At the northern edge of town, they found many townspeople hard at work, digging a large trench and constructing a wall along the outer edge of town proper.
“So, this is where everyone’s been hiding,” Thomas said upon seeing a substantial amount of Grandwood’s citizens hard at work.
Thomas and Kirsten walked up to several people they recognized. “Hey, Billson,” Thomas called to one of the men who was working with his head down, digging furiously to expand the trench. The man looked up upon hearing his name. Seeing Thomas, he smiled.
“Thomas!” he exclaimed, throwing his shovel so the spade tip stuck in the freshly turned soil. Rubbing the dirt from his hands, he walked over to the side of the road to greet Thomas and the others. Reaching out with his large paw, he shook Thomas’ hand firmly, saying, “Boy, it’s good to have you back. Awful business that attack and your capture.”
“Yeah, it was,” Thomas said, a bit surprised by the casual way he mentioned the horror that happened in Grandwood and afterward. “What’s going on here?” he asked Billson, motioning toward the trench and wall.
“Oh, this,” Billson said turning around to glance at the other townsfolk working. “Yeah, you missed out on all that’s happened recently. I’ll gladly bring you up to speed.” He shifted his weight and adjusted his stance as he launched into an explanation of the events that occurred while they’d been captured.
“Right after the attack, we were in an abysmal state. We’d lost so much,” Billson said. “Businesses, lives and families all torn apart by that awful mess. Luckily this Rankstine character showed up just in the nick of time. Anyway, he told us about how an evil army of raiders has been venturing from Southland and sending their ships north along the Westland coast, attacking and plundering our lands as they please.
“This Rankstine guy told us about Merglan, that he is a direct descendant of an ancient royal line and that it’s Merglan’s duty to protect our world from foes like these raiders. So, he promised us Merglan’s protection, along with a whole bunch of soldiers. Rankstine told us that we could be attacked by other raiders, which is why we’re building this wall and trench around our town.
“The Governor told us that Merglan wants to lead the charge on Southland and take back the throne in Kingston. If we’re going to see a just ruler back on the throne, we’ll need to help the emperor with his military strength. Rankstine and the soldiers will begin training troops once the wall is finished.”
After filling them in, Billson grinned widely and said, “So good to have you back, Thomas. I should be getting back to work now. Come on down and help out when you get a chance, alright?” He returned to the trench and continued digging.
Thomas turned around with one eyebrow raised. “What?” he asked, looking to Kirsten and the others.
They all shook their heads in disbelief, not knowing if they should respond to what Billson said.
“Let’s go home,” Kirsten said. “We can get Britt back to her ship and think about what to do next.”
Kirsten led them along the road, pausing several yards later at the area where the wall had been erected on either side of the road. She hoped that whatever magic had stopped them from reentering their boat would not be present at the wall. Thomas shouldered up next to Kirsten. He gripped her hand tightly and together they drew in a deep breath, holding it as they stepped forward. Their feet landed firmly outside city limits. Kirsten exhaled happily and continued to walk up the road toward Highborn Bay.
A little over an hour later Kirsten felt her legs weaken as her childhood home came into view. The house she, her brother and Anders had grown up in remained standing, its stone walls unharmed by the attack. As the small group got closer, they could see that the rest of the farm remained intact, virtually unchanged since they’d left two months earlier. A breeze wafted down the road. Kirsten drew in a deep breath through her nose, longing for the familiar smell of sea breeze and fresh farm air
The comforting scent and tranquil sight of their home almost had Kirsten forgetting the battle that raged between Thargon’s men and the Rollo Islanders as she, her brother and Max were taken away. Glancing just off the road, she could see the decaying bodies of dead soldiers, bones loosely fitted in armored shells and scattered among the trees. The sight was a harsh reminder of the horrors that had befallen their hometown.
Near the house, several crows pecked at something lying in the middle of the path leading up to the farm. Kirsten, Thomas and Max knew instantly what the crows were feeding on.
Kirsten rushed at the black birds screaming, “Get off! Get off! Get off him!” The scavengers fled at the sound of her voice and Kirsten slid onto her knees next to the corpse.
Thomas followed, wrapping his arms tightly around his sister as they stooped over their father’s decomposed remains.
Max was the first to reach them. Amid the cries, he placed a gentle hand on both of their shoulders, “I’m so sorry for your loss. Bo, Britt and I will cover him and dig a grave.”
