Avondale

by Toby Neighbors

  Rafe took a deep breath, his heart was pounding and he felt a little weak.

  “That wasn’t so bad,” Tiberius said.

  He took the whip Robere had given him out of the fold of his billowy shirt.

  “Where’d you get that?” Rafe asked.

  “Robere slipped it to me when he brought our food last night.”

  “Well, I’m glad to see you have it. I was afraid that little dagger was your only weapon.”

  They heard a slight whistle, and then a stout looking spear slammed into the ground a few feet in front of them. Then two more dropped, the wooden butts of the weapons vibrated from the impact as the metal heads punched into the rocky soil. Rafe looked up and saw his father on top of the wall, looking down on him. There were a few other officers too. One dropped a pack and Rafe caught it in his arms.

  “Isn’t that your father?” Tiberius said.

  Rafe looked up again and his father was waving for them to move away from the gate.

  “We better get moving,” he said, pulling a spear free. “Olyva, take this spear.”

  “I don’t know what to do with it,” she said in shaky voice.

  “That’s okay, just carry it for me. Keep the metal end pointed up.”

  She nodded and he pulled another spear from the ground. It took a minute to loosen the weapon from where it had lodged into the soil. Tiberius pulled up last spear and after Rafe adjusted the pack on his shoulder, they started walking.

  “Where are we going?” Olyva asked.

  “I don’t know, but we need to find a safe place to rest and form a plan,” Rafe said.

  “There aren’t many trees outside the city,” Tiberius said, looking around.

  “I know of one, it’s this way,” Rafe said.

  He remembered the tree from his time on the wall. It wasn’t a large tree, but it would give them a place to figure out their next move. Rafe didn’t like staying close to the wall. He wanted to move away from the city and the prying eyes of the soldiers above, but at the same time he felt he needed to stay away from the mist. He knew that eventually they would have to go down the mountain. He would have to hunt for food and water, but for now they just needed a place to settle for a short while and get their bearings.

  “What’s in the bag?” Tiberius asked.

  “Food maybe, perhaps a change of clothes,” Rafe replied.

  “Any chance there’s water in there?”

  “Feels like a possibility,” Rafe said. “It’s heavy enough.”

  They walked for half an hour before coming to the tree. It was both taller than Rafe remembered from his patrols on the walls around Avondale, and scrawnier than he would have liked. It was late summer, which meant that the days got warm in the bright sunlight, but the nights were still cold on the mountaintop. They would need shelter sooner rather than later, and the dead branches that had fallen from the tree would make good fuel for a fire.

  They sat down around the tree, Olyva leaned against the rough bark and the others sat cross-legged nearby. Rafe opened the pack and found two water skins, some bread and salted pork, a change of clothes, and some blankets.

  “Well, at least we have a few things,” Rafe said.

  “We’re going to have to go down the mountain,” Tiberius said.

  “There’s no rush.”

  “I know, but it’s inevitable.”

  “Tell me what the Princess wanted to see you for.”

  “She wants us to try and go to the Citadel,” he said. “She promised if we could get there, she would have her father pardon us.”

  “The Citadel?”

  “Yes,” Tiberius said. “It’s as good a plan as any I think.”

  “Why would she want us to go to the Citadel?”

  “She’s a sorceress,” Tiberius said matter-of-factly.

  “What?” Rafe said, looking at Olyva, but the girl just had a blank expression on her face.

  “She is. She wants me to join her,” Tiberius explained.

  “Because you’re a wizard?”

  Tiberius nodded.

  “That is the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard.”

  “What? You don’t think the King’s daughter could like me?” Tiberius asked.

  “Yes, of course she could, Ti. It’s just strange, that’s all. It’s hard to believe the King’s own daughter would break the first law of the Nine Cities.”

  “She said there is a secret vault in the Citadel and that not all the magical books were destroyed. She said there were several ancient books of magic that she has access to.”

  “And her father doesn’t suspect anything?” Rafe asked.

  Tiberius hesitated before answering.

