Sentria: The Knight Prince (Book 1)

Chapter Twenty-Two: Priceless

In the morning, we rode on to the Gray Den, a mountainous area north of the market town of Balgore. As its name suggested, it was ominous and gray and even in the day, it was forebodingly dark. The green moss that grew on its floors and its cliffs did little to brighten the mood in any noticeable way and the craggy mountainsides were treacherous enough to slice your clothing if you got too close.

Eldwyn and I hadn't spoken much after our breakfast of berries. I had hoped that he wasn't too hurt by my acknowledgment of the reality of my situation; I hoped that he would see it through my eyes and understand that duty came before all else. Being on this adventure with him was a nice resort away from my royal burdens, but this wasn't a storybook romance. There were consequences to actions and I would have been doing myself and my realm a disservice if I believed otherwise.

We stayed close to the mountainside as cold water dropped into the creek in the middle of the valley. It had begun to rain—not heavily, just enough to bother. It was a sad sight made sadder by the gloomy weather. I was certain that a poet would have been able to find the beauty in the grayness of it all, but all I saw was hopelessness in the blue falling water. Then, as if on cue, Eldwyn sang a song of merriment:

"In the dead of winter among the naked trees,
We walked all day to the light,
Though the path was unknown our hearts didn't freeze,
For it was warmed by our plight.

The night was dark but our bravery was strong,
as we listened to Bronte's words,
He told us where to go and that it wouldn't be long,
and to believe in what was unheard.

These are the whisper of the winds,
They cleanse us of our sins,
We must listen to the whispers of the winds,
We must become the whispers of the winds."

Eldwyn finished and I gave myself time for it to settle in my soul. I didn't understand his words in full, but I knew that they were beautiful and they were made even more so by his melodic voice.

"What song was that?" I asked.

"'The Whispers of the Wind'," said Eldwyn, still in a song-like voice. "I learned it when I was a child. It's our introduction to the wisdom of Bronte. Much of what we learn is there for us before we even realize its importance. Nothing is wasted, Prince Darren. Nothing."

The skies cleared up as we left the Gray Den and trotted down the Gray Road. It was an open land and a welcoming sight by comparison. I couldn't have been more pleased to have left that miserable place behind. I could finally breathe easily without fear of being swallowed up by unwanted dread.

"We should go to a market," said Eldwyn.

"Must we?" I asked. "I want us to reach the tower soon. We do not yet know when the Oblivion Witch will strike."

"I received a message from the winds after I sung my song. They told me that there was something in the markets of Balgore that needs to be retrieved."

"Something?" I asked. "That's too vague, Eldwyn."

"Don't you trust me?" asked Eldwyn.

"...I do." I sighed. I couldn't deny that he had earned my trust. He was right in a way: For this quest, we needed supplies to make our journey easier and Balgore was known for its wares.

We took an unmarked trail southward and went to the first market town that we saw. It was a small area, tight with shops and people yelling and selling everything from kitchen supplies to food and armor. I traded my cloak for five gold pieces. I would've gotten more if they had known who I was, but to them, I was just a wandering knight in need.

With the coin, I bought loaves of bread, oats for Brio, four water jugs, and a blanket. We searched through the trinkets for anything that might have been a sign from Bronte, but nothing stood out. 

Off to the side, a Sentrian sword and shield caught my eye. The sword was still sharp and its silver still shined. It was so old that I couldn't recall it. The shield was curved at the top and had a thick, blue border around the center of the griffin.

I went up to the rotund seller wearing an old Sentrian knight helmet, faded silver and tarnished that he had probably found abandoned on a field after a battle, and asked, "How much for the shield?" I pointed at it. 

"That there is a Sentrian knight shield," said the seller without looking at it. "It was once used by the Knight Cober, the bravest knight Askeran has ever seen. He had lost it in the Battle of Tanal when a small company of Sentrian knights fought a rebellion from the mountains of Baynard. There were five Sentrian knights against a hundred rebels with a dark wizard amongst their ranks. This shield was blessed by  Muros himself and it repelled the magic of their dark wizard Roclier, sending the enemies of the realm to the underground where they belonged."

I ignored his embellishments and asked, "...How much is the shield?"

"For these prized possessions from antiquity, twenty gold pieces."

I wanted to tell him that this item was owned by Sentria and illegal for him to sell. It was more mine than any other and that I should confiscate it under orders of the Sentrian court, but I couldn't reveal my true identity.

"I only have two pieces left..." I said, looking at them in my hand.

"Is there anything else we can do?" Eldwyn asked, stepping forward. 

The seller looked at the Eldwyn and his eyes widened. "You're a relic," he said in disbelief. "I haven't seen one of your kind in decades. Between Stargon and Sentria they've chased the relics away. I once had a magical friend in my youth when I lived in East Balgore, closer to the Winding Forest, he was a relic and he was the finest being I've ever known." He tapped his chin in thought for a moment, then said, "My son has never seen one of you before. If you can show him your talents, then I will grant you the shield."

"I can do that for you." Eldwyn nodded and skipped off away from the shops.

The seller called for his brown-haired boy to come from behind the drape in the back of his booth and we all followed the skipping relic. Many others came as well, leaving their shops behind for the show that was about to take place.

Eldwyn stood in an open field with leaves scattered about and closed his eyes, pressing his fingertips against their matching pair before his face. Everyone went quiet, even the air became still. 

"Bronte, auk em braun!" said Eldwyn, and the wind picked up vigorously. The leaves around him whipped up into the air and swirled around in a twister circling the area. Eldwyn created two more and they danced around one another. The leaves swirled together and created one large twister that had the crowd in awe.

Everyone gasped and clapped in appreciation and I turned to the seller who couldn't take his eyes off of the magical feat. He held onto his little boy's shoulders and they watched on in sheer disbelief. Seeing the boy and the man, it was as if the past and the future were existing all at once and I was somewhere in the middle watching it all unfold.

"Take the shield," said the seller without breaking his gaze. "This was everything and more."