The Chellion Days

By A.S. Morrison

Young Ackerley has only ever known the small town life on the edge of society. That is until his brother takes him to a large castle to live out the remainder of the war brought by horrible invaders from the north. It is here that Ackerley makes his first friends, learns the history of the kingdom, and helps a lonely princess. All while the threat of attack looms ever larger.

• Language: English
• Publisher: A.S. Morrison
• Release date: Aug 22, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370524808

Book preview

The Chellion Days

By A.S. Morrison

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2016 A.S. Morrison

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

1.

He could hear the carts when he woke—no horses, no animals of any sort, just people wheeling their carts through the dusty streets. They all wanted out, but there was nowhere to go.

He sat at the end of his bed and listened to the screams and moans—everyone going nowhere fast. He pulled on his shoes and pulled back the sheets hanging in place of glass. It looked worse than it sounded. Without a crack of emotion, he sat back down on his bed, wondering when his brother would arrive.

It had been quite a while since he saw his brother. Last he heard his brother was out in the Vastlands to the south, trying his hardest to keep back the invaders. It never worked. They were fast and sneaky, the two worst attributes for angry hordes with sharp swords. He heard his brother fought them back as well as anyone. He liked hearing the stories. But now that his brother was coming to take him away he wished his brother could stay in the stories and away from him. It had been so long after all. With everything going on he might be angry, or violent. He didn’t know how people turned when they fought like that.

It was a miracle, though, that the invaders were only just now getting to that little town. At first they didn’t pay the little towns any notice, as long as they didn’t have any clear signs of money. Not a person there had a piece of gold or silver between them, they didn’t even have animals to pull their carts. That all changed a few months back, when the last of the poorly defended castles was sacked. The invaders turned their sights on anything and everything. They hadn’t yet attacked the king’s castle, but everyone knew that was because he was divinely protected. Divinely protected by a big wall. A lot of the walled places hadn’t been hit yet, or so he’d heard. The manors around the castle were said to be safe as well. News stopped coming when the invaders started destroying the little towns on the banks of the Mothund River. His little town wasn’t on the river, but it was close enough.

That’s not to say that it was all bad though, living in that town with week old news and no idea where the invaders were. Before someone arrived a few days before with news of the other small towns, it had been a right nice place to live. But that seemed so long ago now to.

There was a knock at the door, well, more of a panicked rapping. He went down and opened the door just a hair. Hands pushed through the crack and embraced him.

Oh, Ackerley, how are you? Have you been scared here all by yourself?

The boy, Ackerley, shrugged. No, I’m fine I guess. It’s not so bad.

The woman held him at arm’s length and examined him. Yes, you look alright. Your brother will think we’ve done a good job. He’s coming—don’t you forget—he’ll be here anytime. We sent the letter when we heard. Oh, you know—but he is coming. I promise. He’ll be here before night—I just know he will. But we should have cut your hair, you can’t see a thing.

I’m fine. Ackerley said, pulling himself away.

The woman hugged him again. You’ll be safe when he gets here, don’t forget it. He’ll know where to go. He’s fought them. He’s killed them. He can think like them by now. He’ll know what to do.

Uh-huh.

The woman wrung her hands and nodded fervently. He’ll know.

A man came up behind her. His eyes kept glancing around wildly. Come on, heaven knows how much time we’ve got left. He said, a tremor to his voice.

The woman picked up a large bag with some difficulty and slung it over her shoulder. He’ll be so surprised when he sees how big you’ve gotten. We tell him everytime—

Come on! The man yelled.

People all around shouted—wheels squeaked and children cried.

The woman gave the boy a terrified smile and took off behind her husband.

Ackerley shut the door and shook his head. He listened to the chaotic sounds of the outside world for a bit and then sauntered back to his room. After a while of staring absently at nothing he picked up the last letter his brother wrote him. It was over a month old.

Ackerley,

How is everything? We’ve been in the Vastlands now for so long I keep losing track of time. Yesterday we encountered the Welgo’s but they didn’t stand a chance. We killed half the pack and sent the other half running. If only they’d go back to Welgland and leave us alone!

I heard a town like ours went up to heaven about a week ago. It’s a ways away from you, but if anything happens around there I’ll be back as soon I get word. Remember what I said before? There’s a place I’ll take you to, a better place than where you are now. But I can’t take you unless the town is going up, that’s the one rule they have. They can’t take everybody after all.

Tell Mrs. Tandry that she’s been a great neighbor to us. She didn’t have to check on you every day. Remember that she’s doing it because she’s nice. Don’t ever forget to thank her. I know it’s been hard since

Ackerley stopped reading. He didn’t like the next part. He was curious about the place he would be going to. He’d been alone now for over a year. Well, almost alone. He’d have liked it much better if crazy Mrs. Tandry didn’t keep coming by every day. She never really helped any. She’d poke her head in the door, ask if anything was wrong, and then disappear. It was useless.

