Realm of Monsters - Chapter 691: First Follower

Chapter 691: First Follower

  To avoid her anxiety-filled thoughts, Catherine busied herself cooking in the kitchen, if it could even be called a kitchen. It was a small room with a chimney and fire that served as their kitchen, dining room, living room, and even bedroom on winter nights when it grew too cold.

  The life of a commoner in Murkton was anything but easy. The strong looked down on the weak and they had very little patience or pity for people like her. At least she did not live in Hollow Shade, Catherine supposed. Rumor had it that those who could not get by were taken in the dead of night by undead soldiers who lurked in the shadows of every street.

  At least in Murkton, an orc like her could live by delivering fish to the Water Market. There were other ways, of course. If one were strong, they could prove themselves as a warrior and rise up the ranks through the arena pits. There were always gladiatorial fights in the pits year-round. 

  Her husband was many things, smart, sweet, but a warrior was not among them. He didn’t have the ruthlessness within him to take another man’s life. There were many who spurned him for his ‘soft heart’, but it was why Catherine loved him.

  A fisherman was not the most— ‘glorious’ of professions, but it provided enough for their small family. And Catherine never had to stay up sleepless nights worrying if he would come home. That is, until a few days ago.

  Word had spread quickly of the Sylvan army rising out of the mists from Vulture Woods and their victory over the forces of Undergrowth and the Valley Tribes. Many orcs had dismissed it as hearsay. The Sylvan goblins hadn’t been seen outside that cursed forest for three long centuries. 

  To Catherine, the siege of Hollow Shade was a world away. It might have as well been a campfire story. And then came the rumors to every tavern in Murkton. Whispers of a Sylvan fleet sailing straight to the heart of Murkton. Catherine was only happy to dismiss the idea, but then traders from port town after port town stopped arriving in the city.

  Her husband had gone off on a fishing trip in a port town not far away. He should have been back yesterday. There had been no word of his ship, nor any other ship that had sailed in that direction.

  Anxiety gripped Catherine’s heart at the truth that was staring at her, the truth that she refused to even dare glance at. Shaking her head free from such thoughts, she whispered a short prayer to the scarlet gods, then focused once more on chopping the carrots in front of her. The stew would be simple, but her family didn’t have the money to spend on anything more extravagant. 

  The front door slammed open with a heavy bang. Catherine put her knife down and marched over with a growl under her breath. Her children stood in the doorway, out of breath yet beaming nonetheless.

  “What did I tell you two about slamming the front door!?” Catherine placed her balled fists on her hips and glared down at them. “And where have you two been? I was worried sick!”

  “Sorry, Mom,” Anna did her best to look chastened and bowed her head.

  Henry followed his big sister’s lead and gave his best puppy eyes expression. “We’re sorry.”

  Catherine sighed. “Where were you? And don’t lie to me.”

  “We were just playing near the Water Market,” Anna mumbled.

  “What were you two doing all the way over there!?” With everything happening at the border towns and talk of war, the last thing Catherine wanted was her babies straying far from home.

  “We wanted to see the boats and—”

  “We wanted to see Dad,” Henry admitted.

  Catherine’s condemning expression melted away. “Oh, sweetie… Your dad, he’ll be back soon, just you wait.” The words felt like crushed glass as they slipped out of her mouth. How could a lie taste so bitter compared to the truth? No, it wasn’t a lie. Her husband would come back, she was certain of it. She had to be. The gods would answer her prayers; they had to. Otherwise… Otherwise…

  “Mom?” Anna said slowly.

  Catherine shook her head and gave her best smile. “Yes, sweetie?”

  “We saw a mage,” Anna said, mirroring her mother’s smile.

  “I bumped into him!” Henry added.

  “A mage?” Catherine’s heart dropped. No, her kids couldn’t be so foolish as to bother a mage. They were ruthless and would not take kindly to commoners, even children, bothering them. But her children were smiling, so it couldn’t have been a mage. “You know what I told you about lying, hm?”

  “We’re not lying!” Anna insisted.

  “Yeah, I really did bump into him. I was running and I didn’t see him and then— bam! It hurt a lot.” Henry scrunched up his nose and touched it, as if making sure it was still there.

  “Uh-huh,” Anna nodded repeatedly. “There was a lot of blood coming out of Henry’s nose, but then the mage healed him and gave me this flower!” She pulled the yellow flower from her hair triumphantly, as if it were somehow proof.

  “Right…” Catherine said dryly. “Why don’t you two get cleaned up. Breakfast is almost ready and—” She noticed the blood stain on Henry’s shirt and frowned. Leaning down, she grabbed the edge of his tunic’s collar for a better look. It was certainly blood.  She looked him over, searching for any wounds, but there were none. “Whose blood is this? What happened?”

  “We told you, a mage healed Henry!” Anna insisted.

  “Yeah, he gave us money too!” the boy rummaged in his pockets.

  “Money?” Catherine narrowed her eyes.

  “Yeah, he said it was for our troubles. Then we left,” Anna said.

  “Did anything else happen? Did he do anything to you? Hurt you?” Catherine pressed.

  “Nope,” Henry shook his head from side to side.

  “No, he didn’t hurt us,” Anna replied. “He was kind.”

  “Look, money!” Henry pulled out a couple of coins from his pockets.

