Book 2: Chapter 1

  The Path Ahead

  “So what’s next, lad?” Hershel asked as he leaned back in his rocking chair. “You’ve made a proper nuisance of yourself since you arrived in the Salt Brine, and I get the feeling you won’t be slowing down.”

  I sighed and leaned back in my own chair, enjoying the after dinner company of the Claybrook family.

  “Well, I have four days left until my training begins with the Duke’s guard, so I imagine I’ll be making my way back and forth from the Valley to the city every day to help who I can. I’d also like to get my garden started before everyone arrives, or at least find a way to incorporate it into my training if I can.”

  Hershel nodded contemplatively and passed his bottle of spirits between his sons before offering some of the brew to Halius and me.

  “Forgive me, but I’m afraid I don’t drink,” Halius said with polite firmness. “My path requires me to stay vigilant, and any alcohol is a hindrance.”

  “Well, suit yourself then,” Hershel said as he passed the bottle to me. “I’m pretty sure I’ve seen your father drink when we did work up that way. Actually, I’m pretty sure I seen him drink quite a bit, if I’m not mistaken. Did you choose a separate path?”

  I considered this, realizing in that moment that I hadn’t even bothered asking Halius about his path. It was something I would need to get used to, as I tended to mind my own business unless someone was willing to share that kind of information.

  “Yes, I did,” Halius said with a smile. “Though it is very similar in nature, which is to be expected. I am his son after all.”

  “Well?” Neil interrupted, no longer able to contain his curiosity. “You’re killing me. At least not as bad as Ariel’s cooking. Sorry you had to endure that, by the way.”

  Ariel slapped the back of Neil’s head and crossed her arms with a huff. “It wasn’t bad this time…”

  “Not that bad?” Neil protested. “You somehow managed to incorporate all the salt in the damn sea.”

  “Neil Grayson Claybrook. Language,” his mother snapped from the other side of the porch.

  “Sorry, Mom,” he said sheepishly, as he moved out of Ariel’s reach.

  “I thought it was quite lovely, actually,” Halius said with genuine warmth and appreciation. “My mother always cooked with a lot of salt, so I grew up with a craving for it. Usually dishes just have too little for my tastes, but dinner was perfect.”

  Ariel stared at Halius for a long moment, and even the red hues of the setting sun couldn’t hide the blush creeping across her cheeks.

  Hershel, ever the observant and meddling old timer, decided this was the perfect opportunity to embarrass his granddaughter.

  “Well, I love Sam and all, but he’s already said he ain’t looking to settle down just yet. So what do you think, Halius? You interested in courting my granddaughter?”

  Halius began to stammer, and Ariel stood up with a huff. But before Hershel could get them too riled up, Granny Claybrook came to her granddaughter’s defense.

  “Hershel Claybrook, you leave my sweet girl alone and mind your manners with our guest.”

  “Sorry, love,” he said with the same sheepish tone Neil had used just moments before.

  Realizing we had let the conversation wander off on a tangent, I decided to revisit where we had left off with Halius’s path.

  “So… what path did you choose?” I asked simply. “Based on what I’ve seen so far, it’s obviously rooted in the Martial Domain, but as far as the details go, my guess is as good as anyone’s.”

  All eyes refocused on Halius.

  “Well, my path is as you say, of the Martial Domain. It is the Path of the Guardian. It’s heavily defensive focused, but it does allow me to utilize some offense, though to a lesser extent than most other paths. However, the defensive prowess it offers comes with some unique variations, considering where I grew up.”

  Path of the Guardian… as I contemplated the name and what it implied, a lot of things about Halius’s decisions in the midst of battle suddenly made a lot more sense. He was always at the front, or charging toward it. What had originally appeared to be recklessness was more a manifestation of the path he had chosen for himself.

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  “It suits you,” I said as I continued to mull it over. “I think the valley is in good hands with someone like you protecting it.”

  Halius smiled widely at my compliment before yelping in pain as three little boys ran out onto the porch and kicked his shins.

  “Guardian? You couldn’t even protect yourself from us!” the oldest of the three, Allen, cried out.

  “Boys, to bed,” their mother snapped as they all ran back inside giggling. “Sorry, Halius. They’re just excited to see a new face with their Sam.”

  “I’m used to it,” Halius said with a laugh. “My own younger siblings treat me much the same.”

  We spent the rest of the evening on the porch, the easy laughter from earlier fading as the conversation turned to what had taken place at the church earlier in the day.

  Gradually, everyone began to make their way inside save for the men of the family, Halius, and myself.

  The night air felt cooler somehow, the weight of it settling in as concerns were raised. Not only for my sake, but because Neil had allowed himself to become so involved, which was ultimately my responsibility, as I had led him into that situation with the church.

  “So, you spoke with the Duke?” William, Neil’s father, asked.

