Prophecy's Deception

by AS Hamilton

  'You will need to ask that of Hanya and Fala,' came the curt response.

  'No,' Sentary answered. 'They cover two trade routes and have suffered significant losses this past season. They were hoping you would bring more help,' he said, keeping his gaze on Riqu and avoiding Janeth's glare. 'With two of us guiding, we could split up in high risk areas, like when crossing fields and join up when in the safety of the forest. You would just need to give us directions.'

  Riqu's face fell, regret shadowing his features. 'We too, have taken heavy losses, and, unlike Malithorn, we do not replenish our forces that easily. Most of those fighting are still...' the rebel leader paused swallowing his sadness. 'They are very young. I will think on your offer, seeca,' Riqu promised, rising and leaving them to what discussion they may have in his absence while he talked to Hanya and Fala.

  Day 8 – Dawn

  Khira Desert

  'That’s nuthin', once we were in the middle of nowhere, so Brynn could train,' Sershja explained to Treya, 'and we came across a herd of grazing volsted. One of 'em was injured, so of course, Brynn goes to help it, and—'

  'A what? You’re pulling my tail,' Treya snorted in disbelief. The six-legged, scaled herbivore, was not a common sight. Twice the size of a dwarven charger, it was heavily horned and prone to charging or stampeding at the slightest provocation.

  'Now how can I be pulling your tail iffen I’m in front of you? Nay, tis’ true— he’ll tell you. And after he was done, he went to refill his water skins, leaving me surrounded by them. I oath, I couldn't twitch for fear the foul-tempered boulders-on-legs would charge.'

  'If that’s true, then I’m as white as the clouds and flying just as high,' Treya interrupted with another snort.

  'What are you doing down here then, Treya?' Brynn quipped.

  They were skirting the southern branch of the Khira Ranges and had slowed to make their way down a particularly steep incline. It allowed the horses a chance to rest a little, as Brynn had been using his talent to boost their speed and stamina. Sershja, being younger and not fully grown, needed more of the talented boosts and Brynn was worried about over-taxing him. For this reason, they regularly took short breaks to give the horses food and water, and to walk them a little. It also gave them time to talk, which they took full advantage of by telling each other wildly-exaggerated stories. Not only did it take their minds off how tired they were, but it was entertaining.

  'Are you telling me ‘tis true!' Treya exclaimed.

  Brynn laughed at Treya's incredulous tone and leaned over to give the horse an affectionate pat. 'Out of all the stories he has told you thus far; it comes closest to the truth.'

  'Hey! What happened to rider loyalty?' Sershja objected.

  'Hey! Hey,' Treya cut in, 'if you think volsted are bad…'

  Brynn laughed as he sent to Sariah, 'If they keep that up, they'll have fought every creature in this realm and beyond before the day is over.'

  'More like fifty of every creature.' Sariah gave the horses a fond smile. Then she asked aloud, 'After we reach the Andorek Forest, where will we head?'

  'I thought that if we ride towards Ancoulan we can use the orchards to the east of the city as cover to cross into the Mehani Woods.'

  'The orchards will also provide us with new supplies,' Sariah pointed out.

  Brynn nodded. 'Exactly. From there we head south through the Alarus Forest and use the southern pass through the Jagrery to get to the At-hara. There's a rebel resupply post—'

  'Another desert!' Sariah exclaimed. 'What is it with you and deserts?'

  Shrugging, Brynn smiled. 'I could tease you and say that I like a challenge, but Caradon is on the edge of the At-hara. Yes, we could cross the Serenvale Plains instead of going into the At-hara, but while there are patrols about the Serenvale Plains, there are none in the At-hara. It will mean the horses can rest and we can relax a little. The rebel post I mentioned will have all the supplies we need to get through the desert. I also made arrangements before I left for some rebels to meet me out there. When we get closer to the At-hara, I will get in contact with them and give them an estimated time of arrival.'

  Huffing, Sariah shook her head. 'If you were any other elvan, I would not follow you into a sand-pit, let alone a desert.'

  'Fortunately, I am not 'any other elvan' then. I assure you, Sariah, I have prepared well for the At-hara segment of our journey…'

  Indeed, Brynn felt it was the only thing he was well-prepared for. After the confrontation with Akileena, he was feeling unsettled. They may have escaped their pursuers from Sal-Cirus, but his intuition told him that he would see Akileena again and if he did not find a way to convince the Debanikay mage he had injured his brother, Andarin, by accident, Akileena just might kill him. For that was how Akileena had saved his daughter, and Brynn knew it was a daughter now as a result of research he had been doing using the planes while they travelled. Akileena had found a way to use his talent to kill directly. Many mages could kill through their talent. During confrontations between Abbarane and rebel mages thousands of soldiers and warriors died from flash floods, lightning strikes, and psychic attacks. But Akileena could be given a name, any name, and he could kill that person, provided they did not have barriers strong enough to obstruct him.

