Spring Thaw
The morning sky was scarlet and golden, warm, but with fat heavy droplets of rain falling across the calm seas. Matthew was up on deck practising his kinning source when the boat skewed through the harbour, towards the longest of the three stone piers. Uthumbria was not one of the great cities, but the seaport was expansive, to say the least. Eldarus watched the boy with a father’s fondness as he sat, eyes closed, deep in meditation. The small onyx scaled beast scratched at the wooden decking with its razor claws, wings spreading as if to take flight, though Utredius had barely flown more than a few seconds in the few days since his birth.
The men on the docks were busily unloading freight or sea-catch, but the Docks Master waved a fist like a cudgel at the boat’s arrival to the port, eyeing the crew warily with his one grey eye, the other masked with a patch marked with a red dagger. Farimus was once the most feared Pirate Trader on the Kintorin Seas, though he had lost a wager with King Uthrond, many years gone by, and had to give up his daring lifestyle to earn an honest wage.
‘Good morning to you, Old Sailor,’ Eldarus called with a sharp grin.
‘Good morn’ to ye’, Sorcerer,’ the man grumbled, ‘I’d have ordered to sink this damn vessel from a mile off, if I had no’ seen you on deck beforehand. Last time I saw a ship sailed by spectres, it was a grim scene that followed, that do be sure.’
The wraiths were barely visible in the morning’s glow, pale lines tracing the human forms of a number of male figures, including Captain Vortikhas at the wheel. ‘My men are well trained, I assure you, Farimus. What news in the capital?’
‘It do’ be dark days, my old Wizard pal, dark times indeed.’ The grim tone and demeanour of the man told him he was almost trembling with fear.
‘Well, speak man!’
‘Word is the King has been alerted to a possible . . . Return.’ Farimus had looked left and right before speaking; and cast his eye at the lad on deck before speaking the last.
‘You speak of a Return to Dark Days?’ Eldarus asked, half in shock.
‘You do catch on quick, old man. I do’ no’ want to speak their name here, or ever, it do be said to be a curse to even utter their name. But the Winter Wolf do’ be Reborn, and his eyes do’ be said to glow like hot blood.’
‘What’s he talking about, im’pater?’ Matthew asked, moving up beside him on the deck. ‘The White Wolf, with red eyes?’
‘We will talk of this later, old friend,’ Eldarus said with a troubled gaze directed at the Dock Master. Farimus’s eyeball glared perplexed at the tiny dragon standing perched on Matthew’s dark cloaked shoulder. ‘So, the dragon do’ be Reborn too. So, it do’ be happening, all in line with Prophecy.’
‘What does he mean, Eldarus?’ Matthew asked with a pout, dark eyes staring up at him with slight irritation tinged with anxiety.
‘We will talk of it later, boy! Get up onto that dock and help an old man across.’ The boy did as he was asked, though before he could lend Eldarus a hand he found the steady grip of the thick muscled Pirate grasping his arm.
‘My bones nearly split with thirst,’ Eldarus complained with a light chuckle. ‘And there is barely a cord of muscle left on them.’
‘You do’ look young as the day we first met,’ Farimus replied when Eldarus planted both feet on the dock.
‘Cast off, Vortikhas!’ Eldarus shouted to the ship’s captain. The burning lacework apparition lifted a dark captain’s hat from his bone white skull—hollow caves for eye sockets—to wave farewell, as the vessel sailed back out to sea.
‘Where do’ they go when they go?’ Farimus asked as he watched the ship’s departure.
‘Oh, here, and there,’ was the only reply Eldarus could accurately give.
***
Matthew played with Utredius, the little creature fanning its wings and screeching at high pitch each time Matthew threw the dragon a scrap of meat, before gobbling down the morsel that had been seared in the pan. But Matthew was really listening to the conversation between Eldarus and the old Pirate Trader, Farimus.
