Light in the Barren Lands: Travail of The Dark Mage Book One Read Free Page A

rigging.
    “Where away?” hollered the captain.
    “Ten degrees off the starboard,” replied the sailor.
    Moving to the starboard rail, the captain sought the vessel.
    “She’s turning toward us Captain!” the lookout cried.
    Coming up behind the captain, Jiron asked, “Trouble?”
    Ignoring the question, the Captain closely examined the boat. He couldn’t quite make out if it was flying colors or not. “Whose is she?” he hollered up to the lookout.
    A moment’s silence, then, “She’s not flying colors Captain.”
    “Pirate then,” he replied to Jiron and his family. “Mister Tobias!”
    “Yes, Captain?” said the sailor.
    “Run up the flag,” he replied.
    “Aye, sir.” Hurrying to the captain’s cabin, he re-emerged a moment later carrying a folded, white flag. In short order he was attaching it to the color’s line and running it aloft. When the wind hit it and the flag billowed out, all could see the black tower insignia adorning it.
    “What’s that, father?” asked Jira.
    “It tells everyone who sees it that this ship is under the protection of your Uncle,” he explained.
    “Oh,” she replied.
    “Once in a while you get a new captain who’s gone rogue who isn’t familiar with its significance,” explained the captain. “Though we haven’t had a problem with pirates for two years now. Word has spread.”
    Jiron nodded. He well remembered the never ending parade of people drawn to James after his exploits in the Empire. Being relatively good natured, James endured it far longer than Jiron would have. Had it been him, he would have knifed a few as an example long before it grew so bad.
    James didn’t have a moment’s peace. Trendle was being inundated with people from all over looking to curry his favor and ask for help in all sorts of endeavors, none of which was of interest to James. And along with those searching him out, came the riffraff. Crime in Trendle skyrocketed.
    He finally came to the decision to move so those he cared about could have their lives back. But where to move? He needed a place located where a person could not just show up unannounced and one that people did not want to venture to in the first place. He finally came up with the Captain’s Archipelago, a group of islands some distance off the coast of Cardri
    On the face of it, it was perfect. Only way to get to it was across a large expanse of water, which would preclude all but the truly desperate from even making the attempt. It also had a notorious reputation as being a lair for pirates and other ne’er-do-wells. The threat of pirates would have scared off another man, but after what James had already gone through, pirates were of little consequence.
    So off he went with Meliana, who at the time was pregnant with Kenny, and settled on the Archipelago’s southernmost island. Jiron, Aleya with baby Jira, and others came to help them build their home and get settled.
    Lord Pytherian convinced the Madoc Council to spring for a master carpenter and a master builder. Illan provided an elderly couple from southern Madoc whose family had been lost in the war to help maintain the residence and see to the basic needs such as cooking, grounds work, etc.
    The manor house went up in record time and all seemed to be going well. Then the trouble started. It was about a month after those who had helped him get established on the island returned to the mainland that a pirate raiding party came calling one night. Morning’s light found two score dead pirates. James had wiped them all out.
    Their ship was still anchored off the beach on the southwestward side of the island. Determined for there to be no further attacks, he loaded the dead pirates on the ship, returned to shore, and waited. It wasn’t long before another pirate ship appeared, perhaps seeking to discover why the dead pirates failed to return, or intent on pillage of their own. Whichever the case, James was going to put a stop to it once and for all. As the