The warmth of the mid-day sun warmed my body as I lay in the open.  A light breeze cooled my tanned skin.  Intermittently I opened my eyes to watch cloud wisps dissipate high in the sky.  I caught a small speck in sky passing in a straight course overhead, probably a skyship from one of the great empires.  Odee, a black and white shepherd, barked and I turned my head to the left.  Two sheep had wandered too far away and the vigilant shepherd returned them to the flock.   I looked to the right to see Myra, a mottled brown shephard, controlling the flock on that flank with just her eyes.  She was nearly ten and the sheep and goats had a high degree of respect for her.  I had trained Odee myself and he was just two and needed to burn his energy so was more active in his duties.  I closed my eyes and napped.

A sharp bark woke me.  It was a warning bark from Myra.  I jumped to my feet, snatched my staff and jogged to the side of Myra.  Myra had found a puss viper.  The 3 foot black snake had a wide yellow strip down the back.  I flipped my staff and used the fork head to hold the serpent’s head in place while I pulled my belt knife and decapitated the snake.  Puss vipers were a pain out in the grassy expanses.  Their venomous bite caused nausea and fatigue.  Not usually fatal they could still incapacitate a full grown man for seven to ten days.  I cut the snake lengthwise, removed the organs, and went back to my napping spot after tossing Myra a piece of jerky from my pocket.  She returned to the shade of a short Papple tree.  It was her habit to guard the Papple trees from the goats otherwise they would eat the bark and kill the tree.  It was something my dad had instilled in her.  I put the snake meat into my oiled bag that I usually used for fish but today I was grazing the sheep a few miles from the small river that came from the mountains.  Mom would either use the snake meat in a stew for us or cook it for Odee and Myra. 

I tried to get back to my daydreaming.  I was approaching my fourteenth year.  At the next farmer’s gathering my parents would try to arrange a wife for me.  We wouldn’t be married till we both reached our seventeenth year but these things were usually decided years in advance.  I was hoping it would Amelie or her sister Renie.  They were twins and just a few months younger than me.  The farmer’s in the southern lands gathered four times a year.  No city governed the lands so the sixty or so farms bartered and governed among themselves.  The southern lands were bordered by the Relaquin Blade Mountains to the west, Rolling Sands Desert to the south and Jade Ocean to the east.  It made us mostly isolated in poor farmland that no Empire wanted.  The nearest city, Garnth, was six days ride north.  The only other notable structure was the Sister’s Sanctuary build solidly in the cliffs of the Blades.  The order had once bartered for ten sheep from father and I was lucky enough to go with him to deliver the sheep.  The Sanctuary looked like a castle embedded in the face with balconies covered in flowering plants.  The Sister Order only accepted women and trained them in healing and nature magic.  I had never seen magic before and embarrassed father when I asked the Sister to show me.  My father apologized and we left without ever seeing a display of magic.  A Sister came and blessed our fields before every planting now but once again I never saw any visual magic.

The sun was starting to wane.  I stood and collected my pack and belongings.  Odee and Myra saw me rise and ran to a stream to drink before we started back to the farm.  I gave each of the some jerky and then gave the hand signal to bring the flock together.  Odee sprinted around while Myra loped around.  Odee nipped a younger sheep that was not moving fast enough to his liking.  I started walking and the faithful dogs moved the flock behind me.  The goats were much better behaved today.   Sometimes they resisted leaving if they were not satiated. 

We followed the stream for the hour walk to the pens by our fields.  We had three fields and three pens.  The pens each access to water and we rotated the flock between them every three days.  Then I would be tasked with clearing the pen of sheep shit to fertilize one of the planting fields.  Enriching the soil was required to get good crop yields in this terrain.  My father had been fertilizing the fields for my entire life and we had some of the better fields around, each just over an acre in size.  One field had beets and potatoes, another had maize, wheat and barley and the third was resting this cycle except for me turning the earth with manure.   Odee and Myra funneled the sheep into the pen and I walked the fence.  Having the sheep and goats escape overnight could ruin a significant part of the harvest.  Having finished Odee and Myra blazed the way back to house for dinner.  The dogs would watch the sheep overnight after dinner from under a small lean-to that over looked all three pastures.

