White Sword Trilogy

By Mitch

Will is a young man helping his father. He searches for the wood to make the bows and arrows in their shop. He has secretly made a special bow to hunt the giant-armored boars that sometimes kill livestock and people.

Hoping to get the beautiful Ann to take notice.

One day he returns to find his village burning and the people slaughtered by giants in full armor riding huge horses also in armor. The men, women, and children are all dead. The giants took only the women of childbearing age.

Will manages to save Tema, and they set out to rescue Ann, Tema’s older sister.

This is the beginning of a fascinating journey through a land of mountains, rivers, valleys, and seas. Will and Tema encounter, together and singly, peoples and creatures of many types and dispositions. They make fast friends, many enemies, and loyal subjects.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781662440199

Book preview

Chapter 1

The Beginning

Now begins the story. In another time and another land lived people of the human variety not unlike us. They lived in a land much different than ours in some ways but somewhat like our own land was many years ago.

The river starts its life in the northwest flowing from a small mountain range, crossing lazily back and forth for many miles on the high plains before dropping over the edge and cutting a deep draw into the face of the bench. The bench, as it was called, formed the border between the high plains and the lowlands. Almost one hundred paces tall, it was steep enough to be very hard to climb for most of its length. Where the river had worked for centuries to cut its way into the face, it left a narrow canyon with a waterfall plunging fifty paces into a pond at the bottom. Here the river flows faster and narrower, a mere rock throw at its widest, as it finds its way to the lowlands an hour’s walk from the mill pond.

The village Trim is located next to the mill pond in the narrow canyon. The river hugs the west edge, the single road squeezed between the river and the east edge. At the north end at the base of a near cliff, the river spilled down forming a large pool everybody called the mill pond. The name of the river was different depending where along its course you asked, but here it was called Mill River. The canyon is widest at the base of the waterfall. Located at the outlet of the mill pond were the water wheels that powered the sawmill and the miller’s gristmill. Across the road sat the inn, blacksmith shop, and butcher’s shop. Without the mills, a town would never come about in such an unlikely place.

The road steeply wound its way up the cliff and on to the north to King’s Garrison, then on to the northeast to more interesting places. The homes and shops crowded where they could along the road, in many places either dug into or built up the side of the mountain. From there, the road found its way to the town of Stern. The river, dropping about eighty paces, again slows and travels for a long distance before joining with several lesser rivers, at last entering a larger river at the town of Stern. From there, barges could take wares to the sea.

Chapter 2

Will

Will liked the early mornings best as people began to stir, getting ready for the day ahead. Mornings were cool with a soft light that gave buildings and people a softer, cleaner, and nicer appearance. Today he would work in the shop with his father, likely making arrows, turning arrow shafts on the foot-driven lathe, or fletching for hours on end. Yesterday, he worked the bellows of the small forge used to make the many different shapes of arrowheads so he wouldn’t need to deal with the heat and sparks today. He always managed to either hit a finger with the hammer or burn one on the hot metal. Yesterday was no exception. Because his father was not feeling well, he also spent time at the anvil hammering out arrowheads. That activity was always good for a sore finger or two.

Soon he would start the day’s work, but for a few more minutes he would watch and hope she would appear on her way to market. He was first smitten with her at about age nine when he found out that a girl could make you tongue-tied and your palms sweaty! Ann had a head of long, curly red hair, blue eyes, and was busty. She was also taller than most of the other girls and a little on the plump side which gave her a wholesome look. Unfortunately for Will, she was not so interested in anyone of his status. Still he watched in hopes of seeing her as she made her way up the cobblestone road that wound uphill through the town. At the last dance he had managed to outmaneuver the butcher’s son, the blacksmith’s two sons, and some large farm boys for one dance with her.

That was over a month ago and still he could not forget that dance. He daydreamed of her all the time. Though not so dangerous here in town, when he hunted for wood suitable for arrows and bows in the forest and drylands, this lack of attention could bring death. He wished she was as easy to talk to as her younger sister and for a time hoped being friends with her sister would help. But no. She had as little use for her boylike sister, Tema, as she did for Will.

Will had come across Tema in the forest one day, not far from their farm. She was aiming at a plump rabbit, and suddenly her bow broke. He stayed back watching as she picked up the broken bow and then realized she was crying. When he approached her, she gave him a dirty look. With the same red hair as her sister, only darker, and a tear-streaked dirty face nearly hiding the band of freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheeks, she looked the opposite of her sister. She was tanned and slim, just starting to show breasts.

Tema’s first words were, Are you going to tell me girls aren’t supposed to play with bows?

Will quickly replied, No, but it would be better if you had a proper bow or you might hurt yourself.

She thought a moment then stated, I just might if my whole family didn’t think it wrong for girls to hunt. I have tried every kind of wood I can find, and none seem to work. They always break. And my arrows don’t work well either.

Will thought, reasoning, if I do something nice for her sister, Ann might think kindly of me. Aloud, he told Tema, Meet me here tomorrow.

