“This is not over,” the scarred leader of the soldiers shouted at the night sky; his voice grating like a landslide. “I saw your face, wretch! You will pay for this!”
They slowed their pace, but rode well into the night to put as much distance as they could between them and the gigantic Tybalt and his men.
It was nearing midnight when Warren finally spoke up. “I need to s-stop-p,” he said between his teeth chattering. “I’m c-cold…need a f-fire.”
“Fire not good idea.” Aelianna said.
“How cold are you?” Garrick asked, his expression unreadable in the dim light of a half moon.
“F-f-freezing,” Warren managed.
“We can dig a small pit and keep the fire hidden,” Aldrick suggested.
“It doesn’t seem that cold to me,” Garrick said. “But I didn’t get as wet as he did.”
“I hope that bloody brute and his men gave up,” Dathan said.
Garrick closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Opening them again, he said, “I think we’re alright, for tonight at least. But let’s keep the fire small, just in case.”
Aelianna found a sheltered grove and they worked quietly to set up camp and build a small fire pit. Warren huddled shivering and miserable in front of the crackling fire with his hands held out towards the flames. They ate a hearty dinner, and sat quietly around the dying embers of the fire. Even at night, the continued threat of another unexpected patrol meant keeping conversation to a minimum.
It was Aldrick who finally broke the uneasy silence. “We need to make up for the time we lost today.”
“We should reach the bloody Northwest Road tomorrow, or the next day,” Dathan said. “Normally we could have taken the bloody road from Karkerech, but with all the bloody soldiers…” He let the thought hang unfinished.
“We’ll make better time tomorrow,” Garrick added. “We’ll be fine once we reach the road. At least I hope the soldiers won’t patrol that far north. Let’s get some sleep.”
“I h-hope not,” Warren managed. “I d-don’t want to g-go through that again.”
Chapter 19
The following day they broke camp early, with Warren complaining of a headache the entire time. The sky was clear and cool, and by High Sun they had reached the Northwest road, with no sign of Tybalt or his army patrols. They rode fast and made good time the rest of the day in spite of Warren’s incessant complaining, although he did look particularly peaked by the time they stopped that night to make camp.
The following day he looked even worse, and although he kept up with the group, he did so without complaining. Garrick saw that as a bad sign; when Warren was complaining, more than likely everything was fine. It was when he stopped his incessant grumbling that it was time to start worrying.
That evening they arrived at the mining town of Durin, which lay to the west of Kishen. Durin was a small out of the way village built around the rich mines supporting the capital city of Illyria, but now the typically humble town was bustling with activity. Everywhere they looked there was an abundance of soldiers, but unlike Karkerech, the soldiers here moved about with purpose.
Garrick was forced once again to pull his hood down to avoid recognition, and they quickly made their way to the single inn. The chill Warren had developed falling into the river had now blossomed into a full-blown cold. It had become increasingly clear he needed time to rest and recuperate, regardless of the urgency of their mission.
Garrick tied his mount to a hitching post, and entered the solitary inn to secure lodging for them. Dathan spotted an herbalist across the road and strolled over to the shop, hoping to find something to help alleviate the symptoms of his friend. Aldrick climbed down from his horse, stretching after the long ride and thinking yet again of how much he would rather be back in the library in Akkadia than on horseback.
He was checking the straps on his gear when Aelianna inquired, “There is slaves in this land?”
“Slavery is illegal in Illyria,” Aldrick replied without looking up.
“What is this then?”
Aldrick raised his head and peered in the direction she indicated. There was a long line of disheveled and exhausted looking workers, marching into town from the west under heavy guard. One tall, muscular guard had a long dark whip he used profusely on anyone who stumbled or lagged behind. Slavery might be illegal in Illyria, but he would never have known it from the horrendous working conditions these people had.
Aldrick was quite troubled by the horrible treatment of these poor people, but at the moment he was more worried by the very suspicious looks that the guards were sending their direction.
“Why they look at us like that,” Aelianna pondered aloud.
“I was wondering that myself,” Aldrick replied. “I think we should get Garrick.”
Dathan returned with a small parcel in one hand. “I bought some bloody herbs. The blasted woman behind the counter seemed bloody frightened.” When no one replied he followed their gaze to the line of bedraggled workers and glaring soldiers. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know,” Aldrick said. “But I think we should be leaving.”
“Bloody Urkalla, we haven’t done anything wrong.”
“I don’t think that matters,” Aldrick surmised.
Garrick vaulted out of the inn as two guards broke away from the disheveled line and started in their direction. “We need to go,” the king ordered. “Now!”
“What about a room?” Warren coughed weakly, slumped on his horse. “I need rest.”
Garrick jumped into the saddle. “I’m afraid it won’t be here.”