  “It’s possible that he knows,” he said slowly. “It’s also possible that he is being controlled by his daughter.”

  “What? How do you know that?”

  “I don’t know it for certain,” Tiberius said. “It was just a feeling I got.”

  “How do you even know for sure that she is a sorceress? Perhaps your secret is out and she heard about it. Maybe your father or brothers figured out what you did.”

  “I don’t see how they could have known anything. Besides, the Princess used magic on me, that’s how I know for certain that she’s a sorceress.”

  “What did she do?” Rafe asked.

  “She broke my leg.”

  “What?”

  “She wanted to see what I could do, so she broke my leg. Snapped it like a dry twig without saying a word.”

  “Are you out of your mind?”

  “No,” Tiberius said. “You know I can mend bones.”

  Rafe thought about his back and the way Tiberius had healed him during the Graypee attack. He nodded his head.

  “She broke my leg. It was horrible. Then when I healed it she…” he hesitated.

  “She what?” Rafe asked.

  “Well, she… she kissed me.”

  “You have got to be making this up,” Rafe said, trying hard not to laugh.

  “I’m not. I know it sounds crazy, but she’s crazy. I’m telling you, she really is insane. She broke my leg and then forced me to heal myself. Then she kissed me and promised that if I could get to the Citadel, she would pardon you and Olyva. She promised to give me access to her books of magic in the vault. She has a twisted plan to try and save the blighted lands.”

  “This is too much,” Rafe said, standing up. “Just stop talking about it.”

  “I’m telling the truth,” Tiberius said.

  “Look, we’ve got enough to figure out without you daydreaming about Princesses and ruling Valana.”

  “I never said anything about—”

  Rafe cut him off.

  “I know, but you were going to, weren’t you. Just drop it. Olyva doesn’t need to hear that. Don’t get her hopes up for no reason. We aren’t going to the Citadel, we’ll be lucky just to survive a few days out here.”

  “When have I ever lied to you?” Tiberius asked.

  “How about when you started dabbling in magic, Ti,” Rafe said angrily.

  “I saved your life.”

  “Yeah, for how long? If I had died that day, I would have been a hero. Now I’m an outcast and the one person I care about most in the world is probably going to die because of it. Don’t do me any more favors.”

  “I can’t believe this,” Tiberius argued. “None of it would be happening if you hadn’t agreed to Leonosis’ lie about saving you from the Graypees.”

  “I didn’t have a choice,” Rafe shouted.

  “You always have a choice,” Tiberius thundered back.

  “What are you two idiots fighting about,” came a voice from up the hill.

  Rafe and Tiberius turned to look. Lexi sat on a horse, leaning over the saddle. She had three other horses in tow, and the afternoon sunlight shined like gold across her back.

  “Lexi!” Tiberius said, hurrying over to her.

  Rafe bent down by Olyva, who was looking at Lexi with surprise.


  “Who is that?” she asked in a small voice.

  “Her name is Lexi. She’s Ti’s friend. She’s from the lower city, I don’t know much more than that.”

  “Why does she have horses out here?”

  “I don’t know that either,” Rafe said.

  “I can’t ride,” Olyva said. “I never learned how.”

  “It’s okay, don’t worry about anything. I’m going to take care of you,” he assured her.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed. Rafe held her, but he felt a sense of dread deep in his stomach. He didn’t know how he was going to take care of Olyva and he was afraid that something might be wrong with Tiberius. He took a deep breath and wondered why his life was falling apart.

  Chapter 24

  Tiberius

  At first Tiberius couldn’t believe his eyes. He’d never heard of anyone willingly leaving Avondale and his biggest regret in standing with Rafe had been the fact that he thought he would never see Lexi again. Now, as astonishing as it seemed, she was riding toward him with three other horses in tow. He couldn’t help but hope she would go with them into the blighted lands, but he tried not to get his hopes too high.

  He rushed toward Lexi, who looked a little uneasy in the saddle. She pulled on the reins and Tiberius stopped several feet in front of her horse. He didn’t want to spook the animal, despite the fact that it looked as if excited young men running toward it were an everyday occurrence.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked.

