Brightflame Accension (Book 1) (3 page)

Fears New and Old

The next day, Matthew woke early and gathered the supplies needed for the hunt. It was his large hands that shook Will awake, and the two departed before Elizabeth woke. Burdened only with lightweight packs, Matthew and Will walked alongside their two horses for an hour until they reached an expanse of forest. They would stay in that forest for as long as their supplies lasted them.

Passing the first of the tall pines, Matthew looked back to his farm in the distance. His face paled and transformed abruptly from shock to fury. Will turned to see black smoke rising steadily from the house.

“William, do not follow. Wait here, I’ll be back when all is safe.” Dropping his pack, Matthew mounted his mare and thundered towards the burning home. Despite the order, Will took a step after him but before he took another, Matthew shouted over his shoulder, “Do not follow!”

His father had told him to wait. Matthew had made that point perfectly clear. Will kicked at a fallen stick, shattering the wood.
How am I supposed to wait patiently whilst all I know burns to the ground,
he thought angrily. For what seemed a lifetime, Will squinted at the house, impatiently scanning the horizon for a sign that his father and mother were uninjured. Absent that sign, Will was left in agonizing suspense. He sat on the needle-strewn ground at the edge of the forest. Another few minutes passed without change.

Suddenly, Will spied tongues of fire issuing from the house to join the smoke still furling above his home. Will scrambled to his feet as fast as he could with eyes glued on the spot where he had seen the flame. Nothing happened. Then, more fireballs erupted near the house. His family was in trouble. Matthew must have made it back to the house by now, and if the flames were still spreading, it could only mean that they needed help.

Leaving his own pack save for a half-full quiver at the edge of the wood, Will strung his oak bow and took off towards the burning house, kicking Soulfire into a gallop. In a few short minutes, he arrived before the burning house, Soulfire snorting loudly. Dismounting, Will drew an arrow from the leather quiver strapped to the saddle. Nocking the arrow, he stepped forward. Slowly, he crept toward the house. Carefully, Will rounded the corner, afraid of what he might find.

Nothing horrifying awaited him, so Will quietly advanced a few paces. Suddenly, six figures burst from within the house. Two mail-clad men ran to mount dappled palfreys, retreating at breakneck speed. A beam of white light shot after the riders but missed by yards when the riders dipped down a hill and out of sight.

“What the hell are you doing, Will?” shouted Matthew Stormhand upon seeing his son. Matthew turned, but as he approached Will, a bloodied soldier beat the father over the head with the hilt of his sword.

Elizabeth cried out in anguish as she clapped her hands together, releasing a jet of brilliant blue energy at the man. He crumpled beside Matthew, his charred skin smoking in his rusty and blood-spattered cuirass.

The only remaining assailant slapped her backhandedly across the face. She fell to the ground from the blow from his mailed gauntlet. She tried to stand but was shoved to the ground. The marauder’s sword was raised high above her.

A bubbling fury rose in Will’s stomach. The rage morphed to an uncontrollable beast. He pulled the bowstring back nearly to its breaking point. With a fearsome roar, he released the arrow.

The soldier looked up just in time to see the arrow burst into flames. Will fancied that the cruel face seemed to smile sadly for a moment just before the burning arrow was extinguished in his face.

“Will?” Elizabeth whispered in shock.

Matthew stirred. Face down, he muttered into the ground.

“What?” Will growled, still feeling the rage pumping through his veins.

Angry and confused, Will dropped his bow and ran. He ran without knowing why he fled or where he might be going. He just ran. The sun began to fall from its throne at the top of the sky as Will left. After a time, his anger began to subside, lessening with each stride. Every step cleared his head further. But with clarity, came his thoughts, scared and violent, filling Will’s mind. He had killed a man.

Will slowed to a stop, breathing heavily. Only then did Will notice that he had been followed; Soulfire nickered softly and nuzzled Will with his soft nose. The horse’s presence calmed him, and for a long while, Will simply stood.

