HOLDFAST - CULLEN PART 4

CHAPTER TWO
HOLDFAST

The Dreamweaver sat in a room that could be referred to as a cell. It had no window, a bed and a desk. It was only a few feet wide, a step would allow him to cross the room. The room was made of stone, like most of Castle Holdfast, in the city of the same name. The floor was made of wide wooden planks. A book of God lay on the table.
The Dreamweaver had read the book before and found it quite interesting, but his anxiety about being brought to the castle was weighing on him. He wondered what the King wanted with him after all these years.
When King Cezar ruled Holdfast and began his quest to unify all the known world, Remus had been a boy. The Dreamweaver had been his teacher. He had been a smart boy and learned his lesson well, but he was privileged and he knew it.
He hadn’t been a kind boy but he was, by all reports, a good High King. The land was settled and peaceful and there was good trade between the different domains. The castle the Dreamweaver now sat in had clearly grown richer in the last few years, since he had been there.
The tapestries were wide and beautiful, carved mantels and doorways led throughout finely furnished rooms. The furniture was of the highest quality and the castle was clean and well kept.
The Dreamweaver had left the King’s service as Remus grew into his teen years. He had become more interested in hunting and hawking, or even more, romancing young noble women his same age or sometimes older. He was a handsome youth and used it to his advantage.
Now he was High King of the entire known world, from the Everwinter Mountains to the Sea of Glass, from here in Holdfast to the far reached of Rath in the east. The Dreamweaver knew as much about the Kingdom as any other citizen, which is to say, not very much. He didn’t keep track of his former student, but apparently the King had kept track of him.
The soldiers, who came to take him, knew exactly who they were looking for and where to find him. They had demanded that he pack quickly and practically dragged him out of his small home.
He had no time to speak to Cullen again about staying far away from the soldiers and he wondered how the impulsive boy would react once he knew the soldiers had taken him. Even worse, he recognized the Rom boy Tik in with the other boys pressed into service.
He was kept by the Kingsguard and escorted through the city and into the castle. He had been led to this small room and told to wait there and he was sure there was a guard standing outside the door, although he hadn’t looked.
He couldn’t imagine what the High King could want from him. Why would he be looking for him? Why would they need to take him from his home? What use good an old man be to an established Kingdom? The King had no heir, although he was rumored to have many lovers.
After an hour there was a light knock on the door and it opened to reveal a young page standing outside near the guard.
“Sir? I am to escort you to see the High King. Please come with me,” the boy said, his tone respectful.
The Dreamweaver stood and smoothed out his long robe, slid his feet back into his sandals and took a step towards the door. The boy stepped further out and looked back to make sure he was being followed, and then headed into the castle.
The castle was made of a blue gray stone, using massive blocks to form the walls. Wooden planks completed the floor and torches were braced against the wall every few feet. It made the castle seem smoky and the Dreamweaver’s eyes watered as he walked.
He glanced at the tapestries and sculptures that stood in little nooks, and he appreciated the style and art. The weavings usually depicted battle, each one some fight that the High King had won as he unified the world.
The young boy, dressed in blue, led the Dreamweaver through the castle halls, turning a few times before bringing him to a large wooden door with brass stamps and iron hinges. The stamps also showed sign of battle etched into their soft surfaces.
The page knocked again and opened the door. He stepped aside to let the older man enter beside him and then he stepped out and closed the door.
The room he had been let into was clearly the High King’s bed chambers. There was a large chair built right into the wall, like a simple throne for small audiences. Near it, on the same wall was the built in wooden bed, with purple curtains tied back to reveal the soft pallet the King must sleep on. The sheets were crisp and white.
The Dreamweaver looked to the other side of the room and found a bench with seating on both sides of it. Further into the room were three standing closets for clothes. They stood against a wall with large windows that looked out over the city.
Standing in front of the windows were three men. The High King was the best dressed of all three. He wore a purple silk shirt with ruffles on the sleeves and collar. His sleeves were embroidered with bees, and the Dreamweaver remembered bees were his crest. His pants were slick leather, tucked into his polished boots.
He was taller than average, well muscled and wore his hair greased back with a small goatee. He wore no weapons besides a small knife but he wore necklaces and rings with sparkling jewels.
Stand beside him was the largest man the Dreamweaver had ever seen. He knew immediately who he was since the King’s general was known to everyone, at least by reputation.
His name was Grimm and he stood maybe seven feet tall. His shoulders were as wide as a horse and his muscles rippled out of his shirt. He wore simple linen and breeches, but the Dreamweaver noted that they looked clean and fresh, even in this late hour of the day. Standing against the wall near him was his favored weapon, a tall battle axe with two wide blades.
Grimm’s appearance was made more dramatic because his head was shaved and a long scar ran from above the eye, down his face to his throat. He seemed to be glaring at everything.
The third man was smaller than the King but had great presence. He wore all black, a silk shirt with smaller ruffles than the King, and black leather pants. He wore bracers on his wrists and polished black boots. His hair was also greased back into a pony tail. On his hip, hung low was a magnificent sword with a jeweled hilt made to wrap around the holders hand for protection.
Something about the third man made the Dreamweaver even more nervous than he had started. There was something strange about him, something dangerous.
