Portals of Infinity: Book One: Champion for Hire Read online

  Portals of Infinity

  Book One

  Champion for Hire

  Published by John Van Stry

  Copyright 2014 John Van Stry

  Copyright John Van Stry 2014

  Cover Credits: eBook Launch (http://ebooklaunch.com/)

  No part of this eBook may be reproduced in any form without expressed, written consent from the author.

  Any resemblance between characters in this story and people living or dead is purely coincidental. This is a work of fiction created by the author and the author retains all rights to the material in this story.

  License Notes

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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  One

  I pushed through the doorway and into the inn. The main room was a sight I'd only seen in movies on TV: a dark dingy lantern lit bar, a number of people sitting at it, or occupying rough-cut trestle tables arranged randomly around the large fireplace. The scent of stale beer and burnt wood greeted my nose, the small grease paper windows letting in even less air than they did light.

  As I looked around and examined the patrons, they examined me. None spoke of course, because while they appeared an odd sight to my eyes, in their homespun pants and tunics, one wealthier patron actually was wearing something of a much finer cut, I knew I looked even stranger in my Levi's, sweatshirt and old worn leather jacket.

  Also, some of them wore swords and I carried no weapons at all. My only hope was that they were at least as friendly as the one I'd met earlier just north of the road from the inn. He'd also spoken English after a fashion, a bit of an accent that I couldn’t place and a great deal of odd phrases. He'd sounded like something out of an old British medieval movie.

  "What manner of man be yea?" The bartender asked, returning my thoughts to the here and now as I approached the bar.

  "A cold and hungry one," I offered as I found a spot that didn't leave my back to the openly-staring patrons. I wasn't sure what was going on here, and I really wasn't in a mood to be taking chances.

  "Well, we have the noon stew, a copper a bowl. Ale for another copper."

  I dug a hand in my pocket and looked carefully at my change. I had a suspicion that my paper money wasn't going to work here. I still had no idea what at all was going on, none of this fit into Pennsylvania, but after the week I had been having, I didn't want to call attention to myself. I had six pennies, two dollars in quarters, five dimes, and two nickels. I showed him two of the pennies.

  "Will these do?"

  He examined them closely and nodded, "Aye, they'll be fine. Can't say as I recognize the markings on 'em, but they're copper if a little large."

  "Thank you," I said and took the large mug of ale he handed me and sipped at it while he went off to get my food.

  Ale was a pretty weak word to describe the drink I got; I'd had lite beers that were better tasting and stronger too. But I wasn't looking to get drunk and the idea of clean water in this place didn't seem very possible.

  The stew was a lot better, and I even got a piece of hard-crusted bread to go with it. Best damned meal I'd ever gotten for a penny. By the time I had finished, most of the other patrons had either left, or had stopped paying me anything more than a casual glance as I examined the bar further.

  The floor was packed earth, that much was clear, though packed by so many years and feet as to show this place wasn't new. The bar itself was a large slab of hewn wood, also worn smooth by many years and mugs of ale. By now my eyes had adjusted, and I could see there was an entrance to a kitchen in the back, and stairs to a higher level above. Probably rooms for rent.

  It reminded me of the D&D games I had played with my friends in college, and brought back to mind the two most pressing questions I had: Where the hell was I? And: How the hell do I get back?

  I waved the barkeep over and asked him if there were any money changers around.

  "Go a little further in the village," he said. "Barton's shop is the one on the left with the large kettle hanging in the front. He can help yea."

  I nodded and headed out the door, looking up at the sun, I had probably a good five hours of sunlight left, maybe more. It'd taken me probably two to walk here. I'd have about an hour to look around if I wanted to retrace my steps, and I did. Before I forgot them.

  I had noticed the edge of the village as I'd entered the inn, so it wasn't a far walk to the shop. It was a fairly narrow street, well a dirt pathway actually, with a few small buildings to either side of it. Some were right up against each other; some were spread out a bit haphazardly. Sure enough I found the shop where he said it was and walked in.

  "What yea be a wanting?" Asked a man sitting at a small anvil and working on a pot of some sort with small hammer.

  "The innkeeper tells me you change money?"

  He nodded, "What kind of coin do you need to convert?"

  I pulled out the coins in my pocket, I had no idea really what they were worth, and the dimes and quarters were only silver plated, with copper in the center. I handed them over to him.

  "They're not silver all the way through," I told him up front, "just silver plated."

  "Not a very rich place you're from, is it?" He asked taking the coins and giving them a look over. "Though the engraving is of high quality I must admit. Can't say as I recognize the writings however."

  I nodded, "There are higher value coins, but I don't have any with me right now."

  "Ah, I see."

  He looked over the coins and got out a small scale. He did a little weighing then.

  "I'll give ya three coppers a piece for these," he held up the nickels. "I can use this metal in me work actually. As for the rest, well separating the silver from the copper would be more trouble than it's worth. Ten coppers.