  “We didn’t finish our conversation,” she said with a smirk. “Come on, did you really think I wouldn’t find a way to help you?”

  “You’ve already done more for me than I ever hoped or expected.”

  He took hold of the horse’s bridle and held it still while Lexi climbed down off the horse. Tiberius thought she looked more beautiful than he’d ever seen her. Her face was flushed with excitement and she couldn’t stop smiling.

  “Where’d you get the horses?” he asked.

  “I borrowed them,” she lied. “I got your bags too.”

  She pulled the two packs from the saddle of the horse behind her own mount. She held them out to Tiberius, who was completely stunned. She had found his most prized possessions and returned them to him. His book fragments were in the packs, along with the supplies he’d gathered for his trek into the forest. It might not be everything they would ever need, but between the two packs Lexi had brought, and the one Rafe’s father had thrown down to them from the city wall, they were in much better shape than Tiberius would have guessed.

  “I can’t believe you,” he said.

  She smiled at him.

  “Can we talk?”

  “Of course,” he told her. “Let me take care of the horses and then we can talk.”

  Lexi nodded and Tiberius led the horses to the far side of the anemic tree. He untied the reins that Lexi had bound together and tied each of the horses directly to a branch of the tree. Then he returned to where she was waiting several feet away from Rafe and Olyva.

  “She doesn’t look too good,” Lexi said quietly, nodding her head toward Lady Olyva.

  “It’s been hard on her,” Tiberius replied. “Rafe worked a deal with Leonosis, but my snake of a brother betrayed him. Banishment is probably her worst nightmare.”

  “It would be most peoples,” Lexi said.

  “But not yours?”

  “I wouldn’t relish being abandoned out here with no supplies,” she said, then she changed the subject. “The last time we talked you said some things I wasn’t expecting.”

  “You didn’t know how I felt about you?” he asked earnestly.

  “How could I have known, Ti? You’re the son of an Earl. I’m just a girl from the lowest part of the city. Even if you weren’t training to become a Paladin, was it wise to think that there was a future with you?”

  “No,” he said looking down. He found meeting her eyes when she talked about his social status difficult.

  “So, it took me some time to adjust,” she said.

  “I know that I’m not the kind of guy you need,” he said. “I can’t take care of you the way you deserve.”

  “I’m not looking for someone to take care of me. What makes you think I would even want that?”

  “I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t know what you want, but I want to make you happy. My biggest regret in this whole mess was not being able to see you again. Are you coming with us?”

  “With you? Are you going somewhere?” she asked. “You do realize you’ve been banished right?”

  “Of course I know that,” Tiberius said. “But that doesn’t mean we have to die. We have supplies. We have horses, thanks to you. Rafe is probably the most talented warrior in Avondale. I’ve got some skills too. And if we can make it to Sparlan Citadel, the Princess promised to pardon us. We could live in any of the Nine Cities.”

  “No one has ever returned from the blighted lands,” Lexi said. “You’ve seen the monsters that come up out of the mist.”

  “I know that,” Tiberius said. “I know it won’t be easy, but I have to believe we can do it. I know I will do it, if that’s the only way to see you again.”

  Lexi laughed.

  “You are such a noble-born dreamer,” she said. “You really think you can travel all the way across the realm, on foot, just to see me again?”

  “If that’s what it takes. You told me that I didn’t understand your world, and you were right. I don’t know what it’s like to live day by day, fighting to stay alive. I’ve never killed a man,” he said quietly, not wanting Rafe or Olyva to overhear him. “There’s a lot I need to learn, but I’m willing. I will do whatever it takes to be with you, no matter what. There’s nothing that I want more than that.”

  “What if I told you I didn’t want you to ever use magic again,” she said.

