“We were told to expect five here,” Illan explains. “So where is he?”
“I assure you,” the man says, his nervousness rising, “there is no one else here.”
“Jiron, take Yern and Potbelly and search the house,” he says.
Dismounting, Jiron says “You got it.” With Yern and Potbelly beside him, he makes his way to the front door.
Raising his voice loudly, the man says, “I assure you, there is no one inside this house!”
Jiron pushes him out of the way and enters through the front door, the other two right behind.
“Miko, tie them up,” Illan says.
Getting down from his horse, Miko removes a coil of rope and begins securing the hands and feet of the four men.
“Lord Faetherton will not take too kindly to this intrusion,” the man warns Illan as Miko ties his hands behind his back.
“No, I suppose not,” he replies. “And as far as Faetherton is concerned, where might I find him?” When the man fails to respond, he says, “No matter. I’ll find him in due course.”
Suddenly, from the back of the house, the sound of a horse reaches them just before a man appears riding hard toward the gate. “Don’t let him leave!” orders Illan.
Aleya and Errin turn in the saddle and draw back their arrows. After taking aim, they let their arrows fly but the rider dodges and the arrows fly wide. A whine begins to be heard as several slingers twirl their slings before letting their slugs fly toward the fleeing man. One manages to strike him in the side and almost knocks him off his horse but he somehow keeps his balance.
“Shorty!” Jiron yells as he races from the back of the house.
At the gate, Shorty and Scar have been observing the events transpiring by the manor house. When they see the man racing toward them, Scar moves to close the gate while Shorty takes position in the road. Shorty removes a throwing knife and throws, catching the horse in the chest.
The horse stumbles and crashes to the ground, throwing the man several feet where he lands hard. Shorty runs over with another of his knives in hand but slows when he sees the man is not moving. As he draws close, he finds that the man broke his neck when he struck the ground.
Turning to the others at the manor house, he yells, “He’s dead!”
“Get him and his horse out of the road and behind the wall,” Illan hollers back to him.
Shorty nods and then he and Scar begin the gruesome job of dragging the dead man and horse to the wall.
“Who was that?” Illan asks, turning back to the man before him.
“Nobody,” he replies.
Illan eyes him a moment and then dismounts. To Caleb he says, “Go tell Shorty and Scar to continue keeping watch and to shut the gate.” When he runs off to do as bid, Illan turns to Nerrin and Moyil. “Go down there and bring the two guards back here with the others.”
“Yes, sir,” Nerrin says and then they begin running down to the gate.
“Delia, take our prisoners around back and keep an eye on them,” he tells her. “Don’t want them seen should anyone approach.”
“Right,” she replies and then gets her slingers to escort the prisoners to the rear of the house.
Illan gives James a glance then enters the house with James, Jiron and Miko right behind.
The front room looks just like any other lady’s drawing room with couches where visitors can rest and so forth. He makes his way deeper into the house, passing a side corridor and several doors before coming to what looks to have at one time been a strong wooden door. Axes or something had chopped away at it until a hole was wide enough for a man to enter.
“What’s in there?” Jiron asks.
“Some of the more important items my family holds dear,” he explains as he stops before it. Reaching into his pocket, he produces a key and inserts it into the lock. Turning it, he unlocks the door and swings the broken door open.
“Shouldn’t we go get your son and his family out of jail?” questions Miko.
“All in good time,” he replies. “They’ve been there for months, another hour won’t do them any more harm.” Entering through the door, he takes the stairs down to the basement.
Signs of looting are everywhere. Shelves smashed, boxes and chests opened if not outright destroyed. “They took everything!” exclaims James.
Illan turns to him and asks, “Can we have some light?” An orb springs to life on the palm of James’ hand, flooding the basement with light. He glances to the others and says, “They didn’t take everything.”
He moves to the far wall where two chests stand smashed open. “Give me a hand,” he says and the others move to help him slide the chests away from the wall. Once they’ve been moved back four or five feet, he leaves the chest where it sits and returns to the wall. He simultaneously presses four bricks and a soft ‘click’ can be heard.
Another brick looks to have been damaged at one time, a jagged hole, barely an inch in diameter sits just off center. Illan inserts his finger into the hole and then pulls. The wall swings open to reveal another room on the far side.
Indicating the smashed chests and boxes in the outer room he says, “In case of thieves, we kept some of our money and treasures out here, those we were willing to lose. The important items lay in this room.”
Several chests sit undisturbed against one wall. Many weapons of master craftsmanship are displayed upon the walls. Other items, including statuettes and figurines are situated upon various shelves lining the room.
“Magnificent,” James says as he comes into the room.
“Why did we come in here?” Jiron asks. “I mean, we have plenty of coins and gems.”
“That’s not why we’re here,” Illan says as he crosses through the room and comes to the far wall. He again removes a key and slides it in a crack between two bricks and turns it. Pulling on the key, he opens yet another secret door.
When the door opens, James hears Jiron gasp when he sees what lies on the other side. Looking within, he finds a breast plate, a helm, a shield, a sword, and a banner, all bearing the same insignia. A black bird of prey in flight poised to strike, upon a red heraldic field. Behind the hawk are two crossed swords.
“You’re the Black Hawk?” Jiron asks with a trace of awe in his voice.
Nodding, Illan says, “I was.” He begins removing his old sword belt from around his waist and casts it aside. Stepping within the room, he takes the sword belt with the Black Hawk insignia and straps it on.
“Black Hawk?” questions James.
“The Black Hawk was a ruthless leader during the War of Barrowman’s Field,” explains Jiron. Glancing to Illan, he says in a subdued voice, “Said to have committed all manner of atrocities upon the enemy.”
“I heard that the Black Hawk once put an entire village to the sword as an example,” Miko says.
Illan continues putting on his accouterments bearing his insignia without commenting.
“What supposedly happened to this Black Hawk?” questions James all the while watching Illan.
“None knew for sure,” replies Jiron. “Some thought he had been killed while others claim he went to a far land in search of more blood.”
James looks to Illan as he puts on the last item, the helm. “Illan?” he asks.
Turning back toward the others, he stands there in all his glory. From head to toe he looks like a hero out of the sagas. “It’s true I’m sorry to say,” he says. “When the war was over, I put Black Hawk away and became Illan. I had enough blood and death to last a lifetime. We did what needed to be done to stop the Empire, though I’m not proud of it.”
“My Alaina knew and some close friends,” he explains. “There are others from my men who came to live here with me, many joined the regular army. It was a bad time and one which I wished to put behind me.”
“So why come here and don your old armor?” asks James.
“My Alaina is gone. There will be those who remember the Black Hawk, both here in Madoc and within the Empire, which may be to our advantage. It was a name to strike terror in the enemy, and it may serve us with what’s to come.”
He walks away from the room, leaving the banner behind. “Aren’t you taking the banner?” Miko asks.
Shaking his head, he says, “No.” He glances to James and says, “Now let’s go find my son.” Securing the
