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News » History of Mardon Castle - 9B
History of Mardon Castle
Chapter Nine
Part 2
...
Helshain was approached as he saw the real destruction to the marsh. Magically created stone attempted to hold back water and mud from refilling an excavated volume. The soft dirt was being kept outside the walls, although the water that seeped between cracks was not clean. Smoke spewed from machines working to expel the liquid that did gather at the lower parts of the pit. The druid looked to those around him wondering who was going to first dare his wrath.
A man with a mustache that stretched across his face, neither ascending to become part of sideburns or descending to become part of a beard said, "I don't know if you remember me, Lord Helshain, but I am Kaervel. You taught me how to recognize roots. That knowledge kept me and others alive during the war, especially the winters."
The druid remembered a studious lad who laughed when he fell into mud, "If you are hungry enough, you will eat anything."
"I did not say that your knowledge kept my belly full, but that it kept me alive. Others who were not so discerning felt pain and often died."
One of the original scenes in my head that caused me to take an interest in this story.
History of Mardon Castle
Chapter Nine
Part 2
The Druid Helshain stopped his movement as he looked ahead. He had gained word from the animals about the incursion of people into this part of the land. He really expected to see worse, although he was far from pleased with what he saw. Wondering just how long he was going to be able to control his temper, he stepped forward to ascertain the truth of the situation.
Lights were present all around. Some were magical, but a number of torches and lamps provided illumination as well. Helshain did not understand those who found the regular rise and fall of the sun to be a poor clock. He thought to warn the inhabitants about his wrath should they forget to move or dispel the lights after they left.
The tents were floating above the bog. That was a non-destructive manner of establishing camp, and the druid considered such one point in favor of the campers. The fire pit was in the middle of a large stony area obviously formed by using arcane magic to change the mud into stone. The plants would have died from the activity of the camp if not from the heat of the fire, so Helshain did not mark such against the campers. If they left it however, his lesson would hopefully cause them to be less negligent in the future.
Sentries sounded calls of alarm as the aged form of a powerful kevalla dressed in the hides of numerous animals strode through the area. Those in charge of the camp did not act with fear upon seeing the intruder, but told those on alert to relax. A number of people about the camp formed a circle with their silence and stares at each other stating a private fear of the reptilian druid. Nods were however made by the heads of a few, and all accepted the signs as a signal to move down to the lone investigator.
Helshain was approached as he saw the real destruction to the marsh. Magically created stone attempted to hold back water and mud from refilling an excavated volume. The soft dirt was being kept outside the walls, although the water that seeped between cracks was not clean. Smoke spewed from machines working to expel the liquid that did gather at the lower parts of the pit. The druid looked to those around him wondering who was going to first dare his wrath.
A man with a mustache that stretched across his face, neither ascending to become part of sideburns or descending to become part of a beard said, "I don't know if you remember me, Lord Helshain, but I am Kaervel. You taught me how to recognize roots. That knowledge kept me and others alive during the war, especially the winters."
The druid remembered a studious lad who laughed when he fell into mud, "If you are hungry enough, you will eat anything."
"I did not say that your knowledge kept my belly full, but that it kept me alive. Others who were not so discerning felt pain and often died."
Helshain looked around at the others present, and realized that he knew most of them. They were children or youths when he had last seen them. None of those before him now looked young. He saw the marks of war in their features and knew that they had aged beyond their days of innocence, although the druid somehow sensed that they still respected the lessons of a distant teacher. They were not truly here to destroy a section of the forest, but had plans for this place that they sought to enact. Such thoughts made the druid forget about losing himself to his wrath, but consider more diplomatic ways of performing his job of caring for the land.
"Are you seeking the original castle?"
Nods and sounds of agreement murmured among the men. They all knew the tirades that the druid could perform, and did not want to have to face such. When they had to suffer the torment before, they were young without means of challenging the man. Now they were all experienced heroes. While the elderly form of the kevalla was still considered an experienced master, he supported life and they had all learned how to kill.
The Druid Helshain accepted a mug of coffee as he asked, "I have to assume that there is hope to find the ancient treasure trove."
One was proud to announce, "No, Druid Helshain, but remove the curse. We may not remember the time of the original castle, but the land around is a constant memory of what was lost. The war is over. It is a time of healing. Our land should suffer no longer. We should be able to prosper in this time along with the rest of the world."
He had given lessons to these men before, and sought to do so again, "This land is not cursed. Even if it was, whatever happened was too long ago. Everything around us now has adapted."
"So if you torture a slave long enough the deed becomes just?"
Helshain felt anger rise within him, but then he recognized the face of the speaker. It was Norvichy. The lad once made the druid so proud by setting the leg of a frog. The animal was big enough to have been cooked for supper, but instead the boy thought to allow the animal to survive. Even such a large amphibian had delicate bones, but Norvichy had managed to reset the leg perfectly. Helshain looked at the clothes of the man and considered that he was now a worker of arcane magic, then wondered if he had a frog as a familiar.
"How will you know when your task is done?" Before any could challenge him, the druid raised his voice and continued. "How will you know to accept failure? I cannot have you, boys, digging up the entire marsh searching for a dream."
Another man exclaimed, "Surely we will find something!"
Helshain knew that now was the time for his lecture, "Men, go home! I am sure that some of you have family dwellings. Those that don't, find a place to live. You are heroes. You have seen the end of the war. Now is the time to start your life. Find a woman. Make a family. I hope you will bring your children to me so I can teach them what you have learned. You need to focus on the future. Forget about the past. There will always be tortured memories behind us. We all can hope that the future is a peaceful one, but there is no hope for the past. The land grows and the animals, including the people, continue to survive. Such is life, and you men need to go home and begin yours."
"I will not be content with leaves and berries."
"I don't want my home to flood every time it rains."
"I don't want to spend the winter months continually pulling the legs of my animals from the ground which their hooves have broken through."
"I am tired of the rot coming to my garden."
Helshain went from sad, to angry, to pity as he heard complaint after complaint about the life that the men faced. They were not speaking of the war, but of their memories before the war. The men had left in their youth with a dream of making the world better. They had done so, but still remembered the complaints of their parents and had the knowledge that their home was not made better by the distant victory. They had returned determined to realize their dreams.
The druid lifted his hands and moved them to silence the men. He noted things about their camp that he found distasteful. The men apologize, then promised that it would be corrected. Helshain pointed out things that he did not want to see once their work was finished. The men vowed that they would set things right once they were through.
Finally, the druid asked about the war. He listened to the men speak of things they felt were worth speaking about, and of events that they desired to remove from their memories. He asked about lads that he remembered, but did not see present in their group. There were a few happy declarations about those missing, but most of the responses were not cheerful.
Helshain left the camp believing that a curse was upon the land. He hoped the men could remove it, although felt certain that they would not find their answers below. Still, digging holes and refilling them was not a harmful activity. He hoped the energy spent in the process would tire the bodies so their minds would have the time to resolve their true conflicts.
Ellish has one more person to speak to, but he speaks to another as well.
Posted by TerishD on Monday, November 16, 2009 (12:44:00) (287 reads)
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