Konic Clava walked into the common room at the Fisherman’s Inn and looked around. It did not take him long to pick out the man in black seated by himself in the corner, nor did it surprise him that the man had already inspected the newcomer. Konic understood why the man was seated alone. No one who valued their life would voluntarily sit with a man whom so obviously reeked of death, at least not while there was another open seat in the common room. There were other open seats as the number of travelers to Lorgo had steadily decreased since the Collapse, as they had everywhere else. Still, Konic marched over and sat across the table from the mysterious killer. And a killer he surely was. Konic could see death in the man’s icy blue eyes. The man’s hands carried the calluses of both sword and bow, as well as some that Konic could not identify. The bandit sat, bowstring taut, ready to spring in any direction at a moment’s notice, yet he gave the casual appearance of relaxing with his drink. The man might not be a bandit at all, Konic pondered, more likely an assassin.
A young town girl came over to take his order. “Good evening, Master…”
“Just an ale, girl,” Konic interrupted. “And I’ll signal if I wish another.”
The girl left with a puzzled look and Konic turned his attention back to the mysterious man who was looking out towards the rest of the common room, though Konic was sure that the man was watching his every move.
“Can I get you a drink when the girl returns, stranger?” Konic asked.
“I am well cared for, fisherman,” the bandit smoothly replied.
The bandit’s accent was slight, but obviously not Sordoan. “You are not Sordoan, I see,” he remarked.
The bandit blinked at him before replying. “No one is Sordoan anymore,” he stated flatly. “And if I came from anywhere around your town, you would surely already know me. What is it you wish to ask me that comes so slowly to your tongue?”
The man was no fool, but Konic had already determined that. The problem would be getting any useful information from him. Konic was sure that the man could lie with as straight a face as if he were telling the truth. It was also clear from the man’s behavior that he did not consider Konic as a threat, only a distraction from watching the other people in the common room. “I am just curious what brings someone of your obvious skill to such a small town as Lorgo,” Konic finally asked.
The girl brought Konic’s mug of ale and gave him a puzzled look but did not say anything.
“I am just traveling through,” smiled the bandit. “Who can say what makes a man travel any particular road any more than what makes a soldier settle down and take up fishing?”
Konic was startled. Not many townspeople even knew that he had been in the Army when he was younger. Surely the sword calluses were long gone and covered by years of fishing. How could this simple bandit know that? Then again, this was no simple bandit, Konic reminded himself. The man had all the poise of a person who had spent his whole life in the Army. Perhaps he is a forward scout for one of the many warring armies ravaging Sordoa. Then again, most of the bandits plaguing the world had been soldiers at one time or another. “We’ve had trouble with bandits invading the town before,” Konic finally said. “If that is your intention, I would like to dissuade you from the thought.”
“If that is your true purpose,” the bandit smiled, “you can leave now, satisfied that you have accomplished your mission. I have not seen much in your town that would interest a group of bandits.”
The bandit’s smile told Konic that the man had not bought his story, but surely he could not know why Konic was here. Even Konic was not sure exactly why he was here. He wanted the boys safe and he suspected that this man might be harmful to them, but why? What did the bandit want here? How could he find out? Finally he decided, as he did most other times, that the truth was usually the best course. “I lost my wife to bandits three years ago,” Konic declared bitterly, “and all I have left is my son. If you are here to harm him or his friend, I will kill you.”
When the bandit made no comment, Konic shakily continued. “I know you are a man of great skill and you think my threat idle and boastful, but I assure you that I will not rest until your bones are scattered to the vultures.” Konic took the star weapon out of his pouch and slammed it on the table. All eyes in the common room turned at the sound and the bandit swept the star up and out of sight before Konic could see the man’s hand move.
The bandit rose and gently touched Konic’s sleeve. “Let us walk,” he simply whispered and strode out the door of the inn. Konic rose unsteadily and followed. The man could easily kill him outside and be out of town before anyone even noticed, but Konic had a duty to his son that nobody would frighten him out of. When Master Clava had gone through the door, he saw the bandit leaning lazily against a post as if he had not a care in the world. He was holding the star weapon in his right hand.
“Was this given to you by your son?” the bandit asked.
“His friend,” Konic responded. “The son of my friend. He says you almost killed him with it.”
The bandit just nodded and before Konic realized it, the man in black had three of the stars in his hands. He turned casually and nodded at a sign across the street. The bandit threw the three stars, one at a time, at the sign. All three of them landed inside a letter O in the sign. “If I had wanted to harm the boy, rest assured that you would not now be talking to me about him.”
