Tales of Norwood

By Bob Hirsch and Elizabeth Hirsch

Skye narrowly escapes assassination and travels to Melto to find aid from his uncle in recovering his late father's kingdom. On the way, he saves the life of a female orc who becomes dedicated to him. With the help of his cousin and fellow knights in training, Skye recaptures the throne of Norwood. After years of ruling Norwood, Skye meets the love of his life at a tournament. They marry and have a son, Benar, who wants to become a wizard. Benar studies hard and becomes a powerful young wizard who defeats his father's enemy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: May 31, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098385460

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Table of Contents

Part I. Throne of Norwood

Chapter 1. Escape

Chapter 2. Edgewater

Chapter 3. Adrikans

Chapter 4. Pursuit

Chapter 5. Decision

Chapter 6. Search

Chapter 7. Samuk Mountains

Chapter 9. New Friend

Chapter 10. Prince Rema

Chapter 11. Meltonian Desert

Chapter 12. Encounter

Chapter 13. King Rema

Chapter 14. Melto

Chapter 15. Reunion

Chapter 16. Return

Chapter 17. War?

Chapter 18. Adrika

Chapter 19. Peace?

Chapter 20. King Skye

Chapter 21. Battle

Part II. Queen of Norwood

Chapter 22. Plans

Chapter 23. Newport

Chapter 24. Trip

Chapter 25. Lilly

Chapter 26. Tournament Day 1

Chapter 27. Tournament Day 2

Chapter 28. Norwood

Chapter 29. Kidnapped

Chapter 30. Ransom

Chapter 31. Strategy

Chapter 32. Army

Chapter 33. Adrika

Chapter 34. Wedding

Chapter 35 Tournament

Chapter 36. Arrival

Chapter 37. Benar

Chapter 38 Sandiville

Chapter 39. Jungle

Chapter 40. Ba’gin

Chapter 41. Quest

Chapter 42. Return

Chapter 43. Lilly

Chapter 44. Norwood

Chapter 45. Expectations

Part III. Wizard of Norwood

Chapter 46. Beginnings

Chapter 47. De’los

Chapter 48. First Spells

Chapter 49. Adrikan King

Chapter 50. A Trip

Chapter 51. Rumor

Chapter 52. Wo’lee

Chapter 53. Adrikan Gold

Chapter 54. Warding Spell

Chapter 55. Adrikan Army

Chapter 56. Jungle Asventure

Chapter 57. Oogla’s Decision

Chapter 58. Challenge

Chapter 59. Le’dos

Chapter 60. New Training

Chapter 61. Peto

Chapter 62. Adrikan Plans

Chapter 63. Bad News

Chapter 64. New Plans

Chapter 66. Flight

Chapter 67. Newport Plans

Chapter 69. Newport Surprise

Chapter 69. Return to Newport

Part I.  Throne of Norwood

Chapter 1.  Escape

For hours he had been crawling through the tunnel.  It was totally dark. He could see nothing. All he could do was smell damp, musty earth and tell he was descending.  He could barely breathe and his chest burned.  He felt as if the walls were closing in on him, although he still had room to crawl.  His back ached and his knees had been rubbed raw, but with great difficulty he crawled on.  He had no choice.

He had not wanted to go, had not wanted to leave his father, mother and brother to face the Adrikans alone.  But his father’s last words echoed in his ears, reminding him that he, Prince Skye, heir to the throne of Norwood, must survive and return one day to reclaim what was rightfully his. That was his duty.  That must be his goal.

He was wondering if he could go any further when, at last, he felt a breeze on his face.  The fresh air felt so good he paused for a moment, just to breathe.

The end of this ordeal must be near, he said to himself. 

With newfound strength he dragged himself forward, foot by foot.  Suddenly, his hand brushed against something in front of him!  It seemed to be made of canvas.  He probed cautiously in the darkness and decided it was a pack of some sort.  He had no idea who might have left it there or why, but this was no time for questions.  He needed to get out of this tunnel!

He pushed the pack before him.  This made his progress more difficult, but he dared not leave it behind.  He had escaped with little more than the shirt on his back and the contents of the pack could prove useful.

Finally, around the pack he could see a faint glow.  He was nearing the end of the tunnel!  He peered around the pack.  The moon was full this night and it provided light enough to illuminate the bushes that had been planted to hide the opening.

A few more yards and he was at the end!  He wanted nothing more than to get out of this cramped shaft, but he forced himself to kneel at the it’s end, listening carefully for sounds of anyone nearby. All he heard were crickets and toads, the sounds of a Norwoodian summer’s night. Finally, he decided it was safe to make his exit.  Easy to say, but not so easy to do.  The shrubbery was thick, filling the entire mouth of the shaft.

