Hidden Fire Chapter 10

When Arden awoke, he felt refreshed. His dreams the night before were pleasant. The ship swayed back and forth, and he looked over at Istfael. The elf slept with a grin on his face. Arden wondered if he were dreaming. The morning was cold, and damp. Feeling a bit restless, Arden got up, and walked out of their cabin. A few pirates were laying on the deck in a drunken sleep. A strong odor of rum emanated from their breath. Arden’s stomach rumbled, so he walked into the galley and reached into a barrel of apples. Happily he grabbed a large one and bit into it. The juice ran down his chin. He walked back out onto the cold deck, the helmsman gave him a stern glare, but went back to his duties. The loud voice of a pirate broke the silence.1

“Captain Dawkins! We have just found out that we are only a few miles away from Lon Taros!”, he yelled.2

The captain stalked out of his cabin, the effects of alcohol from the night before obvious on his face. “That is good news,”, he said “now leave me be, I must rest.”3

Lon Taros must be the pirate haven, thought Arden. Istfael walked up beside him. 4

“So, Lon Taros is our destination? Our only hope is that somehow we are hindered from getting there.”, said Istfael, startling Arden.5

“Why? What is so bad there? Would it not be better than the Cursed Sea?”, asked Arden.6

“At least on the sea,”, said Istfael, “we are not tortured. If they reach Lon Taros, we will most likely be sold as slaves, and elves are not seen very often, so they will make money off of me.”7

Arden’s hopes shrank down. Sold as slaves?, he thought. The thought of being treated as another man’s pet sickened him. 8

“Istfael, there may be a-”, Arden stopped. He followed Istfael’s gaze. About a mile away loomed a ship. There was something familiar about it, but Arden couldn’t put his finger on it. As it got closer, one of the pirates spotted it. He grabbed his spyglass and yelled.9

“Captain! Enemy ship! One of the king’s war ships!”, he shouted.10

“What is the name?”, yelled the captain.11

“Sword of the Sea, it reads sir.”, replied the watchman.12

The captain cursed then said, “Ready the cannons! Prepare to fire.”.13

Arden remembered the name from Deaordin, at the docks. 14

“Istfael,”, he whispered, “that is the ship we saw in Deaordin.”.15

“Don’t waste your breath, I know what it is. Hopefully they can defeat these pirates, and we can get a ride with them.”, he said sharply. “I can’t believe I didn’t recognize it as the king’s ship. It must be one of the elite crew ships.”, said Istfael.16

One of the pirates grabbed Arden and hauled him towards the cabin, the same with Istfael. “Don’t think you are going to get away that fast.”, said the pirate as he closed the door and bolted it. 17

Arden cursed loudly. “How are we ever going to get off this ship?”, yelled Arden. A dim lit lamp flickered on a small table. Istfael eyed it, then said, 18

“We are getting out of here.”.19

“And how do you plan to do-”, Arden stopped as he saw the lamp. A wide grin crossed his face.20

Istfael put out his palm and muttered a word, “Thosi.”. The flame poured out of the lamp, towards Istfael’s palm. The fire was small, no larger that Arden’s hand, but when Istfael said “Kyrn,”, the flame expanded into a larger ball. Istfael put out his palm, and the fireball ripped through the door, and into a group of pirates near the edge of the deck.21

“Get them!”, yelled Dawkins. A small group of three pirates ran after them. Arden remembered all the things that had happened. His village being slain, and all the innocent people these pirates had killed. Taelyn, and countless others. He felt power flow into him from an unknown source. The pirates drew their swords, preparing to attack. Arden’s eyes glowed blue with flame, and he shuddered as he felt the power grow stronger. An odd sense of control passed over him, as if he had practiced every day. He put forth his palm, and felt the energy release. A beam of blue light funneled out of his hand, into a pirate.22

The light burned a hole right through his chest, and he fell. The other two pirates turned to run, but Arden unleashed another beam of light into the other pirate, burning a hole through his stomach. The remaining pirate drew his sword, then dropped it in fear and ran for the galley.23

Dawkins turned to them, an evil look in his eye. He drew out two swords, one of them Arden recognized as the sword Baldemar had made for him. The blade glowed an intense, pulsing red. Dawkins walked down the steps to the main deck, and handed Arden his sword.24

