“Where are you taking me?”
“A place nobody likes to go. Which is the perfect place for hiding.”
“Hiding from normal people? Or hiding from Tainted?” The distinction was important to her. She needed to know if this man could work with her.
“Both. It’s a bit complicated. We’re almost there,” Glinda said. She entered another seemingly empty yard. But there was a small shack at the back of the property. This one had nobody trying to camp out.
“This is suitably creepy. Even the homeless are avoiding it,” Celes said.
“For good reason. Quickly now,” Glinda said. She led Celes to the front door. It was old and weathered, hanging at a slight angle. Glinda pulled it roughly and disappeared inside.
“It’s me,” she said. Celes followed close behind and stopped suddenly. It was very dark in the shack and her eyes needed to adjust. She could make out the outlines of some simple furniture. A chair, a couch, a desk, and some sort of side table. All placed irregularly around the room. There was a figure seated on the couch.
“I know it’s you. I just don’t know who she is,” a raspy voice said from the darkness.
“This is Celes. She needs your help.”
“Celes. That name is familiar. I’m Tarren. I have an idea on what you might want from me.”
“Nice to meet you. Has Glinda mentioned anything?”
“No. In fact I’m surprised that she brought someone. But she knows me, and my desires. Perhaps there is an overlap in what we want.” Tarren shifted on the couch but Celes couldn’t see exactly what he was doing.
“I’m looking for my son. I heard that you have specialised tracking skills and could be of assistance,” she said.
Tarren laughed, a scratchy grating sound. “I am good at many things. That’s why they call us Trackers. That’s why I was selected in the first place. Because I knew how to follow trails and find people.”
“Selected?”
“I was not born this way, nor did I succumb to an attack by a Blighter or similar. No, I was transformed into this. One of the first I believe.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know that was possible,” Celes said. She was glad for the dark, they couldn’t see the horrified look on her face.
“It’s of benefit to you now. I can probably help you, and I have the freedom to do it. I believe they have since perfected their process.”
“That sounds promising,” Celes said. She wanted to remain cautious until she found out just what Tarren was after.
“Why don’t you take a seat? Glinda, you can wait outside,” Tarren said.
“Sure, see you soon,” Glinda said, and left quickly. Celes watched her leave, not feeling confident at being left in the dark with Tarren. But this was her best lead; one she had to make the most of. She grabbed the chair and brought it a bit closer to Tarren and sat facing him.
“First, let’s discuss your son. Is he infected?” Tarren said.
“Why?”
“Easier to track. Once you’re infected you are connected to everyone else. It’s part of how the Blight works.”
“Not to my knowledge. I hope not.”
“That will make it harder to find him. What else can you tell me about him?”
“He’s a wizard and his name is Alrion.”
“Interesting,” Tarren said. “Continue.”
“He’s on a quest to cure the Blight. There’s this wizard who was transformed into a Shade who is after him as well. I think he calls himself Wraith now.”
“Oh.”
“You’re going to have to say something now. Clearly you know something!” Celes was trying hard to restrain herself. She could tell that something she said had triggered a connection for Tarren.
“Wraith has assembled a team of Trackers to chase down a wizard. I get the impression he is infected, but I haven’t been told explicitly. It would make him easier to track. From what you’ve said, there’s a good chance it’s your son.” Tarren went quiet. There wasn’t any emotion in his voice. Celes couldn’t believe it. Alrion was infected? It didn’t make sense. Vincent had rushed there to prevent an issue like this. If Alrion was infected where were they going and why?
“This is a lot to take in. As much as I want you to be wrong, there’s too many elements that ring true. Can you track the Trackers? Can we find my son?”
“You’re asking a lot. I need to actively work against Wraith. That comes with significant dangers.”
“You said something there. You said work against Wraith, not work against the Blight. What’s that about?” Celes rose from her chair and stared intently at Tarren.
“While there seems to be this central thread that connects us all, there are factions. And Wraith leads one of them. He didn’t create me.”
“I’m going to need to know more about that.”
“Another time perhaps. Are you ready to hear my price?”
“Fine. What is it?”
“I want to be cured of the Blight.” Tarren said the words and just let them hang without any follow up. He stood as well. Celes noticed that he was taller than her. But it was hard to make out the details in the dim light.
“It’s not in my power to grant that,” she said.
“I know that. But you mentioned your wizard son is on a quest to cure the Blight. You need to guarantee that he will cure me.”
“If you help me find him, then I will encourage him to cure you. I can’t guarantee it because I don’t control him. But I’m confident he will want to help you, especially since you will be helping me. Maybe that’s not what you want to hear, but I’d rather you had the truth upfront.” Celes was taking a risk, but she couldn’t agree to that bargain without a caveat. She couldn’t sign up Alrion to something he may not be comfortable doing. Tarren appeared to be looking into the distance.
“There’s more chatter. Things are happening. You have played this well. You want me to serve, then I will get my reward. Very well, I accept.” Tarren stuck out an arm. Celes was a bit apprehensive about shaking it, having no idea what she was shaking. But a deal was a deal, and she had no other options. She grasped his hand and shook firmly.
