“I would like that very much, Your Majesty.”
Asher moved to join Silas and Jude who were behind me when I caught the sleeve of his fighting leathers. “Terra. Please, you can call me Terra.”
He smiled and nodded his head much in the same way as Jude. “Terra, then.”
Silas was staring at me from his place near the fire where he stood with Jude. Nodding his head absentmindedly as Jude attempted to fill him in on something, no doubt the very same thing Dee was itching to fill me in on, but his eyes were on me. The light flickering across his face, catching the brightness in his eyes. He must have felt through our bond, so new and unchartered what I felt. Who Asher had reminded me of. Along the life-line we shared I felt a flicker of hope. Hope that he had for me entwined with the endless ocean that was him, something that was now also mine, something that was now a part of me that I got to keep. A force to drive me forward. So, I turned back towards Dee to make plans for our trip where we would meet the others who were on our side, who would fight to save this world we all loved, to where we would march south with our allies and claim back my kingdom.
Dee recounted to me much of what Silas had already filled me in on, including the confirmation we got when we faced the soldiers who harboured Black Magic and what that now led us to believe about Montreese. Aside from that there was nothing too new that grabbed my attention, except something Silas had mentioned that stuck in my mind as curious. Something I had noted and wanted to mention to Dee when I had the chance.
“What about the ships? On the horizon from Move?” I asked the question casually as I picked at what remained of the cheese and bread, not fully satisfied by my dinner from earlier.
Dee’s body stiffened as her hand reached out to grip my arm. “What?”
I frowned at her. “The ships on the Move horizon to the north? Silas had mentioned a fleet of ships resting a far ways away. One of the scouts had noted it when they had made their rounds through the cities of Vyterra before our initial arrival at Altrey.” She just looked at me. No, it wasn’t really at me as it was more through me. I moved my hand to wave it in front of her face. “Hello? Dee?... Drasmoré?”
The rest of our camp had stopped talking, all their attention on us. “Dee? What is it, do you know who they are?” Her eyes were glazed, almost like she had gone somewhere else. Slowly they cleared but filled with a sheen of tears that threatened to spill. I had not known her to be the sort of person reduced to show such emotion, the only other time was in my shabby room at the Inn, when we had spoken of my mother. It just simply didn’t match her stature. I moved my hand to grip the one she held tightly on my arm, my voice softening. “Dee, who do the ships belong to?”
Her eyes moved to mine. “They heard my call. They came.”
I waited, not understanding. Hoping, but not understanding. “From across The Undiscovered Sea, my people have come to help.” My heart picked up pace as I registered her words, what it would mean for us. The power they brought with them. “Praise the mother. Desanka de’la Morella. They have come.” She pressed her hands together, palms to finger tips touching and moved her joined hands to rest against her forehead, a breathy sob escaped her.
Silas had made his way over to us and moved to his knees beside me. “You know who they are? Their ships hold no crest, they fly no flags, Dee. As far as we know they haven’t made a move since they were sighted, that was months ago.” His voice was soft, but the hope that each word held, even as he spoke in disbelief of what she had said, it was notable. There was no mistaking the relief in his voice.
She smiled then, small but proud. They could sit there as long as they wanted. There would be no worry for rations or sickness. Supported by their magic it was nothing, a few months waiting at sea. “They are the Rouella, my people from the north through The Undiscovered Sea, Your Highness. When Phillipa feared the worst, when she knew her fate she refused to allow me to intervene. I could have stopped it, but she was convinced it would not matter, that I would have blood on my hands for a fruitless cause. I had heard only once of my parents communicating with our kin to the north. Be it too dangerous or too difficult, they only did it once, but I had watched. So on the night she died, when I felt all hope was lost and there was nothing I could do, a forbidden witch in a world of powerful royals, one in particular who now we know had obtained a book of shadows, I locked myself away and cast out my mind. I cast out my story, the fate of this world, what was happening and what we needed. What I had hoped would become of you, Terraleise, but that I feared it would not be enough, even then. I asked them to come, to fight, to join us.”
I knew her emotion was reflected in my own eyes as I reached to grip Silas’s hand. “And so they came.” She moved her hand from my arm to take my other hand and nodded her head. “They did.”
Twenty
Silas
It was strange to have had a dreamless sleep. To wake up rested instead of in a cold sweat and an air of fear around me. I didn’t question it but rather thanked the Gods and took it in my stride. I moved gently, not wanting to disturb Terraleise. I would wager that she had not slept this well in some time either. I took my time, allowing a few moments to look at her. It seemed impossible, the time that had passed. The things she had endured. Anger and pain pulsed through me equally at the truth of what had happened, most of it I was yet to learn, but I could see it. The darkness that clouded her soul, that pressed heavy on her.
Walking back towards the camp after a short search for a water source to freshen up, Dee had appeared. Covering the fire with dirt and discarding anything that looked like a group had camped there for some time. I saw as she waved her hand and the bones and stale bread that littered the ground around the fire all but vanished. I composed my face quickly knowing she hadn’t been aware of her audience. She turned in my direction then, saw me approach and gave a nod of her head.