Sensing his urgency, they quickly mounted and wheeled their horses to the north. Behind them, the two approaching soldiers called out for them to stop. Ignoring the order, they galloped away toward the trail leading out of Durin.
They rode hard up the road, and Aldrick cursed inwardly at the dust trail spreading out behind them, marking their escape route. They soon passed an immense building off to their left that was still under construction. Featuring a plain façade, yet nearly the size of a palace, this simple mining village at the corner of the world seemed the last place anyone would expect to find such a monumental construction. Workers that looked like slaves were all around the structure, working on both the building itself, as well as the surrounding grounds.
“What is that?” Warren croaked hoarsely as they rode.
Garrick spared only a moment to call back, “Just ride,” before spurring his horse faster.
Before Warren could argue they heard a klaxon sound from somewhere within the town behind them. All interest in the new construction was lost with the realization that the echoing alert was more than likely meant for them. Even Warren managed to find the strength to hunch down and ride faster.
Before long they reached the last house of Durin, a ramshackle and dilapidated one story dwelling whose roof had all but caved in from weather and inattention. Galloping past the last remnant of a better day, they left behind the mining village of Durin, and with any luck, the soldiers stationed there as well.
In a few dozen strides, the dusty road ended and the ground funneled into a small trail, leading up into the mountains.
They brought the panting horses to a halt at the base of the mountain trail. “What are we going to do?” Warren moaned after a particularly violent sneeze.
Aldrick reached into an inner pocket and retrieved the map they had acquired from Navin. Unfolding it, he said, “The trail leads through Durin and continues to the north. Unless there is another road somewhere around here, I would say this must be the right way.”
“I don’t see another bloody road,” Dathan observed, scanning the surrounding area.
Another horn blast sounded from a distance, helping them to make up their minds. The trail ahead, although steep, was wide enough and the incline gentle enough for riding. With little choice left to them, they nudged the horses onto the trail and began the long climb into the mountains.
/> The land rose quickly, as they slowly ascended into the Kalligros Mountains. It was not long before the sun dipped below the towering peaks that lay to the west. Almost immediately they noticed a biting chill in the cold night air, which they had not felt in the warmer air of the lowlands. They were forced to slow their pace even further once the sun had fully set, but the constant threat of pursuit from the soldiers in Durin kept them climbing well past dark.
Finally, Warren’s condition forced them to stop. His symptoms had progressed past what was merely inconvenient, and now he could barely remain in the saddle. By the time they stopped to make camp for the night, he was shaking with fever. Even wrapped in blankets, he huddled near the small fire they had lit out of necessity.
Exhausted after being chased for the second time in about as many days, they collapsed near the fire and ate a quiet supper. Between bites, Aldrick could not help but ask, “What happened back there? What’s going on in that town?”
Garrick poked the fire with a long stick. “Weapons. More specifically, the manufacturing of weapons: swords, spears, arrowheads and the like, as well as some great secret project going on in that building we saw being constructed.”
“How did you find out?”
Garrick threw another small branch on the crackling fire, and sparks popped from the brown autumn leaves. “The innkeeper, I think his name was Hale, recognized me. With everything that’s happened, I was worried about being recognized at first, but it turned out for the best.”
“Will he talk?” Aldrick asked.
“I don’t think so,” Garrick replied. “He often travels to Kishen to visit family and recognized me from a visit to the palace. He seemed genuinely loyal. I learned a few things though.”
“Such as?”
“As Dathan warned us, there is a countrywide search for me. Hale said I was wanted for ‘questioning’ in regards to the disappearance of several nobles and generals around the time of the Gathering. The traitorous bastard who killed my father hasn’t come right out and said I’m responsible for their deaths, at least not publicly. But Hale said that’s the impression he got from the soldiers.”
“You had nothing to do with…” Warren began, but was cut off by a violent sneeze.
“I know,” Garrick replied, sounding resigned. “Drink your tea, Warren,” he ordered, but softened the remark with a warm smile.
“Truth is rarer than gold,” Aldrick quoted.
Garrick nodded, and continued. “Hale didn’t believe it, but of course he never imagined he would see me in Durin. They have rounded up everyone in the area and are using them as slave labor in the mines, and to manufacture weapons for the army. As I said, the construction we saw is some type of weapons factory. Hale also said there are rumors of some kind of secret project being developed there as well, but he didn’t know any details.”
“How did Hale escape that fate?” Aldrick asked.
“He and a handful of valuable shopkeepers in town were spared, to serve the soldiers overseeing the mine and weapons work. We couldn’t have stayed in the inn in any case; the army has taken it over. The truth is Hale is no better than a slave. He is forced to cook and clean for them, without pay. He has no choice but to comply since the alternative would be laboring in the mines or at the weapons factory.”