That place, that better place his brother promised, it sounded interesting to Ackerley. He’d heard of better places but was never sure just how better they could be. The invaders, the Welgo’s as they called themselves, took out every place that could be better.

He sat there on the bed all day, making quick trips to the store closet to get food. As time passed the noise in the street diminished. Once it was quieter he began to wonder if his brother got the message in time. Even if he did there was no telling if he could get there before the Welgos. Ackerley shivered at the thought of them at the door instead of his brother. He got up and looked through the sheets. The street was almost deserted. Only one family remained. They had to keep stopping as things kept falling off their cart. They’d packed it far too high. One of them yelled to leave whatever it was, but two little kids kept grabbing the stuff as it fell, tossing the things back onto the pile.

He stepped away from the window and waited.

Evening came and he was afraid that his brother wasn’t coming. The town had been quiet for a while now. He was probably the only one left.

A noise made him jump. It sounded like a horse running into town. For a terrified second he was certain it was the Welgo’s, but then realized that they would come with many horses. Hoping for the best he ran to the front door and pulled it wide. A large brown horse came to a stop right outside. A man jumped down. The man looked at the boy blankly.

Alright? The man asked.

Yeah. Ackerley said awkwardly.

Did you see Mrs. Tandry off?

Yeah.

You thanked her?

Uh-huh.

The man nodded. He took a rope out of a bag hanging off the horse’s saddle. I’m going to tie this around us for the trip. It’s in case you fall asleep. I don’t want you falling off somewhere in the dark.

Can we ride in the dark?

The man smiled for what was probably the first time in a long while. I’ve got this. He untied a long stick that had been secured on the saddle and hung a small lantern off of it. It’s a terrible thing, but it’s better than nothing.

Kenton? The boy said, nervous about saying his brother’s name.

Yes.

Where are we going?

It’s a big castle a long ways away. It’s perfectly safe. You’ll see. It’s a hundred times better than this place. There are rules though, but they’ll tell you all about them when you get there.

Kenton helped Ackerley onto the horse and climbed on himself. He threw the rope around them and tied it tight. Ackerley hoped for more room, but he would take the constraint over falling off. His brother kicked the horse’s side and it took off. Ackerley strained to see behind him, to see the town he had lived in his entire life drift away in the distance. Out past the town smoke rose into the sky. He shivered and looked ahead, grabbing on to the saddle for support so he didn’t have to grab on to his brother.

The horse ran quickly down the small dirt road that led into the unknown. It didn’t take long for them to catch up to the families that left town last. The family with the over-packed cart were the slowest. The parents yelled as the children kept going back for things that fell off. They were only a blur as the horse sped by.

The ride was quiet. His brother would only talk to remind him to hold on tight or to tell him that they were making good time.

Night came before long. The lantern on the stick threw light in all directions. Kenton grew annoyed and often cursed under his breath at the light’s inability to keep even remotely still. Finally, he pulled the horse to a stop and blew the light out.

If we keep up with that the Welgo’s will see us.

Do you think they’re nearby? Ackerley asked, trying to hide his fear.

It’s possible.

Kenton tied the horse to a nearby tree. It was too dark to tell exactly where they were, and there were no lights to signal a town. He pulled a couple blankets out of one of the many bags tied to the horse’s saddle and laid them out on dead grass. Ackerley sat down on one as Kenton handed him a jar of beans and a spoon.

Is this what you eat all day? Ackerley asked, grimacing as he attempted to swallow a mouthful of beans.

If we’re lucky. I’ve been saving these for you. Mostly we eat these hard cracker like things.

They sat in silence for a long time. And then, when all the beans were gone and the jars had been put away, Kenton lay back and urged Ackerley to get some sleep. Ackerley found a comfortable spot on the blanket, but wasn’t sure if he would ever get to sleep out there with the thought of Welgo’s permeating his mind.

Sometime before dawn Ackerley was shaken awake by his brother. Within a few minutes they were back on the horse, speeding along through the countryside. Ackerley was too tired to keep his grip on the saddle and sometime in the early morning fell asleep with his head on his brother’s back.

When he woke up they were riding at a slower pace through a forest. Ackerley had only once been in a forest. It was a long time ago. His parents had taken them on a trip to see a relative. He didn’t remember who the relative was but he did remember the forest. It was so pretty. For years he had thought back to that day with fond memories. Being back within the trees made him smile for the first time in a very long time. He didn’t even fear the Welgo’s there. There was no way people so evil could find a place like that. He felt so good watching the little animals and swaying leaves that he didn’t mind what else was going on in the world.