“Good morning, Your Highness.” She said.
“Dee, no need for formalities. Silas is fine.” I offered her my best smile to assure her. I was still unsure how to act around her. I didn’t question her heritage, or her importance to Terraleise. If anything, I was in her debt, we all were. If it was true, that the unmarked ships to the north belonged to her people. The Rouella as I had learned. A people who wield magic, confined only by the laws of life and death. If that was truly the case then our chances of winning this war were significantly improved. But still, I didn’t feel like I could sit and strike a conversation with her, like she knew far more than me. Far more than I could comprehend and it would be shaming to my own intellect. It was all true, I had no doubt, Dee was a completely different type of person. A witch. I believe the word I was looking for to explain how I was feeling was intimidated, and in awe.
She smiled as though every thought I had was written all over my face. “Silas, I think it would be best to leave as soon as possible. I have arranged for our horses to be brought to the edge of the forest, but there are only two. They will have to bare our packs and nothing more. It will allow us to move faster. Terraleise is recovered now to manage on foot with the rest of us.” I nodded in understanding. “Of course. Terra told me you know of a path through the ranges? Do you know how long it will take us to cross them and arrive at the border?”
She looked thoughtful. “The path is not difficult. Should we be able to acquire more horses we could be there in three days, maybe four. With only the two we have with us now but travelling light as we will start out, perhaps a week. Crossing the ranges themselves is no trouble.” She turned to the direction we would travel, as though she could see straight through the forest before her. “Menacing as they seem from a distance the path is mostly straight across. After we descend we will come to another forest that borders the base of the western face. It will take less time to cut through than it will to go around, but I no longer trust the forests in this kingdom. They are crawling with those of Black Magic.”
“I’m inclined to agree with you there. We had noted Vyterran fo
rces that were camped in Venta, but they never emerged from the forest just east of the city – the same we’ll be descending into. We have reason to believe they’re still there.”
Terra came up behind me, wrapping an arm around my waist. “Dee, I told you last night, I know what to look for now. Not only will we be able to see them, but we will be able to avoid them. We won’t be caught off guard again.” Casually draping my arm around her shoulder, I leaned down to kiss her forehead. “I take it this has already been a conversation?” I asked with a sense that it had not gone so smoothly the first time the topic came up.
She looked up at me then. “You would be correct in that assumption. We will cut through the forest and follow the river to just outside of Venta. Dee said there is a crossing over The Shared River once we move through the city towards the Shellandrian border.”
“Terra.” Dee began, it was clear she was hesitant. If there was one thing Terraleise was, it was strong willed and little to my surprise Terra didn’t allow her a word in edgewise.
“Dee, we will be fine. If we run into trouble we will still be fine. We can’t waste anymore time.”
“Terra, Dee makes a valid point.” I chimed in. Not sure if it was my best decision.
She looked up at me then. “Silas, trust me, I know what to look for. Should we cross trouble, I am confident we will be able to handle it. It is the quickest route, we can’t risk going around and adding another three, or even four, days to our journey.”
She was right about that. We were cutting it close, to be able to meet with our allies and march in time to converge with the army from the Lygot armada, we weren’t leaving any time for incident.
I nodded my agreement. With the two of us now, with what we may be capable of together with our magic, I had a confidence I hadn’t had previously. I didn’t have to verbalise anything more, she could feel my acceptance through the bond, reaching up on her tip toes to kiss me quickly on the mouth.
Dee gave me a look as Terra moved away back towards the camp to finish packing with Yana and Bre. Jude and Asher had been missing most of the morning, I knew they were close though if only brushing up slightly on their combat skills. Just as I went to move Dee began to speak. I stopped to listen but I had a feeling the comment wasn’t meant to be shared with me, but rather someone else. A queen lost but also a friend mourned.
“Stubborn as a mule, just like her mother.” A small smile made its way onto my lips for I knew that it could never be anything less than a compliment.
The trek was as expected. As we moved out of the forest, the Vyterran soldiers leading the way with myself, Jude and Asher trailing behind and Terra fitting snuggly in the middle of our two groups. We maintained a sort of single-file line, it was the easiest way to travel considering the size of our company. We came out of the forest that bordered the coast to find Cassidy and Simeera waiting near the base of the ranges with two horses. It took all of five minutes for them to fit our packs to the saddles and set up the incline. The horses needed no guidance and followed behind us silently. Our path was already known to them. Their good behaviour and complacency were thanks to Dee, I could only assume.
It was more intimidating to see the ranges from afar than to ascend them, just as Dee had said. They reminded me a lot of the ranges back home. We were lucky that winter hadn’t set in yet, though autumn was harsh enough in the mountains that their peaks held a dusting of snow. It wouldn’t be long now before the first snowfall. The path we took was clearly used frequently. I was happy to be led in the right direction, especially given that it was Dee who had mapped our plan and led the group. I had tendrils of power shot in all directions, monitoring any movement just as I knew Terra was keeping her own feelers out to the very earth beneath our feet and if there was anyone walking on it in a close proximity to us, we would know..
