The Winds of Crowns and Wolves (7 page)

In his best attempt at grandiose
philosophical rhetoric, Lucas had struck a proverbial chord within
the very foundation of Neach. In a controlled manner, Neach
prevented himself from getting carried away with what it was that
Lucas had said, and he carried on toward the counter.

“
So I shall take this to
Daniel, with any message?” Neach asked.

Lucas’ face writhed into a smile and simply
stated the following:

“
Tell that boy that
sometimes, the things he believes need fixing aren’t necessarily
broken in the first place.”

With that profound statement, equally
regarded as nonsensical by Neach, the village boy took the lute
from Lucas’ hands and proceeded out the door into the light winter
snow.

Had it been snowing any harder, Neach would
have been hard pressed to preserve the status of the lute until his
arrival at Daniel’s home. Fortunately, just as he stepped outside,
the snow began to let up and gave him the solace of a dry walk
northward.

His mind was running at the pace of the wild
deer as he contemplated the potential interactions that the two
would have. Unsure if Daniel would even remember his father or not,
Neach began to question what it was that he was doing here, alone,
in the capital.

This undertaking may have proven too much
for Neach to do alone. He was just yet a man, maybe it was possible
that he couldn’t understand until later in his life. Regardless, he
pushed forward toward the supposed massive stone home where Daniel
was said to be living.

Up ahead, he saw a gathering of people in a
square. They were all surrounding what appeared to be a street
performer who had set up a base in the center of the square.

When he reached this gathering, Neach took
the liberty to see what it was all about. Intrigued by the display,
he stood in the back of the group and listened as the performer
went through the motions of his trick.

“
Look here now, good people
of Leirwold, it is I, the marksman of the North. I challenge any of
you to do what is it I am about to do, as I am considered a premier
sharp shooter in this land,” the man claimed.

Out of his pocket he took a collection of
knives which looked freshly sharpened. He ran his finger along the
blade and made a grand gesture for entertainment purposes.

After a brief pause, the performer’s finger
pointed to a piece of paper which was attached to a tree at the far
side of the square. At its center, a circle was drawn for targeting
purposes. A short wind up and a throw saw the first knife sail
toward the tree with reckless abandon. It hit the paper just
outside the circle and the people watching applauded.

The second knife was not as lucky as it
glided through the air only to find itself lodged in the tree, just
above the paper.

The final knife was the subject of a
challenge to the audience. Calling on the great performers of the
day, this man wished to get the crowd involved so they’d come back
for more. The people around him filled the bucket at his feet with
coins as he made issued the following challenge:

“
To any wayward traveler or
resident who wishes to attempt the feats which I, myself, have
managed to accomplish, you need only step forward and take hold of
this knife which I hold in my hand at this very moment.”

A passion burned deep within Neach, the
man’s arrogance was something which perturbed him and he wished to
prove him wrong. With the seizure of all the gumption in his body,
Neach stepped forward and accepted the gauntlet.

“
I’ll give it a go,” Neach
stated in a quiet voice.

“
What’s your name, kind
volunteer?” asked the man.

“
Neach,” a more confident
Neach stated to the crowd.

“
Well then, Neach, here’s a
knife, the rest is up to you to execute,” propagated the performer,
his voice dripping with charisma.

Neach stepped forward and grasped the sharp
knife in his right hand. From where he stood, he could see the
paper clear as the blue sky above after the clouds had parted. He
paused for a moment and closed his eyes. As he did so, a rush of
adrenaline took over and could hear the music of the street
performer a block away distinctly in his ear.

He reared back with a vengeance, and hurled
the blade toward the tree.

It spun through the air, seemingly in slow
motion. Its ultimate destination unsure, but its intent clearly
evident, it transgressed the square and lodged itself perfectly
into the center of the circle outlined onto the paper.

A near perfect toss, the crowd was stunned.
A gasp of breath was all that could be heard until a murmur of
whispers was replaced with a resounding applause for the throw that
had just been perfectly executed.

He stood without moving for what seemed like
an eternity. The tranquil scene of success blended with disbelief
was quickly interrupted by what could only be described as a
dissipation of the previously formed unit. Men and women scattered
and the wind kicked up in the square. It seemed a storm was moving
in and it would be best if Neach left for cover.

In a sort of frenzy, Neach began walking
northward toward where he believed Daniel’s home was.

Ahead of him he read a sign which said
“Estates District”.

Leirwold was separated into nine districts,
all serving a specific purpose to the community it was located
within. The Estates District housed the wealthiest of the city’s
citizens in a collection of massive homes.

Made from the finest woods and raw
materials, these feats of architecture loomed over the small
residential zone to its southwest. Daunting structures, funded
through the successes of Leirwold’s elite, these estates just so
happened to house the man Neach had come to the city to find.

Through the district he walked, following a
multitude of winding footpaths in the wrong direction multiple
times. At one point, he gazed upon the royal palace for the first
time. Never in his life had he seen a piece of art more magnificent
than the castle which stood before him at that very moment.

He turned about face and wandered back in
the direction of the center of the district.

The Estates District was one of the smaller
districts in the city. Wedged between the Craftsman’s District and
the Marketplace District, the Estates District offered a prime
location in reference to its proximity to both leisurely and life
altering goods.

Into the center of the district Neach
ventured until he was standing before what could only be described
as the most hideously designed building in the entire area.

Wood, which had been colorized yellow using
the pigment located in corn, outlined the face and sides of the
building, creating a hideously yellow structure which appeared
daunting to the wary Neach. There was no way he could be mistaken
in finding this house; it had to be the home of Daniel.