Konic followed the bandit across the street to retrieve the stars with his mouth hanging open. “The boy was attempting to sneak into my campsite and thought no one could hear him. I scared him away. That is all there is to it.”
Konic nodded as the bandit pried the three stars out of the sign. He handed one of them to Konic. “Return this to Tedi, that it might remind him to never underestimate his opponent. It is called a Lanoirian Star and it is a potent weapon in experienced hands. Perhaps he will learn how to use it.”
Konic stared at the bandit. “How is it that you know the boy’s name?” he demanded.
The bandit sat on the stoop of the building, the other two stars already put back wherever they belonged. “I overheard him and Arik, who I suppose is your son, talking in the woods about some witch in a blue dress. They were on an animal path just west of the coastal highway. Arik was trying to find Tedi and finally succeeded. Do you know who this witch is?”
Konic was stunned with the amount of information that the bandit possessed. The man would make an excellent spy. He had been in town less than a day and already knew more than most of the townspeople. Master Clava sat next to the bandit and shook his head. “No,” he replied, “but whoever she is, she has too much interest in the boys for my taste. How do I know you are not allied with her?”
“If I was,” the bandit smiled, “she would still be here instead of chasing your boys up North somewhere. She will return, you know. Whatever she is after, she will know by tomorrow night that the boys did not go north.”
“How do you know so much?” Konic frustratingly asked. “Just who are you?”
The bandit stared at his feet as if debating with himself as to how much to say. “My name is Garth Shado,” the bandit finally stated, “and I mean no harm to you or your boys. As to the witch, I saw her pass last night. She travels in the company of Dark Riders, about twenty of them. How old are the boys?”
Konic’s head jerked upright. The boys had told him about everyone wanting to know how old they were. He turned and stared into the bandit’s icy blue eyes. “You will explain your need to know their ages,” Konic demanded with a tone of challenge.
Garth raised his hands as if to fend off an imaginary attack and smiled. That smile was beginning to get on Konic’s nerves. “There are the Prophecies of the Collapse,” Garth said softly. “The Prophecies foretell of the children who will rise up to slay the Dark One. Although the Prophecies don’t specify when the children will be born, many believe that those children were born in the year of the Collapse. There are rumors that the Dark One has ordered the death of any child born that year. The boys are close enough in age to draw a lot of attention, even if they are not the children of the Prophecies. I am afraid that people will be interested in their age as long as they live. Some people, like myself, will only be curious. Others will have a more serious agenda.”
Konic was not sure that Garth had put himself in the right category, but at least he now knew why everyone wanted to know the boys’ ages. “How do you know that the witch will be back?” Konic asked.
“Because the Dark Riders will fan out and check everyone heading north,” Garth replied. “She will soon know that she has been duped. It is only logical for her to return to the last place she sighted them to try and pick up a trail.”
Konic stood and faced the bandit. “Thank you for sharing your knowledge with me, Master Shado,” Konic said formally. “I will digest what you have told me, but know that I am sincere where the safety of the boys is concerned. If you have duped me with your intentions towards them, it will not diminish my resolve to protect or avenge them.”
Garth only nodded as Konic strode down the street towards the quay. Konic was shaking with fear and he was determined that no one would notice. He barely held his body back from running all of the way to the campsite. Instead of returning directly to the campsite, Konic waved to Alan and continued down to the shore to sit and think. After a few moments, when Alan realized that Konic was not coming back to the campsite, he walked down to join Konic. Konic was sitting on the sandy beach and didn’t even appear to notice when Alan walked up and sat beside him.
“What is the matter, friend,” Alan asked cautiously. “Are you all right?”
When Konic looked over at his friend, Alan could see that he was shaking and his eyes were moist. “It is worse than we expected,” Konic replied with an unsteady voice.
Alan wondered what had happened to make his friend afraid. Konic had always been the steadfast one, never shaken, never fearful. He wondered if the bandit had harmed him in some way. Alan could not see any bruises, but he knew a man could be broken without any marks. “What did the bandit do?” demanded Alan.
Konic gazed at the rolling surf, heard the waves crashing against the shore. Strange, he thought, how some violent actions were so soothing, while others so unnerving. “It isn’t what the bandit did that bothers me,” confided Konic. “It is what he said that upsets me.”
Konic relived the meeting with the bandit for his friend, leaving no detail unspoken. “Then, even if these rumors are untrue,” Konic concluded, “our boys will never know peace or safety in their lifetimes.”
“Surely, if we explain it all to the town council,” Alan offered, “the whole town would stand behind the boys and help protect them.”
