Lord Dirck Landis
Human, lord of Aruam Castle, first appeared in chapter 05 of Shadows in the Stone
The door slammed and Lord Dirck Landis jumped from his chair to see who had entered. Two of his senior guards dragged a prisoner into the room and tossed him against the wall.
“My Lord,” Corporal Franklin motioned towards the tattered elf sprawled on the floor. “He is suspected of using magic within the town walls.”
“It was ignite powder!” the young man shouted. “Harmless!”
“Witnesses claim otherwise,” said the guard.
“They lied!”
“Three men watched you cast a spell to create the flame!” shot back the guard. “That’ll get you five years in the dungeon!”
The man cowered against the wall.
Dirck stood silently with arms crossed watching the exchange.
“Do you want me to throw him in the dungeon, My Lord?” asked the guard.
“I’ll take care of him,” said Dirck. “Have you completed the paperwork?”
The guard shook his head.
“That is your priority.” He ushered the guards out the door. Left alone with the prisoner, he sat in one of the chairs and studied him. After a long pause, he said, “What is your name?”
“Mullen, My Lord.”
“Did you use magic?”
“No, My Lord. I beg you to believe me.”
Dirck’s eyes softened and half a smile creased his lips. “It is not me you must convince, but with witnesses stating otherwise”—he tisked—“you’ll need witnesses of your own.”
“But I have none.”
The lord considered him. “Perhaps you are open to other options.” He stood and paced slowly before the man. “We’re always looking for men with your skills. It would be a shame to waste them in the dungeon.”
The elf sat up. “What are you offering?”
Dirck stopped and looked down at him. “A chance at glory instead of rotting in a cell. If you’re willing to accept a royal quest.”
Castle Keepers Vignette: Almost five years has passed since Isla was kidnapped and Bronwyn left Maskil in search of her. In many ways, not much has happened; the inhabitants of the Land of Ath-o’Lea have continued their daily routine. But if you look deeper into the individual lives you’ll see much has changed in little ways.
The Castle Keeper vignettes provide a glimpse into the time between Shadows in the Stone and Scattered Stones. You’ll have already met many of the characters, but some you will meet in Scattered Stones.
These vignettes won’t be complete stories, only 300 words of a moment. I consider them exercises in writing and editing. I hope to write two a week and post them on Mondays and Thursdays as we lead up to the release of Scattered Stones, the second fantasy novel of the Castle Keepers series, on May 6, 2016.
The collection of vignettes will be organised on the Castle Keepers Vignettes page. On the first of each month, I will post the schedule of the characters I will write about that month.
Diane McGyver 