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RONATH THE PALADIN
CHAPTER ONE
Copyright (c) 1999, Susan K. Putney

This picture is still under construction.  If you read the description of Ronath
farther down in this story, you will notice that a lot of things are missing in
the picture.  How many things missing can you spot?

     There was moonlight on the road, but the forest around it was very dark.  Ronath came riding over the hill, and the sound of his horse's hooves thud-thudding on the dusty road was almost the only sound.

     Ronath was a big, good-looking black man with a big sword hanging from his belt.  Around his neck was a long white scarf that fluttered behind him in the night breeze.

       As he started down the hill, his horse, Hawkeye, gave a whicker--that friendly little throat-clearing noise that horses make when they can smell other horses nearby.  The man looked behind him and didn't see anybody.  Ronath rode a little bit farther down the hill, just far enough so that if somebody was watching from the forest, they wouldn't be able to see him up on the hilltop, outlined against the sky.  Then he stopped Hawkeye, and he sat there and listened really hard.

     He knew there was a gang of robbers that sometimes hid out next to this road.  The people in the last town had told him all about it.  The robbers would hide in the dark forest, and then when a traveler all alone went riding by, they would shoot him with arrows and kill him, so they could steal his money and his horse.  Ronath thought maybe his horse could smell the horses that were with the robbers, and that was why Hawkeye whickered.  He reached forward and petted Hawkeye's warm black neck.  This wasn't the first time his horse's good sense of smell had saved his life.

     Ronath knew that if robbers were nearby, there were probably a lot of them.  Robbers are cowards and they don't like to fight one-on-one.  They like to gang up on somebody.  Ronath was a pretty tough fighter, but he knew he wasn't tough enough to fight a bunch of men at once.  If he had to, maybe he could fight two at once, but any more than that would be able to kill him easily.  So he thought about what he needed to do.

     One thing he could do was turn around and ride back to town as fast as he could.  But he didn't want to do that, for three reasons.  First of all, he didn't know for sure that there were any robbers there.  Maybe Hawkeye just smelled a stray horse or something.  Second, he was in a hurry to get where he was going, and if he went back, it would make him late.  And third, Ronath was a paladin.

     A paladin is a very good man who is an expert fighter.  His job is to defend the weak.  So if he ran away, and then some poor farmer came down this road and got killed by robbers, then Ronath would feel like he hadn't done his paladin job.

     So, he decided not to run away.  Instead, he turned Hawkeye and rode into the woods near the top of the hill.  If there were robbers, then they probably saw him go into the woods, but the woods were so dark they couldn't see what he was doing in there.

     His idea was very simple.  He couldn't see very much here in the black shadows under the trees, but neither could the robbers.  They couldn't know exactly where he was.  They were probably trying to sneak up on him now, but some of them were probably closer to him than others were, so they wouldn't all find him at once.  With luck, he would be able to fight one or two robbers at a time, instead of all of them at once.

     Ronath had his sword out now.  It was lying across his lap, and his hand was on the hilt.  He waited for his eyes to get used to the darker darkness of the forest, and then when he could see a little bit, he nudged Hawkeye with his heels to tell him to walk forward slowly.

     Hawkeye could see a little better in the dark than Ronath, so he stepped carefully over a fallen branch and walked slowly down the hill.  His hooves were very quiet on the soft pine needles that covered the ground.

     Ronath took a deep, quiet breath, smelling the freshness of the pine trees in the cold night air.  It was a good night to be alive, but he told himself, "It's a good night to die," because that is what paladins were taught to think when they needed to be brave and risk their lives.

     Suddenly a robber jumped out of a tree and landed behind him on Hawkeye's back.  The horse whinnied and reared up.  Ronath turned his sword around and slid the blade between his arm and his side, hoping to stick it into the robber.  But he missed.  With a mean laugh, the robber stuck a knife in his back!

     Luckily, Ronath was wearing chain mail--a kind of armor made out of steel rings--underneath his winter cloak, and so the knife couldn't go in very far.  It hurt, but he could still fight.  He pulled his sword forward and then turned his body and shoved it back again, and this time the robber groaned in pain.  Pulling the sword back, Ronath pushed with his elbow and the robber fell off the horse.  The man groaned and rolled over onto his side, so it looked like he would be all right for the time being.

