Inner Stone

Chapter One

Chapter One

                The sun was slowly climbing the sky as the church clock tolled nine chimes. People bustled about on the poorly cut, dirt road of the ninth island of Listow. Listow was the final and poorest island of all islands King Mandrele owned. Children dressed in rags stumbled around the cart-driven horses as they rushed to get a bite to eat. There was little chatter in the air as the new day began.

                A young boy with dark brown, unruly tresses hobbled through the streets, coughing at the smoke as he entered the blacksmith’s warehouse. His light linen pants were dirtied from coal soot and his once white shirt had turned an unnatural grey color. With one breath heave, the boy tumbled into the darkened warehouse. The front room had miscellaneous tools and supplies scattered about.

                “Sommy? Sommy, you in here?” he called as he pushed through the creaking door. The boy shook his head, annoyed, “Honestly Sommy…where the Judith’s beard are you?” The floor squeaked under his feet as he knowingly maneuvered between sharp tools and machinery in his way. He continued to call out for his friend as he moved farther into the back of the warehouse.

                At last, blackened from coal dust, a young man appeared. “Tawryn, that you?” asked the figure between darkened lips. He heaved a dry cough as the addressed boy sighed in relief.

                “Oh, it’s you Geff. Is Sommy with you?” Tawryn questioned the man named Geff.

                Geff gave a slight smile as he rubbed the back of his dirtied neck, “’Course he is. C’mon back here and check what he’s workin’ on. It’s the newest shuck-hacker yet!”

                The boy laughed in reply and followed Geff into the backroom. In the single clay room was a giant furnace run with hot coals. In front was a dirty redhead reaching into the oven with tongs. He expertly flipped the item within the hot flames over, not pausing to glance at the newcomers. The two quietly stood at the back of the room in anticipated silence as the boy flipped the tongs again. He pulled both of the tongs along with the blackened piece of metal out of the fire and dunked them into the large bucket of water next to him. A hand pushed the dirty red hair out of his face as he bent to examine the object in the water as it cooled. He nodded once to himself as he mumbled under his breath.

                Geff cleared his throat once. Sommy jumped from being rudely awaken from his thoughts. His head popped up to see two men watching him. He shook his red hair once before sighing in relief. “Oh, it’s just you guys. Geff, you know better than to startle me at work.” Sommy scolded the dark man, who just smiled sheepishly. Sommy sighed again as he looked onto the other boy next to Geff. “Tawryn, you’re here. Let’s go then. Give meh a moment.” Tawryn nodded slowly as his eyes lingered on the bucket. Sommy noticed and his harsh face cracked into a small smile.

                “Didja want to see what’s in here?” Sommy asked. Tawryn looked up at the redhead to see a smirk spread across Sommy’s face.

He shrugged in indifference. “Wouldn’t hurt.” Sommy just smiled again and slowly lifted the tongs from the water. A sharp metal tool with spikes on one end and a blade on the other dripped with water as it was shown to Tawryn.

Sommy watched as Tawryn’s face spread with a gleeful delight. Geff grinned at both of the young boys as they stared at the masterpiece.

“Whoa…what’s it used for?” Tawryn asked the redhead.

“This side is used for carving the coal and this is to roughen the terrain.” Tawryn raised his eyebrows at the response.

“Interesting,” was all the dark haired boy said. Sommy carefully dropped the machinery back into the water, resting the tongs on the edge. He got up and stretched, his joints cracking from the release of tension on his shoulder blades and legs. Geff walked over and handed him a dirtied rag in which Sommy used to wipe his hands with.

“Alright, give me a second to change outta these shags.” Sommy walked out of the room quickly, Tawryn following close behind. Geff stayed in the room to clean up the supplies and put out the fire.

“So how are Uncle Frispe and Auntie Perue?” Sommy asked without turning around.

Tawryn shrugged, and then realizing the redhead couldn’t see him replied, “They’re alright. The usual, neh? Uncle says his back is sour, though Auntie Perue thinks it’s just because he doesn’t want to work at the mines.” They both shared a bark of laughter.

“Lazy as always, he is. I suppose he’ll always be like that, that old jagger.” Sommy muttered as they entered another room on the other side of the warehouse.

“Indeed,” Tawryn agreed. He quickly sat down on the open bench as Sommy shrugged out of his blackened work clothes. Shaking out his too-long hair, he straightened out his pants and pulled on a clean white shirt. It was an interesting contrast between Sommy’s clean clothes and soot-covered body, Tawryn studied. Sommy gestured he was ready to leave and Tawryn stood up.

“So, where we up to t’day?” Sommy asked as they left the warehouse.

“Well, Auntie was saying that the Old Hag was here today.”

“That Old Hag? All she spouts is rubbish anyway!”

“Well, do you have a better plan?”

There was a pause.

Then a disgruntled, “Alright then, to the Old Hag we go.” Tawryn snickered behind his hand as they started up the dirt road to the main gathering.