Chapter Fourteen - The Cleansing of Darnuth Keep by Kelly D. Tolman

Posted by admin on December 29, 2008

The Cleansing of Darnuth Keep is a fantasy novel describing the adventures of Colter Halfspear as he becomes a man and an initiate of magical powers.

After Havensod I began endless days of practice with sword and spear and bow. Pascalli carried an enormous oak shaft he would brandish when rancor took him, but he also hid a sword beneath his cloak. Iven preferred his hammer over anything else, but he relented long enough to show me the proper use of my father’s spear.

“Hold it thus,” he told me. “And watch your footwork.” He usually said that after I tripped again. “You’re feet give you control. Don’t rely on your eyes or hands. Your legs and hips are the power, not your arms. You’re scrawny as a chicken, lad. You can’t expect to beat me with strength alone.”

“Then how can I win?” I asked. I didn’t want to kill the smith or anyone at all, but my desire to learn grew insatiable.

“Play to your strengths. You’ve speed and nimble feet. Never force a blow you can draw me into, and don’t try to stop a blow you could just as easily avoid altogether,” he said. I listened carefully to the smith and each day tried to improve upon the last.

I soon discovered that Pascalli had truly mastered many skills. In addition to my daily or twice or thrice daily efforts with weapons, he taught and drilled and forced me to recite from memory arithmetic, poetry, and the solutions to complex problems. In many ways, traveling with those two was akin to being locked in a room with two over-cautious tutors from dawn until dusk. Of course usually tutors did not also have you doing the cooking and cleaning and tending the fire. I don’t mean to say that they treated me harshly. They merely kept me busy. I certainly had no time to be homesick or to cause trouble.

The days began early and ended very late. We did not push the horses too quickly, though Pascalli had a definite direction and course in mind. We traveled almost due east, but slightly north out of Havensod directly into the Shadowspine Mountains. After the first day we left the highway where it continued east and slightly south towards a pass that led out of the empire.

“We are in the wild now,” advised Iven. “You best keep your wits about you, Scratch.”

“I’ve been in the wild before,” I replied quietly.

“Of course you have,” said Pascalli, slightly condescending. “I’m sure your father did his best to get around your mother’s preoccupation with your safety.” I gave him a sour look, but he only smiled back. “Have no fear. You will have plenty of opportunity to learn.” When he caught my look of exasperation, he added, “There is no skill so great that it cannot be improved. We need meat and healing plants. One thing you do not do well is cook, and since you once expressed an interest in learning, I shall teach you. For that we shall need some herbs and plants of which you may not be entirely familiar.”

“I already know about herbs and plants and things,” I said.

“I’m sure you do,” he said dismissively. “Now ride on out and see if you can bring down an elk or buffalo.”

“Wouldn’t a deer be enough? There are only three of us,” I suggested.

“We need more than just meat,” he replied. “A bear or tiger would be good, though I doubt you will see one. Fat and furs will see us through the winter.” He gave me a mysterious grin. “Of course if all goes well we will have other resources for the winter. Still, we better plan for the worst.”

“We’ll need to move higher into the mountains if you want to find game that large,” I said. “It’s too hot this low.”

He smiled back at me. “Of course, Scratch, you lead the way. Take us north and east until we reach the head of the Dustwater.” I thought he was joking, but after a moment I realized he actually expected me to pick out our trail.

Under my leadership we progressed slowly. I turned out to be a less proficient tracker than I had expected, though not as bad, I think, as Iven had guessed. My father taught me as much as a young boy could learn, and I stayed alert to the hints Pascalli dropped each day. After three days we finally came upon a small stream that flowed icy cold from the mountains. “I see you’ve finally found it,” chuckled Pascalli, and my ears burned. “Why not rest a while,” he suggested, although it was only mid-day. “This is a branch of the Dustwater. We can follow it upstream until it joins the main river. Perhaps the smith can catch a fish for our supper and you can show me that trick you do with the spear again.”

The trick he referred to was the one where he disarmed me and sent me sprawling head over heels. I felt in no mood to be bruised again. “I need to check for animal sign,” I said.

“Good idea, I’ll come with you,” said the old wizard. I expected Pascalli to do little more than be a nuisance, much less offer any real help. To my great surprise he proved to be both much more expert than myself, and a much kinder teacher than I had hoped.

“Shhh, Scratch,” he breathed. “See, there, the path of a small snake where it has crossed to get water. And there, that broken twig is fresh, only a few minutes. A mountain buffalo most likely, there haven’t been any sign of bear.”

Sure enough it only required a few moments of careful looking to spot a clearer set of tracks among the softer ground near the water. We found a medium sized bull grazing near the stream.

“Do you know where to shoot?” asked Pascalli.

“Yes, I replied,” as I pulled my bow. My aim was true, and the arrow found its mark just behind and a little below the shoulder. I drew and loosed a second arrow when the first one didn’t drop the mountain buffalo. After a moment though, it stumbled and fell over. I had never before killed anything quite so large and felt a mixture of emotions as I watched the blood ooze from its nose. Slaying something so great and beautiful felt both wonderful and horrible.

“You begin skinning it,” said Pascalli. “I’ll get Iven.”

We had a wonderful feast of fresh meat that evening, the first I had enjoyed since leaving Dunston. We scraped and cured the hide. We carefully jerked thee rest of the meat. Pascalli took the time to show me the proper technique for curing the hide while we rested and gathered our strength.

“We’ll need at least two more hides like this by the end of summer,” warned Pascalli. “Three or four would serve us better.”

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Not that again,” laughed the wizard, and Iven added his own rough chuckle. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, why do we need so many hides if there are clothes and blankets we can buy?” I said.

“That should be obvious even to you,” replied the wizard. “There is a strong possibility that we will spend the winter in the mountains without access to other resources. You have much to learn before you can take up your father’s destiny.”

“What do you know about my father?” I asked.

“More than you,” replied Pascalli with a wink. He saw the hurt and anger in my eyes. “No need for that. I mean no harm. I know a great deal about many people. Your father was a great man and he left you a great responsibility. Can you understand that?”

“I can do what needs doing,” I said.

“Then find us meat and hides before we have to go to ground for the winter. Before you know it your real work will begin and you’ve not long to prepare for it. You will take up Kyven Halfspear’s work, and I mean for you to be fully prepared when you do.”

I brought down another buffalo and three elk before the first snow, and for the first time in several markets Pascalli seemed content. Then one day Pascalli told me to take the rear. I had lead long enough. At first I felt that I had somehow disappointed him with my performance. I must have taken too long or not properly followed the river. I quickly realized he was looking for a specific place, one that I could not possibly know about. He guided us higher and deeper, beyond the farthest homesteads. Eventually I lost the path entirely though I did my best to watch our back trail. Pascalli taught me to pick out landmarks so that if I ever rode the same trail twice, either coming or going I would be able to find my way. Despite his training I admit I could not keep the path clearly in my mind. He guided us for more than two markets. In the dead of winter we entered a cave deep in the mountains far beyond the known passes of men.

We had already consumed much of our meat. Iven complained more than once about the lack of fuel for his pipe. Pascalli waved away our concerns lightly. “We’ll soon have more than we need I’m sure, though you may not like what you get. Tomorrow we’ll enter the realm of the Veldmen. They’ll see us through the winter safe enough.”

On to The Cleansing of Darnuth Keep Fantasy Novel Chapter Fifteen

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