The Trinity of Heroes (I Will Protect You Book 1) (32 page)

Benni approached Cranos with haste. “Is it true? Are you really my father?”

Cranos looked him over like he was sizing up an opponent. “Yes, you are no doubt my son. Come closer, my boy, and I will tell you the story.”

Benni approached slowly, taking a seat on a nearby rock as he listened intently.

“Many years ago, Benni, your mother and I sent you to live with my brother and his wife in Haile. I didn’t want you to have the life that I have; it is a barbaric one. Fighting every day to maintain stature and control of those beneath you…it’s a life I love but don’t wish upon anyone else. I wanted you to live in the city, to have a real family. I wanted you to live under the protection of the Knights, to have a chance to grow up and join their ranks. I made the walk to Haile with my wife and informed Nicholas and Helen about our wish to put you in their care. Of course, at first they were against the idea, not wanting to take you away from your real parents. Eventually, however, I convinced Nicholas that taking you was the right move, and he assured me that he would raise you properly. See, Nicholas and I, we never really saw eye to eye on anything. I always wanted to drink and fight, and he was more of an easy-going, conscientious person. I always threw the first punch, and then beat my opponent while dealing with the consequences later, while Nicholas would check his every option before acting. He wasn’t small of stature, but I outweighed him by a lot when we were younger, yet somehow he always got the better of me. This life, though, it just felt right for me. I never handled authority well. It was here that I met my wife, your mother. She and I were joined together and then eventually you were born.”

Benni nodded slowly, trying to understand the decisions his father had made.

“Listen, son, I don’t regret conceiving you and I am nothing short of ecstatic to see you, but you cannot tell me that you are happy to see
me.
If you told me right now that you were excited to meet me, or even so much as grateful for a chance to get to know me, I would call you a liar. I am a vagabond, a rogue, a thief, a killer. I am nothing short of the lowest of the low, but I still live by a code. I only take what I need to survive and I never harm the innocent. No matter what you may hear of other bandits, my followers,” he pointed to some of the men gathering around to hear his story, “would never harm an innocent person! We steal, yes! We plunder and pillage, but we never murder! Most of our food we take from the land, not from store houses, and as for money, well it is rare that a traveler gets lost here. However, when they do, we feel fit to relieve them of their cryn in exchange for safe passage. And I can tell you this, they rarely argue the idea.” Cranos adjusted his sitting position and stretched his arms above his head.

Benni felt betrayed and let down by his father. “Why, Father? Why have you left me in the dark all this time?” he yelled, standing. “All this time I wondered why I was so quick to throw a punch, so fast to fight. I wondered why, when my friends would walk away, I had to stay and fight! Why did it have to be this way?!”

“You are a bandit at heart, son. It appears even sending you away cannot break those bonds. They are bonds formed over hundreds of years of tears and bloodshed. Hundreds of years of history and devotion to a code much like that of the Knights of Haile that you now belong to.”

“You are nothing like the Knights of Haile! You are damn cowards! You prey on those less fortunate and seek advancement at the cost of others! To hell with you and your code!”

“Not true, son. Both are cut from the same cloth! Accept it or don’t, it’s still the truth!”

“So far the only thing you have shown me is your ass when you and your bandits turn tail and run from your responsibility!” Benni yelled. His eyes lit up with intensity. “I, on the other hand, have spent the last eighteen years of my life training for a good purpose, a higher cause. I want to serve these lands as a Knight, a protector of all that is good. You stand there and tell me of our equality and all I hear is lies! None of that matters now though, does it, Cranos? Haile has been attacked and my father, Nicholas, sent me here to seek you out. He sent me to seek you for a reason, we need help! All of these lands are at risk. Razzius, a fellow Knight, has turned his back on Haile and has given himself to Deminion. He has accepted evil and wants to consume these lands. Cranos, Haile needs help! Are you a warrior? Are you able to fight? Can you ride to Haile with me and help me save my people? Or are you going to do what you did all those years ago and run like a coward? You speak of us being cut from the same cloth, well if that is true, then in the morning you and your finest men will ride with me to help defend Haile! You will ride with me to defeat the evil army that has consumed my city, and you will help me save my people!” Tears welled up in Benni’s eyes. He needed someone to help him, and the muscular brute sitting before him claiming to be his father was his best bet. Benni didn’t know where else to go, and he didn’t know who else to turn to. He had put all of his faith in Cranos, and hoped his gamble would pay off.