He tried skirting the bushes.  It was slow going, but eventually he managed to free the pack and his tall lanky body from the shrubbery.  All at a cost.  He was covered with scratches, especially on his face and arms.

He struggled to his feet, becoming dizzy with the effort.  Holy Mother in Heaven, it felt so good to stand upright again!  He stretched his aching back and brushed the dirt from his long sandy hair. At last, he dared to look back, afraid of what he might see. His gaze travelled across the cattle and sheep pastures, coming to rest on his beloved home.

It looked as if all of Norwood were in flames.  The Adrikans had not only stormed the castle, but looked as if they laid to waste the homes and shops of her people.  He could not take his eyes off the destruction.  His mouth was dry.  He could feel the pulse pounding in his head.   His chest felt tight.  He was afraid his heart might stop beating.  By the looks of it, he was certain his family had been slaughtered, but it seemed not even that was enough for the Adrikans. It appeared as if they wanted to kill Norwood herself.

At last, Skye was able to look away from the devastation and consider his own situation.  He judged he was about a quarter of a mile away from what was left of Norwood.  He realized that wasn’t nearly far enough to be safe.  Especially with the full moon illuminating the landscape as if it were day.  All would be lost if he were captured by the Adrikans.  He had to find some cover soon.  The forest stood about a hundred yards away to the west.  There was little cover between him and the relative safety of the forest. He had to make it! He realized his only chance was to run.  With his head down and in a crouch, he ran as fast as he could.

Once hidden away among the tall oaks of the forest, he struggled to catch his breath praying that no one had seen him escape.  If anyone had, they did not seem interested in pursuit.  He sighed deeply.  He knew he should feel relieved, but all he could feel was grief. He had just lost his family and his people.  Slowly, grief gave way to a burning rage.

Skye slid the pack he found in the tunnel off his shoulders.  As it slipped to the ground, he felt the weight of his worry begin to subside along with it.  He opened it up, peering inside to see what it held.  He found a change of clothes, a traveling cloak, a belt knife, a pouch filled with gold and silver coins, an abundance of trail biscuits, a canteen, a map, a tinderbox, and a length of rope.  With a lump in his throat, he realized his father had anticipated his needs very well indeed.  With great difficulty, he held back the flood of emotion that threatened to overwhelm him.

I must remain strong and on my guard, he said to himself.

He wanted so badly to stop and plan what he was going to do next, but he knew he must put more distance between himself and the smoldering remains of his beloved Norwood.  Soon the Adrikan soldiers would begin to patrol the countryside looking for remnants of Norwood’s army. Eventually they would notice that his body was unaccounted for and they would be searching in earnest for him.   Skye fastened the knife on his belt, shouldered the pack, and headed south.  His choice of direction just then was simple.  Away from the Adrikans!

He had traveled about fifty yards into the woods when he came upon the scene of a skirmish.  He couldn’t tell who had won the fight.  There lay the bodies of two Norwoodian soldiers and two Adrikan soldiers.  He examined them.  Each was armored, mostly in chain mail.  He considered wearing some armor himself, but he thought it better to appear a traveler than a soldier.  The soldiers all carried swords, but at best he was a novice at swordsmanship.

As the son of the king, Skye had been trained to use many weapons.  He considered himself least proficient with the sword.  He saw that one of the soldiers had been carrying a longbow and a quiver of arrows.  That was his favorite weapon.  His trainers constantly praised his prowess with the bow.  He appropriated the soldier’s bow and quiver.  He tied the quiver around his waist and slung the bow over his shoulder.  He continued to head south through the woods.  He was weary but dared not stop.  He was still too close to Norwood to risk discovery, especially with the full moon still bright in the night sky.

Shortly, the rising sun began to glow in the eastern sky.  It would soon be light.  He considered stopping.  He could hide during the day and travel at night.  He decided he was still too close to Norwood. Far too close to relax just yet.  He carried on as swiftly as the foliage would allow.  He continued until the sun was near the western horizon and he had skirted the western shore of Lake Norwood.  He sopped to fill his canteen, then, he began to look for a place to rest for the night.  He found a niche between two huge boulders.  That would do.

As he settled down, all he could think of was sleep.  He had hiked for through the night and most of the day and, although the terrain was relatively flat, he could not remember having ever felt such exhaustion. He realized, however, that he must renew his strength for the coming day.  He was still not far enough from Norwood to feel safe.  As weary as he was, he realized he was almost as famished as he was tired.  He took a trail biscuit and the canteen from his pack.  He had never before eaten a trail biscuit, but he had heard it said that just one would give a man strength enough to walk an entire day!  He tried to take a big bite.  It was like eating a plank!  He found, however, he could break off small bits with his belt knife. 

