Island Of Stone- The Stormcrow Archive Chapter 1

Chapter 1 The Warning

Erukk Thistledown pulled the woolen blanket up around his neck but that left his bare feet exposed to the frigid air. Winter had come early to the valley and he had barely got the crops harvested before the frost came two nights ago. Then the snow last night. Many of his neighbours had not been so fortunate, some of them losing half their crops to the unforgiving rime.

It had rained for days, then the cold wind blew down from the Hoar mountains, blanketing everything with a coating of ice. Erukk’s crops were safe in the storage shed, waiting to go the market in Loran City in a few days. Erukk and his son would have enough money then to put some insulation in the drafty holes in their humble cabin.

Father? A voice from the next room. Are you awake?

Yes, Kamen, what is it?

I can’t sleep, I’m cold.

Erukk sighed and pulled the blanket off of himself and put his bare feet on the frigid floor. It was time to get up anyway. He pulled on thick woollen socks and then his boots and grabbed a shirt off the nearby chair and pulled it on.

He took the blanket off the bed and carried it to Kamen’s room. It seemed colder in his son’s room and for that Erukk felt bad. His son’s room would get the insulation first.

Here son, I’m going out to do chores, Erukk remarked, putting the blanket on Kamen’s bed. You sleep some more then come and help me.  Bessa is ill and I need you to milk Seela. You worked hard on the harvest and need to rest. Try to get some sleep.

Within minutes the sound of Kamen’s rhythmic breathing filled the room. Erukk looked at his son with admiration. Barely 10 years old, Kamen had helped his father with the harvest and had done most of his chores without complaining.

Kamen’s mother, Sarane, had died a year ago, in a nearby village where she was visiting her sister. Robbers had come upon her on return home and had beaten her and left her for dead deep in the forest. It was three days before she was found by a passing peddler, who had set up a camp nearby. Erukk had been frantically searching the roadways and nearby farms around the village and heard from a townsperson about finding a woman’s body in the woods.

It was a sad day when he brought her body home. Kamen had never been the same since, sinking into a deep depression for months. His father had to take him out of school and do his lessons at the kitchen table. Until the harvest came and Kamen was able to help his father and come out of his depression, if only a little.

Erukk made his way to the cookstove, situated in the tiny kitchen on the north side of the rustic cabin. Mt. Seleana rose in the early morning sun to the east and the ground was covered with snow.

Glad I got the harvest done when I did, Erukk said to himself as he set the kettle for some ru’uk tea and sliced a thick piece of bread. Some preserves given to him by a neighbour were then slathered on top.

After breakfast Erukk made his way to the barn, his feet leaving prints in the snow. It started to snow again as he opened the door to the barn. Looking down he noticed another set of prints moving from the meadow that bordered Erukk’s land to the barn.

Who would have been in the barn, he wondered absently. Probably Jed’s boy Akun fooling around again.

As he walked in a thought struck him—there were no tracks leaving the barn—as  a blunt object struck his temple.

As Erukk crumpled to the dirt floor of the barn, a voice rasped in his ear “beware the island of stone”.  He lost conciousness as his head hit the ground.

He woke up shivering in the frigid morning air. A voice was calling him “father, father”.  Father, the voice was closer now. What happened, father?

Erukk mumbled Kamen. Be careful, but there was no need. Whoever had struck Erukk was gone. Footprints led back to the meadow beside the ones coming from the meadow, now almost gone by the swirling snows.

Kamen grabbed his fathers arm and gently lifted him up to a seated position against the barn door. What happened, Kamen asked again searching his fathers face for a clue to what had transpired.

Don’t know, son, someone—attacked me—they were waiting in the barn for me.

I see their tracks, father, want me to go after them.

No, Kamen, too dangerous. Just help me up—ooh my head is sore—must have hit it too hard when I fell. Everything is blurry. I’ll be alright once I’m inside.

Kamen helped his father into the small kitchen and poured him some ru’uk tea, a gyver root tea whose leaves were grown on the north end of the farm.

Did you see who it was? Kamen asked, eyes wide with concern—or fright.

I didn’t see, Erukk muttered. But I’m going to see the constable when we go into town later—oh my eyesight is getting better, he said brightening after sipping the tea.

I’ll do the chores, Kamen offered. You rest, he refilled his father’s cup and hurried out to the barn to see to Seela, the milking cow. Kamen had milked her before so she was not skittish at the sight of the ten year old milking her.