“There you are!” the King called out as he turned to face the doorway. “We’ve been waiting! Should I have that boy beaten?”
“I would prefer not Sire,” the Dreamweaver said.
“Well perhaps your old legs made you late!” the King laughed. “You look older than ever, although you never looked like a young man!”
“It is true, I am older today than I was yesterday,” the Dreamweaver said, flippantly, not liking the insulting tone of the King’s.
“Oh, don’t get upset! This is a reunion; you’re finally back in the castle, in service to your King! Be happy.” It was clearly a command, but the old man wasn’t sure he was feeling so happy.
“Sire, it is a pleasure to see you, but why did you have your soldiers drag me away from my home?” The Dreamweaver asked, decided to just steam ahead and try to get answers.
“Because we need your help of course. You’re the smartest man I know, but more importantly, you remember legends like no one else,” the King said cryptically.
“Legends? You brought me to talk about legends? What is this?” The Dreamweaver felt flustered and confused. What exactly did the King wants from him?
“First, let me introduce my two companions. This is Grimm, my Captain of Captains,” he said gesturing towards the massive warrior. “And this is Vlad, a subtler version of a Captain.”
The Dreamweaver couldn’t guess what that meant, but clearly the man was dangerous and effective if he was grouped with Grimm.
“I am the Dreamweaver. I am pleased to make your acquaintance,” he said, addressing both men. Grimm scowled at him and Vlad grinned. He was slick and greasy just like his hair.
“Now, my old friend, I have to tell you a story to explain why you were brought here. Once I tell it, then you’ll understand why I called upon you particularly.”
The High King motioned for the Dreamweaver to sit on one of the benches by the table while he took the opposite bench. Grimm and Vlad remained standing.
“I have been sending men into the mountains to try and find a way over them. I am very interested in knowing what’s on the other side. New lands to conquer you see,” the King said as he began.
“What have you found?” the Dreamweaver asked, suddenly more interested in the conversation.
“Nothing yet. My men keep disappearing or dying. I have been hiring trackers and woodsmen to climb and search but they either vanish or they are found dead on the mountains.”
“Dead?” the Dreamweaver questioned. “What is killing them?”
“I don’t know. The local villagers say its Redcaps. Goblins. But of course I didn’t believe that! But Grimm, Vlad and I went to one of the villages to try and find some answers ourselves.”
“Instead of Goblins, we found another Faery,” the King continued.
“What did you say?” the Dreamweaver exclaimed. “You say you found one of the Little People? Truly, this isn’t a jest at an old man’s expense?”
“Truly. We found a little man, dressed in clothes that looked like they were made from leaves. He wore a beard and a dagger and a little bow.”
“It could have been any one of many kinds of Faery!” the Dreamweaver said excitedly. He leaned forward on the table, his eyes wide. “What did you do with him?”
“Well I demanded to know what was happening to my men! The little man told me it could be Goblins, so I told him to lead me to some. That upset him terribly and he started making promises so that I wouldn’t force him to go.”
The High King leaned back in his seat, clearly enjoying the excitement of the older man.
“He eventually promised to lead me to treasure. I said yes to that of course and he led us up the mountain into the forest. He brought me to a tree that looked like any other tree, but he said buried below was his treasure.”
“Yes, yes, go on!” the Dreamweaver said, still very interested in the story.
“So he used our hands and dug into the dirt and we found a gold coin, with a stamp I’ve never seen before. It was pressed with a cicada stamp and the little man told me it was gold from the Faeries. He said more was buried deeper.”
“So of course we marked the tree with a red sash so we would recognize it again and we marched back to the village to get tools to dig. The little man was with us, and then he wasn’t. He just vanished!”
The Dreamweaver looked at Grimm when he scoffed, obviously upset that they had lost the little man.
“We got shovels and returned to the tree, but every tree for a hundred feet had a red sash on it! We couldn’t begin to guess which tree had the gold!”
“That sounds like exactly what a Faery would do Sire,” the Dreamweaver said, trying to suppress a chuckle. “So you walked away with one coin?”
“Yes, that’s all. A coin and questions.”
“May I see it?” the Dreamweaver asked softly.
The king reached into his pocket and brought forth the thick gold coin with the cicada stamped on both side. The design was intricate and delicate and pressed quite deeply into the soft gold.
“Beautiful,” he said. “An amazing story Sire! I wish I had seen him.”
“You may get your chance,” the King said with a low growl to his voice.
“Sire?”
“I’m sending my soldiers into the mountains to search for Goblins and Faeries. You know the old legends and stories of their kind. You would know where to look! You will find them.”
“I am not an adventurer Sire. It sounds amazing but I – “
“I’m telling you, you will go!” the King said loudly. “First you will tell me what you know about them and then you will go and root them out. I will find a pass over those mountains and if there is treasure to be had I’ll take it.”
The Dreamweaver sat very still. This was a wonderful opportunity for him, but still, the anger the King was showing and going with soldiers could lead to the Faeries getting hurt. He couldn’t be a part of that.
“Sire, Remus, what I know about Faeries is that you don’t antagonize them. They are mischievous normally, but when angered they can be quite dangerous. And Goblins are said to be deadly!”