In front of the home a long cobblestone path
was laid before the doorstep. With increasing trepidation, Neach
moved along the path toward the door.

When he reached the entrance, he paused
before grasping the cold, brass knocker. He thought about his
family back in Spleuchan Sonse, what he had left behind for this
moment.

He lifted the knocker and it collided with
the metal plate behind it three times before a rustling could be
heard from inside.

Scampering about and an extensive amount of
collisions could be heard as the owner hurried toward the door to
invite the weary traveler in.

As the door opened, all that Neach had hoped
for was under siege by the toiling occurring in his brain.

In front of him stood a man whose disheveled
hair was the most prominent feature that could be distinguished
upon first glance. It looked as if he hadn’t slept in days and a
musty smell emanated from the inside of the home. From what Neach
could see from the doorway, it appeared that although the home was
filled with extravagant goods, they were poorly taken care of.

“
Hello there la, what can
I-Oh-my lute!” exclaimed the man who could only be Daniel at this
point.

Daniel removed the instrument from Neach’s
hands and began to strum a few chords.

It was obvious from their initial
interaction that the man who was standing in the doorway in front
of Neach was off kilter at the least, and Neach proceeded to make
his next claim with trepidation.

“
Sir, I believe you know my
parents, from your time in Spleuchan Sonse,” Neach offered
cautiously.

Daniel immediately ceased his playing and
stared at the young man who stood in front of him. He carefully
examined him for a few minutes before drawing a conclusion in his
head.

“
Are you him? Are you
really him?” asked a bewildered Daniel.

Utterly confused at this point, Neach could
only offer a few words in disbelief.

“
W-what are you talking
about?” Neach answered.

A wry smile expanded over Daniel’s face as
he considered the words Neach had just spoken. He seemed content
with the response that Neach had crafted and motioned for him to
follow his steps inside the house.

Neach complied and followed him inside the
house. He was struck by the scenes inside of the home more so than
he was by the outside. Inside the room he entered, thousands of
books were piled on shelves, circling the space. Texts from
historical accounts of Leirwold, to books on the theory of music as
represented through the lute. He couldn’t believe the vast
accumulation of knowledge which was present.

Without so much as a glance toward Neach,
Daniel continued to walk up the spiral staircase in the far corner
of the room. Neach, once again, followed along until they reached
the walkway which outlined the whole of the library. A short, but
precarious walk around the top of the library and Daniel made a
hard left into a small room.

It was dark and Daniel’s strange behavior
made this a more interesting experience than Neach had hoped.

Neach turned the corner and entered the room
where Daniel now resided. Daniel had taken a candle from the shelf
and lit it so that now, part of the room was illuminated. He
gestured toward a shelf which held seemingly rare texts, based on
their bindings being encrusted with jewels and metallic
substances.

Daniel reached into the shelf and pulled a
specific book out that was barely legible to Neach’s eyes. It had
rubies inserted in its face and a binding which appeared to be
forged from gold. The pages were gold edged and it was evident that
the text in front of him was of grave importance to Daniel.

With a shuddering hand, Daniel lifted the
cover of the book to reveal the first page. Illustrated in
exquisite detail was the head of a wolf with a phrase above it. The
phrase read “Yoriik Riamendi”, something that Neach was unsure of
the meaning of.

He sat quietly analyzing the first page as
Daniel stood staring at him with intense passion. Suddenly a light
flickered in Daniel’s head and he decided to convey a message to
Neach.

“
This book will have all of
the answers you seek,” claimed Daniel.

Perplexed because of his inability to read
this foreign language, Neach was unsure what he was meant to do. He
approached this situation with Daniel as they stood their together
in this candlelit room.

“
How am I meant to know
what this says, Daniel? I’m not sure I’ve ever seen this language
before,” claimed Neach.

“
Look within yourself, son.
There is a man who has been waiting for you; he lives just off the
Northern coast of Duncairn on a small island. There you will learn
of this book’s importance, Coinneach.”

Neach was even more confused; Daniel knew
his full name and was telling him to embark on another perilous
adventure. It was at this point he decided he did not want to know
anymore. He wasn’t interested in knowing the truth behind his
existence; he simply wanted to go home.

But his heart wouldn’t give up like that;
the passion still burned hot inside of him and he wished to know
more, no matter the costs.

And so, he removed the book from Daniel’s
grasp. He held it in his hands and it felt as if it contained the
weight of the world. Its cold exterior sent a shiver down Neach’s
spine, or rather, the impending nature of the task at hand did.
Indistinguishable between the two, it did not matter much at this
point. He looked up to find Daniel staring at him intently again
before he made a proclamation.

“
There is no need to worry,
son, in the realm of time we must strive to be minutes when seconds
are all that is left, a gust when our soul is a breeze at rest,”
Daniel stated with a calm authority about his voice.

This statement sank into the deepest
recesses of Neach’s mind. While he sat there pondering the
implications of everything, he was guided by Daniel downstairs to
the pantry.

Still carrying the knapsack that he had
brought with him originally, Daniel removed it from his back and
began filling it with fruits and bread.

“
You will need these things
for the journey, Coinneach. It should take about three days with a
healthy rest each night. The man who awaits you there will want to
know your name, you best remember it upon your arrival,” said
Daniel through a gleaming smile. He appeared content with Neach, as
if he had known him for years and was waiting to see him
again.

Daniel had once again left the room, as it
seemed he was always doing, but returned this time with a bow.

“
You will also need this,
son, for protection in the wilderness yes, but once you arrive at
the island, the importance of this bow will reveal itself,” claimed
Daniel.