Shades of the Past_ Book Six of the Morcyth Saga - Brian S. Pratt [26]
He walks away from the room, leaving the banner behind. “Aren’t you taking the banner?” Miko asks.
Shaking his head, he says, “No.” He glances to James and says, “Now let’s go find my son.” Securing the secret door behind which the banner lies, he then takes them from the treasure room and closes the secret door. With their help, he puts the chests back in front of the hidden door and takes a moment to hide the fact they were ever moved. When he at last is satisfied, he turns and heads back up the stairs.
Chapter Five
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When Illan comes out of the manor house, whatever conversation the others were engaged in comes to an abrupt halt when they see what he’s wearing. Murmurs of ‘Black Hawk’ and other awed exclamations are heard as each comes to understand just what they are seeing.
Some of the recruits, having come from Cardri, are not familiar with the significance of the emblem he’s wearing. The others quickly fill them in.
James comes out behind him and says, “We camp here this evening. Delia, you’re going to be in charge for awhile. We have some business in town to take care of.”
“Very well,” she says.
Illan steps down off the porch and comes to where Moyil is holding his horse for him. Moyil’s eyes widen as he draws near. Without saying a word, Illan takes the reins from him and mounts.
To those gathered around, James says, “We’re going to rescue his son. Jiron and his group will join us. Delia, you and your slingers will remain here to look after the prisoners until our return.”
The recruits look upset at not being allowed to accompany them, but realize there is little use in protesting. Those who are leaving with Illan and James mount up and follow them down the lane to the gate.
As they near the gate, Shorty and Scar see him riding toward them in his new armor. “I knew it!” exclaims Shorty with a holler.
“I can’t believe this,” Scar says somewhat at a loss for words, for once.
When Illan draws close, Shorty stands there with a grin on his face and says, “I knew there was something about you.”
“You did, did you?” Illan replies from the back of his horse. “You two stay here and watch the gate.” Without any further explanations, he continues through the gate and heads into town.
As Potbelly passes Scar he says, “Things should be more interesting from here on out.”
“You got that right,” agrees Scar.
Once past the gate, James drops back a little bit and rides between Uther and Jorry. To them he asks, “So what’s the full story behind the Black Hawk?”
On the way into town, they fill him in on the details.
About twenty five years ago, the Empire made a push into Madoc in an attempt to swallow up a section of fertile farmland to feed its growing populace. The army was sent to expel them back to the Empire but the fighting raged for many years until a sort of stalemate was achieved.
Unfortunately for Madoc, that stalemate happened to be where the Empire had decided to stop anyway. A portion of the lands now held by the Empire was known as Barrowman’s Field and thus the name for the war.
Some believe that the Ruling Council in Madoc decided to create a band of men whose job was to destroy as much of the Empire as they could to force them to draw off some of their forces defending the area known as Barrowman’s Field.
The Black Hawk was in charge of that band. Black Hawk and his raiders somehow got through their lines and then it began. The destruction of town after town, some say they slaughtered every last man, woman, and child. They’re also rumored to have salted the fields so nothing would grow.
Whatever the real truth is, it worked. The cry from its citizens forced the Empire to pull forces from the border to deal with the Black Hawk which allowed Madoc’s army to push them out.
Black Hawk’s band supposedly destroyed over twenty villages and small towns, all the while staying one step