When he finally arrived home, Will was unsurprised to see his mother and father waiting for him. They were huddled by a fire in the stable, which had been undamaged by the attackers. The snow leopard Lumina rummaged through Will’s house, sifting through the sooty foundation with her large paws.

The house itself was a pathetic ruin in comparison to the isolated haven it had been before. The roof had collapsed, the walls were scorched, and the only remaining ornaments were the charred shields that had lined the now blackened walls.

“William, darling, you’re okay!” Elizabeth cried out. She seemed uninjured. “I worried that when you ran, you would be pursued.”

“By who, Elizabeth?” Matthew scoffed. “He killed the last one.”

“Two escaped,” Elizabeth scowled at her husband.

“I would wager on Will, despite the odds.”

“He was unarmed, Matthew.”

Matthew shrugged, grinning.

Will looked at his mother then shifted his gaze to his father. Matthew scanned Will with his gray eyes, looked at a parchment in his calloused hand, and then back to his son.

“At any rate, I am proud!” Matthew cried happily, stepping forward to embrace his son. Will raised an eyebrow in surprise. This was not the reaction he had been expecting. Will scanned the area for the bodies of those slain but saw none. His parents must have disposed of them while he was gone. Peering at the starlit sky, Will realized that he had been gone for a long time.

“You’ve been accepted into Bladebeard Academy,” his mother added. “Harold sent word with raven, a smarter beast than most of its kind to have been able to find us here. Yesterday, Harold sent his report to the Academy. The Blademaster there reviewed it and gave Harold leave to inform us of your acceptance. Frankly, I’m surprised he got it done this quickly.”

“That Blademaster was never known for his haste; Will must have been admitted beforehand as Harold had predicted. A greater honor still for the young Stormhand,” Matthew said, beaming. “You will grow to become a great hero, Will.”

“What of the attack on the house? None of this,” Will indicated the ruined house, “bothers you?”

“Bothers me?” Matthew said incredulously. “This assault angers me more than you can understand, believe that, boy. But you’ve been requested to join the top military academy in the Empire; I’m not going to be discouraged by a visit from uninvited guests. This house can be rebuilt. It was too small anyway.” Elizabeth nodded her agreement.

“I’ve murdered that man,” Will said, ashamed and scared of the consequences. “Who were they? And Mum, did you use magic to slay that other one?” Will suddenly felt as if he didn’t know who the people in front of him were. Matthew frowned at his questions. 

“William, to protect is the greatest service a man can perform for those he loves. It is not murder when you break an enemy’s tie to the physical world in order to save the ones you love. Your grandfather, a wise man and a poet of sorts, said to me when I was a child much younger than you, ‘Boy, one day, when you are grown and your roots securely planted in the soil beneath you, you will be given a choice. It will be the choice that separates life and death, your life, your death, your enemies’, your friends’, your family’s, your people’s. It will be your destiny someday to make this choice, the consequences of which cannot be foreseen.’”

“What was he talking about? Your destiny? You’re a farmer,” Will asked, confused.

“Do not insult your own intelligence, Will,” Matthew chided. “We are destined to be more than farmers. In our veins runs the fire of a warrior’s blood.” Shaking his head slowly, his father grinned at his lovely wife. “By relating this tale, I mean to help you see that you made your choice, your choice to save us. Your mother and I owe our lives to you, hero.”  Will reddened at the title. Elizabeth giggled as Matthew hugged her. His parents’ happiness was beginning to make Will feel uncomfortable.

“And now you’re going to Bladebeard Academy!” Elizabeth beamed.

“Why were we attacked?”

“Fear not; they will not return,” Matthew said abruptly, his brow furrowed. Will wished, at that moment, to hear his father’s troubled thoughts so that he might actually understand the situation.

There are so many things they dare not tell me. But why?
Will wondered.

“You depart tomorrow,” said his mother, now welling up.  “Our little boy, Matthew, our boy,” she sobbed into Will’s father’s shoulder. 

“Yes, our boy, our son.” Matthew’s grin grew wide as he stared excitedly at the still baffled Will. 

“I cannot leave. No, I will not leave you in this state. Our house is burnt down,” Will argued feebly, frustrated and gesturing at the ruined house.

