Chapter1 part two of two

                 It was late in the afternoon before Hawkasuma again gained consciousness. He opened his eyes and saw an elf standing over him making sure that he was alright. The elf was from the Koosha clan which was obvious because of his appearance. He wore a wolf’s pelt around his waist and had a large tattoo across his chest which marked him as a merchant of the clan. He was one of merchants that were supposed to arrive within the next week to trade with the people of Joven that always came around at this time of the year. There were several of these elves, two of which were pulling their boats on to the shore.

                The man spoke, “You must be one of the boys from Joven. Why are you so far away from your home?”

                Hawkasuma lifted himself up and rubbed his face. Then he slowly recalled the events of the night before. It was almost as if the events were a dream to him, he didn’t want to believe that they had occurred nor did he actually think they had. Never the less he told the man, “Yesterday I was attacked.” He stopped talking for a moment. He choked on the words for a moment and continued. “I saw my father die trying to keep the men in dark clothes away. Then they killed my mother and took away my brother.” Tears erupted from his face and he sat back down with hid head buried in his hands.

                All of the elves stopped what they were doing and looked at Hawkasuma. The man standing next to Hawkasuma asked for his name and introduced himself as Lugon the merchant. Lugon called to his men to help calm the boy as he thought of how to handle the problem. They wrapped a blanket around Hawkasuma’s shoulders and brought him some food to help calm his nerves. Hawkasuma ate it quickly. Having not eaten anything the entire day he realized that he had become very hungry and enjoyed every bite of it.

                As Hawkasuma sat alone he could hear the hushed voices of Lugon talking to some of the other elves. Hawkasuma couldn’t make out much but one of the men mad a small gesture in his direction making it clear that they were talking about him.  He overheard them whispering about a clan of bandits called the Serpents. After a few minutes of conversation Lugon walked back to Hawkasuma and kneeled in front of him. “Can you tell us if these men who attacked you wore a serpent upon their breast?”

 Hawkasuma nodded his head, “they all had a white serpent on their chest. And they all carried large weapons.” There was a slight look of fear in Lugon’s eye as he exchanged glances with his companions. All of the others simply shook their heads and gave Hawkasuma a look of pity. Hawkasuma’s heart dropped, ‘what more is there to know?’ he wondered.

Lugon tried to tell him easily, “Child. I am afraid that you may be the last from Joven. These men are known for leaving none alive. Your brother may never be seen again.” Hawkasuma returned his face to his hands and began to weep again. “The dead should be honored. Come with us and we will help you bury those who fell.” Hawkasuma nodded and they all returned to their boats and began their journey to Joven.

They traveled for the rest of the night and into the rest of the next day before they arrived in the burnt remains of the town. The bodies of the dead lay everywhere and the grass had been painted red with the blood of all those who used to live there. Hawkasuma’s stomach churned as he saw all of the carnage. The elves began to pile up the bodies and dig graves for all of the dead while Hawkasuma searched through the wreckage of his home. Host of his old belongings had burnt to ashes, but amongst the rubble he found his sword and his mother’s flute still intact. His mother used to play it for him all the time when he was younger and the very sight of it brought a small sense of happiness to him. He placed the flute in his pocket and threw the sword onto his back. Once they had buried all of the dead they gave a small pray to usher them onto the next life before starting their return journey to their village.

For three days they followed the current of the Joven River to their home taking Hawkasuma with them. Lugon had decided to take pity on the child and raise him as his own son. Their village was located deep within the heart of the forest where the trees grew to a dizzying height and were nearly as thick around as a house. As they approached a small dock on the river Lugon pointed above them into the tops of the trees. For a second Hawkasuma was puzzled, but when he looked up he was both amazed and surprised. Not only did the elves live in the forest, but their homes were built in the tops of the trees. Wooden bridges linked the homes together in what looked similar to a spider’s web. Lugon and the others got out of their boats and tied them to the port. “Are you coming?” asked Lugon. “You don’t have to come with us if you don’t want to.”
                Hawkasuma answered quickly, “Yes I want to go. I just can’t believe my eyes.”

Lugon smiled, that was the first time in days that Hawkasuma had noticed anything other than his feet. “Good to see you’re getting better.”

