The Dragon's Champion (7 page)

Braun frowned.

“Forgive me,
Braun. I’m afraid you take the brunt of most of my jests. I ought not to reward
your loyalty so, but sometimes your over-protectiveness is amusing.”

“Shall you
require anything else from me, milord?” Braun asked with the frown still
stamped across his face.

“No, I can
manage on my own. Just place my things on the desk in my study.”

“As you wish.”
Braun turned and walked away.

Lord Lokton felt
a little guilty for insulting Braun. He knew that Braun meant well. Perhaps he
would check on him in the morning. For now, he just wanted to get Erik to bed.
Lord Lokton gently shook his son.

Erik’s eyes
fluttered open lazily. “Are we home?” he asked.

Lord Lokton
nodded and helped Erik out of the carriage. “Can you walk?”

“I can make it,”
Erik replied through a
groggy
yawn. The boy trudged
off without another word. Lord Lokton stood there by the carriage, watching his
son until he disappeared inside the manor.

“He sure is
beat,” Louis noted.

Lord Lokton
nodded. “After you are done with the horses would you give this note to Mr.
Stilwell?” Lokton pulled an envelope from his pocket and held it out for Louis.

“I will,” Louis
agreed. “Is something wrong, milord?”

“No,” Lord
Lokton replied as he pressed the note into Louis’ hands. “I just have a feeling
that we may have some unexpected visitors over the weekend, and I think Mr.
Stilwell should know.”

“Who are you
expecting, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“I’m sorry
Louis, but I want to keep this quiet. I would appreciate it if you deliver the
note and then not mention it again. Mr. Stilwell will know what to do.”

“As you say,”
Louis replied with a bow.

*****

Erik opened his
eyes. The golden light of the sun poured into his room through the tall, arched
window. Erik groaned and turned over. He pulled his pillow over his head to
shut out the morning. It was Saturday and nothing was going to get him out of
bed until he was good and ready.

Boom boom boom.
The heavy knocking startled
Erik. He poked his face out from under the pillow.

“Who is it?”
Erik asked.

“Your father
requests your presence in the solarium,” a voice said.

Erik groaned in
protest and slammed his fist on his bed. The sharp sting in his palm reminded
him of the previous day’s events. “Oh no,” Erik whispered to himself. His
father would surely have something to say about breaking into Lady Dimwater’s
study.

“Did you hear
me, young Erik?” the voice boomed from outside the door. “Your father is
waiting for you.”

“Yes, I heard,”
Erik replied. He sat up in his bed and stretched his stiff, aching back. “I
wish Janik had given me four bottles of that potion of his,” Erik moaned. He
stood up and started to change out of his pajamas, except, when he looked down
he realized that he was still wearing yesterday’s clothes. The dried sweat
assaulted his senses as he sniffed under his armpit.

“Whoa,” Erik
exclaimed. His eyes shot open and he threw his arm back down. “Not the most
pleasant smell in the morning.” He scrambled out of his old clothes and hurried
into fresh garments as fast as his stinging hands would let him. Then, he threw
a dash of cologne on and stiffly marched down to the solarium.

He paused before
opening the glass paned door to the solarium. What would his adopted father
say? What would he do? Erik had gotten into trouble plenty of times before, but
his past demerits were usually attributed to tardiness. Lord Lokton had laughed
when Erik had explained the funny walk that Lepkin made him do which caused him
to be late, but this was not the same. Erik was sure that Lord Lokton would not
be laughing now. A strange thought occurred to Erik. What if Lord Lokton
disowned him?

Erik took a deep
breath of courage and pushed the door open. He saw Lord Lokton sitting in a
green, high backed chair in between two miniature Bird of Paradise plants. Lord
Lokton sat with one leg crossed over the other, so Erik could see the black
pajama leg underneath the green and gold robe that Lord Lokton was wearing. He
was facing the east wall, which was made entirely of glass windows, and peeling
an orange.

“Good morning,
Erik,” Lord Lokton said. He pointed to a wooden stool and said, “Come, have a
seat.”

Erik pushed
aside a leaning orchid plant and walked toward the stool. Normally the aroma of
all the flowers in the solarium would have been pleasant, but Erik was too
nervous. He sat on the stool, looked at his feet and began his explanation.