Do you see a lot of forests when you’re out? Ackerley asked, watching the canopy above him in a blissful daze.

Yeah, occasionally. There’s a big one to the west. We fought the Welgo’s there a few months ago.

"In the forest?"

In and around. Kenton said emotionlessly.

Ackerley didn’t believe for a second that anybody could be evil near a forest. He looked out through the trees and was simply amazed that there was no end on either side of the trail. Nothing else mattered in the minutes spent gliding silently through that tree filled heaven.

Some time later, after eating the hard cracker like things, they left the trees behind, much to Ackerley’s dismay.

We may have to stop in a few hours. I doubt we’ll make it tonight. Kenton said sometime in the afternoon.

What is this place? Ackerley finally asked. He’d wanted to ask the whole time but found it difficult to talk to his brother.

I told you about it in some of my letters. It’s a real big old castle that takes in kids displaced by the . . . well the current situation.

Ackerley didn’t much want to spend the rest of the war against the Welgo’s in some place with a bunch of other kids. In fact, the only thing he wanted to do was go home and be alone, but that was out of the question at this point. And besides, he seriously doubted that they wanted him there. The kids there were probably all related to generals and nobility. Someone like him, someone from some middle of nowhere town nobody ever heard of would have a terrible time there. He was sure of it.

And they were alright taking me? Ackerley asked nervously, afraid of the answer.

Well sure.

That didn’t make him feel any better. "Are you sure, though?"

Kenton sighed. The king is the nephew of the man who owns the castle. I told him about you and he talked to his uncle. In the end he agreed.

In the end? Ackerley really didn’t like the sound of that. This castle owner had to be convinced to take him. For the first time he was afraid of going to this place. Of course they would treat him bad. He’d probably have to sleep out with the horses, if they had horses. He couldn’t say anything to Kenton about it; he’d probably just get mad.

The ground was hard and cracked. Miles went by without the slightest sign of life. Ackerley didn’t know if this was the work of the invaders or if the kingdom always looked like that. He never had the chance to explore or even learn about what was out there.

Evening approached and with it the first interesting sight. Sprouting out of the cracked dead earth came a small town. Even from far away the signs of life were unmistakable. Small tan buildings of all conceivable shapes lived in harmony in that wasteland. People and animals could be seen milling about along the edges.

Are we there? Ackerley asked.

No, we won’t make it today. I thought we’d better stop off for a real rest. This town’s been of service to me every time I go home. I have a friend there who can give us shelter for the night. The less time we spend outside the better. Kenton said wearily.

How long are we staying?

Ackerley very much wanted to stay there for the rest of the war. A place like that would be much more like home than some aristocrat’s stuffy castle. A small town of hardworking commoners was much more his style.

Just the night. We’ve got to get you to that castle so I can get back to work.

Ackerley wanted very much to know what it was like to fight in a war, but was still too nervous to ask.

The town was a dirty little thing. Sewage lined the dusty streets. None of the windows had proper glass, just like in the town they had grown up in. The people looked worse, if that was possible. They all wore layers of rags and had perpetual sorrow etched into their worn faces.

Kenton pulled up to a two level shack that looked ready to collapse at any moment. He untied the rope and slid off the horse. He helped his brother down and tied the horse to a post.

There was no door; only a ragged cloth blowing in the breeze. Kenton carefully moved it out of the way and they entered.

It took a while for Ackerley’s eyes to adjust to the darkness. There wasn’t much to see anyway. The room was empty except for a very old woman sitting in a rickety wooden chair. Her face was lined with age and scars from life. He wasn’t sure if it was a life well lived or poorly lived, but it didn’t matter much.

Madame Orly, it is very nice to see you again. Kenton said, kneeling down and grasping her hand.

Ackerley wasn’t sure she could hear him. She looked far too old to even know what was going on.

Madame Orly laughed heartily. "I hoped that I would both not see you again . . . and of course see you again."

Kenton laughed as well. In my line of work it’s better to be seen again.

And what a terrible line of work it is. She said.

Ackerley was shocked to hear somebody say something negative about the war. In his hometown he’d often have people come to his house just to say that they were thinking about his brother fighting the hero’s fight.

It’s only terrible when we lose. Kenton said with a wide grin.

Madame Orly looked at Ackerley, who jumped a little under the old woman’s powerful gaze.

Little Kenton, I’ve heard about you.

His name is— Kenton began.

I remember it. She retorted. But what I don’t know is why you’re here. Why did the king send his best adjutant away at such a time? I hear the news. I know the stories from the many fronts. If you can call them fronts.

Kenton nodded slowly. Our town was about to go up to heaven. I—well I needed to get my family to safety.

Madame Orly sat up in her chair and frowned with a sense of knowledge unknown to Ackerley. And where is this safety?

