Chapter 1 - The mountain pass

Snow was falling outside the gates of Stone's crossing. It was mid-summer, but Stone's Crossing rested high in the Ulmach Mountains, where the weather was normally cold. A warmer breeze was blowing through the Ulmach pass from the north, carrying with it the smell of the great southern plains of Quaal. This was fortunate, for a southern breeze would carry with it the odor of the Ulmach swamp which sat at the base of the Ulmach mountains, just south of Stone's Crossing. Stone's Crossing was a border trading post between the northern province of Quaal, and the southern province of San Rael. It served as the safest passage through the Ulmach Mountains, and was heavily guarded by the Quaal military. The safety of the pass served its purpose well, as weary travelers would often stop here to rest, even if they weren't passing through the mountains. During the summer months, the trading post was the most active, with traders coming from all over the continent to sell their wares.

Stone's crossing was an ancient military post, built by the San Rael army centuries ago. It was the most well defended post in all of San Rael until Quaal overtook it in the Great War over 100 years ago. Because San Rael was the aggressor in that war, Quaal insisted that the fort remain under its control to prevent continued hostility. San Rael reluctantly agreed, adding in only a provision that its civilian citizens would never be harassed while traversing the pass. The fort sat in the narrowest point of Ulmach pass, and had a 12 foot stone wall on each entry, with thick wooden gates. The canyon walls outside of the fort had alcoves cut into them where archers could be posted to fire at invading forces. Any army that braved that gauntlet would still have to climb the fort walls to mount a successful attack. Its defenses were near impenetrable, at least without mass loss of human life.

The military presence was nothing more than a formal show of force, although they did have to repel the occasional bandit attack; for the most part these were times of peace. The gates to the fort remained open much of the time, and it was common to see children playing in the courtyard, and the wild lands outside of the gate. The Ulmach mountains were a dangerous place, populated with wyvrens, various wild predators, and even the occasional wandering spirit or undead being, but around Stone's Crossing, heavy military patrols kept the civilians safe, for the most part.

Outside the gates, two young boys exchanged menacing blows with small branches that had fallen from the trees outside the fort. They were innocent enough, just the child's play of soldier's children. Yu was the younger of the two boys, at barely 8 years old, he had spent his entire life living at the fort, as his father had always been stationed there for the past 10 years. His mother was a seamstress in the fort, her colorful clothing was well regarded within the provinces. The older boy was Tom, the grandson of the fort commander, Commander Cyris Tigh. The two boys would often pretend to be fighting with swords outside the gates; both boys had dreams of becoming great soldiers within the King's army. Back and forth, the small branches clacked together. Yu swiped at Tom's head leaving Tom barely enough time to duck the blow, but he recovered quickly, taking a quick strike at Yu's feet. Yu fell backwards, knocked off balance, and recovered quickly, lunging forward with a blow to Tom's chest. Tom parried the blow and stepped aside, whacking Yu on the back with his branch.

"Ouch! You don't have to hit so hard Tom!" Yu Gasped.

"I got you again Yu! You're getting harder to trick though. Soon enough, I think I'll be no match for you!" Tom said. He was just poking fun at the boy, Tom's skills far outmatched Yu's, as he was trained by Tigh, and Tigh was one of the greatest swordsmen in the Kingdom.

"I'll get you one day Tom. I promise!" Yu Retorted.

"Haha, we'll see about that! Lets go see what's for dinner at the inn! I'll race you!" Tom said. He dashed off through the fort gate towards the inn laughing.

"Hey, no fair!" Yu Yelled, "I'll get you!"

The two boys darted back and forth, dodging traders and their patrons in the streets. Tom leapt over a barrel of water that sat in front of the inn. Yu tried to follow, but pulled up at the last minute, falling hard on his shoulder and sliding into the boot of a trader that was leaving the Inn.

"Watch yourself boy, you wouldn't want to hurt yourself before you got to eat dinner! Doctor Laen is slower than a one legged mountain goat; you'd hate to be sitting in his house with an empty stomach!" The man let out a hearty laugh and pulled the boy up by his belt. "Go get yourself a bite to eat Yu! You need to keep that energy up!"

"Thanks Henson! I'll stop by your shop when I get my allowance next week to take a look at your toys! I can't wait to see what the summer tradesmen brought in!" Yu said with bright eyes. Henson was the fort's supplier of toys and other items for children.

Henson bent over and stared the boy in the eyes. His voice got quiet and his brow furled a bit. He said to Yu, as if it was the greatest secret that the world had to offer, "Indeed boy, I've gotten toy swords and shields carved from cured tangle root, straight from the Ulmach swamp."

Yu gasped, "I can't wait!"

"Run along now, Tom's probably got half of your dinner eaten already!"

Yu's smile dropped into a frown and he looked over his shoulder, "Tom! You stay away from my food you scoundrel!" He ran off into the inn to save his dinner.

Life was simple in Stone's Crossing for the boys. They had lessons each day with the other children where they learned about history, writing and science. In their free time, they played with each other, practicing wrestling and swordplay. It was the kind of life that every boy would want.

Yu sat down at the bench across from Tom, who had gravy smeared on his cheek. The daily special was some sort of bird, cooked with a gravy sauce and potatoes, with a hunk of bread. It was a hearty meal indeed. Tom had a smirk on his face, and he was clearly trying to hold back telling Yu something of great importance.

"I heard something today." Said Tom.

"Me too." Yu Replied. "A secret and I'm not telling you!" He said, referring to the news about the tangle wood toys at Henson's.

