Part 6: Uncle Nicholas

The man turned his head and his blue eyes lit up at the sight of his nephew. “Philip!� he proclaimed. “By the gods, it’s been four years since I’ve seen you! How are you, my boy?�

Both men rose from their seats and embraced for a moment. Philip took a step back and lowered his gaze. “Uncle Nicholas, something terrible has happened.� Philip kept his eyes lowered as his uncle looked on with concern.

“Well, tell me about it, my lad.� The older man motioned to the barkeep that he and his nephew would be moving to a booth. Nicholas then grabbed Philip’s drink and moved to sit with him. “Tell me, Philip, what happened?�

Philip sighed and lifted his mug, taking a couple large swigs of the mead before lifting his gaze to his uncle’s friendly eyes. “Uncle… Everyone in White Oak was killed. They’re all dead.�

Nicholas paled and swallowed hard, nodding briefly as the bartender waddled over with his drinks. He waited a moment then leaned forward, speaking softly. “All dead? By the gods… Philip, what happened? How could such a terrible thing happen?�

On the verge of tears, Philip shook his head and sighed out raggedly. “I don’t know, uncle, I just don’t know. I woke up this morning and all the buildings were burned and everybody was dead. There was nothing I could do and… and for some reason… I was still alive.� Philip lifted his gaze, tears once again rising in his eyes. “Why, uncle, why was I the only one?� With that, Philip broke down sobbing, burying his face in his arms.

Nicholas frowned, laying a hand on his young nephew’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. He remained silent for a moment before finally speaking. “Philip, my lad, you have suffered a great tragedy. But sometimes, things happen for a reason. I’m not saying that the murder of your friends was supposed to happen, but you were obviously spared for a reason.�

Philip lifted his head and wiped his tears from his eyes. “What do you mean, uncle?�

“I mean, your life was spared. You are alive for some reason. Somebody wanted you alive still, and for that reason, you are alive.�

“But why? Why me?�

Nicholas smiled and patted Philip’s shoulder. “That, my lad, is something I absolutely cannot answer. Perhaps you will know why someday. For now, all you can do is grieve and hope this is an isolated incident.�

Philip wiped his eyes again and sat up. “I’m not sure if it is, uncle. There was a note tacked to what was left of the oak tree when I woke up this morning.� Reaching into his breast pocket, he pulled out the folded note and handed it to his uncle. Nicholas adjusted his glasses slightly and read the note to himself. After a moment, he lowered the piece of paper, shaking his head.

“This makes no sense, my lad,� he said, frowning. “We’re not at war with the Dendrians; we would have heard something here in Green Port if there were any military operations going on.� He sighed, shaking his head slowly. “I think we might have to ask some higher authority about all this.� With that, Nicholas downed his shot of Golden Rye Whiskey, followed by a chug of his ale.

Watching in silence, Philip sighed and sniffed slightly, lifting his mug up and drinking from it. Keeping the mug to his lips, Philip drank until he finished the rest of the mead. He set the empty vessel down on the table with a thud, slouching back in his seat a bit, shaking his head.

“I just don’t know what to do, uncle. I just don’t know what to do. My home is gone. My friends are dead. I have nowhere to be, no actions to take, no way to find out what’s going on.� Philip inhaled deeply and appeared to be on the verge of tears again. Nicholas clasped him on the shoulder again.

“Don’t fret my lad! You have somewhere to be; you will stay with me! You can still take action; we’ll take it together! We’ll both find out what’s going on!� Nicholas smiled and nodded to Philip, trying to reassure him. Philip offered a weak smile and nodded as well. Nicholas raised his mug and sighed. “To the poor souls of White Oak – may they be protected in the next life. So say I, Nicholas, son of Jacob. So say we all.� He then put his mug to his lips and downed the rest of his ale.

Philip sat in silence and nodded as his uncle spoke, then repeated the final line he had spoken. “So say we all,� he all but whispered to himself. Slowly, he pulled himself to his feet and slung his bag over his shoulder. Nicholas sat up with a groan, gave the bartender a nod, and placed his strong arm around Philip’s shoulders.

“Come along, my lad,� Nicholas said as they exited the pub and walked into the street. “You will stay with me tonight, and tomorrow we will both figure out what’s going on!�

Smiling, Philip nodded and closed his eyes, passing from all knowledge of the rest of the walk, his mind and his heart too fatigued for him to maintain consciousness.