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Chapter 13 - Apprentices Are Not Included

Chapter 13 - Apprentices Are Not Included

As Aiden ran through the deepening twilight, more questions swirled than answers. He recalled the nobleman’s palpable recognition and loathing or maybe fear at seeing Bram.

The night air held scents of woodsmoke, animals, and the rich recently fertilized fields around the village. Bram's store was still open, and down the street, Aiden saw some of the farmers going towards Jumper's.

The world beyond the village, once a tantalizing call to adventure, now seethed with threats from the wider world and the secrets it kept.

Aiden quickened his steps, pushing into Bram's store. He opened the door so fast that the small silver bell jingled as if hit by a hurricane. Bram looked up from the book he was studying. He took in Aiden and seemed to read the entire story from that simple glance.

"Who has come?"

Aiden closed the door before answering, "A noble and soldiers."

"Tell me what know," Bram put a bookmark into the tome and closed it.

Aiden explained the noble's horse, his reaction at seeing Bram, and his fast exit from the village. He then told what happened to Tilda.

Bram pulled a leather pouch out of the counter drawer, "I know you have questions. This is not the time for answers." Stepping around the counter, he handed the pouch to Aiden, who took it without thinking.

"What is going on?"

"I'm not sure, but long ago, I learned it was better to be accused of being overly cautious than to be caught unprepared. Now, did this noble have any symbol or coat of arms on his clothing or horse?"

Aiden dropped the leather purse into his pouch without looking at it as he tried to concentrate on Bram's question. "There was an embossed animal head on the saddlebags and buttons."

"There are hundreds of noble houses and factions. Each has its own symbol, and prominent individuals have personal seals or hold a family signet. If you see anyone dressed as fine as this person you met, search for the symbols. No symbols mean a rich merchant or soldier. But, if there is a symbol, ring, or amulet, a house or noble family is involved. What kind of animal, and was there anything else with that animal head?"

Bram pulled a familiar green leather book from a shelf.

Aiden concentrated on making the memory of the man and horse as clear as he could. In his mind, he could see the noble leading the horse. At the time, he hadn't paid much attention to the details. But he could remember them now that he was focusing on them. "It was a shield shape divided diagonally into four parts. The top and bottom sections were stained blue, while the left and right sections were black. The lion's head was at the center of the shield."

"House Janith, the primary holding of River Stride Duchy. Was this man dressed in blues and whites?"

"Yes," Aiden said as he held the vision in his mind and marveled at the detail I could recall. "Bram, how can I remember this so clearly?"

Bram chuckled and patted Aiden on the shoulder, "Magic, Aiden, the more you use it, the clearer the mind becomes. So this is a senior retainer or guard at the very least."

Aiden thought more, moving the image in his mind, when he noticed a glint of metal on the man's hands. "There's something else, he wore black gloves with three gold rings showing through slits. On his right forefinger, the ring had a kind of y shape but made of curved lines like rivers."

Bram had been standing watching Aiden, the green leather book in his hand. When Aiden finished describing the ring, Bram's face paled.

Bram shoved the green leather book into Aiden's pouch and forcefully turned him towards the entrance.

"Go to the forest now. Don't stop for anything. Stay there at least two days before coming back. When you come back, if anything looks wrong, retreat back to the forest. Do not be seen and take time to observe and plan your next actions. If things get too crazy, take the long way around and head into the kingdom. Try and find another small village where you can get work as a smith's assistant."

Bram grabbed the front door with his other hand and started to open the door. It had only opened a crack when he closed it faster than he'd opened it, but he did it silently.

"Urd! Come!" Bram said forcefully and moved toward the back of the shop, dragging Aiden with him.

Aiden glanced out the window and saw a row of shadows down the street. He followed Bram, who was cursing worse than Ria.

Bram's voice trembled with urgency as he pushed Aiden toward the rear entrance of the shop. At the rear door he opened a crack and took a quick peek out. He opened the door more and glanced left, right, and up.

Bram pulled a travel pouch, cloak, and boots from a small cupboard in the back hall, which he stopped to put on. At the back door, he grabbed an old wood walking stick that had been mixed in with the brooms.

