Dream Seeker E-Book

Lisa Lowell

• Herausgeber: Next Chapter
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Serie: The Wise Ones
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 438

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Jarek's life changes when he's discovered by Liri. As just a blind child, he's promised the chance to gain his sight and become a member of the esteemed Wise Ones. In pursuit of safety and learning, Jarek and his brother are taken inside the protective walls of Lar's academy. But peace doesn't last for long; Jarek is abducted to the rival realm of Marwen and thrust into a world of dark magic and political intrigue.

The abduction sets off a series of world-changing events, as the Wise Ones wage war to retrieve one of their own. Kjerstin, Marwen's princess, becomes an unexpected ally, and through the chaos of war and the complexities of growing up in extraordinary circumstances, bonds are forged and broken.

As Jarek embarks on his journey of transformation, he has to confront the challenges of a world in turmoil, and find his own identity and purpose.

Lisa Lowell's DREAM SEEKER is the sixth book in The Wise Ones series of fantasy novels.

Leseprobe

DREAM SEEKER

THE WISE ONES

BOOK SIX

LISA LOWELL

CONTENTS

Map

1. Blind

2. In the Garrison

3. At Lara

4. On the River

5. Groping in the Dark

6. Going to War

7. Knife into Marwen

8. Maneuvers

9. Changes

10. Dinner before the Throne

11. In the King’s Presence

12. Plans

13. Wedding

14. Insurrection

15. Besieged

16. Eyes Opened

17. Awkward Conversations

18. Scattered

19. Dream Seeking

20. Tjarana

21. Frantic

22. Coming Together

23. Standoff

24. Love Over Duty

25. The King and Prince

26. Apology

Epilog

Glossary Of Names

About the Author

Copyright (C) 2023 Lisa Lowell

Layout design and Copyright (C) 2023 by Next Chapter

Published 2023 by Next Chapter

Edited by Elizabeth N. Love

Cover base image by Paula Litchfield

Cover design by Jaylord Bonnit

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the author's permission.

To Chrissy Dean

Thank You for your suffering and patience

1

BLIND

Liri watched the boys from afar and shuddered. It was too much like her own pitiful past. She saw the younger boy rattling his dented tin cup to attract the attention of passersby. Most of the people of Wallward gave little heed to the orphan. His grimy hand gripped the staff that led him safely through the streets. Had he always lived on the streets tucked up against the solid Wall that bordered his entire world?

In his mind, Liri heard a curiosity to one day leave the market where he begged for scraps and coins to feed himself and his brother. No, this was his whole world. His ragged trousers showed his scabbed knees. He had split them at least a year since, and although he wasn’t large for his eight years, he was outgrowing the clothing some kind lady had given him when he was four.

At least he had his blindness to rely on. The poor older brother had no such handicap. Instead, the thirteen-year-old hovered nearby, protecting the younger. He survived scrapes that left him bruised, skittish, and not a little bit angry. He often ran errands for shopkeepers and raided the garbage of the kitchens beyond the market shops for his supper. Surprisingly, he wasn’t a thief. He always gave his little brother most of what he found.

How selfless, Liri thought.

Now something about them attracted Liri to this far corner of the Land. The incessant itch that lured her here resonated within these two. She couldn’t tell which one yet, but one of them would be a Wise One – a magician of great power. And she had come to Wallward to introduce that world to him.

Yet, she saw they loved each other with a fierce protectiveness that translated well on the streets of Wallward. Heaven help anyone who would dare come between them. Like her.

How could Liri break these two apart? The boys’ minds entwined so tightly that the magic that lured her here to them settled like smoke over the sandy streets.

Then there was a demon hovering above the city that gave her pause. So, she could not wait.

Liri conjured a small coin and walked out of the alley where she hid to watch the boys. She passed the blind boy, dropping the coin into his cup. Her magical wave of warmth registered as he heard the plink of a coin in his tin.

“Thank you,” he called out. Then the boy’s head lifted as if he scanned the sky.

Was he the one? Could he sense the demon that hung invisibly over the city? That reaction assured Liri she had chosen the right boy. She sat down right beside him on the curb. He gripped his cane in preparation to defend himself. Perhaps someone had given him a coin on a pretense of stealing his whole cup. What a nasty trick.

“You don’t have to be afraid of me,” Liri’s soft voice reassured. “I just saw you there and wanted to chat on this fine morning. What’s your name?”

The little boy didn’t reply, but instead rattled his can, ignoring her. Anyone who wanted to ‘chat’ was up to something, his thoughts screamed.

“Finn? Who is this?” The older brother shifted across the traffic to assess his brother’s predicament.

Liri smiled, grateful for the shortening of the blind boy’s name, especially with a demon around. Liri looked up at the older boy and did not react to his protective stance. She would have to handle both brothers.

“Finn? That’s a nice name. And you are?” Liri addressed the older boy.

“I’m his brother. And who are you?”

Finnick – for that was surely his whole name - – squirmed at his brother’s defensiveness. Liri put out the coals of suspicion with a smile and warm thoughts. “You may call me Lady Liri. I came here looking for you boys.”

The elder boy growled in distrust. Finnick’s chin lifted as if to glance at the sun overhead, again sensing the demon that stalked the garrison city. Liri dipped into Finnick’s thoughts to tell. No, he was a dreamer. He was wondering about her title and speculated about why a lady would seek him out. A lady? As in, from the Lord’s house?

