The Legend of the Misty Raven

Ok thought I would share this one I have been writing... yes it is over 100 pages according to word so far, but I'll only post a part of it to see if there is any interest in it at all...

Chapter One - A Haunting Past

Jeremiah tossed and turned in his meager cot. The dreams didn’t come often, but when they did, he took notice. They always centered on his father, Jacob, aboard his family’s trading ship, The Brass Pelican.

“She’s not going to hold, Jacob, we’ve lost her!” a desperately shaken mate calls to his father, struggling valiantly against the pull of the wheel.

“Then take to the rafts if you feel your chances are better there!” Jacob snapped back from behind the wheel, eyeing the waters for some sign of relief. His light brown hair pulled back into a ponytail wavering in the wind while his strong, muscular arms held the wheel. His deep brown eyes scanned quickly as he adjusted his footing on the wet deck to make the necessary steering adjustments. A slight frown took to his face, as hope seemed to melt away instantly.

In the next moment, the wreckage of the vessel lay scattered, bobbing atop the waves with the nameplate of the vessel floating to the top.

Jeremiah snapped out of the restless slumber and called out in horror, only to stop shortly when the realization it was but a dream entered his consciousness. Madelyn, his mother, opened the door abruptly and entered the room.

“What is it, Jeremiah? What is wrong?” she called with concern from her soft, caring lips. Her piercing blue eyes looked over her visibly shaken son for some answers. Madelyn was a delicately framed woman, nowhere near the strong type of her husband. In her, however, was the gift of compassion, which can be stronger than many men if it is in need.

“It’s… it… it’s nothing. Was only a dream,” Jeremiah offered from his cot but seemingly drenched in sweat.

“Your father?” Madelyn probed, tilting her head slightly for some reassurance that answering the question would be ok.

“Yes, mother, it was horrible… The Brass Pelican… It was lost!” despair took over Jeremiah’s face as he tried to explain before he lost the nerve to.

Madelyn politely chuckled. “Your father has the blood of the dolphins and whales in him, I am sure. If any were to hold a vessel together, he would be the one to do so. He returns tomorrow, then your fears can go out on the next shipment.”

I really love it, it painted a picture in my mind, good job, i hope to read some more 😊

With that, Madelyn wiped the sweat from her son’s brow and replaced it with a single, loving kiss. Rest finally came to Jeremiah as he slept the remainder of the morning in peace.

Living on the eastern side of Stormfront was more of a necessity than a symbol of affluence to them. The Bay of Thieves to the east was kept in check by the town’s tall, fortified wall. High off to the west, the keep itself overlooked the town growing every direction but to the north. Upon the town’s establishment, the founding fathers deemed it necessary to never breach the woods in that direction for wildlife hunting purposes. To the south and west of the keep, where most of the less fortunate families lived, lay the town’s original construction area and the rural farmlands, respectively.

The air was crackling with excitement for Jeremiah as he passed the covered bazaar on the way to the docks. It was the same as any other day his father was expected in. The fruit stands and trinket peddlers might as well have been peddling mud that day. Jeremiah had little interest in anything but the dock and the arrival of the Brass Pelican.

The pylons of the southern dock were the safest place to wait the arrival of the ships. The dock itself was in dire need of repair. The taxes weren’t as high on this dock as they were on the well-kept northern dock. Despite Madelyn’s concerns about its safety, Jacob was able to show her how using the cheaper dock could afford them the house in the better-patrolled and much safer eastern portion of the city. The only times the dock was ever used was in loading and unloading… and waiting.

The games of the young while they are passing time usually are harmless. While there seemed to be little damage in it, Jeremiah passed many an hour jumping from one good board on the dock to another, faster and faster. Despite the many chances he had, he never fell in the water. He imagined himself in a flashy duel with a villainous pirate, defending the town and saving the Stormlord’s daughter in the process. Taunting his imaginary foe while commencing the imaginary duel was a requirement to playing the game. The passing watch took great lengths to take their breaks within view of the brave defender and cheer him on. No one would dare get past him on his watch, they would muse as they lingered perhaps a bit longer than they should.

