“Did you find anything exciting?” Erin asked him.
“Oh yes, I think I did,” he said and winked at us both.
I slowed down a bit and let Aidric take the lead. Trying to keep up with his long stride was killing my ankle and making me grumpy. Erin slowed down and walked with me. Once Aidric was a few feet in front of us she laced her arm through mine and drew close to me.
“Isn’t he dreamy?” she whispered.
“You better not let John hear you say that,” I muttered back to her.
“Oh, come on, admit it. I could get lost in those big brown eyes of his. Have you noticed when he’s talking to you, he makes you feel like you’re the only person in the world that matters?”
“Yeah,” I admitted. “I have noticed that.”
“And I think he’s got a thing for you, he keeps stealing glances at you when you’re not looking. You must’ve made a big impression on him.”
“Now you’re just being silly,” I told her with a scoff.
“Murphy’s going to get jealous if Aidric keeps this up.”
“Stop teasing,” I told her. “They don’t think of me that way.”
“So where did you go for so long? We thought for sure you must have found something interesting when you didn’t come right back.”
I paused for a moment. The woman had told me not to tell anyone about my abilities but surely she meant anyone in Adylra. Erin was my best friend, and I told her everything. She obviously knew I was from another world so what would it matter if I told her I could do magic? But then I thought about what my friends might think if they found out it was my fault we were here in the first place. And even worse, I had no idea how to get us back home.
“Nowhere really, I was just enjoying walking in the forest,” I lied. “You and Aidric looked like you were buddy buddy over by the stream,” I said, changing the subject.
“I was asking him questions about the capital city,” she said. “I told him that we had never traveled outside our village before. It really does sound wonderful, Lydia. Huge open-air markets. Tons of eating houses and shops. He said the castle is beautiful, and in a few months all the nobles will be at court. Doesn’t it sound fascinating?”
“That was smart,” I told her. “Yeah, it actually does sound fascinating. Maybe this won’t be so bad after all. Maybe we can have some fun until we figure out how to get back home.” The thought made the tightness in my chest that had been there since we arrived lessen slightly.
“I think we should try,” Erin said with a grin. “Maybe this will all turn into one grand adventure for us. Or at least a really amazing dream.” We both laughed at that.
“What’s so funny back there?” we heard John ask. We had made it back to the campsite. John and Murphy had cleaned up what little supplies we had and packed them into a pack the strange woman must have left.
“You all didn’t pack much,” Aidric pointed out.
“Well, we didn’t plan on getting lost in a forest for a couple of days,” I told him. “We were supposed to meet up with a convoy going north but I’m sure we’ve missed our chance for that now.”
“If I have to guess I think you will like my convoy much better,” Aidric said.
We didn’t have time to ask him what he meant.
I looked up and into the forest. I thought I heard something, but I wasn’t quite sure. Before long I heard it again.
“Is that a horn?” I asked.
“Ah,” Aidric said. “It seems my companions have found me at last.” I couldn’t help but think he sounded more resigned than excited about it. He pulled a horn out of his bag. It was slightly curved and carved with an intricate design. It looked like it was made from some sort of animal horn. He blew three short notes on it. The sound was pleasant. In a few moments we heard one long and two short notes in reply.
It wasn’t long until we heard the sound of hooves and barking approaching us.
“You all may want to get behind me for a moment until I sort this out,” he told us with a bit of an apologetic grin. We did as he suggested. Then a huge company of animals and people burst through the trees all the way around us. We stood back to back with Aidric and watched as the explosion of horses and dogs and people cascaded out of the trees. It took me a moment in all the confusion to figure out exactly what was going on.
Hound dogs were making their way around us, sniffing and baying. Four huge wolfhounds were standing just out of our reach. They were standing completely still with their ears pricked, staring right at us. There were about fifteen people on horseback surrounding us from all sides. There were men and woman all dressed in clothes similar to ours with some notable exceptions. Each of these people wore hard leather vests over their shirts and all had leather guards on their shins and calves. Half were holding long spears and the other half had large bows with arrows. And they were pointing at us. I gulped and stepped back so I was pressed as close to my friends as I could get.
I glanced over at Aidric. He was standing like he often did, with one hand hooked in his belt and the other casually resting on his sword hilt. He didn’t seem concerned about the explosive arrival of the people around him. One of the horses approached our group a couple of steps. His rider was a man who looked to be in his mid-30s with sandy blonde hair. Unlike the rest of the group he was not pointing a weapon at us. He bowed low over his horse.
“Your Highness, we are glad to find you. We have been worried about you. Are you well?” I was confused. Your Highness? Aidric stepped forward and it dawned on me. Erin and I both shared a glance with each other as we both came to the realization of what this meant.
“I am fine, Reynard,” he said in a commanding tone I hadn’t heard from him before. “Now please stop pointing weapons at myself and my friends here.” There was a shuffle as all the men and women lowered their weapons and put them away. Someone whistled and all the dogs ran back behind the horses.
“Your friends, Prince?” Reynard asked.
