“Do you know him?” Frieda asked.
“He’s a Kingsman,” Erdhan replied.
Frieda gasped. “If we had known that, we would not have offered him shelter.”
“Do you know where he was headed?” Orlla pressed.
“He didn’t say, and we didn’t ask. When war’s afoot, people are always running. He could have been a deserter for all we knew. He was badly scarred.” Frieda frowned as if remembering something else. “He talked to your brother quite a bit. Maybe he knows something more.”
Orlla’s pulse quickened. She only hoped Samten hadn’t told Arnulf of their intentions to travel back to the Angladior mountains. He might be waiting there with Hamend when they arrived.
She excused herself from the circle and wandered over to where Samten and Franz were tossing rings onto wooden pins with several other young lads. She waited until Samten finished his turn and then tapped him on the shoulder. “I heard Arnulf came by the camp. What did he want?”
Samten gave a careless shrug. “Said he had been ordered to oversee the cleanup of Wilefur. He left a couple of his men there to finish the job.”
“Frieda tells me you spent a lot of time together,” Orlla persisted. “Did he ask about me?”
“No, he never mentioned you.”
“That seems odd after everything that happened. What did you talk about?”
Samten gave her a wolfish grin. “Soldier stuff—how I was going to enlist in Hamend’s army once Erdhan got back and Franz became his responsibility again.”
Orlla fought to keep her emotions under control. “Why do you still wish to join the Macobite army after everything that’s transpired? Isn’t it obvious to you that Hamend seeks the Opal of Light for his own gain, just like Brufus?”
Samten’s eyes darkened. “All the more reason for me to enlist. The Keepers approved of the idea of having someone trustworthy in King Hamend’s service.”
Orlla bit her lip. It wouldn’t do any good to tell her brother that he was too reckless, too careless, and too untamed to be a soldier. The more she tried to persuade him to abandon his plan, the more he would resist her. She would discuss the situation with Akolom when they had a moment alone. Perhaps he would have an idea.
Samten swept a hand over his head, smoothing down his dark hair. “I’ll travel south with you until we meet up with some of Hamend’s troops, and then I’ll go my own way.”
“You do realize Hamend might use you to get to me?” Orlla said.
Samten snorted. “And all this time I thought it was me you were worried about. Don’t worry, I won’t give you up, sister, if that’s what’s bothering you.”
“It’s not about me, or you, it’s about the dragon stones and the fate of the world that rests with them.” Orlla flung up her hands in exasperation. “I’m going to turn in. We’re leaving after breakfast if you still want to come with us.”
Long after everyone else had fallen asleep, Orlla lay awake, worrying about Samten. Despite his bravado, he had no idea what he was getting himself into. King Hamend would see him as a disposable pawn in a dangerous move to get close to the Opal of Light. She adjusted her cloak around her and then stilled at the rustling sound of someone moving around.
Propping herself up on her elbow, she peered over at Erdhan’s rising and falling form curled up next to Akolom and Samten at the front of the cave where the men were sleeping. Nothing untoward. Had she imagined it?
A heartbeat later, a dark figure in a long cloak tiptoed through the slumbering bodies and slid a hand into the sack at Akolom’s waist.
Chapter 29
Orlla scrambled to her feet and darted between the sleeping women and children. She reached for the cloaked figure, yanking the thief away from the sack, peering at the face beneath the hood.
“Frieda! What do you think you’re doing?” Orlla whispered urgently, pulling her back from the sleeping figures.
“Nothing,” she mumbled, a hint of confusion in her voice. “I … wanted to see the dark dragon stone, that’s all.”
“Did you touch it?”
She frowned and shook her head. “I couldn’t reach it. The neck of the sack is tightly knotted.”
“For good reason! Didn’t you hear Akolom’s warning last night? The stone darkens hearts and wreaks destruction everywhere it goes.”