“Good, you have strength. I will meet you outside in a moment.” Tarren disappeared into a back room. Celes rushed outside and breathed deeply from the fresh air.
“You look a bit spooked,” Glinda said.
“It’s creepy in there, and his voice … it’s not reassuring. But I agreed to his terms. He will help find Alrion.”
“That’s good. He’s not a bad guy, Celes. That’s why I brought you. I figured you could help each other.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“When I’m right, you’ll be one step closer to curing us all. That day cannot come soon enough.” Glinda turned and watched the door open. Celes watched too, fearful of what would emerge.
Tarren was a tall man, with black hair and a black scarf wrapping around his neck. He wore a dark brown robe, covering all his body with the hood pulled up.
“Is this acceptable?” he said. He looked suspicious but not outright concerning.
“Yes.”
“Good. However, I must warn you. Once we leave the city we’ll travel lighter than this. My markings will be harder to hide.”
“That’s fine. We will adjust, as we need to. Where should we be heading?”
“North.”
“Not the desert?”
“Not anymore.”
“This is where I’ll leave you two. Take care and come see me when you return,” Glinda said. She came in for a hug, which surprised Celes. She gave the hug and Glinda whispered in her ear.
“He has a good heart. Just try and listen.”
“Thank you for introducing us. I’ll come find you when I return. Take care of yourself and your daughter,” Celes said. Glinda waved and walked off quickly.
“This way,” Tarren said. He moved faster than Celes expected. She had to up her pace to stay with him.
“I’m not ju
st a Tracker, which you will find out. Speed is one of my abilities. You’ll probably need a horse to keep up.”
“That can be arranged.”
“No need to fuss. We can get one on the way.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to make more trouble for you.”
“I have resources at my disposal. It will only be trouble later when they figure out what I am doing,” Tarren said. He didn’t add any more. They progressed through the dark streets and emerged at a small inn with stables attached.
“Wait here,” Tarren said. He quickly entered the stables.
What a strange man. Hopefully he’s everything he says he is. I have to at least see where things progress, she thought. Tarren emerged quickly, leading a black horse.
“Here. Keep it to a trot for appearances, but you can ride faster once we are in the wilderness.”
“Sure, I’ll follow your lead,” Celes said. She jumped onto the horse and nudged him forward. Tarren walked alongside without any effort. If anything, he was restraining himself from going faster.
They wound through many tightly packed streets, in an area of the city Celes had not really explored. Finally, they arrived at a small gate.
“Oh, I didn’t know there was another gate here,” Celes said.
“It’s not advertised widely. It’s a service entrance. More security too. But we won’t be challenged on the way out,” Tarren said. Celes nodded and kept pace. The gate was only wide enough to fit a standard wagon through. Two guards maintained watch. When they saw Tarren, one of them walked over to the metal winding mechanism. He grunted and puffed and slowly lifted the gate up in the air. Celes felt a little nervous with such a large weight hanging over them, but put it to one side.
They passed through the gate without incident, and Celes heard it crash back down to the ground moments later.
“We are free of the city. Soon we can start in earnest,” Tarren said.
“Do you know exactly where to go?”
“Enough to chart our course. I want to keep our goal as hidden as possible. That way we can travel fast and remain safe.”
“That makes sense to me,” Celes said. She looked at Tarren more intently, wondering what he was thinking. He didn’t seem to be completely focused on the trail in front of them. He suddenly turned and looked exactly at her.
“Everything is fine. I am monitoring communication as we go. Do not be alarmed.”
“That’s fine, I was just curious.”
“Understandably. You will know much more by the time we are through. But for now, while we need to appear quite normal I will see what information I can glean. Later we will focus on speed.”
“Thank you I appreciate that. I’ll leave you to it,” Celes said. She continued to take in the countryside. She didn’t recognise this path, and saw a large cart coming towards them.
I wonder what’s inside?
The driver of the cart didn’t look at them twice; he just focused on the path ahead. Even though Tarren seemed preoccupied he moved to the side to allow the cart to pass. Celes peeked over and saw stacks of cloth and wool.
Nothing exciting.
But she was sure more illicit things had to come in this way. It was not a coincidence that Tarren was familiar with the service entrance to the city. They continued along the path joining another she was more familiar with. This too had a lot of people on it. It was a major route. She was about to mention that to Tarren but he spoke first.
“We are taking a path just ahead so we can travel faster.”
“Of course,” Celes said. She kept her eyes open and looked for the other path. There didn’t seem to be one, and the path they were on seemed the same as it had been all those years before.
“Here,” Tarren said. He veered off onto a dirt track. It was so well disguised that Celes almost missed it. She nudged her horse across and followed close. After a few turns they appeared to be travelling parallel to the main path, but with a lot more tree and vegetation cover.
“This is a safer path. Not as well known, and not as frequently travelled. Plus, we won’t be spotted from the road. I will take point and you try and keep up,” Tarren said. Celes felt like scoffing at the statement but she held off. Tarren started to stretch his legs then took off like a bolt of lightning. She quickly spurred the horse into action.