  I nodded.

  “He agreed to help us get started with a project to help those in need in the city, and with that will shelter us from repercussions for now. I keep hearing about the auditors, but I don’t really know what to expect beyond hearsay.”

  “Salted Hells,” Hershel said with a sigh. “Why would he stick his neck out for something like this? Just when I think I understand that silver spoon, he goes and does something like this. Well, anyhow, that does give me some peace about it.”

  Hershel’s sons also nodded in agreement.

  “Neil, what are your intentions, son?” William asked seriously. “It’s your choice to make. You can keep helping with this project in the city, or you can keep working with us doing carpentry. It could influence your path, after all, and you need to be thinking about it seriously.”

  I watched as Neil’s face scrunched up in contemplation, and it was clear even he hadn’t given much thought beyond what he had impulsively decided to do when helping out the priest back at the church.

  “I’d like to think about it, but I don’t intend on leaving the family trade. I enjoyed helping folk, but it’s not something I would’ve done if I hadn’t been following Sam. He has a way of just making you want to do things, ya know?”

  “Well good,” William said with relief. “Then we’ll get right back to it early in the morning, you should go ahead and head off to bed son.”

  Neil groaned in complaint but reluctantly agreed, as he did look rather exhausted. We waited until he was well inside before Hershel spoke again.

  “Now, Sam,” William said seriously, “you need to be mighty careful with what you’re doing, though I think it might be too late.”

  I felt the tension in the conversation shift, not because of disappointment, but from genuine care for my well being from men who had accepted me and welcomed me as one of their own.

  Hershel nodded in agreement before taking another drink of his whiskey, which he then passed around the group once again.

  “Well, I think you might be right,” I said honestly. “Based on what I’ve seen and heard so far, my only option is to get strong enough to protect myself and others. I am sorry, though… I didn’t mean to drag Neil into it. That was reckless of me, but I couldn’t turn away from those people in need.”

  From the corner of my eye I could see Halius smile and nodd approvingly, as if his own path somehow resonated with the words I had said.

  “We ain’t saying you were wrong for what you did, lad,” hershel chided. “I’m just saying you stepped in a pile of shit walking your path, and sooner or later you’re gonna have to wash it off. Ain’t no avoiding it.”

  “He’s right,” Halius said solemnly. “Eventually, the king may hear of this, and we should spend this time doing what we can to prepare for whatever consequences may come. Which is a good thing, since you’re already set to begin training in the coming days.”

  I nodded in agreement.

  “Well, it’ll cost what it costs. I guess what I should be asking is whether you want me to keep my distance, just in case this spills over into other areas of my life.”

  Hershel all but slammed the bottle down on the table beside him in response.

  “Sam, I’ll only say this once, so don’t you be making me repeat myself. I already told you you’re no different to me than one of my own grandsons. We love you. All of us do, and we can never repay you for saving Neil… or me. We ain’t gonna abandon you if you get into trouble. That isn’t what this family does.”

  I felt my throat tighten at the sudden declaration and willed myself to keep my emotions under control as I looked around at the faces of Halius and Hershel’s sons, William and Theodore.

  The porch had gone still. The soft creak of Hershel’s rocking chair and the distant hum of crickets filled the silence he left behind. Warm lantern light spilled across the worn boards at our feet, and I found myself staring at the grain of the wood, my throat still too tight to trust with words.

  “Well, boys, I think we might end the night there,” Hershel said as he eased himself to his feet. “We got a lot of work to do tomorrow, and I’m sure you boys do as well. Sam, you can take the couch downstairs tonight, and Halius, you can head upstairs to the guest room… be warned, though, it has a way of stealing the day from you.”

  Halius seemed confused by the statement but accepted the hospitality nonetheless and eventually made his way upstairs.

  As I settled onto the couch for the evening, Hershel brought me a blanket and a pillow, then sat down at the end of it.

  “Don’t you worry, Sam,” he said, his words slightly slurred. “Ol’ Hershel isn’t gonna let anything happen to ya, you have my word. You just keep walking a path you’re proud of, youngin.”

  “Hershel… thank you. For everything. Without you or your family, all this new might have been a bit too much for me. I’m not the type to live alone, and I appreciate you all more than I can express.”

  Hershel didn’t say anything in response. He simply stood up, ruffled my hair as he passed, then made his way down the hallway to his bedroom to settle in for the night.

  I shifted to make myself comfortable as I lay back against the worn cushions and pulled the blanket close, staring up at the dim ceiling while the sounds of the house settling wrapped around me.

  The world outside might have been shifting in ways I didn’t yet understand, but in that moment, surrounded by the quiet breathing of a home that had made space for me, I let myself rest.

  Tomorrow would come soon enough. As Hershel had said, I’d stepped into some trouble, but I had every intention of facing it one step at a time along the path ahead.