Max shot Anders a look of surprise at Ivan’s sudden grumpiness. Anders responded with a silent shrug, delivering his, ‘who knows what’s up with him’ message. The two quickly caught up with Ivan as they followed the trail back to Brookside.
Red and his two men were waiting for them in the pub on the ground floor of the Brookside Inn. They had a round of drinks in hand and were talking loudly.
Joining them at the table, Ivan asked, “Were you able to send word to your people?”
Red nodded while gulping down his brew and added in his gravelly accented voice, “This morning we went to the docks hoping to catch the fishermen before they went out for the day. We began asking if anyone had seen or heard of the Rollo’s naval fleet sailing past here. None of the fishermen had ventured out very far from the reef, so they were of little help. Next, we tracked down local merchants who’d just docked their ships. By noon we found the news we were hoping to hear. A captain who’d just sailed from Argon City landed this morning. He had seen the warships being prepped and loaded when he left the Rollo Islands’ capital. He told us they were going to leave the following morning. That was three days ago. We didn’t have much time to get a carrier falcon with a message. If there aren’t any hang-ups, the falcon will intercept them, but they’ll still have several days to go before they make it here to the Brookside area. The best option for all of us is to continue on foot to the Statue of Old Kings.”
Ivan looked at Red sternly, “Good,” he said, seemingly satisfied with Red’s decision. “How long will it take for the ships to arrive at the statue?” Ivan asked.
“About two days,” Red said. “I saw the location on a map and it doesn’t seem too far to walk from here. We’ll be able to meet them there with plenty of time to spare.”
Ivan shook his head, saying, “The Statue of Old Kings may look close on a map, but we have to cross part of the Bareback Plains. It’s the largest grassland area in the world.”
“So, you’re saying it will take longer then?” Red asked.
Ivan nodded, folded his arms across his chest and said, “To walk there would take twice as long as riding. If we get horses and leave tomorrow morning we will be there in three days. I hope you mentioned in your letter to allow us at least a day or two to meet up if we are not there when they arrive.”
“I did just that,” Red said with a smile, realizing he hadn’t totally messed up their plan. Ivan seemed to relax a bit after hearing this and let his arms drop back down to his sides.
“I know someone who can sell us some horses,” Max said cheerful to be able to help. “My family has a herd of horses on the outer edge of town. I haven’t talked to them in a while, but I’m sure they would help us.”
“Very well,” Ivan said. “We will go there in the morning. I’m sure your family will be happy to see you.”
Max looked down at his feet and didn’t acknowledge the remark.
“You all know how to ride, don’t you?” Ivan asked.
Anders and Max nodded their heads, each having plenty of experience on horseback. Red and his men, however, looked at each other and shrugged.
“How hard can it be?” Red said.
Max and Anders burst out laughing. “You’ll see,” Max said and laughed more.
A bartender with a weathered face walked past their table. Ivan motioned swiftly with his arm, stopping the man before he passed. To Anders’ surprise, Ivan coughed up enough coin to order meals and a round of brews for them all.
When the drinks arrived, Ivan said in a cheerful tone, “Here’s to a successful day. We may not have had the best luck on our journey, but we did something… well, mostly right today.” He raised his glass and the others clinked their mugs together in salute.
After a hearty meal of steak, eggs, potatoes, and pound cake along with several more brews, the stories began to flow between them. Anders listened as Max bragged about his many travels. Clearly he was proud to have visited so many places at such a young age. He reiterated to Anders that he wasn’t one to back down from a tough challenge.
Red told stories of training for battle back home on the Rollo Islands. He and his men boasted about their sailing and naval tactics. When Ivan asked if he’d ever been in any battles other than the attack at Grandwood, Red told him about several smaller skirmishes, none of which last more than a day each.
“Nothing like the days of my father, when they were fighting in The War of the Magicians against the dark navy,” Red said, reveling in his father’s accomplishments.
Anders decided to chime in, “The only thing my uncle ever said about the war was that those were dark times. Ivan has told me more about him than I ever knew.”
“That’s not entirely true,” Ivan said. “The Theodor you knew was the man he always was. During the war, all he wanted to do was return home and become a farmer. You knew him better than anyone from the war. He was his truest self when he was home at Highborn Bay.”
Anders smiled slightly, remembering his childhood with his uncle. “How old was he when he went off to war?” Anders asked.
Ivan finished his ale and said, “He must have been about your age, I’d wager.”
Anders imagined what it would be like going to a training camp and then off to fight a war you didn’t know much about other than that you were fighting evil forces the world had never seen before.