A dozen passes of the watch, at one bell apart, found the valiant defender slowly giving up defense for scanning the darkening horizon for signs of a sail, anything to disprove his dream and credit his mother with another time she was right. Hope faded with the sun, as the shadow cast upon the bay slowly became just a dimming of the sky itself.

“Jeremiah? Are you ok, lad?” a concerned watchman asked in passing.

“Yes, Sir!” Jeremiah responded. “My father just probably got turned around in a fog somewhere and was waiting for the stars to guide him home.”

The watchman solemnly nodded; though he was certain Jeremiah was trying more to convince himself of that story than anyone else. He frowned slightly, certain it was concealed from Jeremiah’s view by the shadows and turned around.

“Ship ho!” Cried the wall watch above. The watchman spun around to look at Jeremiah, whose eyes began to light up with that call.

“See? I told you, Sir! It is my father!” Jeremiah stated pointing out to the water. The watchman smiled broadly to him and went on about his rounds.

The invigorated Jeremiah took back to defending the town from the imaginary foe until the ship grew in size in the bay, and then sat on the pylon awaiting his father. The Brass Pelican looked a bit haggard from the trip, he could see some sail damage in the moonlight, and the mast looked completely different, as if it were an emergency mast. That would explain why it took so long to get back to port, too. Everything was explained then the boat turned towards the northern dock.

“Maybe with the damage, father thought it best to take the sturdier northern dock. Perhaps his gangplank is a bit damaged and he needs all the footing to unload he can get,” Jeremiah hypothesized and made his way off the pylon and around the town to the northern dock.

As tired as he should have been, his feet took him to the docks fairly quickly. His stride increased until he walked under the archway and saw the boat in question. Whatever that boat was it certainly was not the Pelican. What’s more, it was apparently hauling junk! Distorted pieces of wood and shreds of fabric came off the ships deck and onto a pile on the side of the dock. His father hauled spices and sugar and took the nastiest dock and this ship carrying junk took the northern one. I just did not make sense.

Guards gathered around the wreckage noticed Jeremiah getting closer and one called out, “Hold him back, take him back to his house!”

That just amplified Jeremiah’s curiosity one thousand fold as he nimbly jumped from pylon to parts of the wreckage and more wanting to stay away from the guards until he has seen enough to understand just what was going on. The guards closed in and he took up a board from the wreckage to hold them off.

The guards suddenly froze in shock as Jeremiah tried to ascertain just what the look was about. Had to be blood on the board he held to hold them off. Had to be something so frightening grown men would stop their mad scrabble to just stand there with a look of… sorrow? Confusion demands answers at times so Jeremiah flipped the board down into his hands to see just what was so scary about it.

“The Brass Pelican” painted across the board in a flourish as only his mother could do. Jeremiah, spent emotionally, fainted on the spot.

“Gather him up, men,” The watchman ordered. “It seems he found our answer for us. Now, he and his mother will certainly have more questions. The rest of you find what you can from the debris and report any findings immediately to me at the Michaels residence.”

“Yes, Sir!” responded the bulk of the crew while the watchman, Jeremiah and the two guards supporting his lifeless body walked down the street into the night.

Wonderful, absolutely wonderful, i really hope you post some more 😉

Chapter Two - Answers That Lead to Questions

The knock on the door startled the slumbering Madelyn, resting in a comfortable chair wrapped in a blanket. She, too, had dreamt of her husband, not of his death, but of their lives together. She remembered the purchase of the Brass Pelican and how Jacob swore it would one day offer her the life of luxury she once dreamt of. While they were by no means rich, they seldom wanted more out of life, and that was luxury enough for her. She rushed to the door and imagined her husband and son on the other side, loaded with gifts from the ports on the nearby island chain.

Captain Dorian sighed heavily as he tried to go over just what to say and what not to say. He had known Jacob and Madelyn most of their lives and never prepared for such a situation as this. It broke his heart for this to happen on his watch. As if simply knowing about the end Jacob faced wasn’t enough, being the one to break the news to Madelyn was just another icy dagger plunged deep in his heart. The door flung open and Madelyn’s blank expression only made it worse.