“That’s what soldiers are for. We’ve been recruiting and have a lot of new boys that are ready to see some action. You will go and you will find them. Now tell me what you know.”

***

Cullen walked along the road for the rest of the daylight. As the sun was setting, he entered the surrounding forest and found a nice spot where he could sit and eat and sleep comfortably.
There weren’t large predators in these woods and bandit were a thing of the past, so he was safe building a little fire and eating his food in safety. He ate more meat with bread and some fruits after.
The days were still cool so he had only drank half his water supply and saved the rest for later. Spring in the forest was beautiful and Cullen enjoyed sleeping in the woods at night.
But his quest was on his mind a lot as well. He needed to discover where the soldiers took boys that they forcibly recruited. Would they take them into the castle? That might be impossible to enter for Cullen. Would he have to wait until Tik came out for training or for a mission, and try to get him free then?
And what would the other soldiers do? They probably wouldn’t want him helping someone to escape! It was too much to imagine. He had to just take each moment at a time and make his way to the city and see what he could find. He hoped a solution would come to him once he was there.
Tik had been his friend for his whole life. They had grown up together, hunting and fishing, playing and fighting. Cullen was usually not accepted by the other village children, so he had very little experience with girls or even other boys.
But he knew Tik like he knew himself. And now that Alex had welcomed him to the tribe, it was like they were brothers! He knew Tik would be happy to hear that. Cullen wondered what it might mean, once he got Tik back.
Would the Rom want him to travel with them? Would the Outsider get upset about it? Cullen was getting older, and it was about the age that another boy would be apprenticed to a trade or craft and his future would be decided then.
But Cullen wasn’t wanted in the village and he knew he didn’t want to just be a farmer like his adoptive father. He learned much and more from the Dreamweaver but he didn’t want to spend his life in front of a book! He wanted to be free, and to explore. He wanted to go on adventures.
That’s what this was he realized. This was an adventure that he had begun. What had the wolf said? Great danger? The time had come? Time for what? For him to leave home? That’s what he had done, so he supposed it was time. And he could be in danger when trying to get to Tik, so that part was true too.
Maybe that dream was telling him something. Maybe it meant he would go on adventures and see the known world. He would like to see the marshlands of Dustan or the mines of Vess. He’d like to train with the Knights of Seawatch or learn how to shoot a bow with the Rathians.
There were so many great places to go to, to see. And what about the mountains that bordered the Kingdom? The Dreamweaver said nobody has ever climbed them and came back to tell about it. Perhaps Cullen could be the one to cross the mountains and find new lands on the other side. Now that would be an adventure!
Pleasing himself with thoughts of daring and intrigue, Cullen put a little more wood on his fire and lay down to close his eyes. Listening to katydids and tree frogs, he was soon asleep soundly.

He was never quite sure what woke him, but something caused him to open his eyes and look across the fire pit in his camp. On the edge of the light, just beyond the border of flickering orange light, were the deeper shadows of the trees around him.
And in those trees a white shape was moving back and forth. Cullen looked intensely at the shape before finally realizing what it was. It was a wolf! A large white wolf with red eyes and red on the inside of its ears. And it was pacing slowly as though keeping guard.
Cullen watched the wolf through slitted eyes, trying to keep perfectly still and not catch its attention. But the more he watched the more he understood that the wolf wasn’t looking to enter his camp. It was just on the border of light, watching him sleep.
Tired, and with wonder, he decided to trust the animal, thinking a wolf would never attack a human unless it was starving or threatened, and this wolf was so big there was no way it was starving.
He decided to close his eyes and try to sleep again. He opened them a few times, not sure if he should trust himself or not, but eventually sleep took over and he slumbered again.

In the morning, as the forest woke up around him and the birds started their singing, Cullen sat up and stretched, looking around the little camp for signs of the wolf, but there was nothing to see.
He collected his things and started back onto the road and headed south towards the city. He had never been to the city, but his father and the Dreamweaver described it to him so he knew that it was big and full of people, but he wondered what it would really be like.
It was only an hour later when Cullen emerged from the edge of the Danaan Forest and started towards the large farms the surrounded the city. The road led straight to the walls of the city, but on either side were the big farms, the ones that grew for the Kingdom.
He saw miles of farmland, with hundreds of crops or animals. Herds of cows and bunches of sheep or pigs. He could see rows of corn that went all the way to the horizon. Soon he had company on the road as well, as local farmers moved their wagons from one part of their farm to another. He saw big draft horses and donkeys and there was often chickens running loose just like at home.
As he got closer to the city, the road got better, finally becoming paved as he saw the shadow on the horizon ahead of him, a dark blot that must be the city itself. He started walking a little faster.
Soon the city began to take shape before him. The farms ended and there were huge fields of grass surrounding the walls of the city. Cullen could see the twenty foot tall stone wall that squared around the city itself. Every two hundred feet was a round tower and all the walls, both tower and the stretch of stone wall was crenulated.
The city’s shape was a square with its east side and south side bordered with the ocean. At the top of the square was another smaller square that held the castle, high up on a hill overlooking the city.
