by Dean Cadman
Thankfully, the tunnel was larger inside than the opening had suggested. Although they still had to walk in single file, at least Neala didn’t have to hunch over to walk, unlike Renn. The tunnel seemed to stretch on for a very long way, and although it smelt of damp, luckily there were little more than muddy patches here and there on their route through. When they finally reached the far end of the tunnel, they came to another ladder leading up.
“Wait here. I’ll go check above for any signs of people. Turn off the lanterns and leave them at the bottom of the ladder before you come up, please. Arturo said he would collect them later,” Renn said, handing his lantern to Neala and starting to climb the ladder.
“No problem,” Neala replied, extinguishing one of the lanterns and placing it on the ground. Renn reached the top of the ladder and listened for any movement or voices above. He didn’t expect to hear any, as he had been assured the exit of the tunnel was well away from the road, and well secluded from the view of any passers-by. He listened intently for a couple of minutes before pushing open the hatch to reveal a small clearing surrounded by dense trees. He climbed out of the hole and remained in a crouching position, while peering between the tree trunks for any signs of movement, but saw nothing. He signalled for Neala to come up the ladder and began to orientate himself as to which direction the road lay. The sun was just cresting the horizon to the east, and he guessed the road would be found somewhere to the south of where they were.
“Well, at least we didn’t have to go swimming to get through the tunnel,” Neala said, brushing off what little dirt her clothing had acquired during their subterranean travels. Renn chuckled and followed her example, patting down his clothing and clearing his hair of all the cobwebs he’d encountered leading them through the tunnel. Renn pulled the cover back over the tunnel entrance and replaced the camouflage he had disturbed, once more rendering the tunnel entrance all but invisible to anyone who might happen to pass by.
“I think the road should be that way,” Renn said, indicating to the south with a nod of his head. “I think we should find the road first, then stay hidden within the trees until we see Lusam and Alexia approaching.”
“Sounds good to me. Hopefully they won’t be too far behind us,” Neala replied, trying to rid her mind of all the unwanted thoughts she’d been having ever since leaving Helveel about Lusam and Alexia.
***
Alexia guided Lusam to where she and Neala had left their supplies and picketed the horses the previous day. Thankfully all was untouched, and the horses still had plenty of grass left to eat. They quickly saddled the horses and collected their supplies, then headed back towards the river. There was a bridge that spanned the river about a mile downstream, which they planned to use to get back over the other side. Then they would head directly north until they intercepted the northern road. It was only referred to as the northern road because it exited Helveel via the north gate, but the road soon swung around to the east and followed that direction all the way to the coast. They stayed well within the treeline until Helveel disappeared from view, before moving out into the more open space of the riverbank, making the travelling much easier, as they could now ride the horses instead of just leading them.
It was less than an hour before they came across the bridge that spanned the river. The sun was beginning to rise over the hills to the east, lighting up a clear sky that promised a comfortable dry day ahead for them. Lusam hadn’t mentioned it to anyone, but secretly he was excited to be going to Fairport. He had never even seen the ocean, let alone travelled aboard a ship before.
After crossing the bridge they headed due north until they intercepted the road. They had discussed their travel plans in detail the previous evening and knew that Renn and Neala would be waiting for them about a half-mile back towards Helveel. It had been suggested that Renn and Neala meet them nearer the bridge but there was no cover to hide there while they waited for Lusam and Alexia to arrive. Also, they all felt it would be unlikely to arouse suspicions if Lusam and Alexia were seen heading towards Helveel from the east, so the current plan was agreed by all.
Lusam and Alexia didn’t even travel half the expected distance before they saw Renn and Neala emerge from the treeline up ahead and wave in their direction. Lusam’s heart leapt at the sight of Neala, and he couldn’t help himself when a huge grin spread across his face. It wasn’t long before he could make out Neala’s equally wide grin, and soon they were hugging each other tightly, as if they had been separated for months.
“Eww, put him down, will you…” Alexia said smiling, with fake disgust in her voice.
Neala had felt guilty about not trusting her best friend the way she had. She knew it was only the fact that she loved Lusam so much, and couldn’t bear to lose him that had made her even think that way. What had happened in Stelgad had been put behind them both a long time ago, and after Alexia had explained what had happened, Neala had forgiven her completely. So to bring it back up now was unfair of Neala, and she knew it. She looked over Lusam’s shoulder at her friend sitting on her horse and silently mouthed the word, “Sorry.” Alexia winked back at her, then smiled broadly.
“I suggest we put some distance between us and Helveel as quickly as we can. The sun is just about up, and the road is bound to get a lot busier soon,” Renn said, scanning the road towards Helveel for any traffic.
“How many days do you think it will take for us to reach Fairport?” Lusam asked, finally releasing Neala and mounting his horse again.
“Normally it would take nine or ten days, lad, but I’m hoping we can do it in less than a week. We’ll no doubt need to exchange our horses a couple of times on the way, due to the pace we’ll be setting. So I hope when you said you had plenty of gold, you weren’t exaggerating too much,” Renn replied.
