The Sword of Truth

there silently.

“‘Is that it?’ I asked, but she just continued petting that bloody puppy. Finally, I got up and left the pavilion, not sure what to believe. None of it made sense to me.

“For the next few years I tried to forget about what she told me, and lived the life of a Hazrahinian lord. But the more I tried to forget, the more miserable I became. I renewed the search for my mother, but once again came up empty-handed. I thought if I found her, she could tell me it was all lies, and I could feel normal again. Eventually I decided it was time to begin training for what was to come, even though I had no idea what exactly that was.

“It turned out that the Oracle was right. As I trained, I discovered that I was stronger and faster than other men. It took me mere weeks to learn new sword techniques that took other people years to master. My eyesight was sharper and my hearing keener. The more I trained, the more I came to believe the Oracle; but it wasn’t until I first saw you that I knew for a fact she had told me the truth.”

Lee stood up and stretched his legs. He walked over to where he had tied his horse, and stroked its mane.

“My father said you first saw me when I was a baby,” said Gewey. “He said you came down to buy horses, though he really didn’t believe that. He also said he thought I was the reason you moved to Sharpstone.”

Lee laughed softly. “Harman always was a bright one,” he said. “And he was right. Looking back, I wish I had confided in him more. But at the time, it seemed safer to keep him in the dark.” He walked back to the blanket and knelt down. “The truth is it was I that had Millet bring you to your father. I knew I couldn’t keep you safe. A lord showing up out of nowhere with a child…it would draw too much attention. Millet disguised himself as a merchant, and told your father he had found you in the wreckage of a raided caravan. I knew your father’s heart, and was sure he’d take you in.”

“If all this is true, then how did you end up with me in the first place?” asked Gewey. “How did my father come into this? And why has it all been such a secret?”

“I was just getting to that,” he replied. “Be patient and I’ll tell you.”

Gewey sighed and motioned for Lee to continue.

“I trained for years, preparing myself,” said Lee. “But for what, I still didn’t know. By the time I was twenty- eight I had learned everything the local masters had to teach, so I ventured out in search of anyone who could train me. It was on one of those trips that I met your father.

“He had left Sharpstone in search of his fortune. He was courting your mother at the time. Your grandfather had left him little in the way of a living, so he left home hoping to find work as a man at arms. With what he saved, he hoped to buy a farm and earn the right to marry your mother. I think she would have married him regardless, but Harman was a proud man, and he couldn’t imagine taking a wife without the means to support her.

“When I first encountered your father, I was making my way around the eastern end of the Razor Edge Mountains, on my way back to Hazrah. I had just finished studying under a sword master in Vallhavin, and had stopped for the night in a small village. What I didn’t know was that this particular village was home to a band of raiders and cutthroats that had been wreaking havoc in every town and village for a hundred miles. I was sitting in the common room of the inn, sharing a bottle of wine with Millet. He always came with me on these trips-he’s convinced that I can’t take care of myself-and to tell the truth, there were times I would have gone mad but for his company. Earlier I had heard talk of a sword-master and battle strategist somewhere in the northwest near the steppes; I was trying to decide whether to cancel my trip home and seek him out, when I noticed two men huddled in the corner staring at me.

“At once I knew their intentions. One of the abilities I had discovered was that I can sense when someone means harm. Sometimes, I can almost hear their thoughts. I immediately told Millet to go to our room and wait for me there.

“I didn’t have to wait long. As soon as Millet headed for the room, one of the men got up and followed him. I wasn’t wearing my sword and, for all his accomplishments, Millet is no warrior. I stood up and pretended not to notice that the other man still watched me as I walked towards the bar. As fast as I could, I grabbed a mug off a table and flung it at the man in the corner. It hit him squarely in the throat and he fell over gasping. I ran upstairs and saw the other man drawing a knife as he knocked at my door. I charged in, trying to get to him before Millet could answer, but the man saw me coming and ran down the hall to the back steps. Foolishly, I chased after him.

“By the time I caught up to him he had made it out the back entrance and was headed across the street to a nearby house. I reached out to grab for him when I felt a pain shoot through my left shoulder. It took a second for me to realize I’d been struck by an arrow. Three more men-one carrying a bow-jumped out from around the side of the house. I was unarmed, wounded, and out-numbered, and all I could think was that the bloody Oracle was wrong after all.

“I thought I was about to die right there in the street, but suddenly, out of nowhere, your father stepped in front of me, swinging his sword wildly. I think it was the sheer ferocity of his attack that saved us, being that his skills with a blade were crude at best. Later, he told me his father had served the King as a soldier and had taught him basic sword fighting when he was a boy, but he had never learned much beyond that. The men turned and ran, and your father, being a much wiser man than I, did not chase after them. Instead, he helped me back to the inn where he and Millet tended my wounds. The innkeeper warned us about the raiders, saying that they would definitely return and that we should leave as soon possible. Millet fussed and complained about me traveling wounded, but there was no choice. Your father came with us, and I hired him as a bodyguard. I introduced myself to him as Lee Starfinder-not Nal’Thain. In those days I never traveled under the name of my crest.

“I decided not to return to Hazrah, and headed west to seek out the sword master. As it turned out, the attack did me some good. The wound took only two weeks to heal. I kept this from your father, of course, but it was more proof of my heritage.

“I eventually found the sword master and studied under him for a year. When my studies were done, your father told me he wanted to go home. He had saved enough money to buy a small farm and take his bride. He feared if he waited any longer that she might marry another. I’m sure your father told you, but she was quite beautiful; even so, I don’t think she would have married anyone else even if he’d stayed away ten years. She truly loved him. I was sorry to see him go, but I knew from the look in his eyes that he was determined. I didn’t see him again for many years.

“I eventually returned home for good, or so I thought. I continued training myself, as there were no more masters left to teach me. Life went on as normal, and I found myself becoming forgetful of what the oracle had told me.

“It was the night of a massive blizzard when Millet woke me and told me a messenger from the Oracle was waiting in my study to see me. I went downstairs and, to my surprise, found the young girl who had once led me to the pavilion all those years ago. Though she was no longer a young girl, I recognized her right away. She looked frightened and was shivering from the cold. In her arms, she held a baby wrapped in linen.

“‘It’s time,’ she said.

“‘What do you mean?’ I asked, knowing perfectly well what she meant.

“She didn’t say another word. She just walked up, placed you in my arms, and ran out, disappearing into the storm.”

Gewey’s jaw tightened. “Let me get this straight,” he said. “I was dumped off in a storm in the middle of the night, and you decided I was the treasure, just like that. You then left me with my father, and moved hundreds of miles to Sharpstone to watch over me. And now, for whatever bizarre reason, some evil being is on our trail. Have I missed anything?”

“Don’t make light of this,” Lee scolded. “I have sacrificed much, and you will listen to what I have to say.”

“Fine,” said Gewey, raising no objection.

Lee continued. “Like I said, when the girl handed you to me I had no idea what was happening. I looked down at you sleeping in my arms, and remembered what the Oracle said: when the time came, I would know what to do. Well, I didn’t, at least not until I pulled back the blanket you were wrapped in and touched your face with my finger. It was then that I understood why you are so important. The second I touched your skin, I knew what you really