The wall covered all four sides and only had one entrance that Cullen could see. He worried that guards might stop him from entering, but he saw no one stopping people as they filtered in and out of the opening.
He approached calmly and found that there were no guards posted along the walls. The Kingdom had such a length of time of peace that they must have left the city gates wide open for travelers and citizens alike. Cullen entered the city.
The King’s Road led straight in and continued through the city and up to the castle gates. Cullen could see that from where he stood, just off to the side of the road to stay out of the way of others.
The road branched off to the right and to the left, but the left was just a short street with only a few buildings on it. To the right, the path stretched much farther and buildings were crowded on both sides.
He could see that shops ran the length of the King’s Road and that houses seemed to be everywhere else. He started walking slowly along the King’s Road and looking into various shops and stands.
There were people selling tools, of wood or iron, selling ceramic foodware, and another selling weapons of various sizes and shapes. There was a store for clothes and a store for baskets and a stand for meat pies and drinks.
And it seemed like every few hundred feet there was another tavern. Some where just bars, with a few tables and chairs and a place to drink, while others were much finer, with rooms to rent and fancier settings. Cullen wondered how much it would cost for a room.
Cullen walked until he was halfway across the city, when he noticed a section that had no buildings on it. Instead if was a grassy field with a huge tent set up. Outside was the word CIRCUS, but Cullen had never heard of a circus before. He wandered closer.
As he rounded the bright colored striped tent he saw a familiar sight. In a row behind the tent were a line of colored wagons. The circus must be something the Rom cooked up to entertain, he thought as he walked even closer.
He saw signs with paintings on them of people. There was one of a giant man lifting beautiful ladies on a bench, and another had a man with a large group of dogs all doing various tricks. There was a painting of some men leaping about and doing flips over each other, and somebody else walking a tightrope.
Cullen found that he was very interested in what a circus was and what this tribe of Rom did exactly. He walked closer to the wagons and heard barking dogs from nearby one.
He had passed one wagon and was going near another when a man stepped out between them. He was tall, and looked taller because he had a black top hat on that stretched up another foot.
He word striped breeches, red and white, with a green linen shirt and a purple vest, worn the way all Rom where their clothing. His boots were tall, reaching up to his calf and the gleamed with shine.
“And who are you young traveler?” the man asked as he stood in front of Cullen.
Surprised, Cullen stammered out his name.
“What are you doing back here Cullen? We don’t like when people come snooping around the back,” his tone was firm but not angry and his mouth twitched into a lopsided grin. He had a thin mustache that curled at either end.
“I came because I’ve never seen a circus,” Cullen said honestly.
“I think you’ve never seen a city before either boy!” the man guessed rightly.
Cullen made a face that he was found out so quickly. He didn’t want everyone to know that he was a stranger.
“You do know that the High King is recruiting for his army?” the man asked.
“Yes, I know,” Cullen said back.
“And if they catch a Rom loose in the city, they’re likely to put you in a dungeon of the army!” The man continued to tease.
Cullen didn’t say anything to that. He knew that he was out of his element and he had nowhere to turn.
“I’m looking for a friend,” he finally said.
“A friend? A Rom?” the man asked.
“Yes,” Cullen replied, moving slightly to show the cloth tied around his arm, hoping the man would notice and recognize it.
“Perhaps I can help you Cullen. But we would need to exchange assistance. If you work for me, then I’ll help you find your friend. If you work for me then the soldiers won’t take you for the dungeon or the army.”
Cullen looked at the man for a few moments. This could be the opportunity that he needed. This man recognized him as a member of a tribe and was offering to help. Cullen liked the man and he seemed genuine. Cullen decided to agree.
“I will. What do I have to do?” he asked.
“Oh there are so many jobs for a young Rom in the prime of his life!” the man said laughing. My name is Teodor and I am the Ringmaster and owner of this show. My tribe works with me as performers. They are quite magnificent!”
“I would like to see them perform,” Cullen said, again honestly.
“Then so you shall my boy, so you shall!”

***

The High King motioned for the Dreamweaver to continue, when there was another knock at the door. A young man opened the door and looked in, quickly making eye contact with the men inside and bowing towards the King.
“My Lord King, Bishop Constantinus is here to speak with you,” the boy said, quickly but clearly.
“Yes, of course,” the King said in return. “Let him in.”
The door opened wider and the boy vanished through it and was replaced by a large man wearing a voluminous robe that was bright white with a red lightening bolt down the side.
The Dreamweaver recognized him as the most powerful man in the Kingdom besides the High King. The Bishop Constantinus ruled the Church which had strong followings everywhere but in Rath, where the Horse Lords ruled. The Bishop was tall, but much overweight and was breathing heavily as he entered the room.
He took one look at the Dreamweaver and made a face and a exasperated noise to go with it.
“Is this the man you told me about Sire?” the Bishop asked the King without really looking at the Dreamweaver at all.
“This is my teacher from my youth, yes, the man I told you about,” the King replied, seeming a bit annoyed at the Bishop’s attitude.
“A man knowledgeable about Demons.” The Bishop’s tone was clear, that he did not approve of a discussion about Faeries or as he called them, Demons. The Dreamweaver refrained from rolling his eyes, but he gathered quickly how this might turn out.
