Chapter 1 Part 1

DARKWIND

Book 2

The Lord of the Wood

LEGACY

The rain poured down from a gray sky with a vengeance. The fury of the atmospheric assault on the ground had reduced the visibility to a mere five meters and reduced any hope of comfort to a wishful thought, but the traveler rode onward. The mule and cart both made deep tracks in the wet earth. The lone rider pulled his thick overcoat tightly about himself in a vain attempt to ward off the wet and cold.

From under the wide brimmed hat, Ultrecht cursed the chemistry of his adopted world. It seemed that water on Assile changed from liquid to solid or vice versa only when it was most inconvenient for a traveler.

Of course Ultrecht knew this was not true. He had studied the minerals that existed naturally in the water. The high freezing point of the oceans was due to an unusual, but otherwise natural phenomenon. On the other hand that mineral left the water during the evaporation phase of the climatic cycle. The resulting lower freezing point made for some very cold rains.

Ultrecht searched vainly down the road for any signs of population, but found none. He had been on the road for about a week and was quite ready to reach his destination. He had just concluded a rather tedious stay at the guild conducting research in Allentown, and was en route to a small village just a week's travel north of that city. It was there that his long time companion Armegon had settled to raise Marlena's son.

The child had grown quickly. The others had returned to their home world only a short time and yet the child was already running and playing like a five or six year old human child. The rapid maturity, Armegon was convinced, was a gift of the boy's sire.

The kid showed great strength and dexterity, and a toughness that belied all little boys. And even though the child's mind was a little slow, Armegon was convinced that the boy could overcome that setback in time. Ultrecht tended to agree. With proper tutelage, the boy would obtain a rudimentary education, but the mage was certain that the boy would never be able to manipulate magic. He had told this to Armegon and the foster father had been forced to agree.

The rain slackened and Ultrecht took advantage of the added visibility to check the distant mountain range for recognizable patterns. He directed his mule and cart off the main road, and disembarked to stretch his legs. He was not far from his destination. Before the day's end, he would reach the small but profitable ranch Armegon had bought. By nightfall, he would be in a warm dry cabin with a hot meal and good wine inside him.

Of course as usual, there would be the normal battery of questions from Armegon about their new home, and the boy would pester him for some tale of monsters and heroes.
Ultrecht had spent many hours entertaining the lad with true stories of his own adventures as well as those of Armegon's, and the boy would listen eagerly for every word, though Ultrecht did not reveal that the stories were actually true. Armegon had asked that the boy not be told too much of their former lives. Ultrecht simply used false names in his stories. The boy would never know that his foster father and foster uncle were the real heroes of the tales.

Ultrecht glanced up at the gray skies and the cold rain pelted his face mercilessly. He wiped his eyes and remounted the cart. The sooner he got to the cabin, he thought as he urged the mule onward, the better.