The Path To Sujuldarfen

The Boy And His Heritage

Author's note: Thank you so much for reading my book. Like I said, I'm still new at this , so do give me a chance. BTW, Sujuldarfen is an island. The Suj is silent, so it would sound like Uldarfen.

Chapter 1

I never personally knew my parents. I was an orphan, a child that was seen as a hindrance, an obstacle, or even a worthless piece of trash to some. I was born in an age where famine and the flames of war raged on. The age where being an assassin or a mercenary would make you rich in no time. The age where emissaries and political leaders' words are just as strong as a legionnaire's strike of a sword.

      I'm not the only child who got left behind, who had to go through this painful process, many young ones can be seen stranded at the roadside, marketplace, these are dark times. I however was few of the lucky ones, I managed to get into an orphanage. That's not something to be happy of, but I've seen what happened to those children who didn't manage to get into an orphanage. Forced to be beggars, thieves, slaves, farmers. That was what I thought at first, told myself that I was the lucky one. That was a mistake that I would regret. My first day in the orphanage, I made myself a few new friends, got to know each other.

      Seleana, she's from the northern regions of Andraviz, her parents were blacksmiths for the Empire's legionnaires, till the group of rebellions, Flameraiders, they call themselves, burn down the entire village she lived in. Bartholomeo, who lives in the mainland, Alcorda, family lived in a quiet countryside, his parents who happened to be farmers. They got killed when the village was turned into a battlefield. Now the village is just a place to dump bodies. The next person I was about to be introduced to isn't the kindest person, least to say. Gertrude Stein, she's as cruel as any old lady can get, she would scream at the children for not washing their own plates, force them to wash her legs every night. The children were just 8 years old and they were treated as slaves.

            Things were not that great for us older ones as well. We were forced to cook, clean the city stables, all the money we earned, we barely get to keep half of it. 'You are fed and given a place to stay, you don't need that much money. You'll just get rob by thieves', is what she would tell us when we asked why we can't keep our own money. The truth is, she is the one robbing us in broad daylight, but we can't refuse to give it to her. Those who refused will be sent to the stables to spend a night with the horses, and the stable master is a lazy man. He rarely ever bath the horses.  All of the money goes into Gertrude's fat pockets, use the money to gamble. When she loses all the money, she'll return and start extorting money from us again. Enough complaining about my life, its about time I introduced myself. You must be confused, I'll start from the beginning.

         My name's Leathen, son of Larion. I'm 15, second oldest in the orphanage. Bartholomeo's the oldest, he's 17.  The war, it occurred when the Empire decided to ban the use of magic, a law that wasn't welcomed well by the people. The people were too attached with the use of magic. Magic was used as a tool, in everyone's daily life. My parents were normal civilians, we were trying to flee from Alcorda, but we got caught escaping by the city guards of Blackroad, the city we lived in, it was under a heavy Empire control. My dad, a scholar who was respected by many, he had suspected that our lives would be in danger if we continued to stay where we were. Being the man of the house, he made the decision to pack our bags and head for Andraviz, where the rebellion and the Empire's actions and security weren't that tight. My mother, Stella Adler, was just a housewife. After being caught by the guards, they suspected that we were Flameraider spies, giving the enemy intel. We didn't even get to testify ourselves. We were sent to the parade square to be publicly executed. I was 12 that time and I didn't understand what was going on, why were the guards arresting us and why were we going to be executed in public. The guard atop the bell tower rang the bell, signaling that there was going to be an execution.

