The surprised elf ricocheted off the pole directly into Traven’s swinging sword. The sword landed solidly against the guard’s temple, and he slumped to the ground as well. Traven immediately turned and raced back towards Darian. The elf whose knee he had pummeled was limping towards Darian from behind. Traven shouted a warning to his devoted servant. Darian glanced to his side and saw the new threat just in time to slightly twist his body. The result was a glancing blow to his side instead of a solid strike across his back.
Traven finished covering the ground between them and slammed his sword down with tremendous force upon the injured guard’s outstretched arm. The guard dropped to the ground with a shout of pain. Traven then singled out one of Darian’s remaining three attackers and engaged him. The ten guards had now been reduced to only five. Three were actively attacking while two remained guarding the exit.
One of Darian’s other attackers switched to Traven. Darian took advantage of finally being able to fight one on one and quickly subdued his opponent. He then joined Traven, and the two of them dispatched of the other two guards in short order. Having defeated their current attackers, they stood next to one another, thankful for the opportunity to catch their breaths.
Darian’s left forearm was swelling up and looked as if it had been struck quite hard. Traven also knew his companion had received the glancing blow to his side, but other than that it didn’t appear that Darian had sustained any other injuries. Traven was amazed to realize he had only taken the one blow to his side. He touched it tenderly, but it didn’t feel like he would have anything worse than a bruise.
The two remaining guards by the exit made no move towards them. They seemed content to remain in place, blocking the exit. Traven recognized one of the two as the most vocal leader of the mob from the previous day. Neither one appeared worried. He only saw determination and excitement in their eyes. Several of the other elven guards were beginning to push themselves up off of the ground. Darian turned to Traven.
“We want to hurry and get you through before any of the others can rejoin the fight,” the elf said quickly, in between breaths. “The two remaining elves are probably the two best swordsmen of the group. I do not think it would be wise to engage them. They are rested while we are nearing exhaustion. They probably could hold us at bay long enough for some of the other guards to join them.”
“What do you suggest we do?”
“I suggest we rush them,” Darian advised with a smile. “We should be able to catch them off guard. If you hit with enough force, you will be able to propel yourself far enough to end the first part of the trial. Remember, all you have to do is pass between the poles. As soon as you cross between them, all of the guards will be forced to immediately bow to you and stop fighting us.”
It sounded like a good idea. The two guards were only an arm span in front of the poles.
“Sounds good,” he said. “Which one do you want?”
“I’ll take the one with the big mouth on the left,” Darian stated. “I will show him what a slave can do.”
Traven could tell from Darian’s face that he had taken the earlier insult personally.
“Okay,” Traven said. “I’ll take the one on the right.”
He took another deep breath and studied his target. The elf was tall but skinnier than many of the others. He supposed his momentum would be enough to knock the guard over backwards.
“Now!” Traven shouted as he took off as fast as he could.
Darian was immediately at his side. They quickly accelerated and were almost at full speed when the gap between them and the guards completely disappeared. The two elven warriors raised their swords to defend themselves but weren’t ready for the force of the assault.
As the guard swung his sword, Traven knocked it away without slowing and launched himself directly into his opponent, hitting the elf’s chest with his right shoulder. The guard was firmer than he had anticipated, but his momentum was still enough to knock the elf backwards off of his feet. As they came crashing to the ground, Traven tucked his head and continued forward in a roll, pushing off the elf. He popped up to his feet at the completion of his roll and spun around.
The stunned guard was just beginning to push himself off the ground. Traven looked to his sides and found that he was standing directly in between the two poles. He took a small step backward and breathed a grateful sigh of relief. He had traversed the length of the proving field and was now at the base of Mount Morian. The first portion of the trial was complete.
The crowd of elves who had gathered to observe the trial burst out in thunderous applause and cheers from the other side of the proving field. Darian got off of the guard he had taken down and walked nonchalantly over to Traven. He stopped right in front of one of the poles, being careful not to pass the invisible line that marked the beginning of the base of the mountain. He gave Traven a triumphant smile and turned to face the field.
The six elven guards who were still conscious made their ways to their knees and bowed in Traven’s direction. Traven noticed that the one Darian had just attacked had a bloody nose. Apparently, his elven companion had done more than just knock the guard down. Darian stood proud and tall as he surveyed the ten guards.
Traven basked for several moments in the cheers and the relief of having come through the first part of the trial virtually unscathed. He then tossed his practice sword back into the proving field and removed his thick, fur coat. He was sure it would be useful later, but for now he was happy to have it off. The cool air against his wet clothes was a welcome reprieve.
“Thank you,” he said to Darian. “I couldn’t have done it without you. There is no other elf I would more willingly fight alongside.”
“I was just doing my duty, Master,” Darian replied with a smile. “I know you are tired, but I would suggest you start up the mountain immediately. The further you can travel in daylight, the better. Good luck. I will be waiting here in a couple of days to welcome you back.”