  "I'll trade those two." I said and gave him the nickels and kept the rest.

  "Good day to ya then," He said and I headed out with my six new coppers.

  I looked over the coppers. Four of them were the same; the other two were each different and older looking, much more worn. They all had a face on one side and what looked like a bushel of wheat on the other. The first four had the face of a young man I think. The other two had the face of an adult woman, and an adult man respectively. The writing did look a bit strange, the characters weren't recognizable.

  Re-pocketing them, I headed down the trail to where I had come.

  It was almost nightfall when I finally found my way back. I'd gone back and forth on the trail a number of times until I'd found where I'd entered, I should have marked it better, then spent hours slowly retracing my path through the brush, lest I trample it in my searching.

  And that was when I'd made my discovery, I came to a large rock, more of a boulder really, and I could feel something in the air around it. Looking down at the dirt before it I could see my footprints starting suddenly in the middle. I recalled that I had tripped here this morning, and almost fallen.

  Looking at it further I could almost see something in the air, but only if I looked at it just right. Deciding that I had to do something before night fell I just jumped over the spot...

  And I landed somewhere else. Or rather I landed back home, I had been somewhere else. Turning around I noticed there was a boulder here and it looked remarkably similar. I could feel
that same electric energy around it again, easier now than before, probably because I knew what I was looking for.

  So I memorized the area as best as I could and headed back to the cabin. I had a long walk, but the dirt road I had come in on was fairly close. I got back only an hour after full darkness had fallen.

  I went back the next day, at sunrise. I’d told my friends I wasn’t feeling well last night and went to bed early, but not before getting some more nickels and a shit load of pennies from the country store down on the corner. I grabbed my good survival knife, a gift from a friend years ago that I always took on trips. I also took my small backpack and threw a few things in it, just in case. Tonight we’d be heading back to the city so I couldn’t be gone too long. I left a note that I’d be back before sunset and left.

  I found the spot without much difficulty; I found I could start to feel it about ten yards away now, which was rather curious. When I came out on the other side, I could also feel it until I was about twice that far away from it. I guess the more I used it the better I’d be able to find it? Using a cheap compass I had brought with me I got a rough bearing on my path from last time and struck out for the ‘road’. When I got to it, I took another bearing and headed into the town. The road was really more of a dirt path, but it was pretty wide, Twelve feet most of the way, though I had noticed yesterday some places where it was probably twice that. The forest to either side was an old one, not really much different than that in Pennsylvania.

  I went and found the shop of the money changer or tinker I guess and went inside.

  “Ah it be ye again. What can I do for you this day?”

  “I have some more coins I’d like to change, if I could.”

  “Sure, let me see what ye got.”

  I pulled out the two rolls of nickels and the two rolls of pennies.

  He looked at the paper wrapped around them rather curiously.

  “Oh, sorry about that,” I said and taking them back I popped the fold over ends and poured the coins all out on his table and put the paper for the rolls in my pocket.

  “Can’t say as I’ve ever seen anything like that before!” He said eyeing me a little suspiciously.

  “It’s an old trick I learned from my father. You can’t hunt very well if you have loose coins jingling about.”

  He huffed and shrugged. “Well, ye outlanders do have strange ways. I’m surprised you didn’t show this all to me yesterday.”

  I hefted my pack, “I left this somewhere else yesterday.”

  He nodded and seemed placated, “Well, ye ain’t carrying no sword, so I don’t think ye be a brigand or such. Plus these are outlander coin.”

  I nodded and watched as he converted my coin. I got six silver coins for the nickels, and he exchanged my pennies for coppers one for one.

  “You’d be better off not exchanging these,” he warned, “these hundred are really worth one hundred ten, but there be my percentage charge for changing them for ye.”

  “That’s okay, it’s bad enough that I’m a stranger here, I don’t want people questioning the value of my coin.”

  “I can’t argue with ye on that one. People tend not to trust foreign types much round here.”

  “What can you tell me about this place? What’s the name of your village and where does the road go?”

  “Well, it be a day’s travel to the west to Riverhead and the ocean. A day to the east will bring you to Halfway.”

  “Halfway to what?”

  “Oh, the City of Portsmouth. Since King John the Sailor built the locks on the river, most of the commerce and trade goes down the river there and not along the road here anymore. Me pa told me when he was but a child that the caravans that used to come through here were huge, and there be at least one, if not two, a week. Losing that hurt this town a bit, but we be close enough to Riverhead for our farmers to sell in the markets there. Halfway however was badly hurt. That town is little more than an outpost for the King’s constables, with a couple of inns and a store for the local farmers. The rest has pretty much fallen into ruins.”

  “And the town we are in here?” I prompted.

  “Ah, this is One Last,” he chuckled.

  “As in One Last before Riverhead?” I had to shake my head at that.

