“You’re the Black Hawk?” Jiron asks with a trace of awe in his voice.
Nodding, Illan says, “I was.” He begins removing his old sword belt from around his waist and casts it aside. Stepping within the room, he takes the sword belt with the Black Hawk insignia and straps it on.
“Black Hawk?” questions James.
“The Black Hawk was a ruthless leader during the War of Barrowman’s Field,” explains Jiron. Glancing to Illan, he says in a subdued voice, “Said to have committed all manner of atrocities upon the enemy.”
“I heard that the Black Hawk once put an entire village to the sword as an example,” Miko says.
Illan continues putting on his accouterments bearing his insignia without commenting.
“What supposedly happened to this Black Hawk?” questions James all the while watching Illan.
“None knew for sure,” replies Jiron. “Some thought he had been killed while others claim he went to a far land in search of more blood.”
James looks to Illan as he puts on the last item, the helm. “Illan?” he asks.
Turning back toward the others, he stands there in all his glory. From head to toe he looks like a hero out of the sagas. “It’s true I’m sorry to say,” he says. “When the war was over, I put Black Hawk away and became Illan. I had enough blood and death to last a lifetime. We did what needed to be done to stop the Empire, though I’m not proud of it.”
“My Alaina knew and some close friends,” he explains. “There are others from my men who came to live here with me, many joined the regular army. It was a bad time and one which I wished to put behind me.”
“So why come here and don your old armor?” asks James.
“My Alaina is gone. There will be those who remember the Black Hawk, both here in Madoc and within the Empire, which may be to our advantage. It was a name to strike terror in the enemy, and it may serve us with what’s to come.”
He walks away from the room, leaving the banner behind. “Aren’t you taking the banner?” Miko asks.
Shaking his head, he says, “No.” He glances to James and says, “Now let’s go find my son.” Securing the secret door behind which the banner lies, he then takes them from the treasure room and closes the secret door. With their help, he puts the chests back in front of the hidden door and takes a moment to hide the fact they were ever moved. When he at last is satisfied, he turns and heads back up the stairs.
Chapter Five
When Illan comes out of the manor house, whatever conversation the others were engaged in comes to an abrupt halt when they see what he’s wearing. Murmurs of ‘Black Hawk’ and other awed exclamations are heard as each comes to understand just what they are seeing.
Some of the recruits, having come from Cardri, are not familiar with the significance of the emblem he’s wearing. The others quickly fill them in.
James comes out behind him and says, “We camp here this evening. Delia, you’re going to be in charge for awhile. We have some business in town to take care of.”
“Very well,” she says.
Illan steps down off the porch and comes to where Moyil is holding his horse for him. Moyil’s eyes widen as he draws near. Without saying a word, Illan takes the reins from him and mounts.
To those gathered around, James says, “We’re going to rescue his son. Jiron and his group will join us. Delia, you and your slingers will remain here to look after the prisoners until our return.”
The recruits look upset at not being allowed to accompany them, but realize there is little use in protesting. Those who are leaving with Illan and James mount up and follow them down the lane to the gate.
As they near the gate, Shorty and Scar see him riding toward them in his new armor. “I knew it!” exclaims Shorty with a holler.
“I can’t believe this,” Scar says somewhat at a loss for words, for once.
When Illan draws close, Shorty stands there with a grin on his face and says, “I knew there was something about you.”
“You did, did you?” Illan replies from the back of his horse. “You two stay here and watch the gate.” Without any further explanations, he continues through the gate and heads into town.
As Potbelly passes Scar he says, “Things should be more interesting from here on out.”
“You got that right,” agrees Scar.
Once past the gate, James drops back a little bit and rides between Uther and Jorry. To them he asks, “So what’s the full story behind the Black Hawk?”
On the way into town, they fill him in on the details.
About twenty five years ago, the Empire made a push into Madoc in an attempt to swallow up a section of fertile farmland to feed its growing populace. The army was sent to expel them back to the Empire but the fighting raged for many years until a sort of stalemate was achieved.
Unfortunately for Madoc, that stalemate happened to be where the Empire had decided to stop anyway. A portion of the lands now held by the Empire was known as Barrowman’s Field and thus the name for the war.
Some believe that the Ruling Council in Madoc decided to create a band of men whose job was to destroy as much of the Empire as they could to force them to draw off some of their forces defending the area known as Barrowman’s Field.
The Black Hawk was in charge of that band. Black Hawk and his raiders somehow got through their lines and then it began. The destruction of town after town, some say they slaughtered every last man, woman, and child. They’re also rumored to have salted the fields so nothing would grow.
Whatever the real truth is, it worked. The cry from its citizens forced the Empire to pull forces from the border to deal with the Black Hawk which allowed Madoc’s army to push them out.
Black Hawk’s band supposedly destroyed over twenty villages and small towns, all the while staying one step ahead of their forces. They even managed to avoid direct confrontation with their mages, how no one’s ever been able to find out.
Sometime after the end of the War of Barrowman’s Field, Black Hawk disbanded his men and was never heard from again.
“Many thought he had died,” Uther says, winding the tale to a close.
“But now he’s back,” James says.
“That’s right,” agrees Jorry. “But what that’s going to mean is anyone’s guess.”
“Thanks,” James tells them as he moves to rejoin Illan at the fore.
“Sure,” replies Uther.
Coming abreast of Illan, he glances over to his friend aghast at the things they just told him. He knows Illan must have heard all that was said, he definitely was close enough to have overheard the conversation.
“Did you do all those things?” James asks him.
He rides in silence for a minute before replying. “Yes, to a point,” he finally says. “We did destroy towns and villages, sow fields with salt and other acts of destruction. But the wanton deaths of innocents? No, we never did that. Unfortunately, in the fog of war, innocents were killed and for that I shall always feel remorse. But we did what we had to do.”
James digests that for a moment then asks, “Why didn’t you resume your role as Black Hawk when the Empire first attacked last summer?”
Illan glances to him and then says, “I’m getting old. Sure, I thought about it but my Alaina counseled me against it. Said it would bring back too many bad things. But I couldn’t simply stand by and do nothing so I went south to see what I could do.”
“I left home before the fall of the City of Light. I hated to leave my Alaina, we both knew it was unlikely we would ever see each other again. She understood and sent me with her best wishes. My son offered to accompany me but I told him to stay and take care of his family.” He pauses and then says with a catch in his voice, “It seems that’s all I have left now.”
They ride in silence for awhile before he gets his emotions under control and is able to continue. “By the time I reached the City, the Empire had already encircled it and I thought it would take months before it fell. Then the following morning to my disbelief, it was over. I worked my way to Lythylla and joined with Miller and his band, seemed like the logical thing to do at the time. The rest you know.”