“Would they?” queried Konic. “Would this town really stand against twenty Dark Riders and a witch? How about the next time when it was two hundred Dark Riders and a dozen witches? What if one of the townspeople was a Black Devil and nobody knew it? All it would take is one arrow, or one knife, or some damn spell.”
Alan recalled stories of the Black Devils from before the Collapse. The group was a society of magicians devoted to a wizard known as Sarac, the same Wizard who supposedly had been chosen by Alutar, the Great Demon, to be the Dark One and rule the world. If the stories are true, it was Sarac, as the Dark One, who had caused the Collapse of the Universes. “You know that I will stand with you until the end, Konic. No matter what the end may bring.”
Konic looked over and gave a weak smile to his friend. “I know that, Alan, without asking. It is not you or I that I am worried about. I would gladly trade my life for the boys, but even that will not help. The only thing that I can think of is to send the boys away.”
“How will that help?” Alan asked. He was just finally reunited with his son after three years in a bottle and he wasn’t too happy to even think of sending him away. “They will be in danger no matter where they are. Why shouldn’t they stay here?”
Konic rubbed the tears from his eyes. “Because if they stay here, the townspeople know how old they are. Someplace else, they can lie about their age and perhaps survive until the rumors go away.”
“Well, why can’t we go with them, then?” asked Alan. “That way, we could get them away from the townspeople who know them and still be close enough to protect them.”
“I thought about that,” replied Konic, “but we would stick out like a small bandit gang and, sooner or later, one of the larger gangs would eliminate all of us. If the boys go alone, they can make their way to another town or city and become apprentices without raising too much suspicion. If they lie about their ages when they first arrive, everyone in their new town will vouch for their ages because it will be as they always knew. It is the only solution that I can think of and I am going to miss them both very much.”
Alan could only nod in agreement because his throat was too choked up to speak. Konic reclined on the sand and a few moments later was sleeping soundly. Alan figured the stress of the day had finally taken its toll on his friend and reclined to ponder the dilemma, hoping to discover some solution that was more palatable than losing the son he had just rediscovered. It was not long before Alan was also asleep and nobody woke Tedi to take his turn at watch.
Garth climbed the stairs of the Fisherman’s Inn and opened the door to his room. Sitting in a chair reading was a beautiful woman in a long, black dress and long, flowing black hair. “Did you learn anything interesting?” she asked.
“Quite a bit,” Garth smiled. “The father of one of the boys came to confront me. Even though most of the people in town say that they are younger than what we are looking for, I believe they are all lying.”
“What makes you think the townspeople would all lie to save two sons of fishermen?” she queried.
“The townspeople are very hesitant to talk about the boys, but quick to tell me their ages,” Garth answered. “The father’s face when I told him about the Prophecies was the real teller. At least one of those boys was born in the year of the Collapse, maybe both. I am sure of that.”
“Couldn’t the father be a better actor than you think?” she teased. She knew Garth did not offer an opinion as fact unless he was really confident about his conclusion.
“The father is as honest a man as I’ve ever met,” Garth laughed. “He had the chance to lie to me about their ages and he couldn’t bring himself to utter that lie, even when he knew the dire consequences. I like the man, Kalina. He knew me for the type of man that I am and he still had the spunk to stand up to me and even threaten to kill me if I harmed either boy. He meant it, too. I have no doubt that if he thought I had harmed his son, he would spend the rest of his life tracking me down and killing me. I think you should meet the boys socially without the fathers around.”
“Do you know where they are staying?” Kalina asked.
“Of course, my pet,” Garth smiled. “Did you think for a moment that such a small detail would escape my grasp?”
“Certainly not,” she responded, “but if I don’t keep asking, you will get lax. How are you going to get rid of the fathers?”
Garth’s face grew serious. “I will never be lax about this matter,” he protested. “Normally, they would go out fishing for the day, but I doubt those two will be fishing tomorrow. They will react quickly. Arik’s father used to be a soldier. A long time ago, perhaps, but his training will take over and he will start to make decisions like he was on a battlefield. We have a day at the most before the boys are sent on their merry way. I’m afraid I told him about the Dark Riders.”
“That is probably for the better, Garth,” Kalina responded. “In the morning you will show me where they are staying. When the time is right, I will move and you will remain hidden. Now, we should get some sleep. Fishermen are known to be early risers.”
To the north two Dark Riders came to a halt.
“There is no way that they went north from the town,” the older rider said.
“As she half suspected,” sighed the younger rider.
“That will mean a fast ride back to the town and the men are beat now as it is. Let’s rest the men until morning and then decide that the boys didn’t come this way,” ordered the older rider.
“You will get no argument from me or the men,” answered the younger rider. “In the morning, we will be sure that they did not come this way.”