They were trying to keep their voices low, but Utredius fed Matthew a strain of the kinning source, enough for Matthew to focus his hearing on the voices at the far end of the hall. The two men sat beside the brick hearth where a warm fire burned on fat logs, golden curls rising through the darkened chimney. Farimus’ home was formed of bricks of many shades of red and yellow, with lanterns lighting the walls and a small chandelier. The candles had melted down two thirds while the men sat together.
A large green parrot with a red-yellow beak also perched on a grandfather clock, the bird making soft ticking sounds in rhythm with the timepiece. Calaflan was its name, and it kept a beady eye fixed cautiously upon Utredius the entire time.
Sharing a flagon of fine apple brandy, the pair had the look of being under the spell of drink, though Matthew knew this was a trick of Eldarus’s, to appear more affected than he truly was, to glean what information he could from a wagging tongue.
‘I do know no more than this, old pal,’ Farimus insisted, ‘word came with the first ships before morning. The signs do tell the tale, though, no?’
‘So, it seems,’ Eldarus replied. ‘What do the kings intend to do about it?’
‘That be your place to give council, I do have no business talking to kings.’
‘Quite right: and I shall have to speak with all of them, very soon.’
After a pause, while Eldarus tapped his crystal tumbler with a fat golden ring, Farimus spoke up again to say, ‘I did hear one other rumour this evening,’ to which Matthew focused his hearing even closer. ‘I did hear that the Princess of Tegea did also summon the Red Phoenix not two days past.’
‘That is perhaps more relief than cause for alarm,’ Eldarus replied. ‘Without the phoenix bird, we would be swamped in a winter without end. Facing that, at the same time as a return of the Ana’nitia, could be the worst possible outcome I could foresee.’
‘So, we do be saved then?’
‘It is too early to tell. I will journey to Tegea after speaking with the kings of this realm, to see what more I can learn. The real question is whether the Vampire King has truly arisen, and when, and where. Our only hope is to strike hard and fast, to eliminate our enemy once and for all, before his infection spreads.’
‘My people were raised on the tales of the Old Ways, and we do fear the chance of such days visiting us once more. I do have many friends on the sea, if you need ships, you come to me first.’
‘We will have need of many ships, first to bring soldiers, but perhaps also to evacuate cities and holds. The bite of the Ana’nitia is swift: the plague is said to spread like no other disease we’ve ever known.’
Matthew realised his teeth were starting to chatter. He was trembling all over. Still he was shocked when Eldarus gazed his way, staring into his eyes as the old Wizard growled, ‘You eavesdrop, boy?’ He did not look pleased about it.
‘Only a little,’ Matthew managed between shivering jaws.
‘Well, you might as well hear the rest of it.’ Eldarus wore that kind fatherly gaze he spared for times like these. ‘Get over here, boy, and bring that wretched beast with you.’
Matthew pushed himself up onto legs that were quite numb from sitting crossed so long. He stamped his boots on the slate tiles to get some feeling back, then walked zigzagged toward the two men at the fireplace. Utredius screeched and followed, flapping his wings to lift a little off the ground every few steps. Matthew turned back to watch and giggled. ‘Come on, Utredius! We’re gonna hear a great story!’ The pair sat between the two men’s chairs, and the warmth of the flames brought some strength back to his core. He still shivered as he rubbed palms together briskly then held them up before the fire.
‘Yes, get warm boy.’ Farimus barked like an old wolf. ‘There do be a terrible chill on the air this evening.’
‘Yes, and I only kept the boy away from the flames so we could have our little talk.’ Eldarus rubbed Matthew’s right shoulder as he spoke. ‘I forget that the little ones can freeze in these temperatures.’ He slapped his back gently as Matthew coughed.
‘I was just a bit frightened, im’pater. I heard you speak of the Vampire King.’
‘Vampire King!’ Calaflan repeated, earning him a growl from Farimus. The bird bobbed its head nervously: wings fluttering.
‘I do have a fine coat for you, boy,’ Farimus said in a soft rumble, after the two men exchanged glances. ‘It will warm your bones if nothing else will.’
‘Do not be frightened, Matthew, my boy,’ Eldarus sighed when Farimus stood and paced through a darkened archway. ‘I will protect you as long as I am able.’