That night he looked through the shop for a bow and arrows enough to fill a used quiver. The only used bow that would be the right size for her was his old one he had outgrown. The pull was going to be hard for the slight girl, but he thought she might be tougher than she looked. If not? Well, he would just shave it down. Taking some of the wood off would lighten the pull.

The next day, when he showed her the bow, she looked stunned at first. Then she quietly said, This is the nicest gift I have ever gotten.

For some reason he found himself taking time to teach the proper care of the bow. Then he spent hours training her on proper stance and shooting technique. Unlike her sister, he found her very easy to talk to.

After a time, Tema asked him, Why have you never entered the yearly archery contest?

My father forbids it! he answered.

Tema thought about that for a while. Then she surprised Will by correctly guessing that his father didn’t want the king’s guard taking him. Each year the gather held contests: wrestling, fist fighting, javelin throw, horsemanship, and archery. Every farm boy learned the bow and helped put meat on the table, and most were darn good by the time whiskers were still fuzz. And every year the king’s guard had men who came to watch. Then months later they would come and take some of the best who were single and close to manhood for training as king’s soldiers. Everyone said they were proud of their sons, but everyone knew their life would be hard and not one would be able to afford a wife and family.

Will’s father was an archer in the king’s guard until his injury made him unsuitable and was released. Will’s father was slightly taller than most with a slim but hard, almost bony, appearance. Those who got to know him respected him and found that his stern demeanor and quiet ways hid a kind and generous person, but made no mistake that he was not a man to cross. Will was going to be tall like his father, but from his mother’s side he had received more muscle, a rounder face, and extremely good eyesight with blue eyes. At eight years old he was built like a little man already, and his lifestyle had already made him hard and fit and strong. Always wearing a pack on his back as he traveled and hauling bundles of wood on his back had really made his stamina incredible.

Will’s mother had died when he was about a year old. Because his father was such a good archer, he was conscripted almost as soon as she was buried. Will was given to friends to raise and was with them until his father returned when he was about five. Will’s father wasn’t the type to drink or gamble. He saved every copper and was able to buy some equipment to start an archery shop out of a small shack in Trim.

So, it was no surprise his father worried and for a long time discouraged Will’s plea to teach him to be a good archer.

Finally realizing that working in archery demanded firsthand knowledge, he made Will promise not to let people see how good he was. First, he was taught how to find and choose the proper wood to make a bow and the right kind of wood to make perfectly straight arrows.

By the time Will was about eight, his father had harvested all the wood close enough to town that he could reach in spite of his bad leg. It was Will’s job now, and he must travel nearly six hours just to find good trees. To make things worse, the proper trees were found only in the drylands.

Chapter 3

The Pigs

As the name suggests, the drylands received little rain and had only an occasional water hole. Sparse grass, brush, and only trees with deep-reaching taproots could survive the dry season. One of the six or so varieties of trees made excellent wood for bows, and another variety was straight grained and very good for arrows.

Because of the lack of water, the trees were spaced twenty to sixty paces apart and the branches started about head high allowing rather good visibility. This was important because the danger of running into a great pig was a constant worry. Although most of the pigs lived in the vast swamps far to the south, every couple of years one of the big boars would come north, killing people and livestock and destroying fields.

Armored and taller than a cow, they used their tusks to rip animals and men apart with ease. Although a good riding horse could outrun one, a draft horse sometimes lost the race and their life. They were very hard to kill because arrows would not go through the hide and thick cartilage plates that covered all its body. Some said if a man would brace a large spear and let the pig charge, he might kill it. So far no one was willing to try. Because every farm, and person for that matter, was in danger, all the people would work together to dig trap pits.

Although pigs were very smart, none had experience with humans and fences. So, a carefully placed pit and a fence made of natural material like branches and rocks would work to lure them into a trap. A terrified horse was used for bait. The horse would be tied at the far side of the pit. A man or boy would be in a nearby tree with rope running to the horse’s halter. When the pig, following a trail of apples and corn, came upon the horse, he would always go for the horse. Terrified, the horse would thrash about and squeal. When the pig charged, the boy would turn the horse loose. Seeing the horse bolt away would make the pig charge after, not sensing the pit until it was too late. If luck held, the sharp stakes placed in the bottom of the pit would pierce something vital. But usually the stakes were knocked over when the pig fell in, just making him even madder with minor wounds. Now the men came out of hiding in the trees and using two very large spears with iron blades the length of an arm and long shafts, they stabbed the pig high in the back just behind the shoulders. Four men to a spear pushing down as hard as possible worked the blade down into the pig. The pig would trash about in fury and sometimes the men would lose their grip on the spear. Then someone else would take his place. When things went terribly wrong, a man would lose his grip and fall in the pit with the pig or the pig would live long enough to use his tusks and hard nose to rip down the side of the pit and escape. If the pig did escape, it was usually wounded severely so didn’t live more than a few days.

