The Road to Ironbridge

By Kenneth McDonald

The Road to Ironbridge is the start of a new story set within the world of “Forgotten Lore,” where the Three Kingdoms of elves, dwarves, and humans uneasily share the continent of Voralis among the ruins of a fallen empire.

Apprentice wizard Ethan Tolyn finds himself adrift in life when his master is killed in an accidental explosion. The young mage sets out in a hurry for the frontier town of Ironbridge, where an opportunity for a new life could be waiting for him. But to get there, he must first survive a difficult passage through untamed lands where ancient mysteries and new threats lurk in the shadows. Traveling with a merchant caravan, Ethan joins a pair of dangerous young women and a farmer with a dark secret, who must work together in order to have any chance at all at surviving the road to Ironbridge.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kenneth McDonald
• Release date: Sep 19, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005247232

Kenneth McDonald

I am a retired education consultant who worked for state government in the area of curriculum. I have also taught American and world history at a number of colleges and universities in California, Georgia, and South Carolina. I started writing fiction in graduate school and never stopped. In 2010 I self-published the novella "The Labyrinth," which has had over 100,000 downloads. Since then, I have published more than fifty fantasy and science fiction books on Smashwords. My doctorate is in European history, and I live with my wife in northern California.

Book preview

Forgotten Lore

The Road to Ironbridge

Kenneth McDonald

[e-mail]

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2020 by Kenneth McDonald

Cover Credit: The cover image is adapted from Pass at Glencoe, Scotland, by Thomas Moran (1882). The image is in the public domain.

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Works by Kenneth McDonald

The Ogre at the Crossroads

Forgotten Lore

First Series

Secrets of a Lost Age

Warriors of Shadow

The Shattered Key

Mysteries of the Book

Second Series

The Road to Ironbridge

The Towers of Khormur-Dhain

Trouble on the Borderlands

The Graves Crew

The Graves Crew and the Restless Dead

The Graves Crew and the Damned Dam

The Graves Crew and the Firestar Amulet

The Graves Crew and the Road of Doom

The Graves Crew and the Magical Forest

The Graves Crew and the Mountain Fortress

The Adventures of the Graves Crew, Volume 1 (omnibus paperback edition)

The Adventures of the Graves Crew, Volume 2 (omnibus paperback edition)

Refugees of the Crucible

Powerless

Overpowered

Balance of Power

Power Play

Soul Weapons

Wizard’s Shield

Soul of the Sword

Wizard’s Stone

Tales of the Soul Weapons

The Dwarf on the Mountain

Legends of the Soul Weapons, Volume 1 (omnibus paperback edition)

Legends of the Soul Weapons, Volume 2 (omnibus paperback edition)

The Colors of Fate

Black Shadows Gather

Green Hearts Weep

Red Vengeance Rising

Faded Yellow Dreams

Blazing White Stars

Shiny Golden Schemes

Silent Gray Depths

The Colors of Fate, Volume 1 (omnibus paperback edition)

The Colors of Fate, Volume 2 (omnibus paperback edition)

The Mages of Sacreth

The Labyrinth

Of Spells and Demons

Grimm’s War

Grimm’s Loss

Grimm’s Love

Of Blood and Magic

Of Steel and Sorcery

The Godswar Trilogy

Paths of the Chosen

Choice of the Fallen

Fall of Creation

Daran’s Journey

Heart of a Hero

Soul of a Coward

Will of a Warrior

Courage of a Champion

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Chapter 1

Evensong was a city of roughly fifteen thousand souls, situated on the borderlands between the human kingdom of Arresh and the elvish kingdom of Tal Nadesh. It was ruled by the former, but the elves were prominent in the city, controlling a number of mercantile interests whose trade and the wealth it created were vital to the city’s prosperity.

It was an average, blustery autumn day as the apprentice headed into town along one of the roads that fanned out from Evensong like the spokes on a wheel. The young man looked distracted, his feet avoiding the ruts in the road out of habit, his eyes not seeing the birds that fluttered past or the occasional rustle in the bushes that flanked the cleared route. He looked to be about sixteen, his limbs long and gangly and awkward in the way that many humans his age experienced growth. He was plainly dressed, with a rather threadbare tunic and cloak over woolen trousers and ankle-high boots already scuffed and muddy from the road. His head was uncovered despite the chill in the air, his hair a wild mop of sandy brown.

His lips moved in some kind of silent inner dialogue as he made his way past the outskirts of the city and approached the southern gate and its fifteen-foot walls. People were coming and going despite the relatively early hour, mostly humans but the occasional well-dressed elf among them, slender and distant in the way that they had. The apprentice ignored them as well, and only seemed to come back to himself when the gates themselves were directly in front of him. There were guards there, but they we just keeping an eye out, not interfering with the flow of people in and out of the city. None of them gave the apprentice so much as a second glance as he joined that flow and went inside.

The market square wasn’t very far from the gate, but the youth quickly grew distracted again by his own thoughts. So much so, that he quite nearly collided with a pair of women who emerged from one of the side alleys in a hurry.

Both women were clad in dark, well-made suits of leather and wool. The first looked to be about six or seven years older than Ethan, a blonde with a crooked nose and a dark splotch of a birthmark along the right side of her jaw. Her eyes flashed as she looked at him, and said, Watch it, you clumsy idiot!

Ethan bit back the apology he’d been about to make; he was clumsy, and he had allowed his mind to wander, but the women shouldn’t have just burst out onto the thoroughfare like they had, without even looking to see if there was any traffic. But his retort died on his lips as the other woman stepped forward and put a hand on her friend’s arm.

