Do you like the story so far. I am sorry if it is not up to standards. English is my second language. I have used a scene from the 'Demon King" by Cinda Williams Chima but tried to make it as original as possible, it is a major scene and is quite a catalyst for future events.
Please tell me if you think my story is inadequate for this site, as i will take it down and improve my writing before posting again.
Thankyou for reading my story.
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Galahad POV( Firemonth 9th day)
Speaker Tristan, was walking me home, I had my head lowered with a dejected look on my face. I had truly screwed up this time. I really shouldn't have tried to steal something. We slowly turned the corner to the slums, and a familiar wave of a nauseous and disgusting smell hit my face. We walked in through the narrow streets, taking frequent turns. I turned a corner and finally arrived at a small hut nestled in between another two huts. I opened the makeshift curtain made of cloth and walked in. I found mother sleeping and my sister, preparing her birthday meal.
“Gala, there you are where did you go? you said you would be right back” my sister said.
“Ahh speaker Tristan what brings you here has my brother done something wrong.”
“I saw him trying to steal, a full roast from a butcher, I thought he was a common thief so I helped catch him only to realize he is my most talented student.” He gave a me a look of disappointment, it shattered me.
“I am sorry speaker, I just wanted my mother to be happy.” I cried, I didn't think about anything else except making my mother happy. I saw that my sister was also extremely disappointed in me.
“Its okay son, Ymir has been cruel on your family, but I think god has a plan for you, a greater plan.” I actually wanted to speak to you about something important.
My mother woke up form all the commotion, her face was still beautiful to this day, even after all that she had faced her face never cease to show me her brilliant smile. I truly admired her, I loved her, and I didn't want her to live like this anymore.
The speaker went on telling her about what happened.
She immediately came over to me, hugged me and said “you must have been so scared. Its okay Gala, I am really happy, just being able to see your face is more than enough happiness for my life, you and your sister are what makes my life happy.”
I started to tear up. I didn't want her to live like this anymore.
“I think I may have a good plan for your family Eliana, There is a travelling church group that is in dire need of helpers, and I can get you a job in their church group as a worker. Don't worry all you have to do is cook and sometimes wash their clothes. You will be travelling all around the human continent. How does that sound ?” the speaker said
Mother looked at us, I nodded indicating that I was ready to go anywhere with her, and my sister was even more excited as she could finally have the adventure she wished for. An opportunity like this would never come to a family such as ours. Mostly commoners were hired to be workers, but slum people were never given such a chance. My mother knew about these travelers. They were dressed in white robes and went around the continent speaking the word of their god Ymir. They believed in peace and harmony so there was no danger to us whatsoever.
“yes, speaker we will go, I think my family needs a new start.” Elaine said.
“Good Elaine, tell me if you need anything, the caravan leaves in a month or so please be prepared by then.”
I clenched my fists; I was finally going to leave this place.
1 week before departure (Galemonth Last day)
My sister brought water from the a Spring and sloshed it over my slimed boot. “Why is it that only nasty plants growing in nasty places are valuable?” she said.
“If they’d grow in a garden, who’d pay good money for them?” I growled, wiping my hands on my leggings
It was a fitting end to a frustrating day. I’d been out since dawn, and all I had to show for it were three sulfur lilies, a large bag of cinnamon bark, some deathleaves, and a handful of common bushwort that I could pass off as Virgingrass (I am calling ladies contraception Virgingrass) At the commoners Market. my mother’s empty purse had sent me foraging in the mountains too early in the season.
“This is a waste of time,” I said
“Let’s go hunting,” I said, touching the bow slung across my back. I was 10 years old now, so my sister had started teaching me the way of the bow
She frowned, thinking. “We could try Redcliffs Tree Meadow. The fellsdeer are moving up from the forest that's what speaker Tristan said.”
“Let’s go, then.” I didn’t have to think long about it. It was the hunger moon. The crocks of beans and cabbage and dried fish his mother had laid up for the long winter had evaporated. Even if I’d fancied sitting down to another meal of beans and cabbage, lately there’d been nothing but porridge and more porridge, with the odd bit of salt meat for flavor. Meat for the table would more than make up for today’s meager gleanings, I thought to myself.
We set off east, leaving the smoking springs behind. My bad mood began to wear away with the friction of physical exertion. I was only ten years old but was easily able to keep up with her.
A dozen fellsdeer stood, heads down, grazing on the tender spring grasses. Their large ears flicked away insects, and their red hides shone like spots of paint against the browns and greens of the meadow.
My pulse accelerated. My sister was the better archer, more patient in choosing her shots, but I saw no reason why they shouldn’t each take a deer. My always-empty stomach growled at the thought of fresh meat.
