The Tracker: Book 1 of the King's Hand Series Read online

  The Tracker

  By B. A. Monaghan

  Copyright © 2017 by Brad A. Smith

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Brad A. Smith.

  ISBN: 978-0-692-90128-1

  Chapter 1

  The Journey to Adulthood

  Roland walked along the stream looking for some Bog’s Wort. This was a water plant found in the spring time in slow moving clear water. The stream was generally fast moving during the spring rains but there were a few places that the Bog Wort could be found. The plant is an aquatic plant and can generally be found, in of all places, bog’s. In the Alondale Forest it could only be found in this stream.

  The plant could be found floating on the top of the water but it’s root were solidly imbedded into the soft mud of the stream keeping the plant from floating away. The plant itself produced three leaves. With an orange and yellow flower. The flower had three petals and three sepals. It was only found for the first few months of spring and it would disappear till the next season.

  When Roland finally found some. He would use his fingers to follow the thin stem down into the water where he pulled the plants bulb from the soft mud. He would only harvest about half the plants he found. He never harvested more than that because they needed the plants produce again next year. The bulb was the main ingredient for an extract put in a tea. This would be given to people who came down with the crud. The tea would break up the congestion in the lungs clearing out the crud. His mother would hand out the extract every winter to those who had family members who were sick.

  Roland’s mother was an herbalist. She was also a High Elf. She never spoke about her time with her family other than what she learned growing up in the giant trees in the west. Her cures were known for the amazing curative properties. Generally, she went to town once a week and would provide what she could for the humans of Halfway.

  After collecting the Bog Wort, Roland continued down the stream to check his traps he had set the day before. He was only 14 years old but his parents had been training him since he could walk to survive in the forest. Most parents wouldn’t have allowed their kids to roam the Alondale Forest without adult supervision. But Roland’s parents were a bit different. They raised him to be independent.

  The Alondale Forest was a huge forest. It covered an area that would take a week of walking to go from one end to the other. Roland’s dad was a forester hired by the Duke of Alondale. His main purpose was to mark trees for harvest by the Halfway Timber Company. His second purpose and at times the most dangerous thing would be to keep an eye on the beasts of the forest. Making sure that there weren’t too many goblins, orcs or wyvern. Ten years ago a group of goblins began procreating in earnest deep in the forest. They began damaging the forest in the most northern reaches. By the time a group of adventurers stopped the goblins they had already damage the environment that even ten years later plants are barley returning to the area of destruction.

  The forest was huge and the beasts that roamed the forest was large. For Roland the dangers were mainly the rarely seen large cats, the mountain wolves and the occasional Forest Asp. Roland’s father was a human making Roland a Halfling. For Roland this was a mix that blessed him in many ways. He had the toughness of a human, the dexterity of an elf, and if all went well the gift a magic. Elves always had magic but Half-Elven generally had magic but on occasion one would be born without.

  John Forester was Roland’s father. He was in the forester’s guild. Because of his guild affiliation he had skills in tracking and shadow meld. His father loved the forest and planned to stay in Alondale Forest till he died. The quiet life is what John lived for. He had been training Roland in tracking for years. He knew when dangerous animals were about by what was going on in the area around him. He wasn’t able to work on the shadow meld skill till he was able to open up his skill panel.

  This was a panel that every person could open up on this world. According to what his parent told him it was a blue screen that only the person whose screen was open could see the screen. On this screen they could see their skills and their attributes. Well anyone could open the screen up once they turned 16. That or if someone could kill some beasts by themselves which would open up the screen early. Roland’s father and mother both wanted him to open his screen early so he could begin work with mana. Mana could only be used by anyone once the blue screen was available to them. Roland’s mother had plans for him and his mana.

  Roland’s mother Saryn was an illusionist and an herbalist. The reason everyone purchased Saryn’s extracts and poultices was because she put mana into her products. An herbalist wasn’t an alchemist. They used natural curatives and added mana to make the curatives stronger. This worked for anything that healed but it also helped with boosts to mana, health and endurance regeneration. They wouldn’t give an instant boost like potions but they would increase regenerative properties over time. They couldn’t be used all the time but they were good boosts when someone needed one.

  Roland’s mother had silver hair. Not the grey of old age but silver like waves of pure mercury. She was tall almost 6 feet tall. She was classic elf. Graceful, intelligent, and beautiful. She had high cheek bones. Her chin came to a sharp point. Her ears could be seen on occasion sticking out of her hair. His father said she was the most beautiful creature in the world. She was beautiful when she was at the house. When she went into town she cast an illusion on herself that caused her hair to turn dull brown and her looks were bland, and that was being kind. No one in Halfway knew that she was an elf.

