“Records?” Khollo asked eagerly. Maybe I can get the full story that way.
“Oh yes, they have a library, massive library,” the stranger informed him. “I found out that I’m descended from the Keeper Kings, did I tell you?”
“Er, yes, you might have mentioned it,” Khollo muttered.
“But you, you have his name!” the stranger said, pointing a shaking finger at Khollo. “I heard you, and I assume your dragon is now called Kanin?”
“Yes,” Khollo said impatiently, “But – ”
“Oh, what a day this is!” the old man exclaimed. “A Keeper, returned to the ancient land. Tell me, boy, what is your lineage? Which of them are you descended from?”
“I have no idea,” Khollo replied. “I never knew my father, Ezraan, or my mother. And I don’t know any of my family before that. I have an uncle, but – are you all right?”
The bearded stranger had sunk to his knees on the steps of the dais. “Hmm? Oh no, not at all well, not at all. Comes as rather a shock really.” The stranger cackled again, seeming to be on the brink of madness. “But I should have known this day would come. He had it, I could see it.”
“Well, nice meeting you,” Khollo said uncertainly. “Kanin, did you want to explore something else?”
Something that does not involve this strange old man? Yes, let’s go. The mountains looked nice.
“Mountains it is,” Khollo agreed quickly. “Sorry, friend, but we have business to attend to – ”
“Friend?” the man cackled. “Friend? Well that’s a little harsh. I would have expected something more along the lines of ‘father’.”
Khollo froze in the act of mounting Kanin. He slowly turned back to the wild man. It can’t be . . .
The man bowed, smiling. “Ezraan, descendent of kings, former Captain in the Sthan army, father of one Khollo Kurkan.” He paused. “Welcome home, my son.”
Chapter 26
Khollo staggered as though struck, leaning against Kanin for support.
Khollo! Are you okay? Stand up, what’s going on? Who is the strange man?
“You’re . . . you’re dead,” he protested weakly, shaking his head. “Janis told me you were killed by vertaga.”
“You know Janis, do you? Good!” Ezraan cackled. “I had hoped that he would look after you when I disappeared. Couldn’t get back, see.”
“Not . . . possible,” Khollo muttered.
He is your father? Kanin demanded. Should I flame the crazy one?
“No!” Khollo shouted. Kanin recoiled. “Sorry, Kanin,” Khollo said quietly. “I need time to figure this out.”
Kanin stretched out his neck and lowered his great head to the floor beside Khollo. I will stay, I will listen, and I will support, he announced. And I will flame, if you desire.
“Let’s hold off on that,” Khollo muttered. He looked up and saw the strange man . . . Ezraan, staring at him.
“You understand your dragon?” he asked. “You can hear him?”
“Yes, and he understands me,” Khollo replied. “And you too I think.”
Perfectly, Kanin agreed. Then he stiffened. Wait. The mad one is also a descendent of Keepers?
“Apparently.”
How far the line has fallen, Kanin growled.
“Easy,” Khollo murmured. “I’m sure there’s an explanation for all of this.”
“There is,” Ezraan said heavily. “A long, sad tale. I am sure you know parts of it. Janis will have told you how and where I ‘died’.”
“He told me you died at the defense of Tamor,” Khollo said. “That you were knocked off your horse and stood against the vertaga to give them time to escape.”
Ezraan nodded. “I didn’t stand against them long. That’s where I got this.” He jabbed a finger at the scar and his blinded left eye. “Would have split my skull wide open if I hadn’t stepped back just in time. They left me for dead after that and carried on after Janis. I crawled back to the stable – it wasn’t far – and stole another horse. I went through the west gate, where the enemy presence was lightest, and rode off into the hills. The plan was I’d snatch some rest, bind my wounds, then continue north and meet up with Janis again.”
“Of course, that never happened!” Ezraan continued, laughing. “I got into them hills and tended my wounds, but when I went to go north there were vertaga everywhere. I couldn’t get through their lines. Then a group decided to pursue me, eight of them.” He scowled, the scar on his face rippling and contorting grotesquely. “They chased me south, right to the edge of the sea, to a village east of Narne. Well, if Narne is still there anyway – ”
“It is,” Khollo informed him.
“Good! Always liked the Narnese,” Ezraan muttered. “Excellent people, dead helpful and kind. Had a good lord too, but I forget his name. Anyway, I got to this village by the sea and the vertaga are still chasing me. They get delayed by the town watch, only briefly mind, and that gives me enough time to get to the beach where the villagers had all their boats tied up. I shoved one in the water and hopped in. By the time the vertaga got to the shore, I was out of reach, headed out to sea.”
Ezraan paused. “The plan was, I’d row around to Narne, or maybe Ishkabur, and hole up behind the walls, find a real doctor to treat me and send word to my family I was alive. Only problem was, the villagers didn’t store the oars in their boats overnight. Harder to steal that way. So instead of rowing I drifted on the tide. Days it was, maybe weeks before I sighted land. My boat was drifting past it though, not to it, so I jumped out and swam for
