The Weapon Bearer (Book 1) (6 page)

***

Bowie rode with Kara up front. It had taken time to gather his clothes, supplies, arrows, and put Chargers saddle back on. They had made the entire ride a canter, the moon was bright enough for Charger to see. Bowie let him pick his own path and pace. The horse loved to run. Trainers might think that it was cruel to run a horse like he was. Bowie knew Charger was having the time of his life. They had stopped a couple of times to walk so they could stay awake. It also gave Charger a chance to breath and drink.

After the second time of her almost falling off he insisted she ride in front of him. Kara had fallen asleep with the sway of the saddle while resting on Bowie’s back. He let her sleep, as much as she could. Perhaps they could find her a carriage ride back to Humbridge in the morning. Bowie still had a ways to go. He popped the cork out of a bottle of cherry wine, and nibbled on some of the cheese he had scraped together. He heard a splash in the river coming from behind him, but kept going to make sure they could catch Kilen.

***

Kilen began to slow down in his swim to Basham, not because he was getting tired or that he was swimming slower. The river was widening and it slowed to a crawl. He could now see the approaching lights from the bonfires in Basham and the torches on the cities walls and buildings. He felt his stomach tying itself in knots. It wasn’t the thirst that gnawed at him now, it was the hunger. He decided that there was a lot to learn about using magic, and that most of it would be dangerous if learned on his own. The hunger was really more of an afterthought. He thought of Chit and the sword relentlessly. He would have to keep fighting this eternal battle until he completed his quest or took off the rings. The thoughts of what he would do when he found Chit consumed him. He rehearsed the encounter to come, over and over, every scenario. In some Kilen bought the sword back, some he had to fight Chit to the death.

As he neared Basham, Kilen could start to see the docks. He swam nearer to that side of the river so that he could reach out and catch the piers posts. He thought of everything he need to do, get a pack, some food, a water skin, and if he had time, a bigger blade. He saw the piers coming closer. He wished he could swim upriver to help slow him down, he had tried it earlier to make sure it would work but got pulled under by the current. Kilen didn’t want to hit the posts at the full force of the current. Hitting the cobblestones in Humbridge didn’t break any bones, but it still hurt like it should have. He reached for the first pier support It was slippery and he only got a hand hold for a second, but it was enough to slow him in the water. He reached for its pair and slipped off, but slowing even more. At the third he swung his hand hard and sunk his fingers knuckle deep into wood. He had used his strength to make his own handhold in the wood post. The water swept over the top of him, dragging him down into the water again. He did not let go, instead he reached his other hand up and slowly climbed the pier support using his legs underwater against the pole for strength. He reached the floor of the pier and climbed up. Wasting no time, Kilen gathered his thoughts and jogged into town. Water sloshed off of him, as he passed the wharf master’s station and waved. The guard gave him a look but did not try and stop him. He made for the busiest part of the city, and soon found merchant stalls lining the streets. They had brought their wares outside to sell. Minstrels seemed to be on every street corner and people danced up and down the streets. They wore bright colors, some wore masks, but everyone had a smile on their face, even the tavern thugs tapping the beat of the music with their cudgels.

Kilen found a stall selling leather packs, and water skins. The price’s were what he would be paying in Humbridge, which surprised him since prices usually went up the later it was on springfest. He bought two sticks of roasting meat, some cheese, a loaf of bread, and a sewing kit to fill the pack. While filling the water skin in a well he looked around at the shops. There seemed to be no weapons being sold. The mayor probably prevented it just like in Humbridge. There would be no violence on springfest except for the occasional tossing of a drunk into the street. Each vendor looked at Kilen and refused to bring forth their wares until he produced silver showing he wasn’t a beggar looking to steal. Soon Kilen had what he needed and felt again the tugging of the task at hand. Find Chit and get the sword from him, no matter what it took.

He passed through the town getting weird looks as he ran down the street. He was sure people would be looking for him tomorrow. Someone would say a beggar had cut their purse. To avoid the situation he started to take side streets, avoiding people altogether. He stopped when he reached the city gate to speak with the guards posted there.

