The Fox Fire Chronicles

Chapter One

In the real world, there are no monsters. No trolls or giants, no magical djinn, no vampires, no werewolves. There are only people and animals. Of course, people are animals, so even those lines are blurred. There are, however, a few that stands out. This is the story of one such being.

In the village of Gaea, life was slow and good. The people had all they needed: food, water, homes, religion, and the like. In the center of town stood the chapel, a gothic and dark building that somehow, despite its depressing and somewhat frightening edifice, provided a feeling of safety for those that attended, and even those who don't. Across the path you could hear the local smithy. The blacksmith's forge was a sound that could be heard all day, every day, even deep into the night. The only time the rhythmic sound of steel on steel couldn't be heard was Sunday morning, when nearly the entire town population was in the cathedral, including the smith.

A short walk east along the main path, which led from Draken to the west to Umbranda to the east, and you come to the local tavern and public house. The tavern was the only building that received as much traffic as the cathedral, and the pub was left in a state of disrepair, and was only used by criminals and other rabble. To the west of the cathedral was the sundries store. Were it not for the travelers that came through Gaea on their way to bigger cities, this business would have long ago shriveled up.

Gaea was somewhat of a utopian community. Everyone did their part. All of the citizens were well fed and educated. Anyone who needed something would get it from their neighbors. Even the criminals would stay out of the way, and most of the criminals were only there because they were wanted in other cities, not in Gaea. The only time when the routine was broken was when travelers came through town.

Most people knew the routine. When a group of travelers approached the village, the watch boy would run from the fields to the chapel and inform the minister of their numbers and of their appearance. Amana, the owner of the sundries shop, would throw open the shutters and move some merchandise to the porch. Her husband Caesar, the blacksmith, would take down the furs covering the weapon racks in front of the smithy. The cathedral doors were swung open, and the bard would begin to sing as the travelers neared the tavern. Business as usual. Or so the travelers would think.

The day our story begins seemed just like any other day a caravan came through town. When the traveling party reached the center of town, however, they came to a stop. All of the travelers were wearing nearly identical armor, and carried short swords and shields. The shields had a rather peculiar crest on them: a knight cutting off the head of a fox as the fox eats a snake. The apparent leader of them, who carried no shield and wielded a halberd rather than a sword, approached the minister and whispered something in his ear. The minister leaned over to the watch boy and told him to gather the townsfolk.

When the villagers had all gathered in the chapel, the leader of the soldiers, who called themselves followers of the "Order of the Pure Earth", stepped forward and spoke. "Someone in this village isn't what they say they are."

The tavern keeper, Tyrn, was the first to speak up. "What do you mean? None of us have any reason to hide our identities from the rest of us. Even the criminals don't hide their past crimes."

"I am not speaking of identities," replied the Paladin, "There is a beast among you: an unnatural entity of great and terrible power. This unholy creature has the ability to manipulate minds. You may see a beautiful woman, but you may be looking at an evil trickster."

A bellowing voice interrupts the silence as another man swings the doors to the cathedral open. "Have you any proof of these accusations, outsider?" The man, Caesar, had been listening from the road. "You come into our town and accuse us of harboring a monster? You have no authority here, and if you do not intend to take advantage of our hospitality, you have no reason to stay."

The Paladin motions to another at his side, who moves toward the blacksmith and draws his sword. "Have you something to hide? Are you protecting someone? Why do you fear our presence? Speak!"

"I do not fear your presence." At this, he strikes the side of the blade with his wrist. With a swift blow to the throat of the man, he disables his opponent, who struggles to breathe as his throat swells. The other men begin to draw their swords, but the lead Paladin stops them.

"But Mayko, sir, he just attacked us. We can't let this go."

"We must. We threatened him without due cause and he defended himself justly. We have no quarrel with him, and the beast is not currently a threat, so let us take our leave. Don't worry, we will have our day."

As the soldiers depart, Caesar seeks out his wife, Amana, who is holding their child, Luna. The girl is asleep, but begins to awaken at the sound of her father's voice nearby. Amana looks worried, "did they hurt you? I couldn't see over the crowds. You didn't kill the man, did you?'

"No, I am not hurt. The initiate will live, although he will be unable to fight for some time."

"How do you know he was an initiate?" She begins to speak in a frantic whisper. "You didn't read him, did you? That's too dangerous. What if he felt it?"

"No, I did not read him. You forget the minister is not learned in protecting one's mind. He knew of this order, which is why he so readily accepted them." He motions to his shoulder. "The knights and paladins have silver spaulders. Initiates don't have a mantle. The paladins are the only ones who wield glaives and halberds, and the others wield swords and maces."

"Do you think they know?" Amana asks as she looks toward their young daughter, who has begun to play with her mother's hair.

"No, I don't think so, my love."

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((I'm tagging my submissions on a chapter by chapter basis, so some of the tags in the series won't be in each chapter. This chapter has most of the tags I plan on including in the main part of the series.))