Sir Lavison sighed painfully and then he froze, surprised but wary. Someone was coming out of the underbrush to his right and slowly walking towards him. Whoever it was, he was too far for Sir Lavison to tell if he were friend or foe, and he was walking in the shadow of the brush, the sun distorting the figure a little. Sir Lavison straightened in his saddle and put his hand on the hilt of his sword. In a moment the stranger stepped out of the shadow and into the light and Sir Lavison started. James? But how was it possible? Was he going mad?
“Hey Lavison.” the vision commented as he neared.
Sir Lavison swallowed, “James? But how are you here?”
James gave a little laugh and shrugged his shoulders before suddenly remembering one of his shoulders was severely gashed. He winced, “Swam I guess. Is Frederick around?”
Sir Lavison's brow furrowed and he absently nodded, “But we looked and looked for you before we had to give you up for lost.”
“Oh well, I kinda floated a bit I believe before I, uh, came to and swam back to this shore.”
“But there was a blackmouth out there. I saw it, we were sure he was what got you.”
James' eyebrows raised in interest, “And what, pray, is a blackmouth?”
Sir Lavison attempted to straighten out the confusion filling his brain as he answered James, “It is the world’s only known freshwater shark. But James, you were gone without trace. And your shoulder, what happened to it?”
James looked down at the gash, “Frederick did that after I fell. It's stopped bleeding, but it does throb a bit. Nothing much, I assure you. I'm too grateful to still be alive to be much bothered by it. Where are the others?”
“Ahead. They’ll be so glad to see you’re alive. But James, how is it possible? You said you can't swim well and with a nick like that in your shoulder, it must have been near impossible.”
“Let's just be thankful I’m alive now. I'm not entirely sure myself how I'm here, I’m just glad I am. Now let’s go find the others.” and James helped himself up onto Sir Lavison's horse.
Needless to say, the joy and wonder was effusive when the company realized James was still with them. When asked to explain however, James could not answer very definitively. For some, this was fine and they let it go as insignificant in the view that they had James back, but there was one (though he was more glad than he let show to have James back) who did doubt that James knew so little about his own unexplained reappearance. Elderly people don't just disappear under water for an hour and then say they swam across a cold, swift-moving river all with a nasty gash in their shoulder, even people like James. But Terragone did not voice his thoughts. Instead, he let the knights and servants fuss over James, while he kept his distance.
—————
I'm passing lightly over the days the company spent traveling along the Tanlyiere. Only two things worth mentioning happened. For one, James killed his first monster fairly successfully. Granted, it was only a rat that had wandered too close to the company’s supplies, but for James, it was a big step. The other was a meeting which would prove important to James later.
They were traveling along normally enough on a bright, fairly warm afternoon, when the keen eyes of several of the men spied a company of armed warriors crossing the plains, headed south along the Ruid at the point where the great river turned north. Terragone halted his own progress to wait for the group, signaling to one of their scouts in the sky. The warrior riding on a golden dragon coasted down quickly, landed his beast, leapt off, and walked over to meet the prince’s company. He bowed low, before straightening and explaining what he and his division were about.
“We are a division of the Western Guard and we are presently on a chase to catch a nefarious kidnapper and maybe worse. He has a hostage with him but we don’t know to what purpose. The captain of the Western Guard rides with us, the Red Reaper. They will be here shortly and you can speak with him yourself, your majesty.”
All the while Bovess was talking to Terragone, James had been in awestruck silence, staring at Bovess's dragon, standing aways off, watching his master closely. It was as if he’d stumbled into a fairytale, a scary dangerous fairytale, but a fairytale nonetheless. And there were real dragons here.
“Very good.” Terragone nodded in approval, “I will speak with him when he arrives.”
With that, Bovess bowed respectfully again and went back over to Seeker, James watching wistfully on.
“Wow!” James sighed.
“Never seen a dragon before?” one of the knights asked.
James shook his head, “Not in real life. Are there many?”
“No, they are quite rare now, and even more difficult to train. They say however that there is one dragon out here who surpasses in size and beauty any other dragon seen before.”
Another knight stepped in, “The real thrill will be seeing the Red Reaper. I have heard tales of the man fairy and confess I am very eager to see him.”
“A man fairy? What is that?” James looked from one knight to the other expectantly.
“He is the only one of his kind. Never seen before and probably never to be seen again. He is indeed half man and half fairy. Most fairies can't or don't fly much because of the weakness of their delicate wings, but one of the curiosities of the Reaper is that he was born with leathery dragon wings with which he can easily lift his man-sized body.”
How thrilling! James was glad this was a friend not a foe however, and that they had nothing to fear from him. He sounded like he would be a formidable enemy.
Before long the division was headed up the slope towards the prince's company. Leading the march was the Reaper, his wild red head uncovered. His stride was long and decided and he towered over his companions. As he came and bowed low before Terragone, James realized that even Terragone, who was quite tall himself, seemed but a boy before the great man fairy. His wings were folded up smartly on his broad back, not at all in the fashion of the fairies he'd seen thus far whose rigid wings only hinged at their base. The most apt comparison James could think of was the difference between butterfly wings and bat wings.