“Forgive me for
any shame I have caused, Lord Lokton,” Erik said.

“How many times
must I tell you not to call me that?” Lord Lokton handed the freshly peeled
orange to Erik and smiled warmly. “I understand you may not feel comfortable
calling me father, but I will not have you address me by my title as though you
were my servant.”

“Yes, sir,” Erik
replied. He took the orange and separated one of the wedges.

“Sir is just as
bad, Erik. Call me father, or call me by my first name.”

Erik nodded, but
he said nothing. He popped the orange wedge into his mouth and crushed it with
his tongue, letting the tangy, sweet nectar flow through his mouth.

“As for your
actions, I didn’t bring you down to discuss that,” Lokton said. He picked
another orange from a bowl on his lap and began to peel it.

“You aren’t mad
at me?” Erik asked incredulously.

“Come now,
Erik,” Lokton said. “Even I spied on a professor or two at Kuldiga Academy.”
Erik’s eyes went wide and Lord Lokton laughed. “I broke into Master Baird’s
study when I was a first year, he was an alchemy professor. I was curious about
all of the creatures that he kept in jars.”

“Did you get
caught?” Erik asked.

“I sure did. The
headmaster himself walked in just as I knocked over a small set of beakers
filled with different potions.”

“Whoa, I bet
that cost a lot of demerits,” Erik whispered.

“Actually, the
headmaster wanted to expel me,” Lokton corrected.

“What did your
father do?” Erik asked. He expected a horror story about dishonoring the family
and so on. Surely Lord Lokton’s father would have been extremely angry.

“My father was
very wise,” Lord Lokton replied with a wistful smile. “He took me to meet with
Master Baird. During the meeting I apologized, and my father arranged for me to
become Master Baird’s assistant. I spent about as many hours with Baird after
school as you spend with Janik to work off your demerits. I also worked as
Master Baird’s stable boy during the summers.”

“So you didn’t
get expelled?”

Lokton chuckled,
“No, to the headmaster’s chagrin, I was never expelled.” Lord Lokton ate a
wedge of his orange, chewing slowly. “My father understood that a heavy hand
was not the correct tool for me. Instead, he spoke with me, taught me, and
showed what he expected of me by his own example. That is a smart way to deal
with intelligent children, I think.” Lord Lokton opened his mouth wide and
pushed the rest of his orange in.

“So will I need
to go and meet with Lady Dimwater again?” Erik asked.

“I suppose she
will have other things for you as time goes on,” Lord Lokton replied through a
half-full mouth. He swallowed the rest of his orange in a single gulp. “But,
that is a decision for her and Master Lepkin to make. I brought you down this
morning for something else entirely.” Lord Lokton stood up from his chair and
walked to the glass wall. “I was extremely impressed with Master Lepkin’s
account of your swordsmanship. It’s no easy thing to duel so many challengers
in a single day, especially when some of them are older, stronger, and have
more training under their belts.”

Erik smiled ear
to ear. “Thank you,” he said.

“Unfortunately,
I am afraid that your duel with one of the boys will cause some problems for
you at Kuldiga Academy.”

“Master Orres’
nephew,” Erik said. His smile disappeared and his shoulders drooped down.

“Well, that may
cause some problems, I suppose, but Master Orres is not who I am talking
about.” Lord Lokton walked back to his chair and sat on the arm, with his left
leg on the floor and the right leg on the chair cushion. “I am speaking of
Timon’s father,” he said. “I know Lord Cedreau very well. We went to Kuldiga
Academy together. He values family honor second to nothing. I am sure that he
will call on us either today or tomorrow.”

“Why would he
come here?” Erik asked.

“You broke his
son’s hand. He will demand some form of repayment for it.”

“Can he do
that?”

“According to
the law, he has the right to demand restitution.”

“I’m sorry, I
didn’t mean to hurt him, and I would never wish to cause you or Lady Lokton any
grief.”

“You only cause
us grief when you address us by our titles. She may be Lady Lokton to our
servants, but you should call her either mother, or by her given name, Raisa.”

“Sorry,” Erik
said sheepishly.

“I will handle
Lord Cedreau,” Lord Lokton announced. “As we speak I am preparing a boar hunt.
You haven’t ever gone on a boar hunt, have you?”

“I’m only
fourteen, I can’t hunt boar until I am sixteen.”