When the pig was dead, it was dragged out of the pit and taken to town. This was always a great occasion with everyone showing up to see the monster and watch as the capture crew, under the eye of the town butcher, cut it up. Once it was properly cut up and weighed, the names of the capture crew plus the butcher were put on a list so when the meat sold each received an equal share. With twenty men involved, it wasn’t a lot of money but for a farm hand it might be half a year’s wages. Most of the time King’s Garrison heard about it and sent an agent to buy it at a discount. Because it was such a large amount of meat, it would take a long time to sell if sold locally through the butcher’s shop. This required it to be smoked or salted in barrels, taking from the profits. It also meant that the money came in small amounts instead of one payment. A win for everybody was to sell to the garrison.

Will, realizing the son of an archery shop owner was not much of a catch in the eyes of a girl, decided he would just need to do something special. It had come to him a couple years ago as he was hauling bundles of wood he had cut. It was hard and boring work, trudging along watching for danger with wood bundles seeming to get heavier each step. He had found a good batch of trees and had cut many bundles and was now ferrying them to a spot closer to home. Ahead were the extra-large trees where he was hiding the bundles. He was hoisting the bundles up into the branches where a casual observer would not see them. He had learned that anybody that came across a bundle of wood thought it proper to use for firewood.

As usual, he was thinking, If a pig showed over there, I would run to this tree and climb up, but what then? How long would a pig wait for you to come down? Hours? Days? How long could I stay in a tree with no food or water?

His packboard was the work of his very smart father. If in a hurry, just one quick pull on a buckle and the pack fell free but left the bow and quiver on your back. It also quickly dismantled and reassembled as a saw frame. In travels with the king’s guard, his father had found and purchased a very thin saw blade nearly as long as his arm. It could be rolled into a circle just a little over a handspan across. Made of a special metal, it almost never needed to be sharpened. He bought two along with several other blades used to rip arrow blanks and other assorted arrow-making tools like the arrow lathe. His prize possessions, he gave Will his blade when Will was eight.

The blade spent most of its time rolled up around the small Dutch oven that had a special place in the packboard. Just about everything had its place—water flask, flour, salt, spices, and jerky. On his belt were a small, light hand axe and a good-sized knife. He also carried a slim, very sharp knife in his boot top that was used for skinning and butchering game and peeling vegetables. His father always made sure to have good-fitting boots made for him. He asked his father several times to get them a horse or at least a cart and pony. The reply was we have no grass so how would you feed it? Everything Will could come up with, his father had a ready answer. So good boots were the best he could expect.

Will always took care not to get caught off guard or do something stupid. He spent the hours of darkness well up a good-sized tree, cooked his meals at midday on high ground with good visibility. He always used very dry wood that burned with little smoke because he didn’t want two-legged surprises either.

Chapter 4

Will’s Discovery

When Will’s tenth year came, he woke one morning to find a great pig rummaging about below his tree. It had his scent and was looking around but did not look up. As the pig moved about, Will was able to study him closely. What he observed changed his whole life. He saw that when the pig turned his head to look to one side, the plate on the opposite side, right behind the front leg, lifted away from its body. This opened a gap about three fingers wide. Will started to plan a way to kill a pig by himself and collect all the money. It would make him popular, or at least respected, in the community.

A few days after he reported the pig, men went out on fast horses, found it, and successfully lured it into a pit. Will went to see and found it had already been pulled out of the pit with six oxen. It was gutted and up on a skid ready to be pulled to town. The men had moved off a short way and were cooking supper. They were waiting for daybreak to start for town. A bottle was making its rounds, and the men were tired.

Nobody was watching. Will, standing on a large rock, was able to shoot an arrow into the gap in the pig’s armor at the right angle. The way it was laying the gap was only a thumb width, but the shot went exactly where he aimed. Will quickly ran over, grabbed the arrow marking the depth with his thumb, and pulled it out with no one seeing him. He was dismayed to find it had only gone in a little more than the length of a man’s hand, not deep enough to be fatal.

That was four years ago, and his plan was coming along nicely. Of course, he had to keep it from his father for several reasons. One of which was his father did not think it wise to use a bow with a pull that strained you. He always said, if you could not hold your bow pulled for a count of fifteen, it was too strong for you. The bow he had made in secret was exactly what he thought it would have to be to drive an arrow deep enough into a pig to kill it. He had made the bow three years ago after lots of testing. He couldn’t pull it more than halfway then, but from age eleven to fourteen a hardworking boy gains size and strength. Knowing he would never be able to pull and hold it, he changed his way of shooting with his regular bow. Practicing with his regular bow he would pull and shoot in one motion without holding. Now it was natural to him. He thought it was all the extra practice, but his shooting skill was becoming amazing. He felt it would be nice if his father or someone could see how good he was. Now when he hunted birds, if his arrow was nocked, he very seldom missed. Shooting them on the fly was getting easy.

Chapter 5

Ma

Most of the farms were near the river or close against the bench as water was so important. Along the bench, springs or small streams were very common. One of the largest and richest farms was owned by Ann and Tema’s father, and close to it was the cabin that Ma lived in.