Finnick knew of Wallward’s lord. However, he doubted anyone in that household would wander the crowded streets and strike up conversations with begging boys. Then Finnick’s thoughts drifted to her voice and warm scent. She was a nice lady, he had decided.

“She’s not going to rob us, Davos,” Finnick assured. Liri’s subtle spell had relaxed him at least.

Then Liri switched her mental focus to the elder brother, Davos. He was still suspicious. She was dressed as the other farmwives in the market. Her clear skin and shining golden eyes seemed out of place. Her hands, however, were as calloused as a dishwasher. She didn’t look like the darker people from the south, out of Marwen. Where was this lady from, Davos wanted to know.

Liri smothered a smile at his stubbornness. “You’ve been taking care of Finn for a long time, haven’t you? That’s good. I’ve got an offer for the two of you. I want to get you off the streets. If you come with me to the garrison, I’ll arrange work and a permanent home for you. You might even get some training. You’ll be safe, off the street.”

Both Finn and Davos scoffed. “Not in this world,” Davos muttered under his breath.

Liri dove into his mind and heard all the other well-wishers who had tried to help the boys. Davos hated to be reliant on others. He immediately distrusted anyone, suspecting ulterior motives.

“You won’t be answerable to anyone if you don’t want to be,” she tried again. “You will still have your freedom.”

Liri remained in their private thoughts over her strange offer as it hung like smoke from a smothered campfire. Finally, when they could not imagine anything else to say, they both spoke.

“Why?” the boys said in tandem, but Davos continued without his brother’s input. “Why would you do this for us?”

Liri looked down at her hands, chapped with fire. “I have a gift for Finn. I might be able to give him his sight.”

For a long moment, Liri heard the stunned silence of disbelief in their thoughts. Finn regained his tongue first. “I’ve never been able to see. No one but God can do that.”

Davos scoffed. “Only a huckster would promise him his vision. Not even magic can do what you’re suggesting, and we don’t trust magic…unless you count this Wall. And all it does is protect us from invaders.”

“Nevertheless, I want to try,” Liri responded.

Now the older brother grew testier. “I don’t see how following you to the garrison will bring his sight. The two aren’t related,” he pointed out logically. “Besides, we do well enough, and he earns more than I do by being blind. We don’t need your help, lady.”

Liri looked up, checking on the unseen presence. No demon in range, Liri judged, and then quickly answered, “You’re clever, aren’t you? Very well, I cannot give this gift to your brother until he’s older and fully grown. For that to happen, he’ll need you to protect him. That means you both need a safe bed and decent food for several years to come. Otherwise, neither of you will reach manhood. Someone will see to that. However, at the garrison, you will enjoy protection so that you both can grow up in safety. Then when he’s an adult, I can give Finn his gift, but not until.”

Davos’ mouth closed before he let out his bitter words. He peered over at his little brother to see some sign of how he felt. The younger boy rattled the two coins in his cup instinctively and then said, “It sounds like one of my fairy tales.”

“That’s because it is. Magic like that doesn’t exist,” Davos said, although the hope in his tone came easily to Liri’s ears.

“Oh, it exists. What do you think built this Wall?” challenged Liri. “What do you have to lose?”

As if it were decided, Liri stood up, dusted herself off, and looked up the crowded street. “Tell you what, I’ll go over there so you two can discuss my offer.”

She didn’t wait for them to agree but walked off to the nearest vendor of bread down the road half a block. She could have overheard the boys from miles away, but they did not know that. She easily sensed Davos’ keen eye on her back as she surveyed the bread at a baker’s cart.

“What do you think of her proposal?” asked Davos.

“It’s magic she’s offering,” Finnick affirmed, “but I think she means it. You’ve always wanted to be a soldier. I bet at the garrison you’d be able to learn.”

“In other words, we’ve got nothing to lose, if we can be together. She did say that we could leave if we didn’t like it,” countered Davos.

“In other words, we’ve got nothing to lose,” agreed Finnick. “I might like stories of magic, but I don’t think I believe she can give me sight. I’m not going to believe it…until I see it.”

“Ha, ha,” Davos muttered sardonically then added, “Well, let’s see what it’s like at the garrison before we reject her offer. She doesn’t seem the type to abuse us or lie. She looks too nice to have anything but an honest offer. If there’s no magical sight for you, we’ve lost nothing.”

As if she had heard their decision, Liri crossed back over the street bearing two thick rolls and a hunk of cheese, which she held out to them as a trust offering. Warily Davos took a bite, and then he told his brother it was good, and they both ate greedily.

“Well, gentlemen, what have you decided?” Liri asked in a careful tone. She dared not frighten them away. Demons overhead might make that clear, and she dared not alert them to the importance of their decision.

“We’ll see what the garrison has to offer, but we won’t agree to stay if we are not satisfied,” Davos announced for them both.

“Agreed.” Liri held out an upturned hand to seal the deal. Davos slapped her palm. “And you too, Finn?”

Finnick didn’t understand what was done until Liri reached out and took his hand off his stick, opened his palm, slapped it, and then gave him back his cane.

“Now, if you’ll follow me…” Liri led them off through the city streets, confident that they willingly came after her.

Both boys knew of the garrison, but from their thoughts, Liri could hear they had never been inside. Wallward boasted a large contingent of men because of its spot on the border, but although it was well-armed, the magic of the Wall was the town’s finest defense. Nothing had come over the Wall since the days of the first Founding when Owaillion, King of Creating had teamed up with Vamilion, the King of the Mountains, to build a barrier so impenetrable that nothing but great mages could cross it.

