The Legend of Kimberly: Inheritance

  The water flowed over her skin, washing her cares away. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of peace.

  Kimberly.

  There was a flash of light. Kimberly opened her eyes. She stood before a massive tree, its leaves stretching upward past the clouds. A woman cloaked in leaves sat between the tree’s roots.

  “Where am I?” Kimberly took a step toward the woman.

  “You are where you stand.” The woman leaned forward into the light. Her skin was dark and her eyes were full of sunlight. “Hello, Kimberly.”

  “Willow?” Kimberly asked, recognizing the voice.

  “We finally meet.” Willow rose and stepped toward her.

  “What do you mean, finally? We’ve been together for days.”

  “I’ve been by your side, but you are still so far away.” Willow cupped Kimberly’s face in her warm hands. “There is much I must tell you.” This close up, Willow’s breath smelled of lavender and hay.

  Kimberly’s heart beat as she touched Willow’s hands with her own. “Please, tell me everything.”

  Willow’s mouth moved, but nothing came out.

  “Kimberly!” There was panic in Helena’s voice.

  Kimberly opened her eyes. She was back in the river. Something in the current had caught in her hair. Untangling the object, she saw that it was a crude arrow.

  “Helena, what’s happening?” She stood up, her feet touching the rocks on the bottom. Along the riverbank, a group of squat creatures was advancing. They had determined looks on their ugly green faces.

  “Goblins!” Helena fired her crossbow. A goblin grunted and fell forward onto the ground. Pulling a dagger from her belt, she threw it at another goblin who had taken aim at Kimberly with a bow. The goblin gasped, but still managed the shot.

  The arrow pierced Kimberly’s shoulder, driving her underneath the water. She screamed in agony, bubbles rising from her mouth. She clutched the arrow’s shaft and tried to pull it free.

  It hurt, but she managed to pull it out. Rising from the water, she saw that the goblins had Helena surrounded. Helena dodged one attack, spinning around to stab a goblin who tried to spear her. A third attack was thwarted with a well-placed dagger.

  A goblin circled behind Helena, readying a strike with a crude hammer. Kimberly tried to cry a warning, but knew there wasn’t time. She cocked her arm back, feeling the tendrils of Willow’s hilt clutch tightly to her forearm. She hurled Willow outward with all her strength, concentrating on that one goblin. Willow’s blade struck him in the shoulder, knocking him down.

  Kimberly willed the vines to retract, pulling Willow back into her hand. She took another step forward and threw the sword, catching another goblin unaware. Whipping the blade back and forth across the water, the goblins scattered. One drew a bow and made to fire at Kimberly, but a giant, flaming paw pulled him backward into the bushes.

  Ip stepped forward, his body ablaze with fire. Now the size of a lion, he roared with great force, sending ripples out along the water. The goblins threw down their weapons and ran in all directions.

  “Kimberly, are you okay?” Helena helped Kimberly out of the river and saw the blood across her chest.

  “No.” Kimberly winced and touched the hole in her shoulder with a finger. “It burns.”

  “Goblins sometimes rub their arrows in nasty stuff.” Helena examined Kimberly’s wound with a scowl. “Loathsome tactic.”

  “What kind of stuff?”

  “Mostly their own poop.”

  Kimberly shrieked. Pushing Helena away, she threw herself back in the water and began frantically splashing water on her wound.

  “Kimberly, that’s not how you treat a wound.”

  “Hey.” Trey appeared, his sword drawn. Serra and Ronnee were close behind. Kimberly saw that Ronnee was covered in dirt and blood. “We’ve got a problem.”

  “Us, too.” Helena gestured at the dead goblins.

  “Kimberly, what are you doing?” Trey approached the water’s edge.

  “She was hit. Goblin arrow.”

  Trey waded into the water and grabbed Kimberly. “Where were you hit?”

  “Right here.” She pulled the collar of her shirt down. “It stings.”

  “There’s nothing there.” Trey smeared the blood off of her skin. Kimberly looked, seeing only a puckered scar.

  “But… I saw it.”

  “I don’t doubt that. However, we don’t have the time to discuss this.” Trey looked at the others. “Goblin war bands, crawling all over the forest. We need to get moving.”

