Shon and Tarun located a nearby town on their map called Brookdale, and they wasted no time in starting off. Though he was glad the dragon hunters were finally gone, Shon became aware soon after their departure that if Smitt and the woodcutters came back, there would be no one else around to help them. As they hiked quickly along the trail to Brookdale, Shon couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that someone was following them, but they saw no sign of Smitt or the woodcutters.

The path to Brookdale required branching off of the path that would eventually pass close to the valley where they were headed. Even though this meant a detour that would mean nearly an entire extra day of walking, Shon was glad to be headed for the town. The map seemed to indicate that the town was located near some kind of river or creek, and Shon had always been fascinated with the idea of continuously flowing water. Grodin had explained to Shon before about mountain runoffs and tiny creeks joining together to create larger streams and rivers, but Shon had still always had a hard time believing that water could just flow uninterrupted without ever running out.

Shon was also excited at the prospect of spending some of their newly earned money. He and Grodin had never been poor, but Shon himself had never possessed more than three or four pieces of silver at one time. He knew that he needed to make their money last, but he was still looking forward to spending at least a little bit of it.

It was late afternoon when Shon and Tarun arrived at Brookdale. The first building they saw was a watermill, turning a series of small wooden wheels in the nearby brook. Shon wanted to get a closer look at the water, but the banks of the stream were steep and slippery, and after nearly falling in once Shon returned to the path. Rather than having a large wooden wall like the fort-town of Duskwood, Brookdale was open and its homes and buildings were spread out. Tarun and Shon had to wander around for quite a while before they even found someone to ask directions from.

A young woman walking through town with her children was able to direct Shon and Tarun to a two-story building in the middle of town that acted as both an inn for travelers and a general marketplace for both travelers and residents. Shon also asked the woman if there was anyplace where they could get a good look at the nearby brook without the banks being so steep and treacherous. She told them of a place just outside of the town where the residents would go to fetch water, watch their clothes, and occasionally fish. They thanked her and made their way to the inn.

The inn was small and musty, but cozy. Apparently the town didn’t get visitors very frequently since it was quite out of the way from the main road in the area, and it was owned and operated by a gray-haired couple that offered Shon and Tarun a room and meals for the evening at a reasonable rate.

The market that the woman had described turned out to be a gathering of several carts and tents of local farmers and merchants who gathered regularly to sell their goods. After buying a few supplies and storing them in their room, Shon urged Tarun to come with him to the spot where they could see the brook that the town was named for.

Despite Tarun’s long strides, he found that for once he was the one who had to hurry to keep up with Shon as they made their way through the town and a small grove of trees to get to the fishing spot the young mother had told them about. Tarun hadn’t seen his friend look so happy and excited since they left the desert. Tarun had never realized that Shon had such a love for water.

When they came through the last of the trees to see the banks of the creek slope gradually down to the water, Shon climbed down and stood right next to the edge of the water with his eyes closed. After a moment, the look of excitement and eagerness on Shon’s face turned to confusion, and then disappointment.

“What’s wrong?” Tarun asked.

“The running water doesn’t sound right,” Shon said quietly. “Or at least, it doesn’t sound the way I expected it to.”

Tarun closed his eyes and listened to the sound of the water gently flow past them along the streambed. “What do you mean?” asked Tarun, opening his eyes. “What did you expect it to sound like?”

“Never mind,” said Shon, turning his back on the brook and walking back towards the town. “Let’s just get back to the inn. My feet are killing me and I’d like to get some rest.”

***

Shon and Tarun both enjoyed their hot meal and comfortable beds at the inn that night. They both enjoyed a much-needed night of deep, dreamless sleep, and both awoke the next morning feeling refreshed and ready to continue their journey towards the beautiful green valley.

As they walked along the path back to the main road, Tarun noticed that Shon was quieter than usual. His friend’s mood was not sour like it had been when they were around the dragon hunters, but it was obvious that his mind was deep in thought about something.

“Shon,” Tarun finally said, “may I ask you a question?”

“Of course,” Shon said. “What’s on your mind?”

“Actually,” replied Tarun, “I want to know what’s on your mind. The other day you said the brook didn’t sound right, and it seemed to bother you a great deal. Have you heard other brooks before? Was something wrong with that one?”

“I heard the sound of running water nearly every day for several years of my childhood,” Shon said with a sigh. “I just never heard it with my own ears.”

Tarun’s expression turned to confusion, but he said nothing. Eventually, Shon continued. “When I was young, I had this teacher in Life’s Edge who meant a lot to me. I mean, she taught all of the kids in Life’s Edge, but she was especially important to me. She taught me just about everything I know. She was even the one who first discovered my magic abilities.”

“Tell me about her,” Tarun said, walking closer next to Shon.

“Her name was Empress,” Shon said. He then quickly added, “Well, actually her real name was Mprësues, but none of us called her that. See, she came from far south where they don’t speak Common very much, and she spoke with an accent that some of the kids thought was funny, but I always liked. She knew her real name was hard for us to say, so she told us we could call her ‘Empress’ instead, since it sounded similar and it became like a joke she shared with her students.”

“Since Life’s Edge has such a reputation for its glasswork, the adults in the town were able to pool their resources to pay for a trained full-time teacher, rather than enlist periodic volunteers. I first started attending Empress’ classes when I was about seven years old. The first couple of years were pretty hard for both of us.”

“Why was that?” asked Tarun.

“Well apparently I wasn’t the easiest student to work with at first,” said Shon. “I don’t really remember much of the details since I was still so young, but my parents had left me with Uncle Grodin just about a year earlier, so I got angry a lot. I was also… well… easily distracted back then. And Empress did not like distractions in her class.”

“But there was one thing I always loved about Empress, even during those first years, and that was story time. Empress would tell all kinds of stories to the class. Sometimes she would read them from books, and sometimes they were oral stories she would just tell from memory. I would always sit in the front of the class during story time. When I closed my eyes, I could actually see in her mind the stories as she told them. It was amazing to experience the stories she told in that way. Unfortunately, other than story time, I was a terror for her.”

“What changed?” Tarun asked.

“Empress learned about my magic,” Shon said. “Before me or even Grodin knew what was going on with me, she was able to figure it out.”

“How?” asked Tarun.

“Mostly through little things at first,” Shon said. “Empress was an incredibly perceptive woman, especially when it came to her students. She noticed that the more people who were around, the more distracted I would be, even if nobody was talking. She noticed that on tests I would often give the answers that the majority of the students in the class gave. A couple of times I would even write someone else’s name down at the top of the test. When I was eight she figured out that I couldn’t really read, if there wasn’t anybody else looking at the words at the same time as me.”

“She would keep me after class and ask how the day went for me, and then she would listen with so much attention, that it nearly gave me a headache to talk and listen to her thoughts at the same time.”

“She sounds like a wonderful person,” Tarun said with a smile, “but what does any of this have to do with the sound of the brook?”

“Oh right,” said Shon, shaking his head. “I was just getting to that. You see, once Empress figured out what was going on with my mind, she started working with me to get it under control, both in and out of her class.”

“So she was a magic user too?” asked Tarun.

“No, not at all,” Shon said. “She didn’t have any magical skills whatsoever. But she did know a lot about the mind, especially when it came to kids’ minds. She and I would meet together after school to figure out tricks and strategies to focus my power. The water trick was one that we used the most.”

“The water trick worked like this. Let’s say that the whole class had to take a test. To help me focus on my own test, and not the thoughts of all the other kids taking theirs, Empress would sit in her large story time chair at the front of the class, and just think about the sound of water running down a stream. My job was to listen for the water with my mind, so I could focus on that instead on the thoughts of all the other kids.”

“That was one of the best tricks she ever came up with for me, but there were several others that she came up with that I still use sometimes to focus and calm down. Of course, not all of her ideas were amazing. She had some pretty strange ones too.”

“What kind of strange ideas?” Tarun asked.

“Well for one thing, I remember she had this chart that she would pull out sometimes. It had a picture of a person on it, but it was divided into sections and each section was color coded. She thought that a person’s thoughts would come from different parts of the body, depending on how they were feeling. Like when you’re hungry she said your thoughts were coming from your stomach, or when you were embarrassed she said your thoughts were coming from your cheeks and ears, or when you were scared your thoughts were coming from your lungs.”

“Speaking of feeling hungry,” Tarun said, “how far do you want to walk today before we stop for lunch?”

“Oh I still feel pretty full right now,” said Shon. “The breakfast we had at the inn was pretty big, so I think I can keep going until after noon before I’ll need lunch. Would you like to eat sooner than that?”

“No, that sounds fine,” Tarun said. The truth was, Tarun wasn’t quite as full as Shon. The meals they were served at the inn were the same size, but Tarun had observed that he could generally eat quite a bit more than Shon before he was satisfied. Still, he wanted to hear more about Shon’s teacher, so he kept the thoughts coming from his stomach to himself.

“What were some of the other feelings associated with body parts on her chart?” Tarun asked.

“Just about all of them you could think of,” Shon said with a chuckle. “Let’s see… Love came from the nose and lips, anxiety came from the teeth, excitement came from the fingertips, guilt came from the liver. She even said that boredom came from the toes. That was just a few of them.”

“What about anger?” Tarun asked. “Where did Empress say angry thoughts come from?”

“You know, I asked her that once too,” said Shon. “She said that angry thoughts could come from any part of the body, because they always started out as something else. So if someone was angry, those thoughts probably started out as fear or embarrassment or sadness or hunger, and then turned into anger, even if the person didn’t realize it. She said that knowing that helped her stay calm when other people were mad, because she just had to figure out what their anger started out as.”

“So all of our thoughts come from different parts of our bodies?” clarified Tarun. “Interesting idea.”

“Well, not exactly all of them,” said Shon. “Empress believed that dreams and other special kinds of thoughts came from what she called the Ether. She represented the Ether on her chart as a gray mist surrounding the picture of the person. She believed that the Ether connected the thoughts of every living thing in the world, and said that thoughts from the Ether were a gift and should be treasured.”

“Empress once told me that she thought my magic came from the Ether,” Shon continued. “She said that was a really special thing, because the world already has enough wizards who can cast spells or curses that blow stuff up, but the world can always use more gifts from the Ether. It was after she told me that idea that I started calling myself an ethereal wizard.”

Tarun thought about the idea of some thoughts coming from the Ether and wondered if it had anything to do with those thoughts that made him feel strong and optimistic, or if it was what Krall meant about following his instincts. “It sounds like she taught you a lot,” Tarun said.

Shon nodded solemnly. “She taught me just about everything I know,” he said. “And it wasn’t just in class. She would often come over to my home and have meals with Uncle Grodin and me. She would stay over for hours, and sometimes she would even still be there talking with Uncle Grodin after I went to bed. I always suspected they were secretly sweethearts, even though she was a few years older than him. In hindsight, I’ll bet he told Empress his secret about being a druid and he told her about stuff I needed to learn that his promise to my parents wouldn’t allow him to.”

“In fact, whenever I would ask her about my uncle so I could read her thoughts about him, she would just say a little rhyme until I stopped asking her:”

“Thoughts may wander

Thoughts may roam

Some thoughts take paths

Far from their home

But keep in mind

Some paths hold dread

Some thoughts are best

Kept in your head.”

“That’s really clever,” said Tarun. “Did she make that up herself?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure she made it up just for me,” Shon said with a catch in his throat. “She did a lot of little things like that for me.”

“What happened to her?” Tarun asked quietly.

Shon and Tarun walked along in silence, with Tarun’s question hanging between them. After a while, Shon said, “Three years ago she got a letter from her sister. It said that their mother was sick and asking for her. It was the middle of winter at the time, and while that didn’t mean much in Life’s Edge, Empress knew that she’d have to travel with a caravan to get all the way south to her home town. She didn’t have the money to pay for the trip, so Uncle Grodin gave her the money she needed so she wouldn’t have to wait until spring.”

“I know he did it to be kind, but…” Shon’s voice trailed off and he looked down at his feet for several steps. “When the caravan was just a few miles from her village, they were caught in an avalanche. A few people survived, but they never found Empress.”

“I’m sorry,” said Tarun, putting a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “That must have been very hard on you.”

“It was,” Shon said, wiping his nose on a sleeve. “It was hard on a lot of us. Me and my uncle. The whole town, really. There were a lot of people there that Empress had taught and lives she had touched. Life’s Edge had lost its teacher, I had lost my best friend… and Uncle Grodin had probably lost the only person in the town who he had shared his secret with.”

“After that, things became really difficult between Uncle Grodin and me. We had never been able to talk very easily, probably because he always had to worry about keeping that stupid promise to my parents, but after Empress died we hardly talked at all. The town had offered to let me replace Empress as the teacher in Life’s Edge since I had stayed in her classes almost twice as long as most of her students, but I turned them down. I told them I didn’t think I could live up to Empress’ example, but the truth is I just wanted to get as far away from that town as possible.”