Or flying demons, Liri reminded herself.

While the legend of building the Wall grew misty with time, Liri personally knew the Wise Ones who had built it. The edifice remained a massive witness to their continued power. Still, in Davos’ mind, she heard the simple sentiment; Wallward needed to rely on swords, shields, and the garrison. He didn’t trust magic to protect the Land. Instead, Davos’ thoughts dwelled on this new opportunity.

He didn’t know their father, and as no man’s son, he didn’t stand to inherit any land or trade. No one would take him on as an apprentice, not with a blind brother in tow. However, at the garrison where men-at-arms trained, now that was a position where any healthy and clever boy could earn his way. He needed no title, education, or name. He could work his way up at the garrison. Maybe he could use what he learned to discover where their father had disappeared. Hadn’t he been fighting for this kind of opportunity all his life? Well, now he would be given exposure to the weapons that went with the fight.

But he worried for Finnick.

Meanwhile, Finnick believed the Liri offered a legitimate opportunity. Perhaps she would cure his blindness if he went to the garrison. All his life, Finnick loved the stories he heard in the streets. He dreamed of talking with dragons, and of the Wise One magic that founded the Land. One day he hoped to tell his own fairy stories that he gathered on the streets like begged coins.

Liri dipped back into Davos’ thoughts as he worried. The elder boy scoffed at the stories that entertained his little brother. Davos hoped Finnick knew they were only dreams. Now, with a lady suggesting a true-to-life cure, Davos worried the blind child might see merit in the other myths he had wisely rejected until now. Davos would still keep a close eye on his brother and the minute something smacked of magic, he would warn his brother away. He would protect Finnick from the world.

“You do that, Davos.”

Davos lurched, pretending to trip over a cobble, but he looked up at the lady, recognizing her voice in his head. Had she just used magic on him? He knew her voice, but no actual sounds came with the private whisper.

“Pardon me?” Davos asked, straining to watch the lady’s face as they walked. With her longer legs, she was always ahead of them, and he distrusted his impression.

“You heard me,” she reiterated, but her lips never moved. “I’m going to give you a gift too. I need you to be very strong, a keen fighter, so that Finnick will be safe. I will see to it that you are the greatest soldier the Land has ever boasted.”

“I don’t believe in magic,” Davos said succinctly, puzzling his brother who hadn’t heard the lady’s comments, despite having excellent hearing.

“I know that,” Liri said aloud, “but that doesn’t mean that magic doesn’t believe in you. Now then, we’re here. Let’s go to the south gate. The guard there is a friend, and we’ll get a better reception there.”

Liri led them past the intimidating main gates made of wood with iron lashing, bristling with polished iron nails pounded into it. The boys would feel less troubled by the man-door around the side of the three-span high fort wall. Marek, who had the watch on that door, owed her a favor, and he loved children.

“You mean you haven’t already arranged this?” Davos’ voice squeaked. “How do you know they’ll take us if you haven’t asked already? We’ve lost half a day’s work in following you across town. If they won’t take us, we’ll be back to the streets again.”

Liri laughed lightly. “They’ll take you on because I will ask them to do so. Trust me.”

Davos didn’t say what he thought of that suggestion, but Liri heard it. He didn’t want Finnick to hear the filthy words he wanted to say. The only reason Davos was even considering this was because of the hope of a safe bed and a chance to see soldiers in training; not the promised gift of sight. Liri’s silent conversation with him didn’t tempt Davos in the least.

The boys followed her up the ramp to the south gate. There Liri went up to the less intimidating door and knocked loudly with the clapper. The two boys waited awkwardly behind her. Marek opened a small sliding window, took one look at Liri’s smile, and opened the full door.

“Lady, welcome,” murmured the older gentleman, armed with a pike and a bow, wearing the livery of the Wallward Garrison, gray with green piping.

“Thank you, Marek. I’ve brought some guests for you,” and she stepped through the door and into the opening next to the guard house. Finnick and Davos followed with far less confidence.

“Lady…? You bring us boys?” Marek said in wonder.

Liri smiled warmly and replied, “Sir, why don’t you go get the commander? I have a few things to say to him. We’ll wait here.” Her suggestions came across as orders, and so Marek went clanking across the courtyard toward the unit of soldiers going through a pike exercise in the open fort.

Meanwhile, as was his custom, Davos began describing the place for his brother in a low whisper. “Cobblestone grounds, round courtyard wall that looks like the Wall itself.

Barracks on the outside wall in a half circle…” Then Davos stopped abruptly.

A tall burly man with a black beard and full armor came traipsing across the yard toward them. Davos couldn’t describe him adequately, for the boy had eyes only for the weapons he carried: a sword, spear across his back, and a dagger long enough to be a sword for Finnick. The commander, obviously, but his intimidating look didn’t faze Liri. Davos straightened up, hoping to look taller than he was and Finnick did as well, as he sensed his brother’s tension.

“Commander Rosen,” Liri greeted him, hand on her heart, regally. “I’m the Lady Liri and I have got a project for you and your men.”

Davos’ mind shouted at her as he realized Liri hadn’t even met the commander before. Both boys’ thoughts stopped, fearing this situation was growing worse by the moment. What made her think that she could offer them a place here when this military leader looked more likely to boil children than employ and house them? Liri tuned the boys out.

