Daxton - Episode 33
The 5th Compass | Tales of Stonehaven [2,016 words]
Daxton is the first book in the 6-book series, The 5th Compass, which takes place in Stonehaven. Released in serial form, two episodes each week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The audio version is coming in the future for paid subscribers only. Visit the table of contents for a list of previously published and upcoming episodes.
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Once Nelle had managed to drag them as far away from that merchant’s stand as possible, both Barton and Daxton appeared to come back to their senses, feeling rather foolish.
“Now that you two have stopped drooling, do you think we can get back to the problem at hand?” she asked.
“I was not drooling,” Daxton whined as he counted the arrows he now owned. “And what problem have we now? Like the possibility of the royal army on our backs isn’t enough?”
She leaned in close to them as she walked and whispered so as not to be overheard. “I believe we are being followed.” This put both boys in high alert as they looked around. “do not look. I think I may have a way of drawing him out.”
Barton stopped walking, causing Nelle and Daxton to bump into him. “I do not think that will be necessary.” As all of them looked up they saw the man who was following her standing several yards ahead, only this time he was not alone, he had several other men with him, and they looked much more menacing than he.
“Well, if it isn’t my old friend Krieger. Ham, have I ever told you about my old friend Krieger?” A man made of all muscles who stood several feet taller than the rest shook his head rigorously and cracked his knuckles as he grinned at the three of them who were frozen in fear. “No? that is a shame. See, my friend Krieger here thought he could visit my quaint little village here, steal my loot right out from under my nose and disappear.” Walking towards them the man lifted a large branch that had fallen from a nearby tree and brandished it as a weapon. He slapped it against his other hand like a bat as his friends formed a circle around them, closing them in with no sign of escape.
Suddenly, the two men behind them whistled simultaneously. Daxton, Barton and Nelle all turned around to see the young woman from earlier walking towards them. This time she wore a white silk veil over her hair and held part of it up in front of her face, shielding everything but her eyes. The men continued to whistle like a pack of dogs as she ignored them and walked past. Daxton wanted to be chivalrous and go to her aid, but she held her hand up, signaling him that it was no need. The two men drew closer to her as a howl sounded somewhere in the trees nearby. The man who earlier thought he was rather tough because he had his men with him tried to get them to be quiet, but they would not listen. They saw fresh meat and wanted a taste.
She lowered the veil from her face and pulled it from covering her hair, letting it fall to the floor. The second it touched the dirt Daxton flinched as an arrow went sailing past his face, striking one of the two men closest to the young woman right in the shoulder. He cried out in pain as more arrows came sailing towards all the men around them.
The young woman walked without fear up to the three of them. “Do not be afraid. They will not hurt you.”
After a few minutes the gang of men all limped away nursing wounds of arrows protruding from different parts of their bodies.
“My name is Sarai. I’d like you to meet my family, the Arche Tribe.” She picks up her veil and waves it in the air. A group of men, women, and even children come out of the hiding all around them. Each are carrying their own bow with arrows identical to the ones Daxton purchased earlier. “You have saved my people. We will forever be in your debt.” Her accent was thick, and Nelle recognized it as belonging to an ancient tribe she’d heard tales of living in the mountainous regions where no man would dare travel. She thought the stories were false. Never did she imagine ever finding them out in the open at a market.
“Thank you, Sarai. You have saved our lives as well.”
An older man who looked to be the leader of the Tribe came up to her and spoke a language none of them understood. “My father says if you are ever in need of us or information, as we are collectors of a great many things in order to survive, you may call upon us.” She walked up to Daxton and from her pocket she pulled a small instrument that looked like some sort of whistle. She put it to her lips and blew on it to show him how it worked. Daxton took it and blew on it as she did. Her father said something else and waving his arms to those who had gathered around took them back into the wooded area where they could no longer be seen. “My father wishes to know your name?”
Daxton blushed again as his mind drew a blank. He looked to Nelle and Barton who rolled his eyes at his friend. “The mute over there is Daxton. I am Barton.” He held his hand out for her to shake it, but she looked at his hand as if it were diseased.
Nelle slapped his hand away. “do not you know anything about the Arche Tribe? Offering your hand is a sign of disrespect.” Nelle put both of her hands together and bringing them to her heart, pushed outwards, remembering being told if she ever encountered one of them that was what she should do as a sign of peace and good fortune.
Sarai smiled and returned the gesture before following her family back into the woods and disappearing as well.