  “That would be correct,” he nodded.

  “And who would be King now?”

  “King Andrew is King now. Been on the throne for six years now, his father having died in the war with the Ale’arocks.”

  “Ale’arocks?” I blinked.

  “Surely ye most know of the Ale’arocks!” He looked surprised.

  “I’m really a very long way from home,” I shrugged, “and it was a town smaller than this one.”

  “And just why did ye leave it?” He asked looking suspicious again.

  I remembered something I had learned from my mom years ago about inheritances in medieval England; I decided to use it here.

  “I have five older brothers. They could barely afford to get my older brother Richard into the guard. Me and my younger brother decided rather than bankrupt them we’d go and seek our own fortunes.”

  He nodded at that. “The Ale’arocks be a big nasty people from up in the north,” he began and went on to describe something that pretty much sounded like the Vikings from my history. He also gave me the name of this kingdom: Hillshire.

  We talked a little more and he pointed me to both the general store in town, as well as the blacksmith’s. I bid him a good day and was on my way.

  The store was interesting. Mainly it had supplies for the local farmers, and dried goods. I found a nice backpack, and some clothes that fit in a bit better. When I found out the prices, I splurged and got the really nice set of pants, shirt, a bedroll, and a truly wonderful half moon cape. They had hunting bows and I got one of those, with a quiver and some arrows. The bow and arrows cost me two silver. Everything else was one silver.

  In US coin I think I spent two and a half bucks. Wow.

  At the blacksmith’s I looked at what he had, what I wanted was a sword or something similar. He told me he didn’t carry much of that sort of thing, there really wasn’t much need for it as there were better shops in Riverhead and that was where most people went to buy such things. He did have a few daggers, and a few old short swords that I looked at. He told me what most people tended to carry, from the nobles to the soldiers, to the people who hired themselves out. I thanked him, tipped him a copper for his time, and went over to the inn for lunch.

  I attracted as much attention as I had yesterday, but as the barkeep greeted me and asked if I wanted the same as before, most of the attention quickly faded.

  “So, back again I see?”

  “Yes, I traded in the rest of my coin to replace my bow and a few other things I lost.” I sighed heavily making it sound like life had been bad to me recently.

  “Brigands?” He asked looking a little surprised, “Haven’t had any of them round here in my memory. Ye might want to go see the constable back in town.”

  “No, sheer bad luck. I was dressing out a deer of some sort and a rather large cat, the like of which I’d never seen before it attacked me. We don’t have anything like that back home.”

  The barkeep shook his head knowingly, “Yeah, the panters round here can kill a man, how’d ye get away?”

  “Well I started beating it with my bow, backing away. The bow broke, but I guess it was more interested in the meat ‘cause it left me be.”

  The barkeep nodded his head again. “Well, at least ye got away.”

  I nodded. “I think I’m going to head down to Riverhead and see if I can get a job loading ships or something for a few weeks, I think I may need to get some money together to buy a sword. Panters you say?”

  He nodded, “They go from gray to brown, white bellies and sound like a child bein’ strangled. Tend to be shy usually, but probably saw a free meal in ya’ kill.”

  I nodded, sounded a lot like the mountain lions back home. Though they
were rare back home. “What about wolves?”

  “Yeah, we got them too.”

  “They hunt people here?” This was a big concern, back home wolves didn’t, but in Europe they had.

  “Not usually. Up in the mountains I’ve heard tales that they do, but round here they give us wide berth.”

  I nodded to that and ate lunch.

  “So where ye from?”

  “Huntington,” I said between bites.

  “Can’t say as I’ve heard of that.”

  “It isn’t terribly large and it’s a long way from here.”

  “So what brings ye here?”

  “Wasn’t much for me back home, so I thought I’d see if I couldn’t find my fortune somewhere else. One thing is for sure, I don’t want to be a sailor!” I grinned again and he laughed.

  “Not liking the sea much then?”

  “Oh it’s fine, when the weather is nice. But I’ve seen waves as big as a mountain! Can’t say I liked that very much. I thought we’d all die for sure!”

  We chatted a bit more and then I bid him a good day and left.

  The trip back was almost without incident. However someone did follow me out of the inn, and though I didn’t see them when I started down the road, I decided to jog for a while and get a good lead on them.

  Then, of course, I turned into the brush and backtracked away as quietly as I could. I sat there for a half hour feeling rather foolish and then I heard something approaching from down the road.

  As I watched, a cart drawn by a horse came into view. The horse looked a little strange, the shape and the color was none that I’d ever seen before. I recognized the guy driving it as one of the customers from the inn, he was the one who left when I did.

  “I tell ye, Brad, he said he was going to Riverhead and from what I heard was an outlander. No one will miss him, and he may have some coin on him. The bow he had alone was worth what I made last year workin’ for Shalshanks.”

  “I don’t know. Beatin’ a man up is one thing. But killin’?