Cranos looked at Benni for a long while and then back at Fairen who was shaking at Benni’s outburst, his eyes flooded with tears. Cranos could see the deep connection that had formed between the two in the past years and it moved him. He leaned forward. “You know, son, that’s a mean left hook you’ve got. Where did you learn that?”

“I learned it from my
father,
Nicholas Wakewood. He’s ten times the man you’ll ever be, and if you two ever squared off again, he’d knock you out in five seconds!”

“With a punch like that, I’m sure he would.” Cranos turned to the men that had gathered around them and said, “Well, men, what do you say? Who’s up for a little bloodshed?”

The entirety of the camp roared with glee at the thought of a real fight, and they all sounded off in approval.

“Well, there you have it, son,” he declared. “My men and I will ride with you at dawn!” He stood up, raising his arms. “But first, let us feast!” The camp again resounded in approval and all manner of festivities, drinking, eating, and chatting began. A second stag was put on the spit for later on and the original was removed, cut up, and distributed to each member of the camp. Everyone ate and drank to their heart’s content. Benni and Fairen embraced and talked, smiling for the first time since leaving Haile.

“We will save our people and our family,” Benni said to Fairen, who nodded in approval as he took a big bite of food and washed it down with a swig of milk. The two continued to chat about how well things would go tomorrow and how everyone would be safe. Fairen hadn’t caught on that Benni was trying to mask the fact that many of their people had already been killed. It relieved Benni to know this and kept him focused on his overwhelming task at hand, to save Haile from Razzius and his army.

“Benni, come with me!” Cranos commanded as he approached the two boys.

This time Benni didn’t argue, he had gotten Cranos to agree to help, and thought it best to oblige the bandit leader. The two walked for a while until they were far enough away from the group to not be heard.

Cranos turned to Benni. “So, tell me, son, what are we up against? Has Embrydge sent its hunter’s guild to rattle Mayor Flint’s drawers, or has a mysterious army come from the West?” he asked sarcastically.

“Cranos, this army is unlike anything I have ever seen before. I watched Nicholas bash them to bits, only to witness them re-form before my very eyes. I can guarantee you that you have never faced an enemy like this. They take all sorts of forms from larger brutes to smaller more agile ones. It is best that you prepare your men well!”

“My men are always prepared for a fight! At the very worst, we will hold them off until you can reach this Razios, or Razzius, or whatever the hell his name is. We will ride with you to Haile and cover you while you make your way into the castle by way of the sewers and free the prisoners.”

“How the hell do you know about the secret entrance to the castle?” Benni interjected, completely caught off guard by the bandit’s knowledge.

“I didn’t live here my entire life, son. I was training to be a Knight for a little over a year before I decided to quit and come here. I couldn’t handle the politics in Haile; I was never really that good at getting people to like me. At least here it’s all about strength. But, I know all the secrets of your city. How do you think I sneak in and out so easily? Your old man ain’t so stupid ya know!”

“It appears I underestimated you, Cranos; I am sorry.”

Benni extended his hand for a shake, but the burly man gripped him in a tight bear hug instead. “My boy, you will make a fine leader someday, you just have to keep that temper under control. It will be the death of you if you don’t.”

“I will try,” Benni said. They made their way back to the group and rejoined the festivities.

