by Dan Decker
When one of the shadows turned off the path and started towards their hiding place, Jorad’s heart began pounding in his chest and he reached for his sword but stopped at the last moment from drawing it. Maybe it was after something other than them. Pulling his sword now would give away their position for sure.
Jorad felt his self-control slipping away the closer it got, it was hard to slow his breathing. Whether the shadow had seen them or not, moving now would be disastrous. One of the other shadows snarled and the one closest to them snarled back.
Jorad stopped breathing. Snarling?
He’d half hoped that they’d been following men, large men, but the snarling ruled that out.
What were these things? Pushing away the obvious answer, he tried to think of anything else that would explain what they were witnessing and came up with nothing.
Jorad could smell it again, the shadow would be on them in a few more steps and he’d have no choice but to go for his sword. Without moving his head, he glanced at Adar and saw he’d already managed to unsheathe his sword, and was holding it to his side away from the prying eyes of the creature. When had he done that?
Jorad could make out the distinct outline of the shadow against the dimly lit forest. It was at least a couple of heads taller than most men and twice as wide. The other two shadows snarled and the third finally turned back.
Jorad moved his head to see where the shadows were going and became aware of his senses again when he exhaled with a quiet explosion. He hesitated, but the shadows where too far away to have noticed. He pulled out of the crouch and was glad to see that he could move. The fear hadn’t paralyzed him, as he'd feared.
Adar motioned for him to hold still and they waited until the shadows disappeared and then awhile longer. When they stood, Jorad worried that the shadows might have returned but the forest was still.
He sighed when he saw Adar’s determined look. The thing that Jorad had assumed would never happen and the moment that Adar had been preparing for since as long as Jorad could remember had arrived.
Chapter 4
The leaves rustled with the breeze and flashes of moonlight splashed on to Adar's face as the movement of the trees created gaps above them. Jorad was surprised to see that Adar was calm, even contemplative. He would have expected Adar to be anxious and afraid, given that the thing he'd been paranoid about for years had finally happened.
“We have to get to Rarbon,” Adar whispered.
Jorad made a face but didn't speak. He could still smell the Hunwei even though they were gone. It was musky mixed with rotting flesh. He sniffed trying to imprint the smell on his memory. The return of the Hunwei changed everything. His first thought was for Soret. He'd have to convince her to come with them. Adar hadn't expressed the sentiment yet, but Jorad knew that their time in Neberan had come to a close. His second thought was that he'd have to reevaluate his decision about returning to Rarbon to make a claim.
“The Rarbon Portal is our best chance now.” Adar stared at Jorad.
“We don't even know if the Portal will work.” Jorad didn’t need any more lectures from Adar. He needed time to think. “For all we know it's just a bunch of scrolls gathering dust.” He strained his ears. The only sound he was able to hear were the crickets that had started up again after the Hunwei had left.
“What do you suggest?” Adar asked.
“I don't know.” Jorad thought about Ruder and was filled with anxiety. Why hadn't he told Adar about the Ou Qui? They had lost a day. One day could make a big difference.
No. He couldn't afford to think like that or second-guessing would keep him from getting anything done. Telling Adar about Ruder wouldn't have changed much. They would still have spent the day looking for Hunwei. Adar might have been more zealous but in the end they'd found the Hunwei by mere chance anyway.
Jorad took a deep breath and hoped Adar wouldn't kill him. He told Adar everything about Ruder. When he'd finished, Adar didn't say anything. He could recognize the guilt on Jorad's face.
“What do we do now?” Jorad asked. There had to be a way out of returning to Rarbon.
“At least you're finally asking,” Adar said. “To even have a chance you’re going to need to focus. Hard decisions lay ahead and you’ll be dead if you’re in the habit of hesitating or doubting.” Hearing this advice was unnerving. Adar had taught him to think through things. Oh sure, there were times when Adar jumped into things but it was always to protect somebody. His father was irrational in other things, women for example, but when it came to matters of arms and death, Adar was cold and calculating. “You must return to Rarbon and find a way into the Portal.”