“I may be a pirate, but I would never fight an opponent unarmed.”, he said.25

Arden gripped the sword firmly, feeling the power return. Istfael stood ready, but Arden waved his hand. He wanted to face Dawkins on his own. Dawkins leaned forward and jabbed at Arden, he countered it and made a slash at Dawkins right arm. Dawkins blocked it, and lunged for Arden. Arden blocked again, and his hits became faster and stronger as he felt the strength become more powerful. Arden could tell Dawkins grew weaker. A cannonball smashed threw one of the masts, breaking it in half. The mast fell, and crushed one of the unsuspecting pirates.26

Neptune’s Compass returned fire, but it wasn’t as accurate as the king’s war ship. The sword fight continued until Dawkins faltered and tripped. He dropped his sword and lay on his back, Arden’s sword at his throat. Arden lifted his sword for the finishing blow, but as he did, a sense of guilt passed over him. In that moment of hesitance, Dawkins grabbed a small pile of sand that lay on the deck and threw it into Arden’s eyes. Arden clutched his face, blinded. Dawkins stood and kicked Arden down. Dawkins lifted his sword above him saying, “Rule one, never, ever hesitate in com-”, he was cut short. A cannonball that was fired from the king’s ship pummeled into Dawkins, ripping half of his body off of the ship and into the water below.27

Istfael ran over to Arden, and helped him up. Arden wiped the sand from his eyes. The Sword of the Sea neared the ship, and pirates ran in frenzied terror, at the sight of the captains torn body. The ship reached the pirate ship, and ropes were thrown onto Neptunes Compass men climbed across the ropes. They all wore golden armor, and carried a small shield strapped to one hand, and claymores in the other. One of the bigger soldiers shouted,28

“Stop! You have all been placed under arrest by order of the king. Bring us your captain!”, he shouted.29

The pirates stopped, knowing they could not defeat the king’s elite ship, they dropped their weapons, and raised their hands. Again the soldier shouted, “Bring me your captain!”.30

Long Ears Jim pointed the torn lower half of Dawkins’ body. The soldier’s expression did not falter, but he said, “Ok, load them onto the ship. As for you,”, he pointed to Arden and Istfael, “you two come with me, I need to know all that has happened.”. Obediently, they both followed the soldier. A wooden plank was set down for them to walk across to the next ship.31

The soldier led them into a well furnished cabin. A large oak desk sat in the far end of the room, and two chairs sat there in front of it. Istfael and Arden sat down at the desk, in front of the soldier. The man kept an intense glare on Arden, not blinking once. After about a minute, the man spoke,32

“Sorry, you look vaguely familiar. Have we met?”, he asked.33

“No,”, said Arden shaking his head, “I don’t believe we have.”.34

“Oh well, anyways I am Captain Titus, under order of King Taerzin, we were sent on a patrol for pirates, luckily we found you before they killed you.”, said Titus.35

“Bah! We could have held our own.”, said Istfael.36

Titus laughed, then said in a non sarcastic voice, “Yes, I am sure you could have, I saw the pirates you killed, and must say, you did a good job.”, he said. “But, I need to ask you something, did you happen to see any other prisoners? Such as yourself, or were you the only ones?”, he asked37

“We were the only ones that I know of.”, replied Istfael. Arden nodded in agreement.38

“Good, I will have my men search the boat, just in case. I will have my men give you decent accommodations, probably better than what those pirates gave you.”, said Titus.39

“Thank you, I appreciate the kindness you have shown, but I have one question. Where will you be sailing to?”, asked Arden.40

“We will be docking in the empire’s capital,  Sayrn, about a two days journey east from Lon Taros. From there, we will have you sail back to your home. Where are you two from?”.41

Istfael replied, “There is no purpose to return home, there is nothing left for us there.”.42

Titus’s expression hardened. “Was there a raid by bandits? Why hasn’t the army heard about this?”, questioned Titus frantically.43

“We are the only survivors. Paelgin, and Deaordin have both been destroyed. We rescued the boy from Paelgin and brought him back. Then Deaordin was destroyed by pirates.”, replied Istfael.44

“And what of Paelgin, pirates also?”, asked Titus.45

“No, we spotted Drayen there, they slaughtered the whole town, Arden was the only survivor.”, said Istfael.46

Arden cringed at the thought of all he had ever known, taken from him. The anger churned inside of him. His eyes flashed blue for a moment, then the color  receded. Istfael gave him a hard stare, but Titus didn’t notice.47

“If Drayen have returned to Baeltaria, then the people must be warned. When we return to Saryn, I will speak with King Bëren about this. We may need you two to speak to him.”, said Titus.48

Speak to the king?, Arden thought, I have barely heard of him, let alone seen him. 49