Ma was small and rather plump, with gray hair and bright blue eyes, and still very spry and full of energy. In her youth, she married young, as did most. Her husband was raised on a farm and had worked as a logger cutting and dragging trees to the local mill. Soon after their marriage, he was offered a chance to move to Trim to help build a sawmill. When the sawmill was finished, he used the wages to buy a team of oxen and a wagon. Cutting trees to sell to the mill did two things: provided an income and cleared the bigger trees from the land. When the mill was not buying, he worked to clear the rest of the trees and brush from the land. After a few years, he started to plow and plant crops.

The first few years, they lived in a small log house with a good well and a big root cellar. As the years went by, more land was cleared, and children came, people were hired, and the little log house was replaced by a huge rock and log structure with a massive kitchen and lots of bedrooms. No sons were born, only two daughters. The oldest daughter married a merchant and lived far away. The younger married a big man that had worked with the family from age eight. He had become the right-hand man as he matured and was a natural farmer.

The only bad thing was he and Ma never got along and when Ma’s husband died, she was banished to the old log house. She was always the one who saw everything was done on time. So after she was gone, the other women found they had much to learn—especially her daughter, Helen. When the fireplace was allowed to die for the first time in recent memory, none of the women knew how to light the fire and had to face asking Big Ed or go running to get Ma.

Will never heard Ma called anything else. She made the finest braided bowstrings ever made according to his father. Her specialty was bowstrings made with the guard and tail hairs of swamp cat. Will never understood why they were called cats because they didn’t look or act anything like a cat. They were the size of a small dog with long guard hairs running full length of their back and tail hairs long as your arm. The hairs were covered with little barbs you could see with a magnifying glass. Pull a long hair through your fingers and you would be cut to the bone. Ma had a special process that allowed her to work and braid them, and they were in great demand with the people that could afford them. They didn’t stretch with age or were bothered by wet. No other bowstrings had those qualities. They also were so strong that they almost never broke.

Ma didn’t like most people, so she sold all her strings to Will’s father. Will spent time every winter hunting swamp cat for Ma. A cat usually had enough for six or seven strings, depending on the length of the string. In a normal year, Will might get ten cats for seventy strings. Will liked Ma and brought her fresh meat anytime he was in the area and would stay and have tea with her. He kept her up-to-date on the local happenings, or as she called it gossip, and counted her as a good friend.

After he finally was strong enough to pull the special bow more than halfway, he ran into string breakage and just had to get Ma to make a string for the mighty bow. Desperation finally forced him to just ask how he might pay her for a special string. Of course, she insisted on knowing everything. So he started at the beginning, leaving nothing out.

When he finished, Ma said, You must convince me that you can do this, and I must see this bow. I won’t tell your father, but you must keep me informed.

That winter he brought her eighteen cats. She said, I’ll teach you, but you must make the bowstring with your own hands.

Puzzled, Will asked, Why will you give me your secrets?

Ma confided, I had hoped a granddaughter would take up my trade, but the father forbade it. I only had daughters, but if I had a son, I would wish him to be like you. It took years to get it right, so I want the knowledge to survive me.

Chapter 6

Success

Midsummer of his fourteenth year came, and one nice day he gathered both bows and quivers of arrows. With a bundle of reject hides from the tanner, he went to see Ma. When he arrived, he cut the hides into squares, stacked the squares, and tied them. Setting the leather squares up on a log, he tied a pink ribbon the width of a finger at an angle to simulate the pig’s gap in the plate. At twenty-five paces he shot a regular arrow into the leather. He showed Ma that it only went in the leather half as far as it had in the dead pig. Then at the same distance he shot the great bow, and the heavy arrow went fully through the leather with half sticking out the back fully six times the distance of a regular arrow. Both arrows were centered in the ribbon a thumb-width apart!

Ma invited him in for tea and lunch. They ate quietly and when done Ma said, I want to hear your plan to get this pig.

Will surprised her. He explained he would not hunt a pig but would carry both bows when he was out. Should a pig show up under his tree again, he would strike. As he got up to leave, Ma handed him a package with six bowstrings and told him that she wanted a quiver of arrows as part of the payment.

Surprised, he asked, What for?

Ma replied, A gift to my granddaughter. She paused, then asked, Is this desire to get the pig to impress the pretty Ann?

Will turned bright red and admitted it was one reason.

She watched him squirm and said, I won’t need any more rabbit, but a duck or grouse would be nice. You see, Tema brings me all the rabbit I need.

As Will went on his way, he pondered, Well… Tema lives right close.

He was surprised at how pleased it made him to know Tema had learned well. He was nearly home before his mind connected everything and realized that Tema was Ma’s granddaughter.

Less than three weeks had passed when it happened. Will was traveling in new territory after following the edge of the bench. He had passed the last farm late the night before and now turned out into the dryland. He had traveled about an hour into the dry when he smelled the pig. Moving very slowly and carefully, he spotted it about a hundred paces from him. With just a little of its back and ears showing, it appeared to be sleeping in the shade of a tree. Will looked for a big enough tree to withstand a determined pig attack. He settled for one much smaller than he liked but it was close, and right now he really wanted up a tree. Easing over, he took off his pack and quietly climbed the tree, then pulled the pack up and tied it off.

