The Triad: Chapter 1

Introduction:

Before I share the text itself, I wanted to share a little about this project. The text below is from the second draft of The Triad, an epic fantasy story I wrote. It's the first project I completed and it needs a lot of work to be publishable. This will not be the final version I submit for publishing, whenever I get around to rewriting it. I'm sharing it here because I realized that I've written a number of blog posts about writing, but shared very little of what I've actually crafted. Despite the fact that I'll be redoing most of it, I thought it would be good to share for a taste of the world and characters. Enjoy!

The Triad

by David Querfeld

Chapter 1: Ben

            Magic. To some, it was a word muttered in awe and wonder. To others, it was simply a daily reality. To the rest, it was a curse. Benzero lo-Finden was one of the latter. Nothing good ever came of using magic. Just look at the Lu’merian Empire. Founded on the power that magic lent to its wielders; felled by the greed and ambition those same wielders had.

Benzero, or Ben, to his few friends, hoisted his mended pack higher on his shoulder, sighed, and kept trudging forward. The road he was following eventually led to the western sea. It had been years since he’d seen it. He definitely had mixed feelings about going back, but he figured it could be somewhat healing. Besides, he’d heard rumors of people with skills like his being recruited for something. That scared him, honestly. The journey hadn’t been easy so far, though. Bandits, wannabe kings, prejudice, hunger, exhaustion, and stupidity were all he had encountered so far.

Ben looked around at his fellow travelers. Most were repeat caravan employees, but some had joined up just for this trip. His brown eyes stood out among the greens and blues of the seaside Talrin natives. His messy hair and patchy beard could be attributed to living on the road, but he liked it like that. Combine that with his average height, and he blended in easily in most places.

“Whoa, there, Sandy.” The lead wagon driver called out, hauling on the reins. “Looks like this should be a good enough place to set up camp for tonight. Hester! Kina! See to the horses. Lud! Ben! Get a fire going. We’re going to want a warm meal tonight.”

“Noren,” Ben replied. “Why are we stopping so early? It’s nowhere near sunset. We could travel for another hour at least!”

“You do what I say!” Noren spat back. “I’ll not risk the caravan for an hour of travel in unknown lands. ‘Rest is good for the soul,’ they say, and for the horses too. We’ll get to Talrin when we get there. No need to rush. Unless there’s something you ain’t telling me?”

“No.” Ben dropped his pack with a thud. “I’ll work on the fire.”

“That’s what I thought. Now get your lanky butt over to help Lud.” Noren replied before rushing off to issue a series of commands to the others in the caravan.

Ben begrudgingly pulled a small hatchet from his pack and moved toward a small group of gnarled bushes not far off the road. Trees were in short supply in the grasslands, but these bushes grew everywhere and burned well enough. Lud already had a neat pile beside him and was moving to add another bush.

“If ya don’t hurry, I’ll have to tell Noren I did it all meself.” Lud flashed his many-gapped smile.

“If you did that, I’d deny it all.” Ben smiled back. Lud was good natured, but sometimes struggled to understand the nuances in other people’s statements. Noren had him on firewood duty only because it kept him out of the camp as they were setting up. Lud had removed the wheels from one of the wagons the first night when Noren told him to make sure it didn’t roll off. Ben liked the guy, even though he was not particularly bright.

Before long, the four wagons in the caravan had been assembled into a rough square, a comfortable fire was burning in the center, and the smell of fresh stew began to waft from the pot. Ben leaned on one of the wagons, watching the others as the sun set. Amicable chatter floated toward him from the caravan’s cook, Lief, and his assistant and wife, Mara. Ben watched them flirt as they deftly gathered, cut, and dumped ingredients into the stew. Lud’s lumpy form sat near the fire, idly poking it with a stick. Noren’s rotund form was nowhere to be seen, but Ben figured he was locked in his wagon, avoiding work like usual. The others milled about, staying out of Lief and Mara’s way. Out of habit, he scanned the horizon, looking for anything out of place. He knew Kina was likely patrolling, but a former military scout couldn’t just stop noticing things. The rolling grass looked peaceful, contrasted to what he felt. He sighed to himself, feeling a pang of jealousy for what Lief and Mara had, but there was no way he could settle down like them.

