Brendan turned and looked at his brother, his face pale and taut. “We need to go out and check on our horses, Will. Come on.”
“Why?” he asked, contented to sit by the fire. “The stable hands will take good care of the team. No need to worry.”
Brendan sat next to William and looked him straight in the eyes, speaking in a low voice so that no one would hear. “Yes, Will, there is a need to worry. Just follow me outside as if nothing’s the matter and I’ll explain everything. You have to believe me.”
“You can’t be serious, Brendan?” William uttered the comment to his brother about fifteen minutes later as they guided their horses along a rutty dirt path off the main road outside of Parma. A nearly full Fox Moon rose high in the east, casting silvery light upon the countryside and distant tips of the Red Mountains standing guard in the west. “That’s the silliest thing I’ve ever heard!”
Moments earlier when they had abruptly left The Silver Trout, Brendan told his brother not to ask him any questions while they retrieved their horses from the stables and engineered a stealthy escape from the village. After they had turned off the main highway to conceal their whereabouts, planning to keep to minor roads and open fields for the next day or so while still heading south, Brendan finally let William pummel him with questions.
“How could Sorli have actually been that–” William sighed with exasperation, unable to complete the sentence. “Again, you can’t be serious!”
Brendan composed himself as they rode quietly through the night, a handful of dimly lit farmhouses scattered across the rolling hills. “Will, I’m being utterly serious, or why would I have rushed us out of there? I don’t trust Sorli. He’s not who he claims to be. I can’t explain it, but he is not what he appears.”
“And you saw proof of this in his eyes? How come I didn’t?”
“Maybe you’re too trusting and too young–or were just too consumed with your fish dinner,” he replied. “I’m not sure. But like I said, that strange feeling I experienced every time I caught a glimpse of his eyes was the exact same reaction I had when I observed that deer you had fed on the roadside earlier today. It was as if…” Brendan looked up at the moon, wishing his brother had been able to confirm his fears. “It was as if somebody else existed behind those eyes in each case, quietly spying on us. My heart and soul were chilled to the core.”
William found it impossible to believe his brother. “So what you’re saying is that Sorli and that deer are one and the same? That the deer followed us all the way to Parma and–turned into Sorli?” He couldn’t keep a straight face when he spoke the words to his brother.
“Something like that,” Brendan muttered, finding it difficult not to acknowledge the humor in William’s statement. “I know it sounds preposterous, but I can’t deny the threat I felt to our safety, Will. Stranger things have happened in this world, and I didn’t want to take a chance that harm might come to us, especially to you.”
“I appreciate that, Brendan, but still…”
“I know, Will. And you have permission to laugh at me all the way to Grantwick,” he replied. “Still, I feel better that we’re back on the road and out of sight from curious eyes. After we’re south of Lake Lasko, we’ll return to the main road. I’ll be happy when we get past these mountains and are riding through the Swift River Valley. The sight of the Ebrean Forest will do us both good. But for now, just accept what I did even if you can’t believe it. Maybe one day we’ll be able to laugh about this over a pint of ale.”
“Looking forward to it,” William said, grinning at his brother in the moonlight. “Though I’ve already started on the laughing part!”
They avoided the main thoroughfare for a couple more days as a precaution, traversing little used cart paths, open fields and patches of scrubland before finally returning to the road to speed up their journey. After they had traveled several more miles, the road veered to the east, wrapping around the southern portion of the lake, so the two brothers again left the road and continued west to the Swift River Valley through a gap in the Red Mountains. They passed uneventfully along the valley, crossing various tributaries that fed into the Swift River until they reached the west bank of the main watercourse. From a distance, Brendan pointed out the northern tip of the Ebrean Forest now in view, happy to see the soothing stretch of green beckoning to them like an old friend.
“It won’t be long before we sit down to speak with King Cedric,” he said, eagerly anticipating the end of their journey.
“I can only imagine what words King Justin will have with Nedry once they realize we’re not coming back as soon as we promised.” William chuckled. “I hope Nedry isn’t scolded for helping to arrange our little expedition.”
“Nedry can honestly say he had no idea of our intentions,” Brendan replied. “Still, I feel a bit guilty for putting him in that position, but what’s done is done. We’ll suffer any consequences when we return. In the meantime, we have miles to ride before we reach those woods. Grantwick isn’t much farther beyond.”
They rode their horses under a blue sky dotted with billowing clouds drifting eastward like massive ships upon a borderless sea. Finally, six days after leaving The Silver Trout in secret, the sibling princes approached the city of Grantwick as cool purple twilight descended upon the sprawling countryside. They guided their steeds along the quiet streets of the outer sections of town under the high Bear Moon a day past first quarter. Brendan, spotting a young couple passing by hand in hand in the opposite direction, stopped to ask which road led to the center of Grantwick. The man tipped his hat, obliging him with a detailed answer.
“But it won’t do you any good going there tonight.”
“Why’s that?” William asked.
“The four gates in the wall surrounding King’s Quarters and the adjacent settlements are barred at night. Have been since the end of Old Summer. No one’s allowed in until sunrise.”