     Ronath felt something strange and put his hand on his back, where he had been stabbed.  The knife was still there.  Only the tip of it had gone through one of the steel rings, and then it had gotten stuck.  Reaching back with his right hand, Ronath took hold of the knife handle and tried to pull it out of his chain mail, but it was really stuck.

     There was no time to worry about it, because another robber jumped up out of the bushes and came at him with a sword!

     A man on a horse is higher up than a man on foot, and that makes it easier to fight.  Ronath used his sword to knock the robber's sword out of the way, and then he quickly stabbed forward before the robber could get back into a good fighting position.  His sword went into the robber's neck.  The man fell down, making horrible choking noises.

     Ronath wasn't sure what to do.  This man needed first aid right away or he was going to die.  But if Ronath got down off his horse to give first aid to the robber, that would give the other robbers time to get together and all attack him at the same time, and then they would kill him.

     But this fighting hadn't made very much noise, and maybe the robbers still didn't know exactly where he was.  So he still might have a little time.  Ronath slid off his horse, laid his sword down next to him on the pine needles, and reached out to feel the injured robber's neck.  The little bones in the man's throat were smashed.  That meant his windpipe was full of bones and injured flesh, and he couldn't breathe.  Ronath had a quill pen in his saddlebag, so he got it out, along with a small knife, and cut the ends off of it.  This quill, made from a goose feather, was a hollow tube and it would be big enough to breathe through.  So he used the small knife to cut a little hole in the man's windpipe, farther down near the chest, and he stuck the quill into that hole.

     Right away, the man took a deep breath, and the choking sound stopped.

     Ronath said quietly, "Stay here.  When I call to you, come out to the road, and I'll take you to a doctor."

     "Die, sucker!" came a loud yell, as two robbers on horseback came bursting out of the bushes.  Ronath picked up his sword and jumped back.  One of the men tried to make his horse knock Ronath down, but the horse just ran up to him and then turned aside because most horses don't like to bump into people.  The man swung his sword at Ronath, and Ronath used his own sword to knock the bandit's sword out of the way.  (He was very good at that.)  Then he stabbed the bandit in the leg.  The bandit yelled, and swung his sword across to hit Ronath, but the paladin quickly ducked.  At the same time, the other bandit rode up on the other side of Ronath and tried to hit him with a sword.

     Instead of trying to fight in two directions at once, Ronath tossed his sword up into the air, then dropped down and did a somersault underneath one of the horses, between its front legs and its back legs.  The horse was moving and one of its hooves hit him in the left shoulder.  When he jumped to his feet again and caught his sword as it fell from the sky, he had both bandits on the same side of him, and that made them a lot easier to fight.  His left shoulder hurt and his left arm felt weak, but he held his sword in his right hand so he could still fight pretty well.

     Quickly, he leaped and stabbed the nearest robber in the arm, the same arm that the man was using to hold his sword.  With a yell of pain, the robber dropped the sword.

     Ronath stepped back, with his own sword ready, and his teeth flashed in the moonlight as he gave a wolf-smile to the last robber.  "Do you still want to fight?" he said in a low, growly voice.  He hoped there were no more robbers still hiding in the woods.

     "My friends will get you!" the robber said.  "Jake!  Franko!  Eddie!  Let's get this guy!"

     But the only answer that came was the sound of hoofbeats on the road, going away.  The other robbers had gotten scared, and they had run off, leaving their friends behind.

     Quickly, Ronath got back up on Hawkeye, and then he pointed his bloody sword at the robber who wasn't injured.  "Get off your horse," he said.  He waved his blade towards the man with the wounded leg and arm.  "You're going to bandage your friend's wounds.  Then I'm going to tie you all up and take you to the next town."

     "No way!" said the robber.  "I'm not going back to jail!"  He whipped his horse with the reins, and started to run away.  But Ronath reached behind, gave a mighty pull, and drew the knife out of his own back.  Then he threw it at the fleeing robber.

