Hornguard 1b

  The trumpets sounded as the boys were paraded into the council chamber. Each one had an expression of excitement and worry. Only a select number of boys would be chosen, the rest would stay in the village to help with their families. Arrayed at the front of the chamber were the different guild masters from Rillion. James, the weapons master, was near the center talking to Mink, the merchant. The Vulpine James smiled as he watched the boys entering in. When they were moved to the center of the room, the horn suddenly sounded. Everyone turned towards the door as an older wolf entered. Whispers started to be heard from people in the room as they watched the gentleman walk up to the front of the square chamber and start talking to the guild masters. Finally the time came when the elder of the village stood up and said. “Greetings. As elder of this village, I have the privilege to introduce these masters of their crafts to new apprentices. Each master has selected two boys to learn the craft in the capital of Rillion. This will be their new home. I will now let the masters name their students.” Joel could feel that the boys around him were as nervous as he was.

  Time seemed to stretch as Joel waited until the last master, James, called his names. James turned from talking to the older wolf who had entered earlier and said, “I am only going to call one boy this year.” A gasp went up from around the room, but Joel knew that he would be the one. Besides Tom, the other boys were farmers, they knew nothing about fighting. “I call Tom Swacsar.”

  Joel suddenly felt angry. He knew he was better than Tom, he just knew it. This would mean that Joel had to stay and help Tom’s parents for the rest of his life. This is not what he had in mind for a future.

  “All the boys have been called.” Started the elder. “The rest of the boys may…”

  “Your pardon, sir.” interrupted the older wolf, “I have not yet made my call.”

  “This is highly irregular, sir…” the elder left the blank for the gentleman to fill in.

  “Lord Chancellor Trig.” The wolf supplied. The room hushed so quickly that the elder could be heard muttering a word he shouldn’t have said. All in the room had heard of the Chancellor, the king’s personal advisor. None, however, had expected him to show up in Frankton. “I call the orphan Joel to my service. He will start out by training with James. Joel, do you accept my call?”

  “I … um … er … yes, yes I do.” Joel replied.

  “Good, then. Proceed with James back to Rillion. There I will tell you what will be required of you.” With that said, the Chancellor mumbled some words and disappeared from sight.
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  The festival that night was the loudest in history, this according to some of the old men of the town. This festival not only celebrated the calling of the boys, but it was also the mid-summer festival. The boys were old enough to try the Ale, not only eat as much as they want. Joel and Tom got their meals and sat under a tree. “Why would the Chancellor want you to train with James, and further, why did the Chancellor choose you in the first place? I always heard that he never chooses anyone.”

  “I don’t know.” Joel replied. “He looks real familiar though.” Joel trails off thinking.

  “Can you believe that Muv was called by Elmc, the bard? I never thought that Muv had any talent.”

  “Yeah…” Joel said distantly.

  “Joel, have you had too much ale? Wake up.”

  “I am awake.” Joel said as he hit Tom on the shoulder. “The Chancellor, he sorta looked like that old wolf we saw yesterday.”

  “Would you stop thinking about that? Look, tomorrow we leave here and travel to Rillion. Rillion, the capital, you know. Think of all the stories we have been told about that city.”

  “Yeah, it should be fun.” Joel responded more alert now. As the night went on, Joel and Tom ate and drank more. The festival ended at the 1st watch, 2nd hour.
* * * * * * * *
  The next morning came much too soon for Joel. His head felt too big for his body, his tongue felt like a carpet, and there was a pounding in his head. “Wake up, Joel.” Tom’s mo called. Joel winced as the noise hit his ears. At the breakfast table, Tom looked to be much in the same pain as Joel. Unfortunately, Tom’s mom had no pity. “If you hadn’t drunk so much ale, you wouldn’t be in this condition.” His mom repeated over and over. At the 5th watch, 1st hour, Joel and Tom were all packed and waiting at the door for James to come by.

  “Are we going to have to walk all the way?” Tom asked.

  “I hope not. I think I saw James being a cart into town.” Joel replied. At this, a sound of a cart came into the sharp ears of the boys. James pulled up to the gate and motioned the boys to come.

  “Good morning.” The James yelled as the boys winced. “Had a little too much to drink last night? Well, that will be about the only time you well get drunk until you have completed my training. Throw your stuff in the back and hop in.” The boys were glad not to have to walk the whole way to Rillion, but with the noise the cart made, they were not enjoying the trip. It was a shorter trip by wagon, only two days; not the four or five days that walking took. As they rode along, James told the two boys old war stories. Joel watched the fox as he talked. He seemed to be in his late 40’s with some gray hair and scars over his arms. The muscles show that he does know how to handle himself in a fight.

  They camped out that night in a clear area. As the boys were cleaning up the dishes and grooming the horses, James told them stories that he claimed were true. “Now boys, I have seen other creatures. I am sure that you have heard legends of elves, Dwarves, Orcs, and Goblins. Well, I have seen them and fought them. The elves tend to stay away from us furries, and dwarves stay in their mines. Orcs and goblins on the other hand, they like to attack unarmed and weak groups of people. Oh, I have killed many an orc to save some defenseless person. There are also rumors of dragons. I, however, don’t believe them as I have never seen a dragon. You’ll recognize orcs and goblins, as they are smaller than you, and uglier. We are in unprotected territory, so we will set up watches for tonight. I will take the first watch. I will wake you two to take the second one. We will continue to switch off. If there’s a problem, wake me. Do you have anything to defend yourselves with?” The boys showed him their daggers. “Where did you get these?”

  “We found them in the guard tower near the ruins. We were told not to let anyone have them.” Joel answered.

  “Who told you not to let anyone have them?”

  “An old guy who got us out of the ruins as we were being chased by a group of men he called evil.”

  “Hold on a minute. You had better tell me the whole story.” Joel repeated the story of how they came upon the daggers, went into the castle, chased down the corridors, and left through the secret entrance. “You both did this?” James looked at the two of them, and they both nodded. “Did you get a good look at the men?”

  “They wore black and had a crest that was a volcano surrounded by a red circle.” Tom replied.

  “Red circle, you say?” The fox looked at the german shepard. “This is more serious than I thought. I will have to tell the king about this. You both know that those marks are of the Overlord, don’t you?” The boys looked very surprised. They have heard of the Overlord in school. He was supposedly the guy who attempted to take the castle called Hornguard. He failed, as the castle was destroyed in a big explosion. He was known as an evil man who wanted to capture the land they were in now. “He has been wanting this land for a long time. I believe that he is too old to take it now, but they say he has an apprentice. They also say that this apprentice is even more evil than him. Those daggers must have come from Hornguard. I want to check them out in Rillion. For now, go to sleep and don’t worry, tomorrow we will move faster.” The boys had a hard time, however, going to sleep.
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