The main river is flowing quickly, having been swelled by the rain of the last two days. Walking is easier here as the water has periodically overflowed its banks and washed away smaller vegetation leaving a few large trees which had been able to withstand the rushing water.
Throughout the rest of the day, they make their way alongside the river, slowly coming to the far side of the pass. Near the end of the day, the mountains begin falling away and the road leading down from the pass becomes more visible above them.
“We better camp soon and cook our dinner before the light fades completely,” suggest Jiron.
“Good idea,” agrees James. “We don’t want to advertise our presence here to those up by the road.”
They find another sheltering tree beneath which Jiron starts a fire while James goes out into the cold water with a sharpened stick to get their dinner. After spearing two large fish in succession, he brings them back to the fire. The pain in his shoulder has worsened due to the strain of catching the fish. It’s definitely easier to catch fish with two good arms rather than one.
He rests his arm and warms himself by the fire while Jiron prepares the fish. “You wouldn’t think it was summer as cold as that water is,” James says.
“Summer’s almost over,” comments Jiron while he readies the fish. Once he has them skewered on sticks, he hands one to James who holds it over the fire to cook. The smell of the cooking fish makes his stomach cramp and he realizes he’s not eaten for awhile.
“The last time Miko and I had come this way,” he tells Jiron, “Cardri had a force up ahead at the end of the pass. They had also begun constructing a defensive barrier, I suppose in the event the Empire proved hostile to them.”
“That should make it interesting for us to get through,” he replies. “Maybe we could make it to the other side?”
Looking at the fast flowing river, James has his doubts about the feasibility of that idea. “I don’t know,” he says, hesitantly. “Let’s see what awaits us further down the river first. We may be able to make it past without having to cross.”
“As you wish,” says Jiron. Taking his fish off the fire, he checks it and finds it not quite done. Replacing it over the flames he sits back and relaxes.
The rest of the evening passes uneventfully. As the sun dips below the horizon and the light begins to fade, they put out their fire so as not to alert anyone to their presence. They again share the watch throughout the night and when the sun begins to rise, they set out for the end of the pass.
The rain had stopped sometime during the night and by midmorning the clouds begin breaking up. James welcomes the sunshine and enjoys the warmth it brings him. Sleeping without a fire on the cold ground had kept him shivering through most of the night.
Above them on the mountainside, the road leading from the pass continues its descent down to the plains on the far side. By midafternoon, it’s close enough for them to be able to make out soldiers traveling upon it. Most are moving toward the Madoc side of the Pass.
Early evening finds them close to the end of the Pass. From ahead of them, the scent of smoke wafts toward them from numerous campfires. “There must be a sizeable force up ahead?” Jiron whispers to James during a short break.
“There were around a hundred there the last time,” he says. “No telling how many there might be now.”
“We should await the coming of night before moving ahead,” suggests Jiron. “We’re just getting too close.”
“I agree,” responds James. They find a good spot to rest while they wait for night. James falls asleep for several hours until Jiron awakens him when it gets completely dark.
“Time to go,” he says to James.
“Right.”
Staying close to the river, they make their way carefully toward the end of the pass. After an hour of trudging along the bank of the river, they begin to see light from several campfires in the distance through the trees ahead of them. “Wait here” Jiron says as he moves forward to reconnoiter.
James waits by the river and watches as Jiron’s shadow merges with the darkness on his way to the camp ahead. After what seems a long time, Jiron returns. “Well?” James asks him.
“It’s not good,” he says. “They built a wooden wall across the entrance to the Pass, and it extends to the edge of the river. There’s no way we can get through on this side without going over or through the barricade.”
“Which would mean alerting them to our presence,” adds James.
“And I don’t think they’ll treat us kindly if we’re discovered sneaking around,” he says. “More than likely, they’ll treat us as spies, probably kill us on the spot.”
“Then it’s the river for us,” James says, not sounding too thrilled about the prospect of another dip into the cold water.
“They have a camp on the other side as well,” he says. “Though there are not as many, probably just enough to keep the Empire from sending small parties around or through the lines.”
“How about the river itself?” he asks.
“They don’t have that blocked off,” he says, “but they do have watchers on the wall stationed close to the river. I think they’re more worried about boats coming up the river than out of the pass.”
“I would think so too,” agrees James. He sits there and thinks awhile, knowing what he’s going to have to do but dreading it. After trying and failing to come up with an alternative plan, he says, “We’ll need to float down the river.”
“There’re plenty of logs on the bank of the river,” states Jiron. “We could tie a few together and use them to keep us afloat.”
“We don’t have enough rope to construct a raft,” counters James.
“I don’t mean a raft,” he explains. “I mean just enough to hang onto while we float in the water. It’ll be cold, but we shouldn’t drown.”
“Might work,” agrees James. “Do we even have any rope?”
Jiron grins as he lifts his shirt and shows him a coil of thin rope that’s wrapped around his waist.