“I’m not going to argue with you again Bishop. We caught one! He wasn’t a Demon, he was a little man dressed in leaves! They are real!” The King’s tone was equally as insistent.
“As you say Sire,” the Bishop replied smoothly.
“Dreamweaver,” the King addressed the old man again. “You were saying?”
The Dreamweaver looked at the High King, who seemed very interested in what he had to say, while Grimm was watching him steadily, as though an old man would be any danger to the King. Vlad was leaning out the window and the Bishop was glaring at him.
“I was saying that the Faeries have a hierarchy just as we do. There are the commoners and the royalty. I believe that you found a common Faery, but if we’re going to look for them, we should seek out their royalty and parley with them.”
The King looked incredulously at the old man, and then scoffed before looking away. “You would have me parlay with them? Ask them what, how much tribute to pay me, their new King?”
The Dreamweaver shook his head, “Sire, I only caution that they are far beyond that little man that you captured. They are a race, a community, a people!”
“Then they can be ruled!” the King barked back. “We will find them and rule them, it is just that simple.”
“Sire, I’m afraid it’s not that simple. We don’t know enough about them to know how they will react to conquest. They are a powerful people and have great magic!” The Dreamweaver tried to plead his case.
“Magic! Faeries! Nonsense I say!” the Bishop proclaimed. “You found a dirty little man who told you stories about treasure and you believed his lies! If there is anything out there in the forest, then they are demons that are after your very soul! It would be wise to stay away from such things.”
“I mean to invite some of your Godsmen along good Bishop,” the King finally responded to the tirade. “Send your best High Priest, what’s his name, Connon? Let him see for himself!”
“We shall do just that my good King!” the Bishop promised.
“Now then, Dreamweaver, you were saying?” the King prompted.
“Well first, the races of Faery are complex and governed by a moral code very different from ours. For instance, they enjoy coming into our homes but become very angry if we invade theirs. They are a private people and they do not take in intrusion well.” The Dreamweaver kept his information focused towards the King.
“They can be mischievous, sometimes spiteful, but they can also be downright dangerous. Especially Redcaps and other goblins. Redcaps are said to be as large as a man, and they carry weapons. This is a dangerous venture Sire.”
The High King blew exasperated air from his lips. “We have the finest trained soldiers in the entire Kingdom. Plus we’re bringing a group of Godsmen soldiers as well. I think that my men will be safe enough old man.”
“They have powers beyond our understanding –“the Dreamweaver began again.
“Fireside tales of magic and trickery!” the Bishop interrupted.
“They dwell everywhere you can imagine. They are in the lakes, rivers and the ocean. They live in mountains and hill. I believe that some even live in the grasslands; certainly the marsh is full of them. Some even live in your gardens.”
“If they are everywhere, why don’t we see them more often?” the Bishop scoffed.
“Who says you don’t? Many of the villagers claim to see things all the time! Or travelers out late, get tricked by the Hedley Kow or some other troublesome sprite! They have lived here longer than us I would imagine.”
“And what is the Redcap?” the King asked next, his eyes still quite serious despite the laughing of the Bishop. The Dreamweaver noticed Vlad was very serious as well, taking in all the information without ridicule.
“The Redcap is the largest of Goblins, known for dipping their caps in their victim’s blood to keep them bright red. They are as large as a man and very dangerous. They are rumored to live in the mountains, near where you found the small man.”
“Do you think we are likely to find Goblins or Faeries?” the King asked again.
“I think if we go searching through the mountains we’ll find Goblins. The Everwinter Mountains are also called Redcap Mountains for that very reason. Just as the Danaan Forest is called because it’s rumored the Daoine Sidhe live there.”
The Dreamweaver instantly regretted speaking about the Sidhe when he saw the excitement grow in the King’s eyes.
“And what are the Sidhe?”
The Dreamweaver sighed, knowing he had already gone to far to stop. “The Daoine Sidhe, or Seelie Court is the royalty of Faery. They are the elves, the largest of the Faeries I believe. They have whole castle and Kingdoms, hidden of course, away from prying eyes.”
“And you think the Sidhe live in the Forest?” The King grew more interested by the moment.
“It’s very possible Sire. The forest is quite large and mostly unexplored. And since their battle against the Host, they would have gone somewhere to hide their reduced numbers.”
“The Host? A battle? When was this?” Now the King looked a little incredulous.
“The Host or Unseelie Court was another race of elves, the Dark Fae, that battled with the good Sidhe for mastery of the land. The Sidhe won their battle and the Host disappeared, never to be seen again. This is all according to local legend of course, as the Bishop says, fireside tales.”
The King scrubbed his chin for a moment and looked at the other men in the room. Grimm just scowled as always, but Vlad wore a bright interested look, as though he wanted to go searching for Faeries. The Bishop still looked annoyed and disgusted by the prospect.
“Well, I knew bringing you here would be wise!” the King finally laughed. “And now, when I send these men out, you will go with them! You can help them find signs of these different Faeries and we will learn more about their habits and their supposed Kingdoms!”