Commander Rosen thought much the same, in abrupt alarm. He stopped just short of cursing and growling but didn’t take Liri’s greeting. He looked ready to throttle Marek who had followed his commander back to the south gate. Marek now hurriedly resumed his post in the guard-house rather than come into range of the tongue-lashing he would surely get if there weren’t guests.

“Lady Liri, I cannot have civilians here interrupting our training, especially children. What do you want from us?” Rosen’s chopped words were officially polite…unlike his private thoughts.

Unfazed Liri replied. “I want you to take these boys into the garrison. They are to be raised here. You can train them in weapons, and make them apprentices if you will, but not slaves. You, at the least, will feed, clothe, and house them until I come for them again in…ten years? Your wife will do most of that work. I expect when I return for them, they will both be healthy, able to hold their own with a weapon and will speak highly of their time here at the garrison. If they choose to leave your protection, that will be their choice, but I do not want you to drive them out, or I shall hear of it.”

The commander’s ruddy face grew redder with each word until Liri feared he might light his hair on fire with the rage. “What in the Blessed Wall’s Foundation would persuade me to do this, woman?!” he roared. “One of them is blind. I’ve no time or place for anyone who cannot pull his weight here. I’ve kicked out full-grown men as won’t take orders or lift their load. A boy’s got…”

Liri interrupted his tirade with her sultry voice even softer and almost alluring. “You will take them in because I say you will do so. You will find that Davos here is going to be your finest warrior. And Finn will be no burden either. You have my promise.”

Then, before everyone’s eyes, Liri changed.

Her hair that had been bound down in a simple braid now rolled up into a fine regal setting with gold wire and rubies entwined. Her simple brown linen dress shifted and shimmered into red silk with gold thread images embroidered into the scarlet flowing gown. The hem that spilled over the stones seemed to be lit on fire but wasn’t consumed by the burning. All up her body and then down her arms, an elegant phoenix climbed over the fabric in stitching to her shoulder. And on her back, she carried a rapier of gold, deadly and whip-thin.

“You have the promise of the Queen of Fire. I am of the Wise One order. I will have these boys protected. I will know if they are frightened or abused. You will see to it.” Then she lowered her voice into a new tone. “And commander, what I ask of you will be difficult. They will be under attack. Magic will seek them out and you must be ready. I will do what I can, but I cannot be here with them. I will repel the magic, but you must guard against the acts of men. Am I understood?”

The ruddy face of Commander Rosen had gone ashen pale. He stood there frozen, staring at the glowing lady. Davos closed his mouth with a snap and gripped Finnick’s arm until his brother almost complained about it. Finn sensed something in the tone of voice and the heat pulsing off Liri that kept him from disrupting. Magic was afoot and no one wanted to disturb it.

Finally, Commander Rosen found his voice, gulped, and then nodded.

“Yes, my Lady. I’ll see to it. Do you really want them…the one to be taught arms?”

“If he wants it, yes. You’ll find Davos has an aptitude for it. Don’t neglect the same training for Finn either. He might be blind, but he’s clever. They are both under my protection and I will be watching.”

With that, Liri turned back to the boys. Without a by-your-leave, she placed her fiery hands on their heads, as if anointing them. “Now, boys, you’ll be here under Commander Rosen’s protection. I hope you have the good sense to appreciate it. Do not do anything foolish. I will return in ten years if nothing else happens, to give you the gift I promised.”

Finnick nodded under her hand, and Davos stood there frozen in wonder. Then Liri removed her hands and turned back into her simple clothes. She had finished her errands. Liri walked out the south gate door and disappeared.

And that was how Davos and Finnick came to live at the garrison of Wallward.

2

IN THE GARRISON

Commander Rosen and Davos stared each other down for a moment while Finnick waited impatiently for the explosion they all expected. Finally, Rosen admitted defeat, let out the gust of air he held, and growled. “Well, she gives little choice, doesn’t she.”

“Who was that?” Finnick asked with a flicker of dread in his voice. “All I felt was very hot.”

Rosen’s voice cracked with irony. “If you don’t know who she is, what makes you think I would know? She’s surely one of the Wise Ones, the masters of magic here in the Land. I’ve only met two in my entire life…not the Queen of Fire before. Just the Queen of Healing and the King of the Plains. They all flit about the Land, fixing what needs fixed magically and for the most part, leaving we common folk to rule ourselves.”

“But why bring us here?” Davos asked.

Rosen grumbled under his breath. “To make my life more difficult no doubt.” Then he looked down at them critically. “Well, what are your names?” he barked.

“Davos, sir.”

“I’m Finnick, sir.”

“Very well,” Commander Rosen sighed heavily as if he knew the war he was about to fight. “My biggest battle will be with the wife. Let’s get this over with. Follow me.”

With trepidation, the two boys trailed after the commander to the far side of the garrison, past the men who trained in the courtyard. Davos watched their stances and the practiced blows with blunted swords. He imagined the storage warehouse teamed full of weapons, enough to arm far more men than trained or boarded here. The citizens of the city would also be expected to take up arms if the need arose. They passed stables Davos recognized by smell and finally made it to a tiny house set right into the corner where the non-magical wall of the garrison’s compound met the Wall that acted as a magic border of the Land. Only the commander must live here full time, with a wife in the home that came with the rank.

