“We should have switched our horses for fresh ones,” Ari mumbled.
Savenek had been thinking the same thing. “Too late now.”
“We’ll have to stop so they can eat and rest.”
He had no intention of stopping until it was too dark to travel any farther. Winding their way between the trees was slowing them down. While it did provide shade, it was too hard to determine whether they were traveling in the right direction. They needed to exit this forest—if one could even call it that. There wasn’t a single pine tree.
Savenek now understood why Nathenek had made him study maps of the various kingdoms, focusing on terrain, forests, and rivers. He closed his eyes, trying to concentrate. Apethaga had one major forest near their western border. The forest spread eastward, away from Emperion. If he and Ari traveled north of it, they’d not only be out of the forest, able to go faster, but they wouldn’t get off course, either. He steered his horse to the right.
“Why are we changing directions?”
“I have an idea.”
She didn’t question his judgment. After an hour or so, they came to the edge of the forest. The land was covered with green grass about two feet tall. If they rode out in the open, they’d be seen from afar and would leave a trail. Judging from the position of the sun, if they followed alongside the forest, they’d be heading the correct direction and would be better concealed.
“Our horses need water,” Ari whispered.
“So do we, but we can’t stop until the sun goes down.” The horses seemed to be holding up and were exceptionally well trained.
They trudged along, neither one of them talking as they made their way through Apethaga. Savenek remained alert, listening for signs of pursuit. It was only a matter of time until someone found them. Especially since they weren’t familiar with the land. A thought occurred to him—one Ari probably wouldn’t care for. He’d have to think about it a bit more before he said anything to her.
When the sun started to descend, Savenek led Ari into the forest. There were probably snakes and poisonous plants in here. But they needed food and sleep. When he came to a narrow stream, he stopped and dismounted, Ari doing the same.
“Stay here and watch the horses. Let them drink. I’ll find something for us to eat.”
Savenek considered his options. A sword wasn’t the best weapon with which to kill a small animal, and he didn’t want to have to light a fire to cook the food. Searching the ground, he looked for a familiar edible plant. It took him a minute until he was able to identify a low-growing plant with bright green leaves in an oval shape. Chickweed. He gathered as much as he could and headed back to Ari.
“It’s better than nothing,” he said, handing some to her.
She scrunched her nose but took a handful. The horses were close by, munching on some weeds. Ari sat down, leaning against a tree, and Savenek sat next to her. They ate in silence.
“We need to try to get some sleep,” he said when he’d finished eating.
“Do you mind if I take the first watch?” she asked. “I don’t want to sleep right now.”
Exhausted, Savenek stretched on the ground, trying to get comfortable. He was so tired, he didn’t even remember falling asleep.
Someone stroked his hair. Savenek had never experienced the sensation before. He opened his eyes and found himself lying with his head on Ari’s lap while she ran her fingers through his hair. It was still dark out and probably time for him to take over the watch so she could sleep. However, the feeling of her touching him was so pleasant that he didn’t want to tell her he was awake. He could stay like this forever.
A jolt shot through him when he remembered they were in enemy territory and he needed to get Ari out of Apethaga. “I’m awake,” he whispered.
“Good,” she replied. “I was starting to nod off.” She withdrew her hand.
He sat up and patted his thigh. “Lie down.”
She hesitated for a second and then put her head on his lap. He wanted to run his hands through her hair as she’d been doing to him. However, he refrained from doing so, afraid she wouldn’t welcome his touch.
Within a couple of minutes, she fell asleep. Savenek watched her breathing. He became aware of how thick and silky her hair looked. He had to force himself to focus on his surroundings. The last thing he needed was to be caught unaware because he was too busy ogling some woman. Besides, he had the skeleton of a plan in his mind. One that he wanted to explore and possibly execute.
When the sun started to rise, Savenek woke Ari up. “We need to get moving.” He went to relieve himself and gather some more chickweed for them to eat. It also gave him a moment alone to collect his thoughts. He needed to tell Ari his plan.
He went over everything in his head one last time. It all added up and made sense. When he returned to Ari and the horses, she was already mounted and ready to go. He handed her some chickweed and led the horses out of the forest.
“Out with it,” Ari said.
He glanced over his shoulder at her.
“Don’t look at me like that,” she said. “You have something to say, and you’re afraid I won’t like it. Well, stop procrastinating and just spit it out.”
It unnerved him how well she could read him. He’d have to work on making sure his face remained blank. And here he thought he was doing such a good job.
“The king and his soldiers are after us,” he said. He imagined how furious the king and prince would be when they learned Savenek and Ari had escaped. Would the king be leading the search party?
“Yes,” Ari responded, encouraging him to continue.
“They expect us to head straight for Emperion.”
“I would imagine so.”
“There are only four gates in the wall surrounding Apethaga. And only one of those gates leads into Emperion.”
“Are you implying that the king knows exactly where we’re going?”
“I am.” And the king was familiar with his own land and would reach the gate first. Savenek and Ari didn’t have a chance of outrunning them in a foreign land.
