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There was not much of note after Renpol and Renny left Sanshan. The West Coast was a very quiet region, even so close to the Equator and the Southern Kingdoms. There were no bandits and no beasts. Renpol stopped only after about a mile or so to cut a short staff for Renny. It wasn’t carved or pretty, but he chose a young lundbol tree whose bark was smooth and not too wide around for Renny to grip. It would have made little more than a cane for a man of Renpol’s size but was perfect for his son.
They passed some farmers and the rarer merchants on the way, stopping a few times to rest or grab a bite to eat. It was a pleasant walk, and the most time Renpol could remember having spent with his son. This was a time to be cherished.
It was actually mid-afternoon when they noticed a road marker which indicated Mokhtan was but five miles away. Renny didn’t read yet, so Renpol made sure he let his son know what the sign said. “But we still have to find the Finder.”
Renny smiled as he said the words and Renpol understood the pun. He gladly let his face break into a smile at his son’s small joke. “Yes we do. That’s a good one: we have to find the Finder.”
They both laughed a bit, and their walk was a bit lighter and faster for a while. The miles to Mokhtan went by quickly.
Mokhtan had a much taller wall than Sanshan and a larger gate too. There were also guards here, which they didn’t have at Sanshan. The Watch in Sanshan was more informal. These men looked like they did this regularly. Remembering the words from Healer Gerthas, Renpol decided to ask the guards if they knew where Finder Thusgro lived.
The leader of the four men at the gate nodded. “Ah, Master Cobbler. Been a while since your last visit! I still have that pair of boots ye made foe me back then. Good work it was too! Yeah, we know Thusgro, good sort, but he keeps to his-self. Has a log cabin some two miles out round south and east, if you head south from this gate here you’ll step onto the path to his lodgings right quick. You should reach him fore night.”
Renpol thanked the guards and headed out that way with Renny close behind him. It was nice to be remembered, especially for doing good work.
They walked quickly now that the end of their journey was apparently at hand. The cabin was easily recognizable as the only significant structure in the area, and there was still what appeared to be about an hour or so of light left. Renpol called out to see if the Finder was home, but there was no answer. There were some chairs out in the front of the house, so he decided he should sit with his son and make a small meal of their rations.
“Do you think he’ll be back soon, Pa?” Renny asked between bites of his bread and cheese.
“I hope so. If it gets dark, we might have to walk back to town if he doesn’t show. It wouldn’t do to stay here if the Finder’s not around.”
“No it wouldn’t!”
Both elder and junior men were startled by the loud voice that called out in answer to them. It was obvious that the Finder had stealthily come upon them, but they had not seen or heard him approach. From around the south section of the house, Finder Thusgro appeared, walking with a taller and more ornate staff than the walking stick Renpol carried.
Renpol and Renny stood up and bowed. “Finder Thusgro, we are Renpol and Renpol Cobbler of Sanshan.”
Finder Thusgro stared at them, his already stern face falling into a deep frown which conveyed a deep disturbance in the man. The sudden burst of emotion from him was surprising, as if he had not expected to see them. “Sanshan you said?”
“Yes, we left early this morning, trying to make sure we’d get here before dark.”
“Well you certainly made it before dark, and as you left this morning, it also explains why you were able to make it at all.” With that cryptic pronouncement, he bade them enter his home.
“Sit, make yourselves comfortable. I see you’ve been eating, so there’s no need to offer food, but I’ve plenty of water to drink and wash. I will need to hear what you have to say about Sanshan and why you are here, and I will have to tell you the news I’ve heard.”
Renpol shared a confused look with his son. Why would the Finder have news to share with them?
Renpol set their packs down by the door with the walking sticks and had his son wash, following suit afterwards. They gladly took the tumblers of fresh and cool water the Finder offered them. “I have some tea boiling now. After we sit and talk, I can pour you some.”
“We are grateful for your hospitality,” said Renpol. Renny simply nodded.
They started with everything which had happened over the last two days including Renny’s drawings, the dark man, and the visits to the Temple and the Healer. When they were done, Finder Thusgro sat back and closed his eyes, quietly contemplated what they had told him.
“You have kin in Sanshan?”
“My wife, two sons and a daughter.”
Finder Thusgro shook his head. “I am sorry, Cobbler. They, like the rest of your village are likely dead now.”
“What!?”
Renpol Cobbler stared at the man he’d known nothing about just two days before. Renny looked more confused than he felt. How could it be possible? They had left the peaceful and at peace village just this morning. Renpol declared as much to Finder Thusgro.
“That is true, but sometime this morning, the village was apparently attacked. No one knows exactly by who or what. No survivors have been found to ask about what happened. All that was left of the village were smoking ruins. There were not even any bodies around to inspect.”
“How do you know this?!” Renpol demanded.
“Because I was there not long after it happened!” Finder Thusgro looked furious. “I received a warning that something strange was happening, and I went to investigate. I apparently arrived after everything was done.” His anger seemed turned inward, almost as if he felt guilty for not having been available to help, more likely seeking a target to blame for the whole thing.
“When was this?”
“About eight bells or so.”
Renpol could not understand. That meant they had only gone a few miles from the village when this happened, but they had heard nothing. They had known nothing. How could this be possible? I was inconceivable that he would not see Bekka again, or that he would not fulfill his promise to Healer Gerthas for his sandals.
Renpol felt like his mind was going to break right there, but then he remembered his son, his last surviving son who stood by him, looking very confused. Renpol wasn’t even sure if Renny understood what had happened. He decided he needed to be strong for his son.
“You can both stay here with me for the night. I’ve plenty of room,” Finder Thusgro determined as he handed them the tea he had offered earlier.