Frieda rubbed her brow in an agitated fashion. “I’m not sure why it was so important to me to see it. I couldn’t sleep—couldn’t think about anything else.”
“You are more susceptible to its deceptive allure than others,” Orlla said, loathe to admit to Frieda that she shared the affliction. “Go lie down. We will be gone at dawn and you will be safe from the stone’s influence after that.”
To Orlla’s relief, Frieda didn’t argue, but instead picked her way quietly through the sleeping women and children and lay back down next to her young son.
Too unsettled to sleep anymore, Orlla sat down at the mouth of the cave where she could watch the stars and still keep a close eye on Akolom and the sack. Shivering in the cool night air, she hugged her knees to her chest and stared at the horizon until the first peach fingers of dawn made their way into the cave.
Eager to depart, she woke Erdhan and Akolom and shared with them what had happened. “We cannot risk anyone else falling under the stone’s influence and trying to take it from us by force over breakfast,” she whispered to them. “We should leave now before the camp awakes.”
Akolom grimaced. “I agree that we are putting these people in danger if we remain here any longer.”
Erdhan wasted no time waking Samten and Franz. They gathered their things in their travel sacks, along with some provisions the women had pressed on them the previous evening for their two-day hike to the Angladior mountains.
They marched at a brisk pace, stopping only once to eat and rest along the way. By the time The Leaky Cup on the road south to the Angladior mountains came into view, the light was beginning to fade. From the shelter of a small copse of trees on the other side of the road, they studied the comings and goings at the stone building. Through the grimy windows, it was evident the establishment was busy. The tables were packed with boisterous patrons and serving wenches laden down with provisions scurried between the inn and the tavern.
“Looks like we’re out of luck for a room for the night. We could sleep in the stables,” Orlla suggested.
Akolom pulled out his crystal lens and stared intently through it. “It wouldn’t be wise to stop here at all. The place is crawling with Macobite soldiers.”
“Then this is where we part ways,” Samten said abruptly. “I’m going in to the tavern to sign up with the troops.”
Orlla opened her mouth to protest, but Samten put a finger to his lips, a tiny smile curling up the end of his lips. “I don’t answer to you, sister, or anyone else from Efyllsseum.”
Before she could stop him, he darted out of their hiding place and ran across the road to the tavern door. Without a backward glance, he unlatched it and disappeared inside.
Orlla threw the others a look of despair. “I can’t leave him behind to die at the end of a sword.”
“You’re not leaving him. He’s walking away,” Erdhan pointed out, slipping an arm around Franz who looked distraught at the prospect of losing his friend.
Orlla turned to Akolom. “Isn’t there some rune you can use to stop him?”
He shook his head. “Samten is a wild weed, difficult to cultivate, and impossible to contain. Runes will only bind him temporarily and further enrage him.” He interlaced his fingers in front of him and studied her for a moment. “You must decide if your mission is to control your brother’s destiny or secure the dragon stones—you cannot do both.”
Orlla fell silent and stared across at the stone inn. She had fulfilled her duty to her father by attempting many times to save Samten from his own folly. He had made it clear that nothing would prevent him from signing up with the Macobite army. To expend any more energy on that cause wou
ld be futile. He was master of his own ship now. Her mission lay deep in the rugged Angladior mountains, and it would take all her focus to succeed in the task that lay ahead.
“We might be able to find out from the stable hand what he knows about Hamend’s whereabouts and the soldiers’ movements,” she said. “There must be a reason why so many troops are heading south. The stable hand helped me out once before—he’ll remember me.”
“It would be good to know what awaits us before we reach the Angladior mountains,” Erdhan agreed, throwing a concerned look at Franz.
Akolom gave a dubious shake of his head. “We can’t trust the stable hand now that Hamend has made it known he is hunting for Orlla—he is likely offering a sizable reward for her capture, and a traitor’s death to anyone who aids her.”
“I do not believe he will betray us,” Orlla replied. “He has a good heart.”