“We don't know what's in there,” Jorad said. “If we knew for sure there was something to fight the Hunwei, I'd go without argument.”
“It's a gamble,” Adar said, “but we don't have a lot of options.”
Jorad didn't know what to say.
“Do you need to rest before we continue?” Adar asked.
“Let's go.” Jorad should have guessed that Adar would want to track the Hunwei still. As he walked out of the pine trees, he noticed something out of place. He took out his sword and approached. Adar noticed his actions and left the pines a different way. Jorad could make out a boot in the shadows. Holding his sword ready to strike, he took several more steps forward.
The Hunwei hadn’t noticed them at all. A dead man lay at his feet; the body had been hid from their view by several wild raspberry bushes. Jorad shivered at how close he’d been to unsheathing his sword when the Hunwei had approached, if he’d done that, they would have been seen for sure.
It would have been a relief to know that the shadows hadn’t spotted them if the reason hadn’t been a corpse. Adar bent to examine it as best he could in the scant light. From what little Jorad could make out, the man was his age and had a beard. There was blood on the chest of the corpse where he’d been stabbed multiple times.
“How long has he been dead?” Jorad asked.
“No more than a day, if that. Know him?”
“I can't tell for sure, but probably not.”
“We’ll report the body to the town guard when we return. For now, we hunt Hunwei.”
As they followed the returning tracks Jorad made a greater effort to remain alert than he had before. If there were still Hunwei about, he didn’t want to be caught unaware. At one point, he realized that he was grasping the hilt of one of his daggers and he let go. He ran his fingers over the imprints on his hand as they continued.
An hour later, they were following the Hunwei boot prints up a large hill when there was a rushing sound like a strong wind. Jorad froze, other than a slight breeze from the opposite direction the air was still. The night had become cold. The sky was partially cloudy and the moons had just gone behind a cloud giving the terrain and eerie glow. He crouched and noticed that Adar had done the same. When the sound didn't stop, Adar continued to move forward without a backward glance. Jorad followed hoping they weren't walking into a trap.
They hadn’t made it far when Jorad could feel warm air blowing from up ahead. The trees in front of them shook and a shiny silver object appeared above the treetops. Moonlight glinted off the metal. What in the name of Melyah? It was hard for him to describe but it looked like a big metal box with glowing light coming from the bottom. It was disturbing the air beneath it as it rose. The object moved up into the sky until it was almost out of sight.
Was he looking at a Hunwei ship? Jorad seemed to recall Adar describing ships to him but seeing one firsthand was something else. If he remembered right, Adar had once mentioned that humans once upon a time had similar things. The feeling of awe that overcame Jorad filled him with nausea.
There was a loud boom of thunder and the ship disappeared. One moment it was there and the next it was gone. Jorad spotted the silver object skimming across the sky leaving behind a trail of clouds. He tripped when he remembered the thunder from earlier in the day. Had
he heard a ship and not known it?
What else had he missed?
Ruder had warned him the Hunwei were coming and Jorad had thought he was crazy. He’d heard the thunder and discounted it. He’d seen the small trail of clouds and thought nothing of it. Of course, Adar hadn’t caught on to that last one either. Had the shooting stars been ships as well?
Jorad tried to think if he’d missed anything else as he followed Adar to the clearing where the ship had come from. There was a burnt smell in the air and some of the grass was on fire. The vegetation lay flat as if it had been stamped down. Adar and he went around stomping on the burning grass until all the flames had been extinguished. They didn't need a forest fire on top of everything else.
Based on the number of tracks and the differing sizes, it appeared that there had been more than three Hunwei. It was hard to get an exact number as the lack of light kept them from getting a good picture of the ground.
“It went north,” Jorad said, “like the shooting stars.”