Dad was in the wheat field as I got to the house.  He had harvested some of the maize yesterday and was starting on some wheat today.  It meant I would be thrashing soon and the straw would go to the flock.  Odee got side tracked and herded the chickens to the coop.  I went inside the house.  Mother was at the stove with dinner.  I put a sack filled with Papples that I collected in the morning.  “Mom I got another puss viper this afternoon.”  I put the other sack down.  She turned and smiled.  Mom weathered face was warm. 

“I will cook it up for the dogs breakfast tomorrow.  Terra came by this afternoon and dropped off some pig intestines for Odee and Myra.”  Terra was an older women that lived less than a mile away.  Her sons raised pigs, played around as blacksmiths and they had two fields of maize.  We frequently traded with them.  “They dropped off your new knife.”  I got excited just now noticing the sheathed weapon of the table.

“That is more a sword than a knife,” my sister yelled from the next room.  My younger sister, Fiona, was just ten but took care of my other sister who was just two.  Mother was also close to birthing another sibling.  Father was considering to bring mom to the Sanctuary for the birth as she had lost two babes at birthing. 

I pulled the blade from the sheath, it was two hand lengths long.  The blade was thick and I could use it to hack branches if needed.  This blade had cost me some 600 Papples.  Terra’s two sons liked the sour fruit.  We jarred them and starred them in the root cellar for use during the winter.  Mom put two large bowls outside for the dogs then gave me the look.  Dinner wouldn’t be ready for some time so she expected me to help father till then.

I walked outside and went to the fields and started bundling the wheat and hauling it to the shed.  On my first trip I checked the rodent traps.  One had been set off and I reset it and flung the mouse corpse to the chicken coop.  The rooster stood over and gobbled it up.  After nearly an hour of working mom called us in.  Dad and I quickly carried the last bundles to storage and closed the unit. 

My dad was the biggest man I knew, he stood a head taller than any other farmer in the south lands.  His broad shoulders were made for work and even though he didn’t talk about it I knew he had fought in the wars in the north.  He had a sword and leather armor stashed in the root cellar which mom said were from his soldering days.

At the dinner table the talk revolved around the harvest.  The sheep would be sheared in a week and we would get two thirds the wool carded in return.  The remaining third going to the shearers and wool cleaners and carders.  Father estimated the crop was going to be half again as large as last year.  Mom and dad starting to discuss what the extra funds would go towards.  Mom wanted a few books to expand our education.  Dad wanted two cows.  Me and my sisters remained quiet while they talked and it was decided, one milk cow, two books and the rest would be saved.  I was excited, it meant there would be a trip to Garnth.  Dad quickly squashed my excitement, I would remain behind to care for the sheep and goats.  I did ask for a new puppy to train as Myra was getting old and mom consented.  Fiona was excited and promised to help train the puppy.  She also started throwing out names, Noodle, Jingle, Pepper… I just turned her out. 

Dad then said we would be clearing a fourth field after the harvest.  He explained since I was getting close to marrying it would be nice if I choose to live close we could have two fields ready for me by that time.  Then the conversation turned to who I would marry.  Dad was thinking Arina who was not only older than me but also a bit ugly.  Her dad had the mill and a bunch of cows so the dowry would be good.  Mom was thinking Bettie who was two years my junior.  Her mother had passed and her dad and brothers were butchers and tanners.  I remember Bettie being a shy blonde girl but never had many words with her. 

I asked about Amelie or her sister Renie.  I was crushed to learn that dad had found out Ansel’s boys, Jakeb and Tylor would probably be their matches.  They were older than me by one and two years respectively.  They were ok boys and we played at the farmers gatherings but I was suddenly feeling a deep anger toward them.

I excused myself and went outside to my tiny room and crawled under the sheets.  Mom tried to talk to me to explain why the twins were not available but I just ignored her until she left.  My emotions were roiling with no outlet.  Myra came in and curled up on the bed with me.  She had been my companion as long as I could remember and frequently skipped her overnight guard duties to sleep in the bed with me, especially when I was sick or upset.  I fell asleep rubbing her fur.

