Galinda of the Gray Dales

Galinda of the Gray Dales

By Kim Ravensmith

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2012 by Raven Smith

Smashwords Edition 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 return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Chapter 1

It was a perfectly clear and starry night, and Galinda Cade and her two companions, whose names were Melly and Thea, sat by the side of the Gray Farms Road looking up. They sat quite still, and their horses, who were well-trained, were still as well, and sat in silence as their riders gazed up at the night sky.

There! Galinda said, and she pointed at a falling star streaking across the sky.

Ohhhh! Melly said, and Thea clapped.

Another and another star fell from the sky, and each time the young women would clap or exclaim, until finally the star shower came to an end, and they reluctantly turned back onto the road and continued riding to the east.

Galinda and her companions were troopers of the 13th Army of Fotheringale, and they lived in Maytown in West Fotheringale, where the 13th was headquartered. They had all graduated from the Kellis Academy more than fifteen years ago, and were veterans of some of the fiercest battles fought by the Kellis Corps. They spent most of their days providing advanced training to the new, younger troopers who left the capital city of Galeia after graduation from the academy to fill vacancies resulting from the departure of other troopers. The work was enjoyable and allowed them to be out in the open air and riding, which was what they liked best.

Occasionally, they were called away from their training duties by Daria Fay, the Commander of the 13th Army, who would assign them to investigate conflicts that arose within the ranks of the 13th. Their dependability and reputation for honesty served them well in this regard, and they could be trusted to find solutions that were a benefit to all. Most of the incidents they looked into were minor, and were the result of petty jealousy or over-competitiveness rather than rancor or malice. The solution was often to reassign one or both troopers involved, and in most cases that was sufficient, and the individuals involved went on to do their time in service without further disruption. Some of the happenings they looked into seemed mysterious initially, but upon investigation, there was usually a reasonable explanation, and Galinda and her friends had yet to confront a dilemma that they could not work out.

Their experience at investigation was not the only reason they were riding this night on the Gray Farms Road. Another reason was that they were all from the area they were headed for, which was called the Gray Dales. A week before, they had been called to the 13th Army headquarters building in Maytown by Daria. None of them had any idea why they were being summoned, and they all believed that they would be asked again to look into some matter involving the 13th. They rode through a rainstorm to reach the headquarters building and when they arrived they found that Vella Dey, the Director of the 13th Army, was in Daria’s office, along with a man they did not recognize who was not wearing the uniform of the Kellis Corps, and was dressed somewhat shabbily.

Thank you for coming, girls. Daria said when they entered. Daria always referred to her troopers as girls, and it was no insult to them. Most of the troopers had been together since they were mere girls, and they still viewed themselves that way, though they were fully grown and much more polished than they had been in their younger days.

This young man works for Mr. Floris, Vella said, pointing to the rough looking fellow, and he has just come from the Gray Dales.

Mr. Floris was the spymaster of the Kellis Corps, and the man, whose name was Penn Row, was one of his operatives. Penn nodded to the troopers, and then looked away. By design, he was not often familiar with any of his fellow troopers because he wanted to maintain as much anonymity as he could, as it served his purpose.

We all grew up in the Dales. Thea said, sitting down next to her sister troopers on the couch.

That’s why you are here. Vella said. Something is happening in the Dales. We were hoping you would go there and patrol for a time until we understand what is going on.

What do you mean, ‘something is going on’? Galinda asked.

Vella and Daria looked at each other.

We don’t know, Daria said, or at least we don’t understand what is happening there. Perhaps our visitor can shed some light.

Penn turned to the troopers and looked at them quite seriously. Revealing his observations and surmises to appropriate parties was his forte and a part he had learned to play well.

I’ve traveled extensively in the Gray Dales, and I have always found the residents to be level-headed, and not prone to exaggeration or excitement. Penn began. What I’ve been told and what I’ve witnessed in the last three weeks has been quite out-of-character for the people of the Dales. To summarize, over the last six months or more, sheep and other farm animals have been disappearing. Tales of monsters in the fields have spread throughout the towns like wildfire. Strange tracks have been found in the vicinity of the disappearances and some people spoke of giant reptiles roaming the farmlands. Now a child has disappeared, and the townspeople in the Dales are frantic.

Did you just say that people have seen…. ‘giant reptiles’? Galinda asked

That’s what they say. Penn replied More than one has spoken of seeing lizards as big as a horse, and these are not people one would expect to hear that from.