As they marched toward the house, Rosen waved a hand toward a long sweep of rooms against the outer wall of the compound. “Most of my men are housed in barracks above those stables, or they find homes out in the town. I won’t put you there. The men…well, they’re a bad example.”

At the door of his house, Commander Rosen stuck his head in and called to his wife, “Marta?”

Marta, a large, hard-working woman, came to the door with her stout arms covered in flour from working bread. She was a middle-aged lady with fat braids of graying hair and twinkling blue eyes. When she saw her husband’s followers, she stopped, dusted her hands on her apron, and rested her fists on her hips, waiting for the explanation.

“We’ve got … guests of a sort,” Rosen began hesitantly.

“Guests?” Marta’s eyes flashed with pique.

“Under orders. I’m to keep them until they grow up. I don’t think we can house them in the barracks with the men. See what you can do, and then feed them some lunch. I’ll be back in an hour.” Rosen retreated manfully back to his duties.

If Marta was unpleased, she didn’t show it as much as her husband. She looked the boys over with the critical eye of a military commander. “Yer mere slips. And dark. Are you descendants of Marwen then?”

Neither boy knew how to answer. “We don’t know, mistress,” Davos tried.

“Well, to the wash house and clean yourself,” she ordered, pointing toward a brick room beyond a well near the first barracks door. “And take this scrub brush or you’ll never get the job done well enough. I’ll have lunch and some decent clothes for you when you get back.”

“Wash?” Finnick commented as he clung to Davos’ elbow to make their way. “Are we dirty? What do you think of this place?”

Davos tore his gaze from the men doing drills and examined the pump that confronted them at the wash house. “If it is safe and we don’t need to beg for our supper, it might work for me. I don’t know about you. I can learn a lot just by watching them here. But what are they going to teach you?”

“You wouldn’t leave me, would you, Davos?”

Davos pulled on the pump lever and watched the water come obediently out of the spout, darkening his hands. He reached for Finnick’s grasping hands and began to scrub. “I’ll never leave you, brother. You’re worth the world to me. Now, pull on this and keep the water flowing. I’ll wash first, and then you wash. I’ll never leave you. I just might have to pull on the lever a while.”

After a harsh and chilling scrub, the boys returned to Marta’s kitchen. She had arranged bedding for them in the garret of the house and laid out new shirts they could have worn as dresses, they were so long. She smiled as the boys chafed at the new clothing. “I’ll take in a few of the smallest uniforms in the livery to make a better fit. Here, sit and eat.”

Marta dished out vegetable soup that she had prepared for the men in a massive pot. Her house seemed mostly kitchen. Bread for fifty men’s supper lay rising on her long wooden table. The hearth fire she cooked on boasted two sides, one that passed outside the home’s wall. From there she could manage two full pots, one inside, and one outside with little trouble.

Having already eaten some lunch earlier, neither boy ate much now. They obediently let Marta size them for new clothes and wordlessly endured her questions, although they were spare with answers. She looked at their teeth, checked them for lice, and tried unsuccessfully to engage them in some conversation. It wasn’t that they didn’t like her; they simply could not deal with all that had happened on this strange day.

As promised, Rosen returned for them soon. He ordered them about with the garrison troops for the rest of the afternoon. Davos fetched weapons and water from the well for the men who were drilling. Marek, the guard at the south gate, was given the hand of Finnick as a consequence of getting the garrison into this awkward situation. And that established the routine for the two boys.

Daily, Finnick reported to the south gate and listened to stories from Marek, who knew every legend and fable from his own childhood. And when Rosen barked at him, Marek drilled Finnick in staff work. It made sense since a blind boy always carried his cane. This, he could master, and Marek proved a patient and adept teacher. Davos, on the other hand, was apprenticed to the entire garrison. He sharpened weapons, learned marching drills, and eventually called them out and the men took his barked orders with a smirk on their faces. He also got staff and sword training where he worked against a dummy since no man could be expected to soften his blows against a child.

Marta didn’t grumble nearly as much as her husband, welcoming the idea of children, for she had none of her own. She sized down clothing for them and went to town to find them shoes, but did little else to accommodate them that she wouldn’t do for any man in the barracks. On seasons when the garrison soldiers left and marched for a week down the length of the Wall to the sea, Rosen kept the boys at the fort with Marta. She ventured to use that time with them to teach Davos to read and Finnick to cook. Neither effort was particularly successful, but it passed the time and kept the boys occupied and learning something.

Sometimes, just to remind Rosen of their options, the boys ventured alone to the market and Finnick begged again with Davos watching over him. Together they garnered coins they then squirreled away since they didn’t need them for survival. Davos hid their gleanings behind a loose stone in the garret wall against a day they needed to leave, though the longer they stayed with Marta and Rosen, the less likely that seemed.

Davos loved the work and watching the soldiers. He easily imitated the sword drills as much as he could, sparring with Finnick’s staff and then a wooden sword Rosen reluctantly provided. He also learned to read maps, sat in on strategy lectures, and even tried his hand at hawking. Every time the soldiers went on maneuvers, Davos begged mightily to be included. It never worked, but he at least tried.