Barking started from the pen.  Odee was alert and Myra jumped from the bed out the small window to join him.  It was more than something little else Myra would have ignored Odee.  I started putting my shoes on thinking a wild cat was into the chickens or sheep.  Myra barks soon joined Odee and I hurried up, my dad was already exiting the door when I entered the common room.  Her slammed the door and barred it.  He opened the root cellar door in the floor to get his sword.  Soldiers with torches coming north on the road was all he said as he descended.

He yelled for Fiona to take Mable and go with me out the back window.  I was to take my sisters directly away from the house.  A yelp of a dog sounded and Odees bark couldn’t be heard any longer.  My mother was crying and helped hurry us to the back.  Suddenly Myra was silent.  I was panicking.  Mom got us through the window and I was shocked she wasn’t coming.  Mom was seven months pregnant and she probably couldn’t even fit through the small window.  She grabbed my head kissed the top and told me to get my sisters to the Sanctuary.  My mind cleared and I took Mable from Fiona and raced into the dark.  I didn’t look back and my heart sounded in my ears but I heard metal clanging.  After I was out of breath a stopped and turned.  Pinpricks of torches surrounded the farm in the distance.  Fiona was quietly crying freely and I was happy Mable was not screaming.  Tears had been flowing freely down my cheeks.  I listened had and regretted it.  I didn’t hear fighting but heard a scream I knew was mothers. 

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Mable started to stir in recognition and I turned and ran with Fiona.  We headed toward the Relaquim Blades in the dark.  Once we got there we could turn north and find the Sanctuary.  Once the torches were gone I stopped and put down Mable.  Fiona was still in hysterical crying and I noticed she had no shoes.  I sat her down and gave her my shoes.  I wrapped her bleeding feet in some cloth strips from my shirt to stop the bleeding and make the shoes fit a little better.  We used the light of the crescent moons to guide us.  As dawn was breaking I brought us to rest under a Papple tree.  Fiona and Mable embraced and drifted off to sleep. 

I sat, numb to the world.  Then a heard a scuffing and looked up.  Myra was there, but then I focused, she was bleeding from a gash on her head and had two arrows in her.  She limped to me, laid down put her head in my lap, content that she had found us safe.  I petted her bloody head, comforting her, until she stopped breathing.  I felt guilty not crying as my tears had been exhausted.  Before Fiona could wake I went and buried Myra on the other side of this papple tree, the last tree she would ever guard.

I let my sisters sleep until midday.  The Sanctuary was three days by wagon, four days by foot.  If we angled more rather than go to the Blades then north it should be a little shorter.  We ate Papples when everyone was up and pocketed a bunch for the walk.  The river crossing was waist deep for me so I carried my sisters one at a time.  I didn’t think there was another major river on our walk.  We walked in silence and soon I had to throw away my socks, they had holes and were collecting pebbles.  I did my best to chew the papples for Mable.  I found some chickweed to chew and eat as well. 

We stopped walking at dusk.  My back was sore and my feet were bleeding.  We were close to the Blades.  The mountain range was one long sheer cliff face.  It was named the Relaquim Blade after some god’s weapon from a myth.  They were unclimbable according to legend, I had daydreamed about climbing them one day and seeing what lay beyond.  We stopped by a raspberry bush for the night.  I was spent and needed to sleep.  The girls ate berries and lay down.  As night came it got colder and we huddled together.  I wanted to stay awake to guard them but faded into sleep. 

The morning broke and I stirred.  It was still chilly but bearable.  I started eating berries to replenish my energy.  I picked up Mable and got Fiona moving.  Our angle was getting us close to the cliff face so I decided we should travel parallel for now.  The road to the Sanctuary would be obvious even if we couldn’t see it in the cliff face.  At midday we stopped by a stream to hydrate.  I found the foundation of an old house nearby.  It had a root cellar that had some light shinning into it the would be a good shelter for the night. 

Searching it I found a skeleton.  The skeleton had three palm sized stones in a rotted pouch.  The stones had runic markings on them.  They were spell stones!  I could sell them for good money.  I found enough material on the skeleton to make a rucksack to hold the stones.  I also took a rusted knife and silver buckle with a flying horse on it as well. 