The Dreamweaver’s head sank to his chest. That would mean riding and camping; things an old man shouldn’t have to do anymore. On the other hand, if they found Faeries, this could be the most interesting thing that had ever happened to him! Imagine, to see a city of elves, to see their treasures!
“I would like to go Sire,” he said in response.
“Excellent! Then off you shall go! We’ll be ready to leave later tomorrow.” The King leaned over to discuss the details with the other men and the Dreamweaver was left to his own thoughts which quickly turned to fantasies about finding strange creatures of the forest.

***

Cullen walked into the tent with Teodor, following closely behind him. The tent was very big, stretching from one end of the field to the other. Small poles held up the edges, while quarter poles held up the middle and two center poles held up the very top.
Hanging below the center poles was various kinds of rigging that Teodor explained was for certain acts. The center of the tent was dominated by a ring, made out of curved wooden boxes that formed a circle that was filled with sawdust. The boxes were colored as brightly as everything the Rom used, with stars and crescent moons.
All around the center ring, on three sides were bleachers of seats. Wooden planks on top of cleverly designed iron tubing would hold at least a hundred people per show, maybe more. And near the side of the tent, where the ring sat closest was the canvas flaps of the performer entrance.
Cullen looked around at the striped tent and the colored boxes of the ring and he breathed in the sawdust and the smells of animals and he started to get really excited about the circus. He started to get a feel for the magic of it. Teodor was clearly excited about his work and his people and he bustled Cullen off to meet them.
Outside, Teodor led Cullen from wagon to wagon, introducing him to each Performer in turn. The first was Dorin and he was obviously the strongman of the show. He stood over six feet tall and was as wide as a horse.
His arms were twice the size of Cullen’s legs and his legs were even bigger than that. He was bald, shaved totally smooth, with a long whiskered mustache that fell on either side of his always smiling face. He was always happy, and excited to show Cullen, for the first time, his enormous strength.
He lifted an iron bar, solid iron all the way through and he presented it to Cullen, telling him to bend it. Cullen of course tried and failed, handing it back to Dorin. Dorin placed it on the back of his neck and pulled the two ends together, bending them easily around his huge neck.
Cullen was suitably impressed and applauded on the spot. Dorin was pleased. Then he pointed them off to the next wagon, and where Dorin’s was simple, if a Rom wagon could be called simple – the next one was anything but.
This wagon had gold and silver painted trim, with glass jewels all over, and long stretches of feathers and shiny discs of metal and brighter colors than any other wagon Cullen had ever seen.
Standing in front of the wagon stretching was Adela. She was a stunningly beautiful woman and Cullen stammered when he was introduced. She was dark like all Rom, with raven black hair that fell past her waist, and the deepest brown eyes. She knew she was a beauty and she played it up for Cullen, pleased to see him stuttering over his words.
Teodor explained that she did a rope act, where she hung from a rope that was suspended from the tent pole and she did different tricks while hanging. Cullen made it very clear that he couldn’t wait to see her act and she giggled and stroked his cheek. His face flushed bright red and he had to look away.
Teodor laughed and took him to the next wagon. There he met the Dragomir Twins and their sons, of which there were five. Referred to as the Dragomirs, all of them were acrobats and also worked on something called a trapeze, that Teodor said Cullen needed to see to understand.
All the Dragomir men were incredibly fit, lean and well muscled, they practiced doing flips and somersaults, leaping over each other and through each other’s arms, making Cullen dizzy with their speed.
The last two acts were Vali, the juggler and Fane who worked with the animals. Vali was a talkative sort, practicing his juggling while talking quickly with Cullen and Teodor. He asked Cullen to try juggling and much to his surprise Cullen picked it up right away. He went from three scarves to three balls quickly and Vali could tell he would pick up other tricks fast. That seemed to settle something for him and he gave Cullen a large hug afterwards.
Fane had fifteen dogs racing around him at all times and he was also in charge of the wagon team horses, as well as two beautiful Rathian stallions that he said he used during one of his two acts. Cullen could see he took great pride in the care of his animals and when Cullen started brushing out the horses, he also seemed to accept Cullen at that moment.
Teodor left him with Fane and soon Cullen was running errands and helping set up the show with all the rest of the Rom. Everybody knew their tasks and they were an efficient team. Like the Rom tribe that Cullen was familiar with, they were friendly, cheerful and easy to please.
Cullen worked hard for the rest of the day and when everything was set up so they could start shows the following day, Cullen was invited to sit down at their fire and eat their food with them. All of them commented on his small sash that proclaimed him a member of a tribe and soon they asked him about the Rom he knew.
“The leader is Alex; he’s my friend’s father, the friend I’m looking for!” Cullen explained. “They stay by my father’s house a lot during the warm seasons, near us in the woods.”
“What animal do they have painted on the lead wagon Cullen? What tribe are they?” Teodor asked, while handing the boy another bowl of spicy stew.
“A golden hawk,” Cullen answered easily. He had always loved that painting on Alex’s wagon. Every feather was detailed and you could almost see the breeze through its wings.
“Perhaps we shall see them some day and one of the big gatherings. Who is this boy, your friend, that you’re looking for?”
Cullen stopped smiling and paused his eating. He wasn’t sure if he should admit that he was in the city to try and escape with a soldier. The Rom might not want him around after they learned that.