Sis and I circled the meadow to the downwind side, downslope from the herd. Crouching behind a large rock, I slid my bow free and tightened the slack bowstring, trying it with my callused thumb.
I eased to my feet and drew the bowstring back to my ear. Then I paused, sniffing the air. The breeze carried the distinct scent of wood smoke. My gaze traveled up the mountain and found a thin line of smoke cutting across the slope. I looked at sis and raised my eyebrows in inquiry. Sis shrugged. The ground was soaked and the spring foliage green and lush. Nothing should burn in this season.
The deer in the meadow caught the scent too. They raised their heads, snorting and stamping their feet nervously, the whites showing in their liquid brown eyes. I looked up the mountain again. Now I could see orange, purple, and green flames at the base of the fire line, and the wind blowing downslope grew hot and thick with smoke.
Purple and green? I thought. Were there plants that burned with colors like those?
The herd milled anxiously for a moment, as if not sure which way to go, then turned as one and charged straight toward them.
I hastily raised his bow and managed to get off a shot as the deer bounded past. I missed completely. Sis’s luck was no better.
“What is going on?” My sister shook her head. “There’s no fires this time of year.”
As they watched, the fire gathered momentum, leaping small ravines. Glittering embers landed on all sides, driven by the downslope wind. The heat seared the skin on my exposed face and hands. I shook ash from my hair and slapped sparks off my coat, beginning to realize their danger. “Come on. We’d better get out of the way!”They ran across the ridge, slipping and sliding on the shale and wet leaves, knowing a fall could mean disaster. They took refuge behind a rocky prominence that pierced the thin vegetative skin of the mountain. Rabbits, foxes, and other small animals galloped past, just ahead of the flames. The fire line swept by, hissing and snapping, greedily consuming everything in its path.And after came three riders, like shepherds driving the flames before them.I stared, mesmerized.
They were boys no older than me, but they wore fine cloaks of silk and summer wool that grazed their stirrups, and long stoles glittering with exotic emblems. The horses they rode were not compact, shaggy mountain ponies, but flatlander horses, with long delicate legs and proudly arched necks, their saddles and bridles embellished with silver fittings. Han knew horseflesh, and these horses would cost a year’s pay for a common person.
A lifetime’s earnings for my family.
The boys rode with a loose and easy arrogance, as if oblivious to the breathtaking landscape around them.
Sis went still, her beautiful face hardening and her green eyes going flat and opaque. “Magi,” he breathed. “I should have known.”
Magus’, I thought, fear and excitement thrilling through me. I’d never seen one up close. Wizards did not consort with people like us. The most powerful among them in the human country was named the High Wizard of the Court, adviser and magical enforcer of Orlanth.
“Stay away from Magus;,” Mama always said. “You don’t want to be noticed by such as them. Get too close, and you might get burnt alive or turned into something foul and unholy. Common folk are like dirt under their feet.”
Like anything forbidden, Magus’ fascinated me. Magus’ weren’t allowed in the Spirit Mountains, since ancient times. Nor would they venture into Slums, the gritty Lionsden neighborhood I called home. If they needed something from the markets, they sent servants to purchase it.
As the riders drew closer to their hiding place, I studied them avidly. The magi in the lead had straight black hair that swept back and hung to his shoulders. He wore multiple rings on his long fingers, and an intricately carved pendant hung from a heavy chain around his neck. No doubt it was some kind of powerful artifact.
His stoles were emblazoned with silver falcons, claws extended in attack. Silver falcons, I thought. That must be the emblem of his house.
The other two were ginger-haired, with identical broad flat noses and snarling behind him. I assume they were brothers or cousins. They rode a little behind the black-haired wizard, and seemed to defer to him. They wore no amulets that I could see. They were wearing expensive clothing but were only 10 years old, this surprised me the most.
I would have been content to remain hidden and watch them ride by, but Sis had other ideas. She erupted from the shadow of the rocks, practically under the hooves of the horses, spooking them so the three riders had to fight to keep their seats.
I didn’t like that the wizards were using magic on their hunting ground either, but I was savvy enough not to go up against magic. I knew method to refine my mana pool but GOD never gave me knowledge to actually use spells.
The black-haired boy glared down at my sister, then flinched, his black eyes widening in surprise before he resumed his cool disdainful expression. I no doubt he was amazed at my sisters beauty, she was by far the most beautiful, woman in the slums and at the age 19 she had many men in the slum and many commoners trying to win her attention.
My sister didn't find the little wizard least bit threatening; even if they were 10 they were still dangerous by all standards. She gestured toward the retreating flames. “That looks like magus flame to me.”
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
The boy with the falcon signet glanced at the others, as if debating whether to respond. Getting no help from his friends, he turned back to Her. “I’m Leonel Aerie, of Aerie House,” he said, as if his very name would put them on their knees.