“What?” Adar growled. “Why didn’t you mention those before?”
“You know now.” Jorad was glad for the dark to cover his embarrassment. He examined a large impression in the ground that was wider than a carriage and about twice as long. He figured it had been made from the weight of the ship.
“Anything else you’ve forgotten to tell me?” Adar asked.
“Why are the Hunwei interested in Neberan?” Jorad asked, ignoring Adar's question. “Rarbon, Parout, Colonipo, even Zecarani would make a lot more sense for the first wave of attacks.”
Adar snorted. “Who says this isn’t the second or third and they're just getting to us? Besides, Neberan isn’t different from any other place.”
“I wish that we'd been able to figure out Vigorock,” Jorad said.
“Unless you have more ideas on how to get it to work,” Adar said, “we don't have the time. We can get to Zecarani in two weeks if we hurry.”
“Deren’s Tablet?” Jorad asked.
Adar nodded. They'd tried to get to the tablet before but they'd been denied access. It was another relic from before the Severing that Adar believed could access the weapons of the fathers.
“We didn't have much success before,” Jorad said.
“We didn't try very hard.” Adar looked determined and Jorad realized that he didn’t just want a look. He meant to take it.
“If you believe the Rarbon Portal is our best option, why don’t you go back and clear your name. It’ll take years for me to pass the trials.”
Adar studied Jorad and nodded. “A good thought, but I’ve been gone too long. The evidence against me was set up too well. They didn't believe me then, they won’t believe me now. No, you are our best option. You’re going to have to convince the Rarbon Council to expedite the process.”
“It will be hard enough convincing them that I’m a Rahid, proving that the Hunwei have returned will be impossible.”
“I don’t deny it’s a bad plan. Would you rather stay here and wait to die? You can do something, even if it amounts to nothing, and know that you did your best to stop it.”
“Rarbon is two months away; it will be overrun long before we get there.”
“After we reach Zecarani, I’ll get you to Rarbon in two days, maybe less.”
“Are you mad?” Jorad's stomach churned with the thought. If Adar was losing it now, he didn't know what they'd do.
“I know a shortcut, a place called the Arches. You've been there before but you don't remember. It's our one advantage.”
Jorad was taken aback. Adar wasn’t a liar, but his claim was laughable. If Adar was right and he could get to Rarbon in weeks instead of months, they may have a chance of getting into the Portal before the Hunwei came. He felt the weight of duty hanging from his shoulders like a yoke. Only instead of being attached to a cart, it was a mountain. No that was wrong, it was like the whole of the Jagged Mountains had fallen on him and Adar expected him to dig himself out. He didn’t like the thought that he was responsible to gain access to something where so many had failed and that it might turn out to be a waste anyway. How could this ridiculous plan be their best hope to fight the Hunwei?
Jorad turned to leave. “I want proof that it will work.”
“You won’t find any,” Adar said, “I’ve been looking for years.”
Rarbon beckoned and Jorad knew he had no choice now but to heed it's call.
Chapter 5
Tere Huel sighed, squinting from the light, it was early morning and the angle of the sun was blinding. The dew was beginning to evaporate and he could tell already that it was going to be a hot day. They'd camped on the outskirts of Neberan late last night and been careful to conceal their presence from the road. It wasn't necessary, what were the chances that Adar would be in this backwoods town anyway? Still, old habits die hard. While they were on a retrieval mission, it had been his mission for the last fifteen years. The feeling of urgency had long since dissipated.
They'd awoken before first light and broken camp. Tere took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing on the sound of the gravel crunching underneath the hooves of their horses. He froze. Had it really been more than fifteen years since the night that he found Adar beside Nelion as her life ebbed away? It was a night that continued to haunt Tere’s dreams.
Adar’s pristine white clothes had been spoiled with Nelion’s blood and his cold emotionless face had stood in contrast to the dreadful pleas of the man dying beside Nelion. If Tere had known how that night would change his life, he would have run from Rarbon and never looked back. So many things would have been different. Tere pushed away the memory with a prayer to Vicael.
