Chapter
Midday sunlight beat down upon the young boy's back and brow as he moved through the stances his father had instructed him to do flowing from the basic stances of Ox, Plow, the Fool, the Roof, and Tail. All the while gripping his wooden practice long sword in one hand or both and his father would raise his cane to tap the boy's thigh, sword, or hands so that the boy would straighten it up. "More angle to your blade son" his father instructed. "Yes father" the boy answered as he held the Ox stance. "What you must understand my son is that defensive strikes do you no good so you must use stances that provide offense that can change to defense" preached his father. "I understand father; the best defense is a good offense" added the boy. "Yes my son and one day all my lands and responsibility will be yours to control" asserted his father. "I get it, I get it dad" repeated the boy rolling his eyes. The father heartily patted his son on the back and smiled. Looking over his son's shoulder he could see his younger son staring at them while he carrying books. The look in the younger son's eyes revealed longing and a hint of jealousy. Motioning, the father called to his younger son "Come my son and join me and your older brother with swordplay practice." Getting up sluggishly and dragging his feet the younger son made his way to his father and older brother. "Father you know I only excel at spell casting, but swordplay I am weak in" acknowledged the younger son. "Well son, how do you ever hope to get better if you don't practice swordplay?" His father asked with a wink. Walking over to the sword rack and picking out a sword, the father tossed the sword to his younger son. Catching the sword and stumbling some by the unaccustomed weight in his hands. Eyeing his younger brother with a smug look the older brother moved into the Ox stance. The younger son nervously gripping the sword and glancing at his father moved into the Fool stance. The father standing at a distance, but in the middle of them raised his hand then dropped it for the duel to begin. Moving quickly the older brother thrust his sword straight at his brother, who quickly countered it and brought his sword up to the Roof. Bouncing off the counter the older brother moved to the Plow
The early sun rose over the horizon dawning on a new day on the peaceful home of Michael Livingston, whom resided on a quaint house next to a river. This river ran through the county where Michael lived and extended all the way to the ocean. As the sun rose the woodland creatures began their morning activities of bustling around the yard. The squirrels would begin their forage for food nibbling on their food in upright positions sitting on the ground, porch railing, and even the trees. Looking inside the house as sunlight began to spill inside the windows causing a slow rustling of the inhabitants within. Michael lying in bed, slowly began to reach consciousness as his early riser talent kicked in. Realizing he was awake and no longer sleeping comfortably in his bed. Michael began to trying to force himself back to sleep, but to no avail because his rebellious body had been trained to rise early each morning for school. Lying there in his bed, Michael thought about his dream and resisting the urge to get up. His dream had been filled with demons, battles, and great victory. He never could seem to understand why he dreamt of such things, but he figured it was because he watched too many movies concerning medieval battles.
Stretching in his bed and gathering himself, Michael rose and went to the bathroom to his daily rituals of good hygiene. Walking to the closet he blandly picked out a set of clothes to wear for the day and promptly hopped in the shower. After the shower Michael examined himself in the mirror as he always did after a hot shower. Looking he saw himself as he was: tall, long brown-hair, broad shoulders, slender body, and some muscular shape to his arms, chest, and stomach. His muscular shape came from his father working him around the house doing various chores to clean up the yard.
Dressed and showered, Michael hopped on his laptop opening up websites for music and his social networking. Browsing the internet never really entertained Michael beyond the funny videos he stumbled upon when he browsed a particular web video hosting site. Grabbing the remote he flipped to his favorite channels that hosted movies. He was looking for any movies that channels might be hosting that would interest him for a time. His search turned up empty so grabbing his cell he texted his friends to see if any of them were up, though it was very unlikely that they were up because they were all late sleepers. Luckily for him one friend was awake, Luke whom was very tall with short blonde hair, lanky arms, and a goofy smile. Desperately in need of something to do, Michael suggested to Luke that he come over and hangout. Luke eagerly accepted for he too was bored out of his mind by the slow summer.
With the matter arranged Michael looked over to his roommate to see if he had awoken for his slumber, although Michael knew better because his roommate, Scott, usually stayed up late for various reasons. Snapping his fingers in Scott's face Michael saw Scott's eyelids flicker and then open.
"Scott….Hey Scott, are you awake? Michael whispered the question.
"Well now I am, thanks to you" Scott replied sluggishly with some sarcasm.
"Anyways, I invited Luke out to hangout with us" Michael announced slowly.
