The Cavalier Read Online Free PDF Page B

Shyann,” Jonas said excitedly.
    Lorna, smiling at her son, drank some more water. “She was just a normal girl that went off to become a soldier, which was rare for a female in these parts. She fought many battles and finally came home to serve her family on their little farm in the Tundrens, not far from here I’ve heard. I guess they raised cattle and hunted and grew food that they sold in the local markets. There came a year when her village and the other villages nearby were raided by boargs crossing the mountain ranges towards Finarth. This was one of the great wars that you’ve heard about.”
    “Yes, I remember. Go on, Mother, what happened?”
    “I don’t know the details, but the story goes that she trained and united the many mountain towns all across the Tundrens and fought back this horde. Evil men who were trying to unite with the forces of Malbeck led the boarg army and she crushed them, marching her ill-equipped group of hunters, farmers, and herders, to help Finarth combat this evil. I have no idea how she did it, but the stories and songs say that she could inspire anyone. She was good with a sword but her real skill was convincing ordinary men and women that they had something to offer, that their blood was just as strong as another’s.” Lorna took another spoonful of soup and smiled at her son who had stopped eating altogether, entranced by her story. “I’ve told you this story before, Sprout,” Lorna said as she swallowed her stew.
    “I know, Mother. I just really like it. Keep going, please”.
    “Well, all I really know is that after the forces of Malbeck were destroyed, the king of Finarth knighted her. Then one day, when she was traveling back home to her village, tragedy happened. Her small army was camping deep in the Tundrens and boargs ambushed them in the middle of the night. Shyann’s forces defeated them but the cost was great. In the battle, Shyann was mortally wounded. She lay in her tent dying, her men trying everything they could to save her.   The next morning when the surgeon came in to check on her, her body was missing. There was nothing in her bed, no body, no clothes, just her sword, bow, and her shield. But the strangest thing about the legend was that in the middle of the tent, a stout oak tree, no more than five feet tall, appeared, and as they cleared the camp and set for home, the men noticed the tree had grown. It grew to the height of ten men with great limbs reaching out towards the sun’s rays.”
    “Is that why one of her symbols is the great oak?”
    “Yes, it is,” Lorna said as she added more water to their cups from the clay pitcher on the table.
    “Where is the tree now?” asked Jonas
    “No one knows, but some people think that her tree is somewhere in the Tundrens and her tomb is located there, or maybe it is just a story and it doesn’t exist at all. Now finish eating and get some sleep. We have to head into town tomorrow early.”
    “Okay, Mother,” Jonas said, stuffing his mouth with more stew, thinking about the next month without the usual trepidation. The gold would buy meat and other things that would make the last winter months bearable.
    ***
    The morning came quickly. It seemed to Jonas that he had just put his head down to sleep when his mother woke him gently. The aroma of her herbal tea was a sweet comfort that greeted him every morning. She swore that her recipe kept them from getting sick during the winter months. Jonas loved her tea. It warmed and invigorated him after drinking it. Jonas was excited as he drank the tea, knowing that he would need the energy for the walk into town that his mother and he had planned last night over dinner.
    The morning was cold, and the harsh mountain air poked and prodded their skin through the gaps in their clothing. The night’s new snows made it harder than expected for Jonas to make the mile long walk into town. The heavy, wet snow, grabbed at his feet and crutch, making the walk more