Leaning in close, Bram whispered fiercely. "Listen to me, Aiden. You need to get out of here. Whatever is going to happen here is going to happen. It might be nothing, but I doubt that if Cassian Janith is here, it will only get worse the longer it takes and the more people who are involved. Use every skill you have, get to the forest, and don't let anyone see you." He glanced at the empty alleyway again and scanned the roofs of the other buildings, ensuring no one was nearby before continuing, his tone dark and hurried. "Trust me, Cassian Janith is bad news."

Aiden looked confused, shaking his head. "Who is he? Why should I be worried?"

Bram's grip tightened on Aiden's arm, his face pale with fear. "Cassian is the son of Duke Gareth Janith. He was a terror as a child, torturing staff and animals for fun. They sent him off to the army, hoping to make him better, but it only made him worse. Now, he's a cold-blooded killer, skilled and merciless. The things he's done on the battlefield... they say he's more beast than man."

Bram took a deep breath, checking the alley once more. "I don't know why he's in Lapidara, but him being here with soldiers can't mean anything good. It might be me he's after, but if he finds you, he won't hesitate to use you to get to me or anyone else he wants. He's loyal to the Emperor beyond reason, and that makes him dangerous."

He looked Aiden in the eyes, his expression deadly serious. "You have to disappear, Aiden. Run to the forest and stay hidden. Do not let him find you. If he does..." Bram trailed off, shaking his head. "Just go. Now."

Aiden, heart pounding, nodded and slipped out into the alley in the direction Bram had indicated.

Behind him, Bram closed the rear door and moved in the opposite direction. From the far corner of the building, Bram glanced back, meeting Aiden's look, his face etched with worry.

Aiden pressed himself against the wall, his breath shallow, eyes wide with terror and anger. From his vantage point, he saw two soldiers dragging Eldric and Rinold, the town's blacksmith and mayor, out of his house. Eldric struggled, his face a mask of defiance and fear. Another soldier emerged, dragging the unconscious body of Tilda, her limp form a stark contrast to the brutality around her.

Aiden's heart clenched, and an involuntary scream tore from his throat. "Tilda!"

Without thinking, Aiden charged at the soldiers, rage and desperation fueling his reckless assault.

"Aiden, no!" Bram yelled, chasing after him.

He barrelled into the soldier, dragging Tilda and, with a violent shove, tossed the man aside. Then turned to face another soldier. This one had a thick body and a well-trimmed beard and grinned wickedly at Aiden.

Aiden lunged at the soldier, swinging with all his might at the man's face.

The soldier laughed as he dodged, "This runt more than you can handle Salla?" He said to someone behind Aiden.

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Aiden turned to see who he was talking with. The soldier he'd knocked down had already gotten up and glared at Aiden. "No, I got this trash," he said with flint in his voice.

Laughter came from the other soldiers.

Aiden tried to punch the one he'd knocked down, only to have the man ignore the attack and use the butt of his spear to strike Aiden in the ribs sending him sprawling to the ground.

The soldier didn't stop. He hammered at Aiden with the butt of the spear. Pain exploded in his side as more blows rained down on him, kicking and punching until he lay gasping and immobilized.

Cassian's laughter cut through the chaos, chilling Aiden to the bone. "Ah, now here is the blacksmith, that fine apprentice of his and the simple bookseller."

The soldier called Salla stopped hitting Aiden with one final brutal kick to the ribs before stepping back and saluting the nobleman.

The nobleman waved a hand at the soldiers making them back up a step. "You three make an interesting group from what I've been told. Eating dinners together, building and repairing tools around the town."

One of Aiden's eyes was burning with pain, and he could only lie on his side, gasping through the pain.

"Of course, there must be a reasonable explanation for the unusual implements in this forsaken backwater."

"What are you talking about?" Aiden sputtered out.

Cassian stepped over and rolled Aiden onto his back with a wooden shaft. Aiden recognized the rake in Cassian's hands, it was the one he'd made and reinforced with a little magic. Cassian gave him a predatory grin as he twisted the rake back and forth in his hand.

"So, you are concerned about this lad." He said, looking to the right.

Aiden twisted his head following Cassian's glance to see Bram standing at the alley entrance with four guards, blades drawn around him.

