Chapter Fourty Four – The Cleansing of Darnuth Keep by Kelly D. Tolman

Posted by admin on July 27, 2009

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.

We hurried inside and found an abandoned house.  Through the windows I watched several more creatures scurry past out the main gate and off into the deepening darkness.

In the dead of winter I found myself holed up with an irascible wizard and a lame huntress.  Dina’s arm had broken.  Pascalli complained bitterly to me.  “Why didn’t you think, boy?  It’s a fight for your life.  There are no rules.  I wanted into the palace by now, but we can’t leave her alone, and we can’t bring her along like this.”

We had taken refuge in a large mansion near the palace.  With little else to do except eat and sleep, Pascalli quadrupled my training.  Every chore imaginable he required that I perform by magic alone, without the aid of my hands.  Though I had often dreamt as a child of being able to simply wish the dinner pots would clean themselves, I found that asking them to do it was equally rigorous.  Catching the right voices among the myriad swirls of so many different elements proved nearly impossible.  At first I managed by conjuring water and having it slosh around the same as I would by hand, but Pascalli pointedly dismissed this idea.  “Use the meat between your ears, Scratch.  You’ve magic now, do something interesting.”

I now realize that no matter what I could have invented there would have been no pleasing that old man, but at the time I scrambled through idea after idea.  By the first signs of spring I had become adept at lighting fires and manipulating water and air.  I mastered causing small objects to fly, but I had difficulty with anything larger or heavier than a stone the size of my fist.

Pascalli also invented a new, rather disturbing game that truly annoyed me.  At odd moments he would toss a stone at me, and I either stopped it with magic or took a lump.  As if that game weren’t bad enough, it quickly progressed to a knife aimed at an arm or leg and eventually my more vital parts.  He began encouraging Dina to do the same with her free arm, which she did far too willingly for my pleasure.  I am sure that had time permitted we would have progressed to stopping arrows or some other nonsense, but Dina’s arm took time to heal.

After some ten markets Dina’s arm knit completely and the weather had turned enough for Pascalli to finally venture a visit to the palace.  To my great dismay, however, he did not invite me.  Instead he said, “Scratch, my lad, I shall need some supplies.  Now I’ve done some looking and turned up a coin or two, and there’s bound to be more about.  Go down to Last Gate and see what you can buy.  What’s more, see who you can entice into joining us here.  The city is open now, and I think we can begin to breathe some life into it.”

I set off with Dina back down the mountain towards Last Gate.  Going down seemed much easier than coming up.  No enemies pursued us, though in the hills and forest remained a constant danger filled with many strange creatures from the breaking.  Our horses delighted in the journey for they had not much exercise in many markets.  Dina also acted as gay as any young lass for she was returning alive, though a certain dread did still shadow us.  For my part I knew that Pascalli had brought me to the city for a reason that remained as yet unaccomplished.  I believe Dina still wondered about her station with her family.
The guards at Last Gate saw us approach easily a kilometer before we reached the wall.  Even in the distance we heard someone call into the town, though the words were muffled.  A small crowd gathered atop the gate to watch us, and I felt a stirring of pride as they gaped in disbelief at our approach.

Naturally, Garret, the gate captain assumed we were returning in failure. “I see you return one windbag less,” he said with a commanding voice.  “These gates are closed by imperial law.”

Dina stood up in her stirrups and I’m sure was prepared to invoke her father’s name, but I motioned for her to relax.

“The Lord of Darnuth Keep does not leave his domain without a steward,” I replied.  “My tutor and friend is safe and well, I assure you, preparing my palace for my return.”  I must admit at the time I had meant merely to bluff my way through a closed door.  I had no idea how near the truth I really hit.  “I have come to seek parlance with the imperial regent and to negotiate a treaty to our mutual benefit.  Let us pass.”

There were no more replies from the guard towers, only muttered voices beyond my hearing.  The gate opened and we passed inside.

The village of Last Gate had swollen over the winter with the news of the three strangers who forced their way through.  Swarms of rogues and adventurers all in the guise of merchants crowded the streets peddling anything that passed the guards’ mandates.  These merchants brought with them their servants and slaves, and the commotion attracted the attention of yet other visitors.  In particular many members of the local nobility lent their curiosity.  The moment that drove home the importance of our situation most poignantly happened when Dina suddenly reined her horse in and dismounted.  She dropped to her knees before a haughty man some eight or ten winters my elder.  He rode a tall black stallion with his hair tied back in a topknot after the fashion of the western nobility.  I knew at once from his manner and his eyes that this must be a brother.  I waited, facing him silently.

He ignored his sister and instead spoke to me.  His shirt and pantaloons were finest silk, and the cutlass at his side had a hilt worked masterfully.  I caught the distinct clink of mail and knew that he was protected and surely trained to fight.

“You have broken our law,” he said flatly.  His voice carried a deadly steel that I knew came from a life of giving orders.

“That is impossible,” I replied.  A slice of anger pierced his eyes.  “I am Colter Halfspear, Lord of Darnuth Keep.  There is no law here that binds me.”  After watching Pascalli for so long I had developed a bit of pomp for bullying.  This man, Dina’s brother, however, was not a man to be bullied, especially not by an un-bearded youth such as myself.

“You will give me your weapons, now,” he said.  “Then my court shall decide your fate.”

“I know your law,” I said.  “It is the emperor’s law.  You cannot take my weapons, and you should not try.”

Soldiers had now surrounded us.  I began to have some second thoughts about my situation, but I had gone too far to back down.  Pascalli had beaten too much pride into me.  I couldn’t give it away.

Suddenly Dina spoke, and for the first time her brother paid her attention, “Zaban, you must not try it.  He is who he says he is.”  She had not raised her head, and I’m sure the muddy streets made her knees quite uncomfortable.

Zaban’s steely eyes turned into a scowl.  “Come with me,” he said, relenting slightly.  “We have much to discuss.  You may retain your weapons for the present.”  He did not fear me.  That much I could read in his eyes.  I believe he saw the wisdom of avoiding conflict despite my forced breach of custom.
He still did not speak to Dina, even as we paraded, with imperial guards on either side through the streets to a large camp just outside of town.  His personal tent dominated a small village of tents that housed his many servants and personal warriors.

Pascalli had warned me of the formality of the courts of nobility, particularly in the west.  I don’t believe he had planned for me to be introduced just yet, but I was determined not to disappoint.  Zaban, to be sure, leaned heavily on formality and custom.  His personal guard kept a tight line, much better than typical soldiers, and their gear was polished bright enough to make Iven smile.  I suddenly realized how haggard I must look, dressed in home-cut buckskin with wild hair Dina cropped with our crude tools.  Though I groomed my horse better than anyone I knew and I tended my weapons and armor as only one whose life depends on it, I had seen too much wear for too long.
Copyright 2008 Kelly David Tolman

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