The Sword of Light: Book One of the Veredor Chronicles (2 page)

Eben looked up
at the chain and wasn’t sure if he should trust the stranger. ‘I
expect that someone tied you up for a reason.’

‘
Not for a good reason,’ replied the man defensively. ‘I was
travelling with a small group of traders. The sly backstabbing
thieves robbed me and then left me here to die. Now really, why
don’t you just free me? Surely that can’t be too much trouble for
you?’

‘
How can I trust you? You could be a threat to me.’

The young man
released a sigh and shook his head in disbelief. ‘True, I could be
a threat, but when you think about it, you have a sword, an axe,
and a bow, and I have nothing. By anyone’s guess you are much more
of a danger to me than I am to you. I won’t trouble you if you just
help me escape. Surely you won’t leave me here to die? No one
deserves to be treated in such a way. It’s really quite simple;
just use your axe to cut the rope, and I won’t bother you ever
again.’

Eben
considered the situation and knew what the young man said was true;
he simply couldn’t leave him and walk on. He took his axe from over
his shoulder and walked over to where the rope had been fixed to a
lower branch.

‘
Hey, wait, be careful with that axe,’ said the stranger, not
knowing for sure what Eben was going to do. A moment later Eben cut
the rope just below where it was connected to the chain. The man
toppled downward and was stunned for a moment. He slowly got to his
feet and stumbled around for a few moments as he gained his
balance. Eben helped to untie his hands.

‘
Thanks. You have done a good deed,’ he said as he brushed the
dust off his dirty clothes.

‘
I hope so,’ replied Eben as he turned to leave.

‘
Where are you heading?’ asked the stranger as he followed
after Eben.

‘
I thought you said that you wouldn’t bother me
again.’

‘
I’m just trying to be friendly. You hill folk sure are odd.
You simply don’t trust anyone.’

Eben crossed
the rock bridge and walked east out of the ruined village. He was
hoping the stranger would take the hint and leave him alone.

‘
I see; you’re heading for Ancora,’ said the man, continuing
to follow.

‘
Perhaps,’ replied Eben, not wanting to share his plans. Eben
was beginning to think he had made a mistake releasing the young
man. A few moments went by in silence.

‘
Are you taking the highway? You won’t make it. Walking that
highway alone is a sure way to meet a sorry end.’

Eben stopped
and looked back. ‘So what would you suggest?’ The stranger smiled
widely; glad to be asked the question.

‘
I would suggest not going to Ancora in the first place.
Ancora is dangerous. If I were you I would return to the hills
along the road you came, but if you insist on going forward to
Ancora you would probably need someone to show you a different
way.’

‘
I don’t need your help if that is what you’re suggesting,’
said Eben, turning back around.

‘
But I need your help,’ said the man, rushing his words and
continuing to follow.

Eben looked
back over his shoulder and was beginning to feel a little impatient
with the stranger.

‘
I already helped you.’

‘
Yes, I agree, you did, but you must realise that I’m alone
with nothing to eat in a barren land. The truth is that if you
leave me here I’ll probably die. Yes, you freed me, but really what
was the point if you were going to leave me here alone with no
food. If I don’t starve here I will be killed by bandits or
something much worse,’ he said, scanning Eben’s face for a
reaction.

Eben realised
that it was going to be difficult to be rid of the stranger. He
remembered back to something that Erako had said to him many times
as a child: ‘There is a purpose to everything in life. Every
meeting, every action, and every outcome has a meaning. In time
everything becomes clear.’

‘
What’s your name?’

‘
Redding is my name, but I am known as Red.’

‘
I’m Eben of Clemensdale. You can come with me until we arrive
somewhere safe.’

Red nodded and
smiled.

**

Deep in the
dark and gloomy forest, far beneath the canopy of towering oak
trees, the two young men trekked slowly eastward. As they walked
through the woods they were only seen by an occasional bird or
squirrel, and mostly their presence went unnoticed.