Eating the biscuit had him very thirsty, so he managed to nearly empty the canteen.  He would need to keep an eye out for place to refill it. As he ate, he studied the map.  He realized he was headed for Edgewater, a little hamlet along the Samuk River.  He had often passed that way when traveling with his family to Melto, but had never stayed.  He knew that, aside from the inn, stables, and ferry across the wide Samuk river, there was little else there.  That was enough for his purposes.

He settled down, putting the pack under his head and covering himself with the cloak.  Soon, he was fast asleep.

Skye woke as the sky was just getting light.  He was about to take a noisy stretch when he heard sounds coming through the woods from the south.  At first, he feared it was Adrikan soldiers, but he heard no talking. Soldiers tended to talk while patrolling an area where they don’t expect to see the enemy.  He carefully peeked around the rock and spied a pack of lupinian lizards moving to the south about thirty yards to the west of where he lay.  The lupes were hungry.  Lupes were always hungry.  They flung their long, forked tongues out to catch the scent of anything edible.  Lupes were so large that they didn’t need to be particular about their diet.  Anything breathing was edible! Fortunately, the wind was from the west, so they didn’t pick up his scent.  His trail from the day before was still fresh enough for them to follow, so he prayed to the Holy Mother that they wouldn’t catch the scent of his trail.  If they did, he would be their morning snack.

Once the lupes had disappeared into the distance, Skye packed up and continued southward.  After about thirty minutes he came upon a small stream.  That was fortunate, for he could fill his canteen and, more importantly, it would break his scent trail.  Even though they were out of sight he knew the lupes were far too close to his trail for comfort.  So, he turned to the west and walked the stream for about a hundred yards.  Then, he abandoned the stream and turned south once again.

He had walked just a few feet when he up jumped a rabbit.  Thoughts turned to dinner and the only thing on the menu was another trail biscuit.  They had provided the strength and energy he had needed, but they weren’t exactly appetizing.  A trail biscuit left a lot to be desired when it came to being dinner! He took his bow from his shoulder and selected an arrow.  As he searched about, he carried his bow with an arrow nocked.  He would be ready when the next rabbit showed itself.  It wasn’t long before he had dinner hanging from his belt.

As the sun lowered in the western sky, he searched for a suitable place to camp.  At last, he was satisfied he had gone far enough.  He doubted anyone would be searching for him this far away Norwood.  He set about gathering wood for a small fire; just large enough to cook his prized rabbit.  While it cooked, he studied the map.  He thought he was only about a half mile east of the Edgewater road.  It would be a lot easier to follow the road than to blaze his own trail. The woods had become an almost impenetrable barrier of thorny bushes.

Skye considered the wisdom of traveling on the road.  If he did so, he would likely encounter other travelers.  Unfortunately, his appearance was still distinctly royal. He was dirty and messy, but still his clothing was much too fine and he wore the ponytail traditionally favored by men of royalty.  Come morning, he would change all that, but now the aroma of dinner cooking was making his mouth water.  He was famished!  He tore into the rabbit with great enthusiasm, all the while thinking it was surely the best rabbit he had ever tasted.

He woke as the sky brightened.  Before breaking camp, he pulled the change of clothes from his pack.  They were very plain, like those a traveler would wear.  Perfect.  He donned them and stuffed his prince’s garb into the pack.  Just then he remembered he had to rid himself of his ponytail.  He regretted the loss, but would regret it much more if he were recognized as royalty. 

He pulled out his belt knife and began to cut.  It was not as easy as he had thought.  He sawed away until he was left with a shaggy page boy and a sore scalp.  Once finished, he gathered up the remnants of his locks from the ground.  He dared not leave any clue that would reveal his true identity.  He buried the hair among some thorny bushes.

Now, he could head west toward the Edgewater road. When he reached it, he turned south once again.  The going here was much easier, but he was more exposed.  He tried to reassure himself that it was now very unlikely he would encounter anyone who would recognize him.

Chapter 2. Edgewater

The sun was in the west when Skye arrived. Edgewater was just as he had remembered; an inn, stables and the ferry.  The inn bore the name The Leaping Frog and looked well-kept; a good choice for a dinner and bed.  Fortunate, for it was the only place to stay, unless he wanted to sleep in the stables.

He stepped inside and found the interior was just as well-kept. As his gaze travelled around the room, he was distracted by the smell of lamb stew.  Suddenly, he realized he was ravenous! His mouth watered in anticipation.