Hawkasuma shook his head, “I will never forget what happened.”
                “Just don’t let it rule your life Hawkasuma. You should do what your parents would have wanted to do and live your life.”
                Hawkasuma looked at Lugon and replied dryly, “you speak as if you knew them.”

Lugon replied somewhat sternly, “all parents want to have their children live a good life.”

From above a large platform was lowered to the ground. The large space allowed for several people to be carried at a time and goods to be transported up and down the trees. Lugon and Hawkasuma stepped onto the platform and were slowly hoisted up into the sky. Hawkasuma watched as the elves who were still below began to look like ants. He felt slightly uneasy, but seeing the others as calm as they were he hid his discomfort with a false smile. When they reached the top Hawkasuma saw the families lying in wait for the return of the merchants. They had expected a great number of trade goods to have come home, but were sadly disappointed to hear the tragedy of Joven. Hawkasuma was quickly recognized as the sole survivor and Lugon announced that he would be taking Hawkasuma as his own child.

Lugon then introduced Hawkasuma to his wife Faelbes. She was about the same height as her husband, five feet tall and had long dark hair with exotic violet eyes. That was quite common for an elf, usually they could grow as tall as five and a half feet tall at the most and their eyes existed in exotic colors compared to that of humans. Hawkasuma was also introduced to Lugon’s daughter Gelien who was his age, and his twin sons Himion and Uerion who were three years older than he was.

                Himion and Uerion sized Hawkasuma up and examined him closely in curiosity. Neither of the twins had ever seen a human up close. They looked into Hawkasuma’s green eyes and touched his blonde hair gingerly. Hawkasuma backed away from them nervously, unsure of what to think of these strangers. “Want to play?” asked the twins.  Hawkasuma nodded his head slowly. The twins then grabbed him and pulled him along with them. Gelien followed them close behind.

                They walked across the web of bridges to a platform which had been built for children to play. Faleon, one of the twin’s friends, was waiting for them. He had short dark hair and bright green eyes. He introduced himself to Hawkasuma kindly. “Hi. I’m Faleon the son of Saelon. What’s your name?” Hawkasuma introduced himself calmly. “Come on, let’s play!” Faleon threw a ball to Hawkasuma and they began playing keep-away.

                Dakisuma struggled to keep pace with the other children in front of him. It had been three weeks since the attack on Joven.  He was bound by the neck to the other children and forced to walk when all e wanted to do was rest his weary legs. In front of him was Drake, a fat and sluggish child that was having an even harder time than he was. Drake stumbled and fell to his knees.

                One of the bandits noticed Drake slowing down the others and pulled out his whip. He began beating Drake with it commanding him to get up and walk. Drake tried to lift himself, but his weak legs gave out underneath him and he fell back to the ground. Dakisuma rushed to Drake’s aid and helped him rise to his feet. Drake whispered a thank you and they continued to struggle along.

                Just on the fringes of the horizon Dakisuma could see a large bustling city. The bandits seemed to relax a little more than usual. One even cheered, “Finally I can find some real comfort.”

                “First we need to make sure these little runts fetch as a nice price,” replied another. They continued to march into the city. A large crowd formed as the children were herded through the city. The bandits guarded them closely to make sure no one tried to take one of their slaves before they received payment. They were led onto a stage and a type of auction began. Each child was displayed one by one at the front and then forced to stand next to the rest of the children again. Dakisuma hated the feeling of all of the hundreds of eyes inspecting him, judging him, evaluating him.

                Then a man wearing very elegant and expensive attire walked through the crowd and greeted the leader of the Serpent clan warmly. “As we agreed, you may have the first pick my lord Baltizar.” Baltizar grinned widely and began to inspect each of the children closely. He checked everything from their teeth to their eyes and limbs. After a long period of inspection he chose to purchase two of Dakisuma’s friends. Jennifer and Marco, whom he had selected, were unbound from the rest of the children and given new leashes which were handed to Baltizar. Jennifer gripped onto her brother who had not been purchased tightly and cried. Though she struggled to keep her grip on him they were pulled away from each other and she was dragged away.