But James was not so distracted by the Reaper that he didn't notice the rest of his division however. Several fairies, men, and horses, and the gold dragon, all traveling light and loose. When one of the horse and riders came forward, James got another little surprise. There, shooting out between the horse’s big velvet ears and glossy hair, was a horn. He gasped in happy surprise. The fairy astride the unicorn must have heard him because he turned his head to look at James. A look of curiosity crossed his face and he leapt off the unicorn and walked over to James, bringing his horse along.
“And who might you be?” he asked kindly.
“My name is James Redmond. And I've never seen a unicorn before.” James added a bit awkwardly.
The stranger smiled and stroked the glossy black coat, “They are not so common as they used to be. Where do you come from?”
“Very far away.” James answered as he ventured forward to pet the beautiful creature.
The fairy watched him curiously for a moment. James was standing a good four feet from the unicorn and instead of stepping closer to pet the animal, he just leaned way over and stroked the black neck with the tips of his fingers. He was probably afraid of being impaled.
“Well, and have you had any adventures yet?”
James made that you-have-no-idea face and dramatically pulled his shirt away from his scarred shoulder.
“Nearly died trying to cross that stupid river a few days ago. Other than that, I suppose I killed my first dangerous animal yesterday, and not a bad first kill either, if I do say so myself.”
“Ahh, see I've got one too.” and the fairy revealed a barely healed wound on his side.
James winced. It was much worse-looking than his own. “Did a horse do that?”
“No, the man we're chasing did.”
James eyes widened, “Why would he do such a thing?”
“Didn't want
to be caught, I guess.” Blacky answered nonchalantly.
“Are you are going to kill him when you catch him?” James asked incredulously.
“That'll be for the Reaper to decide. This criminals has been kidnapping our civilians and we need to find out why.”
James nodded sagely, not exactly sure why, “Well, I hope you get him.”
“We will. My cousin is following him closely and the man knows it. He’s over the Tanlyiere now, probably trying to corner the kidnapper or slow him down.”
“Over?” and James took a big step back as the unicorn swung its head over to look at him.
“He's got a dragon, my cousin. One of the best around.”
James nodded and looked over to the Tanlyiere. When he looked back, Blacky had already moved back to the rest of his group. The Red Reaper and his division were moving out and it looked as if the prince's company was too. James half wished he were going into the forest with those fierce warriors. He knew he would have adventures of his own without having to go out of his way to find them, but he still wished he could tag along with that brave group of warriors.
He watched as the fairy and his black unicorn faded from sight into the valley between the great river and the dark forest. He then turned to look behind him and sighed. Nothing. He remounted slowly and turned to file in with those of his own company who were preparing to head out, silently wondering how Frederick would look with a horn.
16
James Leaves the Company
“Have none of your people ever seen fit to pave roads through these treacherous passes?” James asked as he led his pony over the large craggy ledges and slabs of stone, under a slate sky threatening rain or snow.
Terragone stopped a moment and shifted enough to gaze back over the ground they'd covered. They were far up now, after several days of hard travel, and the Tanlyiere and the river were but distant glories spread out on the plains far away.
“Rarely do any but messengers take the mountain pass to get to Falair. Most would prefer the route that takes them around the mountains.” and he turned again and continued up.
“So why didn't you?” James asked under his breath as he too continued to carefully progress.
A chill wind whipped its way through the pass from up higher where the storms must have already broken, bringing snow to the mountain tops. James was glad to know he would not have to go through that. He was leaving the company tonight, back down the mountain trail about a day's travel, where he learned there was a road that led north to a city where one of the oldest remnants of the elven kind were. The city, James figured, was very near where Cliff must have had his last days in this world. In this city and with these people, perhaps James would learn what he could of Cliff and what his own purpose here was.
His only regret was that he would not be able to say farewell to any of these new friends he'd made. In fact, his disappearance would probably only further cast doubt on his integrity and honor and make them think even worse of him. It was to his great regret to know he wouldn't be able to properly thank Terragone for allowing him to travel with his royal company in relative safety, providing shelter, food, and friendship. But he couldn't, because he had a feeling with the mood as it was now, Terragone wouldn’t let him go. Perhaps James could leave a note or something of that nature.
He sighed and then gasped suddenly as his foot slid forward tossing him near the edge. He waved his arms wildly to regain balance, but he fell and slid down even closer to the drop-off edge. He was having a hard time slowing down, but thankfully someone grabbed his shirt from behind and he was pulled up short, but inches from the edge. He straightened himself and smiled weakly at Sir Lavison.
“That's the fourth time today, James. I fear we will lose you before the day is out at this rate. Wait until it gets icy, then there's no chance you'll ever make it to Falair.”