Mann Frase has sent four platoons to patrol the Dales, Penn continued, and he’s gone up there himself to keep abreast of what’s happening. He will meet you in The Elms a week from today. We are both of the belief that we need troopers who know the Dales and have visited there frequently. I know that all of you still have family up there, so you seem to be the right ones for the job.

The troopers were stunned by what Penn had told them and didn’t know what to make of it. They sat looking at each other for a moment, and then Melly spoke.

If there is a child missing, we will gladly go home for a time to help find out what has happened. Melly said. My mother is there, and I will be happy to spend some time visiting with her, though I’m not so eager to run into ‘giant lizards’.

They must have seen something that led them to come up with such a description. Galinda said. The idea that these ‘monsters’ they have reported might have had something to do with the child’s disappearance is frightening. We will gladly return to our home to investigate. When shall we leave?

You can leave whenever you are ready. Daria said. Whatever is happening in the Dales is not going to be resolved tomorrow, so leave when the weather clears. Mann is not going anywhere anytime soon.

If the rain has stopped, we will leave in the morning. Galinda said. We will report to Mann when we arrive. I hope we can shed some light on this mystery.

If you can, we will all be relieved. Daria said. This is the strangest tale I have ever heard.

It will be good to be back home. Thea said. Hopefully we will be able to make some discoveries and return before the winter sets in.

Thank you all for being so willing. Vella stated. If you need anything from us before you go, let me know.

The troopers thanked her and bid her and the others goodbye, and the next morning the skys were clear, and they left early, as they had promised. Now they were riding up the Gray Farms Rd., and they were all excited to be going home. All of their lives they had considered the Dales to be a magical place, and witnessing falling stars along the road added to the excitement they were feeling.

Anyone who was familiar with the Dales and knew the troopers real names would have realized where they were from, because girl children born in the Dales were named in a completely different manner than those in the rest of the country. Historically, the names of the original founders were shortened upon their arrival in Fotheringale both to make the job easier for scribes who were keeping records of the adventurers and because it was felt that shortening their names would help sever any connection to the cultures they had sprung from. The tradition was carried on by their descendants and some even changed their last names to further associate themselves with the communities they were now part of. This was particularly common in the country towns where some of the selected names, such as Fenel or Hay, were chosen to evoke the atmosphere of the rural farming life.

The practice of limiting the number of letters in a name was fixed in place by the Ruling Council two generations after the arrival of the Founders when they enacted a law establishing a tax on names that were more than five letters long. At the time, the residents of the Dales were engaged in a struggle with the Council over some fees they were assessed for the right to sell cattle in the forest towns to the north. Upon hearing of the new tax, the residents of the Dales rebelled, and from that day on they would give their children extended and complex forenames in repudiation of the Council rules, daring them to enforce what was considered an unreasonable tax. The practice had died out for the naming of male children, but mothers in the Dales continued to revel in providing their girl children with long and colorful names. Galinda’s companions were actually named Mellyopica and Karaventhea when they were born, and Galinda herself was named Galindavalishan. Wisely, they used only the shortened versions of their forenames in public, and never heard their real names, except when spoken by someone’s mother or invoked by their own in rare circumstances when they wanted to make a point.

On this night, the daughters of the Dales were headed to an inn off the Gray Farms Rd. called the Fallentree. The inn marked the western boundary of the Dales, and being the only hostel for miles, was frequented by merchants and travelers headed in and out of the area. The house was the size of a mansion, and unlike other inns, was positioned off the road down a long drive, marked only by a large hand on top of a pole pointing down the road. The troopers turned off the Gray Farms Rd. at the sign of the hand and rode down the road toward the twinkling lights of the inn. They pulled up out front, and a stable boy came out of the barn to see to their horses. He was pleased to see that the newly arrived visitors were troopers of the 13th Army, because he was in awe of the women of the 13th, and enjoyed conversing with the strong, attractive women who made up the unit.

Welcome to the Fallentree. the boy called out as he approached. Are you staying long?

Only one night. Galinda replied as she slid down off her horse.

My, the boy said when he saw Galinda’s horse, that one’s a big one. Does he require any special treatment?

Galinda’s horse was indeed big, measuring 17 hands. She called him ‘Bash’, because, despite his size, he was shy. From his large, hairy hoofs it was obvious that he had some draft horse in his ancestry and his mane was long and full. Galinda had come across him at a horse farm near Maytown, where he was being kept in a paddock by himself, and in her view, was somewhat lonely. She caressed him and then hopped up onto the top fence rail and vaulted onto his bare back and rode him around the field, and he seemed to eagerly accept her presence. She had a saddle altered to extend the stirrups and rode him from that day forward without any complaints.