Squatting down Cassian lifted the flap on Aiden's shoulder pouch and looked inside. Reaching in, he pulled out the green leather book. "Not just a blacksmith's apprentice. Ah, Bram, a real shame. You were ordered to not teach." He looked at Bram with a sneer. "Kill them all and burn the whole village to the ground."

The soldiers raised their weapons, ready to execute Cassian's orders. But Bram, his face a mask of desperation and fury, reacted beyond anything Aiden could have imagined.

Bram's eyes blazed with a fierce, otherworldly light, and he raised his hands, chanting words of power.

Cassian swore, dropping both rake and book as he jumped back. He moved with the grace of a dance, ending in a defensive posture.

A bolt of lightning erupted from Bram's outstretched hands, leaping from soldier to soldier with a deafening crack. Each man it touched convulsed and fell, smoke rising from their armor.

Cassian, with a flick of his wrist, conjured a shimmering magical shield that absorbed the brunt of the attack, leaving him unscathed.

"Impressive, Bram," Cassian said, his voice dripping with mock admiration. "But not enough."

The air crackled with energy as the two men squared off. Cassian drew his sword as Bram summoned another spell, this time sending a wave of fire toward Cassian. Cassian deftly sidestepped, his movements unnaturally fast, and retaliated by stepping up to Bram, thrusting his sword at Bram's gut.

Bram conjured a barrier of shimmering light to deflect the assault. But Cassian used the momentum of his sword bouncing away from Bram to bring himself into a guard position facing Bram.

Aiden struggled to rise, but he could only watch the battle. Bram's power was formidable, and his spells were a dazzling display of elemental fury. Lightning crackled, fire roared, and the ground trembled beneath their feet. But Cassian moved with deadly grace, his chainmail glinting under his fine blue and black clothing, enchanted to resist magical attacks.

Cassian's sword glowed orange with an enchantment. Bram raised his hands, summoning a vortex of wind and lightning, but Cassian was too quick. He lunged forward, his sword slicing through the air, aimed directly at Bram's heart.

Bram twisted, avoiding the lethal strike, and countered with a spell that sent tendrils of electricity snaking up Cassian's arm. Cassian gritted his teeth. The pain was evident, but his resolve was unbroken. He swung again, his blade clashing with a barrier of pure energy Bram conjured at the last second.

The fight raged on, a brutal clash of magic and steel. Aiden, still on the ground, could only watch as the two powerful figures battled, each strike and spell shaking the very foundations of the village. He knew he had to do something, but the beating he had taken left him weak and disoriented.

Through the haze of pain, Aiden saw Tilda's unconscious form and Eldric's battered face. Desperation clawed at him. He had to help, had to find a way to stop Cassian and save his friends. Summoning every ounce of strength, he crawled towards Tilda, hoping against hope that he could reach her before it was too late.

Aiden’s world spun as he fought to stay conscious, the chaos of the battle between Bram and Cassian ringing in his ears.

More soldiers ran up and seeing the battle one gave quick orders. Ten lifted shields and drew swords, making a circle around the two combatants. The rest spread out and started the massacre. Soon, the air was thick with the villagers’ cries for mercy, but the soldiers were merciless. One by one, they began their grim work, dragging people from their homes and executing them in cold blood.

Aiden's heart pounded as he saw his father and mayor forced to their knees. Two soldiers stabbed them both with swift, brutal motions. Aiden saw the tip of the sword blossom out of his father's chest and croaked out a cry of anguish. The blades were withdrawn, and the two men fell face-first to the street, blood pooling around them.

Aiden's vision blurred with rage and despair.

Nearby, soldiers kicked in the door of a house, and Aiden heard the screams of Rilla, the baker, begging for mercy. Her desperate pleas were cut short as a blade silenced her forever. Children cried out, their voices mingling with the horrific symphony of death and destruction. Aiden’s breath came in ragged gasps as he crawled toward Tilda, her unconscious body still lying motionless on the ground.

Anger and helplessness surged through Aiden as he reached Tilda. He looked around frantically, searching for any means to defend them, but his knife lay out of reach, kicked away in the earlier scuffle. Despair gripped him as he realized how powerless he was against the trained soldiers.

Bram's voice roared with fury as he unleashed another torrent of lightning, his eyes wild with desperation. "Stop this, Cassian! This madness serves no one!"