Carefully climbing around the tree, he finally got a good view and was horrified at what he saw. The pig lay facing a dead cow already half eaten, and a few paces away lay the body of what appeared to be a small girl. All he could see was a small body with blond hair. Now he was nervous and was trying to decide what to do. How would he get the pig under the tree—call to get his attention or get down where the pig might see him? He heard a call and went cold. Not far away was a small knob with some large rocks on top where a man, woman, and small boy stood calling for the girl.

Will yelled as loud as he could, Pig! Climb a tree! He looked back to the pig in time to see it come to his feet and look around.

Everybody was downwind, confusing the pig enough that he walked instead of charging. As the pig came close to his tree, Will dropped a branch, and the pig came to investigate. The pig was facing the tree, but Will needed the pig to face away from him. Without taking his eyes from the pig, he reached to the bottom of his pack. Finding the potatoes, he tossed one behind the pig. As the pig turned, swiveling his head, the gap opened on the armor. With one motion Will drew back and released the arrow. The arrow struck exactly where he aimed and went deep into the pig. Less than half of the arrow was sticking out. The pig screamed and lurched, the armor breaking the arrow off, but the damage was fatal. Each wheeze sprayed a mist of blood from his nostrils, and soon he collapsed, dead. When Will was sure it wasn’t breathing, he lowered his pack and climbed down.

Looking to the hill, he saw the people had not moved. He waved them to come down and dreaded showing them what they would never be able to forget. When they saw the girl, they fell to their knees and cried. Will offered to do the burying, but they said no, it was family business. While they buried the girl, Will struggled to roll the pig far enough to gut him.

When the family’s sad task was done, they came to see the pig and pitched in to help. While they worked, Will explained he would pay for their help when the pig was sold, but they needed to get the pig to town. The farmer had friends with teams of oxen and a sledge and surprised Will by telling him of a small village nearby. The farmer’s boy was fed and sent to get the men with ox teams.

Not expecting them till midmorning, they were amazed when the night was just over halfway gone when they showed up. At first light the sledge was pulled alongside the pig, and with the help of one team, they managed to roll and slide the pig aboard. With both teams pulling, it was close to dark before they got to the village. Everyone was out to see the pig. Possibly the only one they would ever see, everyone was having a good time. The village didn’t have a butcher, but one fellow had worked for one, so the pig got butchered. Well, at least it was cut up.

A man with a horse left to see if the garrison would be interested in buying the meat. When he returned the next day and said a wagon was right behind him, the town was suddenly almost empty. Will gave it some thought and recalled hearing about a town full of deserters and thieves but didn’t think it was as close to Trim as this. When the wagon arrived, it was escorted by at least a dozen hard-looking arms men from King’s Garrison.

Will had been on the trail for four days, hadn’t shaved in a month, was covered with blood and dust, and, although he was just a beginner in the whisker department, must have looked much older. When the price was struck after some bargaining, Will had a fat purse and paid a generous fee to everyone who had helped. Now he must get home with said purse. When the wagon was about to leave, he deftly slipped a copper into the driver’s hand when they shook goodbye and casually asked if he might ride to the top of the bench. As they topped the bench, Will spotted a faint track angling off into the brush and left the wagon with a wave goodbye. But as soon as the wagon was out of sight, Will went back down the bench. Staying off the road, he traveled through the brush as he worked his way almost to town. Believing no one would expect him this close, he climbed a good tree and slept until just before dawn. At full daylight he stood on the mound above where he killed the pig. Looking around he spotted a patch of green in the distance. As he got closer, he came upon the farmer’s home. He hailed the house, and the farmer stepped out with a respectable-looking bow with an arrow already nocked.

Will smiled and said he was glad the man had good sense to be wary with the whole town seeing he had some coppers. Will handed him two golds big enough to buy four or five cows; though they didn’t have enough grass for more than two. The family was so pleased they kept insisting he at least stay and eat, but he told them he was on his way to Stern. He had been careful not to mention Trim, just saying he had a long trip. He traveled fast all day only stopping at midday to cook a quick meal. He used his last potato with a small carrot just partly cooked with a few pieces of jerky for flavor.

It was late into the night when he got to the small cave where he kept his bow hidden. Leaving the coins with the bow, he trudged on home. His father was just stirring when he fell into his bed, and he may have slept all day, but his stomach woke him when his father warmed a stew for lunch. Will devoured a bowl and was happy to find his father had baked bread the day before.

His father came in to eat, sat down, and asked, Are you well?

Will answered, I’m trail worn and dirty but well.

Hearing a customer enter, his father rose to leave but first told Will, I filled the tub this morning. The sun will have it warm enough for a bath.

Later at suppertime, his father stated, I didn’t see any wood.

I tried a new spot and was treed by a pig. Father, do you realized how close the thieves’ village is to Trim?

His father frowned, Did you enter?

Will nodded his head.

You’re lucky to still have your boots, Will. People in that town have often killed a man for his boots.

A wagon with a bunch of king’s soldiers came and then left, but most of the town disappeared while they were there. If they are all criminals and deserters, why doesn’t the king come after them?