  “War bands?” Kimberly walked with Trey out of the water. “Who are they at war with?”

  “Who knows with goblins?” Serra said. “Stupid creatures.”

  “Stinky,” Ronnee added. Ip, who had reverted to normal, barked.

  They followed the river for a while. Around dusk, just when Kimberly was convinced they were safe, they were attacked again. They kept moving through the night after that, running into goblins twice more before dawn. Serra made short work of the goblins, giving the others a respite.

  Days passed in this manner. The forest was large and the goblins plentiful. The lack of sleep had greatly affected Kimberly’s mood, even though Willow’s magic kept her body from fatigue. On more than one occasion, she found herself snapping at the others or giving them the silent treatment.

  Even Ip was miserable. The little fox rarely had time to bathe himself and he had brambles and burrs stuck in his fur. He also pouted when nobody would carry him, sometimes abandoning the group for hours on end to walk alone elsewhere.

  They hunted now for their food. To stand up for the innocent, and to kill in self-defense… that she could deal with. The first time she watched Helena fell a deer with a crossbow bolt wrenched her heart. The image of the animal, its life poured out on the forest floor, kept her up crying most of the night.

  Traveling in a strange twisting pattern, they finally stumbled into a remote mountain village somewhere high in the Buzzard’s Pass. Relieved to see no trace of the white-cloaks or of the goblins, the group quickly sought refuge at a tiny inn with only one room barely big enough for all of them. They traded away a couple of Helena’s knives and a good portion of the furs they had collected, but managed to scrounge up enough coin to resupply themselves.

  Sitting on the front porch of the inn, Kimberly was lost in a memory when she was surrounded by a group of grizzled men. Covered in furs and sharp blades, they had the look of trackers, men who acted as guides through the wilderness.

  “Can I help you?” In no mood to be friendly, she tightened one hand around Willow. A month in the woods had hardened her up quite a bit, the magic even more so. Having cut her hair recently, it was halfway down her back now. The soft little girl from Earth was mostly gone.

  “I tol’ ye, she matches the ‘scription.” A tracker with a huge, bushy beard jabbed a finger down at her. Ip, lying in a sunbeam, bared his teeth at the man.

  “What description?” Trey stepped out of the doorway behind her, one hand draped casually over the hilt of his sword.

  “Some girly with a magic sword is gone to killin’ up the smaller towns.” The man crossed his arms and regarded Trey with beady eyes. “Folk say she travels with an older man, a giant, and a cloaked fellow.”

  “Rest assured, we have done no wrong. Come, Kimberly. Let us leave these men to their ruminations.” Trey gave the group a steely-eyed glare. “Go on, leave.”

  The group mumbled momentarily and Kimberly expected a fight. To her surprise, they dispersed, vanishing into the town.

  “That was easy.” Kimberly muttered.

  “Not everybody wants to fight with you. They were just concerned,” Trey said, scratching his chin. Kimberly could see concern on Trey’s face. She wondered where the men had heard such rumors, and if the white-cloaks would soon show up.

  “You should head inside and get some sleep. I have a feeling we will be leaving tonight.”

  Kimberly groaned as Trey walke
d into town. She wondered how long they were going to keep moving.

  * * *

  Trey found the mark of the Society on the back wall of a blacksmith’s shop. Nodding once to the man, he ran a finger down the stone and stepped through. Inside, the room smelled like lavender and candle smoke.

  “I have been expecting you.” The man behind the small desk blew out the candle in front of him. On the desk, his hands were furiously scratching something out on a scroll of paper with a quill, possessed by the magic of the flame. He paid little attention to what was being written. He did give Trey a strange look, one that he was not accustomed to.

  “Is there something wrong?” Trey asked.

  “Where to begin…” The man pulled back his hood with a free hand, revealing the bald pate underneath. New acolytes in the Society lived under near-religious rules, especially when they were scribes. This included shaving the head and bathing twice a day.

  Trey folded his arms across his chest and scowled a little. His last month in the woods had been extremely unpleasant and he wasn’t in the mood to play games. “Begin with the information I requested.”