Eben moved up
beside Red who was crouching down and looking over a slight ridge
to a shallow gully beyond. A moment earlier they had heard the
sound of crunching and breaking branches ahead. It had sounded like
something large was moving through the woods in their
direction.

Red peered
through the trees. ‘I think it’s safe,’ he whispered, looking back
to Eben. Eben listened for the sound again. All was silent. ‘I
think we can continue,’ whispered Red as he slowly began to get up.
Eben grabbed his shoulder and dragged him back down.

Suddenly a
creature came into view. It was not like any creature that Eben had
seen before in all his years of hunting. It was similar to the
shape of a man, but it was covered in a hide of thick dark fur. The
monster snorted with each breath and walked with a menacing
hunchback. Its hands were large with sharp claws, and its head was
like that of a wild boar with tusks protruding from beneath a hog’s
snout. The monster stopped and looked about with fierce bloodshot
eyes. The beast snarled and sniffed the air.

‘
It’s a muckron,’ whispered Red, his eyes wide with
panic.

Eben felt a
sense of disbelief, and his heart began to race. He had heard about
muckrons, although he had always believed they were mythical
creatures. Muckrons were frequently the adversaries of men in many
old folk stories. Seeing the reality of the beast before his eyes
was a shock. Eben reached for his bow and drew an arrow as quietly
as he could manage. The beast leapt in their direction. The muckron
was moving as fast as a hunting dog and made its way up the slope
toward them.

‘
Run,’ cried Red, leaping up and turning on his heel. Red sped
off in the opposite direction. Eben focused his attention on the
fast approaching monster and drew back his bowstring. He released
the arrow and watched as it flew wide of its mark. The muckron
howled furiously, continuing toward Eben and gaining speed. Eben
quickly turned and started running, knowing that he wouldn’t have
time to shoot again; his heart was beating like a drum. Red was
almost out of sight. Eben looked back over his shoulder and saw the
furious beast leap over the ridge and run after him.

He turned
around and drew his hunting dagger. A moment later the beast was
upon him. Eben, holding his breath, stabbed forward with the dagger
and felt the impact of the monster. He was knocked off his feet and
crashed into the ground. The muckron was above him and had pinned
him down. With both hands he reached up, grabbing beneath its foul
mouth and used all his might to keep the muckron’s fangs from
biting into his neck. A menacing howl was followed by a dreadful
hiss. Eben cried in pain, using the last of his strength to hold
off the monster’s yellow fangs.

Suddenly there
was a heavy thud. The monster leapt back and turned around. Red
stood a few feet away with a large stick. He swung the stick again
as he stepped away, drawing the muckron’s attention from Eben.

‘
Leave my friend alone!’ shouted Red. The beast moved toward
Red, howling and snorting as it prepared to pounce once again. Red,
wide eyed with horror, gazed up at the monster. He swung the stick
again. The muckron stamped its feet like a bull preparing to
charge.

Eben struggled
to his feet and stumbled across to where his backpack and sword had
fallen to the ground. He grabbed the sword and drew it forth. The
light of day flashed against the polished blade, and for a moment
the gloom of the forest seemed to retreat. The beast turned and
glared at Eben. Eben raised the sword, ready to fight, and felt
courage flow through his veins. The muckron stumbled back and was
clearly bewildered. It stared at Eben in silence. The monster flung
its head back and howled skyward before turning and dashing away
through the woods. A moment later the beast was gone. Red sat down
on a rock, catching his breath.

‘
Thank goodness that’s over,’ gasped Red, who was visibly
shaking.

‘
You saved my life,’ said Eben gratefully.

‘
We are even,’ said Red. Eben nodded in agreement.

‘
We should probably move on from here just in case the muckron
decides to come back.’

A few minutes
later they set out eastward and away from the direction the monster
had fled.

CHAPTER
TWO

In a grassy
glade, deep in the forest, a gentle flickering light from a small
campfire lit up the surrounding trees. Eben and Red had found a
clearing that was well protected from the weather by a circle of
shrubs and trees. It was a nice place to set up camp for the night.
Red warmed his hands by the small fire.