“You can tell us boy!” Dorin laughed. “We have no secrets between us show-folk!”
“It may lead to trouble and I wouldn’t want to bring any to you,” Cullen said nervously.
“Trouble? Where is your friend that this would bring trouble?” Teodor asked. “Tell me the truth now boy.”
Cullen sighed and decided to be honest with them. They had taken him in and without them he wouldn’t have eaten nor had a place to spend the night.
“My friend, Tik, was taken by the High King’s soldiers from near our village. I’ve come to take him back.”
Dorin laughed a great belly laugh at that, and Fane and Teodor joined him. Cullen was caught between embarrassment and alarm, and combined he started getting angry at the laughter. Teodor waved his hands as he saw Cullen begin to scowl.
“No, Cullen, don’t be angry with us! We’re not laughing at you; we just never expected to hear that out of you! We’re surprised is all.”
Cullen looked a little confused but mollified. “I’ve got to find him, but I don’t know where to look.”
“I know where your friend is Cullen,” Teodor said, still chuckling a little bit. “He’s where all the young people go when they get brought to Holdfast. They go to the Orphanage.”
“You know? Truly?” Cullen asked, excited.
“Truly. The children that are picked by soldiers to become soldiers are sent to the Orphanage to be trained before they can actually join the Kingsguard.”
Cullen was thrilled to now have a better idea of where to find Tik, and he was glad it wasn’t where all the soldiers would be. That might make it easier to fetch him.
“Where is the Orphanage? I need to go there!” Cullen’s excitement was clear.
“It’s nearby, but Cullen, what will you do when you know?” Dorin asked in his deep rumbling voice. He wasn’t laughing anymore Cullen noticed.
“I will get him out and take him home!” Cullen responded boldly.
“It’s not so simple Cullen!” Teodor advised. “They are guarded there as well, not by soldiers but by other boys, and the Madame that runs it is very strict.”
“There must be a way. Maybe if I let myself be captured, I could find a way to break back out!” Cullen’s raw hope was palpable to the surrounding Rom.
Rom, as a whole were usually working against an establishment in one way or another. It was a lifestyle they were familiar with. And as a group, they would rather see a Rom boy go free than be turned into a soldier.
“Why don’t you give it a couple days Cullen? You can look at the Orphanage and we can think about the problem and maybe together we’ll come up with a solution. How’s that sound?” Teodor asked after a few minutes of thinking.
“You would help me?” Cullen asked, surprised.
“I would rather see a Rom boy be free Cullen, and friendship like yours is rare to find. Yes, we would help you if we can. Stay and work with us, and we’ll figure something out.”
Cullen couldn’t be happier to hear that. He was grinning from ear to ear as he finished his dinner and laid out his blanket to sleep under Teodor’s wagon for the evening. The air was a little chill, but he was comfortable and well fed, so he slept soundly.

Cullen woke early the next day, just as the sun was peering over the wall that surrounded the city. He decided to take a walk and learn more about the city he was living in. He left the green, where the circus tent was set up, and walked north until he reached the wall.
He followed the wall, noticing that it wasn’t guarded like he thought it would be. There were towers every few hundred feet, but none of them had soldiers in them. At one tower he found a ladder, so he climbed up into the stone tower and started walking along the wall.
He could see the city spread out behind him, where the buildings were all crowded together in groups. The dusty roads criss-crossed between them, making each section different. He noticed as he got closer to the west wall, some of the houses got father apart and there was farm land near the wall. He supposed that some farmers lived within the wall in case of attack; they would still have food grown to eat.
He walked through the corner tower and began walking along the western wall. As he got closer to the southern wall, he saw that the houses became bunched together again and there was less land for farming. In fact, the houses looked weaker and less supported in this section and Cullen could see people that looked sickly or tired walking through the narrow streets. He guessed that that section of town, farthest from the castle, must have been for the poorest people.
Finally he reached the southern wall and as he walked along, he could look through the crenulations and see the ocean as it crashed against the coastline. He could smell the sea from almost anywhere in the city, the scent was always there, just out of reach, but here, nice and close, it was unmistakable.
He could see that the wall he was on eventually ran into the castle wall and he wouldn’t be able to get any further walking that way. He could see the castle wall that surrounded the castle and inside that he could see the tall walls of the castle itself.
The castle wall had a rear entrance as well that led down the hillside to the ocean, where a beautiful boat was docked next to a small tower. The King had a stone walkway that was easily defended that led all the way to the shore.
The castle was the biggest building Cullen had ever seen and it looked regal with its pennants flying in the wind above the six towers. The outer ward walls must have been hundreds of feet high since Cullen could see the tops of them, standing proudly on top of the hill overlooking the city.
On the next tower Cullen found another ladder and he climbed down to the base of the wall. He started walking back towards the city, but he walked within sight of the castle wall. He could see where the King’s Road led to a earthen ramp that led into the castle wall.
Cullen could see the massive gates at the top of the ramp and there he was not surprised to see many soldiers standing about, guarding the entrance towards the castle. Cullen walked until he reached the King’s Road and then he turned north to walk back into the city proper.
