Well Boys and Girls! today is the first chapter of the book Drawn: The Painted Tower. As always with other authors i would like to dedicate this chapter to a certain guy know as...
Shadow knight1121: Thank you for mentioning little ol' me in your final chapter of your newest book Shadows of Arkham City. I am truly honored for you mentioning me and I really enjoy your works, Jayden Warney, huh. Hope we can do a cross over sometime! later though or not. And it would be an honor if you review this.
Well, enough talking! lets get to it!
Daniel Wilks woke, his body drenched in sweat.
The nightmare, still fresh in his mind, happened again. It had haunted him during his years as an apprentice guardsman in the gatehouse of twilight, and now it had happened again, in the gatehouse of the night, where the guardsmen Warriors were boarded up, on the fifth floor nevertheless.
It started with the fire, always the fire, then and the men in black armor, fierce, black eyes glittering with malice.
Then, swords clash before his 6-year-old self; blood rains down on his linen shirt and on his burlap pants. The night turning blacker than black, into the shape of a dragon the size of the Stonebriar fortress. Then, into a huge monster that glows blue with huge tusks and bulging muscles with crooked rams horns on its head with a clenched fist with bone claws between the knuckles on each of its two arms.
The monster turns and looks at him, stares at him with a piercing stare, then, the monster crouched down on its elephant feet, opened a clenched fist, with claws sheathed, and in its huge palm, a little girl in a raggedy looking dress, with patches, stands up from the fetal position she was in and looked up at him with shockingly blue eyes and asked "who are you?"
Daniel looks at her with confusion and then, the girl erupts in flames with a horrible scream that pierced the marrow in his bones. Then, it got worse, the hellhounds appeared.
They started to circle the kid Daniel, snarling, and barking ferociously at him. Daniel was deathly scared, no, terrified of those huge teeth and the claws…. Daniel shook his head, his brunette hair swishing as he shook his head.
He supported himself on the bed, "Don't think about that, not now." He told himself. Right after he told himself that, then, there was a knock at the door of his sleepbox, the rooms that the guardsmen had that were set into the walls of the tower that the sleepboxes were located.
" Come in" Daniel said, his voice groggy from sleep and hoarse from…. screaming? No, not that. Could it? No. Daniel shook his head again and opened the door of the sleepbox when another knock sounded.
Otto Fischer, one of Daniel's trusted friends was staring at him in concern, Already in uniform, A black long-sleeved undershirt, a leather over shirt, dark indigo pants and knee length leather boots. A quarterstaff with a metal axe attached to the wooden pole strapped to his back."You were screaming in your sleep again, mate," he said in a heavily cockned accented voice, his green eyes narrowed in concern with his ginger hair in the way of his eyes.
"No! I wasn't screaming in my sleep," protested Daniel. "Yeah, right." Otto said, " I'm right next to you!" he pointed to his own sleepbox that was right next to his own, "So don't you be telling me, oh no." Otto mimicked Daniels own voice, " I'm Daniel Wilks!" he said as he did a little dance "I'm the guy who doesn't have bad dreams, and I'm the guy who always tries to ring the bell on the bell tower."
"Hey!" Daniel protested. "At least I don't go around carrying a huge stick on my back." Otto made a face. "And besides, it was only a nightghast, nothing too serious." Otto shrugged and said "Well, at least I have my uniform on, which reminds me, Brekkies on soon, you'd probably want to get the uniform on, or you'll get the stick."
Daniel groaned and rolled his eyes, cursing himself for not doing that and said "Yeah thanks, well, see you at the Mess Hall." Otto nodded, turned and climbed down the ladder that connected the 5th floor sleepboxes to the other floors, from 10th to the 1st floor.
Daniel went back into his sleepbox and did the routine that he always did when he didn't have that nightmare, He took a shower, and it spurted out warm water.
After the shower, he changed from the towel around his waist, to the uniform of the swordsman class guardsman. A black long sleeved undershirt, a dark green overshirt, leather gloves, black cotton pants, and knee length leather boots. Daniel looked at the mirror and groaned.