“Of course any time I tried to talk to my uncle about leaving, he would just tell me that if I did I wouldn’t be able to come back to live with him. I finally understand why now, but at the time I thought he was just being harsh. I knew I didn’t have any way to make a real living in the world, so I spent the next couple years trying to figure out what I could do to get by on my own, but nothing really seemed to work out despite all my ‘gifts’ from the Ether.”

“Eventually I thought I could learn to make some money by using my magic to win at gambling, but as you know, that didn’t work out so well. I won the games just fine and the gamblers never figured out exactly how I was cheating, but they didn’t really care how I did it anyway. That was when you arrived in Life’s Edge and saved my life.”

“Now that you’ve had a chance to leave Life’s Edge,” said Tarun, “do you think you’ll ever go back and accept their offer to become a teacher?”

“I don’t know,” Shon said. “It certainly seems better than the life of a dragon hunter,” he added with half a smile and a chuckle. When he finished his last sentence he thought of the voice in his dream two nights before that had told him to go back home where it was safe. The memory sent a chill up Shon’s spine.

Tarun saw the darkened expression on Shon’s face and asked, “You really miss her don’t you?”

“Every day,” Shon replied. “That’s why I was so excited to hear the sound of that brook. After three years, I thought I would finally get to hear the same calming sound that I had heard so many times in Empress’ mind. But it wasn’t the same at all.”

Tarun patted Shon on the shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile. “I’m sure there will be many more brooks and streams between here and the green valley,” Tarun said. “Who knows what sights and sounds we’ve yet to experience?”

At that, Shon smiled, and the two continued along their path.

“You want Tarun to do what?!” shouted Shon with a mouth full of half-chewed sausages.

“Exactly what I said,” replied Krall. “I want to train him to be a dragon hunter. I’m offering to let him come with us, learn everything I have to teach him, and then help me hunt and kill dragons.”

Shon swallowed hard to clear his mouth of the sausages. “We’re a team,” Shon said with an angry tone rising in his voice. “Why would Tarun leave his best friend to go running off with a bunch of strangers?”

“Alright then,” Krall said, “if you two are a package, then why don’t you come along too? You could learn a lot that might keep you alive, as long as you keep your head down when things get dangerous. Who knows? Your magic may even come in handy sometime.”

“Gee, thanks,” Shon said sarcastically as he crossed his arms. “But has it occurred to you that we have business of our own to take care of?”

“What business is that?” Krall asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Our business,” replied Shon, getting angrier. “You probably wouldn’t be interested in it since it doesn’t involve killing or getting killed by something.”

Krall sighed and turned back to Tarun. “And what do you think of all of this, Tarun?” Krall asked. “I know you don’t remember anything before meeting your friend here, but I trust your mind is still your own.”

Tarun saw that everyone had turned to look at him, and he didn’t know how to respond. When he thought about going with Krall and learning to be a dragon hunter, he felt the same optimistic strength he had felt earlier that morning. But when he thought about leaving Shon, he felt a great weight in his stomach, as if the sausages he had eaten were made of stone. “I… I don’t know,” he finally said.

Solimar looked back and forth at Tarun and Shon with a disapproving expression and turned to Krall. “Are you sure about this?” the elf asked.

“As sure as I was when I asked Piggy to join us,” Krall said to Solimar. “Or as sure as I was when I suggested you and I work together instead of kill each other, for that matter. This feels right to me, and I’ve learned to follow my instincts.”

Krall turned back to Tarun and asked, “Do you understand what that means, Tarun? To follow your instincts?”

“I’m not sure,” Tarun replied. “Your offer seems good, and I appreciate it.” Tarun paused and he saw a worried look on Shon’s face. “But leaving Shon right now would feel wrong, and I won’t do it,” he said, and saw relief wash over Shon’s face. “And as Shon said, we have business to take care of before starting any other ventures.”

Krall looked at Tarun and took a deep breath through his nose. After a moment he nodded and said, “Alright, I can respect that. You two seem determined to complete whatever errand you’re on, and I won’t get in your way.”

“Now,” said Krall as he stood up and wiped his hands on his pants, “if everyone is done with their breakfast, what do you say we get down to the business that brought us all here in the first place? I believe you’ve got a package for us, and we should get it from you and be on our way before that idiot from last night manages to sober up enough to actually get a posse together.”

“Oh, sure,” Shon said, surprised that Krall was willing to take Tarun’s decision without further argument. “Uh, it’s in your pack, Tarun. Mind getting it out?”

Tarun opened his pack and rummaged through its contents to find the package of Dragon’s Bane hidden safely in the bottom. As he started to pull it out, Krall asked, “Have you got a map in there?”

“Yes,” Tarun said.

“You’d better hand me that too,” Krall replied.

Before Shon could object, Tarun had handed the package of Dragon’s Bane and their map to Krall. Krall carefully opened a small corner of the wrapping around the Dragon’s Bane and inhaled a long sniff of the contents inside. “Yes, that all seems to be in order,” Krall said as he quickly closed up the corner of the package.

“You’re not even going to look at it?” Shon asked.

“Why should I?” Krall asked. “You’re not trying to cheat me, are you?”

“No, of course not!” Tarun said. He felt sick at the thought that Krall might suspect them of dishonesty.

Krall chuckled. “No, I didn’t think so,” he said. “Dragon’s Bane is a dangerous plant to have spread around, so I don’t intend to open this package until I’m ready to use it. Besides, I trust my nose more than my eyes anyway.”

“Now your uncle and I agreed on thirty pieces of silver,” Krall said. “Does that sound right to you, Shon?”

When Shon nodded, Krall reached into a pouch on his belt and produced a handful of coins, which he began to quietly count in some orcish language. After a moment he handed the coins to Shon and said, “Alright, here’s the thirty pieces you were promised, plus another five more for you to hear what I have to say next.”

Krall opened up Shon and Tarun’s map and begin to study it. “Hey!” Shon shouted. “Give that back!”

“Like I said,” Krall replied, “I just want you to hear what I have to say.” He produced a small piece of charcoal from a different pouch on his belt and made a mark on the map, much to Shon’s displeasure. He then handed the map back to Tarun and Shon and pointed at the black mark.

“Do whatever business you need to do,” Krall said, “but consider my offer still open until the end of the month. If you finish whatever errand you’re on, or if you change your minds, go to the town at this mark. It’s a small town, so don’t worry about finding us, we’ll spot you when you arrive as long as you get there before the month ends.”

“What’s at that town?” Tarun asked.

“One of our next clients,” Krall said. “There are three towns in that area that are all being periodically attacked by a particularly nasty dragon. From the descriptions we’ve heard, it sounds like she may be brooding. The three towns have pooled their resources to offer a reward to any dragon hunters who can get rid of her, and that town is where we’ll go to discuss our terms.”

“And what if they didn’t have enough money to pay you?” Shon asked, snatching the map out of Krall’s hand. “Would you just let the dragon continue to kill the people in those towns?”

“First of all, the dragon hasn’t killed anyone yet,” said Krall. “It’s mostly just been killing livestock and terrorizing the residents. Second of all, as you’ve already pointed out a few times, dragon hunting is an extremely dangerous endeavor. We don’t do it unless we think it will be worthwhile. So if you boys do join us, that’s the first dragon you’ll be helping us hunt.”

“Anything else you wanted us to hear before we’re done?” Shon asked.

“Just one last thing,” Krall said. “You boys be careful out there. Really. I don’t think either of you realizes yet what a cruel and dangerous place this world can be. It’s obvious you’ve both been sheltered so far, but even if you hadn’t, I’ve seen men more hardened than yourselves taken unawares.”

“Be smart, stick together, and use your instincts. You especially Tarun, because I can tell you’ve got ‘em. If something doesn’t smell right, it probably isn’t, so get yourselves out. I realize an orc face may not be very pretty for you to look at, Shon, but prettier faces than mine could do a lot worse to you than I could. Be careful. Be safe. I hope I’ll see you again before too long.”

“Thank you, Krall,” said Tarun. “Thank you for everything. I hope we’ll see each other again too.”

After that, Krall picked up the package of Dragon’s Bane and the dragon hunters packed up their wagon, while Tarun and Shon kicked dirt onto the fire to put it out. The green wagon pulled away, and by the time Tarun and Shon had finished rolling their sleeping bags and securing them to their packs, the wagon was already out of sight.

“Well,” said Shon, trying to rub Krall’s black mark off of his map, “now that we’ve finished that whole unpleasant encounter, what do you say we find another town where we can get some more supplies and get back to finding my parents?”

Dragon Hunters
Art by Ryan Salway

Tarun woke up the next morning soon after sunrise. Though he was warm and dry inside the sleeping bag Grodin had given him, Tarun noticed that the ground around him was damp to the touch. Had it rained in the night while he was sleeping? Tarun had heard about rain, but since he could not remember anything before his time with Shon in the desert, he did not know if he had ever actually seen rain before, and the thought excited him.

Tarun climbed out of his sleeping bag and put on his boots. As he stood up and stretched in the cool morning air, he inhaled deeply. The light, earthy smells of the slightly wet leaves, grass, and trees filled his lungs with the essence of the forest.

The feeling was completely alien to Tarun. Not a single corner of his mind caught any hint of familiarity from his surroundings, and yet somehow it all felt… right. As he took another deep breath he felt even more sure that he was in the right place, at least for the moment, and that surety left him feeling elated and strong.

Tarun looked down at where Shon was still sound asleep on the ground. Tarun was not surprised by this. He nearly always woke up before Shon did, though he often didn’t tell his friend how much earlier he arose. Tarun figured that with a head so much heavier with memories and magic, Shon needed the extra rest.

When Tarun saw how tightly Shon’s hood was wrapped around his head, he wondered if it had been a colder night than he had realized.

Not wanting to wake Shon, Tarun walked around the rest of the clearing to familiarize himself with his surroundings. The clearing looked much different in the daytime than it had the night before. The sunlight filtered through the branches of the trees, creating streaks of light against the dust and pollen in the air.

Tarun saw the stump on the ground where he had agreed to a rematch with Smitt, and saw drops of brown-red where his own blood had dripped down after his arm was cut by Smitt’s knife. Tarun put a hand on the bandage that Solimar had put on his arm before he went to sleep. He decided the elf must be quite skilled, because the cut on his arm did not hurt as much as he had expected.

Looking around, Tarun did not see Solimar anywhere, and wondered where the elf might be. He did not have to look far for the dwarf that Krall had called Piggy though. He was still asleep next to his large boar. He was amazed that the dwarf could look so comfortable snuggled up to an animal with hair so bristly.

As he continued to walk around the clearing, Tarun found an axe that one of the woodcutters had dropped during the fight the night before, and he picked it up. Gripping the handle with two hands, Tarun swung the axe around, imagining how he might fight off the woodcutters if they came back for another fight. At one point he swung wildly to his left and lost his grip on the axe. The axe head narrowly missed his foot, but left a noticeable gash across his left boot. Tarun held the axe behind his back and looked around to see if anyone had noticed his mistake.

Tarun walked over to the green wagon on the other side of the clearing to get a better look at it. He was amazed at the way that the dappled mix of greens and browns could cause the wagon to blend in so well with the vegetation behind it. As he got close, he saw a shape painted with another mixture of green and brown, as Krall emerged from the inside of the wagon wearing his traveling cloak.

As Krall finished stepping down from the wagon, the orc stretched his arms wide, inhaled deeply through his nose, and let out an invigorated howl. “EEYOWOWOWOH!” he sang to the morning air.

Tarun smiled to see the orc greet the new day with such enthusiasm and passion. Tarun began to respond with an excited “HRAAAAGH!” of his own, but stopped when he looked over and saw that Shon had awoken with a look of panic on his face. Tarun suddenly remembered that he was still holding the axe in his hands, and realized that his friend may have thought that Tarun and Krall were howling at each other, rather than the morning itself.

Tarun put down the axe and tried to think of the right words to explain the situation, but before he could, his mind was flooded with confusing images of trees and arrows and pig-beasts and savage orcs. Tarun looked over at Krall and saw him stumbling and clutching his head, but he couldn’t tell if what he saw was real or part of the confusing images around him. He heard snarls and snores and growls and squeals of pain. The world began to swim around his head.

Then just as quickly as it had begun, the sounds and images faded, and Tarun turned to see Solimar standing behind Shon, holding the Shon’s hood tightly over his whole head and gripping his throat with a choking hand. Tarun picked up the axe he had dropped a moment before. “Let him go!” Tarun shouted. “You’re hurting him!”

“Not until he calms down,” the elf coolly replied, holding firmly the struggling wizard.

Tarun began to advance and grip the axe in both hands, but he stopped and turned around when he heard Krall’s voice from behind call out, “Enough Solimar! Let him go! You’re hurting the boy, and you’re only going to make this worse.”

Solimar sneered at Krall, but a moment later the elf dropped Shon to the ground, leaving him coughing and gasping for air. Tarun immediately dropped the axe and ran to his friend’s side.