‘How long will that be?’ Matthew asked with a pout. The old man cackled at that, stroking his long white beard before replying, ‘Well, as long as needs be. How’s that, lad?’
Matthew knew Eldarus was very old, older than any other mortal man alive, much older in fact. The Elves lived forever, or so he’d heard, but Matthew had heard Eldarus talk of knowing the Elven King when the king himself, was just a lad. And the Elven King was very old!
‘Will you protect everyone, im’pater?’
‘That lad is something I cannot promise. But I will keep my eyes on you every second there is danger afoot. All hope depends on you, Matthew. Not just to rule your people, but perhaps to also lead the battles that will eventually destroy the Vampire King.’
Matthew stared up at the man in wonder, his eyes flooded with yet unshed tears of excitement and terror. ‘I could not possibly! I’m just a boy!’
‘Boy!’ Calaflan repeated, ‘Just a boy!’
‘Yes, a boy you are now, but some day, you will be a grown man.’ Eldarus twisted the ends of one of his long drooping moustaches. ‘And if I can have my way about it, by then you shall command an empire that will cover all the known lands of the earth.’
‘So you’ve said before,’ Farimus replied when he carefully laid the heavy blue woollen coat over Matthew’s shoulders, nearly drowning him in its many folds. But the way he placed that coat around him, Matthew felt he was being ordained as that great king.
Utredius snaked into the opening of the layers and crouched in between the folds, his tail flicking against Matthew’s shins like a light but frenzied little whip.
‘Look, im’pater! He thinks he’s in a cave!’
‘Perhaps he does at that boy. Does he not tell you what he’s thinking?’
Matthew gazed at the old Wizard in astonishment. ‘You mean, does he speak to my mind?’
‘Well, does he?’ The old man lit his pipe with a flame that danced upon his thumb, formed of thin air and glowing pale blue. Taking a few good puffs, he blew grey smoke in rings as he glared down at Matthew, ‘Does he, boy?’
‘I’m not exactly sure,’ Matthew replied. ‘Maybe sometimes I get a thought, or a feeling, that’s not quite my own, while he’s feeding me the kinning. Like before when I was listening in.’
‘Eavesdropping boy, you were eavesdropping, but no matter.’
‘I’m hungry!’ Matthew sobbed. He had only had a light snack of scones and butter at breakfast in the palace. Oh yes, and a slice of thick toasted bread with butter and jam for lunch. But it was getting late, and Eldarus seemed to have forgotten about dinner.
‘I’ll fix us up some fine spreads,’ Farimus grumbled and made his way to the larder, but not before filling Eldarus’s glass, from the clay flagon sitting on the table beside his armchair. Matthew watched as Eldarus pretended to take a large gulp, yet his keen eyes saw that much of the liquid vanished before reaching his lips. Magic!
‘Why do you pretend so, im’pater? Do you not trust this man?’
‘It’s not that, lad. If I drank as much as he poured, why, I’d be rolling around the floor before long, and hissing like a snake with laugher.’
‘Oh, you’re nothing like a snake, Eldarus! You’re a fox, a white fox, wise and gentle.’
‘My dear boy, you’re too kind. Though, you’ve never seen me pickled. The last time I went on a bender, I summoned the Lesser Demon Kalmaxtrix.’
‘And then what happened?’
‘Well, before I started to dry out, he’d burned down half of Lord Melboli’s castle.’
Matthew and Eldarus were still chuckling when Farimus returned with a platter of cheeses, bread and peppered venison. ‘It do’ no’ be a meal fit for a king, but it’s the finest I could scrape together. Humblest apologies: my king.’
‘Just don’t go around calling him that where anyone else can hear you,’ Eldarus replied with a wide grin.
Those words reminded Matthew of something his mother had told him before he left her. ‘Be wary of revealing your status to strangers. There are those that would see a helpless child, easily dispatched, before they saw and admired their future king.’
But in four years, Matthew would be nearly full grown. Some would even consider him a man. Utredius would be much bigger too. By then, with an army behind him, Matthew would have all the protection he needed.