The Children of Triton Trilogy: Ch. 1

The First Book of The Children of Triton Trilogy

***This story takes place in a world I created myself called Magikkan. I apologize at not being able to offer a visual map to ease any confusion. Please review.***

Chapter One

Caeck and Ellie, daughters of the wealthiest merchant in Tallbrig, were woken just before sunrise by the household maid. “You’re father wishes to speak with you,” the maid had informed them before hurrying from their bedroom.
The two sisters knew whatever it was their father needed to say to them must be urgent, so they washed quickly and pulled on their dresses. Then they bounded from their room and ran to Father’s office.
As always, his office was neat. Parchment and quills in tidy little stacks on the polished oak desk . . . tile floors swept clean . . . tall and sturdy walls without filth spots . . . yes, the office was neat. But their father, Ray, was not.
His peppered well-trimmed hair was messy, as if he’d forgotten to brush it after getting out of bed. His usually smiling blue eyes were bloodshot and tired; it looked like he hadn’t slept a wink all night. Even his silk tunic and cotton-woven breeches were rumpled.
“Father, are you well?” Caeck, being the eldest at the age of thirteen, was the first to recover from the shock of seeing Father in such a state.
Father nodded gravely. “Yes, my girls, I am fine. It’s just that . . .” he paused. “There has been another raid from those accursed pirates! And this time they’ve sunk one of my ships. All my sailors on the Wisdom drowned.”
Caeck had known that the Triton Pirates were causing trouble to several seaside cities, but she didn’t think they would go to such extents as to sink ships. She wasn’t quite sure how to sooth her obviously distraught father, so she chose to remain silently surprised.
Father heaved a sigh and absently stroked his goatee. “Of all the ships they could’ve sunk, they had to decide on my prized Wisdom!” He shook his head sadly.
“I’m sorry,” Ellie murmured, nervously twirling a strand of her strawberry gold hair around her finger.
Father shook his head again and stood up from his chair. “Your mother and I have discussed the threat of those bloody pirates and we have come to the conclusion that Tallbrig is no longer a safe place for you girls anymore.”
“What do you mean?” Caeck said sharply. She took a step closer to Ray’s desk.
With a melancholy expression on his face, Father sat back down in his chair. “Until things settle down here, we’re going to send you to Talleran to live with your grandparents.” He tried to say the words in a light tone, but they sounded pained despite his efforts.
Both Caeck and Ellie were at a lost for speech.
“You leave with a hired guide in two days’ time,” he continued.
Ellie felt hot tears of rage fill her azure eyes. “You can’t do this to us!” she shouted.
Father held up his hand. “It’s for your safety.”
“I don’t care about my safety!” Caeck said tearfully. “I want to stay here with you and Mum!”
Father grimaced at their reactions. Then he checked his pocket watch and said, “I have business to attend. We can talk about this later.”
The two sisters turned angrily and left.
~~~
At lunch in that afternoon, Caeck and Ellie complained to their mother, Suzanne.
“Mum, we’ve never even met our grandparents!” Ellie snapped as she took a huge bite of hazel bread.
“Chew with your mouth closed, dear,” Mother said.
“Don’t you dare try to change the subject!” Caeck yelled, waving her half-full tea cup through the air.
“Put your cup on the table,” Mother instructed. She seemed both cross and upset.
“Honestly, Mum, it was just one attack! You shouldn’t over react so!” Though she was only eleven, Ellie managed to make her voice sound menacing.
Suddenly Mother burst into tears.
“Oh no! Don’t cry, Mother! We didn’t mean to hurt your feelings!” Caeck cried out.
Mother wiped at her eyes and said rather breathlessly, “No, it is not you, my little ones,” She lowered her tone, even though the only other person in the parlor was the maid. “There are rumours of war!”
“What?!” The siblings chorused in horror.
“Ssh! Yes, I know. It’s awful. The threat of war does not come just from the Triton Pirates. It comes from the Blood Lands as well. That is why we’re sending you to a more secluded area.” Mother said in a near whisper.
“The Blood Lands . . .” Ellie began, but her voice trailed off in fear.
Mother looked almost angry with herself. “Now see what I’ve done! I’ve about scared the two of you senseless. Let’s not speak of such things.”
And she refused to talk at all for the remainder of the meal.
~~~
Two days passed rapidly. They were filled with hours of packing up and, especially in the case of Caeck and Ellie, moping around.
After bidding their parents good-bye they walked to the front gates of Tallbrig where their guide was waiting with three brown horses.
“My name’s Ivan,” he informed them. He was the tiniest man they’d ever seen. “I’m sure we will have a good journey together.”
Ivan tied the girls’ bags onto the saddles of the larger to horses. The horse he was going to ride was smaller. He told them that her name was Mim.
“We’ve got to cover a good bit of ground before nightfall, so we best be off,” Ivan said, climbing onto to Mim’s back.
Ellie shrugged and mounted the horse that carried her belongings. “What do you call this one?” she asked as she patted the mare’s neck.
Ivan gave her a huge grin, revealing that his front teeth were missing. “Oh, her name’s Winnie. And yer sister’s horse is named Frannie.”
Winnie, Frannie, and Mim! What kind of names are those? Ellie wondered to herself. They’re stupid!
“Hi, Frannie,” Caeck said softly. She pulled her whitish blonde hair into a ponytail before hauling her body up into the saddle.
The guards, who bore swords and were dressed in silver armor, opened Tallbrig’s gates. Caeck turned around for a last glimpse. The stately buildings rose up in the cobblestone streets like trees in a forest. They seemed so proud and she knew she would miss them. Then her eye caught the glimmer of the sun dancing off the waters of the Sea of Triton in the distance and she knew she would miss the sea more than anything. She solemnly faced forward in her saddle and forced herself not to look back.
The horse trotted out of Tallbrig and cringed along with Caeck and Ellie as the gate slammed shut.
~~~
As they traveled onwards, the smell of salt on the air began to fade and the matted soil and stringy vegetation of the coast developed into richer soil and prospering grasses.
Ivan rattled on throughout the morning about his old home in Var before he’d decided to become a guide.
At noon the trio stopped under a lone fir tree growing unassumingly in the middle of a field. They ate dried meat and cheese for lunch, which Caeck and Ellie disliked for they were used to fancier food. When they began their journey again, Ivan told them about the route they were taking.
“I’m going to lead you to the place where the Leer River meets the Montora Mountains. We’ll cross the Lee and I’ll take you around the mountains until we reach Talleran, all built up against the slopes,” he said importantly.
“When will we get to the Leer?” Ellie asked, making a face at Winnie.
Caeck looked at Ivan expectantly.
“Well, at the angle we’re traveling . . . by tomorrow afternoon,” Ivan said.
“Good, because I don’t know how much longer I can take on these smelly horses!” Ellie spat nastily.
~~~
When the shadows of night stretched long and dark across the land, they halted and made camp near a hill in relatively comfortable bedrolls. Ivan tended to a low-burning fire and sang tales of the Sea in his gravelly voice. Caeck and Ellie knew most of them, but others they had never heard before. The two girls fell asleep shortly after the moon rose into the starry night sky. Ivan made sure they were asleep before he drew a silver dagger and doused the fire. He then sat in silent vigil until the first light of the sun blossomed on the horizon.