     In the darkness, he hit robber's horse instead.  The animal gave a terrified whinny and reared up, dumping the robber onto the ground.  That seemed to knock the wind out of the robber and by the time he tried to get up, Ronath was right there with a sword at his throat.  Quickly forcing the man to turn over, Ronath looped his scarf around one of his wrists and then the other, and tied his hands behind his back.

     While he was doing that, the man with the wounds on his arm and his leg had gotten down off his horse to take a closer look at the robber with the quill in his throat.

     "Don't mess with that," Ronath said.  "He needs to breathe through it."

     "Why did you try to save his life?" the robber asked.

     "Because all life is sacred.  I was taught never to kill, if I could avoid it.  There's one more injured man, back there up the hill.  We'll put this man with the injured throat on your horse with you, and then we'll go up and get the other fellow, and he can ride with your friend here.  Then we'll ride on into the next town."

     When all the robbers had first aid and were tied up, the paladin looked at the injured horse.  It had a cut on one of its hind legs, but it didn't look too serious.  Ronath had some ointment that was good for cuts, so he started to put some on the horse.  Quickly the horse kicked back, and its hoof struck his leg.

     "Easy, boy," said the black man in a soft voice.  "You're going to be all right."  His leg hurt him, but he gently petted the animal's nose and neck until it calmed down, then he finished putting the ointment on it.  After that was done, he put a bandage on his own leg, which was bleeding, and on his arm.  He couldn't reach the wound on his back, but it didn't seem to be too bad.  That could wait until he got to town.

      Then he tied the robbers to their horses and led them into the nearest town, where the Lord Sheriff (which was like a Chief of Police) thanked him for his good work, and locked up the robbers.  The same doctor who took care of the robbers also bandaged Ronath's injuries.  Ronath went to a stable and rented a warm stall, and bought some hay and oats for Hawkeye.  While the horse was eating, the paladin rubbed his sweaty hide with a handful of straw until the horse's black coat was clean and shiny.  After that, Ronath went to the only hotel in town, where he had a big hot dinner of roast beef, potatoes, and gravy, with apple crisp and cream for dessert.  Then he took a bath, and went to bed.

     On his way out of town the next morning, Ronath stopped in to see the Lord Sheriff and find out how the man with the injured throat was doing.

     "Thanks to your quick action, he'll live," said the Lord Sheriff.  "He might never be able to talk again, but then he shouldn't have been trying to kill you.  What's your name, young man?"  He looked curiously at the pin that held the paladin's cloak.  It was gold, with a red dragon on it.

     "Seronatha Drindiba, a paladin of the Second Cycle of the Dragon Order.  You can call me Ronath."

     "Don't think I've ever heard of a black paladin before," said the Lord Sheriff.

     "I'm the first one," said Ronath.  "I'm a good fighter and I have always believed in defending the innocent and standing up for justice, so my Grandmother sent me to learn to be a paladin.  I've just finished my first cycle of training in the great school of Silent Mountain."

     "Were you afraid when the robbers attacked you?"

     "Yes," said Ronath with a smile, "but my horse warned me, so I knew they were there, and I went into the woods and made them hunt for me.  One or two at a time, they weren't so tough."

      "Are you on a quest?"

      "No, sir, I'm just going home to Arawind Province because my Grandmother sent for me.  Her letter said she has an errand for me, something really important to my family."

      "Well, good luck to you," said the Lord Sheriff, waving a friendly goodbye as Ronath got on his horse and rode away.

     Two days later, Ronath rode his horse into the small town of River Bend, in the province of Arawind, which was where he was born.  When he was five years old his Grandmother had sent him away to paladin school.  Now he was nineteen, and he hadn't been back to visit in fourteen years because it was such a long way.  It was strange to see the place now, from the back of a tall horse.  Everything looked smaller.  Children ran after him.  They seemed excited to see his beautiful black horse and his colorful paladin uniform, and the long sword in its leather scabbard, hanging from his belt.  He smiled and said hello to all of them as he rode toward his parents' house. He was going to stop and visit his parents before he rode on to his grandmother's house to find out what she wanted.  He felt a little worried to see them because they had stopped writing to him two years after he left, and he thought they were mad at him for wanting to be a paladin.  Of course, that was a long time ago and they probably weren't mad any more.