The overshirt was too long at the arms. He rolled up the sleeves and hitched up his father's sword. The memory of his father made him curl his upper lip in disgust, why did he betray the Court? Why did he join the small rebels against the society that the king has set up for the townsfolk and why did he forget who he was? He was a knight at Dragons tooth! The most highly respected academy in the kingdom! Why? Why? Why? Daniel shook his head and strapped it to his back with the sheath.
Then got his crossbow and quiver, strapped the crossbow to a leather loop on his belt and the quiver to his back, and headed down to the mess hall that was a ways away from the Gatehouse of the Midnight, which was located on the wall of the kingdom. As he walked down the path of the wall he stopped for a while and looked out at the world beyond the wall. He rested his hands on its edge; the blue light torches illuminated his features. The unusual blue eyes, the untidy brunette bed head hair, the subtle cheekbones, the small nose, the smile wrinkles around his eyes, and the aura of confidence he seemed to produce when he's trying to encourage the other guardsmen to do something they didn't want to do, but they had to do it anyway.
Daniel looked into the distance and wondered what was beyond…. Then the clanging of the breakfast bell tolled out to the kingdom, signaling that breakfast would be served in 15 minutes. He jogged the rest of the way to the Breakfast hall, The huge pavilion with a stone square that had the 6 classes tables set and prepared, but no food yet, not until everyone was seated and present.
He passed by some fellow guardsmen, who nodded at him with some respect, and took a seat on the bench at the swordsmen's table. Most of the apprentice guardsmen were already there, but the seniors weren't. Seniors always had the night shift at the wall and the town, the apprentices had the library, the court halls, and the lucky ones got the markets, if they knew the right people of course.
"Hey! Dan the Man!" someone shouted. Daniel turned his head… and caught sight of the speaker. "Rodger?" he asked. The speaker nodded happily, " Man!" He said "Glad to be out of the town today!" Rodger sat down next to Daniel and asked "So, how's the Biter today?"
Rodger was a huge kid.
16 years old and of African heritage. Not like the 14-year-old Daniel. He was a Belitier, the spot when a guardsman got the chance to be picked and placed into a squad.
Even with his huge hands, the incredible strength that made him sort of a brute, and the shaved head, He was a happy-go-lucky guy. And a peacekeeper, He hardly used the war-hammer that was strapped to his back except when there were training fights and to get some attention from some unruly townsfolk.
Daniel and Rodger met during a training match, and woo. It was intense. Sword versus Hammer, metal clanging on metal, each taking heavy blows. With the leather training armor and everything, but it wasn't faring well for Daniel. He was pinned down, 5 inches between a loss or pain with a hammer handle pushing him down by the Belitier. But when Rodger stuck out a finger in the "uh, uh, uh" wave when he tried to struggle out of the stalemate, Daniel bit it hard.
Rodger pulled away and after a Spartan kick that made him tumble to the ground, Dan pinned him down which resulted in him winning.
Since then, Rodger called him "The Biter", out of affection of course.
"Why a bad day out at the town?" Daniel asked. Rodger rolled his eyes, sighed, and said "well, that resistance group?, the Phoenix Sun Movement? You know them? They raided, not five, fifteen market stalls and six ironwork shops! Last time it was three ironwork shops but now..." Rodger's voice trailed off and he shook his head.
"What?" Daniel asked, concerned. Rodger's face was stone grim, eyes narrowed, thinking. Then, the Breakfast bell toned again, signaling three minutes and Rodger snapped out of his trance and blinked.
"You o.k.?" Daniel asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Its just that it's unusual for them to raid this much, Plus," Rodger intoned with a smile " I'm wondering what's for breakfast! I'm starving." He stretched the "ving" which was followed by the rumble of his stomach.
"Right on cue" Daniel laughed.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Rodger said, insulted "Have you had a long shift? No? Then don't you be making fun of a man's right to eat!" Daniel chuckled, nodded and then noticed the other guardsmen had started to pour into the Hall.
"You better get back to your table or people would be asking questions about your well being." Since, as he said, people were staring at Rodger with questioning looks.
It was unnatural for a student of one class to be seated at the same table with another student; it provided the thought that they were planning something together.