                The rest of the children including Dakisuma watched in horror as she disappeared from sight along with Marco. Soon after more men came onto the stage and inspected the children. A man wearing fancy clothes similar to that of Baltizar took a special interest in Dakisuma and bought him quickly. Dakisuma’s wrists were bond together and a leash was wrapped around his throat. The man pulled him along firmly to a carriage on the other side of town.  This carriage was pulled by two magnificent horses and just behind them sat the driver. Dakisuma was pushed into the carriage and forced to sit across from his owner.

                The carriage lurched forward and began the journey to his owner’s home. Dakisuma could not help but wonder why he had been purchased so once a few minutes had passed he asked, “sir, why did you pick me?”

                The man said nothing, but began to stare at Dakisuma and would not even move his eyes for a long period of time. Dakisuma didn’t know why, but he began to feel an ice cold shiver going down his spine and the feeling only grew stronger the longer his owner stared at him. The man then diverted his eyes and pulled a small veil from his hip, it contained a light blue liquid that was thick like ooze, and drank deeply from it. He wiped his mouth and put the veil back into his pocket. He began to smile slowly and looked into the palm of his hand. A small flame erupted from his hand and flashed into an array of colors. He turned his gaze to Dakisuma and said coarsely, “If you ever disobey me your punishment will be to face the torment of my magic.”

                Dakisuma’s heart jumped into his throat. He wanted to get away from this maniac, but didn’t know what he could do. He decided that he would escape the first chance that he got. Until then however he would need to behave himself and make sure not to cross his owner.

                The carriage kept moving north until they had reached a small inn late that night. His owner pulled Dakisuma by the leash into the inn with him. He ordered the inn keeper provide him with the finest room that he possessed. The inn keeper obliged him and charged a large fee for the room which was paid easily. Dakisuma was then ordered to retrieve all of his master’s baggage and bring it to the room. His owner released the leash and promptly watched as Dakisuma began to retrieve the baggage from the carriage.

                The baggage was found in the trunk and there was a massive amount. Dakisuma looked at the road for a moment and considered running for his freedom, but then he remembered the flames that his owner produced from his hand and instead began hauling the baggage to his master’s room.  He would have to be patient and wait for a proper chance for escape.

Project Legend: Chapter One part one

This has been up and coming for a long while now because of its announcement in November of last year. Included Below is an excerpt from the first chapter of my novel as it stands now. This chapter has gone through many versions and so fat this is the one I am beginning to love as it is still a wok in progress. I hope that You enjoy so please leave a comment if you enjoy it.

Chapter One

The Serpent Clan

                The scent of the early spring was hinted with the settle breeze that filled the little town of Joven. The trees and the plants blossomed with new life as the icy fingers of winter retracted and the melted snow flowed into the Joven River. Farmers tended their fields with the sun shining brightly above them.  It was early March and all of the farmers were looking forward to a flourishing season. Soon the elves from down the river would arrive for trade as they always did at this time of year.

Glen was the only blacksmith in the city so he and his two sons worked on repairing the broken tools for the farmers. His bright eyes quickly glanced at the tool in front of him as he worked.  His forge was always kept hot with the steady flow of work that always came his way this time of year. His sons were eleven and nine years old and watched intently as instructed them with every blow of his hammer on the tools. He finished the tool he was working on and placed it in the barrel of water.  He looked at his sons and smiled, “Hawkasuma you are eleven years old now and ready to be shown the way to be a man. I think it’s about time I showed you how to forge a sword.”

                His oldest son grinned from ear to ear and nodded.  Hawkasuma practically jumped up and danced at the opportunity. Glen patted his son on the head and plunged the iron ore into the forge to begin removing the impurities.

“Me too right dad?” asked his youngest son Dakisuma jealous of his older brother.  Glen smiled and beckoned his son over to his side with his hand.  Dakisuma ran to his father’s side and watched intently.