“We’re here on the queen’s orders. Queen Lorelai and the Princess Lily are hunting in the Valley below. We’re driving the deer down to meet them.”
“The queen ordered you to set fire to the mountain so she could have a good day’s hunting?” my sister shook her head in disbelief.
“I said so, didn’t I?” Something in the wizard’s expression told me he wasn’t being exactly truthful.
“The deer don’t belong to the queen,” I said. “We’ve as much right to hunt them as she does.”
“Anyway, you’re underage,” sis said. “You’re not allowed to use magic. Nor carry an amulet.” She said pointed to the jewel at Aerie’s neck.
“You are not allowed to use magical artifacts for such a reason” my sister continued
She must’ve struck a nerve, because Leonel glared at her. “That’s magus business,” the magus said. “And no concern of yours.”
Well, Leonel,” she said, , “if Queen Lorelai wants to hunt deer in summer, she can come up into the high country after them. As she always should.”
“how dare you order the queen, you filthy slum bitch” the magus snapped
I was ready to snap him in half after that comment.
Suddenly Sis’s knife was in her hand. “Repeat that, Magus?” she said, her voice cold and emotionless.
My heart accelerating, I stepped up beside sister and put my hand on the hilt of my own knife, careful not to get in the way of sister’s throwing arm. She was quick on her feet and good with a blade. But a blade against magic? Even two blades?
“Sister,” I said, but she dismissed my warning with a shake of her head.I sized up the three wizards as I would my opponents in any fight. All three carried heavy elaborate swords that hadn’t seen much use. Get them down off their horses, there’s the thing, I thought. A quick slash to the ankle strap would do the trick. Get in close where their swords wouldn’t do much good. Take out Aerie, and the others will cut and run.
One of the ginger-haired wizards cleared his throat nervously, as if uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. He was the elder of the two, and stocky, with plump, pale, freckled hands that gripped his reins tightly. “Leonel,” he said in the Refined Leo dialect, nodding toward the valley below. “Come on. Let’s go. We’ll miss the hunt.”
“Hold on, Michael.” , “I want to teach these Low-born’s something about respect,” he started channeling magic in to the amulet
Sis arm flashed up, but I just managed to slam it aside as the knife left her hand, and it ended, quivering, in the trunk of a tree.
Come on, sis, I thought, hunching my shoulders against my sister’s furious glare. Killing a wizard friend of the queen would buy them a world of trouble.
The Magus Leonel sat frozen a moment, as if he couldn’t believe what had just happened. Then his face went white with anger. He extended one imperious hand toward my sister, took hold of his amulet with the other, and began heavily supplying mana to the artifact. I deduced that this articfact would convernt mana into flames artificially.
“Leonel,” the more slender wizard said, nudging his horse up close. “No. It’s not worth it. The fire was one thing. If they find out we—”
“Shut up, Alexius,” Leonel replied. “I’m going to teach this base-born humility.”
I unslung my bow and nocked an arrow, aiming at Leonle’s chest. “Hey, Leonel,” I said. “How about this? Stop it or I shoot.”
Leonel squinted at me, as if once again surprised to see me. Perhaps realizing he would, indeed, be dead before he could finish the channeling, the wizard released his grip on the amulet and raised his hands.
At the sight of my bow, Michael and Alexius pawed at the hilts of their swords. But sis nocked her own arrow, and the boys let go and raised their hands as well.
“You tried to murder me,” Leonel said to Sis, as if amazed that such a thing could happen. “Do you realize who I am? My father is High Magus, counselor to the kingdom. When he finds out what you did...”
“Why don’t you run back to Lionsden and tell him all about it?” Sis said, jerking her head toward the downslope trail. “Go on. You don’t belong here. Get off the mountain. Now.”
Leonel didn’t want to back off with his two friends as witnesses. “Just remember,” he said softly, fingering his amulet, “it’s a long way down the mountain. Anything can happen along the way.”
Fuck, I thought. I’d been ambushed too many times in the streets and alleyways of the slums from bullies. I knew enough about bullies to recognize the trait in Leonel. This boy would hurt them if he could, and he wouldn’t play fair doing it.
Keeping my bowstring tight, I pointed my chin at the wizard. “You. Take off your artifact,” I ordered. “Throw it down on the ground.”
“This?” Leonle touched the evil-looking jewel that hung around his neck. When I nodded, the boy shook his head. “You can’t be serious,” he snarled, closing his fist around it. “Do you know what this is?”
“I have an idea,” I said. I gestured with the bow. “Take it off and throw it down.”
Leonel sat frozen, his face going pale. “You can’t use this, you know,” he said, looking from Sis to me. “If you even touch it, you’ll be incinerated.”
“We’ll take our chances,” Sis said, glancing over at me.
The Magus’s eyes narrowed. “You’re nothing more than thieves, then,” he sneered. “I should have known.”