  Catherine’s heart stopped when she noticed the golden gleam of the coins. 

  “Yeah, me too!” Anna showed off her own gold coins.

  Catherine’s eyes widened to saucers at the sheer amount of wealth residing under her humble roof. No one in her family had ever held an entire golden coin before. Yet a stranger had given her children two coins each!?

  Never in Catherine’s life had she heard of a mage in their city ever being so kind to commoners like them. Mages traveled with their own kind, the strong and powerful. Mages disdained the weak. What was weaker than the children of poor commoners?

  Catherine grabbed her children by the shoulders. “Is there anything the mage asked of you? Anything at all?”

  “Just our names,” Anna said.

  “Your names…?” Catherine furrowed her brow. Could a mage have truly been so generous? No. “What did he look like? Did he give you his name?”

  Anna shook her head. “No, he said he was a simple traveler.”

  Traveler? Catherine thought. Was he not from around here then?

  “He had on a big cloak,” Anna opened her arms wide as if to illustrate. “But we saw his face under the hood. And his skin, it was—”

  “Blue!” Henry jumped in.

  A northern drow? Catherine thought. Drows were rare in Murkton, especially northern ones. And a mage to boot? Almost unheard of. At least it confirmed her theory, he was certainly not from around here.

  But why wear a cloak on a sunny morning? Was the mage trying to hide his identity? Why was he in Murkton? Did it have to do with the Sylvan fleet— or perhaps Hollow Shade, or Frost Rim? Northern drow were common in the latter.

  “His eyes were purple!” Henry blurted out.

  “Purple?” Catherine pulled back with a deep frown. She had never heard of a drow with purple eyes before or anyone for that matter.

  “His hair was like starlight, it was so pretty! I wish my hair were like that,” Anna tugged at her black locks.

  “Starlight…?” Catherine whispered.

  “Oh, and he had a big staff,” Anna recalled.

  “A staff?” Catherine’s eyebrows rose.

  “Yeah, it was so weird. The staff just stood there without falling, even though he wasn’t holding it,” Anna said.

  “Yeah, it was super weird!” Henry agreed.

  Catherine’s stomach fluttered with butterflies. Tears welled in the corner of her eyes and she struggled to speak, “What exactly did he say to you both?”

  “He said my name was as pretty as a flower,” Anna blushed.

  “He said I was strong,” Henry added.

  “No, he said your name was strong,” Anna corrected.

  “Nuh-huh!”

  “Uh-huh!”

  “Kids, did he say anything else?” Catherine pressed.

  Her children frowned slightly. “Oh,” Anna blinked. “He said, ‘May you stay out of any more trouble on your journey, Little Ones.’ I remember ‘cause you always tell us to stay out of trouble too.”

  Catherine smiled as tears flowed freely down her cheeks and she slowly closed her children’s fists over their gold coins. “Keep those coins safe, don’t show them to anyone. And don’t you ever dare spend them, do you hear me? Promise me to never lose them,” she said with a gravity that did not brook any argument.

  “Mom?” Anna whispered. “Are you okay? You’re crying.”

  “Promise me!”

  “We promise,” the children said in unison.

  “Good.” Catherine kissed them both on their foreheads. “Now go to your room. The food will be ready soon.”

  Happy to be off the hook, the kids scampered off without any protest.

  Catherine staggered back into the kitchen and fell to her knees, sobbing. She had been so afraid of the war looming over their border. Afraid for her family, her children’s future. She had prayed to the scarlet gods for protection, but it was the Traveler who had answered.

  It was just like the ebon stories of old. Stjerne would appear to fellow travelers as an unassuming and humble man, with his iconic staff at his side. He hid himself with a heavy cloak, but his divinity always slipped through in small ways.

  Hair like starlight. Otherworldly eyes. Skin as blue as the midnight sky.

  In the stories, the Traveler would ask for a person’s name, for names carried a piece of one’s soul; it showed the true nature of one’s heart. To those he found worthy, Stjerne would offer them a token with his divine blessing.

  ‘May you stay out of any more trouble on your journey, Little Ones.’

  Catherine cried in relief, humbled and in awe. Whatever happened next, she knew her little ones would be safe from harm. Countless nights she had prayed to the gods of her ancestors, but it was not they who answered. She was unworthy of the blessing her small, meager family had been granted.

  Catherine placed her forehead onto the cold stone floor. “Thank you, thank you,” she whispered over and over again. Though she could never pay back what the Traveler had done for her on this day, she would be damned if she did not try.

  Gone were her days praying to the scarlet gods. Her family now had only one patron deity and she would dedicate her life to his service. 

  “Thank you, Divine One, thank you…”

~~~

  Stryg frowned as his ear kept twitching involuntarily.

  “My lord? Are you alright?” Gale stopped walking and turned to address her young ward.

  “Yeah, it’s just… Do you hear that?”

  “Hear what?” Gale immediately started glancing at the surrounding buildings, searching for a threat.

  “Like a whisper or something? I don’t know. I can’t quite make out the words.” Stryg scratched his droopy pointed ear.

  “I hear nothing… I think it’s best if we keep moving, my lord.” Gale ushered him along with a pat to his back, while keeping her eyes on their surroundings.

  “Right. Yeah.” He nodded and kept walking.