Bessa was Erukk’s horse, a fine animal, dark brown coat and strong mane and gentle disposition. Only that spring she had given birth to a foal, who was then sold to the town horsemaster. The money was what paid for the seeds for the spring crops—with a little set aside for Sarane’s funeral and burial in the village plot. Kamen missed the foal, which he affectionately had named Brinda and vowed one day to save up enough money to buy her back from whoever bought her. No one had bought her yet, but next spring when she matured she would fetch a handsome price. Kamen hoped whoever bought him would be from the surrounding area.

The village of Abarra was 5 miles due west of the Erukk Thistledown’s farm at the entrance of Koara valley at the foot of Mount Seleana, a monstrous peak and centre of the Kingdom of Lathia. Settled over a thousand years ago, the Kingdom of Lathia was ruled by a generous king, Loran V.

Loved by his people, the king was getting old and his eldest son, Joheer, heir to the thousand year old throne, was not as noble—or as generous as his father. There were many in the kingdom who dreaded the day the old king would die, Erukk included.

The king was so well loved, the capital city, Loran City was named after him. He was so thankful to the people he made a national holiday in his honour. The city, home to over a million people was on the far side of Mt. Seleana, about a 6 day journey by horse and wagon. Erukk and Kamen would make the trip in about a weeks time, to sell their harvest and buy some more seeds for next spring.

But fate had other plans for the Thistledown family. Erukk pondered the mysterious warning given by the stranger who has struck him in his own barn.

The island of stone—why beware it? He wondered.  Erukk was not familiar with the island of stone only hearing mention of it a few times. During the cold winter months Erukk ran a library in Abarra. At first mocked as a waste of time, Erukk toiled hours in the small room above Master Kendicks inn, reading books and studying maps, townsfolk eventually brought books to share with others and the idea soon caught on. Soon peddlers from as far away as Loran city brought books to exchange.

In ten years since opening the small library, Erukk had to expand into another room.

About a month before Sarane’s passing, a stranger had come to the library seeking a book about some old legends and myths he had learned about as a boy in the neighbouring Kingdom of Pasarre. The mysterous Stone Islands. He had wanted to know—had Erukk ever read any passage or anything remotely related to these mysterious stone islands.

No, Erukk had told the stranger one night at the falling snow deepened, and the windows became frozen with frost.

The next night the man’s beaten body had been found in the alley between Master Kendricks inn and the local saloon.

Erukk thought not much of it until the strangers warning in the barn. Beware the islands of stone.

In his time since meeting the man in the library he had only come across anything mentioned about these strange islands one more time. He never knew why the man wanted to know so badly.

It had been on his mind off and on since that time over the months. A chance meeting the previous summer in an inn in the neighbouring town of Iszala with a woman—a doctor—Anara her name was—she mentioned about once hearing about these fabled stone islands—something her grandmother had mentioned to her when she was a little girl.

Anara was a doctor in Iszala. Anara attended the harvest festival only a few weeks previous in Abarra—most likely to see Erukk again, though he wouldn’t admit it—and she had mentioned the stone islands again.

Had someone overheard their conversation?

Why did he have such a compelling interest in these islands. His curiosity was only piqued by the stranger’s warning that morning. He vowed he would find out more about them. Erukk was not one to be threatened.

His vision had cleared enough at this point that he could see Kamen returning from the barn, lugging a pail of fresh milk.

He rose to help his son when a searing pain shot through his forehead. He sat back down. 

Father, are you okay, Kamen said, dropping the pail of milk,slopping some on the floor inside the door. He ran to his father. Is your head still hurting? Should I call for the doctor?

No, son, Erukk said. I’ll be alright. Can you finish the chores please? How is Bessa?

She still won’t take her feed. I don’t know what to do father. Should we call Manny?

Manny was from a neighbouring farm and was good with animals, especially horses. He had helped Erukk before with Bessa when she was sick last spring.

Can you run and fetch him. I’m in no condition to go. Be careful, Kamen. The woods are not always friendly. Be on the lookout for anything strange and come back if you see something. The man who gave me the warning this morning came from the direction of Manny’s farm. I don’t think they’re related, but the stranger might still be lurking in the woods.

Kamen ran off leaving Erukk with his painful head. Another searing ache and Erukk lost his balance and fell to the chair. His vision was blurred again and his head swam. Kamen, he called out but hs son was gone.

With that he lost conciousness.