“Use your head,” I said. “What would I do with something like that? I just don’t want to have to be looking over my shoulder all the way home.”
Alexius leaned in toward Leonel and muttered in Leospeech, “Better give it to him. You know what they say about the slumdogs. They’ll cut your throat and drink your blood and feed on you to quell their hunger.”
“I can’t give it to them, you idiot,” Leonel hissed. “You know why. If my father finds out I took it, we’ll all be punished.”
“You know I wouldn’t have taken it if we were allowed to have our own,” Leonel said. “It was the only one I...What are you looking at?” he demanded, noticing Sis and I’s interest in the conversation.
“I’m looking at someone who’s already in trouble and getting in deeper,” I said. “Now, drop the amulet.”
“Who are you?”
“They call me Pug,” I said, fishing a name out of memory. “Boy of slums.”
“Pug, you say.” The wizard tried to stare me down, but I gaze kept sliding away. “It’s strange. There’s something...You seem...” His voice trailed off as if he’d lost track of the thought. He must have sensed the surging of my mana pool. I have substantial amount of mana compared any being on the planet so even a amateur mage of his age will be able to sense me. I sighted down the shaft of my arrow, feeling sweat trickling down between my shoulder blades. If Leonel wouldn’t give, I’d have to figure out what to do next. Just then, I had no clue. “I’ll count to five,” I said, hanging on to my will. “Then I put an arrow through your neck. One.”
With a quick, vicious movement, Leonel yanked the chain over his head and tossed the amulet onto the ground. It clanked softly as it landed.
“Just try to pick it up,” the magus’s said, leaning forward in his saddle. “I dare you.”
I looked from Leonle to the artifact, unsure whether to believe him or not.
“Go on! Get out of here!” Sis said. “I reckon you’d better think about how you’re going to put that fire out. If you don’t, I guarantee the queen won’t be happy, whether she asked you to start it or not.”
Leonel stared at sis for a moment, lips twitching with unspoken words. Then he wrenched his mount’s head around and drove his heels into the horse’s sides. Horse and rider charged downslope as if they were, in fact, trying to catch the fire.
Alexius stared after him, then turned to Sis, shaking his head. “You fools! How is he supposed to put it out without the amulet?” He wheeled his horse, and the two wizards followed Leonel at a slightly less reckless pace.
“I hope he breaks his neck,” sis muttered, staring after the three magus’.
“That magus’ didn’t want to give this thing up,” Han mused. “Must be valuable.” I knew traders of magical pieces in slums. A taking like this could pay for some good food for our trip.
High Magus’ POV (Galemonth Last Day)(Inside Haidens Wall/ Home of the Aerie House)
My stupid son has yet again failed me. But this time crossed the line. If the other noble houses come to know, that my own son had stolen an artifact from his father’s room and set fire to the forest, our Aerie House would be the laughing stock of the noble houses.
The corner of the high wizards eye twitched as he thought about the ridicule he might have to face. In the human continent, I was planning on having him betrothed to the princess, but that upstart Uther said my son has to win her affection on his own accord. That asshole.
There was knock on the door.
“Lord, a man by the name of Bevin I here to see you,” the attendant called.
“Send him in.”
A skinny man, with a crooked, sly face walked in, his arms crossed. He had scars all over his face, which were more unsightly with a smile plastered over his face.
“you called for me lord.”
“I want you to kill, a boy, and a girl from the slums, make sure they cant trace it to me. I want you to kill them and retrieve the artifact. The boy called himself Shiv a streetlord. But that is an obvious alias. But my son said the girl was extremely beautiful, even by noble standards. They should not be hard to find. Kill them and bring artifact back. Take your bandits and kill some of the other base-borns too make sure it doesn't seem targeted.”
“Yes lord. Consider it done.” Bevin said slyly.
I watched him leave. Now that this is done, I call my attendant into the room.
“lord is there anyth…”
Before he could finish the sentence a small knife had been swung at him. There was a look of disbelief in the attendant’s face, he hadn’t done anything wrong.
“I am sorry commoner, but I cant risk people knowing my meeting with Bevin…” I said.
I walked over the corpse and left room, going to the dining room to have dinner with my family.
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BTW
these are how the months go
Brightmonth- equivalent to January
Firemonth- equivalent to February
Watermonth- equivalent to March
Galemonth- equivalent to April
Earthmonth- equivalent to May
Darkmonth- equivalent to June
Seedmonth- equivalent to July
Plantmonth- equivalent to August
Starmonth- equivalent to September
Lightmonth- equivalent to October
Lunarmonth- equivalent to November
Icemonth- equivalent to December
Each month has 30 days and there 360 days in a year
hint: If you havent noticed it is one week before Arthur and Galahad meet