Two more days walking.

The Sisters take both sisters in and see the glow in sack.  Showing the rune stone the Sister explains they are rune stones and you can channel mana into them.  They are all common stones, light, heat and obfuscate.  The light stone brightness and length of time could be controlled based on which of the runes on it were powered.  The heat stone could be made to expel heat or fire depending on which rune.  The obfuscate stone, a common hunting stone, could remove sound or smell in a small area depending on which runes were used.

The sister explains how to channel mana and says it is muscle.  The more you do it the easier it is, but few people have the ‘magic muscle’ and those that do have varying degrees of power.  Based on what she can see I have it on the lessor side.  The Sisters heal me but say I cannot enter the Sanctuary because I am a male.  I am fine with that as long as they will take in Fiona and Mable.  They agree and I leave in the morning.  A Sister gives me another rune stone.  It can help accelerate healing for a wound but uses the body’s energy so I need to be careful.  I create a wrap around my thigh so I can use the healing stone while I run to resist fatigue.

Leaving the sisters at the Sanctuary I go to Garnth.  The city has already learned of the raids.  They know it was two longships that came up the coast, about 100 men.  They attacked over half the farms, taking foodstuffs, livestock and slaves.  Garnth isn’t going to send help so I leave on my own.  A young women named Janelle, the daughter of a cobbler,  gives me bread, cheese and a waterskin.

I make it back to the farm in four days.  I find my father dead and rotting along with three dead raiders stripped of armor and weapons.  Mother is stripped and dead.  Odee has three arrows in him and is dead.  I bury all three together by the only large oak tree near the house and mark the graves with a stack of rocks.  The only animal I find alive is the damn rooster.  In anger I kill and eat it.

I need a plan.  I want to kill all the raiders.  I search our root cellar.  The raiders took most of the foodstuffs but missed dad’s lockbox that was fit tightly in the wall in a box that matched the stone color.  I find two sealed bags in a corner shelf, sis’s honey candies and some emergency jerky that hard a strong citrus spice.  The lockbox had some papers in it and coins; 7 gold, 48 silver, 280 copper and 56 tin bits.  We didn’t use money much, mostly barter between farmers.  The papers are dad’s army service record and mom and dad’s genealogy records going back five generations.  I find my knife in room under my bed.  In my room my clothes are still there and I make a satchel with everything I salvage.  Three sets of spare clothes, two pairs of spare shoes (one too small to wear), shepherd’s staff, 43 honey hard candies, three pounds of spiced jerky, my sisters wooden figurines my dad carved and the papers and coins.  I take time to hollow out the soles of my shoes for the small gold coins.

I decide to burn the raiders and find a tattoo of a yellow scorpion on their chest.  As the smoke from the body rises a horse rider comes to the house.  It is Mohair, a fisherman on the coast.  He sold sea salt, salted fish and sometimes rice he got from traders.  Mohair dismounted and started updating me.  Twenty farms had been attacked.  Forty six dead, seven young women missing, only eleven of the raiders had been killed.  All the farms had been stripped of food.  The raiders were from a the Golden Scorpion Clan, a clan of raiders across the straits.  Asking questions I find they reside two weeks by ship south along the coast across the straight.  Mohair draws a map in the dirt to give me a good idea of the territory.  He tells me if I am going seek revenge I should learn to fight first.  I should head to Crestfall.  Crestfall is on the coast about six days walk north of Garnth.  From there I can get a ship across the straight to Marian.  In Marian I could join a mercenary company to learn to fight, some mercenary companies even are contracted to attack the raider clans.  It sounded like a plan and I thanked Mohair, he tried to convince me that it would be better if I decided to just stay and work the family farm.  I tell him I can not do that.  He understands and gives me rations for six days and a half pound of salt, if I spread them out it should be enough to get me to Crestfall.  I tell I have some coins from the house and I will be fine.