“Tell him to keep his grubby mind in his own thick head,” Solimar said, walking over to Krall. Tarun could not hear Solimar and Krall’s brief whispered conversation, but it was obviously heated. When it was over, Solimar shot another glare at Tarun and Shon, and then stalked off behind the wagon.

“I’m sorry about that Shon,” Tarun said as he patted his friend’s back and tried to help him regain his breath. “What was that? I’ve never seen you do anything like that before!”

“Forget about it,” Shon said between coughs in a much angrier tone than usual. “I just woke up from a terrible night’s sleep to find you and an orc roaring at one another.”

“No, it’s not like that,” Tarun said. “Krall and I were just… howling at the morning. We weren’t in any danger. But how did you use your magic like that, anyway?”

“I said forget about it!” Shon snapped. After a moment, Shon exhaled a long breath and began rubbing the sides of his head. “I’m sorry Tarun. I just had a terrible dream and I feel like I threw it up all over everybody.”

“Well I don’t think any real harm was done,” Tarun said in a reassuring tone. “Solimar looks angry, but that’s nothing new. Piggy looks like he got the worst of it. I think he was still asleep when it hit. It looks like Krall is trying to calm him down now.”

Shon continued to look down at the ground with his hood pulled over his head, not wanting to look at the others. “I think it’s time we sell the Dragon’s Bane and collect our payment. I’d like to be done with dragon hunters for a long time.”

“Are you going to be alright?” Tarun asked.

“I guess so,” Shon replied with a cough. “It’s just unsettling to be choked by such smooth hands.”

***

Things began to quickly calm down after the initial commotion settled, and the rest of the morning was considerably less eventful. Tarun even began to regain some of the excitement and optimism he had felt earlier that morning, especially when Krall began teaching Tarun various skills.

Krall had tried to smooth things over with everyone by revealing a box containing venison sausages they could share for breakfast once they got a fire going. With this in mind, he instructed Tarun and Shon to help him gather wood for the fire. When Tarun collected several pieces of wood that were too large for building a fire, Krall taught him how to use the axe properly to chop the wood without chopping off his own foot.

After gathering the wood, and chopping it into appropriate sizes, Krall taught Tarun how to stack the pieces of wood in a tower by alternating pairs of parallel sticks back and forth across each other. “It’s like building a pyramid out of a log cabin,” Krall had said. Tarun didn’t understand the reference, but he was impressed all the same.

After building the log cabin pyramid, Krall found some dry pine needles and leaves to put inside the small wooden structure. He instructed Tarun not to stuff it too full, or it would be too hard for air to get in and get the fire going.

Krall then produced a couple of small pieces of metal from a pouch on his belt, and struck them together to make sparks that began to make the dry needles and leaves smoke and crackle. Krall began to blow into the small fire, which produced more smoke. Tarun tried to help by blowing hard into the leaves, but Krall had to stop him before he put the small flames completely out. Krall softly blew again, and the fire began to pick up again.

“Stronger isn’t always better,” Krall told Tarun. “When the fire is still this small, a little gentleness goes a long way. There will be time for bellows and big logs later.”

Their efforts soon paid off, and before long there was a strong healthy fire in front of them. Krall retrieved a black iron skillet from the wagon, and the smells and sounds of sizzling sausages filled the morning air.

As the group ate their breakfast, Tarun tossed a branch onto the fire and watched the branches curl and crackle. “I’m surprised the wood was so dry,” Tarun said, “especially after it rained last night.”

Krall stopped eating his sausage mid-bite and stared at Tarun. “What are you talking about?” Krall asked. “It hasn’t rained in these woods for weeks.”

“But the ground and grass were wet when I woke up,” Tarun said.

“You mean the dew on the ground?” Krall asked, raising an eyebrow.

“What’s dew?” Tarun began to ask, but his voice was quickly interrupted by Shon cutting in loudly.

“Oh dew! Of course!” Shon said loudly. “We’re not used to seeing so much of it since we’re coming from the desert. Well that makes sense now!”

Krall stared at Tarun for a moment. “Do you really not know what dew is?” he asked.

Tarun looked back and forth between Krall’s and Shon’s faces. Shon’s expression seemed to indicate that something was wrong and that Tarun should lie, but Tarun could think of anything to say. Finally Tarun asked, “Is that bad? I didn’t mean to offend you, Krall.”

“Offend me?” Krall said sitting back on his log. “Who are you, boy? You’re obviously not stupid, so why do you know so little? It’s obvious your friend here doesn’t get around much, but at least he knows the basics. What’s your story?”

As Tarun prepared to speak, he heard Shon’s voice in his mind. Be careful, he said. I still don’t think we can trust these dragon hunters. We shouldn’t tell them too much.

When Tarun responded, he spoke out loud to both Shon and Krall. “There’s not that much to tell,” he said, “but I’ll tell you what I know.”

Tarun then proceeded to tell the dragon hunters about his experiences in Life’s Edge, and his lack of memory before that. He told them about his journey into the desert with Shon and Grodin, and their dangerous encounter with the mirages. Tarun explained his desire to leave Life’s Edge, and how Shon had agreed to accompany him. Because of some mental pleading from Shon, Tarun left out any mention of Shon’s parents or the Soul Trees in the valley that they were headed to.

When Tarun finished telling his story, Krall stared intensely at him for a long time, unconsciously chewing on the knuckles of his fingerless gloves while he thought. “Well,” he finally said, “you seem bright and you’re obviously strong. I think you’ve got a lot of potential, but no idea what to do with it. You two look out for one another, but this world is a lot bigger than that desert, and there’s plenty of dangers hidden at every turn. You boys seem pretty ill-equipped to face them alone.”

Krall’s serious expression brightened a bit and a smirk came to his lips. “So why not head for the danger head-on and learn how to be ready for it?” Krall asked. “How’d you like to be a dragon hunter?”

Dragon Hunters
Art by Ryan Salway

Shon sat on the log in front of the smoldering campfire next to Tarun as his arm was bandaged by the elf who had shot the arrow into Smitt’s sleeve less than an hour earlier. He couldn’t stop himself from constantly looking back and forth between the elf, the dwarf, and the orc, and wondering to himself how his plans for their journey could have gone awry so quickly.

Admittedly it had never been a very detailed plan. Find their buyer and deliver the Dragon’s Bane to collect payment. Then travel to the valley with his parents’ Soul Trees. And then… something else? OK, Shon admitted to himself, so it was an incredibly simplistic plan. But wasn’t that all the more reason it should have been easy to stick to it?

Instead, he found himself in the middle of a dark forest in the middle of the night, in the company of three dangerous-looking dragon hunters who weren’t even members of his own race. One of them was even an orc! Shon considered Tarun brave, but he reasoned this was one instance where he just didn’t know enough to be as frightened as he should have been.

“Thank you for stopping Smitt,” Tarun said to the elf, breaking the long silence. “If you hadn’t he probably would have killed me.”

A piece of thick cloth covered the elf’s right eye, secured by a leather headband, and the elf gave Tarun a stern gaze with the other eye. After a long pause, the elf finished binding Tarun’s wound, stood up, and said, “You owe me an arrowhead.”

Despite the cold and angry tone, Shon was surprised how regal and even the elf’s voice was. As Shon inspected the elf’s long blonde hair, slender build, and graceful movements, it suddenly occurred to Shon that he could not tell for sure if the elf was male or female. The realization instantly made him very uncomfortable.

Shon had a hard time imagining any woman choosing the life of a dragon hunter. But he also had a hard time believing that a male, especially a rough and dangerous dragon hunter, could move and speak like the person in front of him.

The elf suddenly spun around and glared at Shon. “What are you staring at?” the elf asked.

“I’m… I’m sorry,” Shon stammered, “I’ve never met an elf before. What’s your name?”

The elf gave Shon a disgusted sneer and walked away into the dark woods.

The orc came and sat down by Tarun and Shon in front of the smoldering campfire. Shon made a conscious effort to not scoot away when he did. “The elf’s name is Solimar,” the orc said. “Solimar Silverbow. And before you get all worked up about it, you should know that Solimar doesn’t like anybody, not even me and Piggy.”

Shon turned his face to the orc with such surprise that he nearly forgot about the recent unpleasantness with Solimar. “Piggy?” he asked.

“That’s the dwarf,” said the orc. “At least, that’s what we call him, and he seems to answer to it just fine. Don’t know if he’s got a real name, but that one seemed to fit since he’s so attached to that boar of his.”

Shon looked over at the hairy, wild-looking dwarf, already asleep and curled up next to the large boar he used to crash into the woodcutters less than an hour earlier. “Why doesn’t he just tell you his name, if you don’t know it?” asked Shon.

“That’s kind of a long story,” replied the orc, “but the short answer is that Piggy doesn’t talk. Oh, and speaking of names, mine is Krall in case you didn’t catch it earlier.”

“Oh, right,” Shon said nervously as he looked away from Krall’s green face, “thanks for the reminder.”

Krall stood up and brushed the loose dirt from the back of his pants. “Well, you boys look tired, not to mention pretty shaken up,” Krall said. “It doesn’t sound like the inn at Duskwood is going to be an option tonight, so why don’t you just stay in our camp site for the night? We can sort out all of the details with your delivery in the morning when we’ve all got fresh brains.”

“Are you sure that’s safe?” Shon asked.

“Well, Solimar is a pretty light sleeper like most elves,” Krall said. “And my nose is almost as keen as Piggy’s boar’s is. I don’t think there’s much chance of anybody sneaking up on us. Besides, I really doubt those woodcutters will be dumb enough to come back here tonight.”

Shon didn’t have the nerve to admit that what he meant was, he wasn’t sure if Krall, Piggy, and Solimar were safe.

Tarun put his hand on Shon’s back and spoke up. “I think we can trust him,” Tarun said. “If they wanted to kill us, they could have easily done that already.”

Krall let out another deep, throaty laugh. “You don’t talk much, boy,” Krall said, “but I think I like you a little bit more every time you do.”

***

Sleep did not come easily to Shon that night. He lay next to the dying embers of the campfire in his sleeping roll with one eye open. Tarun was nearby on the other side of the fire pit, already fast asleep. Several times Shon would take the hood of his cloak off his head in fear, listening for any thoughts of anger or intent to do harm. Then his head would get cold and he would remember he couldn’t clearly understand the thoughts of the three dragon hunters anyway, so he would put the hood back over his head.

By far the easiest of the dragon hunters to keep tabs on was Piggy. The dwarf was curled up in plain sight next to his large boar. Shon couldn’t tell if the loud snorting snores were coming from the dwarf, his pet, or both. He couldn’t be sure, but at times it seemed that the snores were almost harmonizing in a grotesque kind of way.

Shon was fairly certain that Krall was asleep in the large green wagon. He had seen the orc climb into the wagon shortly after he finished talking to Shon and Tarun, and he had not seen Krall climb back out. However, he did not trust Krall, so Shon continued to assume that the orc could be anywhere. For all Shon knew, the wagon could have a secret trap door that could allow the orc to sneak out of the wagon and take his victims by surprise.

Most unsettling to Shon was the realization that he didn’t know where Solimar was at all. The elf had stalked off into the woods, and not returned. Shon had assumed that Solimar would come back to go to sleep when the others did, but the elf had not returned. Was Solimar asleep in the trees? Or watching from the shadows?

Between the loud snores coming from Piggy and his boar, Shon heard the wind blowing through the leaves of the trees around him, and the insects and other creatures active in the dark. Shon realized that the sounds he found so captivating earlier in the evening were now unnerving and sharp in his ears.

As the last of the heat and glow left the coals in front of him, Shon finally lost the will to stay awake, and his eyes reluctantly closed. And as the last of the smoke curled out of the charred and blackened wood towards the sky, Shon’s mind wandered into strange and winding dreams under his hood.

Shon’s dream began in a large and beautiful valley. In the distance he saw three tall trees covered in blossoms with two people standing underneath them. Shon could tell immediately that they were his parents. He called out to them, but they didn’t come, so Shon began to run towards them. As he came nearer he could see his mother’s lovely and graceful smile, and his father’s stern but determined gaze.

When Shon had nearly reached them he stumbled and lost sight of them for a moment. When he looked back he realized that they were not really two people, but one. Fluctuating between gracefulness and severity, Shon saw that it was not his parents at all, but Solimar. The elf notched in arrow and pointed it at Shon, and he began to run away.

Arrows rained down around Shon from every side, as he tried to run toward the shelter of the trees, now so distant from him. Too late he saw that the arrows had been corralling him into an ambush by Piggy and his boar, which had fused into one huge, hairy, snarling, creature. Like some kind of abominable centaur, the Piggy beast charged at Shon with four legs, two arms, and a war cry that sounded like harmonious snores.

Shon was pulled out of the way of the beast’s charge at the last second by a pair of strong arms. He turned and saw his friend Tarun next to him, and then in an instant Tarun had transformed into an orc with frothing mouth and sharpened fangs. The orc spoke to Shon through a mouth drool and slime. “Krall is coming to eat your dreams,” the orc said. “I’m coming to eat your nightmares.”