“Yes, my friends. Lydia, here, helped me out of a tough spot earlier this morning. She and her friends are going to accompany us to Windburn and the castle as my guests.” Aidric, the prince, motioned me forward as he spoke. I took a couple of steps so I was standing next to him and gave a little wave. I wondered wildly if I could use my so-called magic to open up a hole in the ground below my feet to swallow me. Reynard looked at the prince and I with an expression of complete confusion. He cleared his throat and smoothed his expression.
“Of course, my prince. Pardon my confusion. When you disappeared, we worried something had happened to you. We were not expecting to find you with, uh, friends.”
“Well, you have. So now that you’ve found me what do you say we get back to the rest of the company?”
“Yes, of course Prince Aidric. Let’s do that.”
“I trust you brought Midnight.”
“Of course, Your Highness.” Reynard motioned with his hand and someone came forward leading a large black stallion. The horse nickered when he caught site of Aidric and trotted the rest of the way to him.
“Unfortunately, we do not have horses for your companions. We were not aware you would have anyone with you.” I thought Reynard sounded a little frustrated with the prince. Aidric didn’t seem to notice, or at least chose to ignore it.
“No worries, I’m sure some of our riders will share their mounts, won’t they? Everyone, this is Erin, Murphy, and John. Nadine, if you will let Murphy ride with you? Walter, would you mind doubling with Erin? And, let’s see, Rain if you wouldn’t mind taking John. Lydia, you can ride with me.” Aidric spoke and directed people with ease, and like he had no doubt he would be listened to. Prince Aidric seemed a lot different from the guy we’d been spending time with all morning.
The riders shuffled a little to let two women and one man through the crowd. These were the people Aidric had called to. They approached us and stopped to wait. It took a moment for the four of us to realize they were waiting on us to move.
/> “Well,” Aidric said. “Shall we?”
16
“Lydia, we’re over here on Midnight,” Prince Aidric said and beckoned to me after my friends were settled on their horses. I turned to look at the large stallion he was holding the reins to.
“I should have asked first, I hope you don’t mind riding with me?”
I was startled he was concerned. “Oh no, thank you. Er—Your Highness.”
“Oh, stop. You weren’t concerned about that before you found out I was the prince, no need to be now. Have you ridden much before?”
“Some,” I lied. In actuality, Erin and I had both been taking riding lessons almost since before we could walk. I was feeling less than generous with information about myself with the prince at the moment, though.
“Here, let me help you up. I know your ankle is bothering you.” He held his hands out. I placed one foot in his hands and grabbed the reins and saddle with my hands. He hoisted me up easily, and I swung my leg over the back of the horse. As soon as I was settled, Aidric mounted behind me. He clucked to Midnight and the horse started forward. The rest of the company filed into two columns behind us and followed. I felt a little awkward sitting so close to him. I could feel myself stiffen slightly every time he moved. Finding out that he was the prince was proving hard to wrap my mind around.
Like he could read my mind he said, “Lydia, don’t let the fact that I’m the prince bother you. I’m still the same guy you rescued from the hole. Although, if we could keep that story between ourselves that would be great. I try to be the one rescuing people, not the other way around.” I giggled at that and could feel myself loosening up some.
“Your secret is safe with me. You snuck away didn’t you? The way that guy, Reynard was talking, it made me think you weren’t supposed to be out here alone.” I felt Aidric shift and tighten his hold on the reins a bit. It was a bit difficult talking to him when I couldn’t see his face. I was afraid I had hit a sore spot.
“Yes, I did,” he admitted. He didn’t sound like he was upset. I breathed a sigh of relief. “Reynard is the head of the Palace Guard. We are currently on progress checking on some of the more remote villages. They’ve been having some issues with bandits in this area. I’m supposed to be leading the company, but my father sent Reynard to keep an eye on me.” He sounded a little bitter about it.
“If your friends can track you, how did you sneak away?” I asked.
“Oh, the bracelet only works if it’s on. I didn’t put it on until I fell in the hole. I’m sure they didn’t start trying to track me until this morning. I am much happier you found me first. But enough about me, tell me, where are you all from?” he asked.
“A village near here,” I told him. It was where the woman said she was taking us so I figured it was as good as anything.
“Oh, really?” Aidric said, sounding eager. “Barr is our most remote village. I actually don’t know much about it. They send some of their wealth each year to the castle but other than that we rarely hear from them, and because of their location there are rarely any travelers coming or going from there. I wanted to go there on this trip, but my father insisted it would take too long. You must tell me all about it.”
I bit my lip and tried to think fast. What was I going to tell him? The strange woman hadn’t actually told us anything about the village, only that we would be going there.
“Please, Your Highness,” I said, hoping my idea would work. “The village is much like every other small village in Thavell, but I don’t really like to talk about it. You see, we were born and raised in the village, but like I mentioned before, we are orphans. Murphy and Erin are siblings. Their parents died of fever when Erin was still a baby and Murphy was only two years old. My parents died in a fire, and John lost his mother to illness and his father in a hunting accident. The villagers raised us, feeding, clothing, and sheltering us as best they could as we grew. But we left to find work and to leave all our painful memories behind. I don’t want to offend you, but it was not the best upbringing and I would rather leave the village in the past if it’s all the same to you.”