I’m sure he didn’t mean anything by it, she said. Ethan knew he was being rude, but he couldn’t help but stare; the woman was stunning, a perfectly formed face framed by swirls of deep brown hair. He realized with a start that she was half-elven, the hints of her mixed heritage clear to someone who’d spent his whole life in Evensong. He tried to think of something he could say to her, but before his suddenly-addled mind could rally she glanced back into the alley and said, "We should go, we don’t want to be late for our errand, do we?"

The other woman made a face but nodded. As they started across the street, she turned to Ethan and said, Look where you’re going, next time.

The pair crossed the busy street briskly. Ethan took a step after them, and almost stepped into the path of a wagon with a four-horse team that came rattling by. He stumbled back, chastened by his own foolishness. He waited until the wagon had passed, then looked for the women—really, just the one—again.

They were gone.

He was tempted for a moment to go looking for them, but quickly remembered his own errand. The working day was in full swing now, and he could hear the sounds of the market from just ahead. With one last glance back, he continued on his way.

The market square in Evensong had always been one of Ethan’s favorite places. He would have loved to spend the entire day there, maybe ensconced in one of the little cafes that dotted the perimeter, just watching all of the people. The town was on the frontier between two great kingdoms, and he knew that it was just a speck compared to the great cities of central Arresh, hundreds of miles away to the east. But to the young apprentice, it was almost like the world had gathered here, in this one place. There had to be at least three or four hundred people in the square, all busy buying, selling, or watching like he was. He saw Syvalian merchants, distinctive in their gaudy silks. There were dwarves, clad in mail coats and heavy furs, trading in weapons, tools, or manufactured goods, some of which might have come all the way from Ironcrest, their mountain homeland way on the other side of Arresh. There were elves of all sorts, aloof even as they conducted business, impeccably dressed in suits in deep colors that flowed around their bodies like smoke. There were priests, engaging in their own brisk trade in faith and souls. Evensong had a temple of Sorevas that was not far from the square, but Ethan saw the sigils of all three members of the Triad.

He chuckled at a family of halflings that moved briskly past him, alert to the much bigger pedestrians that swirled around them. They had a child, a boy who was staring at his surroundings with as much wonder as Ethan. He was so distracted that he almost stumbled into a knife-sharpener’s stall, before his mother quickly darted in and took hold of his hand. The diminutive company was swallowed up within the crowd within a few more steps.

Altogether it was a chaotic and wonderful medley, the sounds of voices and tools and animals and vehicles all merged together in a dazzling cacophony. There were smells, too, which drew Ethan like a magnet as he started making his way around the edges of the square. He’d had breakfast just an hour earlier, a thick porridge with a handful of raisins, but the appealing scents quickly reawakened his appetite. A seller of meat pies sensed his interest and tried to lure him over, but Ethan knew better than to tempt himself further. He was here on his Master’s business, and Orvallus’s credit did not extend to foodsellers in the market. His own pathetic store of wealth consisted of just a few base coins, not even worth the attention of the pickpockets who occasionally frequented the square.

It took a great effort for him to tear himself away from the foodsellers and continue to his destination. Fortunately, it wasn’t far, and he quickly caught sight of the broad sign that indicated the location of Madeline’s General Goods. He stepped up onto the wooden porch, wiped his shoes on the bristle-brush nailed to the bottom of one of the posts, and went inside.

The tinkling of a tiny bell above the door announced his arrival, but he could see that the owner was busy with a customer at the main counter. He looked around at the freestanding rows of shelves packed with a broad assortment of merchandise. They included a wide range of foodstuffs, basic manufactured goods, farming supplies, tools, and just about anything else that would be needed to maintain a small farm or private household. Ethan had spent plenty of time looking over the contents of those shelves, but today he made his way quickly past to the back of the shop, where the proprietor was loading a number of small bags into a large wicker pannier. The customer was an elf, a tall, lean figure whose eyes flicked briefly to Ethan and then promptly ignored him.

I’ll be right with you, young sir, the shopkeeper said, adding a quick wink before the elf turned back.

Ethan spent the time examining the goods laid out for sale behind the counter; that was where Madeline kept her specials. There were a few unique items that drew his attention, but before he could take a closer look the elf finished his business and departed. Taking up the pannier—elves could be deceptively strong, despite their lean frames—he departed, the door ringing again behind him.

Well, if it isn’t my favorite apprentice, the woman said. She was about fifty, her body a bit soft around the center, but Ethan had seen her lift fifty-pound bags of feed without trouble. How are you today, Ethan?

Okay, Miss Maddie, Ethan said.

The usual today?

Ethan briefly took on a focused look as he checked a mental list. I need a box of wax candles, a pound of salt crystals—sea salt, it has to be sea salt—and if you have it, half a pound of sulfur, brimstone. It’ll save me a trip to the alchemist’s shop if you have any.

I think I might have some in the back, Maddie said. Her eyes twinkled as she said it; Ethan knew that she rarely failed to know exactly what was in her inventory. Old Clyven will just rip you off, you know. As for the salt, I do have some, but we’re a long way from the sea. It’ll be expensive.

I know, Ethan said. Master Orvallus was very specific. It hadn’t been quite that benign, but he knew better than to gossip about what happened in the tower outside of town.

All right, she said, but she paused before heading into the back of the shop. You know, your master’s account balance… it’s getting quite large.

Ethan blinked, unsure of how to respond. Ah… he said.

Never mind, I know he’s good for it, she said. I’ll take it up directly with him, I don’t want to get you in trouble.

Ethan couldn’t quite hide his sigh of relief.

Maddie was gone for less than a minute, confirming his earlier thought about her familiarity with her inventory. She returned carrying a number of bags and small boxes in a basket that she set onto the counter.