Finnick, for his part, loved his own training. He learned the legends and magical stories of the Land, savoring them like they were candy. He heard the tales of the King of Creating and his travels to Malornia, of Enok the priest and his battle with evil. The Halfway Tree and its power over demons taught him about how the Land was settled. He learned of how the dragons had left but gave magic to the Wise Ones. He heard the true story of the Wall and even discovered how Liri, Queen of Fire, came into her power, saving the Land from the ravages of a Griffin. Marek, the old guard, hadn’t always been just a doorman and had many tales to share. He had traveled broadly, even outside the Land, before settling at Wallward’s garrison.

“You have the look of Marwen,” the old man commented more than once. “Are you sure you don’t know your father?”

“My mother died when I was only three. She was a washerwoman from the Land, but Davos doesn’t remember our father.”

“There’s no doubt you have the same father,” Marek assured him. “You two are twins if not for your age. He’s got more muscle than you, though. Let’s get you strong. Where’s my staff and I’ll teach you to use it.”

And then the two would exchange timed blows. Marek taught the blind boy how to listen for the whistling of a weapon in the air and block it with faster moves. Finn even learned to defend against a knife or sword if need be. Finn never admitted to the old man that he could swing harder. He feared hurting his feeble master.

Both boys enjoyed having reliable meals without the fear of where to sleep at night. They loved Marta, her smart tongue and her constant badgering for cleanliness. Both appreciated the gentle reminders that just because he was blind, Finnick could still make his way. He was responsible for drawing water, cutting vegetables, kneading bread, bringing coal or firewood, and other routine chores that made her life easier. Davos appreciated that Marta made his brother feel useful. Eventually, Finnick would need love from someone other than Davos, and that’s what counted.

* * *

“Boys!” Marta shouted up into the garret. “Wake up! Go fetch the wagon. We’re going to the harvest market while the men are away.”

Davos rolled over in the bed, squashing his brother, and stuck his head out of their tiny room. “It’s not even dawn yet. If I went with the garrison, I’d be better willing to get out of bed this early.”

“Market?” Finnick mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his sunken eyes. “I like going to the market.”

“If you like eating, you’ll get up and fetch the wagon. Breakfast is almost ready.”

Still grumbling, Davos climbed out of the garret followed by Finnick, and they performed the obligatory wash, brought the wagon out, and ate their breakfast. Davos begged pitifully one more time to join the men as they left the garrison just as the sun rose over the Wall and the city came to life.

“They’re on simple rounds of the Lord’s mansion and grounds,” Marta commented. “There’s a harvest day festival there tomorrow and the men are to know the layout as they’re to provide extra security. Since you’re not invited, there’s no need for you to go. However, I need to get wool for winter uniforms…and you boys as well. I forgot how much children grow, especially you, Davos.”

Davos straightened up proudly at that comment and stopped his grumbling. Perhaps new clothes would look more like the uniform he coveted.

The threesome left for the market soon after seeing the garrison soldiers off. Davos pulled the wagon while Finnick held onto Marta’s arm. But then Finn’s head shot up into the sky, seeking the bright blue that peeked between the sandstone walls and tile rooftops.

“Davos, are there any Outlanders about?” he hissed in alarm.

The elder boy looked up into the sky and spotted what he thought might be a vulture circling. That wasn’t what Finnick sensed, was it? Reluctantly Davos looked away from the bird and then gulped. Dozens of shops boasted Outlanders. It was the right time of year. The traveling merchants, obvious from their strange rich clothing, exotic jewelry, and rare goods filled nearly every spot. Their wares squeezed in front of the buildings all along the market street. He didn’t trust them at all, but he tried to reassure his brother.

“Yes, there are Outlanders. They’re selling before winter sets in. Just like normal.”

Finnick let go of Marta’s arm and groped back toward Davos. The elder boy reached for his brother’s hand and shifted the wagon to his other hand. Finnick kept his distant eyes fixed on the ground, which warned Davos to keep his own flitting through the sea of people, looking for something suspicious. Of course, he found what he was looking for.

The vulture still circled over their spot in the market.

“There’s a bad omen somewhere nearby. I can feel it,” Finnick whispered for his brother’s ears only.

Davos saw the shadow of the vulture dash across the street like it sensed a dead body, and it gave him chills. Was that what Finn sensed? Davos rarely believed the stories Finnick relayed from Marek, at least the ones of bad omens and portents, but a vulture had to be an ill omen at best. How had a blind boy known it was there?

Meanwhile, Marta stopped by an open-air shop with great bolts of fabric recently brought in from faraway lands. She needed to get wool for winter uniforms, but she couldn’t help but run her hand over the lively green cotton that attracted her eye. Davos sighed with irritation. He didn’t have much patience for womanly things, and he relayed this to Finnick.

“I like the smells here,” Finnick countered, “though there’s something off. Can you smell it?”

“No,” Davos muttered. “I don’t smell something off, but I saw a vulture. And I don’t trust the shopkeeper. He is watching us, not Marta.”

Finnick’s head shot up and his grip on Davos’ arm tightened. “Is there a dog?” he asked.

Davos looked around for a dog and indeed saw a mangy black hound watching from the shadows beyond the tent. Davos turned from the dog and the trader before he muttered an affirmative.

“Tell me about the trader,” Finnick ordered.

Davos peeked over his shoulder at the shopkeeper/trader who wore distinctive loose silk robes and a hood rather than a hat as was customary in the Land. He also wore sandals, despite the crisp weather now descending on Wallward. “He’s from Marwen, or farther south,” Davos supplied. “He’s got dark hair and a big mustache, so he’s Marwenian, I think. I don’t trust him.”