‘
We are about two days walk from Ancora,’ said Red as he took
a stick and stoked up the fire.

‘
Can you tell me about Ancora?’

Red cringed at
the thought. ‘It’s a dangerous place. A few years ago Ancora was a
thriving seaport and mostly a peaceful and safe town. Slowly over
the last two of three years it has changed to become a haven of
thieves and cutthroats. King Ignis is mostly to blame. He doesn’t
care much about the people anymore. All the good men of the town
were sent away three years ago to a distant fortress called Galdir
in the far west of Ortaria. King Ignis told the people that the men
were required to guard the Iron Gate Pass against a possible
invasion. About three years ago King Ignis employed groups of
vagrants and vagabonds to maintain law and order in Ancora. The
problem is that these new guardsmen don’t care at all for the
people. They are only interested in lining their pockets with gold
and silver. All the townsfolk quickly learned it wasn’t safe on the
streets. Everyone who had the means to leave moved to the safety of
the villages around Ancora, but now the villages are very dangerous
with all the groups of bandits and monsters wandering around the
wilderness.’

‘
What about you? Are you from Ancora?’

‘
Me, no; I’m from Talis in the Kingdom of Silvor,’ replied
Red, snorting at the suggestion that he may be Ortarian. ‘Don’t
take it the wrong way; I like Ortarian people, and I’ve spent a
long time in your country, but at heart I’m a proud Silvorian.
We’re a little more relaxed than the average Ortarian and probably
less money hungry.’

‘
I see,’ said Eben. ‘So what brought you to
Ortaria?’

‘
Work and money,’ replied Red, seeing the contradiction in his
own words and laughing at it. ‘I took a job on a trading ship out
of the port of Talis about two years ago. Soon after I found that
the sea was not the place for me. I sailed as far south as Ateria
and as far north as Scaldonia. I’ve probably seen a lot more of the
world than the average man, but I knew when it was time to move on.
I then took another job working for a small circus troupe operating
around the docks of Ancora. At first I was helping mostly with
setting up the stage and guarding the tent. Later I started to help
out with the acts, and I learned a lot about circus performing.
Unfortunately my stint in the circus didn’t last all that long.
About six months later a gang of local thugs burned down our circus
tent in the middle of the night; that was the end of the
circus.’

‘
So what did you do after the circus burned down?’

‘
I looked for a job in the town. It quickly became clear that
the employment situation was constantly getting worse. Just before
I had spent every last coin, I took a job working for an overland
trader. I like to call him Olack the Terrible. He’s a nasty
individual who operates a small group of wagons. He trades with
villagers all over Ortaria. Olack didn’t like me from the beginning
and only employed me because few people are desperate enough to
work on the dangerous highways around Ortaria.’

‘
This Olack must be brave to take the risk?’ suggested
Eben.

Red laughed
and shook his head. ‘No, no, he doesn’t do the work; he sends other
people to do it and then takes all the profits.’

‘
So how did you end up tied to that oak tree?’

‘
I was the leader of three wagons and eight men working for
Olack. We traded all our goods on a five week journey all the way
out west, almost as far as the Endless Wall Mountains. We were on
our way back to Ancora with all the profits. The men I was leading
decided to rob all the money from the expedition. They chained me
to that tree when I tried to stop them. Luckily you came along. I
could have died in that place. Hopefully we don’t bump into Olack
in Ancora. He won’t be happy with me.’

‘
Surely you can explain what happened to Olack.’

‘
Olack, no, he won’t understand. I was the leader, and he’ll
blame me for the loss. It’s probably best to stay away from him and
hide out in Ancora.’

‘
I see,’ said Eben.

‘
What about you? Why do you want to go to Ancora?’

‘
I was not born in Clemensdale; I was adopted by a huntsman. I
never knew my real parents. I thought that the best place to look
for answers about my past would be Ancora.’