     When he knocked on the door of his parents' house, a young woman answered the door.  She was drying her hands on a towel.  "Hello," she said, looking up and down at him all the way from his polished black boots to his long, strong legs in soft blue cloth, to the the black and blue-green shirt with a red dragon embroidered on it, which he wore over his shiny silvery steel chainmail, to the black cloak that blew in the wind, and the fluttering white scarf.  Ronath was a strong, handsome man and he looked wonderful when he was all dressed up.

     "Wow," said the young woman, with a sigh. "What can I do for you?"

     "Is Mr. or Mrs. Drindiba at home?" asked Ronath, thinking she must be their maid.

     "I'm sorry, sir, you must have the wrong house," she said.  "No one by that name lives here.  This is my house."

     "Oh.  Then, do you happen to know where the Drindibas moved to?"

     "Well... Old Lady Drindiba lives in the house at the end of the street.  But I think she's the only Drindiba who lives in River Bend."

     "Thank you."  Ronath bowed and got back on his horse.  He thought, maybe his parents had simply moved to another town, but for some reason he was getting worried.  So he rode on up the street to the big house at the end, to see his Grandmother and find out what was going on.

     Grandmother Drindiba was older than he remembered, of course, and much smaller, a wrinkled black woman dressed in a rich Arawindese sari of dark red silk embroidered with gold.  She was arranging flowers in a bowl when her maid brought Ronath into her dining room.  "Who is this?" she said, looking up at him in surprise.

     "Grandmother, I'm Ronath," he said.  Then he remembered that he didn't used to be called that, and he said, "I mean, I'm Seronatha.  When I got your letter, I came right away."

     "Seronatha!"  Crossing the room quickly, she put her arms around him.  "You were such a little boy when you left River Bend!  How big you've grown!"

     Feeling his Grandmother's arms around him, Ronath realized how much he had missed his family, and how lonely he had felt when he found out his parents didn't live in their house anymore.  He hugged the old woman--carefully, because he was very strong and he didn't want to hurt her.

     After a while they sat down, and the maid brought them some iced tea while they talked.

     "Where are my parents?" Ronath asked.  "Did they move to another town?"

     "Oh, dear," said his Grandmother.  "You didn't know?  I thought your uncle had written you a letter about it.  My poor Seronatha, I have very bad news for you." She took a deep breath.  "About twelve years ago some robbers came to your father's store and killed both of your parents. Your cousin, Inamarasta Taylanadra, was there at the time and she was kidnapped by the robbers.  We think she may have been sold into slavery.  But there were never any clues, we had no idea where to start searching for her.  Until now.  That's why I wrote to you for help."

     Ronath did not cry.  He knew he would, later, but right now he was too shocked.  He felt very strange, like nothing was quite real.  He said, "You've found Inamarasta?"

     "Not exactly.  Seronatha, do you remember that the children of the town used to call me a witch?"

     He smiled a little bit.  "I remember.  I used to beat them up for saying it, though I know now that I shouldn't beat people up for what they say."

     "Well, I'm glad you've learned that, but actually they were right.  I am a witch.  A good witch, of course--I never use my magic to harm anyone.  But there is magic in our family.  In Inamarasta, the magic shone like a bright light. I knew she would grow up to be a very powerful sorceress.  A few months ago, when I was using my magic, I saw a bright light shining far, far away.  I didn't know what it was.  I did some spells to help me see it better, and then I realized it was Inamarasta.  I don't know exactly where she is--somewhere many days' travel to the east and north of here.  But she has come into her power, and I want you to go find her and bring her home."

     "How will I find her?" asked Ronath.  "I can't see magic the way you can."

     "I know."  Grandmother Drindiba went over to the fireplace and took something out of a jar on the mantel.  She held it out to him--it was a large golden locket shaped like an oyster shell.  She touched a hidden clasp and it opened, revealing a dark purple pearl inside.  "This amulet will glow when you are near Inamarasta.  The closer you are, the brighter it will glow.  Find her quickly, Seronatha, because I sense that she is in terrible danger."