“Jeremiah’s fine, Madelyn,” seemed like a safe place for him to start as the two officers brought him in and deposited him gently on a nearby bed. “He simply played all night while waiting for Jacob.”

Relief came over Madelyn’s face as her son was laid down a few feet away, “Then I thank you gentlemen for your time in bringing him home,” she offered. “You didn’t have to tend to it personally, Dorian.”

Dorian took a deep breath and dismissed his two guards. “I know that, Madelyn. However, there is something that I did need to tend to personally.”

Madelyn shifted to a more defensive stance and eyed Dorian. She felt in her heart what he was going to say, just wasn’t sure she was prepared to hear it. She looked around as if focusing on other things would ease the moment, but could find nothing that would ever cushion the blow of losing her husband to the sea.

“Madelyn… It is Jacob. We found some wreckage of the Brass Pelican. I don’t have anything to go on to say how or why, but I do have my men focusing their efforts on it. I’ll be glad to stay my shift here and make certain you are fine,” he offered then motioned towards Jeremiah sound asleep. “Jeremiah knows. He found the wreckage. I think all the excitement about seeing Jacob was keeping him going. The men told me on the way over here he played hard all day.”

Madelyn didn’t take a lot of solace in not having to break the news to Jeremiah; she would rather have Jacob back. She feared all her life this day would get here. She never really was prepared for it, though. A surreal calm expression overcame her and she let out a soft, “He loved the sea, it is only fitting he would meet his end there, I suppose. If he can no longer be with me, he might as well be with his other love.”

With that, Madelyn sat again in her chair and wrapped herself up in her blanket. She stared numbly at the room around her and at her child, the only joy she had left. He was a mirror image of a younger Jacob. She let out an unnatural smile for the situation. Captain Dorian grabbed a chair and sat in silence by the door, awaiting some word from his men.

On the dock the pieces of the puzzle they did have just didn’t make sense. Aside from the nameplate and a few random hull pieces closest to the keel, there wasn’t enough there to even begin to piece together the puzzle. The lower keel pieces weren’t scratched, it seemed. That seemed to suggest an explosion, or cannon fire. Although none of the pieces they had supported that, either. The crew rummaged through everything, looking for a scuff of a cannonball or the assault of a reef or the explosion of a powder room. There was just nothing there.

“There has to be something,” pondered Terrence of the watch while searching under the meager lights of the lanterns. “We certainly can’t go tell Captain Dorian we have nothing.”

“But that is exactly what we have,” called another from the other side of the wreckage.

Terrence knew he was right. Nothing fit. The crew inspected the pieces a few more minutes of hoping for a sign of what really happened. To say it is one of the options would not only be inappropriate, but also probably wrong. He sighed heavily and shouted above the workers, “Let’s call it a night, lads. I’ll report to Captain Dorian.”

The men pulled the wreckage pieces off to the side and began to clean the docks up as Terrence made the journey to report his findings. How could he look for hours and find nothing? He answered himself with a reassuring there was simply nothing there to find as his tired legs carried him down the street past one lamp after another. He took a slow pace just in case some luck had finally shown itself in the search while the men were cleaning up, but he prepared himself to say there was nothing to be found, nonetheless.

The soft knock was obviously meant for none other than the lightly sleeping Captain Dorian. He pulled the door open gently. Upon seeing Terrence, he nodded and stepped outside the house.

“What do you have to report?” Captain Dorian asked him directly.

“I’m afraid we have nothing, Sir,” Terrence responded hesitantly.

Captain Dorian raised an eyebrow slightly, narrowing his eyes in almost disbelief. “Nothing at all?”

“I’m afraid not, Sir. There just aren’t any pieces with evidence of explosion, cannonball scuffs or reef damage,” Terrence said softly and awaited a reprimand.

Captain Dorian nodded solemnly and patted him on the shoulder, “You did fine work, all of you. I appreciate that. I just can’t give this shattered family a report of nothing. I’m sure you understand that.”