After some more cajoling, Akolom reluctantly acquiesced. They waited until all the serving wenches were inside before slipping across the road and making their way to the stables at the back of the tavern.
The hulking, cauliflower-eared stable hand flushed when Orlla stepped through the door and smiled warmly at him. “Do you remember me? You came to my aid recently.”
“Yes, miss.” He looked down at the bridle he was holding and then turned and hung it on a hook behind him. “I’m surprised to see you back here. You must know there’s a bounty on your head.” He cast a nervous eye over Akolom, Erdhan, and Franz who had followed her inside. “I can’t hide you, or your friends, if that’s what you’ve come to ask of me.”
“I would not put your life in danger with such a request,” Orlla said. “You have already helped me more than you know. We are on our way to take refuge in the Angladior mountains. What can you tell us of our path ahead and the troops’ movements?”
The stable hand scratched at his forehead for a moment. “The road south is swarming with our troops. You will find it hard to stay hidden.”
“And what of Brufus?” Akolom inquired. “Has he returned?”
“Not as far as anyone knows, although sightings of Pegonian soldiers are reported regularly.”
“Why is Hamend moving so many soldiers south?” Erdhan asked.
“To hold off any attempt to invade Macobin.”
Orlla furrowed her brow in confusion. “By whom?”
The stable hand threw her a doleful look. “Efyllsseum, of course. Protectors have sealed off a recently discovered pass through the mountains with a wall of armed men, but beyond that, they have not made their intentions known. The Macobite army is stationed in Brufus’s old camp.”
Akolom and Orlla exchanged silent looks of alarm at the news. Surely Teldus wouldn’t have ordered such a move upon his return to the island. It didn’t bode well for his safety. And if the Protectors had closed off the pass, how would they reach the other Keepers?
“If you want my advice, you should return north as quickly as possible,” the stable hand added. “You will almost certainly be captured if you continue on to the Angladior mountains. Hamend has every soldier in Macobin searching for you.”
Orlla grimaced. Samten had given her his word he wouldn’t betray her, but could she trust him?
The sound of hooves and raucous laughter drifted their way. The stable hand put a thick finger to his lips and peered around the door. “More troops arriving.” He gestured to the far end of the stables. “Hide in one of the stalls until I get their horses unbridled.”
They scurried to the very last stall and hunkered down inside it, taking shallow breaths as they peered out at the new arrivals. The soldiers dismounted and handed their reins over to the stable hand. “Are we in time for supper?” one of them asked.
The stable hand bobbed his head as he worked to unbuckle the saddlebags on the exhausted mounts. “They’re still serving over at the tavern. It’s a full house tonight.”
The soldier grunted. “Hamend wants Efyllsseum to experience the full force of his army tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” the stable hand echoed.
“The Macobite army will push through the pass at dawn,” a second soldier said. “He aims to recover the Opal of Light by sundown. With the dragon stone in our camp, Brufus and all of Pegonia will fall to us.”
Orlla bit her lip, willing the stable hand to keep probing for more information. But, the hungry soldiers were already taking their leave. “Make sure and rub our steeds down well. We rode them hard today.”
“Yes sirs,” the stable hand responded, leading the horses over to some empty stalls.
As soon as the soldiers had disappeared, Orlla darted out of the stall. “We must take our leave at once,” she said to the stable hand.
He gave an uncertain nod. “Is it true the Opal of Light is in the Angladior mountains?”
“Let us hope so,” she replied, a strained note in her voice. The alternative was too frightening to consider. “It has been entrusted to the Keepers of Efyllsseum. It can never fall into the hands of any monarch. Such power is too costly a prize.”
The stable hand nodded gravely. “I wish your mission every success.”
After thanking him for his discretion, the group bade him farewell and took their leave. They slunk back across the road and slipped silently between the cover of the trees.
“We’ll have to travel through the night to reach the pass before Hamend attacks,” Orlla said.
“If only we had horses,” Franz added.