Traven smiled and nodded to his devoted servant and friend. Darian nodded in return and began proudly walking back across the field to the waiting crowd with his head held high. Traven glanced over the field and at the crowd one more time. He then turned his back to them. He tossed his fur cloak over his shoulder and began walking away from the elven haven and up the mysterious mountain.
The ground rose almost immediately, and he realized from the very beginning that the climb wouldn’t be an easy stroll. As he passed through the smaller trees of the mountain forest, he searched the area and located a long, straight stick that could be used both as a weapon and as a walking aide. It was a little more than an arm span in length. He picked it up and stripped it of several side branches. Next, he kicked loose a pointed rock and used it to scrape the tip of the stick into a point.
Once finished, he surveyed his work and decided the makeshift spear would work just fine. He rested for a moment in the quiet solitude of the forest. He hadn’t walked very far up the mountain yet, but it already seemed as if he was in a world far removed from everyone else. The untouched, natural beauty of the woods was refreshing after the intense fight he had just experienced.
Growing near him were several plants with small white and yellow flowers. They appeared to be the ones Darian had told him about. He used the rock he had found to dig up the plants. Each one had a thick, yellow root about the size of his thumb. He brushed the dirt off one of them and took a bite. The crunchy root was rather bland, but he was happy to have something to eat after the strenuous fight. He finished it off and put the remainder of the roots in his pockets.
What he really needed was a drink of water. Darian had assured him there was a stream nearby that he would follow all the way up the mountain to the entrance of the cave, but he still hadn’t seen it. Traven continued hiking up the mountain, slightly to the east. Whenever he saw the white and yellow flowers, he would stop and dig up their roots. It wasn’t long before he had all of his pockets full of the yellowish vege
tables.
Shortly after he finished collecting the roots, his ears picked up the gurgling of running water. He quickened his pace at the promise of a refreshing drink. After rounding a particularly large boulder, the stream finally came into view. Traven eagerly hurried to its edge and knelt down. He cupped his hands and dipped them in the clear water of the mountain stream. He instinctively jerked back his hands. The water felt like liquid ice. He smiled and dipped his hands back in. He raised the icy water to his mouth and drank deeply of the refreshing liquid.
When he had gotten his fill, he pulled out one of the roots and washed it off before eating. Along the edges of the stream, he noticed the bushes with the deep purple berries that Darian had said were edible. He began following the stream up the mountain, gathering berries as he walked past the bushes. They were definitely tart but not unpleasantly so. He continued along the edge of the stream, confident it would lead him to his eventual destination.
No longer worried about finding his way and with his thirst quenched, Traven enjoyed his surroundings as he continued up the mount. He saw an abundance of birds and several squirrels hopping among the canopy. He even saw several rabbits and foxes darting away at the sound of his coming.
By mid afternoon, the trail had become much steeper, and he found himself in an ever narrowing gulch. It soon became necessary for him to cross back and forth across the narrow stream and to climb over large boulders to continue his progress. The sides of the gulch rose up sharply on both sides of the rushing stream. He considered climbing up out of the gulch but wasn’t sure that the effort of scaling one of the sides would be worth it. For all he knew, the terrain outside might be even more difficult. He decided he might as well continue along the banks of the stream.
As he progressed upward, he was thankful he had filled his pockets with the nutritious roots earlier, for he no longer saw any of the plants with the small white and yellow flowers. The bushes with the deep purple berries had also disappeared with smaller bushes displaying bright red berries taking their place.
As he climbed higher, the air became cooler and moister. The difficulty of the path kept him warm enough to not want to don the fur coat, but it was apparent he would need it as soon as he stopped for the night. His legs began to protest the continual strain of hiking upwards with every step burning his thighs. He stopped several times to take short breaks but spent most of the afternoon and evening moving forward at a steady pace.
The light began to fade, and Traven took it as a sign that he needed to stop and eat dinner. He found a large boulder nearby and climbed up on top of it. His legs thanked him as he stretched out and lay down to give them a rest. He stared up at the patches of darkening sky that were visible through the branches of the trees and ate several more of the yellowish roots. He was already getting tired of them but was thankful he had something to eat. Earlier he had entertained the thought of trying to catch one of the rabbits or squirrels he had seen, but he couldn’t get past the thought of eating them raw.
He supposed it would be wise to look for some grubs to eat as well, but for now, he had plenty of the roots. He considered making a camp for the night but disregarded the idea. Although he was tired, he still had enough energy to climb further up the mountain before stopping. He hoped that if he pushed himself hard enough tonight, he could get close to the tree line and have most of the following day in which to reach the cave.
Traven pushed himself up with a groan and climbed down off the rock. With the setting of the sun and the increase in altitude, he finally felt the need to don his coat. He pulled it on and continued following the stream up the mountain. The light faded until night had completely fallen. While traversing the unknown landscape in almost complete darkness, he was incredibly grateful for his heightened sense of sight and awareness.