Through a stream of tears, Kirsten sniffled, “No. We’ll do it together.” She looked at Thomas, her lips quivering. She opened her mouth to speak, but found she had nothing to say. Thomas nodded and helped her back to her feet as he looked down at Theodor’s skeletal remains. Nearly all remnants of their father’s physical attributes had been picked away over the months of exposure.
“I’ll get a sheet and something to carry him on,” Max said, motioning Bo and Britt to follow him.
Kirsten nodded, biting her lip to try to stop crying. She turned away, tears coursing down her cheeks.
Max, Bo and Britt ran the short distance to the house, stepping onto the covered porch out front. Before entering, Britt turned and looked out over the bay, longing to try and make her escape. Bo pushed past her, opening the door and entering the stone house.
Max noticed Britt’s expression and hesitated in the doorway, “We’ll understand if you need to go now. I can tell them afterward.”
“That’s their father?” Britt asked, nodding to where the dirt road from Grandwood tapered into a flagstone path leading up to the house.
“Yes,” Max said, continuing in through the entrance to help his brother. “Thargon killed him with magic right before Thomas and Kirsten were taken captive.”
Britt followed shaking her head, “Nobody should have to see a family member like that. My crew won’t leave. Not even if Red orders them to. I can stay a little while longer, out of respect for them.”
They grabbed a sheet from a bed and found a wide plank in a pile of lumber after expanding their search to the rest of the farm. The three rushed back to Thomas and Kirsten, who stood with their backs to their father’s body. After covering his remains with the sheet, Britt, Max and Bo gently placed Theodor on the plank. Max and Bo carried the plank as Thomas and Kirsten led them toward the house. Once a sturdy, fit farmer, his body was now easy to lift. The two brothers set him down on the worn path in front of the house before asking Thomas where they could find a pair of shovels. Thomas escorted them toward the barn, a short distance beyond the house. Max and Bo pulled open the barn door and grabbed the tools they’d be using to dig Theodor’s grave.
Once they’d returned, the others stood silent in front of the house gazing out at Highborn Bay.
Thomas came alongside Kirsten and said through the shakiness of his voice, “We should lay him to rest under Mother’s maple tree.”
Kirsten nodded, swiping her tears away with the backs of her hands, “That’s what he would’ve wanted.”
Thomas waved for Max and Bo to follow him around to the backside of the house. A short distance toward the east a narrow stream flowed down from some forested hills. The stream bypassed the farm, turning north before entering their property and spilling down the hillside to the bay below. A healthy young maple tree grew in the middle of an open grassy area along the edge of the stream. Near the base of the tree, they began digging.
When the brothers had finished, Thomas and Kirsten brought Theodor’s body over. Max offered to lend a hand, but Thomas and Kirsten insisted that they be the ones to put their father in his final resting place. Afterward, Max and Bo filled the hole under the maple tree.
“After our mother died, Father planted this tree in her memory,” Thomas began once they’d finished the burial. “He told me that when he died, he wanted to be placed here with her. He was a good father and raised us well. I will always keep a special place for him in my heart. You will be missed, Father.” He put his hand over the freshly tilled earth and walked back to the front of the house.
Britt, Max and Bo looked to Kirsten, expecting her to say something as Thomas had, but as hard as she tried, she couldn’t muster words to say anything at her father’s grave. Instead, she wept. Max and Britt left her to join Thomas inside the house. Bo offered Kirsten company in her time of grief, but she shook her head. Bo understood and joined the others as well. Kirsten stood under the maple tree, losing track of time. When at last she wiped away her tears and walked to the front of the house, she found Thomas sitting on the porch. She sat down next to him and shoulder-to-shoulder they watched the waves roll into Highborn Bay in silence. At last, they were home.
Chapter 28
Hope for a Potential Rider
Natalia and Maija arrived at the dragonrider training facilities just as Ivan, Anders and Zahara were finishing up with their first day. As the elf sisters approached them, Ivan sat cross-legged atop a boulder along the outer ring of the sparring pit. He looked comfortable, his back straightened and head tilted upward. In stark contrast to Anders and Zahara, who sat opposite him squirming uncomfortably with their eyes tightly shut, the old rider seemed relaxed and in a state of deep meditation.
“What are they doing?” Maija whispered, pointing to Anders and Zahara who wriggled on the grass several yards below Ivan’s perch.