Terrence nodded and offered, “I’d love to give you something conclusive, Sir… there… there just isn’t anything conclusive there.”

Captain Dorian thought the situation over for a moment. If it were an explosion or a reef, there was no possible way Madelyn would have accepted that finding, anyway. She needed closure, too. He took a few steps then turned around and looked at Terrence.

“I want you to answer the questions honestly, Terrence. I’ll make my report from there,” Captain Dorian says in a leading tone.

“Yes, Sir. I shall,” Terrence responded to the order.

“Did you find any evidence that suggested the Brass Pelican struck a reef?”

“No, Sir.”

“Was there any evidence that concludes there was an explosion on board or the vessel was at fault?”

“No, Sir”

“And in your investigation, could you tell me that you found any evidence that eliminated a pirate attack as a possible cause.”

Terrence stood there for a moment, seeing exactly where this was going. He understood well why the questions were worded the way they were and paused to see if he was breaking any rules by answering them.

“Terrence, I simply asked for the truth based on your findings. It is my report and my head if this is found inappropriate. My report will word the questions stated as such, and your mates on the dock will back your answers. Shall I repeat the question for you?” Captain Dorian encouraged Terrence.

“No, Sir, I remember it well. There was no evidence that eliminated pirates as the culprit, Sir,” Terrence offered and nodded his head.

“Thank you for your time, Terrence,” Captain Dorian offered. “Go home to your family. I’ll fill the report out in the morning after I have discussed the situation with the Michaels. I’ll want you there to verify and sign off on the report so you can verify I put the questions in as worded for your sake.”

“Thank you, Sir,” Terrence said and turned around into the darkness. Captain Dorian watched him walk towards his house and walked back inside to sleep and wait for Madelyn and Jeremiah to stir.

Chapter Three - Legacies and Duties

The morning sun brought warmth, but still no comfort, into the Michaels residence. Madelyn, usually the first one stirring, still sat in the chair with seemingly the same blank stare from the night before. Jeremiah begun to stir and Madelyn fetched a small, ornate box from atop the cupboard and sat it at Jeremiah’s feet. The noise woke Captain Dorian from his slumber.

Jeremiah sat up in a state of shock. His mom still looked disheveled, and Captain Dorian was in the chair at the door. So much for his wish that it was all just a bad dream.

As he sat on the edge of the cot, his feet touched the box, curious, as he never seen the box before he picked it up. His name was inscribed on a golden plate across the top. So it seemed the only thing left to do was to open it. Inside, a rounded wooden peg with a broken end rested atop a folded piece of paper. Jeremiah sat aside the peg and unfolded and read the parchment.

“To my brave Jeremiah,

If you are given this box, then it is true I have met an unfortunate end at the sea. Your mother will need you now more than ever. You have always been a man for me while I was working the trade route. I need you to be a man for me and help your mother all you can. If you find yourself in need of work, you would do well to seek out Captain Dorian. We have been friends for many years and I trust him completely.

The wooden peg you find in the box was put there in case I was lost at sea. I broke it off the wheel of the Brass Pelican on my second voyage out. I told my mates it was so every time I missed that handhold on the wheel, it would remind me I missed my son more. The mates used to always kid me that they were glad I only had one son. Keep it close to your heart, my son. If you need my strength, perhaps you can feel it there.

My last wish and hope is that if the Brass Pelican is lost, that you find her and take her on one last voyage. Restore her to glory, Jeremiah, she is your birthright. I am missing you already like I shall never see you again. I’m so glad we’re pulling into port as I write this.

Be strong, my son,
Your Father.”

With that, Jeremiah took the peg and ran to give his mother a warm embrace. Love never left that house, even when Jacob couldn’t return. Captain Dorian sat silently while the two embraced then stood.

“From our findings it seems clear the Brass Pelican was a victim of a pirate attack. The captain of the vessel that found her claims she was floating several miles south of here. They salvaged what they could, there wasn’t a lot left to claim, however,” Captain Dorian concluded and added, “I’m needed to fill out my official report, but if I can help either of you in any way, do not hesitate to come by.”