Just feed him and brush him well. Galinda replied. Make sure he has plenty of water and keep the stall clean.

Always do. the boy said. He was also an admirer of the fabulous horses ridden by troopers of the Kellis Corps, which, like this one, were sometimes so unusual that the breed was unfamiliar to him, and he often wondered where they found some of the horses they rode.

The troopers removed the travel bags that were slung across the backs of the horses and carried them into the inn draped over their shoulders while the boy led the horses away. Inside, it was warm and bright, and they could hear laughter and conversation emanating from the common room off to the right of the entrance hallway.

Are you seeking accommodations? a girl who was behind a counter near the stairway going up asked.

Just for the night. Galinda replied, and she set her travel bags down on the counter.

Separate rooms, or one large room? the girls asked.

We would like to bunk together. Thea said.

The girl was not surprised, because the Kellis troopers almost always stayed together in the same room, and were not often seen by themselves in the rest of the inn.

We have a large room with three beds that overlooks the front of the inn. The girl said. It is one that is favored by most Kellis troopers who stay here. Would you care to inspect it before you sign in?

That won’t be necessary. Galinda said. I’m sure it will be just fine.

The girl turned the register book towards them and handed Galinda a quill pen, and each of the troopers signed their names in the book. When the girl looked at the signatures, she smiled, because the troopers had written their full names, and she now knew they were natives.

I am Levenessaden Dale. the girl said. I am called Nessa. If you need anything, please let me know.

Thank you, Nessa. Galinda said, and she and her companions walked over to the stairs and went up to their room on the second floor. They had eaten some of their provisions along the road and decided not to go down to the common room to dine, opting to instead get to bed so they could awaken early and move on to The Elms.

Thea and Melly fell off to sleep shortly after extinguishing the oil lamp that lit the room, but Galinda did not have such an easy time falling off. As she lay in bed looking out the window at the moon, she again considered what this journey home would mean for her. She knew that she would be staying in the area longer than she had on previous visits and therefore had a better chance of running into ‘him’. ‘He’ was a former pikeman of the Army of Fotheringale that she had encountered in the infirmary at the Kellis Academy after the Battle of the Western Pass. His name was Pellman Beck, and she had always called him by his full name, though his parents and friends usually called him ‘Pell’. After the battle, she had made a practice of visiting the injured soldiers and troopers who had been transferred back from the Redman Farm, and it was then that she discovered that she and Pellman were both from the Dales, and they became friends.

They spent a great deal of time together in Galeia, and became lovers, and talked often about returning to the Dales some day to raise a family together. She was still dedicated to the Kellis Corps, however, and when her unit was transferred to Farben, she told him she had to go. By that time it was apparent that Pellman would never regain full use of his damaged hand, and he was given a pension and released from service, and decided to return to the Dales to assist his aging parents. He pleaded with her to accompany him, but she was still young and eager for adventure.

You should come home with me. he told her. We can live together in The Bells and raise a family.

I’m still too young. Galinda replied. I’m not ready yet to retire. I want to stay with my girls for a time.

If you change your mind, you know where to find me. he said. They made love for the last time that night, and the next day he left for the Gray Dales, and Galinda left for Farben.

Much time had passed since that day, and Galinda knew she was no longer the girl she had been. She sometimes regretted not going with him, and on her visits home considered trying to meet up with him again, but she had never ridden out in search of him. ‘By this time’, she told herself, ‘he probably has a wife and many children, and would only vaguely remember me’. Over time, she had convinced herself that was the case, and had tried to put him out of her mind. Despite her attempts to forget, her memory of him often returned, especially when she was feeling sad or was uncertain of where her life was headed.

Like her sisters snoring peacefully next to her, she was cognizant of the fact that her time in service with the Kellis Corps was limited. A trooper could stay with the Kellis Corps until they died if they liked, but it was considered impolite to remain in service over the age of forty, and they all knew that at some point they would have to decide how they would live for the rest of their lives. The transition was not always easy, but most had dreams they had not yet fulfilled, and had put off until the time was right. Now she realized that her own aspirations were becoming clearer, and that mostly they centered around finding Pellman Beck and rekindling the relationship they had once shared.

She sighed as she lay in bed thinking of him, but she would not allow herself to consider what might have been if they had remained together. Instead, she