At that moment, the dog Davos had noticed before came forward and brushed against the trader as he bargained with Marta, as if the animal asked permission to interrupt. What trader would bring his dog to a strange city far from home? Davos wondered. This made him curious enough to lean out from under the tent stakes to find the vulture he had seen. It was nowhere in the sky. This brought a chill over him. He instinctively turned back toward Finnick to tell him.

Then it all changed.

Without warning, the dog leaped at Marta or Finnick, it was hard to tell. Finnick must have sensed something, for he swung his cane wildly, and caught the dog in mid-leap, bowling over several bolts of fabric. Davos pulled Marta away and drew the dagger that he carried since Rosen wouldn’t let him have a full sword. The trader swore vividly in his native language as the fabric fell and the dog scrambled over his wares, still trying to reach the shoppers. Davos called out. “Protect Marta!” She had fallen into their wagon. He would take on the dog himself.

“Oy, you leave that dog be,” called the trader in a thick accent, but Davos didn’t listen. He moved his feet to prepare for another leap by the growling beast. Other shoppers had frozen in wonder at the scene, surprised that any animal would be so intent that it had to be held off at knifepoint.

Then the cur launched again, trying to leap over Davos’ head. The boy jumped and scraped his knife down the exposed underbelly of the beast as it passed over him. The dog screamed not like a dog, but as a man. The creature landed on Davos, unable to complete its path toward its goal. Then amazingly the animal turned into a human, heavy and bleeding from shoulder to groin at the boy’s knife. Davos scrambled out from under the surprising new adversary. It was one thing to kill a dog; a completely different thing to fight a man, even one who turned into an animal.

This newly transformed enemy wore loose silk robes like the trader but slashed open and bloody. He stumbled to his feet, and seeing his disguise had failed him, he pulled his robes closed over his wound and bolted from the shop. Marta, who had finally extricated herself from the wagon, now pulled both boys behind her, and her glare could have melted every bystander in their boots. Obediently the gawking townspeople began moving again, but a gaggle of geese sounded sweeter as they all began chattering about what they had witnessed.

“Are you alright, boys?” Marta gasped, kneeling in front of them to reassure herself with a thorough inspection no matter what they could say for themselves.

“What was that?” Finnick asked, trembling. All he knew was something strange, loud, and dangerous had happened.

Davos gasped, “It was magic. A dog leaped at Marta, and I tried to stop it, but it turned into a man.”

“A dog turned into a man?”

“Hush,” Marta whispered, for she was watching the cloth trader who still hadn’t closed his gaping mouth. “Help the man pick up his fabric and let’s go home.”

The boys hurriedly followed Marta’s orders while she tried unsuccessfully to apologize for the mayhem and blood that splattered over his wares. The merchant’s thick accent made it hard for Davos to judge if the man was honest when he claimed the cur wasn’t a pet. The trio left as quickly as they could, dragging an empty wagon as fast as possible through the busy streets.

They went directly back to the garrison, all thoughts of shopping forgotten. All the way, Davos kept an eye out for the dog, the shape-changing man, and even the vulture. When they got back to the strong stone house Finnick relaxed, flopping onto his stool at the family table. Davos did not. Instead, he stood beside the door with his dagger drawn, peering out into the courtyard. Nor did Marta relax. She wordlessly went about fixing a lunch, clanging dishes, and wielding a cleaver rather than a knife on a loaf of bread as if it were the neck of an enemy.

“Will someone tell me what happened out there?” Finnick asked when it became obvious that no one was willing to explain. Something besides a strange encounter with a dog had occurred. “Didn’t he run away?”

“Yes, he ran away,” Davos growled. “Which means he lives to come again. And I don’t think he was coming after Marta. I think that…”

“I said hush,” Marta interrupted. “We will discuss it only when Rosen comes home,” she ordered.

“Discuss what?” insisted Finnick. “A dog turned into a man and did what?”

Before Marta could round on him for not obeying, his question was repeated by a familiar and sultry voice from the hearth. “Discuss what?”

The Lady Liri, Queen of Fire, appeared, stepping off the stonework of the fire bed, in her magnificent regalia, with red silk and flames as her skirt, as if she’d just walked out of the fire itself. Marta dropped her cleaver in shock on the cutting board and Davos turned away from the door, lowering his dagger. But as Liri stepped gracefully off the hearth her clothing shifted into something more fitting for the simple croft, something Marta might have worn.

Then Marta picked up the cleaver again. “Who are you?”

Liri didn’t seem concerned that the blade had become a weapon in the hands of a protective mother hen who knew intimately many soldierly moves. Instead, the Queen of Fire smiled warmly and sat down at the table across from Marta’s bread and pulled the loaf across to help start cutting it. To prove her legitimacy, the Queen conjured her own cutting knife out of thin air and continued the job on the loaf as if she were sorry to interrupt their lunch preparations.

“You may call me Liri. I’m the person who ordered your husband to keep an eye on these boys. They are under my protection, and I keep an ear open for unusual things…like an attack by a dog that then turns into a man. What happened, Davos?”

Relieved that someone who could handle another attack had arrived, Davos left his post at the door and sat down at the table. As he might report to a commanding officer, he explained what had occurred in the market that morning, including his disgust that he didn’t have an adequate weapon with which to fight. His words also helped fill in Finnick and allowed Marta the chance to make her own decisions about Liri.