“Thank you, Captain Dorian,” Madelyn offered him. After he turned and walked out Madelyn focused her attention to the small child now called upon to be a man. “Promise me you will avoid the sea unless it is completely necessary. If you keep no other promise but this, at least promise me you will do that for me. Avoid your father’s fate.”

Jeremiah clinched on to his mother tightly as he gripped the peg firmly in his hand, “I promise, mother. I promise.”

A few years found Jeremiah, now a sparring partner at the training grounds for Captain Dorian, in the prime of his youth. At the brink of manhood he had matured past his years. Captain Dorian offered him what salary he could afford to help keep the guard in fine practice at fencing. The ironic thing was, as Jeremiah was getting all the hours sparring with the others an hour at a time, Jeremiah was actually becoming better than most of the guards he was training. The bell sounded for the noon hour and Jeremiah patted swords with his partner for that hour and they both hit the nearby bench.

“Water?” inquired a petite feminine voice. Jeremiah and the guard turned to look at the water carrier in the grounds. She was a sparkling girl with light brown hair. Peeking out from underneath, was light brown eyes. Her small frame just amplified the overall cuteness of the young woman.

“I think I will have some, thank you, miss,” replied the guard as the girl poured him a small wooden cup.

“There you go, Sir!” she bounced back perking slightly at doing something to help the guards. She nodded slightly at the thanks she received and turned to Jeremiah. “How about you, Sir?”

“Jeremiah, That’s my name.” Jeremiah replied to her.

“Ok, Sir! I’m Mia! But how about water?” she responded, still quite perky despite doing a job few cared for.

“Mia, just call me Jeremiah from now on and I’ll be happy to have some water,” he replied still not certain she would accept Jeremiah as his name. Across the field the girls let out of their dorms to play on the practice fields during the noon bell break. One of them, a fiery redhead with green eyes, caught Jeremiah’s gaze every day. Taryn Karthown was the daughter of a third generation shipwright in the area. Her father built the Brass Pelican from her grandfather’s plans. “She’s beautiful” Jeremiah mused aloud to his sparring partner looking at the redheaded Taryn.

Water flowed over Jeremiah spontaneously. Turning around Mia stood there with a ladle in her hand dripping near where Jeremiah was a moment ago. She smiled broadly and said, “Your water, Jeremiah! Sorry, your friend had my only cup.” With that, Mia strode of, very proud of herself.

“Best to hold your seat, Jeremiah,” the guard cautioned him. “Unless you are after calling attention to the fact you got dowsed by the water girl.”

The years passed and eventually Jeremiah and Mia became close friends, even though Taryn had Jeremiah’s eye. In off times when the sparring partners were scarce, Mia would even playfully spar with Jeremiah, hoping to connect with him on a deep emotional level, if only once. Nonetheless, they kept each other on their toes for seasons on end.

They were both at seventeen years of age and both still faithful to their current positions for some reason when Mia’s connection hit…briefly. They had been sparring, lunging and parrying each other nicely as one would expect from years of sparring with each other.

“Are you about done? If you don’t speed this up I’ll be forced to up the ante to a drink for the victor,” Mia taunted Jeremiah, grinning. Either way, they would have a drink together and she would end up the victor.

“In that case, you’ll be fetching me more than water,” Jeremiah taunted back, smirking at her.

“Is that so?” Mia replied fire burning deep in her eyes for the first time since Jeremiah met her. She saw him off guard from the look and bull rushed him over the bench and pinned his shoulders down, resting her blade across his throat. “Looks like you’ll be doing the fetching.” She smirked as she straddled his chest.

Something in the moment struck Jeremiah as undeniable. There was no look as if he just lost to a girl, or look as if he lost a bet… the look in his eyes was as if he’d lost all those years never knowing just what a woman Mia had become. She was no longer the youthful water girl as he was no longer the young spar partner. How could he have been so blind all those years?

“Jeremiah?” Captain Dorian called out from the entrance. The two broke up the hold and dusted themselves off. “I was curious if I could get in some sparring time today as we talked… but perhaps I should be sparring with Mia. It did look like she had the best of you.”