“All because of the war in the east and the troubles in the Northern Mountains,” the woman elaborated after Brendan pressed them for more details. “King Cedric is a cautious man, fearing that Vellan’s influence over Surna, Linden and Harlow will eventually work its way here. Though we have the Ebrean Forest as a protective shield, Kargoth’s cold breath and dogged grasp still reach far.”
“Do you think he’ll ever invade your lands?” Brendan asked. The couple looked at each other, unsure how to answer. “Well, we’ve taken up enough of your time. Thank you for your help. My brother and I will find another place to pass the night.”
William waved goodbye as he and Brendan sauntered down the road on their horses, soon finding the way to the center of Grantwick from the eastern side. As the coupled had warned them, the main gates were barred and guarded inside and out, so they rode by from a distance, not even bothering to approach the men on duty for information.
“I’d rather enter in the morning without any fuss,” Brendan said. “I want as few people to know about our business as possible.”
“So in the meantime?” William asked.
“Seeing that it’s such a lovely night, I suggest we ride all the way around the wall to the west side facing the forest. It’s not far to the eaves of the Ebrean from there,” he replied. “We’ll camp out under the boughs and practice what we’ll say to King Cedric tomorrow before treating ourselves to a good night’s sleep.”
“I’m not very tired, but a warm fire and a full meal would be just the thing,” William said as the line of thick wooden posts of the distant wall drifted slowly past.
Several hours later, Brendan opened his eyes to the glowing embers that remained from last night’s fire. The nearly third quarter Fox Moon climbed in the east behind a veil of thin clouds. The Bear Moon had disappeared in the west while they slept. He closed his eyes again, bundled in his coat and hood and wrapped in a blanket, calculating that it was still a few hours until sunrise and eager for more sleep. But a moment later his eyelids snapped open. He sat up and looked around. William
was missing.
He searched near the campsite, whispering his brother’s name several times, but receiving no reply. He could see no silhouette of an individual wandering near or far in the light of the moon and grew fearful. After waiting by the embers for a few more minutes and hoping that William would return, he decided to walk along the edge of the woods, first in one direction, then in the other while softly calling out William’s name. After wandering about five hundred feet to the south while staying parallel to the tree line, Brendan stopped and surveyed the area.
“Will! Where are you?” he called out as loudly as he dared, his fear and frustration mounting. He turned around and headed back north, planning to return to the campsite before walking the same distance in the opposite direction. But he hadn’t gone a hundred feet when he caught sight of a stooped shape searching the area around the campfire and near the horses. He shook his head and sighed. “Will!” The startled figure looked up, observing Brendan fast approaching before fleeing into the woods.
When Brendan reached camp, he stood with arms akimbo as he scanned the trees. “Will, enough of this!” he whispered harshly. “Where are you? Come out of the woods at once.” But only stony silence followed. Brendan fearfully wondered if it was really William whom he had spotted. He grabbed a dagger from his supply pack and a large stick from the kindling pile and plunged into the woods to follow the stranger, believing he would lead him to his brother.
He searched for almost a half hour, listening for sounds of snapping twigs or rustling leaves, but the tenuous trail had evaporated. He burrowed deeper into the woods, not certain which direction he was going and using faint glimpses of filtered moonlight to guide him. But even that proved useless after a while as more clouds rolled in and darkened the sky. Nearly an hour after entering the Ebrean Forest, Brendan realized that he was lost and would have to wait until dawn before he could find a way out. He walked a few more uncertain steps, blaming himself for the horrible situation that had befallen him and his brother. He was ready to drop down on the forest floor in despair when he noted a dark shape sprawled out at the base of a nearby tree, shifting slightly in the gloom.
Brendan clutched his dagger in one hand and the stick in the other as he inched closer, but the object remained still. When he reached the shadowy mass, he leaned over it and slowly exhaled a sigh of relief. He gently prodded the slumped figure with the toe of his boot, tossing the stick aside and sheathing his dagger.
“Wake up, you lazy troublemaker!” he said to his brother. Brendan’s delight upon finding William safe and sound outweighed, for the moment, his urge to scold him.
William opened his eyes. “Wha…” He looked around, for a moment disoriented until he recognized his brother in the murky shadows. “Brendan, what are you doing here?” He sat up straight and rubbed an ache in his shoulder. “By the way, where’s here?”
“We’re in the middle of the woods, Will. Lost, I think.”
William nodded, his recollection of events returning to him. “I remember now,” he said, scowling at Brendan. “Why did you run away after we talked last night? And what were you talking about? You sounded quite mad.”
Brendan sat next to his brother. “What are you talking about? The last time we spoke was before we fell asleep by the fire.”
“Not quite,” he said. “We spoke to each other inside the woods when you asked me all those strange questions.”
“I did?” Brendan’s heart beat faster, certain his brother hadn’t been dreaming as he recalled the dark figure who had been spying around the campsite. “Tell me exactly what happened to you, Will. Every detail.”
Prince William yawned. “All right. I went for a walk around midnight, I guess. I couldn’t sleep well,” he said, continuing to massage his sore shoulder. “You were sound asleep. I walked along the edge of the woods for a good distance when I heard a voice calling my name from inside the trees. It sounded like you, Brendan, and as I thought you were playing a trick on me, I went into the woods after you.”
