Daxton - Episode 6
The 5th Compass | Tales of Stonehaven [1,783 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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Not too far from the Serpents Head, Traix looked everywhere for the girl. He decided to look for her in the first place they met; the docks. The body which he used to make it to safety was long gone, as were the men gathered around it wondering who it was and where it came from. No doubt the royal green uniform eventually told them where the body must’ve come from and someone was dispatched, with haste, to tell the king. Traix knew he needed to get there first and report on all that happened, but he could not yet leave until he found Adelaide. As he searched, he wondered to himself what he would do once he found her? She had no mother to speak of and her father perished at the hands of Captain Silverblade. Did he really intend to keep the girl and look after her himself? A job like that was not one to be taken lightly. What would people think, seeing him with a child who was not his own?
Once he found her, they would need to leave immediately. Someplace far away where she could soon forget the painful memories of the sea, and her father who left one day upon it but never returned. Traix knew Adelaide was a smart girl and would not soon forget, but over time what one cannot see could often help.
After much internal debate and continued searching, he decided to take Adelaide with him. The sun began to set and what little hope he had of finding her was disappearing. Then he saw her, hiding alongside an empty path he knew would lead him directly to the king’s castle.
“Why did you run away? I have been looking everywhere for you.” Adelaide tried to hide her face from him as he got closer. When he heard her sniffles, he assumed she was embarrassed to have him see her crying. “I am sorry. Are you missing your father?”
“No, you fool. I am crying because that man hurt you and I couldn’t sit there any longer watching him beat you.” She wiped her nose along the sleeve of her nightgown and with her dirt covered hands she smudged away her tears. “My father is gone, and he isn’t coming back. I do wish you’d stop bringing it up. I’m not a child.”
“You’re not a child? You sure do look like one. Why, I bet you’re probably… seven?” She shook her head. “Nine?” Her eyes grew wide with excitement that he’d think she was as old as nine!
“No silly, I am only six. You were closer the first time.” Her tears now gone, and dirt stains left in their place, she smiled at him and he smiled back. She took his hand again and he led her out onto the dirt path. “What did that man want from you anyway?”
Traix looked down at her big brown eyes. He knew he would have a hard time resisting her questions or demands from now on. “He wanted to know what happened on the ship. I made the mistake of calling him a name he was given by the female pirate. I shouldn’t have.”
For the first time Traix saw an anger in her eyes unlike any he’d ever seen, and it sent a chill down his spine. “My father told me all about her. He said she’s mean and ugly and she has no respect for our king or those of us who give our allegiance to him.”
“You know, for a six-year-old you’re smart and quick with your tongue. You must get that from your father?”
“I suppose.” She shrugged her shoulders and looked down at the ground, kicking a rock along the path as they started to walk. “He used to say I got those things from my mother.”
“Didn’t you ever know your mother?” he asked her and by the look on her face he knew he shouldn’t have. Her eyes welled up with tears. He couldn’t stand to see them again and he stopped their walking to drop to one knee and give her a hug.
As he wrapped his arms around her small frame it reminded him of the way his mother embraced him when he last saw her. It was long and hard, which surprised him because he always imagined his mother to be a rather frail woman, barely able to do much labor work around the house. And yet, he could still feel the lasting strength of his mother’s hug even now. He wanted to do the same for Adelaide. He wanted to hug her so tightly she would remember his embrace long after she aged into adulthood, and he was long gone from her life. But he knew that kind of hug could only come with time, for now she was stiff to his embrace. He let her go almost immediately. “I am sorry. I shouldn’t have asked about your mother. You do not ever have to talk about her or anything else you do not want to. Deal?”
He held his hand out to her and she took it firmly. He could feel her squeeze him tightly, attempting to give the kind of shake her father would. He matched her tight squeeze and the smile returned to her lips.
Traix had enough coin to secure them a ride in a horse and buggy if he wanted, but insisted they travel on foot, out of eyeshot of others. He still wore the royal green and did not wish to be seen until he was ready, nor did he want to steal clothes and risk getting caught. Instead, they stuck to the dirt road and stayed off the main one. This decision lengthened their trip considerably as it made their path much more treacherous. Every hour he insisted they stop, for the girl’s sake, to which she tried to tell him they were unnecessary. He could see the weariness in her eyes, especially once darkness finally fell, and though she fought the urge, each time they stopped she slept.
By the next morning, both had become the closest of friends and for that alone Traix was glad he decided they took the longer route. She told him stories about her father. In her eyes, he was the best swordsman, the best fighter, and the best father in all of Stonehaven.
For Traix, their relationship was vastly different from what he had with his mother. Adelaide was too young for school or work and she had no mother to raise her as she died during childbirth. Instead, it was Adelaide who learned how to cook and clean for her father while he went off to work as a fisherman. Working on a fishing boat was just about the only profession left in Gaspar, unless you belonged to the king’s army. Her father refused to pick up a sword until there was no more work to be found for him on the docks. He missed the sea and knew the only way he would get it back would be to fight for the king.
In the beginning, it was a fun time for her father and for little Adelaide. He was just in training and she would visit him down by the training grounds with the castle walls. The generals wouldn’t scold her because, to hear her tell it, she was young and cute. She would watch her father train all day and at night they would walk home together as he’d tell her tall tales. He was going to kill that awful female pirate and the king would pay him handsomely. They’d buy a large home with horses that she could have of her very own.
Hearing her talk about the memories she had of her father made him both happy and sad. Her youth was full of hopes and dreams that were all taken from her in an instant. How many other little girls lost their dreams yesterday Traix thought as they both stopped walking along an incline in the road that gave them a perfect view of the castle in the distance. From where they stood it did not look so intimidating but as they got closer it grew taller and wider, making them both fell small.
At the gate were two men in full royal green. When they saw Traix approach they eyed each other cautiously and stood to attention, each reaching their rather long spears out till they formed a cross.
“You do realize there’s a gate, right? We couldn’t pass even if we wanted to. Those spears are unnecessary,” Adelaide said. Both men looked down at her with contempt. How dare she speak to men of the king’s army that way?
“Who goes there?”
“I am Traix of the king’s army.” He spread his arms to show he wore a uniform like theirs. “I was on the king’s ship that set sail a forte night ago for the Shadow, in hopes of taking down the female pirate. I have come with an urgent message for the king.” Both men eyed each other suspiciously this time but continued to ignore Traix. “Did you not hear what I just said? I demand to be taken to the king, at once.”
“We were told of your arrival and you shall not seek the king’s council. He has enough trouble without hearing the ravings of a local town drunkard. Leave and take this waif with you before we hang you both from the gallows.”
Traix could tell by the dark look in their eyes they meant what they said. If he and Adelaide didn’t vacate immediately, they would both surely find themselves at the end of a rope. He could not risk her life and was not yet ready to lose his own. He gently placed his hands on her shoulders and started to back away from them, pulling her with him.
She shrugged him off and replied, “But who could’ve told you of his coming? No one knew. He does not lie to you. And if the king hears you are responsible for keeping this man from telling him something rather important, it will be you two who hang from the gallows.”
“You’ve been warned once. Don’t make me do it again.” The guards uncrossed their spears and readied them to attack. She realized standing her ground against these men was pointless and allowed him to turn her around, where they walked back the way they came.
“What are we to do now?”
“I don’t know. But I will get my revenge upon Corwinn the Coward someday. You mark my words little one.”