"Well, I was going to tell you, but forget it. I'll leave you to find out for yourself." Tom got up and walked towards the exit of the inn.

"Wait! I was just kidding, what is it? tell me! Tell me!" Yu was following close behind Tom.

"No." Tom said shortly.

"But, but you have to! I need to k...k...know..." Yu said, his voice trailing off.

As the two boys walked out of the inn, Yu saw the man standing in the street, talking to one of the soldiers. The sight of the man took his breath away. It was a Suun monk, a real live Suun monk! Suun monks rarely made it this far south. Normally, they stayed close to their temple in central Quaal. Yu had heard of the monks, but had never seen one with his own eyes. The man was tall and seemed muscular, but his body was covered by a white hooded cloak that bore the symbol of Suun over the left breast embroidered in silver and gold thread. The cloak itself was trimmed with silver and gold at its edges as well. Its hood was drawn over the face of the monk, as Suun monks were not permitted to show their faces outside of the temple of Suun. It was a restriction placed on them by the order to ensure that their deeds were reflective of the Order of Suun, and not the individual monks who did them. Yu moved closer to see if he could hear what the two were talking about, but he could only catch a part of the conversation.

"No sir," the soldier said, "Haven't seen any of you Suun folk pass this way in many years. S'been a long time to tell you the truth. I think I'd remember a priest passing through anyway. S'pecially one fitting that description."

"I see." The monk replied. "Its unfortunate, I had heard that he travelled south and I thought he might have passed this way."

"Sorry, you can check around to be sure, or enjoy your stay if you will. You're welcome to stay as long as you please. We'll always have a bed for a Suun monk at the inn." The soldier said respectfully.

"Thank you, I may take leave here for a few days. Its been a long journey." The monk bowed his head and walked away towards the inn.

Suun monks were respected among the greatest warriors in the known world. Their prowess with blades and magic was unmatched by normal humans. Their magic was a gift from the lesser dragon Suun. It enhanced their speed and strength, as well as giving them telekinetic abilities. Stories were told of master Suun monks controlling a hundred swords with their minds while still fighting hand to hand with foes on the battle field. Of course these stories were probably exaggerated, as most legends were, but they were great campfire tales for children.

Tom turned to Yu, "I heard a Suun monk arrived this morning. That was my secret, what was yours?"

"I'm not telling!" Yu said, and he ran off towards the gate yelling, "I'll beat you this time!" He was so excited by the sight of the monk that he had forgotten all about his lunch and his hunger.

"Tell me! I told you Yu! You have to tell me!" Tom said, running after Yu.

Yu was clearly enjoying his momentary position of strength. He would hold on to it as long as he could, because he didn't often have the upper hand against the older boy. "I'm going to be a Suun monk!" Yu squealed as he ran towards the gate.

"You're not even going to make it into the army with your skills!" Tom yelled.

"I don't have to be in the army! I'm going to the temple of Suun! Ha ha!" Yu replied as he crossed back through the gate. When he came to the edge of the tree line, he picked up two branches, placing one in each hand. "C'mon Tom, lets see what you can do!"

Tom chuckled and grabbed a thick and long branch from the ground and grasped it with both hands as if he were holding a giant two handed sword. "If I win, you'll tell me!" Tom bargained with Yu.

"I'll tell you if you win, I Promise." Yu replied, holding one of his hands over his heart. "Monk's honor!"

"Monk's honor eh? I'm not holding back!"

Tom rushed towards Yu holding his great sword across his body. From this position it would be easy to raise the sword for a strike or a quick parry. His blow would be weaker, but it ensured that he'd be ready for Yu's first move. Since he had decided to rush the boy, he was putting himself at a disadvantage. Yu held his ground, adjusting his feet so he could easily step to either side to avoid Tom's first strike. When Tom got into striking distance, his eyes twitched and he pulled up on the hilt of his sword and took a strike at Yu's side. Tom expected the boy to sidestep, and when he did, he would slide a leg over to trip the boy while he was in motion, and off balance, but to Tom's surprise, Yu held his ground and brought one of his dual blades across his body to parry the great sword. There was a loud clang as the blades met, and Yu was knocked off balance, but he dropped his back foot to absorb some of the blow and pushed back with his other blade striking at the side of Tom. Surprised, Tom jerked backwards, just getting out of range of the strike, but he was off balance and stepping backwards. Just then, Yu hurled his off hand sword at Tom's chest. The blade flew through the air, striking Tom in the shoulder before clanging to the ground. Tom was stunned at this maneuver, so stunned that he didn't even notice Yu following behind the blade. Yu lowered his shoulder and hit Tom in the stomach, causing him to buckle over, but he was able to step to the side and avoid most of the younger boy's momentum. With that, he whirled his great blade around and struck Yu in the back of the knee, causing him to trip and fall. Then he rested his blade on the back of Yu's neck.

"I win!" Tom said, removing his battered branch from the back of Yu's neck. "You surprised me there for a moment, but you're still not strong enough."

Yu got up, brushed himself off and muttered "Henson got a shipment of tangle wood swords made from wood straight from the Ulmach swamp. That's my secret." Yu dropped his branches, kept his eyes on the ground and sulked towards the city gate. He had thought he won the fight this time, his aggressive attack should have beaten Tom, but Tom had him figured out, he made it look so easy.

"Where are you going? Wait up! Don't be mad, I already knew about Henson's!" Tom yelled, following behind Yu. "Lets play some more! C'mon, wait up!"

Yu grumbled "Its getting dark, the gate will be closed soon, we should get back."