  John, Roland’s father, was over 6 feet tall. He had broad shoulders, trim, tan and a well-trimmed beard. He was a confident a capable man. His hair was very dark brown that fell to his shoulders with large curls. His jaw was square and his nose was straight and a bit small for his face. The town was surprised when he got married to Saryn. Everyone thought a man with his good looks, confidence and with great charisma he would have married better. Little did they know he had married better.

  Roland was tall for his age. He was more wiry than muscular. He was strong, he just didn’t look as strong as he was. His hair was a conundrum. It wasn’t the metallic color of his mother but it wasn’t the dark brown of his father either. It was a light brown but it seemed to twist a turn if you looked too long at it. It was almost as if you couldn’t focus your eyes on it. His mother when he was young cast an illusion on his hair to make it look like dull brown. Now that he was older he always wore a hat that covered his hair.

  Clothing, was the same for the whole family. They all wore buckskins and fur. Depending on the season depended on the amount of fur. Roland always wore a hat made from a forest cat. His father wore a hat made form a forest bear and his mother wore a hat made from a forest fox. If someone from the city would have seen them they would have thought, they were the wildest family alive.

  The Alondale Forest was a mix of deciduous trees and conifers. The area where Roland was walking was almost completely deciduous trees. The main trees were oak, cedar, and maple. There were a multitude of other trees but the list would be too large to list. This being early spring the new leaves had a brighter look to them. Later in summer the leaves would turn a darker green soaking up the sun and producing sugars that would encourage growth.

  The trees close to the stream were large and provided places to for animals to find cover and it also provided cover for the plethora of birds that called Alondale Forest home. Roland used these trees to hide his progress along
the stream. He stayed alert to his surrounding all the time. It was what he was taught. The stream itself was generally only a foot or two deep but there were deep holes where large fish hid and, if Roland was fishing, could provide a great meal. The bottom of the stream was a mix of pebble size rocks, with the occasional sand bar and mud flats.

  Roland was after the beaver and the mink. The hides sold well and his family wore hides and skins, all of what they harvested in the forest. Today was a good day he was able to harvest two minks and a beaver. With these he would be able to purchase a few items from the general store in Halfway. He picked up his prizes and headed home.

  The morning was beginning to warm up. He had gotten up early as was expected at home. He had lots of work with the hides when he got back along with herbalism classes, elven languages, both High Elf and Low Elf. Elementals of magic was also on the agenda for today. His mind was starting to wonder when the forest when quiet. The early spring birds just arriving form the south stopped their high trills and whistles. The breeze was strong for a spring day and it was in that moment a strong odor hit Roland’s nose.

  He lowered himself down between some ferns growing by a large oak tree. Roland laid down his catch and strung his bow. He took one arrow out and place it on the string. Then he stayed still watching up wind to see what the offensive odor came from. He waited for over 15 minutes with the odor getting a bit stronger. Then he heard the noise. Someone was coming along a trail close to where he was hiding. He could hear talking but it was in a language he didn’t know. The words were harsh and guttural. The sounds seemed brash if he could call it that. Then they came in sight. It was 4 goblins. They were carrying a small amount of fish with them. They were oblivious to Roland as he watched them walk by his position. The goblins were carrying short spears. They had on a groin cloth and ratty looking shirts. One didn’t have a shirt. The one who seemed to be in charge carried three fish on his spear. They were about a third of Roland’s height, with greenish blue tint to their skin. Their ears were pointed and they had bones pierced into them.

  This might be his chance. If he could kill these goblins he could open up his skill panel. His parents might get mad but they had trained him for this moment and they were looking for opportunities like this for him. This also could be his death too. He would have to do this in an intelligent way. He had a knife and his bow. He had 12 arrows which should be plenty.

  The trail they were walking on would lead them to a hill. On that hill was a large rock overlooking the trail. There was one way up the rock on the back side but it was hard to find and even harder to climb. If he could get there before the goblins he could set up an ambush from the safety of the rock. First there was getting to the rock before they did, and without being seen or heard.

  Roland left beaver and mink hanging over a tree branch hoping that would keep them safe till he got back. He headed through the forest on a straight path to the rock. The trail the goblins were on meandered through the forest and they weren’t in any hurry. He should be there in plenty of time before they reached the ambush site. He ran through forest like a ghost. He didn’t cause any branches to move he didn’t step on any sticks, he stepped lightly leaving no prints.

  The rock he was heading to towered over the trail. The rock in some age past had split in two leaving a gap just wide enough for a nice trail to go through. The climb up the back side was difficult. His father had helped him climb this spot before but last fall he had finally climb the rock without any help from his father. It had been a day of triumph. Today it was his nerves that made the climb even more difficult than it had been last fall.

  Once he was on top he hid on the far side. When they walked through the gap and out the far side he would be behind and above them. His goal was to kill those that followed first and then work his way forward. He took out four arrows. He put Forest Asp poison on each of the arrow heads. None of the goblins had armor so his obsidian broad head arrows should penetrate easily. He took his time slowing his breathing and trying to relax. He knocked the first arrow and waited.