“We will arrive in Saryn in a few hours, maybe less if the winds are good to us.”, said Titus, interrupting Arden’s thoughts. Titus left the room to prepare the ship to sail. Two soldiers came in and brought Istfael and Arden to their room. The room was nicely furnished, and had separate beds with plump cushions. Arden let out a sigh of relief, knowing that he would not have to worry in his slumber.50

The same soldiers returned with two plates of finely cooked food. Arden and Istfael took them, and ate ravenously, remembering how little they had eaten in the past few days. After they finished gorging themselves, they went to bed. The moon shined on Arden’s face through one of the circular windows in the cabin. He stared out at the night sky, watching the millions of stars. One of them shot across the sky, and Arden remembered what his mother had told him when he was little. Every time you see a star shoot across the sky, don’t wish for anything. You are content here, but there are those less fortunate than us, they may need that wish. 51

His mother had always had a soft spot for the less fortunate. He didn’t remember much about his father, not his face, or what he was like. He could only ever remember his mother, which angered him. He had lost his father, and Baldemar. How many more friends will I lose?, he asked himself. Sleep evaded him, so he stood up, and went onto the deck. It was much larger than the pirate’s ship, and had two decks the were above the main one, one at the north end and one at the south. Arden walked near the rails, watching the water. The only other person out was a soldier on watch in the platform up above Arden.52

On the other side of the ship, Arden saw that it was darker because of the shadow the high deck cast in the moonlight. As he entered the darkness, his eyes adjusted to the dark, and he saw things more clearly. A pile of stacked crates rested to the right. He looked out at the ocean, and saw whales following the boat. Every few minutes the sound of their blowholes releasing water would break the silence. Arden thought of his mother more, and a tear dripped off of his chin, and into the water. Remembering a song his mother sang to him when he was younger, he started to recite the words.53

“Come and rest, little one,54

Let no harm befall you.55

Come and rest, my dear son,56

As I-”57

He struggled to remember the words. How can I forget? Shall all of my memory be washed away in time?, he thought harshly. He clenched his fist In attempt to remember, but he could not. He slammed his fist on the rail of the ship. An odd sense washed over him. He felt as if his old life was passing away. He thought about what Istfael had said about his gift. The ability to draw magic from himself. The only other one who had been able to do that was Terzin, the evil dragonkin.58

Arden felt a hand on his shoulder and turned quickly, startled. An elderly man stood, before him, dressed in a simple cloak, and leaning on a carved, wooden cane. A long, white beard hung off of the man’s chin, and his bald head gleamed in the moonlight. 59

Puzzled, Arden asked, “Who are you?”.60

The old man replied, “You may call me Keagan.”.61

“Well, hello. I am sorry, but you startled me. Are you with the soldiers, or are you just on your way to another destination?”, Arden asked.62

The old man gave a hearty chuckle, then said, “No, no, I am no soldier. I am many things though. Some may call me a hermit, and others a traveler, but on this occasion, I think a suitable name would be explorer. You know, those whales, they usually don’t come near humans, did you know that?”, he asked.63

“They don’t? Why not?”, asked Arden.64

“Most say it is the fear of man, but I know otherwise. It is not the fear of man himself, but the fear of the corruption that seeps into this land.  The fear of the darkness, that is hidden in every man’s heart. The fear...of evil.”65

Arden pondered his words for a moment, remembering what Taelyn had told him. He had said evil was coming into the land, and Arden knew it. His town had been slaughtered, as well as Istfael’s.66

Keagan spoke again, “I sense something within you, Arden, something powerful. You can use your gift for good, or bad. Your destiny is in your hands. It troubles me to see a young boy torn from his family, but this experience will only further show you the truth of what is happening in this land. Do not pass off my message as the rambling of an old man, but listen, and remember it. Your destiny is shaped by you, but outside influences can make the slightest change, and your destiny will forever be shifted. Now close your eyes, and remember the song.”.67

Arden did so, in awe of how much Keagan knew about him, and how he knew. Arden once tried to remember the song, and the words rushed back to him, flooding his mind. He sang aloud.68

“Come and rest, little one,69

Let no harm befall you.70

Come and rest, my dear son,71

As I watch over you.72

Don’t fear the dark, 73

nor cower at cold.74

For I am watching over you.”75

He turned around, but did not see Keagan, or any sign of his presence. He searched around the boat, but saw nothing. Probably in his own room, Arden thought. He shrugged, then returned to his cabin, and got into bed. He hummed the lullaby once more before falling into a deep, restful sleep.76