Glen pulled the iron out of the flame when it was white hot and placed it upon his anvil and began to fold the iron. “Have I told you boys the riddle of steel and the man’s heart yet?”  Both of his boys shook their heads.  As he continued to fold the iron into a sword he began to tell his sons what his own father had told him when he was a young boy. “Once iron is pulled from the earth it has no shape, no purpose and no master. It is corrupted and must be placed in the forge to remove the impurities, much like a man must first become pure of heart. Then the hammer folds the metal, each fold becomes a lesson that the blade learns. It teaches the iron how to be a sword and to have purpose. Each sword must be soft on the inside so that it will not shatter in battle when its master needs it the most. It must also be strong on the outside so that will keep its shape.”  Glen placed the iron back into the fire as it cooled so that he could keep folding the iron into the blade he wanted and then placed it back on his anvil once it was hot enough again.  “The hammer is like a trail that a man faces in his life as a boy.  It gives him shape, teaches him to be good and kind to those around him. And much like the blade must be strong on the outside so must a man keep his body.”

His sons listened intently to their father.  Glen handed Hawkasuma the hammer and allowed him to fold the blade several times.  They worked on the blade until it was nearly finished and then Glen took the blade and began to sharpen it. They had forged a short sword with a blade about three feet long and sharpened it on both sides.  He then bound the handle with leather and handed it to his son.  “This sword belongs to you, my son. Tomorrow I will teach you how to use it.”

Hawkasuma held the sword in his hand. It was heavy for him so he struggled to keep it above his waist. He examined it closely.  “Thanks dad.”

“Remember to keep it sharp. A sword is a powerful tool and must be treated with respect. Never draw your sword unless you intend to use it.”

Hawkasuma nodded and put his sword in a scabbard and placed it on his back. Dakisuma looked at his father and asked, “When do I get to make one dad?”

                Glen placed his hand on his youngest son’s shoulder and smiled. “My son, once you are your brother’s age and you are ready to begin learning how to wield a weapon.” Dakisuma grumbled a disagreement underneath his breath, but his father ignored the remark. “Now run along home you two, your mother will need your help at home.”  His sons did as he asked and left quickly while he closed his shop. The sun was now beginning to set beneath the mountains to the west and the cool breeze of the nearing night began to bring a slight chill. Glen stretched out his sore muscles and slowly began to walk back to his home.  His home was not far from his shop. It sat upon the top of the hill and had a clear view of the river and the surrounding parts of the town. He walked along the dirt path and listened to the birds as they sang to each other.  At home his sons were helping their mother set the table for supper.

                Meredith, his beautiful blonde wife kissed him as he entered the door. In his eyes her beauty surpassed that of any other. They had met many years ago when her when her clan was immigrating from across the eastern sea. She had never told Glen why her clan came to the Island of Kronord, merely that it was no longer important. They had met when Glen was helping his friend deliver his goods and wares to the Dardik port three days after her arrival on the island. They met several times that week and fell in love, shortly after that they got married and she said her final farewell to the clan. Since then Glen has helped her adapt to the new culture and even named their children in the manner of her clan’s custom. The oldest son was named after the great warrior Hawkasuma who had saved the clan in great battles. The youngest son was named Dakisuma after her father.  Glen and his family sat together at the table and enjoyed their supper and afterwards they went to their beds and slept.

                As Glen lay dreaming he smelt the presence of smoke in the air and opened his eyes. What he saw struck terror into his heart. The room, usually lit by moonlight or starlight, was black as pitch with the smoke that slowly chocked him. He shook Meredith, but she too was awake and aware of the fire. They jumped out of their bed and ran to their children.  Glen shook Hawkasuma awake, threw Dakisuma onto his shoulder and ran out of the house.

                Outside three men in dark clothes were waiting for them.  They held swords and axes and laughed as the family looked at them in confusion and horror. Without saying a word the men approached them slowly. Glen Knew who these men were, he had heard rumors of their existence. These men were members of a group of bandits that called themselves the Serpents. In the light of the fire that consumed their home he could see the symbol of a white serpent on their chests. The serpents are known for destroying villages and taking the young away, never to be seen again while leaving their parents as rotting corpses.  Glen’s heart jumped into his throat, he was unarmed and their blades shone brightly in the light of the fire.  He handed his son Dakisuma to Meredith and told her, “Take our sons to the river. Seek refuge with the Koosha clan down the river.” Meredith protested with her eyes, but Glen urged her to go. She took the children and ran as Glen told her.