“That wasn’t me. But what’d you find?”
“You, of course, though it took some doing following your voice this way and that through the trees. I’m not quite sure how deep inside I chased you, because as you see, I couldn’t find my way back out. I decided to sleep here until the morning light.” William gazed curiously at his brother. “Why’d you do that?”
Brendan rolled his eyes. “Will, it wasn’t me. I’d been sleeping the whole time until I awoke and saw you missing. I went searching for you.” He noted a veil of confusion upon William’s face in the vague, predawn light. “Tell me about this conversation with–me.”
“You asked me if I had it safe.”
“Had what safe?”
“Had it safe. That’s what you wanted to know, Brendan. Did I have it safe?” William shrugged. “When I said I didn’t know what you were talking about, you grew angry and demanded to see it.”
Brendan leaned back against the tree, contemplating William’s mysterious narrative. “And this person who apparently looked like me didn’t give you any clue as to what he was talking about?”
“None at all. After insisting a second time that I let him see it, I replied again that I had no idea what you–or rather he–was talking about,” William explained. “Then he ran away. I tried to follow but lost the trail. And well, here I am.”
“And here I am with you,” Brendan remarked before telling his brother about the figure he had spotted looking for something near the campsite and the horses. “I guess we can assume that he was looking for it there as well, whatever it might be.”
William scratched his head. “You’re truly saying that it wasn’t you who I chased after through the woods and talked to?”
“It wasn’t, Will. How many times must I insist?”
“I suppose no more than that,” he said, unnerved. “So who did I talk to, Brendan? I wasn’t dreaming. And what was he looking for that he apparently thought one of us possessed?”
“I don’t know, so we’d best keep our eyes open,” he gravely replied. He stood and surveyed the ominous stretch of woods coming alive with a hint of gray. The cool, damp air felt as oppressive to their spirits as did the sudden change in their fortunes. “If somebody out there is after us, I want to find him first.”
“Agreed,” William said, wearily standing up. “But first we have to find our way out of here. Any suggestions?”
CHAPTER 33
A Cabin in the Woods
William shook his brother awake as he lay curled up on the forest floor, his face pale and cold in the dull morning light.
“Now who’s being the lazy one?” he said as Brendan slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. “On your feet. It’s getting brighter.”
Brendan yawned. “Did we both fall asleep?”
“We needed the rest, though I’ve been up awhile. From the look of things, I’d say we’re lost. I see gray sky above but no sign of light anywhere around us.”
“I guess we choose a path and start walking.” Brendan stood and worked the aches out of his heavy limbs. He deeply inhaled the pine scented air to revive himself. “I could stand some breakfast, but all our supplies are back at the campsite with the horses.”
“Maybe they’ll enjoy a pleasant meal,” William joked, pointing a finger in one direction. “I think we should go that way.”
“Why?”
“It looks like the least menacing section of the forest.”
“Not by much,” Brendan muttered as he examined the endless prison of towering trees woven together with suffocating shadows. The cold ground was littered with decaying leaves, broken twigs and moss-shrouded limbs that had fallen in years past. “Well your choice is as good as any, so lead on. But if we come out on the other side of the forest with the Northern Mountains looking down on us, I’ll have you to blame.”
“We’d be that much closer to Kargoth,” his brother said lightly. “We could have a sit-down with Vellan and try to talk some sense into him.
It’d save King Justin the headache of going to war.”
“If only it could be so simple, Will. I fear that Vellan’s mind is as stubborn and immovable as the mountain he lives in.” He grabbed a branch lying on the ground and snapped part of it off across his knee, using the larger piece as a walking stick. “What possesses him to grasp power just for the sake of exerting it over others, well, I could never quite figure out. He only brings misery to people.”
“And Caldurian is a lesser version of him,” William said, wondering what mischief the wizard was inflicting upon Montavia.
“But still powerful,” his brother reminded him. “We saw it for ourselves and had better not forget it.” He rested a hand on William’s shoulder, looking bluntly into his eyes. “If either of us is king one day, we must always remember how we felt when we were attacked–when the Islanders, Caldurian and those Enâri creatures stormed Red Lodge and threw our lives into chaos. We must vow never to let that happen again, Will, and be prepared to defend Montavia at all costs.”
William nodded, barely able to reply, not used to hearing his brother speak so earnestly. “I promise,” he managed to utter, seeing the wisdom in his brother’s eyes and feeling for a moment as if he were already king. “I’ll remember.”
“Good,” he said, offering a reassuring smile before they began their trek through the woods. He wondered what Montavia might look like once they returned, certain that his mother and grandfather were enduring the hardship with honor and resolve. He hoped their ordeal would soon be over once Prince Gregory entered Triana with him and William riding at his side. Though he had told his brother not to expect them to be leading the charge, Brendan couldn’t help envisioning that scenario nonetheless. His imagination was the only power he could wield at the moment to save their kingdom.
Nicholas Raven and the Wizards' Web (The Complete Epic Fantasy) Page 53