Erdhan ruffled his brother’s hair. “We’d be spotted too easily on horseback. We need to stay hidden. Think you can keep up?”
Franz jutted out his chin. “Of course.”
Orlla cast a furtive glance Akolom’s way. She was more worried about Akolom being able to keep up than Franz—especially as she wasn’t sure she could trust herself to carry the Onyx the rest of the way if Akolom faltered.
They hiked due south, shadowing the road and keeping an eye out for any patrols in the woods. Several groups of mounted horsemen went by, oblivious to the figures crouching in the undergrowth.
“King Hamend will not leave the woods unpatrolled,” Erdhan said, as they proceeded. “Pay close attention to your surroundings as we draw nearer to the pass.”
All too soon, the sharp-eyed Franz spotted a Macobite soldier leaning against the trunk of a tree in the distance, chewing distractedly on something. They gave him a wide berth and continued on their course until the pass was visible.
Orlla stared through the trees in disbelief. An unbroken line of Protectors formed a giant wall of shields across the entrance to the pass. “There’s no way to get around them.”
Akolom frowned. “Not with brute force. We must find another way.”
“How?” Erdhan asked.
“I’m not sure yet,” Akolom admitted, “First, I need to set up a communications rune and find out where the other Keepers are. Once we are through the pass, we must be certain of our route in case we are pursued.”
They retreated far enough under cover to make sure they were out of earshot of the Protectors.
“Weave the rune with me,” Akolom said to Orlla. “The stronger it is, the more quickly it will reach the Keepers.”
Erdhan rested his hand on Franz’s shoulder and watched as Orlla and Akolom stretched out their arms and began constructing the communications rune. They mouthed the words in unison, expertly weaving the complex layers together. When Orlla felt Akolom begin to waver, she increased her concentration and bolstered his flagging efforts until at last the Keepers swam into focus, a blurry ensemble visible only to Orlla and Akolom.
“Greetings,” Akolom began in a breathless tone. “I do not have much time. Protectors have sealed off the pass and Hamend’s troops are stationed nearby, preparing to attack. We will find a way through, but we need to know your location in the mountains.”
Jubel floated forward, her image flickering for a moment. “We are a day’s journey due south of the pass, hiding in a well-concealed cave. We are aw
aiting your arrival before we go deeper into the mountains to find a more permanent abode for the Opal of Light. I have marked the route to our cave with rune carvings.”
“I am heartened to hear you are close by,” Akolom replied. “I am weakening by the hour.”
“We will call on the stone to bolster your power.” After a moment’s hesitation, Jubel asked, “Do you have the Onyx of Darkness?”
“Yes, and it has proven even more dangerous than we feared, slaying lives wherever it goes.” Akolom furrowed his brow. “It must be destroyed as soon as we have the Opal of Light at our disposal to protect us.”
Concern flickered across Jubel’s face. “When should we expect you?”
Akolom exchanged a glance with Orlla. “If we cannot find a way past the Protectors before Hamend attacks, we will construct veiling runes and slip through while the battle wages.”
Jubel nodded. “We will await your safe arrival.”
The Keepers’ images gradually faded from sight. Akolom nodded to the others. “It’s time to figure out how we are going to get through the pass.”
They moved soundlessly forward until the wall of Protectors’ shields came into sight again in the distance. From behind the trees, they observed in silence, assessing the challenge that lay before them.
“They must change shifts at some point,” Erdhan whispered. “Perhaps we can take advantage of that to slip by them under the guise of veiling runes now that the Keepers have bolstered your power.”
“Perhaps,” Akolom replied dubiously. “We’ll need to observe a shift change first to determine if it’s possible.”
From behind the wall of shields came a sudden pounding of hooves. Akolom made a shushing gesture with his hand. “Perhaps we have timed it right. Pay careful attention.”
Someone was giving orders to the Protectors lining the pass, but it was impossible to make out the words.
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