                “A feeble attempt, but a noble one,” Said one of the three bandits. He raised his sword and prepared to strike down Glen. Glen was faster than the bandit and caught his hands as he swung his blade.  Glen’s muscles were tough so he easily tore the weapon from the bandit’s grip and buried it into his belly. The bandit fell to the ground dead. His allies stood in shock and exchanged glances with each other before charging at Glen. The bandits swung their weapons furiously forcing Glen to jump backwards or be killed. Glen tightened his grip on his sword and moved in for a counter attack. Glen slashed open the chest of one of the bandits leaving the other to watch as his friend bleed to death.

                Glen felt the sweat pouring from his body as he looked into the eyes of the last of the three bandits. His hands shook as he readied his blade for his next attack. The bandit took a few steps back and reached for a horn on his side. He blasted three times quickly, signaling for help. In the distance Glen could see five more bandits running to help their ally, behind them lay the rest of the town which had erupted into flames. Screams echoed through the air telling Glen that he would receive no help in this fight. Glen charged the bandit and buried his blade into the bandit’s chest.  As blood seeped from the body Glen twisted the blade forcing him to die quicker.

                Glen pushed the body off of the blade with his foot and turned to see the other bandits running at him. Glen cursed and quickly looked over his shoulder for his family. They were about a fourth of the way to the river. They were easy for him to see so he knew the bandits would be able to see them as well. The only thing he could do to help his family escape would be to try and stall the bandits for more time.

                He turned and faced the approaching bandits and screamed at them, “You want some to? Come and try to slay me. Let me introduce you to the afterlife!”  The bandits closed in on him with their weapons at the ready. Glen killed the first one by dodging his strike and countering with his blade. The second landed an attack on his leg which brought Glen to his knee. Then Glen returned the favor by grabbing the bandit’s sword and killing him with his own weapon.  Glen threw the second sword into the third bandit. The fourth bandit slashed Glen’s chest open. Glen fell upon his hands and knees gasping for breath as the pain consumed him.

                Glen knew that he had lost. As he drew his final breath he hoped that his family would be safe without him. The last bandit raised his axe and placed it upon the back of Glen’s neck. He felt the ice cold steel being tested on his neck and chuckled softly. With his last breath he uttered, “I hope you suffer for the pain you caused this day.” The bandit swung his axe and Glen was no more.  The bandits scanned the area and found the two boys and their mother running toward the river.

                Hawkasuma stopped to look over his shoulder and saw his father fall to the ground. Meredith saw the horror in her son’s eyes and felt her heart break, but she urged him to keep moving. With tears in his eyes Hawkasuma ran to the river as fast as his legs would carry him. Dakisuma looked over his mother’s shoulder, as she was still carrying him, and saw the bandits approaching at a rapid pace. Dakisuma told his mother what he saw and gripped her tightly and buried his face in her.

                They kept running with the bandits closing on their heels. Hawkasuma reached the river and dove into the cold water, but Meredith was not as lucky. The bandits caught up with her and tackled her to the ground. She landed upon Dakisuma and pinned him to the ground. She wrestled with the bandit and was able to grab a knife from his belt. She stabbed the bandit once in the leg and then three times in the chest before he died. The other bandit avenged his ally and killed Meredith with his sword.

                Dakisuma felt his mother’s body go limp. Dakisuma screamed as tears flowed down his face. The bandit tried to pick Dakisuma up, but he wouldn’t release his mother’s dead body so the bandit had to pry him loose. Dakisuma kicked and screamed, “Brother help me!”

                Hawkasuma watched helplessly from the water as his brother was knocked unconscious and carried away. He wanted to swim back, but the tide was too strong and he quickly found himself struggling to keep his head above the water. As his body followed the current, his mind remained with the burning village as he watched the orange glow from the flames consume all that he once knew and loved.  For hours he fought the water, barely keeping his head above the tide. His arms became weak and his eyes felt heavy. The sun began to rise on the horizon and Hawkasuma finally found some rest when he pulled himself upon a rock. He closed his eyes and knew no more for a long time.