The Cavalier Read Online Free PDF Page A

any and he will get us another one.” Jonas handed the hard loaf to his mother and she moved to the wooden cutting board on their table.
    “Thanks, Sprout. We’ll go into town tomorrow,” his mother replied as she cut several large slices from the loaf.
    Jonas smiled at the nickname. He always loved how his mother did not focus on his disability; she always tried to treat him as a normal boy, including him in everything that she did. She would wait patiently for him as they picked berries in the forest, tended their garden, or set their rabbit traps. They were all each other had and he loved her dearly. Jonas smiled excitedly as he pulled out the slab of meat from his satchel.
    “Mother, look at what I have.”
    Lorna turned from the loaf of bread to look at the piece of meat Jonas had in his lap. “What is that?” she asked curiously.
    “It is elk. I met Tuvallus the hermit on the path here and he gave me a slice of his kill to give to you,” Jonas said with a broad grin.
    Lorna moved towards Jonas with a beaming smile. “Really? Tuvallus gave you that?” she asked as she took the meat from Jonas.
    “He did. I have never had elk meat before. Can we cook some tonight?”
    Lorna smiled at Jonas as she put the piece of meat on the table. “Yes, we can have a little tonight with our stew. I’ll dry and smoke the rest. This is a great gift, Jonas. I hope you thanked him,” she replied as she cut off a few slices of the meat.
    “I did. I invited him home to eat with us, but he didn’t want to come. Mother, do you know anything about Tuvallus?”
    “Not really. People in town say he used to be a soldier in Tarsis. He keeps to himself and not much is known about him,” Lorna said as she continued to prepare dinner.
    Jonas thought about Tuvallus, the heat from the dancing flames stroking his tired muscles, easing his thoughts as he processed his interesting day.
    They sat at their old wooden table eating the rabbit stew and bread. Lorna had fried the elk with salt and onions and it was delicious, the most incredible food he had ever eaten. It was soft, full of flavor, and it didn’t have the strong gamey flavor that he was used to in venison. Jonas held his spoon between his thumb and palm; his other fingers didn’t usually work well enough to grasp the spoon handle.
    “I met a stranger in town today,” Jonas said through a mouthful of stew soaked bread.
    His mother looked up startled, for it was not common to have strangers enter the mountain town of Manson during the winter. The passes would be snowed in and only the hardiest of men could traverse them.
    “What did he want?” she asked concerned.
    “Oh nothing, he just wanted to give me this,” Jonas said as he brought his hand down on the table and removed it quickly, leaving the gold coin spinning around like a top. It was pure luck that the coin was spinning, as he didn’t have the dexterity to do it on purpose. But the effect was dazzling as the coin spun, catching the subtle light in a beautiful dance of brilliant gold.
    Jonas smiled as his mom put her hand to her mouth in shock. She quickly reached out and grabbed the sparkling coin, inspecting it closely.
    “Where did you get this?” she asked with astonishment.
    “I told you, a stranger with paintings on his hands helped me up when I fell. We talked a little and then he handed me this coin and told me to give it to my mother. He was so kind, and he had a sword and bow, and the most magnificent horse I’ve ever seen,” Jonas said excitedly.
    “Paintings on his hands? What do you mean?” she asked.
    Jonas explained to her the marks on his hands and the symbol on his steel cuirass. Lorna’s face lit up in amazement.
    “He was a cavalier. I can’t believe it. I’ve heard of them but I’ve never seen one,” she said to herself. “Did he give you his name?”
    Jonas looked up as he stuffed another spoonful into his mouth, “Yes, he said his name was Airos. What’s a cavalier?”
    Lorna