“What’s that all about?” Kina said behind him.

Ben turned to face the young mercenary. Her arms were bare to the elbow, showing off a collection of scars. She claimed they were from training with a variety of blades, but Ben could tell that some were from animal claws. He wondered if she had been a hunter before becoming a mercenary. Kina didn’t really talk much about her past and he didn’t pry. She was rather pretty, if he let himself think about it. Her bright blue eyes and half-smile still made him feel like she could read thoughts.

“What’s what about?” Ben retorted.

She plopped down next to him and sighed dramatically holding the back of one hand to her forehead. “It’s almost as if you never expect to find anyone to make you happy. That’s no way for anyone to live. There’s someone for everyone out there. At least, there’d better be. Otherwise, I’m out of luck!”

Ben couldn’t help but chuckle. “I think you’ll be fine. I’m not so sure about me. I like to wander. No woman will like the idea of wandering forever.”

“You might actually have a point there.” Kina grinned. “Some of us women actually like to wander, though.”

Ben’s grin froze on his face. He had no idea how to respond to that. Was she suggesting she liked him? How could he get out of this? Noren saved him from saying anything awkward.

“KINA!” Noren yelled from across the wagons. “I don’t pay you to chat with people! I pay you to patrol and protect. Get to it! NOW!”

“Alright!” Kina stood up and shook her buckler at Noren. Under her breath she added, “You barely pay me at all, you stingy pig.”

“Don’t let him rile you too much.” Ben soothed. “He’s stingy, sure, but he’s trying his best to make a profit.”

“That’s exactly what I don’t like about him. But, seriously, think about it, Ben. You never know who you might get along with if you try!” Kina smiled again as she wandered off.

After a few more horizon scans without any changes, Ben turned to watch the flames. The smell of simmering stew made his mouth water. An hour or so later Lief finally gave the signal for dinner. Ben grabbed his bowl off his pack and made his way to the fire. He had barely sat down with his stew when Noren called his name.

“We’re running low on fuel for the fire. Get some more.” The fat caravan merchant said without looking up from his food.

“I just sat down to eat,” Ben replied. “I’ll go when I’m finished.”

“No, go now, or you won’t eat at all.”

Ben sighed, set his bowl on the ground, and rolled to his feet. It wasn’t worth fighting Noren on things. The guy could be as stubborn as a mule and had a tongue as quick as a viper. Arguing with him just made things worse. It made sense if you looked at him. Noren was short, fat, and fighting a losing battle against obvious balding. The man rarely lifted anything heavier than a pouch of coins and Ben guessed he had never held anything resembling a weapon besides a knife for his meat. When someone couldn’t defend themselves in a physical fight, they resorted to words. Or, in Ben’s father’s case, drink and absence. Either way, he had to admit he pitied Noren some.

Ben gathered a few more of the bushes to use as fuel for the fire and returned to camp. He dropped them unceremoniously next to Noren. The merchant jumped slightly, but didn’t acknowledge Ben otherwise. Ben took a deep breath. Noren could be infuriating, but he was still a person who deserved respect and to live in peace. Ben grabbed his bowl and stalked over to one of the wagons. He had to put some space between himself and Noren. The stew had cooled a bit but was still edible, so he slurped it down as quickly as he could.

“What the--?” Kina cursed from outside the wagons. A guttural, deep howl pierced the night, drowning out anything else she may have said.

Ben stood up quickly and ran to help. That howl could only be one thing: a werewolf. Kina needed help. No ordinary person could stand against one of those beasts alone. Lud followed him, heavy cudgel in hand. Regardless of Lud’s other qualities, he was fearlessly brave and strong. Ben had seen many predators brained by that cudgel. Noren simply screamed and dove under one of the wagons away from the howl. Typical.

Ben found Kina squaring off against a large beast. Oh good, they were assessing each other. No one had made a move yet. The flickering campfire and the wagons’ shadows made it difficult to see clearly in the dark, but Ben’s fears were confirmed by what he could see. It was a massive wolf that could probably stand eye-to-eye with Ben without reaching its head up. Ben had seen bigger. This one must be young.