Suddenly, Shon heard a laugh so clear and sharp, that he realized how fuzzy and unfocused the rest of the dream world around him was. The laugh was lower and louder than Krall’s guttural laugh, but it also seemed strangely far away. The sound made his heart and stomach vibrate and drop.

The sequence of events in the dream continued on around Shon, but now that he saw how blurry and sporadic everything was, he could watch events as an observer. He still saw the dragon hunters attacking him, but he was no longer affected by it. On the other hand, he realized that his fear of the dragon hunters in his dream had been nothing compared to the fear that the foreign laughing had caused him.

As the dream continued, Shon heard the laugh again and it sent a shiver up his spine. It was not a laugh of mirth or amusement, but of mockery and contempt. He dared not move or breathe as he felt his every action was being watched and judged.

The laugh then turned into a cruel, distant voice. “Why have you stopped running, little larva?” the voice said. “This dream is not nearly as much fun when you just stay still like that. Could it be that you stopped running because you’ve grown a spine?”

At the last comment, Shon heard the dark laugh again, more bitter and terrible than before. “No,” said the voice, “larvae don’t have spines. Perhaps you have stopped running because you are now just paralyzed with fear.” Shon continued to hold his breath and his tongue, trying to figure out what was going on in this dream that was unlike any he’d had before.

“Bah!” said the voice, an angry tone mingling with its malice, “You cannot be one of them. Your companion perhaps, but never you. My enemies must be capable of greatness, and you are no more than a frightened bug, too young and weak to even know when to scurry away.”

The dream ended and all faded to black, but the voice continued in the utter darkness surrounding Shon. “The Obsidian Eye has been wrong before, and it must be again. That is why I never hatch only one egg at a time. I will focus my attentions on one of the others. Scurry home where you’ll be safe, little larva, and pray you never receive my notice again. If you do, you may never wake up.”

The voice rumbled an ancient and powerful growl as it slowly faded away. After a time, Shon became aware of the sounds of the night bugs and Piggy’s snores, and he realized that his eyes were open. Shon felt a chill on his head and found that his hood had slipped off in his sleep. Shon pulled the hood tightly over his head and tried to warm himself up, but he couldn’t tell if the chill he felt was from the cold night air, or the last lingering memories of the voice in his dream.

Dragon Hunters
Art by Ryan Salway

Tarun and Shon walked through the forest, trying to make as little sound as possible so Shon could listen for the thoughts of the stranger. A full moon in the sky provided some light in the woods, but they still had to go slowly to avoid running into any trees.

Shon was surprised how much noise there was in the forest as they walked. The desert where he grew up supported very little life, and he found himself both excited and unsettled by the constant sounds of insects and other creatures in the woods. Leaves and other vegetation crunched and rustled under their feet with every step. He didn’t know whether to be annoyed that they were making such a ruckus, or relieved that they probably wouldn’t run the risk of startling the rather large stranger they were trying to find.

Despite the noise, Shon was able to keep them headed towards the thoughts he had heard earlier. He was certainly glad that he had Stick to amplify his magical abilities, as he was uncertain whether he would have been able to pick up such strange and foreign thought patterns without it. Shon was not even certain if he was sensing just one train of thought or if there were more.

With so little light in the forest and his mind so focused on the sounds and thoughts he was listening to, Shon did not even realize he had closed his eyes until Tarun grabbed his shoulder to halt his pace. Shon then opened his eyes to see a low campfire in the middle of a small clearing. Beside the campfire was the large stranger under his hood, and behind him was the green wagon.

“Y’know,” the stranger said, not looking up from the campfire, “I kinda liked you two at first. It’s not often you find folks willing to stand up to bullies like Smitt, especially for a total stranger.” The stranger made a snorting sound and spit into the fire, making it pop and spark. “But I had some business in that town, and you two have put a real twist in my plans. And now you even decided to follow me. I hate to say it boys, but you’re starting to downright get on my nerves.”

“Why didn’t you stand up to the woodcutters yourself when they were bothering you?” asked Tarun, apparently less unnerved than Shon was at having annoyed the stranger. “You’re obviously not weak.”

“Guess I’m just a coward,” replied the stranger, spitting into the fire again.

“Well then why didn’t you cower under a table like everyone else when you thought there was a dragon?” asked Shon, emboldened by Tarun’s candor.

“Guess I’m just stupid too,” said the stranger with what sounded like a growl in his voice.

“I think you’re neither,” said Tarun, stepping towards the light of the campfire. “I think you’re a dragon hunter, and the person we’ve come to deliver the Dragon’s Bane plant to.”

“Tarun!” shouted Shon, unable to believe his friend had taken such a terrible chance telling their goal.

The stranger suddenly lifted his head and looked at Tarun. Though his face was still deep in shadow, Shon could now see the reflections of his eyes under the hood, which is more than he had seen of the stranger’s face so far. Shon had no idea if the expression on the stranger’s face was shock or rage.

Without warning, the stranger let out a loud and roaring laugh. As the stranger continued laughing he bent over and slapped his large thighs with such force that Shon was fairly certain such blows would have left him quite bruised. He then looked up at Tarun and Shon again and continued his laughter in earnest.

After a moment, the stranger cleared his throat and spit into the fire again. “Well, I guess this night’s not a total waste after all,” he said. “Though I have to say, you two certainly don’t look like the kind of couriers who would usually deliver Dragon’s Bane. I’ve seen delivery boys carrying baskets of eggs who look meaner than you two!”

At his last statement, the stranger inhaled as if to begin his laughing fit again, but his breath was cut short and he suddenly rose to his feet. Shon was about to say something, but the stranger sharply shushed him and began sniffing the air.

Shon had been so focused on the stranger that he had stopped paying attention to anything else. Now with the clearing suddenly quiet, Shon could hear several loud and angry thoughts gradually surrounding them. Many of the thoughts were slow and foggy from alcohol, but Shon recognized one them immediately. “It’s Smitt and the woodcutters,” Shon whispered.

“I know,” the stranger said in a low and gravely voice. “Guess you boys didn’t make much effort covering your tracks as you found me?”

“What are we going to do?” asked Shon. “They’re really, really angry, and I think…” Shon paused to delve deeper into the thoughts of the mob. “I think they brought their axes with them.”

“I’m not even gonna ask how you know that,” said the stranger. “It’s obvious you must be some kind of wizard or something. So tell me, can you figure out how many of them there are?”

“Six or seven, I think,” replied Shon.

“Seven with axes,” growled the stranger, “and I was really hoping I wouldn’t have to kill anyone tonight. Any chance you can make ‘em think there’s a dragon attacking again?”

“I doubt they would fall for that again,” Shon said, “and considering how impaired their brains are right now, I don’t know how effective my magic would be on them anyway. Still, I’m open for any other suggestions of something to catch them off guard.”

At Shon’s words, Tarun had an idea. He stepped into the middle of the clearing and called out loud and clear, “Smitt!” When he heard nothing but the sounds of insects and night air, he called out again. “We know you and your company are out there, Smitt!”

“What is he doing?!” hissed the stranger. “He’s giving away any advantage of surprise we might have had. Doesn’t he have any common sense?”

“Not really, no,” Shon replied. “His head is nearly empty. But he often ends up being right anyway. Let’s see what he has in mind.”

Tarun continued calling to the darkness of the woods. “I know we had to finish our contest early, but I didn’t realize you wanted to finish it this badly, Smitt. If you’ve bothered to come out all this way, I’d be happy to finish it here.”

A few moments later Smitt walked out of the trees and into the dim light of the now dwindling campfire. “Why would I wanna arm wrestle you again?” asked Smitt with a heavy slur. “You’re a cheater and a lier. You got me and my boys kicked out of the inn for the night. They practically threw us out of town!”

“It was unintentional,” replied Tarun calmly. “Why don’t we just finish our contest so your company can see once and for all who is the stronger man, and then we can all get a good night’s sleep?”

Smitt looked at Tarun for a moment with cold, angry eyes. “Alright,” he finally replied, setting down his axe, “but my boys are going to keep an eye on you this time to make sure you don’t cheat again.” Once he had said this, five other men walked out of the woods carrying large axes.

“I thought you said there were seven,” the stranger whispered to Shon.

“I said ‘six or seven’ didn’t I?” replied Shon quietly. “Besides, there could still be one hiding in the trees.”

The stranger lifted his head a bit and inhaled deeply through his nose. “Nope, this is all of them,” the stranger said. “There’s no way I could miss anybody who smelled this bad.”

Meanwhile, Tarun had walked over to a stump in the clearing and kneeled down next to it. Smitt kneeled down on the other side. “Yer cheating darn near broke my right hand last time,” Smitt said, “so this time we’ll use our left hands.” Tarun agreed and both men grasped left hands across the stump.

As they were getting ready to start, Shon read his friend’s thoughts and was relieved to learn that Tarun intended to let Smitt win. But his relief was short lived as he also read Smitt’s muddled thoughts. “He’s got a dagger!” Shon shouted.

With left hands already firmly grasped and kneeling on the hard ground, Tarun was in an awkward position. Shon’s warning had given him just enough time to raise his arm to block the knife that Smitt held in his right hand. He managed to deflect the blade away from his chest where Smitt had been aiming, but he received a nasty cut along his arm.

Seeing that the plan had gone awry, the other woodcutters began closing in on Tarun, Shon, and the stranger. The stranger pulled from his side what looked like a jagged black knife with his right hand, while bringing his left hand to his mouth and letting out a loud sharp whistle.

Suddenly an elf with a longbow jumped out from behind the green wagon, shooting an arrow that lodged into Smitt’s sleeve just below his arm, pinning him to the stump. At the same time, something fast, loud, and hairy came crashing through the brush riding a large boar, and slammed into two of the woodcutters, knocking them to the ground. After a moment, Shon realized it was the half-naked hairy dwarf that he and Tarun had seen earlier that day outside of town.

The stranger brandished his strange black knife and removed his hood, revealing a face with dark green skin, sharp teeth, and wild eyes. At this turn of events, the woodcutters faltered and one of them completely lost his nerve. He dropped his axe and ran into the woods screaming, “Orc! Orc!!”

The other two woodcutters who were still standing raised their axes, ready to charge at the orc in front of them. But just then, Tarun tackled them from behind, sending them sprawling to the earth, dropping their axes as they fell. Realizing they were outmatched, the woodcutters all fled the clearing, leaving Smitt behind, his arm still pinned to the stump.

Smitt pulled frantically on the arrow as Tarun and the orc approached the stump. Despite his obvious terror, Smitt made a defiant face at the pair. “What’re you gonna do?” Smitt spat at them. “Kill me? Eat me? Once the town finds out there’s a killer orc on the loose, you’ll have an entire posse to deal with!”

“Why do you think we didn’t kill you already?” said the orc, putting his face close enough to Smitt to whisper in his ear. “And for the record, Krall the Dragon Hunter doesn’t eat garbage. I eat your nightmares.”

Krall yanked the arrow out of the stump, freeing Smitt and causing him to fall backwards. “Oh, and I wouldn’t plan on gathering that posse tonight,” said Krall as he sniffed the air. “At least not until you’ve found some fresh pants to change into.” And with that, Smitt went running into the dark forest.

Tarun stood in the clearing, holding his bloodied arm. Next to him was a very terrified Shon who kept looking back and forth at the elf, dwarf, and orc who had rescued them.

“Well,” Krall said, putting away his black knife, “that went better than I expected.”

Dragon Hunters Art by Ryan Salway

Shon’s excitement at Tarun’s victory quickly turned to concern as he felt the mood in the room suddenly take a turn for the worse. A few of the woodcutters were impressed by Tarun’s strength, but most of them were just embarrassed and angry that their leader had been beaten so easily. Even without sensing Smitt’s mind, Shon could tell that the captain’s thoughts had turned downright murderous.

Shon also became keenly aware of the thoughts and emotions of Ulysis and his deputies in the room. They could clearly see the destabilizing situation, and were tensing up in preparation for a fight that might be ahead. They didn’t want a fight, but each of them was ready to hit the first thing that made a wrong move.

The large cloaked figure behind Tarun stood perfectly still, and his thoughts were difficult to understand, almost as if he was thinking in another language. But Shon did sense that he felt very worried, almost panicked, about the sudden turn of events. Ever so slightly, Shon thought he could sense the stranger’s focus shift to the nearby exit.

The pieces were all in place, and events were already in motion. Shon could tell that unless something unexpected occurred, a lot of people would be hurt today, and he could very likely be one of them. But what could he do? Perhaps he could mentally tell Tarun to stand up and use that commanding voice of his to tell everyone to calm down? No, many of the men were already angry with Tarun, and it would probably only make things worse if he spoke up.