His father smiled, The king knows if they have a place to safely stay out of his reach, most of the wanted would go there to hide. Best to have most of the bad ones in one place.

For weeks Will wanted to tell his father about the pig and the purse of money hidden away, but each time he was afraid that his father would never trust him again. Who would blame him after all? Will had hidden the bow and everything else for three years. Finally, he went to see Ma and told her his tale without interruption. When he was done, she got up and poured them more tea then set down again without comment.

Then she smiled, Well now, Tema had it right. She showed up here with a rabbit and said her brother had heard of a man that killed a pig with an arrow over by thief town. She guessed it was you because of your bow. Said couldn’t be anyone else had a bow that could do that.

Will was stunned that Tema knew of the bow. Did you tell her about it, Ma?

Ma smiled. Tema knew before I did because she had seen it in the cave where you keep things.

All this time he was sure nobody would find his cave, but somehow Tema had.

Ma laughed, What you did with things was a challenge that Tema had worked very hard to figure out. Once she watched from a tree as you went by with a longbow, and a few minutes later she met you on the road without it. When she finally found the cave, she looked and then went back and looked some more until she finally found the ledge. Once she found it, she would check it now and then and spotted the new string. When she told me about it, she said that I must know about it because it had one of my strings on it and the size was very special. I had to admit that I knew about it, but she shouldn’t tell anyone else. One day she came to see me and told me she had finally found where you practiced. She was very excited and was telling how far and accurately you were shooting. She said you must be the best bowman in the land. And she said if anybody else saw you, King’s Garrison would find out and you would be gone forever. You must be very careful, Will. If someone sees you with that bow, they might put two and two together and figure it out.

I’ll be careful, Ma, and I’ll start watching out for that sneaky Tema as well.

Ma advised Will that she had known his father even before he was married and felt Will shouldn’t tell his father until he absolutely had to, or his father would worry himself sick. As it was, his father felt guilty sending Will out into the drylands for wood with it so dangerous.

Chapter 7

The King’s Garrison

When Will got home that day, his father told him the next day he would load a wagon with arrows and a few bows to take to the garrison. That night he was schooled very carefully on how to bargain to get a good price. Nearly all the arrows they had made the last year were loaded in bundles, fifty arrows to a bundle, close to two thousand arrows in all. Twenty bows plus a gift of two of Ma’s strings for the purchasing agent and they were off. The large two-wheeled wagon had wheels as tall as a man and was pulled with two large oxen. The drover sometimes rode the wagon and sometimes walked with the oxen to encourage and guide them. Once reaching the top of the bench, the travel was slow and boring as the flat, straight track crossed rolling grasslands for miles with nothing to see.

They stopped for lunch by a small stream. Will had mixed bread dough that morning and put it in the Dutch oven to let it rise. By midday it was ready to be baked in the Dutch oven. Will had brought a rabbit cooked the day before, and with a couple of potatoes roasted in the coals to go with cold rabbit and fresh bread, it was a good meal. It would have been nice to have tea, but Will had only the Dutch oven to heat water.

The drover produced nothing for the meal. Will figured that in the seat box was plenty of pots and food but said nothing. Just at dusk they came to a spot where the river chanced to loop close to the road, and they spent the night there. The drover obviously thought Will would feed him again and went about making a nice fire. Will just bade him good night and went looking for a tree.

They arrived at King’s Garrison midday. Situated on a small hill close to the river, the garrison was a walled compound with a low castle in the center. One corner of the castle sported a very tall rock tower. Will figured with a good glass you might see all the way to the bench from the tower. Will was surprised to find everyone lived inside the wall, and most of them either ignored you or were openly hostile.

Finally meeting with the archers’ purchasing agent, he managed to hold his own. He even managed to get a slightly higher price than what his father had told him was a fair price. A large man in uniform stood beside the agent all through the dealings, not saying anything.

After the deal was concluded and the purse counted out, the man spoke, I fought beside your father. He was a good soldier.

Will said nothing, just nodded his head and hoping to just get away, tried to turn and leave. The man wasn’t done, however. He asked of his father’s health, and as soon as Will answered, he asked Will if he was as good as his father with a bow.

Will answered, Sadly, no, in fact not at all. My father says I must get my abilities from my mother, and he stopped trying to teach me when I was ten. Now I just gather the wood and peddle the lathe.

Looking Will over, the man thought maybe it was the truth; he bargained very hard but seemed meek when faced with questions. He told Will to give his regards to his father and left.

Finding the drover, Will paid him the fee promised by his father. He found the inn his father said might be safe, ate a hearty meal, and paid for a room. Then he went for a stroll just at dusk. Timing his route carefully got him to the gate just as everyone rushed in from the fields and the guards were busy checking wagons. He slipped out just before they closed the gate. Standing next to the wall until full dark he started for home, hoping his deception would buy enough time that anyone looking for him might get a late start. Will was used to walking long distances and feeling his way by staying between the ruts in the road. When the moon made its appearance, he really picked up the pace. Traveling a lot faster than oxen, it was midday when he reached the bench and started down.

