Shanti by Katherine Van Orden (the two towers ebook txt) 📖

Chapter 1
People. Men and women, all with swords, surrounding me with their lips curled up in a snarl. They were yelling and screaming words that I couldn’t make out. I noticed something in the palm of my hand that I didn’t notice before. A green stone, it was no bigger than my outstretched hand. The stone was incredibly beautiful with fragile features. Before I could study the stone more, the mob was upon me. I threw my hands over my head and screamed.

“Ah!” Darren gasped. He sat up and looked around the room with his eyelids half open.

“What now?” groaned Lander from the corner of the room. Lander rolled on his side creates a loud groan coming from the bed. The sound made Darren’s heart jump. The orphanage owner always ran into the room whenever the bed creaked to make sure no orphan was leaving their beds. Darren heard feet shuffling across the floor from outside of the room getting closer and closer every heartbeat.
“Oh, God save us all. It’s her!” Darren heard an orphan cry from across the room.

“Nice going, now I’m never going to get some sleep,” spat Lander
The door opened and slammed against the wall leaving a small dent in the door along with all the others. The light from Anita's candle flooded the room which made Darren squint in the light.

“You all hush down before I make you all sleep outside with the dogs!” threatened the orphanage owner, Anita. Her speech was a bit slurred. Anita was bluffing since she had alcohol on her breath.
The orphan boys shrank back. “I’m sorry, Ma’am,” said Darren hoping that his apology would make Anita go back to her bottle. “I didn’t mean any harm. I was just excited over my nightmare and…”

“Oh hush up; I don’t have time for all your nonsense. I don’t want to hear another peep out of you children before the sun rises over those buildings.” Anita pointed at Darren’s bed especially, “Now get back to bed.” Anita looked wildly around the room to make sure every orphan was in their beds. With another glance at Darren, she left slamming the door behind her created another crack in the door. Darren remembered counting the cracks in the door while lying sick in bed.
Darren breathed a sigh of relief. Right before he was going to lie back in bed, Lander carried on the argument.

“Now look all the trouble you caused,” raged Lander.

“I had another nightmare!”

“Oh! The wittle baby needs to be comforted so he can go back to sweep and not be scared. Lander teased in baby talk.

“That’s enough!” said the oldest boy in the orphanage. “Lander, act your age. I don't want Anita to come back and I don't think you guys do either.

“You know what Lester? I'm sick of you always acting as if you're the oldest! I don't know why I always have to listen to you." snorted Lander.

“Um, he is the oldest,” pointed Wesley, one of the youngest. He seemed to be happy with his knowledge of Lester’s age because he turned to Lester smiling.

“Thank you Wesley,” said Lester smiling and nodding his head at the little boy.

One of the orphans groaned in annoyance of the bickering and turned over on his bed. The loud groan of the rickety bed made everyone cover their ears and brace for Anita’s fit. Everything was quiet. Coming from outside of their bedroom they heard a loud snore.

Ha! Anita must have fallen asleep, thought Darren.

Every orphan tip toed into their beds before Anita woke up. Darren cringed as the orphan’s beds made squeaking noises as the boys climbed into them. The mattresses had broken springs which created loud, groaning sounds and the bed frames were made of metal which had loose bolts and parts which created a squeaking noise.

The age of these beds can be traced back to the middle ages, chuckled Darren.

Darren listened to the noises of the scurrying rats and the consistent squeaking of the broken window shutter which Anita said she will get fixed. The repair man that she hires always comes on time but never has the time to fix anything because Anita is always flirting which annoys the man. Anita doesn’t seem to understand that he’s uninterested. The last time she asked him to fix the hole in the floor, he didn’t show up. Darren chuckled silently remembering the tizzy Anita threw.
The creaking of the orphan’s bed stopped and Darren’s thoughts were turned to his dream.

What does it mean, Darren thought, “I wish someone could tell me.

Darren tried to fight the need to sleep but sleep overtook his body. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.
-*-*-*-

“Wake up! Wake up all of you!” yelled Anita while clapping her hands together trying to wake the orphans up.

“Why now?” Wesley whined while climbing out of bed.

“Because,” Anita replied happily while folding her hands in front of her, “We are going to have a visitor.”

The orphans started to murmur to each other in excitement but only Lander spoke up.

“Psh! Who would want to visit this dump?” Lander snorted, “Like does anyone ever remember the last time we had a visitor?

The orphans didn't pay attention to Lander's remark but Anita was furious.

“Close your trap before I close it for you,” Anita growled returning to her original self. “I don’t want another word out of you worthless children unless our guest speaks to you. Understand?

“Yes,” the orphans chimed. Anita nodded her head with approval and rushed out of the room. Darren smiled at the thought of Anita already freshening herself up just in case the man was around her age. While the orphans made their beds, Darren sat on his bed looking thoughtful.
“Hopefully someone is adopted; I don’t think any of these orphans have any hope left, including me.”

“Come on Darren, keep dreaming that you’ll be adopted, I’m sure it will come true today,” Lander teased.

“Shut up freak!”

“Oh! I’m so offended. Why don’t you stop name calling and fight you chicken?”

“Come on! Does everything have to be resolved with a fight?!” Lester exclaimed.

Lander ignored Lester’s remark and continued to taunt, “Chicken! Chicken!”

“Fine! Just shut your fat mouth! I’ll fight, ok?

Lander crossed his arms and looked amused. “Let the best man win.”

Lester looked concerned, “Come on Lander, leave him alone. He didn’t do anything to you.

“Shut up Lester,” Lander growled

“Darren, I hope you know what you’re getting into,” Lester groaned.

“I do…” Darren mumbled.

Lander smiled mockingly knowing that Darren’s thoughts and emotions were spinning.


“Why are you doing this Darren? You’re going to get yourself killed!” Darren thought.

Darren and Lander faced each other in the middle of the room. They both crouched down low to prepare for any kind of action. When Darren looked to the side of him he saw Lester shaking his head. He looked beyond Lester and saw eight orphans jumping and cheering both sides of fight. When he looked back at his opponent, he was already circling him. Right when Lander was about leap at him he heard a loud thud on the wooden floor. Lander and Darren froze, not wanting to look in the direction of the noise praying to God in hope that it wasn’t Anita. He heard Lander curse under his breath but not a noise came from anybody. Finally, Darren turned toward the source of the noise and gasped. A stranger who seemed to have come from another world and time was standing in the doorway. The man’s head was bent low while his white beard almost touched his knees and his body was enclosed with a worn, black cloak. The stranger had a brown pack full of traveling supplies that were clinging to the bag like a mother and a child and he was carrying a staff which seemed to be very old. Darren’s eyes widened when he saw his belt that carried a black, leather pouch which was bulging with coins. Darren glanced at Lander and detected that he saw the same thing. The stranger walked toward the group of boys and stopped a few feet away from him and Lander. “Well, I guess I interrupted something important to you boys, yes?”

“Um, no sir.” Darren replied quickly hoping that Lander won’t press the man to let them resume the fight.

“Good, good,” the old man chuckled, “So, where’s your mistress?”

“Uh, mistress?” Lander questioned. The stranger’s language was as strange and old as his clothing and items he carried. “Didn’t she let you in?”

“Oh no. I knocked a few times and when the door wasn’t opened I just let myself in.” replied the man cheerily.

“You let yourself in?!” Lander exclaimed, “I could get you arrested for trespassing.”

“Ah, I see. Excuse my mistake if you please.” The stranger replied with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Lander didn’t seem to notice.

“If you do it again, I won’t let you slide.” Lander replied crossing his arms.

“I