“Where’d you get that?” he asks.
“Back in Trendle,” he tells him. “When I knew we were going to hide the Fire, I got it. Knowing you, I figured it would be needed.” James can sense that he’s grinning at him in the dark.
“Okay, let’s do it,” he says. For the next hour, they comb the bank of the river and locate several logs which will work. Tying four of them together with the rope, they soon have a makeshift raft.
“Ready?” asks Jiron.
“No, but let’s go anyway,” he replies. Helping Jiron push the raft into the water, he follows it in and takes hold with his good arm.
Jiron maneuvers them to the center of the river and they float silently toward the barricade. The number of men stationed in this area has indeed greatly swelled from before. A large encampment with several buildings has sprung up where the original site had been. The wall Jiron mentioned is thirty feet high with a platform running along the top allowing archers an area to stand where they can rain arrows down on attackers.
A thousand men or more are encamped on the side of the river where the road leaves the pass and another couple hundred on the other side. A hundred feet before they reach the wall, a rope spans the river. Sitting next to the river by the main encampment is a ferry which they must use to transfer men and supplies from one camp to the other. “Looks like they mean to stay here awhile,” whispers Jiron.
“I would have to agree with you,” replies James.
Now coming to where the river passes by the wall, they duck down in the water with nothing but their heads above the surface. At the end of the wall is a guard set to keep watch on the river but is currently talking to the man next to him. As fortune would have it, he’s facing the other way, away from the river.
The river takes them past the wall and into Madoc, now Empire territory. Before the encampment behind them completely disappears another one springs into view ahead of them.
A vast army is spread
across the plains. Sprawling on both sides of the river, campfires by the hundreds can be seen. Though no wall has sprung up to ward off Cardri’s men, they do have a series of sentries stationed on the Cardri side.
As they approach the Empire’s encampment, a soldier moves to the river and fills his canteen right when they pass. James holds his breath as the makeshift raft sails past without the soldier even noticing them. When the soldier gets back up and returns to the camp, they both breathe a sigh of relief.
The river continues to take them through the encampment, and they see a large series of tents on the pass side. These tents are much grander and on a larger scale than the hundreds of others that dot the landscape. These must be the tents of the commanders of this force.
At the rear of the encampment is a great host of horses, at least five hundred strong. What would they need with such a large force here? It doesn’t make sense, the fighting with Madoc is much further north.
At last, the river takes them past the end of the encampment and they pull themselves more out of the water as they watch the light from the campfires slowly disappear behind them.
Chapter Sixteen
“Why do you suppose they have such a large army back there?” asks Jiron once they’ve put sufficient distance between themselves and the Empire’s forces.
“I don’t know,” replies James. “It doesn’t make much sense though.”
“Think they’re planning to invade Cardri?” he asks.
“I don’t think so,” he says. “From everything I’ve seen and heard the last few weeks, I don’t believe they would be able to sustain a war with Cardri. They’re spread way too thin.”
After floating another few minutes, James indicates the north bank, “Let’s get out of the water.”
“But isn’t Saragon further south along the river?” asks Jiron.
“Yes,” he replies. “But we’re too exposed here in the river. When morning comes, anyone glancing in this direction is sure to see us.”
“Good thought,” says Jiron and they commence angling toward the northern bank. Dripping wet, they leave the river and do their best to wring the water out of their damp clothes.
“Shall we follow the river?” Jiron asks.
“I was considering it,” he says. “Though let’s stay some distance away to avoid being seen. And first chance we get, we’ll need to acquire some horses.” Looking to Jiron, he asks, “How far is it to Saragon?”
He shrugs as he says, “Don’t know. Never went very far out of the City of Light.”
Finished with emptying the water out of his boots, James laces them back on before getting to his feet. The squishing in his boots is a real problem. Besides being uncomfortable and annoying, he’s afraid of getting foot rot.
“You ready?” he asks Jiron.
“Just a moment,” he says as he goes over to their raft and begins untying the rope. Once he gets the logs untied, he pushes them back in the river where the current takes them and they soon disappear down the river. He ties the rope back around his middle again and then turns to James, “Now we can go.”
Setting out, they begin to move along the bank of the river, steadily moving away until they can just barely see it in the moonlight. Keeping the river on their right, they make their way to the south for several hours before the lights of a town appear ahead of them.
As they approach, they’re able to tell that the lights they are seeing are coming from campfires spread throughout what’s left of the city. The light reveals the city is all but destroyed. A once sizeable town has been reduced to a broken, charred remnant of its once former glory.
“Pleasant Meadows,” James tells Jiron in a hushed whisper.
“What?” he asks.
“Pleasant Meadows,” he repeats. “At least I think it is. Miko and I had come across people fleeing the Empire’s sacking of the city before coming to the City of Light. This town ahead of us could very well be it.”
“I’ve heard of it,” Jiron tells him. “They used to make good knives there, though it doesn’t look like they do anymore.”
“No,” agrees James.