Regardless of our monitoring, I wasn’t so sure how smart of an idea it was to be on the path we were taking. We were just so out in the open, it seemed completely at odds with every other precaution that we’d taken up until now.
“This path hasn’t been used for months. Since Cander’s reign all trading between the capital, rural cities and villages has been cut off. This was used for farmers and tradesmen. There are others like this path that cut through the ranges all the way to Move Woods. They have been barren for some time. We are free to use them without fear.” Dee had put it simply after I raised my concern on one of the nights we camped on our journey.
There was no dense forest in these mountains, where as the forests in Lygot continued to scale much of the mountain ranges, thinning only the higher you went, the forests here were still beautiful, but far different. Enough to sustain life but it was sparse. We moved far enough into the trees and off the path that you wouldn’t be able to see us should anyone pass by.
The routine we formed over the next few days consumed us all. There was no avoiding the rapid approach of our reality and it helped to immerse ourselves in something as mundane as a routine to settle our minds. Wake up, travel all day, find a camp, train, eat, sleep. That was all. Terra and I even took the time to learn how our power worked together. To see how we could wield it.
I had long since stopped looking for any wild horses that Dee claimed she could tame. I didn’t not believe her, but I grew fond of the walking. Conversation dried up quickly and we all found comfort in the silence. Terra moved back to walk beside me frequently and we struck small conversations of our own. I think she knew too that we wouldn’t be graced with time like this again. None of us would. The moments in-between to not have to worry about anything but our next camp for the night. It was a momentary bliss I was grateful for.
The western side of The Altrey Ranges was far steeper than the east. It slowed our pace which saw us entering into the woods outside Venta long after dark. The three days that it took us to make our way through the ranges showed no signs that anyone had passed through recently. There were many farms, some with grand manors, some with modest homes, but all of them were empty. Any sign of livestock – horses included – were weeks old. It was eerie. To have a sense that those who had lived in the places we passed by still haunted it. I couldn’t think where the people of this kingdom had all gone. It could be that they had abandoned their estates for the safety of larger cities, but then we knew what had become of those cities in the end. I hoped many of them fled to other kingdoms. Shellandria would be the first choice, with Montreese out of the question I would hope many made their way to Lygot.
The feeling of this kingdom was not as if its people were dead and gone, but like they had just been plucked from their lives without warning.
The Altrey Ranges were magnificent. They dipped and curved gracefully, not so many harsh lines and jagged edges. Towards the peaks of the taller mountains yes, but most of the rest of the lines were fluid and soft. The air was sweeter and the mountains seemed to present one with an opportunity to reflect that I didn’t think would have come around too easily. The sparseness of the forest life I had first thought to be odd. In all fairness it looked like the ranges were balding. But in truth it wasn’t like that at all. It was obvious in the views over the days that we journeyed through the dips and bends of the ranges. In the wide-open spaces and the fields we passed, dotted with those wildflowers that could be seen from the ocean all along the coast of Vyterra; their brightness beyond compare to any others I had seen. The life in these ranges not yet drained as it had been when we had passed the kingdom to the east, the dullness so striking it was clear now how sick and ruined some of the parts of this kingdom were becoming. But not here, not yet.
It was the openness that eased my breathing as I walked onward with not just my fellow soldiers in battle but my friends. It was freedom, real freedom and so I made my resolve then, that if all else should fail, if there was truly nothing else left to hold onto, then I would hold onto this.
The forest was much the same as the one we had just come from. The trees were the same and the edges were spar
se and became denser the deeper you went. An immediate sweep of the eastern edge told me we were alone, apart from the wildlife that called it home. I searched every hidden space, beneath every fallen log and leaf. There was no one close to us.
With that comfort now in my mind I could have groaned with desire to sit down and take off my boots, but when we stopped walking into the forest, halting just beyond the tree line, a feeling pulled at my centre – the bond – and Terra’s unease immediately became my own.
She had left my side to walk up to Dee, I thought, to discuss where we would stop for the night but now I wasn’t so sure. Asher and Jude were catching up still from a small ways behind but the rest of the unit of soldiers in front had paused, finding something incredibly interesting in the bark of a tree.
“- I’m sorry, Terraleise.”
I only caught the end of Dee’s sentence, as I came closer I could have sworn Dee looked at me with relief, but Terra didn’t move the full weight of her stare from Dee. I honestly felt bad for her, it wasn’t a fun place to be on the other end of that glare.
I was about to ask the question, but Terra filled me in before the words left my mouth. Perhaps that was something I needed to get used to. “She’s leaving.”
Heir of Vaashaa: The Lost Child of the Crown (The Lost Child of the Crown Series Book 2) Page 13