“Don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of money, I’m sure,” Lusam said. “I forgot to ask, did you gain any news from the temple last night?”
“No. Nothing we didn’t already know I’m afraid, lad. Arturo, the temple priest, said he was waiting for several letters that hadn’t arrived yet, but he isn’t exactly a chatty man,” Renn replied dryly.
“No kidding,” Neala laughed.
“There are simply far too many rumours and stories circulating for there not to be something wrong in the capital. I feel it’s imperative that we reach Lamuria as fast as possible. Our entire country’s survival might very well depend on it, and ultimately, on you, lad.”
Lusam didn’t respond but he felt confident he could deal with almost any situation since reading the second Guardian book. He only hoped his confidence wasn’t misplaced.
Chapter Thirty-One
The weather remained fair for the next six days, and as Renn had predicted, they had been forced to swap their horses twice already for fresher animals in the villages they had passed through. Only one night were they forced to sleep outside under the stars, and even then they had managed to buy fresh food from a village they had passed through earlier that day. The Inns they had stayed at were simple abodes, with only basic food and ale available to the weary travellers, and a pallet to sleep on come nightfall.
At each successive Inn—as they grew closer to Fairport—the stories regarding the imminent fall of Lamuria grew more prevalent, and more gruesome. Some of the patrons told wild stories of undead creatures wandering the countryside, killing whole families in their sleep and laying waste to any livestock they encountered. Others told of huge armies amassing outside the capital, ready to crush Lamuria and seize the High Temple for the Empire. Most disturbing of all, however, were the stories relating to the complete destruction of Lamuria that had already occurred. It was simply impossible to know which, if any, of the stories were actually true, or not. The only way they would know for sure was to travel to Lamuria themselves, and find out how bad the situation really was there.
According to Renn, they were now only about ten miles away from Fairport, so they decided to leave the Inn a couple of hours befor
e daybreak to continue their journey. If they could arrive in Fairport early enough, maybe they could book passage on a ship leaving that day, instead of wasting another day in port.
The weather wasn’t as kind to them on the final day, and those last ten miles felt more like fifty. The rain was more ice than water, and with the easterly wind, it drove hard into their faces for most of the way there. Lusam was very tempted to create a shield around them, to keep them warm and dry, but doing so would have been foolish under the circumstances, so he endured the unpleasant weather without complaint.
The first glimpse they got of Fairport was from the top of the hill overlooking the bay. It was a reasonably sized town, with many large warehouses situated near the docks and numerous houses nestled towards the base of the cliffs. It was apparent by the many people moving around on the dockside below that an early start to the working day was not uncommon here. Lusam counted five large ships being loaded and unloaded at the dockside, as well as three more at anchor a little further offshore. The road that led to the town below took a long meandering route down the hillside, making the journey up or down the road as easy as possible for anyone hauling goods in or out of the harbour area. What amazed Lusam the most, however, was the sheer size of the ocean. It stretched as far as he could see to the horizon, both to the north and south. He wondered just how big it actually was, but he didn’t want to ask, in case it made him look stupid in front of Neala or the others.
Renn continued down the gently sloping road towards the docks without pause, and the others followed close behind. Once they reached the bottom they dismounted from their horses and tied them to a sturdy looking fence.
“Best you three wait here and watch our stuff while I go see if I can find Byron, the harbour master. Fairport is well known for having more than its fair share of vagabonds and thieves. They wouldn’t think twice about helping themselves to any of our unattended items. Hopefully we can book passage south on one of these ships,” Renn said, nodding towards the docked vessels. Lusam had noticed several scruffy looking men hanging around the warehouses, but they seemed more interested with the contents of the buildings than their arrival in Fairport—for the moment at least.
“No problem, we’ll watch our supplies,” Lusam replied, watching as one of the scruffy looking men was chased away from a warehouse opposite them by a guard of some kind. Renn nodded, then set off walking towards one of the many buildings lining the dockside. He knew exactly where he might find Byron, and was proved right moments later when he knocked at the harbour master’s office door and was met with Byron’s voice from the other side.
“Come in,” he yelled from within the office. Renn opened the door and stepped inside to find Byron sitting behind his desk, looking intently at what appeared to be some ship manifest papers. Renn closed the door behind himself, then moved further into the room.
“What, no hello for an old friend?” Renn said jokingly, as Byron finally looked up from his stack of paperwork.
“Renn, you old dog… how are you? It’s been a while,” Byron said standing up and vigorously clasping arms with Renn.
“That it has, old friend,” Renn replied smiling back at him.
“Finally given up the search and heading back to Lamuria, I guess,” Byron said, returning to his seat and gesturing for Renn to take the seat opposite him.
“On the contrary, I found him, Byron,” Renn replied, beaming a smile at his old friend.
“That’s great news, Renn! But I fear it may already be too late for the lad’s training to count for much, any more. It seems the Empire may have already made their move against us. We lost three ships just yesterday to Empire forces east of Lamuria, and several more are still overdue,” Byron said with regret in his voice.