Patrols are riding the perimeter and sentries can be seen positioned throughout the town. “Why would they need all that for a town so far behind their lines?” asks Jiron. “Unless there’s something there they’re protecting?”
“I don’t know, maybe” agrees James.
“Perhaps we should investigate,” suggests Jiron. “It might be important.”
“It could also prove dangerous,” counters James. “We don’t need to get ourselves killed without a good reason. Besides, how would we even get in there? They have the whole place cordoned off pretty well.”
“I don’t know,” he admits.
“Jiron, we have more important things to worry about right now,” insists James.
“Okay,” he says as he looks at the town longingly. His curiosity is definitely getting the better of him.
“Now, let’s make our way around to the other side, but keep your eyes open for an opportunity to acquire some horses.”
Moving away from the river, they circle the town, giving the patrols a wide berth. The opportunity doesn’t present itself to acquire horses by the time they’ve arrived on the other side of the town.
The sky begins to lighten as they leave Pleasant Meadows behind. “We’ll need to find some place to hole up until night again,” announces James.
“Haven’t seen anything yet,” Jiron replies.
As they continue along, the sky continues to brighten until the sun finally crests the horizon. They come across an orchard and move within the trees to better hide themselves. The fruit hangs heavy on the branches, testament to the fact that the farmer is no longer around to pick it.
James pulls one down and munches on it as they continue to move through the orchard, Jiron does the same. From out of the trees ahead of them, a blackened structure appears. Burnt down and destroyed, it probably used to be the home of the farmer whose orchard this is. Fortunately it still has two of its four walls remaining. “This could afford us some protection,” James offers.
“True,” agrees Jiron.
They advance on the house slowly, keeping a constant look for anyone who might still be in the area. Jiron draws James’ attention off to the side where three skeletons lie, their meat having been picked clean by scavengers. “Don’t think we have to worry about the farmer coming back,” he says gravely.
James nods as they continue their approach. In the corner of the house where the two remaining walls meet is a dresser which seems to have escaped the worst of the fire. The only damage it sustained was some scorching by the heat as well as some damage when a crossbeam had struck it when the ceiling collapsed.
It takes a few minutes, but they get an area cleared away in the corner large enough for them to lie down and get some rest. Taking turns at watch, they spend the rest of the day there in the corner of that burned out farmhouse.
Having taken the second watch, Jiron walks through the orchard around the farmhouse as he keeps an eye out for intruders. A noise causes him to stop in his tracks as he cocks his head, trying to locate where it had originated. The noise comes to him again. He plasters himself against the nearest tree as he looks off through the orchard.
Moving through the trees are five men on horseback, soldiers of the Empire. And they appear to be heading straight for the farmhouse where James is still sleeping. Moving quickly, he races for the farmhouse, trying his best to remain unseen by the horsemen.
Suddenly, a cry erupts as one of them catches a glimpse of him running through the trees. A glance back shows the horsemen quickly moving to overtake him. “James!” he yells as loudly as he can. Dodging between the trees, he alters his course to lead the horsemen away from the farmhouse. “James!” he cries again.
A knife appears in his right hand as he races through the orchard. From behind him, the men on the horses are calling to him in their language, but whether or not they
’re ordering him to stop, he can’t tell.
His meandering flight through the trees has succeeded in leading the horsemen away from the farmhouse. One of the horsemen behind him cries out as he falls off his horse, his right shoulder blasted away by one of James’ slugs.
The remaining horsemen abruptly come to a halt as they try to discover from whence this new attack is coming from. Jiron looks back at the horsemen and can see further behind them where James is standing by the broken wall of the farmhouse, as he cocks his arm back to unleash another of his deadly missiles.
Now with both knives in his hands, Jiron turns back and races to attack the mounted horsemen. The odds improve again as another soldier is knocked off his horse by the force of a slug blasting out of his chest.
The soldiers turn as one and race toward James, intent on seeking retribution for the death of their comrades. Their swords in hand and war cries on their lips, they ride to kill this lone man standing by the burnt out farmhouse.
Jiron races behind them, falling behind as he sees them rapidly closing the gap between them and James. Another soldier is taken out as a slug exits what used to be his skull, his companions don’t even stop. Hell bent on James’ death, they kick their horses into even greater speed.
Crumph!
The ground under them suddenly erupts, horses scream in terror as they’re thrown into the air. Bones snap and break as the horses fall back to the ground, smashing their riders beneath them.
Jiron reaches the scene, but the battle is over. The soldiers lying under the horses no longer move as the animals thrash and cry out. Taking up one of the soldier’s swords, he’s quick to put the injured horses out of their misery.
He looks up to see James approaching. “You okay?” James asks him.
Nodding, he replies, “I’m fine.” Looking around at the dead men, he continues, “Wonder what brought them into this orchard?”
“Who knows?” replies James. He goes over and takes the reins of one of the remaining horses and says, “At least we have horses now.”
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