I don’t know how that works, but he sure is quick, she thought. It was comforting that they could make great progress. But it made her nervous thinking of what else he could do.
7
GENERALS OF THE BLIGHT
Alyx headed for the edge of town. There, they found an older man selling fruit and vegetables out of a wooden cart. He had an old brown hat tipped over his face and Lara thought he was asleep.
“Is this him?” she said.
“Yes, it is. Hey, Wilson!” she shouted.
“Not so loud, I was enjoying the warm sun. There’s precious little up here at the best of times. Who is that?”
“It’s Alyx. We met on the road before. I helped you out of a sticky situation.”
“Oh yes. Those stinking thieves. They never knew what hit 'em,” Wilson said, chuckling. He grabbed an apple and threw it to Alyx. She caught it and took a bite out.
“One of my best seasons. What do you think?”
“Delicious,” she said. She tossed it over to Alrion. He took a bite and surprise overtook his features. Without saying anything he tossed it to Lara.
It’s just an apple, she thought, biting into it. The juices almost dripped down her chin, and it was the perfect blend of sweet and sour.
“Fine, it’s pretty good,” she said.
“What brings you to my neck of the woods?” Wilson said.
“We’re heading up north, and I remembered you lived around here. We’re going to need some horses,” Alyx said.
“I don’t know about that. I’ve only a few left, and I don’t want to part with them.”
“Can you spare two at least? Or three?”
“Hmm. I suppose I could let go of two. Would you be needing them long?”
“We would ideally be bringing them back, but we’ll buy them all the same. You never know what will happen on the road,” Alyx said.
“I doubt you’ll run into anything you can’t handle. Although, you do seem to be missing that giant sword of yours.”
“I do miss it.”
“Now that’s going to be a story and a half! Tell me when you come back this way. Young man, you push this cart. We’ll head back to the farm and I’ll give you a deal on two horses,” Wilson said. He stood and adjusted his hat, waiting for Alrion to come over and assist with the cart.
Hours later Alyx had negotiated a deal and they had the two horses saddled and ready to go.
“I’ll go with Alrion. You two share,” Lara said.
“Fine by me. You alright with that, Alyx?” Vincent said.
“Of course. Better to distribute the weight for a long ride.”
“Here we go,” Alrion said. He mounted and helped Lara up.
“Have fun you lot. And bring back my horses and some good stories!” Wilson shouted after them as they left.
They rode hard until noon, maintaining a cracking pace. The countryside was becoming less dense with greenery, and the road became flatter and rougher.
“Let’s dismount and give the horses a rest. We can walk them for a while,” Alyx said. They dismounted, and Vincent handed out bread to snack on.
“There’s something from your story I’d like to hear more about,” Alrion said to Alyx. She bit a big chunk of bread and chewed it slowly before responding.
“Some things I will not discuss. But ask.”
“You mentioned the four generals of the Blight. What’s that all about?”
“That’s actually an interesting story. Surely you know it Vincent?”
“I’ve heard a version, but not sure how accurate it is. You tell it.”
“Very well. Many years ago, the last King of Valrytir decided h
e would put an end to the Blight. This was before your grandfather cured Avaria. Valrytir is a huge kingdom, renowned for its fighting prowess and advanced armour and weaponry. They have the best army, and they can usually avoid outright battle because of their reputation. The King decided to task his four greatest generals with ending the Blight.” Alyx glanced over at Lara, and Lara flinched. But she didn’t think anyone else noticed.
“Four generals?” Alrion said.
“Yes. Each of them, a specialist in a different way. And each one worth one hundred men in terms of skill and strength.”
“Who were they? What exactly did they do?”
“Rindale was an Assassin. Expert at stealth and taking out single targets. Cathar was a skilled warrior. He was incredibly strong and wielded a great sword. He was unmatched in taking on multiple foes due to his speed and reach.”
“Cathar, I think I know which one you mean,” Vincent said. Alrion looked puzzled but said nothing.
“Yes, well that will be explained soon,” Alyx said looking at Alrion. “The next was Darvin. He was a protector, and renowned for his skill with the sword and shield. He could weather any onslaught, and navigate situations too dangerous for anyone else. Finally, there was Fermur. He was an archer without peer, and could scout like nobody else.”
“They sound like great warriors. Did they lead an army?” Alrion said. He looked like he was trying to puzzle out what had happened.
“No, they had information on a lead for what was the source of the Blight. So, the four of them went alone to assess and see what they could do. They didn’t wish to lead a huge expedition without knowing what they were walking into.”
“What’s the next part of the story?” Lara said. She was curious to see how much Alyx knew.
“Nobody knows what they encountered. It seems likely that they found the source of the Blight, but failed. Instead of accomplishing their task they returned as changed men. Transformed and corrupted by the Blight. And they took on different names and aspects.”
Spark of Truth (The Hidden Wizard Book 3) Page 5