“Stay the night?” Renpol was still dazed at the news. What was he going to do come morning? “Yes, I guess I will return to Sanshan to see what may be salvaged.”
“No.” Thusgro took the smaller and younger man by the shoulders. “What I saw there you would not want to see. Remember the village as you always knew it. There is nothing to salvage. It was either burnt or stolen. I see you’ve brought a cobbler’s travel kit with you. That is good. How proficient are you?”
“Good enough to be known in all they neighboring villages including Mokhtan and all the way to Darbuil.” In the state he was in, Thusgro was sure Renpol answered only the truth and was making no idle boast.
“Good. Then in the morning we will begin to travel to Darbuil. You will seek employment there, starting over as it were while I take your son to the local Master Weaver.”
“A Master Weaver. Whatever for?”
“Your son has the sight beyond sight, and he will be coming into his power as a weaver soon. He will have to be amongst other weavers when that happens or it can be dangerous.”
“So I’ve been told. What will happen then?”
“We’ll have to see from there.” Weavers were notoriously mysterious
about things that concerned their powers. They liked it that way, but it made for a lot of gossiping and rumor-mongering. People knew so little about them.
Renpol was however not in much of a mood for talking after that. Thusgro made them comfortable on two cots that had been folded away elsewhere in the cabin.
While the Cobblers went to sleep exhausted and emotionally drained, Thusgro decided to sit by the fire and think upon this day. Sanshan was a tragedy, but it was good that Renpol and his son had escaped whatever horror had befallen the place. It wasn't a coincidence he felt. The boy had seen something. Drawn a picture which intrigued the father. The father sought some answers and was directed to himself past Mokhtan with enough urgency he left early the next morning, just early enough to avoid a mysterious attack on the village. No, there were too many possible variables which had to line up to have made this a coincidence. The boy was meant to have survived.
Thusgro was deep in thought when he sensed a small presence next to him. He looked up and saw Renny looking at him. “Uncle Thusgro, my Pa is crying.” Though the simple declaration was sadly endearing on its own, the hurt Thusgro sensed behind it was such that his own heart nearly broke in response.
“Uncle, is it?” Thusgro looked at the boy, noticing Renny seemed to not be displaying any of the grief that wracked the older Cobbler. “Do you understand why your Pa is crying?” If this boy was as important as he thought, it would be important to get a feel for his entire character and mentality. Every word and expression would have to be reported to the Master Weaver.
Renny shook his head. “Pa said Ma and my sister and brothers were gone from the land and we would not see them again. Do you think the bad man made that happen?”
Thusgro had been thinking along those same lines. If his ideas about Renny’s sight were correct, the man he drew the pictures of was a Dark Weaver, and had been very likely inspecting the place before the attack. “Possible, but I am not sure.” There was no need to scare the boy, nor introduce thoughts into this head that were not factually proven as correct.
“Is it alright to want to hurt the bad man, Uncle?”
Thusgro started, a twisted feeling curling around in his gut. The boy had feelings alright. He was more angry than aggrieved, but that would come. “It is not, Renny, though you may not understand that. Wanting to hurt others is not a good thing.” He would have to direct the boy until they made it to Darbuil. This boy obviously needed guidance.
“That would make me like the bad man?” He understood.
Thusgro nodded. The boy was young, but he grasped concepts supposedly mature and experienced adults had trouble with. “Yes.”
“What about wanting the bad man to be gone?”
“As long as you do not want to hurt the bad man, wanting him to pay for his crimes and be gone is alright.” Thusgro sighed. The boy lacked the vocabulary for the concepts he was trying to understand, but he had a very keen mind. Putting things to him simply was far better than having to explain concepts of justice, retribution, revenge and corruption.
“He made Pa cry. He made Ma and the others gone. I want him gone too.”
Thusgro put his hands on the boy’s shoulders. “I will take your drawings, Renny, and I will try to make sure the bad man is found."
Renny nodded and turned, heading for the cot he was sleeping on.
Thusgro watched him climb back onto the cot and compose himself for sleep. They boy was extraordinary, wise, precocious and intelligent. With his power as a Weaver he could be formidable. Thusgro could see a great destiny ahead for the boy. We need this boy on our side, but I hope this business with Sanshan does not lay a darkness on his soul.
Tomorrow would come early enough, and with the new day would come their travel towards Darbuil. He would try to comfort the two and ease their minds away from their tragedy, more for the boy’s sake than anything. The elder Renpol had a deep grief to deal with, but he was fully grown and did not need guidance so much as time. The younger Renpol was susceptible to becoming angry and bitter, which could drive him to a dark path. If the anger in him started to take hold, his future could well be skewed. The Weavers would have to ensure he stayed on the light path. He would have to start the process early, but the responsibility would not be his alone, nor for a long time. The trip to Darbuil might well seem longer than it was in fact.
Thusgro climbed into his bed. Yes, tomorrow was another day.
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Thank you for reading: Sight Beyond Sight, the first installment in the series called: The Valdorren Saga.
About the Author:
Dimitri J. Honorat is a poet, artist, writer, former soldier, and a jack-of-all-trades, which seems to be a good recipe for writing well. He has lived what appears to have been several lifetimes in his few decades of existence, but then again, having been in a couple of armed conflicts does tend to do this to a man. He enjoys spending time with his wife, daughter and stepson, and is writing, as of this publication, from a small apartment in Queens, New York.
Connect with Me Online:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dimitri.honorat
Title 1 –Sight Beyond Sight
Title 2 – Twice Empowered*
Title 3 –The Journey*
*coming soon!
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