Tedi woke as the sky lightened somewhat and looked around the campsite. Fear set in when he could not see either of the two men and he quickly shook Arik awake.
“What is it?” Arik asked groggily. “Is it my turn for watch already? It feels like I just got to sleep.”
“It is past the time for your watch to end,” snarled Tedi. “Nobody woke me for my watch and neither of our fathers are here.”
Arik jumped to his feet and grabbed his bow and quiver. Tedi also grabbed his and the two boys looked for signs of a struggle. Arik quietly motioned to Tedi to search the inland side of the camp while he went towards the sea. When Arik reached the beach he saw the two bodies sprawled on the sand and shouted for Tedi to come running. At the sound of his shout, both men leaped to their feet and looked around in confusion. Seeing no danger, the men sat back down as Tedi came running out of the woods.
“What is it?” yelled Tedi. “What happened?”
“That is what I would like to know,” demanded Arik. “Nobody woke either of us for our watch. When I got here I thought you both were dead. Why are you here on the beach and why weren’t we awakened for our watches?”
“You will make a fine officer someday,” Konic laughed. “I feel as if my Sergeant has just caught me asleep at my post.”
“That is exactly how you should feel,” Alan stated, “except it was my responsibility to wake Tedi. It is my fault, not yours.”
“Let us not start this day off with ill feelings,” Konic decreed while looking at Alan. “I wanted to think last night and I like smelling and hearing the sea when I think. I’m afraid that I enticed Alan down here. That is not what’s important though. You two boys get breakfast started. Master Markel and I will be along shortly and explain everything.”
Arik looked at Tedi and shrugged. He certainly was not about to argue with their fathers and breakfast sounded like a fine idea. Arik and Tedi went back to the campsite and Arik started a fire while Tedi got a couple of pots of water from a nearby stream. Within minutes the coffee was underway and the two men showed up with handfuls of clams. “I think these will stretch that oatmeal a little bit.” Alan quipped.
Konic fished in his pouch and brought out the Lanoirian Star. He handed it to Tedi as he began to relate the basics of the story of the previous night. Both boys sat listening as Master Markel took over the cooking. When Konic had finished the story, he asked the boys what they should do next. Alan handed out the bowls of breakfast and sat studying the boys.
“Why did he give this Lanoirian Star back to you, Master Clava?” Tedi asked.
“He sent it back with a message, Tedi,” Konic began. “It is a message that you both need to hear and remember. He wanted it to be a reminder to you that you should never underestimate your opponent. He demonstrated quite adequately that he could just have easily put that between your eyes.”
“So you think he might be a friend?” asked Arik.
“I don’t know what his game is,” admitted Konic, “but I know a killer when I see one and this man is a very capable killer, probably the most capable that I have ever seen. He acts like he has no interest in you two, but I know that is a lie. Still, he could easily have killed you both when you were in the woods talking about the witch.”
“What do you mean?” asked Arik. “When did he see us in the woods? If you mean the time that I think you mean, there is no way he could have been around. I would have heard him.”
“Son,” soothed Konic, “he said you were on a game trail looking for Tedi and finally found him. He said you were talking about a witch in a blue dress and that you each addressed the other by name. He said that was how he learned your names.”
Arik turned beat red as he realized that the bandit had been close enough to hear the conversation and he hadn’t even heard him. He blushed further when he remembered his boasting about how good his hearing was and how he would be able to detect anyone within one hundred paces. “His advice about overconfidence will be well taken,” admitted Arik.
Tedi, who had been quiet and reserved during the previous exchange looked sadly at his father. “The only proper course of action is for Arik and I to leave Lorgo. If we stay, we endanger both of you and the rest of the town.”
Alan started to protest and Konic laid a hand on his arm to quiet him. Arik looked up, his face still red, and nodded. “If we can get a new start in another town, we can… sorry, Father, but we can lie about our ages and try to establish new lives.”
Konic went over and hugged his son. “Don’t be sorry, son,” he soothed. “I have always told you that the truth will never hurt you. I was wrong. You should always try to tell the truth, but this is one lie that we can live with.” He pushed his son to arm’s length and looked him in the eye. “But it is the exception, mind you. Don’t let me catch you making a habit out of it just because I excuse you one lie.”
Arik laughed and hugged his father. “I will miss you, Father.”
“I will miss you, too, son,” Konic cried, “but not today. Today we have much to teach you and many things to get ready before you leave. I also think it is high time for you to call me Konic. From now on, I will think of you as my friend and should we meet again, that is what you will be to me.”
Nearby in the woods, two black clad figures watched the emotional scene in silence. As patient as trees, as quiet as the earth, they stood and waited.