He paused a moment, then noticed a bell on the inn keeper’s desk.  He rang and was greeted by a large man with a little apron who had been cleaning tables.

Are you the inn keeper, Skye inquired.

I am.  What do you need? he replied.

I would like a room and some dinner, Skye informed him.  The innkeeper explained that the cost of a room was five silver and dinner one silver.  Skye pulled out his purse and handed the man a gold coin.

Do you have any silver? he asked.  Skye rummaged his purse until he located six silver coins.  The inn keeper thanked him and showed him the way to his room.

You may come down for dinner whenever you would like.  See that you bring some silver or copper to pay for the ale, he advised and left him with a key.

Skye looked about his room.  It was very small by his standards, but looked clean enough.  One thing was certain, it beat sleeping on the ground in the forest!  He stowed his belongings save for his purse.  He took a moment to wash up and, then headed downstairs for dinner.

The dining hall was very crowded.  Most of patrons were probably planning to take the morning ferry.  He found an empty table in the corner and sat down.  Soon, a somewhat attractive woman about his age came to his table. 

What would you like this evening? she asked.

There is a delightful aroma coming from the kitchen.  It smells an awful like lamb stew, he ventured.

You have a keen nose m’lord.

Well, that is exactly what I had in mind.  And a pint of ale, if you please.

Very well.  The woman nodded and scurried off to the kitchen.

Just then it occurred to him that he had ordered ale.  He supposed this could be considered a rite of passage, of sorts.  Now that he was eighteen and was now considered a man after all.  He felt a lump in his throat.  He wished more than anything he could have shared this moment with his father.

Before he had much time to brood, the bar maid returned with a bowl full of lamb stew and a generous piece of crusty bread. 

I’ll be right back with your ale, she said as she scurried off once again.

Skye eyed the stew.  It smelled delicious though it hadn’t much lamb.  His bowl consisted mostly of turnips.  He took a taste.  It was as delicious as it smelled!  He tore off a piece of the bread.  It was yeasty and fresh.  With great enthusiasm he began to eat, his melancholy evaporating.

Here is your ale.  Just give me a sign if you’d like anything else, the bar maid said as she turned to the other tables where it seemed most everyone was awaiting more ale.

Skye took a cautious sip.  He thought it tasted rather good, but burned his throat a little as he swallowed.  Without further ado, he launched once again into his dinner.  Something, the ale, he suspected, made him feel very relaxed, somewhat easing the exhaustion he had felt following his flight from Norwood.  That was good.  He would sleep soundly tonight

He had nearly finished his dinner when he noticed a beautiful young woman about his age coming through the door.  Skye couldn’t take his eyes off her, even as she looked back at him. 

She sauntered over to his table and asked, Do you mind if I join you? 

All he could manage was a nod.

I am Elili.  My father runs the ferry and I am his assistant, she said. 

They sat in silence for several moments until she asked, What is your name?

Skye he replied. 

Just then the barmaid returned to his table and asked, An ale for the lady?

And one for the gentleman as well, Elili replied. 

She gave Skye a sweet smile, looking like a bashful, innocent young lady.  He nodded and the bar maid hurried off to fetch the ale. 

What brings you to Edgewater? Elili asked.

I’m waiting to take the ferry in the morning, he replied.

You had better come early, Elili advised. The ferry will only hold about half as many as are waiting.  That’s without horses.  It is a long while before it returns for the second crossing.

About that time, the bar maid returned with their order. 

That will be a silver, the bar maid advised them. 

Elili reached for her purse, but Skye said, Allow me.  He searched though his coins and came up with a silver.  Elili couldn’t take her eyes off the purse.  A little smile crossed her face.  It was a hungry smile.

Skye and Elili drank their ale and talked, though Elili did most of the talking.  Skye was a bit concerned when he noticed the ale started to make him dizzy.  He concluded he had reached his limit or maybe a little more.  He tried to sip the second one, but before he knew it, it was empty.

I’d like to show you something Elili whispered.

What is that? Skye asked. 

Not in here!  Let’s find ourselves a little privacy, Elili giggled.

She stood up, as if to leave.  Skye tried to stand, but the room seemed to be spinning.  Elili took his arm and helped him to his feet.  Hand in hand they headed out the door and walked around to the back of the inn.  When they got there, Elili let go of his hand and turned to face him, smiling.  Just then, the lights went out and Skye dropped to the ground.

About an hour later, he recovered his wits.  He had a painful lump on his head and had discovered his purse was missing.  Holy Mother, he felt like such a fool.  He had allowed the ale and Elili (if that was even her real name) go to his head and