I could feel Aidric shift in the saddle and then he laid a comforting hand on my arm and said, “Of course, Lydia, please accept my apology. I have no desire to bring up painful memories.”
“No apology necessary, Your Highness. Thank you for humoring me.”
“I promise not to ask again if you promise to call me Aidric,” he said.
“Of course, Your—uh, Aidric,” I said. “Would you mind telling me about the castle?” I asked him, more to change the subject than anything. “I’ve heard stories about it growing up, but I would love to hear about it from someone who lives there.”
The prince smiled. “Of course! I’ve lived there my whole life so I forget how fascinating Windburn Castle and city really are. The castle is a huge stone wonder. It is actually built into the mountain itself. It is centuries and centuries old. Every single ruler from the founding of Thavell has lived in Windburn Castle. Legend has it the stone itself is bound together by magic and was created before the time that magic was lost.” I perked up a little. That sounded interesting.
As we rode along the prince continued to describe Windburn Castle. I figured out as he talked that the capital city was also called Windburn. From his descriptions it sounded like Thavell was a big kingdom. If there were more kingdoms in Adylra, it could be a really large place. I wasn’t sure what I thought about that information. With more people about, it almost felt like there were more people to watch me and catch me if I messed up. But, on the other hand, if there were more people and potentially more kingdoms surely there was one person that would know how to send us home. But the thought of trying to find that person was completely overwhelming.
The sun had almost set when Aidric held up his hands, stopping the whole party. Everyone stopped their mounts and stood silently for a moment and then from somewhere in front of them three horn blasts sounded. Aidric reached under his cloak and pulled out his ornate horn and blew three of the same short blasts. There was one long and two short answering blasts.
“That’s the all clear. Let’s join up,” Aidric said. Everyone began to dismount. Aidric dismounted quickly from behind me, leaving a chill of cold air. I followed. He threw the reins over Midnight’s neck and held them easily in one hand. Murphy, Erin, and John had all dismounted and were heading our way.
Aidric turned to us and said, “This is where I leave you for now, travelers. I need to check on my convoy. Nadine will take care of you from here. We should be to the castle in a week’s time. I think we have a wagon that can be spared for you all to ride in for now. You are my guests so you will be well taken care of. Please let Nadine know if you need anything.”
He mounted Midnight again and rode forward with Reynard and Rain, the woman who John had ridden with, behind him. Everyone else continued to walk on foot. The woman Murphy rode with approached us, leading a large chestnut mare with a white blaze down her face.
“Follow me,” she said. She motioned with her hand and the four of us followed her through the last bit of trees and out into a large pasture. As soon as we exited the trees, the grass turned green. I looked behind me at the golden trees one more time.
“The Golden Forest is beautiful, but the tales that come from it are rarely pleasant,” Nadine said, following my gaze. “It’s why there are still so few travelers in this region.”
I turned away from the trees and looked around the pasture. I was surprised to see it was almost full to bursting with people. People of all ages and looks were scurrying about trying to put up what I assumed was going to be a camp. Nadine led us through the crowd, expertly maneuvering herself and her horse through people and supplies. On the other side of the pasture was a large dirt road. Next to the road was a row of wagons parked in a line. Nadine walked us to the last one and motioned to it.
“This is where you will stay until we get to the castle,” she said. The wagon was covered and ha
d flaps that were tied up so we could see in. There were blankets on the floor of the wagon and it actually didn’t look too bad.
“Hang out here for a bit and I will bring you back some food. I’ll show you around later once camp gets set up. It’s kind of chaotic out there right now. We will camp here for the night and get started in the morning,” Nadine told us. One by one we all climbed in. I sat down and leaned back against a cushion propped up against the side.
Nadine popped her head in after we all got settled. “Everything fine in here? Good. I’ll be back in a minute.” She tied her horse to the back of the wagon and walked off.
17
Just like that, we were alone. Well, as alone as we could be in the middle of a host of people getting ready to camp.
“Well, that wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been, I guess,” John said, stretching his legs out in front of him and leaning his head back against the side of the wagon.
“No, I have a feeling it could’ve been much worse,” Erin said, settling in next to him with her head on his shoulder.
“I can’t believe we made friends with the prince and we’ve only been here a day,” Erin said.
“Well, Lydia made friends with the prince,” Murphy said.
“What’s that supposed to mean, Murphy? I found him stuck in a hole, I wasn’t just going to leave him.”
Erin put a hand on my shoulder, and I fell silent. I resisted the urge to ask him what had crawled up his butt and died but I let it go. We were all tired and stressed.
“Like John said, we’ve been fortunate so far. We may be in a different country, but I think we can do this if we just take it a day at a time,” Erin said.
“Erin, this is not a foreign country. It’s an entirely different world. We could be on a different planet for all we know!” Murphy sat up and crossed his arms over his knees. “Erin, maybe you were right and maybe this is just a really bad dream. What if we just need to do something to wake us up?”
Gatebreaker: Book One Page 7