Shon began to think of the dragon’s bane plant they were carrying, and wonder if there was any way they could use it to their advantage. As he was deep in thought on the matter, Shon saw Smitt stand up, grab Tarun across the table and punch him right across the face. Shon immediately stood up, only to realize that Smitt was still in his chair and Tarun was untouched. Shon had only seen Smitt’s thoughts, and mistaken them for reality.

However in that moment, Shon realized something. Something unexpected had just happened. Nobody in the tavern expected the pale skinny bald kid to be the first one to stand up and start something. Tensions were still high, but there was a feeling that events may not be quite so inevitable as everyone thought. “OK,” Shon thought to himself, “now I’ve just got to do something really unexpected and maybe we can all get out of here without broken noses and black eyes.”

Shon briefly considered jumping on the table and trying to do a dance, or splashing someone’s drink on top of his head, but he decided that would probably only annoy people, not shock them out of their rage. Frustration overcame Shon as he thought how none of this would have happened if they had just been able to find their buyer in the first place.

Suddenly an idea came to Shon, and he acted before he could think better of it. He grasped Stick tightly, and as forcefully as he could manage he broadcast to the entire room the thought, DRAGON!

The reaction was both more immediate and more dramatic than Shon had expected. Nearly every man in the tavern began to duck and cower below tables, chairs, or anything else they could find.

There were only two exceptions to this, other than himself. Tarun immediately rose to his feet and looked towards Shon, and the hooded stranger looked out the window and reached for some unseen object near his waist. Upon turning and seeing that Shon and Tarun were now looking at him, the stranger immediately ran and exited through the door of the tavern. Shon and Tarun both quickly grabbed their packs and ran out into the cool evening air after him, while everyone else stayed in their huddled positions on the floor in shock and confusion.

The sky outside was already considerably darker than when they had entered the inn less than an hour earlier, and it took Tarun and Shon a moment to see the cloaked stranger walking away in the darkness. He was already quite far from them, but seemed to be walking slowly and calmly as he passed the guard next to the gate leading outside of the Duskwood fort.

“Come on,” Shon said to Tarun as he started running towards the stranger, “we can still catch up to him if we hurry.” Tarun ran next to Shon, but their speed was limited by the weight and jostling of their packs. Still, they were fast enough that they began gaining on the stranger, and Shon was confident they would soon catch up to their target.

As soon as they neared the gate where the guard was standing though, Shonrealized why the stranger had been walking so slowly. “Oy!” shouted the guard as he jumped to his feet. “Where are you two headed in such a hurry? Not trying to skip out on the price of your drinks, I hope?”

Shon felt like an idiot. Of course he and Tarun looked suspicious running out of the inn towards the forest this late at night. Shon knew he had to think fast if they were going to have any hope of catching up to the stranger, who was already regaining his distance.

“It’s Smitt,” Shon said through heavy breathing. “He and his woodcutters had too much to drink and they’re causing trouble at the inn. Ulysis told us to come here and get you to help get things under control.” Shon hoped that by using the names he had picked up while listening to the others’ thoughts, he could add some believability to the lie.

“I’ve told Ulysis a hundred times that I don’t work for him,” grumbled the guard. “He’s already deputized half the men in this town anyway. Say, why’d he send you two to get me instead of one of his deputies?”

“They were all too busy helping Ulysis with the woodcutters,” Tarun quickly interjected. “He sent us out to get you because he said you were the only one left in town who could help.”

Shon was surprised how convincingly Tarun had picked up the story, and could see the doubt fade from the guard’s face. “I always knew those ruffians would end up being more trouble than they’re worth,” said the guard, muttering under his breath. And with that he picked up his weapon and began running towards the inn.

As soon as the guard was out of sight, Tarun and Shon quickly ran through the gate into the woods outside. The stranger was nowhere in sight, so they began looking for signs of which way he went.

“Do you think we will have trouble entering the town again now that we’ve lied to the gatekeeper?” asked Tarun.

Shon instantly felt stupid for not thinking of this sooner. “Yes,” Shon replied, “I expect we would. But hopefully this stranger is who I think he is so we won’t have to go back into that town anyway. Though I was looking forward to sleeping on a real bed in that inn.”

Shon was starting to worry that they had completely lost track of the stranger when Tarun spoke up. “Did you notice the dwarf and his wagon are gone?”

Shon looked back and noticed that Tarun was right. The strange dwarf and his green wagon were no longer parked next to the wall of the fort, and there was a pair of deep wheel tracks leading into the forest, roughly in the direction that the stranger had been heading when they last saw him.

Shon didn’t know if this was only coincidence, but he decided it was the best lead they had and acted on it. He grasped Stick with both hands and tried to sense any thoughts coming from the woods in the direction of the woods where the wagon tracks had headed. After a few moments of intense listening, he managed to hear the whisperings of a few strange thoughts coming from that direction.

“Let’s go see if we can find our buyer,” said Shon as he and Tarun walked into the ever-darkening wood.

Tarun and Shon entered the town inn as the last of the daylight began to fade outside. The first floor of the inn was set up as a restaurant and tavern for travelers, but it occurred to Shon from the number of people he saw that it must also be a regular meeting place for the locals as well. As soon as his eyes began to adjust to the dim light of the oil lamps inside, Shon began looking for signs of who their customer would be. An herbalist, a druid, possibly a dragon hunter.

The last thought made Shon cringe. No, not possibly a dragon hunter, almost definitely a dragon hunter. There really was no one else interested in paying good money for the plant that they brought except for a dragon hunter who really knew what he was doing. It was a simple fact to Shon that dragon hunters were frightening. He felt no shame in his fear because he reasoned with himself that he would have to be crazy to not be afraid of dragon hunters. They were dangerous. Thrill seekers, and fighters to the core of their instinct. The job was too dangerous to be sought by the sane, and wasn’t even profitable enough to make one wealthy.

Shon had actually never met or even seen a dragon hunter before, so he didn’t really know what to look for. He and Tarun sat down at a table near the door so Shon could have a good look at everyone in the room, and try to use what he knew. Aside from the temperament of dragon hunters there was the very simple fact that dragon hunters always worked in hunting parties, because hunting a dragon alone would be suicide. Such a thing was only done by a Dragon Slayer of legend. He saw two tables full of men that looked promising. The first table was surrounded by rowdy men watching quite loudly as a large hairy man sitting at the table defeated anyone who challenged him to an arm wrestle. The other table had a small crowd of men gambling in a game that Shon was not familiar with, and most attention seemed to be fixed on a thin man with a sour expression and thick scar on his face. Shon decided use the hood of his father’s cloak to focus his attention on the thoughts of each group one at a time for a while to gather some clues as to which table they should approach.

Disappointment came quickly to Shon as he learned the thoughts of the groups of men.

As Shon read the minds of the first group of men he learned that the large hairy man was named Smitt, and that he was the captain of a company of woodcutters who had been hired by the town to clear some of the nearby forest for town growth. Most of the men standing around him were also members of that company. He was definitely not the man that they were looking for.

The group of men who were gambling were all locals, and the thin man with the scar was actually the town lawkeeper. His name was Ulysis, and his business in the tavern was not just recreational, but also professional. He was there to keep an eye on the woodcutters and make sure they didn’t get out of hand. Many of the men around him were lay-deputies, there in case they were needed.

Shon’s mind started to tire from the focus of listening to so many individual minds at once, and so he pulled the hood farther down his face until the thoughts around him quieted down. He shook his head a little and looked up at Tarun who was intently watching Smitt, fascinated with the arm-wrestling. Shon’s mind was feeling a little too tired to comfortably send his thoughts to Tarun, so he whispered, “They aren’t dragon hunters, but they could still be trouble. Let’s try to find our customer as soon as possible, and avoid them if we can.”

Shon then began looking around the room in hopes of spotting any other likely candidates. There really weren’t any. There was one other occupied table that had two men, who were wearing the clothes of farmers, and at the bar there was only a merchant and in the far corner what appeared to be an old man with a large hunch on his back hidden under a thick dark cloak. Shon was about to whisper to Tarun again, when suddenly there was a commotion from the table of woodcutters.

“Is that all of you?” Smitt bellowed, “I’m sure there must be someone in this town who can best my strength!” He stood up from his chair and began to look around. “You farmers look like sturdy, hardworking men. I’m sure that one of you could give me a challenge.” Both farmers at the table shook their heads and looked down in to their mugs. “How about you two?” said Smitt as he gestured to Shon and Tarun.

“We’re just passing through,” said Shon, shaking his head.

Smitt gave Tarun a wry look, “And do you just let baldy here speak for you, kid?” Tarun nodded in response. Smitt then turned to the table of gamblers, but upon seeing Ulysis he continued to turn himself to the bar. “Well barkeep, would one of your customers up here be up for some exercise?”

“Not me,” replied the merchant, “I’m afraid I need both of my arms to carry on business.”

Smitt turned his eyes and sneered, “And I suppose there’s no sense even asking you, eh old man?” The figure in the dark cloak gave no indication that he had heard Smitt at all, and Shon felt the mood in the room become suddenly tense. “Did you hear me, old man?” shouted Smitt, “I don’t take kindly to being ignored!”

“Gee cap’n” said one of the men from his company, “maybe his hearing’s gone south or somethin’.” The man walked right behind the man and shouted behind his head, “Does this help you hear us better?” The man in the corner still gave no reaction, and this lead to more men leaving their seats and starting towards him.

Shon could see Ulysis begin to apprehensively reach for the club on his belt, when Tarun unexpectedly stood up. “Leave him alone,” said Tarun. It was not a timid request. The sheer clarity of voice and lack of fear in Tarun caused the men to startle and look to Smitt, who was more than a bit surprised at this young man who had chosen to not even speak before.

After a moment Smitt regained his swagger and said, “Ah, I see you’re brave enough to speak for yourself this time.” Laughs came from the men in the company. “And are you going to make us leave him alone?”

“You’ve been looking for someone to play your game with,” replied Tarun, “If you leave him alone, I will challenge you.” Someone within the company let out a long whistle and Smitt and the rest of the men laughed.

“Alright then,” sneered Smitt, “if you can beat me then we’ll leave the old man alone. But otherwise you just mind your own business and let us have our fun.” Tarun hadn’t met anyone yet that he could remember disliking, but he really didn’t care for the way that Smitt preyed on those who he thought were weaker than him.

Tarun nodded his head and rose to his feet. As he stood up from the table, Shon could once again feel the mood in the room change. It became clear that Tarun was quite a bit larger than they had all originally thought. Smitt’s expression, though so brief that only Shon spotted it, was the most surprised of all. “I’m afraid that you’ll have to tell me how to play,” said Tarun as he walked to the other table. “I’m not familiar with this game.”

“You’ve got to be joking,” replied Smitt. “Well, you start out by sitting down and giving me your best hand.” Tarun had no sooner taken his seat and reached out to Smitt, than the woodcutter gripped his hand and struck it down on the table. The crowd cheered and Smitt roared with laughter, while Tarun looked bewildered at what had just happened.

“You call that fair?!” shouted Shon as he jumped to his feet. He did not like the idea of someone making a fool out of his friend. “You didn’t even give him time to grip your hand!”

The room went silent as Smitt turned his eyes to Shon. Smitt squinted his eyes and pointed a thick finger at Shon as he hissed through gritted teeth, “Are you calling me a cheater, you little runt?”

Shon had pulled down his hood and was reading Smitt’s mind so he knew his words before they had even left his mouth, and his reply was quick. “You started without warning because you thought you might not be able to beat him, and you need all your men to think that you’re unbeatable so they’ll listen to you. Even now you’re thinking that with your advantage it was still tough to win!”

Suddenly Smitt pounded the table with his fist, and Shon realized that he had probably revealed too much of Smitt’s thoughts. He could feel the rage coming to a boiling point in Smitt’s mind, when a deep, gravelly voice unexpectedly came from the far corner.

“It’s not a difficult problem,” said the figure under the dark cloak, who didn’t seem so old to everyone anymore. “If you say you can really beat him, you should just do it again and get the bald boy to apologize.” Before Smitt could respond, the cloaked man stood up from his stool. This time some of the men were surprised enough this time to audibly gasp. As he stood straight up they could all see that what they all thought was a hump on his back was merely his own large shoulder when he stooped over while sitting at the bar. As they saw him now, he was tall enough that he would have to duck as he entered the door. Everyone was quiet as they waited to see what he would do next. “And if that apology isn’t enough to entice a rematch,” he said as he threw some coins to the table, “perhaps a friendly wager will help. I’ll wager that this time, he’ll beat you.”

No one said anything. Shon could tell that Smitt was in a difficult position now. After all, how could he refuse the chance to win some money by beating a man he had already beaten? But at the same time, Shon knew that Smitt was afraid of Tarun. After a couple of uncomfortable seconds Shon gave one of the men around the table a slight mental nudge, and he shouted, “C’mon, you can beat him, cap’n!” And all the other men joined in with a cheer.

At that point Smitt knew he couldn’t get out of it. He grinned in spite of it all and hollered over the cheers, “How ‘bout that, men? I’ll get to take their coins and their apology!” There was another great cheer as they all moved behind where Smitt sat.