         My dad was the first to be called upon the block, people gasp and stare, wondering why a scholar was being executed. The sound of my mother crying and wailing was deafening. I didn't know how to react,so I just stood there with my mother, both shackled and bound by chains. When my dad laid his head down, and the executioner lift his gigantic axe, I finally understand what was going on. I screamed and shouted at the executioner to stop. I burst into a fit like a rabid dog trying to free myself from the chains of the shackles, tugging at it until my hands felt like they were about to fall off. But I was too late, the executioner's hands rose and drop in a fluid movement. The next thing that I saw was my father's head rolling on the ground. My mother was to be the next one to be executed, she screamed and wailed as she saw her husband's lifeless body on the ground. From this point on, I was crying, screaming and yelling out loud, wondering why were the people just staring and not helping. At that moment, an arrow flew right pass my face, missing just a few inches off. But it didn't miss, it found its target and it planted itself in the guard that was standing behind me, right in his head.

        The guard's body went lifeless and slumped on the ground. The crowd went insane and started pushing and shoving as I heard someone screamed at the top of his lungs, " Ahhhh! We have an assassin!" I was so confused, why wouldn't they help me? Can't they tell that these guards were the bad guys? I wanted to run, but I can't open these locks that chained me and my mother. As if he could read my mind, the archer that shot the arrow ran towards the dead lifeless body of the guard to look for the keys to free us, bow in his left hand. He unlocked my chains first and went for my mother's who was standing behind me, but stopped in his movements," She's gone lad," his low and rough voice that seemed to be able to pierce a hole into someone. I spun around in shock," What do you mean she's gone? She can't have just mysteriously disappear!" The archer glare at me," I'm trying to help here, you might want to watch your tone lad, look, we have no choice. Go to the docks, south of town. Do you know where that is?" I stared at him the way a puzzled child would when they asked their parents why were they arguing, that didn't last long, I shouted at him, " Are you crazy? I can't leave without my mother! Who are you anyway?!" He clenched his teeth, trying to hold back his anger, " Do not push your luck lad. There's no way a woman in chains could just disappear like that. Unless she's a sorceress. Now go lad, we have no time. Go to the docks and look for Andrews, ask the folks there if you don't know him, and tell him Jodenyses sent you. He'll understand. Something bigger is about to happen, so go now."

        I was so confused, not knowing where to go,I had no choice but to head for the docks without my mother. Where was mother? How did she escaped from her chains? These questions were playing on my mind as I ran to the docks. I was surprised to see that the docks weren't in chaos, because when I was on the way to the docks, the market was a mayhem. People were flipping stalls and vegetables laying on the ground, it was chaos. The docks were calm and peaceful. I ran to one of the fisherman who just got back from sea, his back facing me," Do you know who's Andrews?" He quickly turned around and almost drop his catch of fish," Jeez lad, don't scare me like that, almost lost me marbles! And yes, I do know Captain Andrews, he's on the ship Whitegale."

        I thanked the man for the information and ran down the docks till I found a white ship with the word Whitegale written on the side of the ship with red mast and the symbol of a black wolf painted on it. I ran up the stairs leading up to the ship, a man stopped me in my steps before I could set foot on the ship ." Hold up kid, where do you think you're going? What business do you have here?" He was a burly man, a man that has all the brawn but not a brain," I'm here to see Captain Andrews," he stared at me for awhile and spoke," And how do you know that name kid?" I told him that Jodenyses sent me here and ask for Captain Andrews. At the mention of the name Jodenyses, his face was shocked, he stood there for a moment. " Wait here kid," with that he ran off into the lower decks of the ship. I stood there, not knowing what to do now. My father is dead and my mother is missing. Before I could think up of any more dark thoughts, a muscular man came out  from the door the burly man went in minutes ago. He was dressed smartly, unlike his crewmates who's clothes reek of ale and were crumpled up. " Captain Andrews at your service. You must be Leathen, Larion's son." I was shocked when he mentioned my father's name.  How was he related to my father? " How do you know my father's name? And who are you? What is happening?!" Without realising, I was shouting and yelling like all this madness was his fault. " Come, follow me kid. You must be hungry. I'll answer all your questions indoors." Without thinking much, I stride into the ship, keeping a safe distance from myself and Andrews. Who knows what this man is capable of.