“It looked just like a kid!” Kina shouted as they approached. “I went to ask if he needed help, then it just morphed into this thing. I can’t get close enough to hurt it and it won’t run!”

“Werewolf!” Ben shouted back. “Don’t let it bite you!”

Lud screamed and charged straight at it, cudgel held over his head. Ben couldn’t believe how dense this man was. He was going to get himself killed! Before Ben could react, Lud was flung back by a massive paw. Blood gushed from wounds across his chest, but Ben could see and hear his gasping breaths. The werewolf retaliated and batted repeatedly at Kina’s buckler. Ben looked at Lud’s bloody shirt rising and falling and Kina’s desperate face and took a deep breath. This could mean the end of traveling with them, but he’d rather they be alive than otherwise.

Overcoming his trepidation and bypassing all the oaths he’d made to the night, Ben accessed his magic. It was easy. All he needed to do was push aside a little mental block and the power flowed. He could feel and manipulate the air around him. It felt good to control the winds again. It made him want to throw up his stew. He gathered the air around him and compressed it into an infinitely sharp spear point. Looking back at the werewolf battering at Kina, he waited for the right moment and launched the compressed air with a blast of hurricane strength wind behind it. Normal wind and air can’t cut through anything, but with enough compression, it can cut almost anything.

A hole about three inches wide suddenly appeared in the werewolf’s neck. For a moment, it didn’t seem to realize it had been hit. Blood rushing into its lungs and the lack of a windpipe made its demise obvious a moment later. In a feeble attempt to take its killer with it, the werewolf threw its claws wide in Kina’s direction. Before its blow landed, it fell over dead from the lack of blood. Ben released his power and motioned for Kina to finish it. Kina looked at him confused for a moment, then cleanly severed the werewolf’s head for good measure.

“What was that?” Kina asked angrily. “You did something. I saw it. What was it?”

“Nothing you need to worry about,” Ben said. “I saved our lives. That’s all.”

“You did,” Kina hesitantly agreed, suspicion rising in her voice. “But how? That’s what I want to know. You don’t have any weapons. Also, how do you know what that is? You didn’t hesitate to call it a werewolf. What is going on, Ben? Who, no, what are…”

“Kina,” Ben interrupted, looking her in the eyes pleadingly. “Please don’t keep asking questions. It’s a part of me I’d rather forget.”

Kina mercifully stopped questioning him, but held eye contact much longer than he was comfortable with. Eventually she nodded slowly before helping Ben carry Lud back to the wagons. Mara, who used to work in an apothecary shop before meeting Lief, rushed to grab her poultices and bandages as soon as she saw Lud’s chest. Noren’s disheveled head clearly showing his bald spot appeared from under one of the wagons and looked at Ben and Kina.

“What happened? What was it? Is it over?” his voice trembled. “Is it safe?”

“Yes, Noren,” Ben replied. “It’s safe now.”

“Well, good then.” Noren said, the quiver leaving his voice quickly as he crawled out and brushed the dirt off his clothes. “What sort of beast was it then?”

“Ben called it a werewolf.” Kina replied.

“A what?” Noren’s face went paler than usual.

“You heard me.” Kina snapped. “Come on. I’ll show you. This way you’ll know I do earn my pay.” She grabbed him by the shirt and practically dragged him toward the scene of the fight.

Ben stood next to Lud and watched Mara administer the poultices and bandages to Lud’s chest. His breathing was better, fortunately, but the scratches would take time to heal. Ben shook his head. Werewolves shouldn’t be this far north and west. They usually stayed close to the Sti’ik desert in the east where they could retreat easily. This one must be an outlier. Even with those thoughts, Ben scanned darkness beyond the wagons again. There was a chance this one wasn’t alone. He couldn’t see anything. The only things he could hear were Lud’s breathing and Kina and Noren’s hushed conversation as they came back.

Suddenly, Ben felt a strong blow to the back of his head. He collapsed, losing control of his limbs and sprawling out on the grass. He heard Mara and the others gasp as he fell. The last thing that crossed his mind before the darkness took him was that magic truly was a curse.