  “Working on that now.” The scribe’s hand was almost a blur now, pausing only to shift the paper. “I think we may have exactly what you are looking for, but it is a lot of information.”

  Trey nodded. He could wait.

  “However, it is not what you asked for that is troubling other members of the Society.” With his free hand, he reached over to grab a scroll and held it out for Trey. “It started with the incident in Bensin. The Society does not think much of the Brotherhood, and we don’t involve ourselves in their dealings. The girl you travel with, the one who wields Willow. She is making quite a stir.”

  “How so?” Trey opened the scroll and felt the blood drain from his face. “This can’t be right.”

  “May I ask where you have been for the last month?” Trey felt the magic building in the air, magic that could easily ensnare a man.

  Or kill him where he stood. Trey placed his hand on the hilt of his blade. What was the Society’s game?

  “We have been wandering the woods, evading the Brotherhood and dealing with goblins. It hasn’t been easy. I can vouch for the girl and my friends. At no time have we slaughtered entire villages.” He held up the scroll for the scribe to see, a scroll full of accusations. “There is a mistake here, a simple misunderstanding. We have taken part in no such evil.”

  “You can understand why the Society would be a little doubtful? It wasn’t that long ago that…” The man froze as Trey drew his sword and the magic flared to life along its edge. Waves of pressure billowed out, knocking loose paper from the scribe’s desk.

  “I swear that I have taken part in no such evil. As I have explained to the Society several times, the days of the Black Knight are long behind me.”

  The scribe seemed doubtful, staring down the length of Trey’s sword. A moment passed and his hand stopped moving, the scroll completed.

  “I apologize.” Trey sheathed his blade and held his hands out. “Please inform the Society that I will look into this matter personally.”

  “Indeed.” The scribe relaxed. The oppressive feeling of battle magic left the air. “I am just the messenger, after all.”

  “I understand.” Trey smiled at the man. “My darker days will never be forgotten. I struggle with them when I am reminded.”

  “You fear for the girl, don’t you?”

  Trey nodded. “I have a feeling that we share a deeper connection somehow. That, and I owe Elurra. She spared me when others would not have. A favor I intend to repay for the rest of my life. I will make sure the girl becomes the hero this land deserves, that she does not fall prey to the same dangers I once did.”

  “Agreed.” The man paused for a second, like he was going to ask something, but Trey could see him change his mind. “Take care.”

  Trey nodded and turned to leave, both scrolls now safely tucked away. He had a lot to think about. As he opened the door, he turned back to the scribe one last time.

  “Just so you know—the girl has a name. It is Kimberly. If I’m right, the Society will be repeating it a lot soon.” With that, he left.

  * * *

  Kimberly and Helena were fighting a losing battle. They were both tired, their clothes stained in many places. Their adversary was huddled in the corner, teeth bared and tail bristling with rage. They were halfway done, though, and they couldn’t stop now.

  Ip needed a bath.

  Kimberly and Helena circled around the tub, moving slowly. Ip barked at them, muddy water running down his fur coat. When the women had brushed him out, the little fox had been happy to let them do it. However, the moment he hit the water, the barking and fighting had begun. Jumping free of the tub had put Ip in the corner, and he wasn’t going back in the tub easily.

  “Now!” Kimberly yelled as she and Helena lunged forward. Ip squirted between them, running for the door. He was just under the frame when a willowy tendril snaked around his tail and pulled him back.

  “You are getting a bath!” Kimberly scolded, Willow’s hilt in her fist. The tendril dragged the fox back toward the basin of water. Ip dug his claws into the floor, leaving long scratches in the wood. Helena picked him up and he growled at her. Together, the two women muscled him back into the water and began massaging some of Helena’s shampoo into his fur. He bared his teeth at the both of them as they scrubbed behind his ears. The water turned murky with dirt.

  Serra watched the exchange from under a blanket and laughed at the three of them.

  A knock on the door broke their attention and Ip struggled free. Trey walked in as Ip darted between his legs, free of his watery torment.

  “What was that about?” Trey watched the little fox leave.

  “He stinks.” Helena pinched some soapy fluff from Kimberly’s head and floated it in the water.