“A lot of people lied about their age back then, so they could join the King’s army. We were all eager to serve. I tried to do it, but the training officers knew my face too well from recruiting in my hometown for so long. Seeing as how Theodor didn’t much want to be there in the first place, I bet he was of age when he joined. Let’s see,” Ivan said, pushing his jaw to the side and looking up at the ceiling. “That would put him at around eighteen or nineteen.”
“You mentioned he was assigned to a cavalry division,” Anders said, trying to get Ivan to tell him more about his uncle’s time spent in the war.
“Theodor was sent to the cavalry, yes,” Ivan said taking a sip of his freshly poured pint.
“And what about you? I forget,” Anders asked, remembering full well what Ivan had told him several days ago, but he wanted Ivan to tell him more about their history.
“I was one of several selected to be a part of a special task force. I did not see Theodor for many months after that. The special task force I was assigned to was top secret at the time and I was cut off from all communication with the outside world. We trained rigorously day and night in the Everlight Kingdom.”
“You got to train with the elves!” Max exclaimed wild-eyed.
“I hate elves,” Red said, gritting his teeth while the other two Rollo warriors scowled at his mention of elves.
“Yes I did, Max.” Ivan continued ignoring the Rollo warriors’ dissatisfaction. “We were tasked with attempting to bond with dragons. Dragons and elves have coexisted going back to before any human had seen a dragon. The elves had made an alliance with the dragons that young hatchlings would be paired with new recruits in hopes that some of them would form bonds and be gifted magic.”
“I always wondered how someone came to possess magic,” Red said, looking into his pint to see if any liquid was left.
“It’s pretty hard to believe,” Max said, still unconvinced that was how it worked.
“How did the elves forge an alliance with some of the dragons?” Anders asked.
“When Merglan had begun conquering nations with his new power, the elder dragons saw what he was doing to his own kind. They did not approve of the way in which he treated his fellow humans. Younger dragons, however, that only knew foul stories of humans and disliked our race, remained indifferent to Merglan’s destruction of so much of our history and culture. The dragons eventually decided to align with the elves and those humans who opposed Merglan. With the help of his dragon, Merglan began to turn younger dragons against their elders and started a civil war in Nagano. The dragons referred to this as The Dragon Wars, but we call it The War of the Magicians. The Dragon Wars are not talked about much among our culture, mainly because very few were there to witness them. Only the elves and those of us who were paired with dragons were aware it was going on. After a few others and I bonded with our dragons, we were able to put an end to the civil war in Nagano.”
“How did you manage to pull that off?” Max asked, believing all that Ivan was saying was a bald-faced lie.
“A dragon that flies into battle with its partner is much more powerful than a lone dragon,” Ivan said as though this was common knowledge.
“What about Theodor? Where was he during all of this?” Anders asked, trying to keep Ivan on track.
Ivan continued, “After the civil war among the dragons ended, our task force was assigned to defend the elves’ borders, because Merglan had shifted his focus and attacked their lands while we were off dealing with the dragons.”
“You should’ve let them burn,” Red said.
Ivan ignored him, “It was here that I reunited with Theodor. He’d seen many battles at this point and risen through the ranks. We fought boldly along the elven front, unable to drive away Merglan’s forces. One day an epic battle took place at the base of the Frozen-Tip Mountains. The enemy had pushed us back into the foothills leading up to the mountains, giving our army the field advantage. The enemy would have to fight uphill, tiring their forces more quickly than ours. Riderless dragons were sent to distract me from my duties of commanding our forces. The infantrymen on foot were our first line of defense, leaving Theodor with his cavalry in command. The enemy fought through them with impressive strength. The ancient elven city has always been protected by the magic woven into the walls surrounding it. If we failed to stop Merglan’s army, he’d gain unobstructed access to the kingdom and could begin dismantling that ancient magic protecting the elves. If the elves fell, so would all of the nations,” he leaned closer to Anders for dramatic effect, “dragons, humans, and dwarfs alike.”
Ivan paused, leaned back and took a sip of his pint. Then he looked at Anders and said, “We fought hard that day. While I dealt with the dragons, Theodor fought Thargon in single combat, defeating him, but not before Thargon could deliver a terrible blow rendering him unconscious for the remainder of the battle. When our forces were left leaderless, a warrior among them stepped up and led us to victory.”
“Let me guess,” Max said. “It was you.”
Ivan smiled and said, “Anders, it was your father.”
Anders’ jaw dropped in disbelief. “You knew my father?”
“Yes,” Ivan said. “This could be the ale talking, but your father was the finest soldier I ever knew. He was a very brave man, a natural born leader. He knew when to pull out of a fight he would not win, but he also never hesitated in the face of danger. We drove the enemy back and sent them running scared. Even the kurr among them fled in terror.”