James swallowed and followed Sir Lavison back to the main trail, if you could really call it that. He wondered if Sir Lavison knew that once again he had unknowingly struck the nail straight on its head. James wouldn't see it to the end of today and he would never see Falair either. He looked again down the dizzying height he'd almost cascaded. How would he manage to make it back down these steep mountain trails alone without killing himself? The answer struck him as soon as he asked it. To be sure, he wasn't going to be alone, now was he? He sighed as he recalled one of the primary reasons he was leaving the company in the first place. His thoughts ran on back across the whole time he'd spent in this world thus far. From his first awakening in the forest in the wild coastal plains, to the present ascent through these treacherous peaks. Several months now, he figured and yet, in hindsight, it all seemed so recent. He wondered what he would do if he never found out why he had been summoned here, assuming this wasn’t some kind of accident. What if life just kept going for all these people and he was left to just…just…well that was the problem, wasn’t it? What was he supposed to do here?
He shook his head and plopped down on a rock to rest a moment. He removed his glasses to wipe off some of the dirt and dust they had accumulated. He sighed inside. What a lot these glasses had been through! He was actually surprised he still had them, especially after nearly drowning. They were a bit bent and worn (and James was finding he didn’t need them as much as he used to) but they were all he had left from earth, and he kept them for that.
He gently wiped them with the edge of his cloak and put them back on, only then realizing that everyone was gone and must have passed him in his reverie. Frederick must have followed them all too, because the little pony was nowhere in sight. He started up and quickly tripped up the path.
The way was winding and narrow and James could not see any of the company ahead. He hurried as fast as he could, but he also knew how prone he was to falling and didn't want that to happen with no one around to help, so he had to go carefully. He wondered how long he had been sitting and resting. Surely not more than two minutes, and yet the others were not only out of sight, but out of earshot. Perhaps he'd seriously miscalculated how long he’d been lost in thought. Or perhaps and worse still, he'd taken a wrong turn! But he would not lose his head, he must not! Footprints! That is what he must look for, and sure enough! There, in the fine rock dust, at least one set of footprints led exactly the way he was going. He let go of the breath he'd been holding in anticipation and quickened his step, following the footprints.
To his great relief he finally saw one of the company, right around a sharp bend, standing in the middle of the road and waiting for him. He smiled and quickened his pace. All at once though, James stopped dead short and actually backed up a step. That was not one of the company! James reached slowly for his dagger, though what he thought he'd do with it, even he didn't know. The man was cloaked and hooded, and when he realized James' concern, he pulled back the hood in one swift motion. James relaxed and his hand dropped away from his dagger.
“Ah, it's you.” and James continued walking forward again, “I figured you were behind me, so you gave me a bit of a shock just now. What's up?”
The other man shook his head, “Not now. They'll be looking for you soon.”
“Hey, no. That's a good thing.” James protested.
“No. You’re leaving them now.”
“But I was planning to leave tonight, so I could bring my pony and food supplies and, you know, stuff like that.”
The man shook his head solemnly, “This is as good a time as any.”
James sighed, sad that he had not had any chance to say goodbye, “Well, where to then?”
The mysterious man led James up off the path and into a craggy hideout. He and James were so well concealed from sight, that should anyone search for him off the trail, they would never find him. And yet, his friend, if friend he was, could keep an easy eye on everything on the mountain below them.
James sat in perfect silence as the voices of Sir Lavison and Sir Kessil and some of the other servants began calling for him. As he listened, he
found himself becoming quite sad as their calls became louder and more distressed. Soon their voices died away as they wove back over the trail they had already walked. For a long while he heard nothing. He looked up to where his warden was suppose to be and found him gone. But that didn’t worry James. He'd be back in his own time.
James was still a little confused about it all. The mysterious dark man had been following James since he joined the prince’s troop. Apparently there was someone who wanted to see James and had sent this man to get him. Now, James couldn’t be sure that whoever it was who wanted to see him didn’t have evil purposes for him, but somehow he doubted it. In either case, there up on the ridge overlooking the Tanlyiere, he’d discovered that the place this man intended to take him was the same city James had been planning on visiting himself, the city of the high elves.
Of course James couldn’t tell anyone in the company, that was obvious even without the threats. There would be no end of trouble if he told Terragone and in truth, he rather liked having a secret guardian following him, even if it had alienated him from some of the others. He supposed that alienation would help them get over their loss of him now.
Suddenly, there he was again, beside him.
“We need to go now. They're scaling the cliffs so we've got some time. Follow me carefully and don’t make any unnecessary sounds.”
With a nod, James followed him out as he crept back down towards the trail.
Going down was both faster and scarier than going up James found. The drop off cut away in front of him and you could see the earth far, far below, between the banks of fog that rose up. When they passed the spot James had been sitting for too long, James realized these were the cliffs his friends were scaling, looking for him or his body. He sighed and quietly slinked on, feeling a bit guilty.
They continued on like this for about hour or more, the descent back down the mountain and to the road that would take them to the elven city, before James finally had to take a break to rest his shaking legs.
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