  “You all stink,” Serra remarked from under her blanket. Kimberly stuck her tongue out at her.

  “News?” Helena pointed at the scrolls he carried.

  “Big.” Trey sat down on a chair. “We have a few leads on Kimberly’s grandfather.”

  Kimberly felt her pulse quicken. Trey had her full attention.

  “I read through this on the way over. A lot of little details, so I’ll sum it up for you.” He tossed Kimberly the scroll. “Your grandfather was a mage named Halston in the employ of King Grant of the Mountain Kingdom. They commissioned Elurra to track down what they believed to be a dragon, deep in a cave in the Skycutter Mountains. During the battle, the entrance was sealed. Elurra and Halston were believed dead for over six months. They spent those six months traveling beneath the ground, searching for a way out. During that time they became quite close.” Trey raised an eyebrow. “Very close.”

  “You mean Elurra is my grandmother?” Kimberly’s eyes grew large.

  “Yes.”

  Kimberly let out a whoop and pumped her arm in the air. Willow pulsed gently at her side, feeling her happiness.

  “The two of them were inseparable after that. Halston was released by his king, allowing him to travel with her. They went many places; the details are scarce. Eventually, though, something happened. Elurra became pregnant and they both vanished from the public eye.” Trey fixed her with a deep look; it was clear he was making a decision.

  “Then what?” Helena asked.

  Trey looked at the others. Kimberly could only guess at his thoughts.

  “Clean yourself up.” He threw a towel in her direction. “You and I need to have a talk.”

  Stunned, Kimberly dried her arms and looked to the others for guidance. Helena and Serra both shrugged.

  “When Ronnee gets back, let him know that we leave first thing in the morning.” Trey allowed Kimberly to walk past him before he shut the door.

  “What’s the matter?”

  Trey shook his head and beckoned for her to follow. Kimberly did, though she was puzzled. As they left the inn, Ip joined them
, the sun having dried out his fur already.

  They walked the length of the town and had continued outside its limits where Trey led her to a small copse of trees. Sitting down, he gestured for her to do the same.

  “I need to talk with you in private, away from the others. It is not that I don’t trust them,” he added, seeing her expression. “Instead, I need you to realize that what I am going to tell you can never be repeated to another soul.”

  “Okay.” Kimberly sat down on the grass and stretched her legs out. Her legs were long and shapely now. She had trouble deciding if they looked more like an athlete’s or a supermodel’s. Either way, she was happy with their appearance.

  “I am in possession of a certain amount of information regarding your grandfather and Elurra. Now, this information, if I revealed it, would break an oath I made many years ago. What I can tell you is this: your grandfather was part of a centuries-old organization dedicated to the collection and preservation of knowledge. The rest of your grandfather’s story heavily involves this group. You have to make a decision.”

  “Whether or not I want to join the secret organization?”

  Trey shook his head sadly. “No. If it was that simple, I would just tell you to do it. Instead, I need you to decide right now if you even want to know.”

  Stunned, Kimberly just sat there. “Why wouldn’t I want to know?”

  Trey shook his head again. “I have already perused the story written on that scroll. It isn’t pretty, and I warn you now that you may read about things you do not like. The mage Halston had to make some extremely tough choices, choices you may not agree with.”

  Kimberly frowned and held up the scroll. “I want to know. I can handle it.”

  “Understand also that once you read that scroll, you are obligated to keep its secrets.”

  She nodded, anxious to get on with it. “Agreed.”

  Trey tossed her a strange ring. She caught it in her free hand and examined its design closely. It was an eye with a flame for its pupil.

  “You are about to become a Keeper. A Keeper is an individual who knows of the existence and purpose of the Society, though you do not participate in its actions. Some people become Keepers quite by accident. Others are sought out. The purpose of the Society is to protect and preserve. They record without bias, and only involve themselves if they believe it necessary. They are invisible to those who don’t know where to look, and they are always watching. As a Keeper, your only obligation is not to divulge the existence of the Society. Understand that by placing that ring on your finger, you are taking a magical oath. They will know if you violate it, and they may punish you accordingly.”