“Have you seen a rider tonight? One with a sword and sheath worked with silver coils down the length of it. He would be coming from Humbridge.”

“No riders from Humbridge. What is your business with the rider, boy?”

Kilen considered the guards question for a moment before answering. “He has my sword and I intend to get it back.”

The guards laughed sizing Kilen up saying he couldn’t get a sword back from anyone. “If he did that to you, you better wait until you’re a bit more prepared before trying to take it back.”

“I’ll consider your advice, I have run here from Humbridge this night, it’s been a long run. I fell into some trouble as you can see,” Kilen said showing off his tattered clothing. The guards looked at each other and back at Kilen, not believing a word he said. “I am going get my sword back. I think I’ll wait for him outside the city gates so you two don’t have to get involved.”

It was not their jobs to settle problems outside the city gates. They gave an approving nod and went back to enjoying the music drifting up the streets. Kilen leapt up the dirt road only looking back to see the guard’s jaws drop watching him bounding away from the city. He came to a narrow part in the trail with bushes to either side and stopped. He listened to the sounds drifting up the road, no horses, no music. Slipping into the bushes was harder than he expected. There were thorns on many of the underbrush. They added to his already cut and scraped skin and tattered clothing. He sat down for the first time since lunch and ravenously started in on the food he had bought. It didn’t fill him up. He sighed. He would have to get more once he was done dealing with Chit. The wizard had told Chit not to stop. It would be like Chit to stop every chance he got just to vex her. No, if he wanted to get to drinking he would have traveled fast. Kilen soon pulled off his shirt and started sewing it back up, keeping himself busy was the only way to resist the urge to run back up the road to Humbridge to find Chit. The water had washed most of the blood and dirt from his clothing. He used tattered parts of the pant legs to sew patches on the knees, and used the knife to make them even. He wrung as much water from each piece of clothing before he put it back on. The air had cooled the dampness left in the clothing, and when he put them back on each piece caused Kilen to shiver. Still he remained crouched in the bushes shivering in cold wet clothes. It was spring but the season’s warmth hadn’t set into a regular pattern. The night would be cool and being wet made it worse. He knew he could not start a fire. It might give his position away to Chit, or attract unwanted company from the glow and heat. His father had taught him to be wary when traveling on country roads.

Before long Kilen could hear an approaching horse. He slowly crept forward towards the road, keeping low in the bushes. The horse was brown and the rider appeared to be big, Kilen could only see the shadows. He would have to wait until they came closer. When the rider passed by he was wearing a riding cloak with the hood pulled up. Kilen could not tell if it was Chit or not, he decided to chase them down. He leapt from his hiding spot and ran abreast of the rider to get a look into his hood. They neared the town gates. As the rider saw him, he urged the horse to run faster. Kilen ran faster also. The city gates were nearing in the distance and Kilen took two giant leaps ahead of the horse. He would wrestle Chit’s horse to a stop before he got to the gates if it was needed. The torches from the cities gate let him glance into the hood. A boy about the same build and age as Kilen looked back from the hood with piercing blue eyes. He wore a deep blue traveling cloak, and never took his eyes from Kilen as he passed into the city. Kilen stood about one gigantic leap from the gates as he watched the rider go inside. Kilen listened to the horse’s footsteps echo off the stone streets. The horse seemed to slow down and come back in the gates direction. He waited and waited for the rider to emerge from the city, probably to see who could run with leaps. Kilen’s heart was thumping in his ears from the confrontation of running next to a horse and meeting the rider’s eyes. He was so focused on the horse’s sound that he excluded everything else in the world.

Kilen finally realized that the echo’s weren’t from inside the city but from outside. Another rider was coming along the path and had sped to a canter as they got into the light of the city’s torches. The rider passed him, and slowed to a stop just under the gate’s arch. The guards came out to see his business, and Kilen saw it, his sword’s silver wrapped sheath. The guards were getting into an argument with Chit and he turned his horse around. “I don’t know how you beat me here, but this sword was given to me. If you want this child’s toy come in and buy me a drink and will talk this over like old pals.”