I head to Sanctuary first to say goodbye to my sisters.  I get there and have a good cry with my older sister.  I give her the papers, her figurines and 3 gold and 200 copper coins.  Although she is under the care of the Sanctuary she can have her own money and I wanted her to be able to buy things while she learned magic from the sisters.  The sister’s gave me food for my journey, a skin of sweetwater, two dozen hard sausages and four loafs of bread.  I left for Garnth.

In Garnth I visited the cobbler’s daughter and thanked her.  Then I commissioned a pair of sturdy traveler’s boots.  Each boot was calf height and had sew-in pockets on the inside for three coins each.  They cost me 2 silver, 14 copper but were of outstanding quality and should last over a year of steady use.  I took the cobbler’s daughter to lunch at the restaurant and we talked for a bit.  The meal was chicken soup with a cheesy dipping bread.  It only cost 12 tin bits for the both of us.  That accomplished I figured I had repaid her favor.  I checked horse prices but the cheapest riding nag started at 4 gold, not worth the investment.

The road north to Crestfall was well travelled and I managed to walk with a two wagon merchant caravan most of the way.  They had a guard named Gyminal who had to be past 50.  He carried a shield and spear and was from the eastern continent.  At night he talked of the Empire cities and flying ships and mystical places with knights, battle mages and high priests.  On the third day he even took time to show me the six spear movements of his chosen battle form, Jaguar Spear, which used a weird spear called a glaive.  The next day he put a knife to my staff, produced a spare spear head and made me my own glaive.  I spent the next three nights and every break under his supervision practicing with it.  He said it would take another ten years for me to master. 

The city of Crestfall was massive, easily five times the size of Garnth and it had a sheltered harbor with a dozen high mast ships.  Gyminal who had connections in the mercenary outfits brought me to a seedy bar.  I spent a copper getting a meal while I waited for him.  He returned and said there was only one outfit heading across the sea and south, the Furious Lions.  They didn’t have a great reputation or leadership.  The good news was they were desperate for men and would probably take a young twelve year old like myself.

The Furious Lions was divided into twelve squads of seven to ten men.  Two squads were mounted and the rest on foot with an assortment of weapons.  I was put in Sargent Baio squad.  With me we numbered seven.  We were a scout unit.  A was paired was Marnus, a man who was as big as my father but rarely talked.  I made the mistake the first night of trying to impress my squad by lighting the fire with my rune stone.  Sargent Baio confiscated the stone, searched my bag and took my obfuscate stone and light stone.  Fortunately my healing rune stone was still strapped to my thigh.  Baio said he could make better use of the rune stones but if I ever left the squad I could have them back.  Somehow I didn’t think I would ever get them back.  Marnus did seem a bit upset about Baio’s actions but didn’t do anything.  At least Marnus did train me.  He fought with a broadsword, buckler and dagger.  He was very fast for a big man and most of the supposed training revolved on me keeping my distance from a warrior or engaging an enemy that was already engaged. 

After four days we left on a ship we arrived in Marion.  Marion seemed to be very similar to Crestfall except, the local constabularies dressed in white and red tunics.  The language was also very accented.  We spent three days in the city before heading south was five other mercenary companies.  I did my best to mingle but got no respect due to my age.  My arms were getting stronger and my movements faster with the glaive.  I even nicked Marnus’ leather armor once.  On the road south Marnus was tasked with the right flank and I joined him and I learned a lot in the week south.  How to spot game sign, human sign, move stealthy and stay alert.  I was an avid student and picked up some very base skills.  I wished I had the obfuscate stone, that way I would have been able to sneak up on game. 

Our first confrontation was with the Blood Wraith Clan.  They were a raider clan with mostly mounted warriors.  We were out scouting the flank when the camp was attacked by two hundred raiders.  Me and Marnus were rushing back to camp at the sound of battle.  Four raiders came over the ridge at us, the were leaving the camp.  Marnus managed to slash a thigh of one of the riders and he fell from the saddle.  I swung and scored a small slash on a horse’s flank.  The three riders sped away.

4 gold, 46 silver, 66 copper, 56 tin bits (gold coins in shoes).

4 Rune Stones; fire and heat, obfuscate, healing and light

Long Knife, shepherd staff

3 sets of clothes, two spare shoes

43 hard honey candies, 3 lbs spiced jerky