“You want to go in alone?” Tarner Neatel asked as he wiped his brow, it was easy to forget when they were riding that Tarner was a good foot shorter. Tere had always supposed that was the reason Tarner was always so determined to get what he wanted. Today Tere couldn’t tell if Tarner wanted to come or not.
“I don’t know.” Tere touched his fingers to his lips completing the prayer, if the others noticed, they didn’t comment. He slowed his horse to a stop and looked down the hill at the town. “Neberan is small. Three armed men will be noticed right away, where one might avoid attention.”
Larae would like this morning, Tere thought as he closed his eyes imagining he was back home, sitting on the porch eating eggs and toast with Larae cuddled beside him as Sharu played nearby, having showed no interest in her breakfast. After several long seconds, he reminded himself Sharu hadn’t been that small for almost two decades.
There had been a time when that memory warmed him, but now it was just an empty husk. The years of watching Sharu grow to a woman were past and even though he had made regular return visits to Rarbon, it was never long after arriving before Rahar Abel insisted that Tere leave again to chase some other rumor of Adar.
At first, every day Tere had spent away from his family was a bit heavier than the last, but that had changed. The gulf between Larae and him had grown until Sharu was the only connection they had remaining.
These days it was better for him to be away because Larae had taken a lover. Tere didn’t have proof but at times there were words that his wife and daughter exchanged that left him puzzled. He’d refused to ask questions or give much thought to the matter. What was the point? He couldn’t blame her because duty had become his mistress.
Melyah take the Rahar! Rahar Abel claimed that his grandson Jorad must be found to protect Rarbon, but he said many things that Tere had long since stopped believing, it was mere duty that caused him to continue the search. He had, after all, his oath to obey.
“If you find Adar you’ll want us with you,” Tarner said. “You can’t kill him alone.” Perhaps Tarner did want to come.
“I should go,” Lous Liup said, startling Tere. The man spoke so infrequently that Tere was never sure if Lous knew what went on around him. “Adar doesn’t know me.”
Tarner
snorted. “I’d give you ten minutes before you forgot why you were there.”
Lous just shook his head and didn’t answer as Tere closed his eyes again and wished the sun would melt away the pain. It didn’t matter why they were still looking for Jorad. What mattered was that Abel still believed Jorad could be found.
“I’ll go alone.” Tere noticed Tarner hide a smile and realized that must have been what he’d wanted from the beginning. Tere almost changed his mind just because he didn’t want Tarner to think he could be controlled, but he relented. Tarner and Lous could both use the extra rest and it would be better for Tere to scout out the city alone. If by some remote chance Adar was here, they didn’t need to announce their presence.
Chapter 6
Jorad sat beside Soret on a fallen log and did his best to think of the right words to say. They were on the outskirts of town and had a good view of Vigorock as it shined in the late morning sun. He wished that he had more time to puzzle out its secrets. Several small children with huge grins ran by them. The smallest lagged behind and was calling to the others to wait.
As Jorad stared at the children, he wondered if there was anything he could do to help them. Adar and he had agreed to warn everybody they could before they had to leave, but he knew that their efforts would be futile. Even if he somehow found the parents of these children, it would not be an easy task to convince them that they were in danger.
Adar had mentioned something about going to see Mayor Keeret and Jorad wished him luck. The mayor was a prickly woman and didn't particularly like Adar. Melyah, even if she liked Adar, a story about the Hunwei wouldn't go over well.
Jorad yawned. He and Adar had arrived at the boarding house in the early hours of the morning and gone to bed. He had done his best to sleep but the stress of returning to Rarbon kept him tossing and turning. He'd finally managed to doze off only to be awoken by Adar a few minutes later. They decided to leave Zecarani in the early afternoon after Adar tied up a few loose ends.