Mia grinned ear to ear and directed to Jeremiah, “Wasn’t the first time, won’t be the last, either”

Jeremiah rolled his eyes at Mia and looked at Captain Dorian, “Of course, Sir. And to be frank with you, yes, Sir, she did get the best of me there.”

“Jeremiah, you have been a sparring partner for the entire regiment for several years now,” Captain Dorian started and analyzed Jeremiah’s stance for a weakness. “I see, you must have been taking it easy on Mia, eh?”

Jeremiah rubbed his lower back at the comment and offered, “No, Sir, I believe she just took her opening.”

“I see, as I was saying,” Captain Dorian continued. “The regiment claims you are practically unbeatable in solo combat and fierce against multiple enemies. Do you know what that sounds like to me?”

“Years of practice?” Jeremiah questioned and hit Captain Dorian with the flat of his blade sharply in the leg to show he had left the opening.

“Actually, it sounds more like a guard than a sparring partner. I want you to join the guard as a full salaried member, effective immediately.” Captain Dorian said. In Jeremiah’s stupor at the offer, Captain Dorian patted him on the side of the cheek with the blade. “But you can’t join if you are going to get killed like that.”

Originally posted by Weeping Fairy
I really love it, it painted a picture in my mind, good job, i hope to read some more 😊

kk thanks for the support going back to writing new stuff for a miniute if I can click the X on the KMC window... hopefully finally finish chapter 16 today or so... maybe -sigh-

Chapter Four - The Chambers of the Heart

Jeremiah rushed home after the spar with Captain Dorian, his heart racing and eager to share the news with his mother. His life had already changed so much in the years since his father was lost to the sea. He honored his father always by making a necklace of the peg his father left him and wore it proudly around his neck, rubbing it for inspiration when life tried him the most. Taryn, the fiery redhead from his youth, never lost his eye and he was slowly gaining her favor. Now, he would be a full salaried guard and be paid handsomely to watch over the town, and in turn, his mother.

He opened the door and was treated with a view of his timelessly beautiful mother, and the blossomed Mia, sitting in the room visiting with each other. They looked up and a very broadly smiling Jeremiah greeted their gaze

“I take it nothing is wrong, then,” Madelyn began. “So, what brings you home this early?”

“Don’t tell us you have ran out of worthy opponents and came seeking me to humble you again,” Mia added, smirking broadly.

“No, and I would have bested you then but…”, Jeremiah returned to Mia

“…but you found yourself flat on your ass with my sword at your throat?” Mia interrupted, finishing the story before the truth could be slaughtered.

“I had you where I wanted you, Mia. It wasn’t my fault Captain Dorian interrupted before I claimed my victory,” Jeremiah snapped back, trying to save face but appeared to be the only one buying the story. “Now, speaking of Captain Dorian, the real reason I am home is I am no longer the sparring trainer for the Stormfront Guard. Captain Dorian has asked me to serve as a full salaried member of the Stormfront Guard! I begin the morning after next.”

A smile of pride beamed across Madelyn’s face, then melted away as she looked upon the emotionless face of Mia. Looking back and forth between the two faces lacking smiles, Jeremiah asked, “What is wrong? Is this not the greatest news?”

“Yeah,” Mia returned softly, “I suppose it is.” With that, Mia forced a smile but looked at Jeremiah with sad eyes.

“You can still bring me water! I’ll just be taking it at the wall,” Jeremiah encouraged Mia. “And you should be happy for me! There is no way Taryn can deny me now!”

“You seem to be happy enough for both of us,” Mia replied and pushed past Jeremiah, stopping at the door to look back. “Sorry, Madelyn, there is only room enough for three in here, and it appears your son brought his ego home from sparring practice.”

With that, Mia walked out the door and sped down the street towards the water, disappointment accelerating her more than the slight incline down the hill. She just wanted to get away, she wanted to be a kid again, or the woman that a few bells ago that was but a moment away from stealing a kiss from the man her heart really wanted.