The cloaked figure walked around the room, always able to keep his face hidden. As he stood behind Tarun, he whispered in his ear, “Don’t try to beat him right away, just make sure you keep your arm up straight. And for pity’s sake, this time be ready to keep your arm up no matter when he starts. You can’t expect everyone to play fair just because you do.” Tarun nodded his head and looked straight into Smitt’s eyes. He would not be fooled a second time.

“Go!” Smitt suddenly yelled, attempting the same tactic as before, but this time Tarun was ready to resist him and his arm didn’t even budge. All of the men behind Smitt were cheering and whistling, but some quieted a bit when Smitt didn’t meet instant victory. Smitt’s frustration was instant and hot, and his face didn’t hide one ounce of it.

More than a minute had passed and both arms were right were they had been when they began, though Smitt’s face was bright and beginning to turn red and sweat was moving down his forehead. Tarun didn’t take his eyes off of Smitt, but turned his head back a bit to ask, “What do I do now?”

“Put his hand down on the table,” came the deep-voiced response. And just as quickly as his opponent had ended things the first time, Tarun threw Smitt’s hand down on the hard table, leaving it instantly red and sore and ending all of the cheers. Shon turned his head in a vain attempt to conceal his grin.

Early the next morning, Tarun and Shon found themselves traveling in the direction of the rising sun. Shon began to feel a sense of disappointment when the sun reached its highest point in the sky and the only evidence of their traveling away from Life’s Edge was a few dry, ugly bushes and shrubs growing sparsely around their path. As the two of them sat down to eat their small afternoon meal, Shon began to wish that they had waited for the next trading caravan to arrive at Life’s Edge, so that they could have just returned east with them.

Tarun, on the other hand, had a smile that seemed to grow a little bit wider with every step he took further away from Life’s Edge. He never seemed to notice the ground growing harder and rockier, or the incline of their hike growing steeper and higher. The ground continued to ascend as they traveled, until each step sent loose dirt and rocks falling behind them.

Shon began to grow nervous that he would loose his footing, and was very grateful to have Stick in his hands to steady him. At one point, Shon did begin to stumble after slipping on a loose stone, but Tarun quickly grabbed him by the arm, and helped him upright. After that, Shon stayed particularly close to Tarun.

As the sun drew close to the western horizon, Shon began to worry how they would be able to sleep on such uneven ground. Due to his several near-slips, Shon had kept his eyes on the ground directly in front of him, which was the cause of his surprise when they reached the top of the large hill they had been climbing. As soon as the ground leveled out at the top, Shon lifted his eyes and gasped in astonishment.

Below them lay a valley covered with more greenery than Shon had ever seen. The low sun behind them was already casting long shadows on the valley, and Shon realized that anyone in the valley would have already seen the sun set over the hills. For reasons that he did not understand, the sight brought tears to Shon’s eyes.

Tarun was equally excited at the sight before them, and he let out a loud laugh, slapping Shon on the back. He began to move quickly down the hill, but Shon called out to him before he had gone very far.

“I think we ought to spend the night right here,” said Shon to Tarun’s disappointment. “I’m just as excited as you are to go down there, but I really think we should wait until morning. This is the only level spot of ground I can see until we reach the bottom, and by the time we get all the way down there it will be long dark. It would be awfully difficult to set up camp in complete darkness.”

Tarun was frustrated with his friend for a moment, but then his reason caught up with his emotions, and he saw that Shon was right. “Let us set up our camp then,” said Tarun. “We can continue on as soon as the sun rises.”

Sleep was difficult for both of them that night. The ground was covered with large, angular rocks that jabbed their backs and crunched underneath them any time one of them shifted their weight. Shon had first tried to clear the rocks away from the spot of ground where he wanted to sleep, but he quickly learned that the only thing under the rocks was more rock.

When the sun rose the next morning, Shon and Tarun rose to their feet stiffly, but excitedly. The green valley below them looked even more magnificent in the early morning sunlight, and they were anxious to start climbing down the hill.

“I’m confused,” said Tarun as they began their hike down the hill. “Your uncle told us that the green valley was a week’s journey. We only traveled one full day before we arrived.”

Shon pulled the map out of his pocket and unfolded it. As he studied it closely, his face fell a bit. “That’s because this isn’t the green valley Uncle Grodin talked about,” said Shon, pointing to the map. “We’ve only gone a small part of the way. See that line of hills next to the desert? I’d say that’s where we are.”

“Oh,” said Tarun. Then, brightening with a smile he added, “Well then we should continue on. The sooner we pack up, the sooner we get to the real valley.”

Neither of them wanted to look away from the beautiful sight in front of them, but it soon became apparent that the hillside they were descending was still dangerous, and if they wanted to reach the bottom safely, they needed to keep their eyes on their feet. A few times they reached a ledge that dropped straight down much farther than either of them would have liked to fall, and they had to travel a considerable distance off their course to find an area that descended gradually enough for the two of them to continue safely. Shon became even more grateful that they had not attempted the descent after sunset.

By they time the sun had reached its full height, the ground had become significantly more level, there were fewer rocks beneath their feet, and the temperature was already surprisingly cooler than Shon had expected. Grass was growing all around them, and Shon bent over to pull some up from the ground, and smell it in his palm. They were not far from the wall of trees before them, and they both marveled at the abundance of life within sight.

While they still had some height to their vantage point, Shon began looking for the path that they were supposed to follow. After finding it, he was relieved to find that despite their detours on their way down the hill, they were still not far from the trail. Once they were on the path, they both looked back up the hill to see where they had slept the night before. When Shon saw how treacherous the climb looked from below, his knees grew weak. The drop-offs that he and Tarun had managed to avoid were quite a bit higher than he had thought on their way down.

On the trail at last, Tarun and Shon headed towards the nearby trees. Shon stopped at the first tree they came upon, touching the rough bark with his hands. “This will sound ridiculous,” he said to Tarun, “but I have never seen a tree with my own eyes before. I have only seen images like this in the minds of others.”

“That is not strange to me at all,” Tarun replied, walking past the tree. “To my knowledge, I have never seen a tree either. This is all just as new to me as it is to you.”

“That’s right,” Shon said quietly. “I often forget that.” There was a long pause as the two of them followed the path deeper into the woods. Before too long they could no longer see the clearing behind them, and Shon decided to break the silence. “How long do you think it will be before we see the desert again?” Shon asked.

“I am hoping to never see it again,” Tarun replied darkly. “So I suppose you will see it again someday when we have to part ways.” As soon as Tarun had spoken he saw that his words had caused a very troubled expression on Shon. “So I hope that neither of us sees it again for a long time, my friend,” Tarun hastily added.

Shon managed a smile despite the intense worry that was creeping in to his mind. “In that case,” Shon said, “we should travel as far as we can today.”

As the sun drew close to setting far off in the west, the path that Shon and Tarun traveled began to grow wider, the soil was more heavily trodden, and a few other paths began to merge with theirs from other directions. A small wooden sign off the side of the trail informed them that they would soon be entering the town of Duskwood.

“I sure am glad that we’re arriving before dark,” Shon said as they passed the sign. “Sleeping on sand is one thing, but sleeping on the ground with all of these roots and rocks everywhere would be nearly impossible.”

“Isn’t Duskwood where we are supposed to meet the dragon hunters?” Tarun asked quietly.

“Yes,” Shon answered, even quieter, “this is where we are supposed to meet our buyer.” He emphasized the last word. “But if this town is anything like the size of Life’s Edge, then finding him could take us all week.”

As they drew closer to the town, other travelers joined them from different paths. Some were carrying large bundles of wood, some appeared to be returning home from hunting, and others were leading livestock along the trail. Because Shon was still carrying Stick, he had sensed each of them long before they came in to sight. He had never felt so grateful to be able to hear the thoughts of others and know that none of them meant any harm.

Once the tall wooden wall of Duskwood was in view, Shon realized that the town was not anywhere near the size of Life’s Edge. It appeared to Shon to be more like a large fort built to keep out wolves and other creatures at night. He could not imagine many buildings or homes being able to fit into such a confined structure.

Shon was fascinated by the strange pointed logs that formed the bulk of the wall, but right before they reached the gate, his attention was drawn to a much stranger sight. Sitting just stone’s throw from the gate, off the path a couple of steps, was a large green wagon. The color of the wagon matched the color of the woods so closely that he didn’t see it at all until they had come closer to it. Sitting at the front of the wagon was a wild looking dwarf who appeared to be wearing nothing more than a loin cloth and his own thick body hair. The dwarf sat, smoking a long white pipe and keeping an eye on a boar and two massive, thick skinned animals with horns, tusks, and flat snouts. Shon watched the animals chew loudly on the nearby vegetation, captivated by the rippling muscles and obvious strength of the animals. When Shon looked back at the dwarf, he jumped at the realization that he was making direct eye contact with him. Shon hurriedly looked away, but the dwarf continued to stare, constantly muttering under his beard.

Shon wasted no time entering the gate in to Duskwood as soon as they reached it, anxious to escape the gaze of the dwarf. “Did you see that dwarf in the woods?” Shon asked Tarun once they were inside the wall.

“Of course,’ Tarun replied. “He was quite unique.”

“He was scary if you ask me.” Shon said. “He just kept staring at me! And there was something else about him that just didn’t seem right.” Shon then realized that it was not the staring that had bothered him so much. It was the fact that Shon had no idea what the dwarf had been thinking as he stared at him. He wasn’t even sure if he had heard the dwarf’s thoughts at all.

Once Shon had returned to the greenhouse with Tarun, he and Grodin had shared with him what Shon had just learned about his parents. Grodin also revealed his identity as a druid, and his willingness to allow Shon to leave Life’s Edge. After that, Shon excitedly showed Tarun the gifts his parents had left for him, as well as the staff that Grodin was letting him borrow.

“Now,” said Grodin, once he felt that Tarun was all caught up, “what we need to discuss is what the two of you are going to do once you have left Life’s Edge.” He looked Tarun in the eyes and said, “I regret not giving greater respect and heed to your insight before, Tarun. I don’t intend to make the same mistake again. So before I say anything I would like to ask, do you have any sort of plan already?”

“I know only my direction,” said Tarun. “I have no plan.”

“What about you, Shon,” Grodin said, turning to his nephew. “You’ve obviously been thinking of leaving for a while now. Do you have any goals or plan once you leave Life’s Edge?”

“To be honest, my only plan up to this point was following Tarun wherever he went,” said Shon, his voice trailing off into a mumble. Shon then put a hand on his chest and felt the hard lump of his mother’s familiar egg through his father’s cloak. He lifted his head up to look at Grodin and Tarun, and with strength in his voice he said, “But as of tonight, at least I have a goal. I’m going to find my parents.”

“Excellent,” said Grodin. “Then allow me to suggest a plan that I think will help you get started. It will be up to the two of you whether or not to follow it, but I think you will find it very generous on my part. I hope it will somewhat compensate for our unpleasant experience in the desert.”

“Compensation is not necessary,” Tarun said softly, “but I would like to hear this plan of yours.”

“I agree,” said Shon.

“Alright then,” said Grodin, walking to the back of the greenhouse, “follow me.” He stopped in front of the strange thorny plant that Shon had seen him trimming earlier that day. “Nearly all of the plants in this greenhouse are far more exotic and magical than any ordinary gardener could grow. Many people in Life’s Edge wonder why I need such a large greenhouse since I only manage to sell a couple dozen flowers and herbs each month. To tell you the truth, the only things that I sell in town are grown at the very front of the greenhouse. I discovered very early on in my life here that I would need to be a bit more…” Grodin paused as he searched for the right word, “…enterprising if I was going to make a living for Shon and myself.”

“Aha!” Shon burst out, “I always wondered how you managed to support us on herbs and flowers.”

“Oh I’ve done quite a bit better than you suspect,” Grodin said with a wink. “I’m just very good at not living extravagantly. I thought it would attract too much attention.”

“Whom do you sell to, if not the people of Life’s Edge?” Tarun asked.

“I receive several orders from people who still remember my name, and know where to find me. Some old friends continue to refer business to me when they have customers looking for exceptionally hard-to-find vegetation. The man who ordered this plant is one such customer,” Grodin said, gesturing to the thorny plant.

“What is it?” Shon asked.

“It has a few different names,” answered Grodin, “but the most common one is Dragon’s Bane. It is native to Dragon Country, and it can be quite the nasty problem if handled carelessly.”

“What do you mean?” asked Tarun.

“Well, it’s nearly impossible to grow Dragon’s Bane from a seed, as I have done, and transplanting it from a previous spot of ground is completely impossible, but if you can manage to plant a young specimen like this in fertile ground it will grow and spread like a weed. I have had prior dealings with the man who ordered this, and I believe he will not use it recklessly, but I would not place it in the care of any mere delivery boy.”

“So you intend for us to safely deliver it?” Tarun asked?