A few days later, the man who had questioned him showed up in town. He was seen talking to different people while sitting at the table in front of the inn. Will alerted his father, and they both took turns looking up the street through the window to see who he talked with. Will spotted her right way. Tema was finding things to look at close enough to overhear anything said. Every time the soldier moved, soon after Tema was close. Finally, he came into the archery shop to say hello and talk about old times.

While his father visited, Will slipped out and found Tema in the shade close by. He asked what she had heard. At first, she tried to look innocent. But finally told Will the guy was sly and asked questions in a way that seemed innocent enough unless you already knew what he was after.

Tema explained, He was asking about the man who killed the pig and telling all about what he had heard. Then he suggested the description fit that archer’s boy and what did they think. Everyone shook their heads and said not very likely or words to that effect, but a few said maybe.

Will thanked her and slipped back into the archery shop. He was in the back running the lathe when the man left. Will’s father said he had mentioned the pig kill to him as well.

Will’s father frowned, I told him you weren’t a bowman and darn sure wouldn’t be able to pull a bow like that.

The man was around another two days before he left in the night. Will was going after wood the next day, and as he made his pack ready for early departure, a thought came to him. What if that man was waiting to follow him? Before daylight he was leaving town as he had always done but didn’t go near the cave and carried an old bow from the back room. It was ugly, not one of theirs for sure, but with Ma’s string, it was very functional and would serve nicely. He didn’t plan on shooting anything and was already planning where to set snares.

Stopping for a midday meal, he baked his bread and reloading the Dutch oven with vegetables and a nice chunk of meat, had a nice stew as well. Not usually taking that long for lunch, he decided to set snares near a small water hole. Finding a good-sized tree, he climbed higher than usual; and when ready for the night, he took time to climb as high as he could to look around. Believing his precautions were unnecessary and he would not see anything, even if followed, he was surprised to see a fire a good distance away.

The next morning, he checked his snares and found two rabbits. When pulling his snares, he saw the boot prints over his own, so he was right to be careful. However, without seeing the man, he couldn’t be sure it was not just checking out the water hole, just as he had.

Taking time to cook the rabbits over the fire and loading them in his pack, it was after midday before continuing his journey. Two hours before dark he found a suitable tree for arrows. With many branches straight enough, he was able to cut a bundle of wood by midday the next day. Resetting his pack and tying the wood bundle on, he headed for home. Normally, he would have stayed in the area and cut as many bundles as he could find and spend a day or two to ferry them closer to home. But this was a chance to see if he was being followed. So, with only one bundle, off he went for home. Eating cold rabbit as he traveled, he went until too dark to see before climbing a tree for the night.

The next morning, he was at the beginning of the bench with the canyon into the town. He could almost see the first houses when he ducked behind some very large rocks. Taking off his pack, he found some shade where he could see the road and wait. It was almost dark, and he was just starting to give up and go for his pack, when a man came into view. It was the man from the garrison. Will waited, and when sure he was gone, Will went on home.

Will and his father talked about it and not able to think of a plan, decided to just wait and see. The next day the man entered the shop and talked to Will’s father.

After some small talk, the man told him, Will showed real spunk the way he sneaked out of the garrison. It makes me wonder if there’s more to the boy than I first thought.

Will’s father replied, The boy was just following his instructions.

They both had a good laugh, then the man conceded, The boy didn’t show any great skill out in the dry land but did have the good sense to spend his night in trees.

The man again said, Goodbye. He left the shop and rode out of town on a wagon of goods headed for the garrison. Will’s father sat with him at the table and told him that it was a very good thing he kept his ability with a bow from most people. And, that he was pleased as well as surprised to hear how he had outsmarted everybody leaving the garrison like that.

He continued, I’m afraid not being a good archer is my fault. I haven’t been out with you in a long time. So far, I have only shown you the bare basics, although you seem to get a good number of rabbits.

Right then Will wanted to tell everything but wondered if his father knew how good he was, would he want Will to join the garrison or to continue trying to keep his skill hidden? His ability would be found out, Will was sure of that, and then what? He decided to wait and talk to Ma. She was often very wise.

Chapter 8

Ann the Pretty

Ann was up before sunrise as were all the females in the family. Her mother made sure of that. All the daughters and daughters-in-law marched to Helen’s orders. They would have a very hearty breakfast cooked and on the table when the men and boys came in from early chores. After breakfast, they were responsible for the gardening, laundry, house cleaning, and, of course, cooking lunch and supper for everyone.

This was a farm and a well-kept prosperous one at that. The entire family was a fun-loving, cheerful lot, and most of its members were happy sharing the work. Not so much for Ann, as she was Father’s little darling and had managed to miss all the hard or monotonous chores since she was small. Because she was so pretty with the long, curly red hair and big blue eyes, everybody gave in to her.

Ed, her father, was a big cheerful man who automatically had your respect as soon as you met him. Better at farming than everyone else in the area, he was watched and copied more than his neighbors would admit. But his weakness was Ann. He wouldn’t hear of any criticism about Ann from anyone.