Cassian laughed, a sound devoid of humanity. "Oh, but it does, Bram. It serves as a reminder of what happens to those who defy the Emperor. Your village will be an example."

The soldiers, emboldened by their leader’s sadistic pleasure, continued their slaughter. Aiden saw Ethan, one of the village boys, barely older than ten, trying to shield Molly, his younger sister, from one of the soldiers. The soldier yanked Ethan away and raised his sword to cut Molly down.

Aiden pulled Tilda's knife from her belt and threw it with all his might at the soldier. The man had his sword raised high to cut down on Molly. The knife hit the soldier hard in his back, hilt first. But Aiden's desperation enhanced strength gave it a lot of force. The soldier grunted, releasing Ethan and spinning around to see who had attacked him.

"Run Ethan! Run!" Aiden screamed.

Ethan pulled his sister up and dragged her down one of the narrow gaps between the buildings. The soldier ignored them and jogged over, lifting his sword to attack Aiden.

Aiden's hands slid around looking for a rock. Instead, his hand found the rake handle. Ignoring the pain, Aiden rolled, lifting the rake up into a vicious arc that brought the tines down into the soldier's forehead. With an odd slowness, the soldier dropped his sword and fell backward, his eyes wide with surprise. The rake was pulled from Aiden's hand, remaining embedded into the soldier's head.

Bram, seeing the villagers massacred, let out a cry of pure rage. With a final, desperate effort, he summoned a massive bolt of lightning, aiming it directly at Cassian. The energy crackled through the air, splitting the night with its blinding brilliance. But Cassian, with a swift movement, raised his enchanted shield, deflecting the attack.

With a sudden flurry of attacks, Cassian broke through Bram's shields. But he didn't stab Bram. Instead, he dropped his sword and threw something from his belt at Bram. Bands of energy encased Bram. Bram's face went red with pain as an unworldly scream tore from Bram's throat.

Then the energies faded, and Bram dropped to the ground in a limp heap.

"Get the restraints on him," Cassian ordered as he looked around, seeing Aiden looking back from next to Tilda and the dead soldier. Cassian took a brief second to examine the dead soldier with the rake in his forehead. The corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly, revealing a hint of teeth, and the expression exuded an unsettling mix of confidence and malice. "Ah yes, the young apprentice." He said, picking up his sword. He casually walked over with the sounds of the carnage everywhere and the red light of the houses and buildings being burned.

Aiden's head screamed to run, but he was out of weapons, unable to stand, and caught in the penetrating glare of Cassian's dark eyes. Still he glared back defiantly. He might be taken prisoner, but, he'd not give in to this sadistic man.

Cassian stood over Aiden and sneered down. "Apprentices are not included in the capture order." He said just as he stabbed down.

As the sword fell, Aiden tried to move out of the way. But the sword was too fast. He felt the sword slide into his body as he screamed in pain, and the world went black.

A burning ember in his heart exploded. He refused to die, this could not be the end.

A loud crash snapped him awake. Aiden's opened his one good eye to the sight of brightly burning buildings. Far down the road heading out of town he saw the backs of too many soldiers to count.

Looking down, he saw his hand clamped over the open wound where the sword had pierced him. Next to him was Tilda's body. He reached over and touched her face with his bloody hand. He felt her breathing. He rolled and pulled his kerchief from his pouch and ripped some of his shirt, making a pair of compression bandages. With a little maneuvering, he got the bandages in place, covered by his shirt, and held in place with his belt.

Sitting up he tried to take in the scene. Everything was on fire. And the bakery wall had crashed down nearby. The wall facing Aiden and Tilda was leaning out toward them but was held in place by the brick ovens. He had to get away before the wall finished falling.

Aiden forced himself to his knees. Pausing to breathe, he realized he was wheezing and spat some blood out. On the ground, next to his hand, was the green leather book. He took a second to slip it into his shoulder pouch and then forced himself to stand.

Looking at the burning bakery's leaning wall, he knew he had to move. Ignoring the pain, he bent down and grabbed one of Tilda's legs.

With cries of pain, he began to drag her toward the forest. He managed to get out of the heat of the fire and into one of the many fields before falling to his knees, the world spinning and again going black.