Rodger nodded, stood up and walked away. But he paused as he stood up and said "Think there'll be a war pretty soon?"
Daniel was taken aback.
"Why ask me?, why not ask the Headmaster or someone else?, why me?" Rodger shrugged.
"You have better judgment." He said simply.
With that he walked away. Daniel leaned back on the bench and mused on Rodgers words. Better judgment? Daniel thought, No, not me, I just help out people with advice from my point of view. Nothing special, No "magic" powers in that. Daniel's thoughts were interrupted by a loud cough that silenced all of the guardsmen who were talking.
Everyone's heads turned to the second floor.
That was where the teachers were seated for their mealtimes, on their carved oak chairs with dragon's heads for the armrests.
On the headpieces were the symbols of factions that the teachers represented. Daniel saw his training teacher, Nicholas Ryder; a medium set man with years of training with the sword underneath his belt. He was also the Head of the swordsmen Class.
To His right was The Archery Teacher, Yusuf Kabra. He was a small man, Lithe in his small frame and thick in his eyebrows, but powerful in strategies and tactics.
To Ryder's left was his least favorite of all of the teachers and of all of the people in the academy.
It was Pyrimus Hatch, the teacher of the Guardsmen Mages.
He was tall and thin. He had long, white hair that was cut short with a goatee to match his personality. Cold, dark, and downright creepy.
He also had a stoop when he walked which gave him the nickname "The Creeping Serpent" when it was wartime.
But to the students, it was "Old man Stoop".
He looked down at the students with downright disgust from his chair. But it wasn't him who coughed, no, it was the Headmaster.
He was a thickset man with great bushy eyebrows with a nose so sharp; it can cut through silence with a single turn of the head. He wore a Cloak woven of pure darkness, which was presented to him by a messenger of the King. Since he wears the Cloak, His eyes were Dark purple with no pupil, which was a sign that he was part of the Court.
"Guardsmen!" he bellowed in his bullfrog voice. "Another day or, another night for the people." All of the Guardsmen stared at him, unblinking. Daniel looked at him too. "As you may have heard." The Headmaster continued, in his regular voice. "There were raids in the town last night, now, now." He said as there were excited whispers that were hushed. "No need for alarm, your fellow Guardsmen has driven them off, although." He paused " But three fellow guardsmen alone, not mentioning any names, actually caught one of the Bandits and he is now giving us information as we speak!"
There was loud whooping in the air as Three figures stood up, One from the archery class, one from the Hammer class, and one from the Swordsmen class, which Daniel didn't have to see who it was when he stood up with the loudest applause since he already knew who he and who the other people were.
It was Tiberius Lynch Hatch, the grandson of Pyrimus Hatch, and his two cronies, Tim Eldest and Artemis Hemlock.
Tiberius has the look that everyone wants, Tall, tan, muscled, Blonde hair, and a stupid cleft chin. Not like his cronies, Artemis was a thin boy with a thin face and a weasel like personality. He called himself the "brains" of the gang. Tim was the definition of a brute, big, muscled, a stupid face with small brains to match.
Tiberius always did what everyone only dreamed of, like taking care of angry mobs fighting over unfair prices or protecting a diplomat from a neighboring kingdom and escorting him to Stonebriar. He was also a senior and had won many metals that were given him with gratitude from the king himself, pinned onto his uniform by the Headmaster.
"Thank you." Tiberius said in his slow, cocky drawl "No, that's enough, well, o.k. More applause, please" since most of the Guardsmen were, in fact, clapping madly. Even Pyrimus was clapping, very softly, with a smirk on his wrinkled face with his high cheekbones. But Daniel wasn't, underneath that blonde hair, that "heroic" face, Tiberius was a disgrace to the Guardsmen.
He always started the day by doing his favorite pastime, playing "get the guard" with his Guardsman, Daniel Wilks. Basically, the game was about getting a guard, and smashing his head into the ground while saying things about the guard's origins.