Chellion Castle. Kenton whispered, looking a little guilty.

She shook her head and sighed deeply. The big castles aren’t going yet but they will. And when they hit them it will be far worse than what they do to the towns.

Kenton pushed Ackerley back a little as though trying to limit what he heard.

I don’t really know if that’s true.

Ackerley could tell his brother didn’t believe a word of what he said.

Madame Orly could tell as well. She gave him a slight smile and changed the subject. Your room is open upstairs. People come by but nobody stays anymore.

Kenton took a small purse from his belt that jangled quite a bit. Thank you very much. Here, I’ve got the usual.

No, no, no, don’t you dare pay me for this. The roof will probably fall on your head or you might get slaughtered by a Welglander. There’s no sense in paying for that.

Kenton put his purse back and thanked her yet again.

Stop thanking me! She got up from her chair with some difficulty. There’s probably a hundred kinds of poisonous bugs up there. She leaned in close. But if you do die in here believe me that I’ll help myself to that money. That’ll be the deal.

Kenton laughed again, though this time a little uneasily.

2.

The room was tiny with only one bed; not that it could much be called a bed. It had a frame—made of moldy wood. It had a mattress—filled with wet sand. And it had a pillow—filled with something Ackerley had no intention of touching. So it could by definition be called a bed. Kenton dragged a smelly mat in to sleep on and gave Ackerley the privilege of the bed.

Kenton sat on the mat, which squished under his weight. "We’ll leave early. We’ll get to the castle by evening that way. Don’t worry about this town. It’s got some of the worst people imaginable, but they’re our people."

Somehow that made Ackerley feel better. I guess the Welgo’s won’t attack then.

Sure won’t.

Madame Orly brought up stew for them. It had pieces of meat, and was the first meat that Akerley had in a long time. He savored every little bit and was sad when it was gone.

Kenton took the bowls and set them outside the door. He curled up on his mat and went to sleep.

Ackerley sat around the rest of the day staring out the torn curtains onto the street below. When it got dark few lanterns lit the street. Several people walked here and there. He wondered what they were doing. He sighed and felt the uneasiness of going to the castle. It scared him a little, the uncertainty of it all. He tiptoed from the room and carefully walked down the hall. It felt better to move. He’d wandered all over his little town whenever he got that feeling. It worked at home, but didn’t quite have the same effect in that hallway. He’d always known that the future was out there, but never what it was. Now he knew what was going to happen. He was going to a noble’s castle to wait out the end of the war, if it ever came. And then . . . and then what? He shivered and walked back to the room.

Halfway down the hall a voice called to him. He turned. Madame Orly lay on a bed in one of the rooms. A candle flickered nearby, illuminating only a small portion of her face.

Come in. She said quietly.

Ackerley went to the doorway, unsure what to do next.

Come on now. I want to tell you something.

He slowly went into the room and sat on the edge of the bed.

She looked deep into his eyes. I can tell you’re scared. I know that feeling anywhere.

Ackerley looked away.

Don’t be afraid of the future. It’s the only thing we have a say in.

He shifted uncomfortably.

Madame Orly patted his back. This war is fought for you. The king may be fighting for himself, but the warriors are fighting for you. It doesn’t matter who’s in charge of this kingdom as long as they can give children like you the most they can. Do you know it? Do you understand that?

I just want to go home. He said, staring at the doorway.

She nodded in understanding. "I know you do. But I must tell you something else. Something that is even more important. There is no home."

Ackerley looked into her sad old eyes and found himself looking back.

That little town you lived in is gone now. The castle you are going to is only temporary. Every place you live in your life is only there for a time. People say they have a home because it makes them feel better about their situation. I want you to be free of all that. Be free of what the people around you want for themselves. Find a way to want differently. Find a way to believe differently.

Ackerley didn’t understand what she meant. He nodded anyway so as not to seem rude.

Oh my, I’ve gone and sounded crazy again, haven’t I?

No, I just . . .

Madame Orly looked disappointed. Go to bed, kid, you’re going to need it.

He got up from the bed and quickly walked back to his room.

Ackerley jolted awake. Light poured in through the windows. At first he thought it was morning, but that wasn’t daylight. Kenton grabbed him and stood him up.

Come on, we have to move. Kenton said, a quiver to his voice.

Sounds of smashing and yelling shook the boy to full consciousness. Something was happening, something bad. The light he had seen was red and glowed hot through the curtains.

Kenton grabbed up what he had brought in with him and pulled Ackerley out of the room and through the hall. They stumbled down the stairs. Madame Orly stood near the doorway. The building across the street burned bright in the night.

Kenton stuck his head outside and pulled it back. He pushed Ackerley against the wall.