“Ah yes, that’s
right.” Lord Lokton got up from the arm of the chair and crossed his arms.
“Well, in light of your exceptional feats yesterday, perhaps we should make an
exception.”

Erik looked up
anxiously with bright, wide eyes.
“Really?”

“If you can best
several apprentices in combat and face down Dimwater’s wolf, you can certainly
join a boar hunt. I have already commissioned your first hunting sword.
Demetrius said that he would have it finished by noon today.”

“Thank you!”
Erik exclaimed as he jumped from his stool. “I shall be the first to find the
boar!”

Lord Lokton
laughed heartily. “I don’t doubt it.” Lord Lokton walked over and put a hand on
Erik’s shoulder. “You are growing into a fine young man,” he said with a smile.
“As you are receiving more responsibilities at Kuldiga Academy, you will learn
all you need to know about the sword, and of other subjects that Master Lepkin
sees fit to give you. I will teach you the other things of the kingdom. From
this point on, you are the heir to all of my holdings. Raisa and I are unable
to produce children of our own. That is why we searched for someone like you.
You have the potential to be a great lord someday. I will expect you to spend
with me every day not spent at Kuldiga Academy. You will attend audiences with
me, go on patrol with me, and –of course- go on hunts with me.”

Erik had no
words to reply with. His mouth fell open loosely and his eyes were the size of
saucers.
How can I be the heir?
Erik wondered.
I am not of noble
blood.

Lord Lokton
laughed knowingly and squished Erik in a great hug. “Go and eat,” he said.
“Oranges alone will not sustain you on the hunt.”

Erik nodded and
rushed off to the dining hall.

*****

“Erik, come
forward and kneel before me,” Lord Lokton boomed for all to hear.

Erik glanced
around at all of the people. He knew most of the servants, at least their faces
if not their names. He also knew a couple of the children that lived in the
cottages near the manor, but most of the faces that now smiled at him he had
never seen before. He tried to look confident as he walked toward his father,
but on the inside he was nervous.
Don’t trip…don’t trip,
Erik kept
telling himself. He wanted to run, or perhaps have rain drive most of the
people away so he didn’t feel so awkward and exposed with everyone watching
him. Yet, his discomfort disappeared as he knelt before Lord Lokton, his
adopted father.

“Today, my son
becomes a man,” Lord Lokton announced. He placed his right hand on Erik’s head
and his face beamed with pride as he looked out to the crowd. “Yesterday, my
son was proved by several challenges. First, he
dueled
several Apprentices of the Sword, defeating each foe that challenged him. Then
he accompanied Lady Dimwater to confront a Shadowfiend and bring the demon to
justice. During this assignment, Erik bested a full-grown man in combat with
live steel, but he honorably spared the man’s life. These feats exemplify
Erik’s courage, strength, honor, and mercy. Some may say that it is unusual to
present Erik with his first Boar Sword at such a young age, but to them I would
say, show me a sixteen year old who better exemplifies the qualities of a
Lokton noble.”

The crowd
cheered and applauded. Many shouted accolades to Erik and others invoked the
blessings of the Gods on House Lokton. Lord Lokton surveyed the festive crowd,
but his smile diminished as three individuals pushed through.

“Lord Lokton, I
cannot allow this,” the tallest individual said. The crowd ceased cheering, but
a few whispered and murmured among themselves. “This orphan-child of yours has
dishonored my family. Look at Timon’s hand,” Lord Cedreau pushed Timon forward
and the boy lifted his broken hand, wrapped in a cast. “The law demands that
restitution be made. So, to repay my son, your cast-away shall not receive his
hunting sword today.”

Erik turned and
saw Lord Cedreau for the first time. He was taller than Timon, but had the same
dark, wavy hair accented by gray eyes that were narrow-set. The noble’s nose
was prominent, with a slight upturn at the end. Though the man had grown to be
rounder in shape than his sons, it was obvious to Erik that he still possessed
great physical strength. His arms and legs were large, and his shoulders broad.
The blue and gold tunic was secured in place by a large sword-belt, from which
hung a silver-handled long sword. Lord Cedreau then caught Erik’s gaze with his
own steely stare. At first, Erik wanted to look away, but he did not. He met
Lord Cedreau’s stare and narrowed his eyes on the man.