Benni watched as a group of younger bandits engaged in activities much like he and Lawrence had, attempting to drink more than the other. He knew they wouldn’t be going into battle tomorrow. The thought of their camaraderie calmed him as he sat next to Fairen again. He listened in as Fairen laughed and giggled with children his own age. His little brother couldn’t comprehend the horrors that the people of Haile were going through. The rest of the night went by without incident, and that night, as Benni lie next to Fairen, he knew that he may never see his little brother again. He had told Fairen to stay at the bandit camp, away from the main battle. He didn’t want his little brother to see the death and destruction that Haile had suffered. He knew that what would happen tomorrow would alter his life forever. At first sun, he and the strongest warriors from the Clan of the Unyielding Flame would ride to save Haile.

I did it! Somehow I did it! I can’t believe my eyes, but I lit a fire. I stared and stared and concentrated so hard and the wood just burst into flames. At first I didn’t believe it to be true, so I stuck my hand into the fire. My hand is blistered and now wrapped in a piece of my shirt. Haha, I’m alive, and I’ve got the burns to prove it! I don’t know how this happened, but it is something I will be exploring further in the morning. For now, I have found my salvation. I need more wood.

- Journal of Mason Hex, Undated

The water from the pond in the Everglen rushed and flowed into an underground cavern. It raced around bends and curves as it tore its way deeper into a remote chamber. Galvan’s corpse floated freely with the current as it came up to an open area. His body floated down the shallow stream and into a massive cavern. Tall grasses and flower buds bloomed on each shoreline. Small yellow and white butterflies frolicked about. A few young trout swam by Galvan’s body as it meandered through the stream. Red, yellow, and gold leaves fluttered slowly through the air and softly landed on the top of the water. A couple of leaves even hovered as though they were suspended in place in the air. The grass swayed like it was hit by a light breeze, even though no discernible wind was present. Several small buds bloomed in unison, producing beautiful white, yellow, and blue flowers along the banks of the stream. There was no sunlight here, only the light of one hundred torches on each side of the stream making it look as though the sun was shining brightly. Galvan floated over the top of a giant leaf that was at least twice the size of his body. As he did, the leaf began to levitate. Galvan’s body lie nestled in the center of the leaf, which now hovered about a meter out of the water. It began to move ashore toward a large throne made of brambles, pine boughs, large pine cones, and sturdy branches and golden maple leaves. Atop the wooden throne was an old, bearded, silent man.

He sat, legs crossed, staring intently at the cargo on the massive leaf as it hovered closer and closer toward him. The man was motionless except for his wrinkled right hand, which he stroked through his thick gray beard. The leaf unloaded its cargo at the base of the throne. The man uncrossed his legs and leaned forward to gaze upon Galvan. A small, palm-sized hedgehog ran up from the brush and onto the throne where it found refuge on the man’s arm. The man broke his concentration and looked over to the small creature; he brought his arm close to his mouth and whispered to the hedgehog. The small hedgehog twitched its nose rapidly in response. Finally, the man looked back down at Galvan and waved his hand across his body.

Galvan began to breathe.

“Open your eyes, boy!” the man commanded.

Galvan’s eyes remained shut; his body struggled to respond.

“I said open your eyes, boy!” The man stomped his foot, causing the ground to shake, ripping Galvan from his unconscious state.

Galvan opened his eyes, and bolted upright as he took a huge, deep breath. He looked around, dumbfounded by his surroundings. Finally, he noticed the man sitting on the large, wooden throne.

Galvan was about to open his mouth to speak, but the man spoke first. “You want to know where you are. You’re struggling because the last thing you remember is being dead; your mind is fumbling about, unable to grasp what has happened.”

Galvan was in disbelief, the man had read his mind to the letter, but how?

“You are neither here nor there and before you ask, no, you are no longer dead; but you were.”

Galvan tried to process this glut of information. He opened his mouth again to speak and the man cut him off. “Don’t bother asking how to get back home, I will send you when I deem you worthy.”

Galvan continued to prepare to speak, and again before he could the mysterious man cut him off. “Do not fret, my little ferret; time here does not function as it does where you come from. Here a hundred years is but a blink in your world. Your friends that you seek to save, your battles that you still need to fight, they will be waiting for you upon your return. Oh, and do not worry, your beloved, she is still safe.” A faint smile came across the man’s face.