“I’ll have this old house repaired soon enough,” Matthew responded curtly. “You’ll go,” he finished with a tone of finality.

Elizabeth explained that Will’s clothes and equipment would be sent ahead to the Academy and that Will himself was to depart the next day by horse to a tryst from which he and his fellow recruits would move together to the school. The family then rummaged through their burnt home for any undamaged belongings.

After washing the black ash from his hands and face that had accumulated in his search, Will spent the rest of his night sitting beside the small bonfire, listening to praises from his father, and enduring long hugs from his mother. In spite of his parent’s unbearably saccharine displays of pride, however, it was an enjoyable evening. When Will crawled beneath the blanket in an attempt to find rest, he overheard his parents talking and laughing late into the night.

Not only was Bladebeard Academy a prestigious military training facility for young Imperial knights, the Academy housed the eldest sons and daughters of all the lords in the Empire. The Academy was a place of grandeur and riches Will could not imagine. Had Will not lived in that secluded plain away from most cities and towns, he would have aspired to go to such a legendary place. But as it was, Will was reluctant to leave his comfortable life and his loving family.

Awaking the next morning to the smells of biscuits, sizzling bacon, and the scent of fresh milk, Will ate heartily and was wiping the creamy milk from his upper lip when his mother was upon him again with a new barrage of hugs and kisses.

“Take this,” Elizabeth smiled. Will unfolded the parchment. It was a crudely drawn map, labeling Bladebeard Academy, the Imperial Capitol, and…  “So you can always find your way home.”

“Mum,” Will said, choking with emotion. He threw his arms around his mother. She sobbed into his shoulder. Will gave a squeeze and reluctantly slipped from Elizabeth’s hold.

Will embraced his father. His father murmured something along the lines of, “no wonder he got accepted” and “I’m so proud, son,” but Will could not decipher his exact wording. Will might have thought his father’s voice thick with emotion, but when he broke the embrace, Matthew’s gray eyes were clear and bright with happiness. 

Will hugged his mother one final time before following his father to the stable. “You’ll ride Soulfire,” Matthew said, leading Will to the far side of the small stable, “He’s yours; take good care of him.”

As if for the first time, Will gaped at the red draft whose shaggy, black mane hung long and wild. Soulfire tossed his great head anxiously and stamped the ground with large, feathered hooves. As Will approached the animal, it calmed, standing stock-still. Will reached out towards him and could feel the heat emanating from his horse. His own horse! Will beamed at his parents, who were both now telling him to get a move on or he would be late. At the entrance to the stable, Elizabeth began to sob as Will climbed into Soulfire’s saddle.

“Will, I must tell you something before you leave us,” Matthew Stormhand said solemnly. “I have taught you to fight and ride, but you have to learn how to deal with people on your own.” It was true. Will remembered his not-so-patient father attempting to teach him the art of swordplay. And Will knew few enough people outside of his own family as they rarely entertained company. Matthew continued, “Not all men are friendly. Keep an eye open. I am not telling you to be wary of everyone, but there are enemies in the Academy. Remember who you are, do not forget the ones you love, and return to us whole,” Matthew paused. “Embrace your power and learn to use it.”

“I am not ready,” Will protested. “I need more time.”

“It has never been safe to practice magic here with only your mother and me to watch over you. If the wrong man was to ride close and pick up the trace… Well, we had a taste of what that could mean for us, yesterday.”

“Father! I’m about to
leave; yet you refuse to teach me a skill that I could use to protect you. When I go-”

“Your mother and I will be all the safer!” Matthew interrupted, anger flashing on his face and in his eyes.
His eyes are red!
“You cannot see it, you cannot sense it yet, but the magic that runs in this family’s veins can be felt. It’s intoxicating. The air all about this field is rife with pulsations of power. With you gone, the traces will lessen, and your mother and I will be all the safer for it. We will miss you dearly, with all our hearts. Indeed, it breaks mine to see you go, but you were destined for more than this life. This meager existence is less than we all deserve, but it was the only way we could raise you in safety.”