Scott nodded in agreement then adjusted himself and slid back into sleep. Michael shrugged his shoulders and pondered to himself, "Hmmm I wonder what Luke, Scott, and I can do for fun." Tossing around a few ideas in his head Michael finally decided that they should go into town and check out the Medieval/Novelty store. Michael loved to marvel at the weaponry that the store had to offer and dreamed of owning some of the items they had to offer. The only weapon he purchased from the store happened to be a Celtic Warrior Sword, which at times he would practice stances and slash at imaginary villains. Michael set about his house getting ready for his adventure today with Luke and Scott.
Night fell very quickly in these parts of the country because of the darkness that loomed overhead at all times. Creatures of the night were out and about with their nightly duties. Owls in the tops of trees watched as a dark shape ghosted from tree to tree in the forest. The dark shape was actually a young man dressed in a black cloak with the hood drawn to shadow his face. He was of medium height with short brown hair and slender build. His sinewy arms and legs were very flexible because they needed to be for the sort of work that this young man did. The work he performed made him a hero of sorts, but his shadowy practices were not very heroic. As he moved through the forest floor ghosting behind trees making sure to stay off fallen limbs he came closer to his goal, which happened to be a fort in a large clearing in the forest.
Standing at the edge of the forest he watched as the sentries made their rounds with lit torches. Waiting patiently for them to pass by, the young man crouched down low and shuffled to the side of the fort. Pulling a rope from his cloak attached with a hook at the end. Twirling his grappling hook for a sec he released it and watched the hook catch on a battlement up top. Quickly scaling the wall to the top he rolls his rope back up and backs up to an entrance. Backing up he feels a sharp pain in his back and whirls around to find he is facing a guard who has his sword drawn.
"Hmmmm what do we have here? I believe it is the notorious thief, whose been sneaking in this fort to steal supplies and information" the guard mused.
"Sir Guard I believe you have the wrong guy. I am only a poor fool, who is merely trying to hide in this fort for protection from those villainous rebels out there" the theif meekly replied.
"Oh is that right. Well then you will not mind me searching you for concealed weapons, right?" Mocking asked the guard with his sword still drawn.
The boy nodded with his hands held up in defense so that the guard could search him easily. Drawing close the guard lowered his weapon and reached with his other hand to begin his search. Though he never would get the chance for the boy had concealed daggers in his sleeves with which he slid out and quickly slit the throat of the guard. Catching the guard before he fell and wiping off the blood, the boy slid the guard to a shadowy part of the battlements and hoped he wouldn't be found till morning.
Sticking mostly to the shadows the boy slinked down the battlements searching for a staircase to lead to ground level. Looking across the open space in the fort one could see the many campfires of the soldiers, sentries walking around with dogs, lights in nearby structures with the sound of music and laughter floating out. The light of battlement sentries walking the top of the battlements and slaves huddled in huts against one wall of the fort. Watching with fear in their eyes of the king's soldiers as they paraded around inside of their well fortified fort. Searching quickly the boy found his objective, which was the nurse's quarters near the center of the fort surrounded by guards at the front door. Quickly thinking, the boy wrapped his cloak around himself and stuck to the edge of the wall. Crouched and prodding his way along the wall until he was as close as he could get to the nurse's quarters. He then heard the footsteps of a nearby guard doing his rounds around the parameter. The boy crouched low and backed into a corner between the wall and some barrels that were filled with raw meat, used for feeding the dogs. He pulled his cloak tighter as he watched as the guard and his companion walk past, but the dog suddenly stopped and started to sniff around the barrels. The boy held his half drawn breath in silence. "Get back you mutt! I've already fed you your scraps today." Said the guard out loud, pulling the starving looking dog away from the barrels. The boy let his breath go as the guard slowly walked back toward the other guards, huddled around the fire.
"Nows my chance" the boy thought as he inched forward. Looking out around himself the boy saw the long wooden beams that made up the walls of this square fort that lucky had no bastions. The gatehouse was one hundred paces in front of him with a guard idling inside of it and the building he was hiding by had a slow arching roof. Climbing on top of the barrels the boy began his ascension to the roof above where he then laid low on the roof. Rolling over to the edge of the building he saw the network of connecting buildings going throughout the inside of this fort. The paths between buildings were narrow, but wide enough that archers could pick off invaders in case of a breach.
Crouching low on the roof the boy jumped to the adjacent roof followed by a series of building jumps that would lead him to the top of the nurse's quarters. Although upon reaching the closest building to the nurse's quarters he realized that the jump was fairly far and would require him to stand up. Doing this would expose him to every guard on the wall walk behind him so he watched the guards making their rounds on the wall walk hoping to see a break in rounds giving him the opportunity to jump. To his dismay there wasn't a break these guards were doing their job right thus the boy concluded I will have to drop down to ground level and then climb back, but the problem is they keep the outside of the nurse's quarters well lit with patrolling guards and guard dogs.
