chapter three

Chapter Three

 

 

  Charcley grinned down at Mercer who blinked up at her nervously. The two of them were standing outside a tavern in Rivendor about to fake Mercer’s death.

The regions of Battalon, Stailleon, and the Icx were about as different as cats and dogs. The region Battalon was home to famous-or infamous, depends on how you look at it- Swordsmaer Hail where warrior apprentices and knights-to-be went to spend five year enduring a grueling training program. A civilization that bestowed honor and glory to those that showed skill in battle and highly frowned on archers, mages and anyone who even considered a sneak attack arose on the vast plains to the west of Castle Norhail.

Stailleon on the other hand lies to the east of Castle Norhail, and is covered with dense forests filled with shadows. Tracking, sneaking and archery come natural to the green-eyed people of Stailleon.

The Icx however is full of constantly shifting snow-covered mountains; it’s also where the Council of Norhail-where the king and his appointed directors of the Icx, Stailleon, and Battalon and the head of the Black Fox corps sit around discussing political matters- is hosted by the Elder Mages. The Elder Mages are a small group of the most elite, powerful, and wise mages to graduate from the Citadel of Magic, where apprentice mages are trained. Magic is part of life for the people of the Icx; they need it to keep themselves alive in the treacherous mountains.

The only thing keeping the three regions of Norhail from jumping at each other’s throats is the Black Fox organization which was created by King Leotull the Second when he saw a rare black fox cross the space between the armies as the warriors of Battalon were marching across the plains towards the Icx but were stopped by a troop of Stailleon archers that had been hinging the tall grass. Now the peace lies in the hands of the Black Fox corps who end conflicts against the kingdom inside and out of Norhail.

“I don’t see why we have to fake my death” Mercer said looking at Charcley and getting the urge to poke the end of her hair and see if it was as pointed as it looked.

Charcley grinned again standing up straighter. She seemed to always be grinning about something, Mercer had noticed earlier. Charcley was eighteen and rather young to be taking on an apprentice, but she felt she was ready for it. She had become Cenred’s apprentice when she was ten and trained with him for seven years before becoming a full Black Fox agent.

“Being a Black Fox is an important position, and if someone wanted to get to the kingdom they would have to get through the Black Fox first and if they don’t know who we are, where we are, or how to contact us they can’t break us.” Charcley had those dark blue eyes of the Icx and long blonde hair that flipped out at the tips making them look spikey. She wore blue and black mage robes that were sleeveless and tight-fitting under her black Black Fox robe that was also sleeveless and black gloves that came up to her elbows.

“To save heartbreak we recruit mostly orphans” Charcley explained, stretching.

“I guess that makes since” Mercer admitted.

Charcley grinned, again. “My first idea was to make it look like you were burned to death, it would be a suiting end to a pyromaniac like you” Charcley said.

Mercer tried to smile nervously. Mercer was nine and the exact opposite of what any nine year-old should be, he was a workaholic, a perfectionist, very neurotic and, a pyromaniac.

 

Mercer had green eyes and black hair; he wore all black with the exception of his green cloak.

“Are you ready?” Charcley asked

“Yes” mercer nodded, “I’m ready”

Charcley nodded back and moved casually towards the pile of firewood stacked near the tavern door while Mercer walked absent mindedly to the other side of the road.

Leaning against the tavern wall Charcley bumped against the wood pile and nonchalantly rolled a stray log into the road with her foot.

They only had to wait a few moments for the log to interfere with traffic. A horse drawn buggy loaded with straw ran right over it causing the wheels to jerk, and jolting everything else with them.

Mercer let out a fake groan of pain before crumpling in an overly dramatic way to the ground in between the cart wheels as the man driving the buggy jerked the horse to a halt. The woman that sat beside the man screamed and leaped off the bench, and rushed over to Mercer.

“Henry! Henry we’ve hurt a child!” She cried as the man called Henry also leaped off the bench.

“Poor thing! How did we not see him?” Henry said laying a hand on his wife’s shoulders, she fell to her knees and put her head in her hands.

Charcley rushes over “Thanks, you’ve made my life a whole lot easier!”

“What?” Henry asked while at the same time his wife, Jennete’ screamed “You horrible person!”

Charcley grinned “You don’t understand, he was the last of the Bloodied Gold, I’ve been following him for ages!”

The two farmers froze; the name Bloodied Gold was well known to everyone in and around Rivendor, they were a band of bandits that terrorized merchants, traders, and anyone else that traveled the roads around Rivendor. They had even killed and stolen from a group of Norhail Couriers that had been traveling together from the castle to Stailleon to take quests (quests are what the couriers call delivering important messages over long distances) this was the final straw that brought down the iron fist of King Leotull, he sent word for a Black Fox agent to end the Bloodied Gold permanently. And she almost had. Mercer really was the last of them.

“Th-the-the the Bloodied Gold?” Henry managed, “it was only last week that they took all my gold and nearly killed me! I barely escaped with my life! And you say there all…” He trailed off.

“Dead?” Charcley guessed “Yes, my name is Charcley; I’m with the Black Fox, by order of King Leotull the Seventh I have…” She crouched by Mercer and pretended to check for pulse “Permanently ended the Bloodied Gold bandits!” she confirmed his death and stood up, “With your help, of course”

Both the farmers seemed surprised when she said she was with the Black Fox, the corps was very mysterious and most people went their whole lives without even seeing an agent, much less speaking with one directly.

“But he was only a child…” Jennete’ murmured “surely he couldn’t because anyone harm”

Charcley thought fast, “It was just two days ago that I watched as he snuck up behind a woman and her baby, stabbed the woman in the back then tossed the baby out into the forest to die”

One of mercer’s eyes popped open and glared at Charcley, who kicked him in reply, which made her act more convincing.

“It was too late to save the woman, but I did save her child and sent it with a courier to the nearest monist airy”

Jennete’ sighed in relief, happy to know the baby had survived, for she was expecting a child herself and she also kicked Mercer, who struggled not to laugh.

“I’ll go burry this with the rest of them” Charcley said picking the still limp Mercer up and throwing him over her shoulder, “Why don’t you spread the good news the last of them are dead,”

As if remembering at the last moment Charcley added “This one was called Mercer ShadowSheath, I’m sure someone will recognize the name, the ShadowSheath family have a dark past”

Charcley turned on her heel and marched down the road headed out of town while Henry helped Jennete’ back onto the buggy’s bench before pulling himself up after her. They both were silent as their smallish brown mare pulled their buggy in the opposite direction of Charcley but they both wanted to break the silence but couldn’t bring themselves too. Charcley had made it seem like the blood shed had ended, but it had ended with even more death, and they both felt slightly sick as they went about spreading the good news.

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