“You have got a way with words Dax. Remind me to teach you someday how it is done.”
Nelle looked at Barton and rolled her eyes laughing as they continued on their way down the road. After a few hours Nelle finally stopped and turned straight into a heavily wooded area. Just as Barton and Daxton were going to question whether or not Nelle might be lost, they saw it. A house held up by a tree that somehow grew around it. She turned to back to look at their faces always happy to see the looks on people’s faces when they see this structure for the first time.
“Are you two going to stand there all day or do you want to meet the man who owns this house?” she asked, walking up to the door and knocking. As she heard her brother knocking over things in a rush to get to the front door, she said a silent prayer that he wouldn’t remember he had a sister, or if he did, he wouldn’t mention her name. Then the door opened.
His shaggy hair and glasses made him, in her estimation, lovely and innocent. She wanted to hug him as she always did when she'd visit but fought the urge as he'd be scared to find a strange mine hugging him tightly.
“Yes, what is it? Oh wait, my sister always tells me not to answer the door like that and I always forget. Again please.” He slammed the door in their face and Nelle did not dare look over at Daxton or Barton as she feared the look they'd have on their face. She knocked on the door once more. And once more it opened.
“Yes, may I help you?” Nelle couldn't help but smile at her brother with pride. He saw he had multiple visitors and his eyes lit up with joy. “Do come in," he continued, stepping aside to let all three of them inside. She could see him struggling to remember all that she had drilled in him to remember in exchange for letting him live here alone.
She stopped watching her brother briefly to see the awe and amazement in the eyes of her traveling companions. Taking in the entirety of Riven’s compass collection has always been a shock for new visitors and she enjoyed seeing their reactions to the inside of the house even more than it is façade.
“Rivan, we've come to ask you about some compasses.”
His eyes lit up again at the key word. “I know about compasses! What do you want to know? How to build one, repair one, take one apart?” His excitement grew as he listed off his abilities.
“We want to know if you made this one?” Daxton pulled the compass his parents gave him right after telling him he was not really theirs.
Riven inspected it closely before lifting it carefully from the palm of Daxton’s hand. He needed to only pop open the back and see the intricate way in which it was built to recognize his own handiwork. “Oh yes, this is one of mine.”
His voice changed and the once childlike quality it possessed earlier was gone. Nelle recognized this tone and grew worried of what he might say while in this state of clarity. There are moments when he's working on a compass and he'll revert back to the man he would’ve been were it not for a near fatal accident which stole his adulthood but left him with the best part of his childhood. These moments would come less and less but when they did, he'd be remarkably receptive and better able to answer questions.
She considered telling Daxton of this brief opportunity but thought it best to let him come to the answers he sought in due course. No amount of her help or hinderance would change the course of his destiny no matter how much she wanted to.
“Do you recall who you gave it to?” Nelle could see Daxton grow with excitement; the answer he sought would finally be revealed and he could find his mother.
“I made five of these. How came you upon this one?”
“Wait, there are four others identical to this one? Well, did you give them all to the same person?” At this point Daxton grasped at straw as he felt hope abandoning him.
“Yes, I gave them all to…” Nelle knew her brother better than she knew herself and could tell his moment of clarity was gone. He looked up from the compass at them as if for the first time and smiled that same childlike smile he gave them earlier. “Welcome to my home. Are you interested in buying a compass?”
“What? No. I want you to tell me who you have that one to!” Daxton stepped forwards in a rage. It Barton stopped him. He’s familiar with what was wrong with Riven and would not see any undue harm come to him.
“Enough Daxton. He cannot help us.” Barton took the compass back from Riven and handed it back to his best friend who he'd never seen more defeated. “Are you alright?” Nelle was further surprised by the way Barton was so attentive to a total stranger and thought she might have underestimated him.
Riven had already forgotten the way Daxton snapped at him, the question and that he even had guests in his house. Compass pieces laying on his work table distracted him and he returned to his tinkering, muttering incomprehensible compass jargon none of them understood.
Daxton couldn't stand to listen to him any longer and stormed out. Nelle and Barton followed close behind. Once outside, Daxton was inconsolable. His best friend tried to pat him on the back, but he just shoved him away. Nelle wanted to hug him but the idea of receiving a hug from Krieger repulsed him.
“Fret not young man. Let us regroup at a nearby tavern and decide what we might do next before we give up. We've come this far and seeing as the royal army is on our backs the only way to move is forwards.” Nelle, always the voice of common sense and reason found herself with a less than receptive audience.