Thinking quickly he pulled a flask from his belt pouch and slid off the roof with his flask in hand he quickly doused thelit torch at the southeast end of the nurse's quarters. Hearing movement just around the corner the boy quickly jumped up and caught the edge of the roof to pull himself up before the guard could see him. Lying there on the edge of the roof barely breathing he heard as the guard stopped and groaned "Who doused this torch? Ahhhh this is the third time this week it was put out." Smacking a hand to his face and slumping against the wall the guard thought bitterly to himself. Pulling himself together and standing up straight he marched out from the nurse's quarters towards one of the soldier's campfires.
The boy breathed a sigh of relief and presided to move around the corners of the building systemically dousing all the lit torches. The guards around in the makeshift courtyard who were huddled up to campfires didn't seem to notice the torches dousing. Only the two guards on duty seemed to notice the dousing so they moved to a close torch and began to inspect it to see what had happened. Before they could inspect very well the boy jumped off the roof over them and threw his cloak out so as to enclose the guards in darkness. Quickly stabbing at vital parts with his sleeve daggers and watching them try to scream for help through gashes. Their bodies slumped against the building side and working fast the boy made them to seem like they were sleeping.
Leaving the guards the boy slid to the door, opened the door, and slinked in with the door closed behind him. Grabbing flint and tinder from his belt pouch he lit a nearby candle and set about looking for the medicine cabinet. He passed by a window at the same time that an officer was making his rounds. Upon the officer seeing the light in the nurse's quarters he strode up to the door knocking on it and shouting "Nurse Pinkley, what has you up so late at night?" Cursing under his breath the boy thought quickly and responded with a cracked voice "I'm just looking for some cough relief medicine." The officer mused the idea around in his head and decided that it made sense for her horribly cracked voice, but then he asked "And Nurse Pinkley would you happen to know where your guards went?" Again cracking his voice the boy replied smugly "They are probably sleeping." Satisfied, the officer marched off in search of these lazy guards.
Holding up the candle to a cabinet he read the word: MEDICINE. He thought Well I guess I am at the right place. Opening it up he began to search through it for the medicines needed back at the base. Finding what he needed and tucking away the containers in his belt pouch with two of each medicine. He blew out the candle and made his way for the door, but suddenly he heard the real Nurse Pinkley getting up from bed so he hurried his steps. Cracking open the door and squeezing out in front the boy then shut the door easily. Lying up against the side of the building and breathing very slowly even though his heart was beating very fast. He could see that the torches were being relit around the nurse's quarters, but not the torch near the two dead guards.
Standing by the unlit torch the boy ran and jumped up to catch the edge of the roof to pull him over on to the roof. His thoughts were racing I need to move. Those guards will be found soon. Is the medicine safe? Will I make it back to the Hookshire in time? I need to move. Snapping free of his thoughts the boy began his slow crawling to the side of the roof that touched one of the fort's walls. Reaching for his grapple again the boy twirled it and released over on top of the battlements to catch in parapet. Tugging for strength the boy then pulled himself up and on top of the battlement and glanced left then right to see guards approaching his position with drawn swords. Running back for a little distance the boy then jumped over the battlement wall and slowed his descent by his grapple. Dropping to the ground with a roll and a hop the boy made fast for the tree line.
Hiding in the darkness that the forest provided the boy watched as search parties rode fiercely around the forest and fort. Turning he started back for Hookshire when suddenly his hood was jerked and he was brought face to face with another man. Whispering the man spoke "Boy did you manage to get the medicine for Sister Catherine?" The boy nodded and smugly replied "It was a piece of cake Hawk." Hawk looked the boy up and down nodding roughly then motioned for him to follow. Unfortunately for them the boy had spoken too loud and called to attention one of the search parties, who sent off a rider to bring the other parties.
Thunder rolled in the background and the wind howled through the trees roaring past trunks to blast the windows of the castle nearby. Waking up roughly to the noise of the blast the prince, Justinian, rolled over and groaned aloud because this was the fourth night in a row that he couldn't find sleep. Justinian had grown up rough he had always been a fighter so he features were rough on his face and body. He had a well groomed black hair cut that he often messed up in his rough housing. A stature of medium height with a muscular build and a spring in his step the prince had no problem with women. He often would be seen wooing them and walking them through his courts.