the heating lamp and put on his jacket.

“I have some training to do of my own. Of course, I won’t be the student,” he grinned at Kilen. “I have some tea made there for you. If you give me a bit of time I’ll run and get some of that chicken for you to eat before you go. Think you will need anything else after that tonight? I’m anxious to get back to Master Horval.” Kilen looked up at him in surprise. “Well, I didn’t think he would give me the run of the stores, now I kind of like being there. My father was always very particular about what supplies we used and when. Here I get to experiment all I want and I’m going to take the opportunity while I have it.”

“Well go then. I need a bit of quiet time so I can get my thoughts straight before I head over to meet with Twilix.”

“Twilix! She is very pretty. I sure wouldn’t need time to get my mind straight working with her.”

“Remember what happened the last time you thought a woman was pretty? Besides she’s too young for me.” Leroy got red in the face then checked his hand to make sure it was whole.

“Yeah well, they can’t all be like that.” He shrugged as he left Kilen in peace. Kilen began to sip on the bitter tea as he shed unwanted clothing onto the bed. Then he made himself comfortable in front of the washstand mirror. He wanted to try and draw the voices out of his head. The words that he would need to say to each of them escaped him. He had no idea what to say or how to say it. He had no idea of their wants, desires, or how to free his mind of them. Before he could speak Joahna’s voice spoke softly to him in the back of his mind.

Before you ask, I do not know. I do not know why or how. I have a few ideas, but none I can be positive about. We have been awake since the fight in the forest.
He wondered if he had manifested these voices because of the guilt he felt for killing the men. He still didn’t know if they were real or not, but at least he was able to talk to them now.
Apparently we don’t need to sleep or eat. Our time has become very boring here behind your eyes. We see what you see, hear what you hear, and can also hear your thoughts. We are however barred from your dreams and memories.

“What do you want from me?” Kilen pleaded out loud. He wasn’t sure how to ask them inside his head.

I want to make a pact with you. We won’t help you anymore until that happens,
Joahna said bluntly.

“What is the pact?”

We want to know that if you find a way to return us to bodies that you will do so at the first chance. We want to know that you will do everything you can to help us return to our people. That is the pact we make.

“What do I get from this pact, and how will can I help you?” Kilen could see no advantage to having men in his head sharing his every moment and thought.

I am a fire wizard. My knowledge of the wizard library and the use of fire magic could come in very handy with your sister. Max is a warrior and could help you learn the sword and other weapons. We are near priceless assets to you right now.
Joahna stopped talking to let what he had said sink in.

Kilen thought and finally asked, “Do you know the wizard laws?”

I do, and I will share all of my knowledge with you. All we want is to return to our bodies and our families.
Joahna had a pleading tone in his voice as he spoke.

“As far as I know you are dead already, but if you can help me I will take it. I agree to your pact. If there is a way to return you to a body I will give it to you. Now do you have any idea where we can start to find out why you are in my head?”

A long time ago I read in a book that there is a kind of wizard called a soul wizard. They are different than a elemental wizard in that they control no elemental material or elemental magic.

“A soul wizard?” Kilen was shocked to hear that word and wondered where they would could find out more about soul wizards. Before he could ask, Joahna answered his question.