Jeremiah stood there speechless a moment, Madelyn shaking her head in disapproval at him. It was his night to celebrate and he felt like something maggots would refuse to feast upon. He knew the answer in his heart, but still asked his mother, “What did I say?”

The morning brought a sense of excitement. This is the last day before becoming a guard and Jeremiah had but one goal, securing his place in Taryn’s heart forever. His coin purse from his pay that he had been saving felt immense.

He walked down the hill and into Glim’s Gems, knowing the ring should be the first thing bought as it is the most important. He presented the coin purse to the shopkeeper, withdrawing a small stack for the flowers still to buy, and said, “I need to win over the heart of the woman of my dreams, I’ll need these coins for the meal and flowers.”

The shopkeeper poured the pile of coins on the counter and counted them, looked up at Jeremiah and smiled, “This isn’t quite a lot for any of our fancier rings. But I must say, this is quite a bit more than I normally get to work with from boys your age with large hearts and not so large coin purses. I think we can come up with an impressive ring, nonetheless.”

Jeremiah quickly scanned the pile in front of him. Twenty-eight pieces of gold lay scattered on the wooden counter. He frowned slightly and asked, “What are our choices?”

The shopkeeper smiled and brought up a meager tray of rings to choose from. A few plain with larger stones, a few more ornate with a smaller stone and some littered with several small stones. One, like the ring his mother wears, caught his eye. He pointed to it and asked, “What about this one?”

The shopkeeper pulled up the ring and handed it to Jeremiah. Jeremiah inspected it closely. It was identical to his mother’s in almost every detail. The tag below had a hastily scribbled 37 on it. “I like it, but I am afraid there aren’t enough coins to cover this one.” Jeremiah said, frowning and returning the ring to the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper looked at the tag and thought for a moment. He looked at Jeremiah and offered, “No, see? Often times when I write a two, it looks a lot like a three. This is one of those times, I think. If you want this ring, it is yours. You even get a gold piece back to add to your stack.”

A smile returned to Jeremiah’s face as he proclaimed, “Done!” He took the ring and his change and thanked the shopkeeper heartily. Walked out the door and went on to make the rest of the preparations.

A tavern was not the most romantic of places, but it had to do as he could have the added lure to at least the promise of a hearty meal. He waited patiently inside for Taryn to accept the invitation, fidgeting nervously with the ring atop the table.

“Hi, I’m Mia and I’ll be happy to assist…” A bubbling voice called from behind Jeremiah as he turned in time to hear the voice go from bubbling to near contempt. “...You!”

“Mia,” Jeremiah started off softly, “I am sorry I flaunted Taryn in your face for so long. You are really quite an attractive woman. I should probably…”

The town’s bell from the tower interrupted the night. Patrons of the tavern listed attentively for some sign of what was transpiring. A volley of cannon fire quickly answered that as the town’s wall opened fire. Jeremiah stood and sprinted across the streets to the barracks.

“Jeremiah!” Captain Dorian called out form in the barracks. “You aren’t due until tomorrow morning!”

Jeremiah stood there in near shock. Here there was a siege on Stormfront from the bay and Captain Dorian wasn’t letting him take part in the defense. He stood there and looked at Captain Dorian, “You know I’m ready for this! Let me fight!”

About the time Captain Dorian tossed him a sword, the bell fell silent, accompanied by cheers. Short lived as the action seemed to be, it was thrilling to Jeremiah just to hold the sword in his hand, given to him with the charge of the town’s defense.

“Take your sword home and bring it back with you in the morning, I’ll see you then,” Captain Darius instructed. “There is nothing here but clean up and finding out just what happened here. I may need you to help me with the investigation in the morning, if there is still one to conduct by then.”

Jeremiah took his sword and walked out the barracks and faced the tavern. Mia served some of the townsfolk that had returned to ale drinking when the bells fell silent. She was still the spunky friend he always knew; he could tell there was just something missing in her. He scanned the crowd for a sign of Taryn. She probably got scared off with the bells and fled back to the women’s academy. Sighing heavily, Jeremiah returned home and crashed upon his bed.