Kilen had no choice but to go with him. Kilen nodded and walked behind Chit’s horse. He stopped around the corner out, of the sight of the guards, at a local tavern. It had a dog drinking from a mug on the sign. Chit tied up his horse. He lead Kilen to the mouth of the alley way. “Chit, I’ve had a bad night, I just want my sword back. I’ll even buy it from you if that’s what it takes.” Kilen was still a little intimidated by Chit’s size. He was a whole head taller than Kilen was. He took out three gold crowns and held them for Chit to see.

“I’ve been told that a sword could increase a person’s status in the King’s military, and now I have one, even if it isn’t my size. It’s more like a large knife than a sword. Although I could melt it down and get a good price for the silver in it. You had better make it worth my while so, It will take thirty gold crowns to get this knife back. Ten crowns for the sword and ten crowns for the embarrassment you and your friends caused me in town today.” Kilen knew that Chit couldn’t even add to know how much money he actually asked for. Kilen counted out ten crowns into each hand.

“Here, thirty crowns. Now give me my sword.” Chit’s smiled with satisfaction as he saw the gold in Kilen’s hands, he took a step forward and stopped two paces away.

“Well I guess I forgot the sentimental value, I did like the look on your face when your mother gave it to me. I’ll want to remember that moment, so I’ll have to up the price to let’s say forty gold,” he smiled as spoke holding the sword in front of him turning it to see both sides.

“That’s all the gold I have Chit. I have twenty in my hands. You asked for thirty but I only have twenty so that’s what I offer you.” Kilen knew in his mind that Chit wouldn’t give the sword to him even if he did have the forty gold.

“You have to know I wasn’t going to give you the sword, but at least I can have the gold. You did embarrass me and ruin my day, so I figure you owe it to me. So give it over and I won’t have to take it from you, rich boy.” Kilen put the coin back into his coin purse and re-tied it to his damp leather belt.

Kilen summoned as much courage and determination to his voice that he could find. “Chit, today you will get no gold from me. I will take my father’s sword from you. If you make me.”

Before Kilen could react Chit had moved the three paces and punched Kilen in the stomach. He collapsed in the street, coughing and sucking for breath. The determination from the rings took over the gap in his control, he had to win this fight. Chit waited for him to get up, while taunting him the entire time. Kilen realized that he had stood in front of the punch. He could have moved or tightened his stomach, but didn’t. He had taken it full force. It wasn’t as if he was scared stiff, he had gotten use to the strength in the rings and become overconfident.

Kilen began to stand with Chit chuckling a couple of pace’s away. He thought he better use the power in the rings before Chit figured out the power he possessed. The rings and surprise were the only real advantages he had in this fight. Kilen did not have any need to squabble with people in town and he usually avoided Chit like the plague. Kilen leaped over to Chit and pushed him with both hands as hard as he could. Chit and Kilen both went flying in opposite directions. Kilen hit the ground hard and rolled across the cobble street to a stop in mouth of the alley across from the street. Chit had hit the tavern wall so hard he lay crumpled at the bottom. The wood panels were cracked from him hitting it with such force. He ran up to Chit and grabbed his sword unbuckling the sheath from the clasp on Chit’s chest, Kilen held his prize and looked at it as Chit had done. This is the first time he had felt the weight and grip of the sword. It felt comfortable, almost a part of him. Kilen kept looking at the silver wrapped sheath and the blade and didn’t notice Chit waking up. He had gotten what he had come for. Chit got up quickly and rammed his shoulder in to Kilen and threw him to the ground landing, on him with all his weight. Kilen heard something snap inside his chest and pain bloomed in his head, causing his sight to narrow and dim. He lay in the street with Chit standing over him, he tried not to pass out from the pain. Chit picked up the sword, and spat on him. Kilen could only lay and hold right side, hoping Chit didn’t use the sword on him. Despite the pain, Kilen could feel the determination grow in his chest, the ring’s power were helping to overwhelm the pain so that he could get the sword back again. The power grew and grew with every breath and sight of Chit holding it. Kilen knew that if he could buy himself a small amount of time he would be able to stand and overcome the pain.