“I assume you have another plan in mind?” Ari pulled her horse to a stop, scanning the area around them.
“I do.”
“I’m guessing it’s dangerous, and you assume I won’t like it.” She looked at him pointedly.
He rubbed his face. “Hear me out before you respond.”
She nodded.
He took a deep breath. “I think we should go north. The Kepper Mines are in the northern mountains. There is only one plausible way for them to transport the poison from the Kepper Mines into Telmena. I think we should head off the supply wagons and destroy the poison before it leaves Apethaga. Then we haul arse and exit through the gate west of the mountain pass—a couple days’ ride away. No one will expect us to cross through there.”
She blinked. He had no idea what she was thinking as she sat there staring at him.
“Say something,” he said. She probably thought it was an insane plan and didn’t think it even warranted a response.
“There are only two of us. How do you envision us destroying several wagons carrying poison that is too dangerous to even breathe?”
He’d thought long and hard about different ideas. “I have that all figured out and can explain everything as we travel. But if we’re to do this, we must get moving so we don’t miss the wagons.”
“I think we have a duty to try to destroy the poison. We can’t leave Apethaga until we’ve done all we can for our kingdom.”
The words marry me almost came out of his mouth. Instead he said, “Agreed.” He steered his horse northward. He’d thought she would have fought him on this idea, insisting they get out of Apethaga as fast as possible and not worry about the poison. When this was all over, he had no idea how he was going to say goodbye to this woman beside him.
Their horses thundered across the land as they traveled north as fast as possible toward the Kepper Mines.
Savenek and Ari c
ontinued to travel north, not stopping to rest or eat. The mountain range loomed up ahead, never seeming to get any closer. The muggy air felt like a thick blanket covering Savenek and drenching his clothes with sweat. And he was bloody itchy. The damn bugs wouldn’t stop biting him. He hated this kingdom and couldn’t wait to get back to Emperion where the air didn’t feel like it was filled with water. He swore he’d never complain about another sandstorm ever again.
When it became too dark to go any farther, they pulled off the path.
“There aren’t many trees around here,” Ari commented.
“The horses need a break.” Savenek feared if they continued to ride into the night, one of the horses would trip and fall, breaking something. They couldn’t afford to lose a horse. “I’ll take the first watch.”
“Aren’t we a little close to the path?” Ari asked as she dismounted.
“No one expects us to go north. If we act like regular travelers, we should be fine.” He hoped. Staying on the path allowed them to travel faster and since they were pressed for time, they couldn’t risk getting lost.
Savenek smacked his face, killing a large mosquito. After tying his horse to a thin tree, he sat on a patch of soft grass. Ari lay down next to him and fell asleep.
As soon as the sky started to lighten, Savenek stood and stretched.
Ari woke up. “You let me sleep all night?”
“You needed it. Let’s go.”
“What about you?”
“You take the first watch tonight. I’ll be fine until then.”
They mounted and rode all day. Finally, the mountains seemed a little closer. They followed this routine for the next couple of days—riding hard while it was light enough to see the path and only stopping to sleep for a few hours when it was dark.
On the fourth day, they heard voices coming from up ahead. Squinting, Savenek thought he saw people on the path about a mile in front of them.
“What do you want to do?” Ari asked.
Savenek looked at the sun, determining that it was around supper time and the sun would descend in three hours. “Let’s stop and rest. When it’s dark enough, I’ll catch up to them and see who they are.”
Since they were closer to the mountain range, the vegetation was thicker and there were several trees on either side of the road. Not necessarily a forest, more along the lines of a jungle. Savenek had never been in any sort of jungle before and had only ever read about them. However, the trees had large leaves similar to palms, there were several ferns, and a buzzing noise filled the air from the thousands of damn bugs that were everywhere.
They found a spot about fifty feet from the path. After seeing to the horses’ needs, Ari and Savenek sat, leaning against the trunk of a tree.
“You sleep,” Ari said. “I’ll keep watch. That way you’ll be alert for tonight.”
He leaned his head back, trying to rest, but it was hard since it was still light out. He hoped the men ahead of them weren’t soldiers searching for them. If they were, he’d have to find a way around them. A bug bit his neck and he slapped it, smashing it on his skin. “Tell me a story,” he said to Ari, wanting the distraction.
“You’re supposed to be sleeping.”
“Which I can’t do because my mind is worrying about the men in front of us, the mines, and taking out the wagons. I need you to distract me.”
“Very well.”
He heard her shift, but he kept his eyes closed, waiting for her to speak.
“When I was little, my parents traveled to the southern islands. They took my brother and me along with them. I don’t remember the trip. But I’ve been told about it. Apparently, when we were there, the people we were visiting spoke another language. My parents were able to communicate with them; however, it was very difficult. My father told me that after a fortnight, I started speaking the language. Just like that. When we returned home, my mother started acquiring every book written in another language that she could get her hands on. She read them to me until I was old enough to read them on my own. While no one else in my family ever took to another language, it came naturally to me.”