He walked along the road, passing the different shops that were on both sides of the road. He took in the sights and smells of the city, fresh baked bread and farm animals, with the hint of the sea over everything. He looked in each store front, looking over everyone’s wares to see what they might be selling in a city so large.
Then Cullen found a store front that was empty. The door was hanging open and the window shutters were swinging in the breeze. He looked to either side of the building and saw that the owners of the other buildings were not paying any attention to him.
He thought it might be fun to go inside the building and pretend to be selling something. He wanted to see what it was like inside, so he walked through the open door and stepped into the front room of the store.
It was a large room, rectangular in shape, with windows on either end. Cullen moved to stand in front of one window and he looked out onto the street. People passed without paying any attention to what he was doing. He turned back inside to look at the room.
It was filled with shelves that a proprietor could fill with objects to sell. Most of them were dusty and clearly hadn’t been used in some time. Cullen moved to open the next door that led deeper inside the building.
He opened the rickety wooden door, revealing a second room, smaller then the first that had one rear window on the back wall that let in light from outside. Below the window was a hole in the wall, that also let in light. Cullen kneeled down in front of the hole and pulled at the boards to make it larger. He yanked the rotten wood loose until the hole was big enough to squeeze through.
He came out behind the building to find himself right at the base of the east wall. There was a path leading along the wall towards the north and Cullen started walking that wall on a whim. He found another old ladder, so he climbed it to stand back on the east wall looking backwards over the city.
Thinking it was interesting to know that little exit from town onto the wall, Cullen walked the rest of the way towards the front gates, where he climbed back down and reentered the city. Then he walked back towards the city green and the circus, where he would be expected to do some work.

***

Bishop Constantinus kneeled in his private prayer room in the back of the church. His church was a large building built in the Inner Ward of the castle. It was tucked between the Great Hall and the King’s Apartments, in the corner of the field of the Inner Ward.
It was defended by simply being built within the walls of the castle, but it also housed some of the best outfitted soldiers in the Kingdom. The men who joined the Church of God were also warriors of God and the Church spared no expense on its soldiers.
The private prayer room was simple however and showed very little of the power or money that the Church controlled. It was a small square room, near both the Bishop’s office and his own sleeping quarters. It was made of three wooden walls and a fourth wall, made mostly of colored glass, depicting his God crucified on a cross. The rays of the morning sun shined through the glass and wrapped the praying Bishop in color.
The door behind him was open to the hall and he heard the approaching man clearly walking on the wooden floor outside the prayer room. The man was wearing his armor, and the iron was loud as he walked. The Bishop finished his prayers and heaved himself up off his knees to turn and face the man behind him.
High Priest Connon was the second most powerful man in the Church. He was as well versed in canon law as was the Bishop, but he was also the best trained fighter in the church. He was in charge of the military might of the God’s Church.
He was tall and as physically perfect as a man could be, wide in the shoulders, thin in the waist, with lean muscles everywhere. He wore a golden and heavily decorated breastplate and cuirass. His pauldrons were sculpted to look like roaring lions and his helmet was designed to look exactly like his face, but all in gold.
The helmet, which lay at his side, strapped to his belt, looked just like his face, smooth but square-jawed, with elegant blue eyes and golden curls that framed his face perfectly. He was considered to be a fine looking man in his middle years, devoted entirely to the church, much to the dismay of many women.
Connon gave a small salute as he entered the prayer room where the Bishop was taking a seat in one of the two chairs available. The Bishop motioned for him to sit in the other chair.
“Connon! You are well?” the Bishop asked after he seated himself in the chair that looked like it couldn’t hold his weight. The Bishop was not a fighting man, he couldn’t be at that size.
“Yes, Bishop. I am well. What did you call on me for?” Connon asked directly. He was not a man for small talk.
“You are leaving Holdfast later today, to go with Grimm on a mission of some importance,” the Bishop explained.
“A mission? With the Kingsguard?” Connon queried.
“Yes. Grimm will be leading his men in the mountains. You will take Anton and some of our men with them. They are searching for Faeries.”
Connon’s eyes opened wide. The Bishop had not said it with a smile, so Connon guessed he was not joking, but he was surprised at the statement.
“Faeries Your Honor?” Connon asked, unsure what to say.
“That’s what the High King said. You and I know that if there’s anything to be found, it is more likely they will find Demons than Little People. I think we can agree that any supernatural creature that approaches man is evil and should be eradicated.”
Connon was nodding as the Bishop spoke, but it was still very alarming to be talking as though theses things were real.
“Has something been found? Something that would make the King search?”
Bishop Constantinus blinked and scowled, then he nodded his bald head. “The King says he found a little man recently. He believes he can find treasure of some kind. You are going to protect their souls. Grimm is in charge of the Kingsguard but you are there to guide them along the safest path.”
Connon nodded again. “I shall do my best Your Honor. How many men shall we take?”
“Ten men with you and Anton should be sufficient I think. Keep your wits about you while you’re out there and everything should be fine. I imagine you’ll find nothing of note and this will be a wasted effort.”
Connon showed that he understood and with another glance and a nod, he realized that he was dismissed. He rose quickly, his armor clanking, and he hurried off to choose his men and inform Anton, the other High Priest in the Church.