“I was afraid of this,” Liri sighed after Davos concluded. “It was bound to happen, but I’m not sure we’re going to be able to…”

“You knew that there would be an attack on us?” Marta barked in anger fueled with fear.

Liri shifted her gaze to Marta with sad eyes, regretful but honest. “Yes, I feared it. I didn’t know what form it would take, or when it would come, but I knew some sort of magical attack would likely come.” The Queen wasn’t defensive, just resigned. “Once I’d found the boys, they were sure to become targets. I cannot watch over them constantly, so I did the next best thing and had you watch over them. I had hoped that being in a military garrison would protect them to a point.”

“A garrison is hardly a defense against magic,” Marta fired back. “And why would two simple boys be the target of demons and witches and such in the first place?”

That was a question Davos and Finnick often ruminated over at night but hadn’t wanted to ask. Liri looked as if she didn’t want to answer it either. “It’s complicated,” she began.

“Please, take the time,” Marta muttered. “If they’re in my house, we deserve to know.”

Reluctantly Liri nodded and began a careful explanation. “As I told the boys when I first met them, I think I can cure Finn’s blindness. However, I cannot do so until he is fully grown. The reason why is… is he will have to become magical for that to happen. He will become a Wise One, like me. And if he is magical, he will be frozen as he is. If I did it now, he would be forever a child, and that is not right. So, we must wait.”

“A Wise One? Magical…like you?” Finnick managed.

Liri reached out and took Finn’s groping hand. “Yes if you wish it. But that is not a choice you can make without an adult’s understanding. Even then you might not know all the ramifications that will bring into your life. It is not a simple decision. I didn’t want to present it to you so young, but once I found you…well, it made you vulnerable.”

“Vulnerable to what?” Davos asked.

“I found him by sensing his native powers. If I could do so, then others can as well. It is like he is a candle. I lit a flame by just finding him in the dark. Now everyone can see the light in him, and they will come to it like moths. There are some powers in our world who want to snuff out the flame or take the candle for themselves. Evil magic, demons, and others that want to use him.”

That long explanation left the others speechless for a moment.

“And what about me?” Davos asked, suddenly curious about what magic he might possess. “Do I have powers too?”

“Your gift, Davos,” Liri said gently, carefully, “is not the same. You are going to be a great warrior. You were meant to protect your brother until he is old enough to defend himself…. But you are not magical."

“Then why…why did you protect us both?” Davos felt a cold pit of something confusing his mind. Was he angry? Hurt? Jealous of Finn? Relieved? He suddenly could not think.

“So few of the Wise Ones have a family when we take our power. I wanted to preserve that for Finn. He needs you, and you are very gifted but…”

“Are you saying that Davos isn’t magical and so I cannot stay with him?” Finnick looked ready to rebel. He gripped his staff till his knuckles turned blue and Davos realized his brother carried mixed feelings about this revelation as well.

“That is why I thought of the garrison. Here, if you could be safe, you could also be together. Having a family, it is a wonderful thing. You should hold on to it as long as you can, but at a certain point, you must go your separate ways.”

By now Marta had gathered her composure and asked a question to distract the boys from this potential future, “You keep saying us. Who is ‘us’?”

Liri glanced up at Marta with an expression of gratitude for changing the subject a bit. “We are the Wise Ones. We are the ones who built the Wall. We live in the grand palaces along the river that you’ve heard tales of. We are the magical defenders of the Land, just as your husband is a defender of the Land on a physical basis. We are born magical and then when we are discovered, we receive the key that awakens our power. It makes us protectors of the Land, bound to it.”

“Tell me more about these Wise Ones?” Finnick begged.

Liri smiled uncomfortably. “You would be the tenth. Magic in the Land is a rare gift and a dangerous one. It is not like that in other countries where many become mages, demon-hosts, or witches. In the Land, magic is a gift from the Creator. Because of that, you will live forever if you take the power,” Liri supplied.

Then she saw how Davos had shut down. His thoughts must have been loud to her. “We all have our gifts, Davos. You will be like Rosen, a protector as well. It is more than you ever would have dreamed a year ago. Are you disappointed?”

Davos shook his head in denial. “It’s just that I never thought about what would happen after we grew up. If Finn can see then, he won’t need me. It’s not something I thought possible. No offense, Lady Liri, but I didn’t trust what you first offered him. Now, if he doesn’t need me… I don’t know.”

“You’re a good boy,” Liri told him gently. “Most big brothers would be jealous that Finn will have magical powers.”

“I just didn’t think of my life if Finn could really see,” Davos reiterated. “What am I to do?”

Unexpectedly Marta swatted him with her towel. “Goodness, child, you’ll be a man. You’ll do what you want. You heard the lady. You’ll be a soldier and make your own way. All of us leave our sibs eventually. I’ve got three brothers I’ve not seen in years, and they aren’t wasting away simply because I’m not there making sure they’re fed. You’ll do fine.”

“But what happens now?” Davos defended himself. “The Lady said she wasn’t sure we could be together now that evil magic is making attacks. Are we going to be able to stay here at the garrison?”

Davos watched Liri’s eyes rest on the fire, its embers low and her powers made them smolder. Finnick’s hands gripped his cane as if he could snap it in two, and Davos wondered fiercely why this was such a difficult decision, and just for the adults. Marta’s gaze drifted to the door, and Davos knew she was wishing her husband would come home. Rosen had grown fond of the boys and he would want to be a part of this decision.