  Brynn looked up as he heard Kaydyr's piercing call above. The hawk was just letting them know he was passing over them as he patrolled from the skies. It made him think of the link Riqu had forged between the warrior and the hawk. Brynn hoped he was doing the right thing in planning to restore Sariah's sight when they reached the At-hara rest stop. Yes, the move would correct Riqu's mistake all those turns ago, which made Kaydyr's bond with Sariah more of a cage. But if he had misinterpreted The Prophecy, restoring her sight just may blind her to seeing the prophecised one as The Prophecy predicted.

  Another source of uneasiness was Sariah's brother Sentary. From what Sariah had told him when Riqu got in contact with her just a short while ago, everything seemed positive. Riqu had found the group of slaves they had rescued still safely hidden in the Kenar Woods and they just recently worked out how to split them into smaller groups and disperse them. As Brynn's exploration of the paths had indicated, Sentary had chosen to go the Caradon. The only hitch was that the increased patrols in the area was making it difficult for the rebel leader to get the groups on their way, but he reassured Sariah that they could wait them out safely enough. What concerned Brynn the most was the decision to send Sentary's group on without an experienced guide. But there had been little choice, Riqu did not have enough available rebels. The problem was Nathan Kennelm. The Thane was responsible for flooding Brynn's original route with patrols. Now that Baschia had stopped leaving the false trail and sightings of the elvan the Thane wanted, Nathan may redirect his focus towards groups like Sentary's. Hopefully, by the time they reached the At-hara rest stop, there would be news of Sentary's group reaching Caradon.

  For this reason, he was hesitant to spend too long in the At-hara once they got there, but, at the same time, the horses needed time to rest before covering the final distance to Caradon. He also needed to connect with the sword and the At-hara rest stop would be the first place suitable for such an endeavour. Toormeena said the sword held information critical to The Prophecy and its success. It was a good thing they were heading to Caradon after they met the may-en-ghi in the At-hara. The rebel base would provide the protection and time Brynn needed to make sense of everything Toormeena had told him and whatever the sword revealed. He could also contact Linuk. The master mage was one of the few people who might be able to answer his questions relating to The Prophecy and the hidden one it referred to. From what he could tell, he needed to find her next and then protect her. Mayhap that was what Toormeena had meant; he was not the prophecised one, he was her saviour.

  Day 8 – Dawn

  Between Voltain Ranges and Anuruna Lake

  The cold of dawn seeped into the tent and ran its fingers over Nathan's shoulders. The Thane turned and
pulled the bed covers up. He cracked open one eye and looked towards the front of his tent. It was still dark enough see the glow of the lanterns outside. It was too early to get up. His servant would wake him with balessia anyway, it was not a worry he needed to keep.

  Abruptly Nathan sat up, all thought of comfort gone. Where were the sentries? Their shadows should be cast alongside the poles from which the lanterns hung. He rose, angry at the slothful habits of the trackers. Why call themselves mercenaries, they hardly behaved like soldiers! Thrusting aside the canvas door, he stormed out, ready to take his wrath out on the first man he saw.

  Only, there were no men. Not one...

  This part of Brynn's journey has ended, however his story continues in Prophecy's Quest. Now that Toormeena has revealed the full version of The Prophecy, Brynn knows he has to find Her — the other he is connected to through the planes as she may well be the hidden key The Prophecy refers to. But first he has to heal Sariah's sight, because The Prophecy says that the hidden one will be revealed in the sight of the blind. Only his intuition tells him that this is the correct interpretation of the riddle presented by The Prophecy. There is also the sword Toormeena's bid him to retrieve. She said it would reveal more clues to unravelling The Prophecy, but will it help understand why he was fit to be mentioned in a prophecy, while not being the prophecised one?

  Prophecy's Quest

  The second book in the Andarean Realms Prophecies series will be released in January 2018.

  Prophecy's Quest Preview

  Dread filled Brynn as soldiers appeared along the valley's rim. With a group of refugees to protect, there was only one way to push back such a threat long enough to escape, and that was with magic.

  Summoning a wall of flame, Brynn signalled Sershja to charge. As the flame wall reached the front ranks, Sershja erupted through it, seemingly a demon-horse with flames for his mane, tail, and hooves. Every snorting breath emitted a burst of flame. His horns accentuated the effect and the soldiers in his vicinity broke ranks to run. Sershja was not their only fear, for his rider wielded his ethereal sword with deadly efficiency, leaving a bloody ruin of those in his path.

  This was not the first time the young, elvan mage had used his talent like this. What Brynn did not realise was that a more advanced mage was about to force him to fight for his life.