“That is what I had in mind,” Grodin replied. “He already sent me half of his payment to begin growing the Dragon’s Bane, and you may keep the other half after you deliver it. He will pay you thirty pieces of silver, which should help fund your search for quite some time.”

“Thirty pieces of silver for one plant?” Shon gasped in astonishment. “What does he intend to do with it?”

“Nothing you want to get mixed up in,” said Grodin. “Dragon’s Bane has several magical properties, but it is most commonly used by dragon hunters.”

“A dragon hunter?” Shon asked. “And you think we can trust him?”

“I didn’t say anything about trust,” Grodin clarified, “but I do believe that he will use the plant responsibly. He has proven himself of that in the past.”

“I think we should do it,” Tarun said to Shon. “Your uncle’s offer is very generous, and I would like to meet this dragon hunter.”

Shon felt hesitant about any dealings with dragon hunters, but it he hadn’t seen Tarun show much interest in anything other than leaving ever since they returned from the Endless Desert, and he was eager to keep his friend positive. “If that is what you really want,” said Shon, “then I will trust your judgment. I’m just worried about the things I’ve heard about dragon hunters.”

“If it is any comfort to you, nephew,” Grodin said with a smile, “only half the things you ever hear about dragon hunters are true. The tricky part is figuring out which half it is.” Grodin winked and then stood up. “Now that we’ve discussed the means, it’s time to talk about the ends. I don’t believe that finding your parents will be easy, Shon, but I can give you a place to start.”

Grodin lead the boys back inside the house and retrieved a folded piece of parchment from a trunk under his cot. As he unfolded the parchment, Tarun and Shon saw that it was a map. “East of here, about a week’s journey, is a beautiful green valley where your parents and I used to stay between jobs and adventures.”

Grodin produced a stout charcoal pencil from one of his pockets and began drawing a winding path on the map as he continued speaking. “There are no paths leading directly there, at least the last time I visited, which made it quite secluded. The peace and tranquility was one of the things your parents and I loved about that place. It felt like our own secret little piece of paradise. When we were young we used to fantasize about settling there and building cabins and gardens.” Grodin’s voice began to trail off as he looked out the window to the east.

“And you think we’ll find my parents there?” asked Shon, urging his uncle to continue.

Grodin shook himself as if waking from a daydream. “No,” he replied, looking at Shon. “No, I would be very surprised if you found either of your parents there. But you should find something that I left there that may give you some clues or direction. Shon, do you have any idea what a Soul Tree is?”

Shon rubbed his eyebrows, thinking for a moment. “Is it some kind of magical plant? Shon guessed.

“Yes and no,” said Grodin. “A Soul Tree may look like any normal tree, but it has been enchanted with a complex bit of magic while it is still young to tie it to a person’s soul. The Soul Tree will then become a reflection of the soul it is tied to. If the person prospers, the tree will prosper. If the person grows frail, the tree will grow frail. And if the person dies, so does their Soul Tree.”

“Years ago,” Grodin continued, “I planted three Soul Trees in that valley. One for me, and one for each of your parents. Twice since I moved to Life’s Edge, I’ve inquired from old friends if your parents’ Soul Trees were still alive. Both times I was told that their trees were alive, but there was something strange about them.”

Grodin folded the map and handed it to Shon, who began feeling around his cloak for a pocket. He found one hidden on the inside of his left sleeve. “That’s strange,” Shon said, “I didn’t feel a pocket here until just now.”

Grodin chucked. “I forgot. You father was quite fond of pockets, especially hidden ones. Since so many of his creations were controlled by thought, I wouldn’t be surprised if you find more than a couple of hidden pockets in the future, depending on what you’re thinking about.”

“Alright,” said Shon, putting the map in his newly discovered pocket, “so I go and find my parents’ Soul Trees in the valley. What do I do once I find them?”

“I’m not sure,” said Grodin, suddenly looking very heavy. “There is no specific magic that the Soul Trees possess that will help you locate your parents. But I do believe that finding their Soul Trees and figuring out what is ‘strange’ about them is your best chance to gather some clues. If nothing else, it will allow you to see for yourself if their trees are still alive.” At this last sentence, Grodin’s voice caught in his throat.

“We had better get you two ready for your journey,” Grodin said suddenly, waving a hand in front of his face as if waving off some invisible fly.

The rest of the day was spent packing equipment and supplying Shon and Tarun with the gear they would need until they could deliver the Dragon’s Bane. “After that,” Grodin had said, “you two should be able to provide your own provisions.” It felt strange to Shon to be loading up their packs so similarly to how they had packed them only twelve days ago, and now they would be heading in the opposite direction. He continually reminded himself that this time he would not have to eat any Camel Truffles.

Shon had thought that the memory of packing would put Tarun in a foul mood, but to his surprise he read nothing but excitement in Tarun’s face and thoughts. In fact, Tarun’s thoughts had been so clear about his desire to be gone from Life’s Edge that Shon had to put away Stick, just so he didn’t feel overwhelmed.

More surprising to Shon was his own feelings about leaving Life’s Edge. For as long as he could remember, Shon had always longed to leave the town, and go somewhere distant in search of adventure. Now that he was actually preparing to leave the next day, Shon felt a great nervousness growing inside him. He also felt a sharp pang of loneliness at the thought of never living with his uncle again.

Shon had never realized before that there were so many things in Life’s Edge that he had wanted to do, but had always put off. Would he ever learn how to build his own adobe and sandstone home? Would he ever have another chance to tell Kryst’s oldest daughter how pretty he thought she was? The last thought made Shon blush as he continued packing.

“Is something wrong?” Tarun asked Shon, bringing him out of his reverie. “It is unlike you to be quiet for so long.”

Shon flashed a quick smile. “No,” he said at once. “I am just nervous about the trip. It will be my first time ever leaving the desert.”

Tarun walked over to Shon and place a large arm over his shoulder. “Do not fear,” Tarun said with a confident smile. “I will protect your skinny body, and you will protect my empty head.” The comment made Shon laugh.

Shon stood outside his uncle’s home, trying to prepare himself for the argument he was about to start. He could feel himself sweating from a combination of the heat outside as well as his nerves, and he was grateful that the ability to sweat had returned to him four days previous. He could remember clearly the day that the effects of the Camel Truffle had finally worn off. When he had gone outside to relieve himself that day he was shocked to observe that any person could urinate so much.

As he considered going in to talk to Grodin, his bladder felt weak once again. He had spoken to Grodin before of leaving the desert, and it had never gone well. For some reason it brought such frustration and resentment out of his uncle that the summer equinox had been two years since the last time he had brought it up. The last time Shon had asked to leave Life’s Edge, Grodin had ended the conversation by practically threatening to kick him out of the house.

None of that mattered now, however, because Shon had decided that he had to leave. When he, Tarun, and Grodin had returned from the Endless Desert, Tarun almost continued to walk right out of town that day. Shon had tried desperately to convince him not to leave, but in the end Shon succeeded only in convincing Tarun to stay another seven days to let the wounds on his arms and legs heal. During that time he had talked with Tarun, and the two of them had decided that he would leave with Tarun after he had the chance to talk with Grodin about it. The trouble was that Tarun’s wounds were healing much faster than Shon had expected, and now he was growing impatient.

Shon was determined to follow through with his plan. Tarun was the best friend Shon had ever had, and if he didn’t go with him, they would probably never see each other again. After all, Tarun was plenty strong, but with no memory whatsoever, other than what he had gained in Life’s Edge, Shon was uncertain how his friend would fare with no assistance. Leaving together would give both of them the best chance of surviving on their own.

Shon squared his shoulders and took a deep breath as he stepped up to the door, preparing to confront his uncle. He grasped the handle firmly, and pushed the door open, only to find the house empty and the shutters drawn. All at once Shon felt his courage falter and a feeling of profound foolishness for getting himself all worked up. He thought his uncle was in the house, but why hadn’t he used the magic of his mind to confirm it? I have to start thinking like a wizard, he told himself. Closing his eyes to block out distractions, Shon listened with his mind, and quickly discovered that Grodin was right next-door in the greenhouse.

Shon hurried outside, flustered that he would not have time to prepare himself again to face his uncle. He rang the brass bell a bit louder than he intended, and the feeling of foolishness once again assaulted him, making the tops of his earlobes burn. He did not have to wait long before Grodin came out the door of the greenhouse. “What is it, nephew?” he asked.

Shon had paid attention the last time he observed Tarun speak in his commanding tone, and tried to do his best to mimic his voice and body language. He squared his shoulders, placing both feet directly beneath each shoulder, put his hands to his side instead of fidgeting or grasping each other, and looked Grodin directly in the eye. “Uncle Grodin,” Shon said, “we need to talk right now.” Shon was greatly disheartened at how his voice faltered and cracked at the end of the sentence.

Grodin inspected Shon up and down for a long moment, then said, “Yes, I think we do. Come in to the greenhouse, Shon.”

Shon tried not to show his surprise at his uncle’s invitation. The last time he had been allowed inside his uncle’s greenhouse he had been much younger. He could not even remember what the inside looked like. Trying to remain focused on the issue at hand, he entered the door held open by his uncle.

Shon coughed several times from the unexpected humidity inside the greenhouse, and he began to remove his tunic, only to remember that he had not worn an undershirt that day, and so he left the tunic on out of embarrassment. Meanwhile, Grodin had walked to opposite side of the greenhouse and began trimming a strange thorny plant that Shon did not recognize. “So,” asked Grodin, “how soon will you two be leaving?”

This question left Shon completely speechless for several moments, and when he finally regained his voice, all he could manage was a weak, “What? Who?”

“You and Tarun leaving Life’s Edge,” said Grodin, pausing from his work with the thorny plant. “Isn’t that what you came to speak to me about?”

Shon was able to regain some of his composure this time. “Yes,” he replied shakily, “and nothing is going to change my mind about this!”

“Nothing, eh?” Grodin said, with a strange expression on his face. “Not even knowing that if you leave, you will never be able to come back and live in my home again?”

Shon’s resolve wavered for a moment, and he did not want to offend his uncle or lose the only home he could remember. Then, regaining his best commanding posture and tone, Shon responded, “No Uncle Grodin. I don’t know why this makes you so angry, but even if I will no longer be welcome in your home, I will not change my mind. I am leaving Life’s Edge.”

“Good,” Grodin said, wiping dirt from his hands to his pants. “It’s about time. Now take a seat, nephew. I hope you remember all of those questions you’ve been asking all these years because I can finally answer them.”

Shon found a stool close to him and dropped himself down on it. He could hardly process what was going on. His uncle was not upset at all. If anything he seemed relieved. Does my uncle really think so little of me? Shon wondered. Have I really been such a nuisance to him all these years? Shon felt that he suddenly didn’t know his uncle at all, and the thought crushed him.

“On second thought,” Grodin said, “why don’t you hold your questions until I finish. There is a lot you need to know, and it will help if I start from the beginning. I hope you can forgive me, Shon, but there were certain secrets I had to keep as long as you lived under my care.”

Shon’s heart suddenly lifted. His uncle wasn’t relieved that he was leaving. He was glad to finally reveal the truth. “What secrets?”

“Family secrets,” Grodin said. “Concerning your mother, your father, and myself.” Grodin pulled up a stool to sit next to Shon, and took a deep breath. “Where to begin?” he wondered out loud. “I suppose you would most like to hear about your parents. I couldn’t even tell you their names in case you ever came across someone who had heard of them.”

“Were they famous?” asked Shon.

“In certain circles, they were both quite well known,” Grodin replied with a smirk. “Your father’s name is Alla Nen, and your mother is Pedhma. I met your father when we were both quite young and foolish. I imagine we both would have died long before you were born if we hadn’t had each other to watch our backs. He was as loyal and clever a friend as I could have ever hoped for, and the most skilled mage I have ever encountered.”

“Your mother, as I have told you before, is my younger sister. It was I who introduced them, and I’m still not sure whether or not it was a mistake. Pedhma was several years younger than Alla Nen and me, and she had only recently begun to develop as a sorceress, but she was one of the fiercest souls I have ever known, and it didn’t take her long to catch up to us in skill.

Shon had tried to interject at this point, but Grodin raised his palm to silence him. “Interruptions at this point will only make things take much longer,” Grodin said before continuing.

“The three of us traveled together for a long time,” Grodin said with a smile, “and we each made a name for ourselves. Even those who didn’t know our names had heard of the Sorceress, the Mage, and the Druid.”

“A druid!” Shon said in wide-eyed astonishment. “No wonder you know so much about plants!”

“I know a great deal more than that!” laughed Grodin. “I am quite out of practice, but I imagine there is still little hope of any foe defeating me when I am surrounded by real forest. You know that I am not fond of braggarts, nephew, but I have never found another druid that could match me in knowledge or skill.”