Once more Galvan tried to speak, but the results were the same as the man interrupted, “I am Mason Hex, I am known as ‘The First.’ I know what you are wondering, so don’t bother asking me. ‘The First’ does in fact imply that I was the first sorcerer in the lands of Veronicia. I have been practicing sorcery since before the history books told of it, since before all those sorcerers flocked to the Everglen in the hopes of mastering its potential. Yes, my little lamb, I am Mason Hex and as far as you are concerned, I am the best sorcerer in the history of the world.”

His statements hung in the air for a long while as Galvan took a moment to process what he had just been told. This man was the legendary Mason Hex, the man his father had told him about when he was a small child. Mason Hex was thought to be long dead, but there were rumors that he had…

“What!? Rumors that I had discovered immortality? Yes, it’s true; I did in fact discover the secret. But I will tell you this right now, I wish I never had. Just remember this, my little turkey vulture; I am the only omniscient one here.”

Galvan never dreamed that he would get a chance to meet the man behind the legends, the man who was said to have single handedly defeated…

“The legendary Four Masters of Veronicia. Yes, that was me who defeated them. I know, I know, I shouldn’t sit here all day and blabber on about myself. Please, tell me about yourself. Who are you that you would come here in such a state? You have interrupted my meditations.”

Galvan, still awe-struck by everything he had just been told, was finally able to stutter, “I am Galvan Gabrielle; I come from the Everglen. The last thing I remember is I was running toward this pond and I was hit by a powerful dark sorcery. That man-”

Hex cut him off. “That man, Kastor Char, attacked the Everglen, killed your friends and your family, and then he killed you, am I right? Of course I am. I am always right! He seeks to destroy the Everglen and turn it into a dark utopia of his own, one which he will rule as its king. I knew it! I knew this would happen. After all, it was only a matter of time before Deminion struck again. It would appear he has chosen an afflicted Knight to carry out his dark biddings this time, and unfortunately your home, the Everglen, just happened to be collateral damage. But you aren’t going to stand for that nonsense, now are you? Of course you aren’t, you are a man of integrity and honor. A man who fights for what’s right, and defends against evil…aren’t you?”

The question floated overhead as Galvan took a moment to think about his situation. His entire life had come and gone and Galvan had never met anyone even close to as powerful as the old man who now sat before him. If Galvan lived for ten thousand years, he knew he could never hope to possess the wealth of knowledge that this man had.

“I am!” Galvan finally resounded, his voice full of determination. He hoped that he could learn something from this man, something that could help him defeat Kastor Char and save his lands.

“Very good, my little snow leopard! I was hoping you would say that. After all, if you ever wish to save Catherine from his dark clutches, you had better be.”

Mason’s words reminded Galvan of his true plight; the people of Haile had been overrun by those creatures. Catherine was no doubt among them.

“Yes,” was all Galvan said as he looked to the ground, ashamed that he was unable to do more to help them.

“Galvan! Do not ever doubt yourself. As soon as you doubt yourself, you fail. You must always believe in yourself! Can you do that for me?” Mason asked, his eyes staring straight into Galvan’s, straight into his very soul.

“I will try, Master,” Galvan responded.

“Do not try! Trying involves the possibility of failure! You either succeed, or you fail! And, you failed to protect them once! The reason you failed is because you tried to help them. You must succeed! Failure is not an option! I will teach you how to do what few others can do; I will teach you how to harness the energies hidden throughout the lands of Veronicia, not just those in the Everglen. I will bestow upon you a power so great that I chose to exile myself for fear that it would become corrupted and tainted by evil. I will show you how to move mountains, how to read minds, how to cast sorcery when a normal sorcerer could not. I will teach you how to predict your opponents’ sorceries, how to counter them, how to take a life, how to save a life, and most important out of all of these, I will teach you how to be a true sorcerer. Sorcerers these days all think that runes and incantations are a necessity, hah! When I was your age, I used to have to focus on each sorcery for hours before I could even attempt to cast it. Oh how the times have changed, eh my little porcupine?”