The gulch eventually opened back up, and he found himself in a wide valley surrounded by an immense forest of pines. As he continued up Mount Morian, the air grew wetter as fog began to blanket everything. The result was a very eerie landscape of half seen shapes and shadows. Several howls in the distance pierced the relative quiet of the night. He shivered involuntarily at the sound.
Traven concentrated and sent his awareness out in all directions as far as he could. He knew he wasn’t allowed to actually wield the ambience, but there were no restrictions against using all of his physical abilities. He did not want to be caught unaware in the dark, gloomy forest. His grip on the makeshift spear tightened as he persisted in following the stream upward. The fog proceeded to thicken, and his vision became restricted to only a few arm spans in any direction.
The temperature continued to drop. Traven pulled his fur cloak tighter around him as his breath could now be seen in puffs of steam that rose to mingle with the dense fog around him. He began to feel short of breath and started to feel very exposed and vulnerable. He wished once again that he had his sword at his side and that he could use the ambience.
His ears began picking up all sorts of sounds in the surrounding forest. A broken twig here and a rustle of needles there. He concentrated more intently on his surroundings but didn’t sense anything near him. His toe suddenly caught on a rock, and he pitched forward. He caught himself on the ground and stood back up, thankful he hadn’t ended up in the freezing water of the stream.
He decided it would be unwise for him to continue any further in the darkness. It was hard to see much of anything, and he was exhausted. He glanced around, looking for a good place to lie down for the night, but all he saw were the fog and vague shadows. Darian had said there were wild beasts on the mountain, and he wasn’t about to go to sleep without some kind of shelter.
Traven closed his eyes and focused on the flow of particles around him. It seemed as though there were some large rocks to his left, not far from the stream. He opened his eyes and carefully made his way towards them. All he could see were tree trunks and thick fog until the rocks suddenly appeared in front of him. He walked around them until he found a small nook between two of them that looked like it would work. He thrust his spear into the nook to make sure nothing else was occupying the space. After satisfying himself that it was indeed empty, he settled down with solid rock at his back and sides. He positioned the spear so that it pointed outward with its tip about half an arm span off the ground. If anything did come upon him while he slept, it would have to come at him from the front.
He pulled his fur coat snuggly around him and tried to get comfortable. The moist air seemed to seep into his bones, making it impossible to get completely warm, even within the confines of the heavy coat. Despite the lack of comfort, he was so exhausted that he quickly drifted off to sleep.
Something suddenly caused him to jerk awake. It was still dark, but the air appeared to be getting slightly lighter. He listened intently, trying to discover what had pulled him from his sleep. All was silent. He leaned back and shifted his position in an attempt to get comfortable. Perhaps it had been nothing. Just as he closed his eyes, he heard a low growl.
23
Kalista sat atop her horse at the edge of the road and watched as the last of the refugees passed her and made their way into the camp area. Night had completely fallen much earlier, but it had taken until now for all of those traveling from Candus to reach the camp. She put both hands over her mouth and stifled a yawn. It had to be at least midnight now. She had chosen to stay awake until everyone had reached camp and wondered if it had been wise. It would make it that much harder to get up in the morning.
The day had been long and taxing. She had thought her march with the Kalian Army had been difficult, but the memory of it seemed easy compared to the current task before her. A group filled with both the elderly and the extremely young made it difficult to travel at much more than a slow walk. The sluggish pace had made it necessary to keep the citizens moving until slightly after nightfall in an effort to get them as far away from the city as possible.
Her day had been filled with people worried about the possess
ions they had been forced to leave, people complaining that they could not walk any further, and with the cries of babies. She supposed it broke up the monotony of the trip, but it was definitely not pleasant or encouraging. There were some parts that had been better. Several times she had been able to help small children find their way back to their mothers. Seeing the relief on their faces when they were reunited with their families made those tasks the easiest to bear. Reassuring people that they could in fact keep walking and that all would end well was more trying on her patience.
Hopefully, the citizens would grow accustomed to the long days of walking and not complain as much. However much she disliked the grumblings, she could not blame those that vented their frustrations. It was a hard thing to be forced from your home and left wondering whether it would still be intact when you were allowed to return to it. These were definitely trying times.
Kalista would have felt better if they had covered more ground, but she supposed they were far enough to be beyond any threat of the galdaks. She led her horse over to her tent. She could see several campfires still in use, but the majority of people had retired for the night.
“My Princess.”
“Yes,” she said as she turned towards one of her guards, wondering what he needed.
“I know it has been a long day,” he began timidly. “But I was wondering if I might ask a favor of you?”
“Go on,” she said tiredly.
“I would normally not be so bold as to trouble you with trifling matters, but my sister begged me to make a request of you. My five year old niece has been sick for some time, and the evacuation of the city has been very hard on her. My sister tried to comfort her by telling her that she would be traveling with the High Princess of Kalia. The long day has been hard on the little girl, and the excitement of travelling with a princess has faded. She misses the familiarity of her home, and the stress is taking its toll on her fragile body. My sister wondered if you would be willing to condescend to visit the poor girl. I understand if you are unable to fulfill her wishes.”
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