“Aldrick say slaves not legal,” Aelianna said with a disgusted look on her face.
“That’s true,” Garrick sighed. “Or it was. I will have my hands full cleaning this mess up. I must say I far preferred the easy days of life as a prince, that were nothing but wine, women and song.”
Warren chuckled, but his laugh degraded into a bout of coughing, and he moaned into his tea while Aelianna patted him on the back.
The following morning, Warren simply could not stay on his feet. Garrick managed to get him to drink a sip of water before he immediately fell back into unconsciousness.
“We can’t drag him any further,” Aldrick said, rubbing his arms in the cold morning air. “He really should be inside out of this cold.”
“He is very sick,” Aelianna noted. “If he stay out in this he die.”
“He is not going to die!” Garrick shouted. Looking down at his sleeping friend, he repeated in a softer voice, “He’s not going to die.”
“He cannot travel,” Aldrick said. “Is there anywhere we can take him?”
“No,” Garrick shook his head.
“He may not be able to bloody travel for days,” Dathan mused.
Aldrick frowned. “All the while, Jahann is getting further ahead.”
“We may not have to worry about that,” Garrick grinned. “Unless another large group has been this way recently, we are right behind him.”
“How do you know that?”
“I did some scouting this morning at first light,” Garrick replied, stretching and knuckling his back. “There is plenty of evidence of their passage through here that we could not see last night in the dark.”
“We can still catch him then,” Aldrick’s face brightened, until his gaze fell on Warren, lying prostrate by the fire. “But not with Warren in this condition.”
“It gets worse,” Garrick added with a sigh. “I didn’t scout that far ahead, but it appears that we soon reach the end of the trail.”
“I thought the bloody map said this was the way to Khodara?” Dathan exclaimed.
“Khodara doesn’t actually exist,” Aldrick argued. “The map only shows Jahann’s intended route into the mountains.”
Garrick shrugged. “Either way, the trail leads to an old abandoned mine, and there it ends. Whoever it is that is ahead of us must have reached that point and continued on foot. I could see their horses through the trees. Even if Warren was conscious, he certainly isn’t in any shape to climb a mountain.”
“Then we have no choice but to leave Warren and the horses behind,” Aldrick surmised.
“I’ll stay with him,” Dathan offered. “I’m no bloody doctor, but I learned a few tricks in the blasted army, and I have these bloody herbs for him.”
“I hate to leave Warren,” Garrick sighed. “But you’re right, he’s in no condition to travel. We are close to Jahann, and I feel we need to move quickly.”
Aldrick nodded. “We’ll need to adjust our packs, if we have to leave the horses behind.”
They quickly rummaged through their supplies, packing only the bare necessities. They avoided talk of the condition Warren was in, or of how he might fare exposed as he was to the cold mountain air. No one wished to think about the eventuality of their returning, only to discover that what help Dathan had provided had been in vain.
Garrick grimaced every time he looked at his friend; it was only Warren’s ragged, labored breathing that told them he was still alive. His pallor was reminiscent of the pale ‘ghost’ bandits of his home region, and although Aldrick hoped for the best, he secretly thought it unlikely that Warren would survive another cold night, much less the next several days. He did not voice his suspicion of course; there was no benefit in worrying everyone any more than they already were.
Dressed as warmly as they could be, Aldrick and Aelianna finished redistributing the supplies and shouldered their packs. Garrick hesitated, standing silently over the sleeping form of his friend.
“You don’t want to leave him, do you,” Aldrick said, more a statement than a question.
“Part of me feels if we leave him here now, I’ll never see him again alive,” Garrick replied with a grimace. “And yet somehow I also feel that everything will turn out fine.”
Aldrick put a hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture. “I’m sure he’ll be fine. Dathan will take care of him.”
Garrick nodded absentmindedly. “I’m not usually this torn in my senses, but now…” He let the thought hang for a moment. Finally, he shook his head. “Let’s go.”
The king had a quick word with Dathan, and then they turned and started up the trail after the sorcerer.
Chapter 20
Befor
e long the three reached the abandoned mine Garrick had discovered earlier. As the king had said, through the trees they could see several horses standing about grazing on scattered clumps of grass.
Aldrick counted the horses in sight. “If Jahann has only six men with him, we may stand a chance,” Aldrick said with a confidence he did not necessarily feel.
“Some have undoubtedly wandered off,” Garrick replied, surveying the surrounding terrain. “I believe they went this way,” he said, leading them towards an area to the right of the entrance to the mine where the incline appeared gentle enough to climb without too much difficulty.
The Key of Creation: Book 02 - Journey to Khodara Page 15