  He looked stunned. Tiberius wanted to make things work with Lexi. She was completely different from any person he knew. She was beautiful, resourceful, and completely self-reliant. She didn’t care what happened in court, or about the rampant city gossip. In some ways, she was completely carefree, unbound by any social restraints or even most laws. He had expected her to understand his desire to become a wizard. It wasn’t just a hobby, or a fascination, it was a deep part of him. He couldn’t explain why he felt such a pull toward magic, but he did and he couldn’t deny it.

  “You can’t ask me not to be me,” he said.

  She looked away from him for a moment, then she said, “I don’t think we’re a good idea.”

  “Why?” Tiberius asked, his heart suddenly aching as terribly as his broken leg had hurt.

  “Because,” she said. “I’m the kind of person who works hard not to draw attention to myself. You can’t help but be the center of attention.”

  “I don’t—”

  She cut him off.

  “Let me finish,” she said. “Magic is the one thing that will make you stand out. I don’t know if I can be close to that.”

  “Please, Lexi,” Tiberius pleaded. “We aren’t in Avondale. There’s no law in the blighted lands. There may be nothing but terror and death. I don’t know what we’ll find below the mist, but I want to be with you.”

  He pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and leaning his forehead down toward hers.

  “Please, I need you.”

  “If you get me, you get all of me. I’m not an easy person, Ti. I’m like other women. It’s me and only me, I won’t share you.”

  “I don’t want anyone else,” he said.

  “You’re absolutely sure this what you want? There’s no going back.”

  “I’m sure,” he said.

  He pulled her close and kissed her. There was a hungry passion in her and Tiberius felt his desire stirring. He pulled back, not wanting their first intimate moments to be on display.

  “I have to tell you something,” he said.

  “What?” she asked.

 
“The Princess kissed me.”

  “The Princess?” Lexi said doubtfully.

  “He’s full of fanciful stories today,” Rafe called. “Come meet Olyva.”

  Tiberius led Lexi over to where Rafe was sitting beside Lady Olvya. Her face was puffy, and her eyes were red, but she wasn’t crying anymore.

  “Lexi, this is Lady Olvya, from Hamill Keep,” Tiberius said.

  The girls nodded to one another.

  “So, what’s our next move?” Tiberius asked.

  “We need to find shelter for the night. It will be getting dark soon,” Rafe replied.

  “I’ll go down into the mist with Lexi and see what we find.”

  “Okay,” Rafe said. “But don’t be gone long.”

  They left the horses and walked down toward the mist on foot. Tiberius told Lexi about his encounter with Princess Ariel. She wasn’t happy about the kiss.

  “That’s the kind of thing I’m talking about, Ti,” she said. “You can’t go around kissing other girls.”

  “I didn’t,” he said, “she kissed me. She also broke my leg.”

  “It’s kind of hard to believe. Are you sure you didn’t just imagine it?”

  “I wish,” he said. “I’ve never been in so much pain.”

  “So you can really heal people,” she asked.

  “I can heal some things. I’m still learning.”

  They stopped a few feet from the mist. It was thick, like a dense fog and they could only see a few feet ahead of them.

  “This is crazy,” Lexi said.

  “I keep thinking, what if everything we’ve been told about the cataclysm and the blighted lands is all wrong? What if magic didn’t ruin the world?”

  “That’s a nice thought, but we know there are monsters down there.”

  “That doesn’t mean that everything down there is bad.”

  “But we need to be alert, ready for anything.”

  “You’re right,” Tiberius said.

  He pulled the little loop that held his whip in place and held it ready in his right hand. With his left, he reached over and took Lexi’s hand.

  “Are you ready?” he asked.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be,” she replied.

  “Here we go,” Tiberius said.

  He took a deep breath, then stepped into the fog. At first everything was bright white. They couldn’t see much beyond a few paces ahead of them. They walked for almost twenty minutes. Most of the way they were tense, expecting danger at any moment, but nothing happened. The rocky ground became slick with moisture. Their clothes grew damp. They found a gray-colored lichen growing on some of the larger stones. And then, the mist began to clear and they came into the blighted lands. What they saw was unlike anything they’d ever imagined.