Galvan smiled lightly, Mason’s words reminded him of his father’s lectures when he was young. He reminisced how his father always told him of the troubles he had gone through before he became a great master. This man was no doubt on a different level, but how different? Would Galvan be able to…

“I know, you are wondering if you will be able to keep up with me and become stronger. The details of your future are up to you to decide. Where you go, what you do, who you save, these are all things that you have to decide on your own. I cannot write your path for you, but I will tell you that Haile, the Everglen, and soon all of Veronicia are in grave danger if you do not stop Kastor Char.”

Mason’s words were clear to Galvan. “Will you help me, Master Hex?” Galvan asked.

“No, you must help yourself. I will simply watch, and when you are ready I will teach you more sorceries for you to master. Trust me, your road will be a long one, but should you complete this training, you will possess more knowledge, more sorceries, and more skills than anyone else in the lands of Veronicia. I only need you to do one thing for me.”

“What is it, Master? I will do anything!” Galvan proclaimed strongly, eager to begin immediately.

“When you have defeated Kastor Char and the evil that plagues the lands of Forme, I wish you to return to the Everglen and use your powers to restore it to its former glory. It won’t be an easy task; you will have to give up much of your powers to physically regenerate the lands. It will most likely take its toll on your mind as well, limiting the amount of sorceries you will remember. I don’t think I could even do it without losing some of my abilities. You will need to perform a sorcery known as Heaven’s Soulgate: Door to Eternal Grace. It is a very powerful sorcery said to be able to connect you to Sora herself. However, like all powerful sorceries, this one comes at a price. The user must offer up an unknown amount of knowledge in exchange for their wish to be granted, something that most people can’t afford in the first place. I heard of a man who performed it once, but he went insane soon after. No one truly knows the price for this spell, but I hope you are prepared to pay it.” He gave Galvan a very serious look.

“Yes, Master, I will do what I must to save hope for future generations!”

“Hahahahahaha!” Mason’s laugh roared through the cavernous dwelling. He whisked his hand through his beard. He was motivated to instruct the young sorcerer by Galvan’s willingness to protect those he loved. “Then you will begin your training at once! I will watch as you repeatedly cast one thousand simple flame spells.”

“One…thousand…Master?”

“Yes, one thousand, what did you expect? Ten?”

“Master, in my best condition, on my best day, I have never cast more than forty sorceries. How can I ever hope to cast one thousand?”

“One thousand, hah! That is just a warm up, young Galvan. Once you finish those you will cast even more still.”

“More?! Master, I do not think…”

Mason shot him a dark look, one that immediately silenced Galvan. “Silence! You must find a deeper unity between your body, mind, and spirit. Victory requires unity and mastery of all of these aspects of your being. Do you understand, my little cardinal?”

Galvan immediately turned away from Hex and began tracing runes to call about a simple flame spell. “I travel the longest road from-”

“What is that!? Are you honestly speaking while you cast spells? Never, and I mean never, let me hear you utter a word while you cast a sorcery, ever again!”

“I have never cast a spell without some form of rune or incantation, Master.”

“Well, there’s no better time to start than the present now is there! One thousand simple flame sorceries, no incantations, no runes. And you better get it right!”

“Yes, Master!”

Galvan had never in all of his life felt a pressure to impress someone as greatly as he did the man that sat before him. He had no idea what he was doing, and Mason Hex could tell. He watched as Mason slowly arose from the throne and approached him.

Mason looked at him sternly. “Well, what’s the holdup, boy? I’m waiting to see those sorceries. Come on, hurry up!”

“I…”

“You don’t know what to do, do you?”

“No, Master, I have no idea what I am doing!”

“You dare call yourself a sorcerer in my presence; you are nothing more than a trickster, a fake! A real sorcerer would have lit a pipe a thousand times already; a true sorcerer would have singed my beard before I even had a chance to respond! You dare call yourself my student!”