  The goblins seemed to take forever to get to his ambush site. They had continued to talk among themselves. They seemed to think it was a casual walk in the forest. The first goblin came into sight. His back was to Roland. Immediately the second, third and the forth came into sight. Roland was above them about 10 feet. He shot down at his prey. The second arrow was on its way as the first arrow hit the last goblin. The next goblin was hit before he could turn around to figure out what the noise he heard behind him. The next goblin got turned around as the third arrow hit him in the front of the chest. The leader of the group was able to duck behind a tree before Roland could take last one down.

  Roland could hear the last goblin run for all he was worth through the forest. He was screaming and the foliage was moving about. Roland was able to track him by the movement of the bushes moving. He took aim leading the goblin as best he could and released. He heard a scream and all was silent.

  Roland remained still. Watching, listening observing the area where the scream came from. All he heard was the brisk wind through the trees. The animals of the forest were quiet. Death stalked the woods. Even if it was a young boy brining about the death of the goblins. As he was waiting and watching he was surprised almost causing his heat to stop.

  Notice

  Congratulations!! You have unlocked your status panel.

  You can now use the following commands:

  Status Panel

  Skills Panel

  Oh how he wanted to check his status panel. However, he had one goblin he wasn’t sure was dead or not. He would need to check to see if the body was still there. Was he wounded and still alive. If he was wounded, the poison should take care of that. He would have to be careful. He didn’t want to fight close up to any goblin. He was only 14. Taking them down from distance was the only way he wanted to deal with a goblin at this point in his life.

  Roland jumped down to the trail. He checked the first three goblins and recovered his arrows. He then began tracking the one who ran. His prints were easy to see. He was panicked and didn’t worry about his trail. Roland moved paused, watched, listened and continued. He was at his second pause when the birds began to sing their songs again. The forest was returning to normal. He had to stay cautions. The trail went behind a large maple tree. He rounded the tree from a distance. He didn’t want to be ambushed like he had ambushed the goblins.

  The first thing he saw was a foot. It was a dirty blue green foot with yellow toenails. The foot was sticking up over a root sticking out of the ground like he had tripped and had stayed where he was. As Roland rounded the tree the goblin was laying there with an arrow sticking out of his side. There wasn’t any breath and he stared off into the tree tops without blinking. Roland moved in and recovered his arrow. He spent the next hour moving the bodies of the goblins into the woods, away from the trail.

  He headed back to get his beaver and mink. They were right where he had left them. The only thing that had bothered them was a crow and he had only taken a few pecks before Roland retrieved his prizes. He continued to be wary on his way home. Goblins were always found in large groups. The group he had found was out harvesting food. They were all males so he suspected more were in the area.

  The trip back to his home was a bit surreal for Roland. So much violence, so much death and the forest was its typical self. The birds were chirping the squirrels running up and down the trees almost carefree and some deer were browsing about in a berry patch.

  The rout to his home would have been impossible for most people. Roland’s mom Saryn was an illusionist. She kept up an illusion around the home at all times. Unless someone knew where the house was and that there was an illusion up they would never find the house.

  As he stepped through the illusion he could see the cabin. The cabin itself was made of dressed logs. The cabin was made up of one large central room where meals were made and consumed. One large stone fireplace was to the side
of this room where the meals were cooked. A table with six chairs surrounded the table. They only needed three chairs but on occasion they did have visitors. There was one bedroom for his parents and the loft where Roland stayed. Towards the back was a storage room and that room led down to a cellar where food and herbs were stored.

  Outside the cabin there was a porch that ran the whole length of the cabin. Two rocking chairs were on the porch. Next to the cabin was a small pole barn. It had two sides to block most of the strong wind coming from the west. It contained a table and a small fire place. This is where his mother made most of her elixirs and poultices with her herbs.

  His mother was waiting for him. It had taken him much longer than needed for his traps and herb gathering. Concern was in his mother’s eyes. “You took long enough. What happened?” Roland dropped his cargo pausing thinking about how to explain everything without making his mom too worried. “Well on the way back I spotted some goblins. There were four of them and they were taking the trail leading over split rock hill. I ambushed and killed them from the top of the rock. I expect there are a lot more of them in the area.”

  Saryn look closely at her son. He was calm with inner strength. He had just been in a life and death struggle. He stood confident expectant. Her son was on his way to becoming a man. He had some ways to go but he was going to be a capable strong man. She was proud of her son. They had worked with him so when the opportunity arose he would be ready. “You must have opened your panel. Did you look at it?”

  “No. I wanted to get back and let you know what was going on before I spent time looking at my panel. I am curious but there were other priorities.”

  “Your father should be back soon. Let him know what has happened first thing. Between now and then take care of your pelts and then look at your panel. The first time is always special.”