“That’s indeed bad news, old friend. We heard various rumours on the way here at the villages we passed through, but to have it confirmed by you… well, it just means our arrival at Lamuria is even more urgent now,” Renn replied sadly.
“Please, Renn, don’t take this the wrong way, but how can one paladin and an untrained boy possibly change the outcome at Lamuria? You would just both be killed. I’m sorry, but you’ll just have to face it—it’s too late now.”
Renn gave his friend a huge smile, shaking his head slowly. “Oh, Byron. The boy, Lusam, is far more powerful than the High Temple could possibly have imagined. I have seen him do things I once thought impossible. He is, without doubt, the most powerful mage we have, and the best chance of turning the tide of this war in our favour. If we can get him to Lamuria before it’s truly too late, we stand a real chance of changing the outcome of this war.”
Byron paused for a moment, considering Renn’s words carefully, then replied, “If what you say is true, and I have no reason to doubt you old friend, then that is heartening news indeed. Unfortunately, we have no way to get you to Lamuria right now. Most of the Captains are choosing not to sail at all, but the few who are, refuse to travel further south than The Serpent Isles.”
“Maybe we could convince one of the Captains to take us further south than The Serpent Isles. We have plenty of gold to buy passage with them, and I’m sure even the Empire’s recent activities haven’t changed their appetite for gold,” Renn replied.
Byron looked out of the window towards the docks, a thoughtful expression on his face, trying to work out which Captain was most likely to accept the risks involved. He wasn’t sure any of them would risk their lives and ship for a purse of gold right now, but he thought he knew of one Captain who might be convinced, depending on the weight of that purse, of course.
“I think your best hope is probably Captain Waylon of the Pelorus. I hear his luck at the card table hasn’t been so good of late. He’s apparently run up quite a sizeable gambling debt with the local money lenders, and they’re becoming eager to collect from what I hear. Word has it that they intend to take his ship if payment isn’t forthcoming by the end of the month. I’d say he would have little to lose by taking you up on your offer right now, and, according to his ship’s manifest papers I read before you arrived, it looks like he’s heading to The Serpent Isles anyway,” Byron said.
“Do you think we could arrange a meeting with this Captain Waylon? He sounds like a promising candidate to me,” Renn asked hopefully.
“Yes, that shouldn’t be a problem. He’s scheduled to leave in about an hour at high tide, and he can’t leave without his paperwork from me anyway. But, before I introduce you to Captain Waylon, maybe you should introduce me to this remarkable young lad of yours, what did you call him… Lusam?” Byron replied, motioning towards the door behind Renn.
“Of course,” Renn replied, feeling a swelling sense of pride in Lusam—one that was usually reserved for the relationship between fathers and sons he guessed, smiling and gently shaking his head to himself.
Outside Renn and Byron approached the others still watching over their horses and supplies. Byron caught Renn’s eye and looked questioningly towards Neala and Alexia, but said nothing.
Renn chuckled and said, “It’s a long story, but needless to say we will need passage for four people and our horses.”
“People are one thing, but the horses won’t be travelling on the Pelorus, even if Captain Waylon agrees to your offer. There’s just nowhere to keep the horses on the ship. Unfortunately, the ship’s hold is designed for grain storage, not livestock. I’m afraid you will have to dispose of your horses here, then procure new ones later on. There’s a horse merchant in the north west corner of town, maybe he’ll buy the animals from you,” Byron said.
A moment later they met up with Lusam, Neala and Alexia, all of whom had been watching their approach silently.
“Everyone, this is Byron, the harbour master, and an old friend of mine. This is Lusam, Neala and Alexia,” Renn said introducing each in turn to Byron.
Byron shook all their hands in greeting, then turned to Lusam and said, “I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you, Lusam.”
Lusa
m looked confused, and turned to Renn for any clarity he might be able to offer. Renn chuckled at the look on Lusam’s face, then said, “Byron was sent here by the High Temple not long after you were born. He was our northern contact for passing on the updates between your Hermingild… sorry, your grandmother, and the High Temple in Lamuria. When you vanished after Asima’s death, Byron was the one who relayed any information about your suspected whereabouts to myself and the High Temple. We needed someone we could trust with the reports, and once a year he made the journey himself to Lamuria—under the guise of visiting family members there—to deliver the reports to the High Temple. He was the one who first reported the potential activity of Empire agents in Helveel to the High Temple. The priest of the small temple in Helveel had inadvertently discovered the presence of an Empire agent, and reported it to Byron through one of his missives. Unfortunately, that was the last we ever heard from that priest, he just vanished, and that led to the appointment of the current charming fellow in residence there now. If Byron hadn’t been here, it’s highly unlikely any of us would be here today,” Renn said, patting his old friend on the back.
“So, are you also a paladin?” Neala asked.
Byron looked at Renn, obviously concerned as to what information he could safely divulge in front of them. Renn nodded his head, indicating he could speak freely here.
“No, Neala, I’m not a paladin. I work for the High Temple, though. I suppose you could call me a sleeper agent. There are many of us in Afaraon in key positions around the country. Wherever the High Temple needs information or influence you will usually find us,” Byron replied quietly enough for only them to hear.
