The Realmsic Conquest: The Hero of Legend - Book 1 [2015 Watty Award Winner]

Chapter Thirty

As the sun set on Cyperus Village, Maebus noticed a small campfire burning just a few huts away from where he was standing. Since the evening air had become significantly colder, a fire seemed like a perfect idea. Leaving Kelm by the Elder's hut, he walked over to the fire. To his surprise, he noticed a young man sitting before it.

Maebus watched as the boy concentrated on the flickering flames, lost either in deep thought or meditation. He had to be no older than fifteen or sixteen years old, yet Maebus sensed that he possessed an old spirit. Maebus was moved by seeing one so young with so much poise. Yet, he also sensed a gloom emanating from him. Although the boy appeared drawn and weary, he tapped the ground with nervous energy.

Maebus cleared his throat before speaking. "Are you okay?" he asked.

The young man looked up from the flames. "I'm fine," he replied flatly, which indicated to Maebus that he indeed was not.

"Mind if I join you? Your fire is most inviting on such a brisk evening."

The young man shrugged.

Maebus sat on a rock a few feet across from him. The fire was hypnotic. It was obvious now to Maebus why the young man was so transfixed upon it.

"You're not from around here," the boy stated without moving his eyes from the fire.

"No, I'm not," Maebus replied.

"Where are you from?"

Maebus didn't want to get too specific. "I'm from the south," he said.

"Really? Like, near the kingdom?" he asked, indicating the first real interest in their conversation.

"Pretty much."

"Wow, you've traveled pretty far to get here. What brings you to this part of the world? Surely you didn't come just to see our little village."

"Little village? I think it's quite nice," Maebus said, carefully avoiding the topic of where he was going. "I've never seen a place in the Realm so peaceful."

"And boring," the young man added.

Maebus laughed. "Yes, perhaps for one your age. I'm guessing you don't leave the village very often?" Maebus leaned forward upon the rock, locking upon the young man's weary eyes. Why does one so young seem so stressed, he wondered?

"Well," the youth engaged, "I'm told we migrate to different locations from time to time. But I've never experienced that. There are a few places nearby I travel to, such as the rock bed and the sap forest where I cut my firewood. But I've never really gone farther than that."

"Why would you need to?" Maebus asked. "Everything you could ever want seems to be right here."

"I don't know..." the young man's voice trailed off. He grabbed a couple of wood chips off the ground and tossed them into the fire. He watched them burn as if contemplating something. Some strong emotion seemed to bubble just beneath the surface of the young man's intense expression.

"I haven't really been sleeping lately," he said. "I'm not exactly sure when it started, but for weeks, I've felt kind of restless. I've been feeling this strong urge to leave my village. It's all I think about nowadays."

Maebus laughed, now understanding what was stressing the youth. "I remember feeling a similar way, a long time ago. It's completely normal for young men your age to..." Maebus paused, searching for the right word, "eh, outgrow the nest, so to speak. I imagine that with the Realmsic Kingdom's current struggle against the Warlord Damian, and with the natural turmoil of the Realm itself, many young warriors are anxious to leave home for a life of adventure."

The young man sighed as if withdrawing back into himself. "Perhaps you're right."

"I know it may seem difficult to see right now," Maebus continued, "but your time will come."

"And how will I know when that time comes?" the young man asked, hunching his shoulders, keeping his eyes low towards the flames.

Maebus thought for a moment, "You'll have to trust your instincts."

"That's at least one thing I happen to do well," the youth smiled.

Maebus continued talking with the young man throughout the night. When Kelm and Normandy joined them later, they all fell asleep by the campfire.

The next day, after the supplies were packed,the three were given new horses and clean robes. After a hearty breakfast, they resumed their journey toward the Ancient Lands.    

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