“The same could be said of both your parents. Both were unparalleled in their particular skills. Your father excelled at constructing magical items and equipment with near flawlessness. He had particular skill in creating items that could respond to the thoughts of their owners. Your mother’s specialty was conjuring, and she was sought particularly to create familiars for other wizards and magic users. Her magic was tied closely with the emotions of others, and this enabled her to conjure according to the personalities of her patrons. I had never known such warm and faithful companionship than among the three of us.

“For your mother and father, however, companionship led to affection, and ultimately to love. It was on their wedding day that I decided that they should share their lives together without me. They did not object strongly, and they appreciated my approval of the marriage. I never realized how much I would miss them until the day we parted ways.”

Grodin was quiet for a moment, then looked up at Shon and shook his head saying, “Listen to me. I’m rambling on like an old man. You want to know what all of this has to do with you. Well, let me get to the point. You probably won’t remember much of what I’m going to tell you because you were still a very young boy when the two of us came to live in Life’s Edge.”

“The two of us?” Shon interrupted, “I thought you already lived here, and I just came to live with you?”

“No,” replied Grodin “we came here together. I had only visited Life’s Edge once before we came to live here. I was not very impressed with the place, but your parents insisted, and I had made a promise.”

“What promise?” Shon insisted, growing impatient. “Why have we been living in Life’s Edge if you didn’t even like it here in the first place?”

“Shon,” Grodin said, “when you were born, your parents adored you. They were both passionate people, and everything they did they threw their whole hearts into. You were no exception. It wasn’t long before they started planning and fantasizing about your future and what you would become. The trouble was that your parents both had very different plans. They both wanted you to follow in their footsteps.”

“They were both magic users though,” said Shon. “Why should that have been a problem?”

“Your father held very firm to the practice and philosophy of mages,” said Grodin. “He was amazing at finding new ways to use his magical abilities, but he always documented the process meticulously, so that he could recreate the process. As a sorceress, you mother had been trained that magic could only be potent when it was used by instinct; never the same way twice. Your father wanted to see you become a mage, your mother wanted you to become a sorcerer, and they could find no way to come to any agreement.

“As you grew, the arguments became more heated, and threats and accusations became harsh. When your parents contacted me for help, they could hardly speak to one another. They had hoped that I could act as a mediator between them, because I loved them both. I did my best, but emotions were too raw, and neither one would give any quarter. Neither one wanted to give up on the potential they saw in you.

“It was I who eventually came up with an idea that I hoped would be for your best interests in the long run. Since your parents could not think clearly at the time, it was agreed that you would live with me while the two of them took some time away from the issue and each other to let their tempers cool. When they finally felt that they could speak rationally with each other again, then they would return and I would turn you over to their care once again.

“Unfortunately, their long quarrel had left them scared and suspicious, even of me. They agreed to my plan only if I would make certain promises to them. I was not allowed to let you learn any magic until they both returned and came to a decision, or until you were no longer under my care. I was not allowed to tell you anything about your parents for fear that if you learned of them you might start to favor one over the other.

“The third condition was that we had to come to live here in Life’s Edge where I would be unable to use my magic as a druid, and thereby influence you to follow in my path of magical development. Life’s Edge also seemed ideal to your parents, because with the severe lack of magical energies, it was unlikely that you could develop your magical talents without them. I don’t think any of us expected for you to remain here this long.”

“What do you mean?” asked Shon. “Why didn’t they ever come back for me? Don’t they still want me?”

“I’m sure that they do,” replied Grodin in a firm, but gentle voice. “Which is why I cannot say why they have not returned. I have stayed awake countless nights wondering the same thing. They were both so formidable, that I find it hard to believe they are both dead, unless their arguments became so fierce that they attacked each other.

“Attacked each other?” Shon shouted, his voice breaking. “My family is broken, and my parents may have killed one another all because of me!” He could feel his throat constrict and tears began to burn behind his eyes.

“No!” shouted Grodin, slapping his thigh and looking intensely into Shon’s eyes. “Your family was broken because of your parents’ cursed stubbornness and pride! I love them both dearly, but I may never forgive them for what they let their arrogance do to you.” Grodin sat stiff on his stool, his fists clenched with white knuckles. “Forgive me,” he finally said. “I spoke unwisely. I have no evidence that your parents ever attacked one another, and I should not have burdened you with that thought. In my heart, I do believe they are both still alive.”

“However,” Grodin said, standing up and walking to a corner of the greenhouse, “they both led adventurous and dangerous lives, and so they gave me instructions in case neither returned. They told me that when you were finally old enough to leave my home and my care on your own that I should give you their gifts.”

“Gifts?” Shon asked, unable to contain his excitement at the prospect of receiving something from his parents.

“Yes,” said Grodin, “they agreed that they would each be allowed to leave you one gift in case something happened to them, and they could never return. They are gifts of no small value, though they may seem unremarkable at first. I’ve been hiding them here in my greenhouse ever since you became old enough to snoop around the house.”

Grodin turned to a large crate of soil that he was standing next to. After a moment, Shon realized that the crate was actually a box and that only the lid on top had any soil in it at all. After removing the lid, Grodin reached inside the box and retrieved a large bundle of red cloth and some sort of stone. After setting down the stone, he flapped the bundle of red cloth hard, sending bits of loose dirt and dust into the air. When Grodin held the cloth up unfurled Shon could see that it was an old and dirty hooded cloak.

“This is a traveling cloak that your father made,” said Grodin proudly. “It may not look like much, but it is protected from several forms of magic, and the material is so tough and durable that your father had to use enchanted shears just to cut the fabric. This cloak saved Alla Nen’s life several times.”

“My father wore this cloak himself?” Shon asked excitedly.

“Of course,” Grodin replied with a smile. “If you look on the right shoulder, you can see the insignia of Alla Nen. That insignia was always on his creations, and he enchanted the design so that it could never be copied or impersonated.”

Shon stepped toward his uncle and wiped the dirt away from the right shoulder to reveal a design of the moon on fire. “May I put it on?” Shon asked.

“You might want to consider washing it first,” said Grodin with a smile, “but if you don’t mind the dirt, I’m sure it won’t mind you.”

Shon quickly took the cloak from his uncle and put it over himself. It seemed a little large for him at first, but as he wore it, the cloak almost seemed to change to fit him better. As he turned around, Grodin smiled wide. “Well how about that?” Grodin said, “you really do look a lot like him.”

Shon was so excited at the prospect of looking like his father that he pulled the hood of the cloak over his head, despite the heat of the greenhouse. As soon as the hood covered his head, Shon let out a sudden gasp. “Uncle!” Shon shouted, “everything has gone silent! I can’t hear anything!”

“What?” Grodin asked, alarmed. “What do you mean?”

“Wait,” Shon said slowly, starting to calm down. “No, I can hear you. But something about your voice is different. I can only hear you when you’re talking.”

“You’re not making any sense, nephew,” Grodin said. “Take the hood off.”

As soon as Shon removed the hood, his eyes opened wide and his face lit up with understanding. “That’s it, uncle!” Shon said. “When I had the hood on, I couldn’t hear your thoughts anymore. I couldn’t hear anyone’s thoughts, not even a whisper!”

“Interesting,” Grodin said, stroking his beard. “Your father used to pull that hood over his face when he was trying to think or focus on a problem. ‘It quiets my thoughts,’ he used to say. I wonder…”

Shon experimented a few times with the hood, pulling it over his head and taking it off again. He discovered that he could still hear his uncle’s thoughts while wearing the hood, but only if the opening of the hood was directly toward him.

“That may prove a valuable tool in learning to focus your abilities, Shon,” Grodin had pointed out.

“What about that?” Shon asked excitedly, pointing to the stone that Grodin had set down earlier.

“Ah,” said Grodin, picking up the object. “This will take a bit more explaining. I told you before that your mother was particularly famous for creating familiars for other magic users. Do you know what a familiar is?”

“A magical animal that follows a wizard around?” Shon guessed.

Grodin smiled wide. “That is a fairly rudimentary description,” Grodin said, “but you have the right idea. A familiar is a creature conjured up by a wizard or other magic user to be a companion, a general helper, and sometimes even a protector. Many familiars appear to be regular animals like ravens, cats, or snakes, which exhibit exceptional faithfulness as pets. Others look quite more exotic or fanciful, or possess unique powers of their own. If conjured skillfully, a familiar will also act as a reflection of the wizard it belongs to. What your mother left you, is a familiar egg.”

Grodin handed Shon the object and he looked at it with confusion. It looked and felt more like a fist-sized rock than any sort of egg he had ever seen. Instead of being round, it was angular, jagged, and irregular in shape. It also felt quite solid. It was mostly white, but it also had a slight luster that shimmered with several different colors when held in the light. It was slightly warm to the touch, and as he held it he had the unsettling sensation that it had a pulse.

“What should I do with it?” Shon asked.

“Just keep it close to you,” answered Grodin. “It will gradually absorb any excess magical energies that you harness, as well as slowly imprint on your thoughts and personality. Eventually, when it has absorbed enough of your characteristics and magical energy, it will release that energy and conjure your own familiar. Your mother created the egg, but for all intents and purposes you will be the creator of the familiar because it will be conjured from your magical energy.”

“When will that happen?” Shon asked excitedly.

“It’s impossible for me to say,” said Grodin. “It will happen much sooner if you always keep it close though. Oh, and don’t worry about it breaking. As I’m sure you can already tell, it’s quite solid, and quite hard.”

Shon slipped the familiar egg into one of the several inner pockets of his new cloak. “Thank you, Uncle Grodin,” he said. “Thank you for these gifts, and especially for finally telling me about my parents. You don’t understand how much it means to me.”

“For once,” said Grodin with a smile, “I think you are right about what I don’t understand.” Grodin clapped his hands together. “Ah,” he said as he walked towards the door of the greenhouse, “before I forget. Now that you are no longer under my direct care, there is something else you should have for now.” Grodin picked up a rod of wood nearly as tall as he was that was leaning against the doorframe. “I asked your parents if I could give you a gift as well, but they refused,” he said. “So this will have to just be on loan until you can return it to me.”

“Thank you, Uncle Grodin,” said Shon, “I know you are quite fond of this walking stick.”

“Bah!” said Grodin, pulling the rod away. “You forget I am a druid. This is my staff, not some mere walking stick. This staff was grown for me by a very old and wise magical tree from one of her most sacred branches. There is deep magic inside it, and I will not see it disrespected.”

“Forgive me,” said Shon quickly, “I did not mean offense. Until today I always thought you were merely a gardener, and that was merely your unusually long walking stick.”

Grodin let out a chuckle and relaxed himself. “Yes, I suppose that is true,” Grodin said. “I can hardly blame you for your ignorance when I was the one keeping you in the dark all these years. I do want you to take this seriously though, Shon. Do you know why most magic users carry a staff or wand?”

“To channel magical energies through?” Shon ventured.

“That’s correct,” Grodin said, impressed. “Magic users are natural conduits of magical energy, but having a proper staff or wand helps to reach those energies more effectively. Think of it like a lightning rod in a storm. The energy will be more attracted to such a conduit, which supplies more of those energies to the magic user.

“Different staffs are better equipped to channel certain types of energy than others, so it often takes magic users several years before they find one that best serves their purposes. I don’t imagine that my staff will be nearly as effective for you as it is for me, but it will be better than nothing to start out with.”

“Is it true that most magic users give their staves or wands names?” Shon asked.

“It is,” Grodin said with narrow eyes.

“Will you tell me this staff’s name?” asked Shon.

“That’s a rather personal question,” Grodin said quickly. “Still,” he said after a pause, “I suppose I should tell you if you’re going to be using it. But I first want you to promise that you will not laugh at the name.”

“Of course I promise,” said Shon, confused.

“Hmm,” grumbled Grodin, “that isn’t a promise your mother or father were able to keep. Still, I better tell you so you don’t go trying to give it a name yourself. That would be a real mistake.” Grodin paused for a moment, and then said, “Its name is Stick.”

Shon managed to control himself enough to not laugh, but he could see why his parents had. “That seems a rather simple name,” he said with a straight face.

“Many with lesser staves have said the same,” said Grodin. “It was what its mother tree called it when she gave it to me, and I have found the name to be sufficient. Now, are you ready to receive it?”

“I believe so,” Shon replied.

“Good.” Grodin held the staff out towards his nephew. “Shon,” Grodin said in a loud voice, “I present to you my staff and give you temporary stewardship over it. Stick will treat you as its master until it is returned to me.” He then handed the staff over to Shon.

As soon as Shon’s hand made contact with Stick, he was astonished. His mind was suddenly opened further than it had ever reached before. It was as if wax plugs had been removed from his ears for the first time in his life, so great was the increase of clarity with which his mind heard the thoughts of others. He was amazed to find that he could now hear the thoughts of everyone in Life’s Edge, and he possessed far greater accuracy in finding and singling out the thoughts of individuals among the crowd. “This is remarkable,” he said in a whisper. He looked to his uncle and proclaimed, “Now I am truly ready to leave.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” said Grodin. “Now go fetch Tarun so we can discuss what the two of you will do once you are gone.”

Shon
Art by Ryan Salway