Lorcan's Fireside Story Time

The Lion Hunter

Author's note: okay, this is the last one. I had to cut Akram and Jari out because the novel was getting too long. In some parts of the world, slaying a lion is a rite of passage to manhood.

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The frantic bustle of the inn's servants had finally begun to settle down; customers were either going home or settling down for the night. The merchants and guards at Beso's table had no such inclination yet.

"Heshbon," said Beso, "do you remember my friend Akram, whose bodyguard Jari was from Napat?"

"I do," replied Heshbon. "He was huge. A great warrior and a capable manager of his master's business. He told some excellent stories."

"Tell us the one about the lion," said Beso. "That is my favorite."

Heshbon grinned, allowing the memories to trickle through his mind, then said, "In the land of Napat, a great hero called Daler Jul lived. He was also known as 'He Who Walks Where He Will,' since he was afraid of nothing.

"From his earliest youth, his wanderlust was apparent, to the great chagrin of his father and the despair of his mother. He was curious about everything he saw and was always asking questions. From the time he could stand, he was given tasks to help his family. This included gathering the eggs in from their clutch of fowl, herding the family goats, and tending the plot on which they grew their food. When he was still a boy, he had been put in charge of herding the goats, leading them to safe pastures in the bushlands. Now in that region, a lion had come and had already killed both man and beast, and everyone was afraid.

"Daler's goats were eating grass on the plain, and Daler decided to watch them from the top of a pile of flat rocks that were arranged as if deliberately, leaving a gap that was enclosed at the back. It occurred to Daler that this would be a great place to shelter from the heat of the sun, but as he approached it he could tell by the scatter of bones before it that this had also occurred to the lion. He moved his goats away from the cave, then bade them climb the rocks to safety. Now in Daler's tribe, a boy became a man when he had killed one of the big cats by himself, and he was considered too young for such a trial. Nonetheless, the man-eating lion was no doubt in that cave at that very moment, sleeping off its last kill. Daler was armed with but his staff and a small knife. He climbed up the rocks behind the goats and sliced at the tip of his staff until it was a sharp point, then he rubbed it on the hot rocks to harden it, and sharpened his knife. Then he prayed to Al Fahkart to deliver him.

"The sun was but a hand's breadth from the horizon when the lion emerged from the cave and began to sniff the air. It was a magnificent beast, sleek and well-fed with a full, flowing mane. It followed the scent of Daler and the goats, then began to climb the rocks. The goats fled in terror but Daler stood where he was, and lifted his makeshift spear, ready to throw it at the lion. The great beast leaped from rock to rock as easily as if it were on level ground and roared at Daler.

"The boy stood up and shouted at the lion, but it kept coming towards him. Just as its head appeared over the rock at the top, Daler crouched low, ran to it, and thrust his spear into its eye as hard as he could. The lion roared in agony and as it threw back its head, Daler cut its throat. The lion tumbled down the rocks onto the plain. Daler climbed down after it, and when he reached the lion he saw that it was dead. Now the lion's roars had alerted the village and all the men came rushing out ready to fight it. When they reached the pile of rocks where Daler was, they saw him standing over his kill. 'I am sorry,' he told them, 'I am not quite strong enough to carry it back home.'

"The men assisted with rounding up the goats and helped the lad to carry the lion back to the village. Its pelt is still on display at the hut where he lived. He was the youngest man in that village to have killed a lion by himself, and his name is still held in the highest regard for his mighty deeds."

The End

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Coming soon: Lorcan: Dragonquest. 

Lorcan, a Soduane warrior embarks on the Dragonquest of Heftreeke to slay a dragon and win a kingdom with no plan and no clue about how to achieve this. A chance encounter with a witch leaves him with a powerful talisman that grants his every wish. Joined by a pair of mischievous gnomes, he and his servant Cokelli find work as caravan guards on the journey to Mayatsum, where the dragon lives. 

Plagued by bandits, rival warriors, a secret from his past, and a foreign spy, Lorcan can't seem to stop getting into trouble wherever he goes. Can he succeed or will the forces ranged against him put a stop to the quest?