Ann’s favorite job was every few days taking the extra eggs and some vegetables to sell to the inn. Of course, the inn was at the far end of town, and she could stroll up the road with all eyes on her. Loving to flirt, this was something she really enjoyed. She knew she would have to marry soon, and her father expected her to find a big strong husband to help on the farm. She knew that marriage would automatically remove her from being pampered or favored in any way. She was rightly sure that when the day came several would find that very entertaining.

Little did they know, she had other plans. There were only five possible suitors who were not farmers. She could rule out the archer boy. Being the only woman in a house to cook and do laundry for two men was not going to happen!

That left the two blacksmith’s sons, the butcher’s son, and innkeeper’s son. She saw how hard the women worked at the inn so that didn’t look good, even if he was the best looking. Will, the archer’s son, was as good-looking and healthier. It had surprised her how hard and strong his body was when they danced, even harder than the big blacksmith boys. Well, it must be blacksmiths or the butcher. The butcher was the better dancer and cleaned up best. The blacksmiths were so tanned; they looked dirty even bathed for a dance. She wasn’t going to commit right away because you never know something better just might show up. But she thought, with his mother and a married older sister living in the house to share the work, the butcher was looking darn good!

Chapter 9

Tema the Huntress

Tema didn’t really hate housework. It was just that she was the youngest and, for a long time, was never big enough to lift the large kettles used in a kitchen that fed a group of this size. She was getting there slowly by her standards. She spent most of her time in the garden, and when she had her rows cleaned of weeds, she was off in the woods on the farm.

On some days she would sneak over to see Ma and spend the afternoon with her. She had to be careful her dad didn’t catch her. For some reason, Ed didn’t want the woman around his girls. It was visiting Ma that gave Tema the idea of getting a bow and some arrows. Someone had brought Ma two nice rabbits, and she had skinned them and was preparing the hides for stretching. Tema saw rabbits all the time in the woods and thought she should catch them for their table as the boys were too busy to hunt in the summer. She knew better than to ask Father, so she went to Ed Jr. and told him what she wanted to do. He was the only brother who ever stuck up for her from the time she was little. Oh, he teased her and joked with her, but he was the one who took time to help her when she was having trouble with her numbers and her reading.

Now he listened and advised her, Tema, it’s hard to catch a rabbit. The best way is to snare them. Or better yet, shoot them. After thinking a bit, he said, You will have to wait till winter when I have time to teach you how to set snares.

Tema smiled. Eddie, I’m thinking a rabbit would taste real good right now.

Ed Jr. laughed, I thought so too. I’m not sure if it’s still there, but my first bow was on a shelf above the carpenter’s bench last time I saw it. There were a few arrows too. Go look, but it might be gone. Don’t let Father or Mother see you with it or we will both be in trouble. I don’t have the time to teach you how to use it properly, but maybe you can figure it out.

She couldn’t wait to go look, and no one was around; so getting up on the bench, she felt along the shelf and found everything but a bow. She was getting worried before she found it at last. Then she found a box with arrows in it. She almost missed the arrows not realizing they might not be in a quiver, but finding the bow made her eager to find arrows as well. Hiding them in a dark corner, she left them there until everyone was at supper. Then she took them up to the loft where she and her two young nieces slept. Her mother never went up there, and it was Tema’s job to clean up there.

The next day after breakfast and a few hours in the garden, she told her mother she was cleaning her room. When she got to her room, she finally had a chance to really look over her find. It was sad, really. The string had been chewed on by a mouse, and the wood looked dry and old, and the arrows had some of the feathers missing. She would need Ma’s help.

As if it was fate, her mother called her down and told her, I want you to take Ma a basket of stuff from the garden and some eggs after lunch. I was going to do it myself but was just too busy. So, after lunch when your father goes back to the fields, take it to her, just don’t let your dad see you. I know you visit sometimes so be careful.

When everyone gathered for lunch, Tema wrapped the bow and the arrows in a cloth and put them behind a tree in the yard. After lunch, Father didn’t go back to the fields with the wagon and the rest of the men. Instead, he went to work in the shed fixing something, and it wasn’t going well by the swearing they could hear. Tema thought she might not be able to go, but her mother told her she could go and added a large sausage to the basket. Her father stayed in the shed, so she got away without discovery.

Tema smiled to herself, This day is just getting better and better. First, I get to see Ma with Mother’s blessing, and second, for the very first time, Mother conspired with me against Father.

This was a first for her mother, and Tema felt real kindness from her. It was noticed by everybody that Mother and Father always smiled when watching Ann do something, but either frowned or looked worried when watching Tema. No one ever said anything, but everyone knew just the same. As she grew up in Ann’s shadow, Tema sometimes loved the pretty older sister, and sometimes, as she grew older, she resented the fact that Ann always got special attention. But like everyone else, Tema always forgave her.

Even when, at age eight, Tema had her first crush on a boy whose name was Will, Ann caught his eye, and he couldn’t see Tema after that. Her constant resentment was the fact that Father hugged or cuddled Ann. Never could she remember Mother or Father giving her that kind of attention. With so many children around and all treated just the same as Tema,