Savenek imagined Ari as a little girl speaking other languages, learning as much as she could, devouring books. His mind grew heavy, and he finally fell asleep.
Ari woke him. It was pitch black and the bugs were even louder than before. “How long has it been dark?” he asked.
“Four hours.”
“You should have woken me sooner.”
“You needed the sleep,” she said, using the same excuse he had earlier.
He decided to leave the swords with Ari since they would be too cumbersome to carry while sneaking through the jungle. “I want you to remain here until I return. Do not come looking for me—no matter what.”
“Even if you don’t return tonight?”
“Yes. If something goes wrong, I’ll find my way back to you. I promise.”
“Be careful.”
He slunk away, glancing up at the stars and getting his bearings. The last thing he wanted was to get lost out here. Once he made it to the path, he headed north knowing the men had to be a couple of miles in that direction. He jogged along, his footsteps silent over the damp dirt. After two miles, he slowed and observed the path. To the right, the grass was trampled as if several people had gone that way.
Following the trail the men had left, he carefully made his way into the jungle. He didn’t know how far from the path the men would have set up camp, and he didn’t know if they had some sort of watch. However, based upon the obvious trail they’d left, these men weren’t trying to remain hidden. Savenek hoped he wasn’t about to stumble upon a group of soldiers.
Crouching low, he headed south, wanting to swing around the camp in a wide arc so he wouldn’t cross paths with any sort of patrol they might have set up. Once he was certain he was on the other side of the camp, he crept in closer, trying to get a look at the men. It took him awhile until he found them. Two men sat in the middle of the camp, hunched near a small fire and talking with one another quietly. They were dressed as soldiers.
Savenek moved to the left, trying to get a better view of the men sleeping on the ground. Were they soldiers as well? Were these men looking for him and Ari? Once Savenek had a better angle, he saw that the men scattered over the ground—twelve in all—were dressed in dirty, torn clothing. Off to the side were two additional soldiers, both sleeping.
The soldiers were probably taking these men to the Kepper Mines. Savenek moved behind one of the trees, trying to think of what he should do. At least this confirmed he and Ari were going the right way. He glanced back at the sleeping soldiers. There were swords, bows, and quivers filled with arrows next to them. Once he saw the bows, a new plan solidified in his mind. All he had to do was sneak over to the sleeping soldiers and steal their bows and arrows. Then he’d have to haul arse and get out of here.
At least the two soldiers on guard were busy talking to one another and not paying attention to their surroundings. Careful to remain a safe distance away, Savenek headed south and then east, wanting to come up behind the sleeping soldiers. Once he managed to get into position about fifteen feet away, he examined the area, trying to think of the best way to go about stealing the weapons without waking anyone.
He could throw something and try to lure the soldiers on duty away. He could cover himself with ferns and sneak closer to the weapons, hoping to steal them without being seen. There wasn’t much time. He shrugged and decided to just walk right up and take them, keeping his attention divided between the soldiers by the fire and the ground at his feet. Tripping and falling or breaking a branch was not an option right now. He slowly moved in, reminding himself that no one expected trouble. If he was quick, he could do this without being seen.
The damp ground absorbed his footsteps. One of the soldiers muttered something and rolled over onto his side. Savenek froze. After twenty excruciatingly long seconds, the soldier’s breathing evened out. Three feet now separa
ted Savenek from the sleeping soldiers. He took another step, and then another. The soldiers on guard hadn’t once looked his way. When he reached the weapons, he crouched down and grabbed two bows and a quiver filled with about a dozen arrows. He would have liked to grab two quivers; however, he couldn’t carry another one without the arrows rattling against each other. He backed up, weapons in hand, and melted into the night.
When he was far enough away, he slung the quiver over his back and headed toward the path. Once he reached it, he ran back to the marker he’d left on the side of the road indicating where he needed to veer off to get back to Ari. He found her wide awake, sitting near the horses. When she saw him, a smile lit up her face.
“We have to go,” he said by way of greeting. “There are four soldiers and a dozen men camped two miles north of here. They’re traveling on foot, and we need to get a safe distance ahead of them before they wake. We don’t want to be stuck traveling behind them.”
Without saying a word, she stood and untied the horses. Savenek secured the bows to the animals and then they headed back to the path. They mounted and made sure to travel at a slow pace so the horses’ hooves wouldn’t be too loud as they passed by the camp. Thankfully, the moon was out and provided enough light so they could see the path before them.
They traveled the rest of the night without stopping. A few times, Ari teetered to the side, and Savenek had to say something, making sure she didn’t nod off and fall from the saddle. When the sun rose, they stopped for a quick break to water the horses and to relieve themselves.
“I don’t want to go into the mountains,” Ari said, rubbing her eyes.
“We’re not. We’ll skirt around them. It’ll be faster. Besides, we need to find the path on the northern side because that is where the wagons will be traveling.”
She nodded, looking like she was about to fall asleep standing there.
“Do you want me to tie you to the horse?” Savenek asked.
She smiled. “No, I can do this. Let’s go.”
Oath of Deception: Reign of Secrets, Book Four Page 22