For example, Daniel's father betrayed the Court, and Tiberius had so much fun whispering that into Daniels ear, saying that the Headmaster will kick him out into the streets on Graduation day. Another loud cough from the Headmaster silenced all of the Guardsmen; include the three "Heroes of the Moment" who froze, then sat down again.
"Now, again, we have to be aware of these things." continued The Headmaster "And we must know how to fight against the "Resistance", they aren't fighting for a purpose, they are fighting for the purpose of wrecking our society and bring our justice to their knees!" He slammed his hands onto the podium that he was speaking from.
There was loud cheering and angry agreements from the crowd. Daniel clapped with some gusto, but not much. Huh, Daniel thought. Justice? I saw a man got hanged for stealing food for his family who were living in the slums. How is that "justice"? People are living in hard times! Daniel shrugged and then a shocking thought came to him. What is our justice?
"Now!" The Headmaster roared, which made Daniel jump from his thought bubble. "That is all the announcements that I needed to make, so, without further ado, Breakfast is served!" Then the Kitchen doors slammed open, the Chef and his serving girls stepped from the kitchen.
The Chef was a squat man with ruddy cheeks and a small mustachio on his upper lip.
The serving girls were all the same, Tall, well nourished, 14-years-old, curves in the right places, and all were wearing aprons and cooking uniforms.
The Chef clapped his hands and the girls went back into the kitchen and they brought back platters of food. One carried eggs, cooked in all styles, fried, scrambled, hard-boiled.
Another girl carried toast and Bacon.
The third, was Maria.
She was carrying a pitcher containing orange juice.
Maria was like the serving girls, but a little slimmer with raven black hair and dark indigo eyes.
Daniel and Maria have been going out ever since the time when Maria bumped into him and spilt the Ice-cold tea that she was serving to the apprentice guardsmen on their shift in the library. She tried to clean it up by herself, but Daniel helped out, at the cost of abandoning his post near the children's wing, and delivered the rest of the tea to the Headmaster, who took it with a raised eyebrow.
"You…helped? Her?" asked the Headmaster when he took a sip of the Ice-cold beverage. "Yes sir." Daniel had said, at full attention.
" Hm, well, do you know what happens when a guardsman abandons his post to help a citizen?" Daniel looked at the Headmaster and said "No sir."
The Headmaster sighed and said, "You will be punished for this, Daniel."
"I know sir" Daniel said.
"Then why did you do it?" asked the Headmaster.
"I did it to show that the Guardsmen cared for one another, to show the citizens that we still cared about them and ourselves, sir."
The Headmaster thought about this, nodded, and smiled. "Excellent! Moral support! and a popularity boost! Yes, well done Wilks."The Headmaster said.
"Thank you sir." Daniel said.
"Well, I'll let you off with a warning, But if this continues like this. Well, we'll need to talk." Daniel flashed a salute. "Yes sir." The Headmaster stood up and returned the salute.
"You are dismissed."
Daniel turned, and walked out of the Office.
Maria was outside, sitting in a chair. "What did he say?" She asked. Daniel shrugged, "He let me off with a warning, that was pretty much it."
Maria smiled. "At least he didn't sent you to the mines, you're pretty lucky."
"Yeah." Daniel said, "I guess I am."
Maria stood up, and walked down the hall and was almost to the stairs that lead out to the wall; But Daniel called "Wait!" Maria turned to him, a raised eyebrow arched.
"Would you, I don't know, but, would like to… uh." Daniel stuttered. Maria asked, "What?" Daniel spilt it "Would you like to have lunch with me at the bell tower?" Maria smiled, walked back to Daniel and whispered into his ear.
"I would love to."
With that, she walked down the stairs, her hips moving with a rhythm that encouraged Daniel to look with wide eyes.
He shook his head, smiled at the memory, and realised something. He asked a girl out. He did it! Daniel, regardless of any sense, pumped his fist while wooping down the rest of the stairs.
Maria turned to see what the commotion was all about and was greeted with a bell tone. Daniel was ringing the bell of the northern wall, wooping with glee.
Maria shook her head. Boys. she thought with a sigh.
Whew! that was tough to write out! anyways, review please, please, please! and hope to see you soon again with chapter 3!
