“How are the boys coming along?” Kalina asked, suddenly changing the subject.
“They spend way too much time resting and listening to other people’s conversations,” Garth said sternly.
Arik and Tedi snapped their heads up and saw Garth staring at them. They both scrambled to their feet. “It was not our intention to listen,” Arik spat out with a sheepish grin. “We were too tired to continue with our swordplay and you had not returned. We only meant to rest a while.”
“Tired, are you?” growled Garth. “If that doesn’t sound like a plea to cut some firewood, I’ve never heard one. Get moving.”
Tedi stood to argue and Arik ran into him as he turned to beat a hasty retreat. Both boys tumbled to the ground and when they finally untangled themselves, Garth was gone again.
Tedi rose and brushed himself off. “Why is he always so mean?” questioned Tedi. “We weren’t doing anything wrong and he gives us punishment. We already have more wood they we can possibly burn. I’m ready to be on my way.”
Arik chuckled and turned to his friend. “You just don’t listen that well,” smiled Arik. “One of the first days that we were with him, he described how the army handles new recruits. That is what he considers us. He is breaking us down to be obedient. When he is confident that we know how to follow orders, he will begin building us up to lead. I don’t think he means for us to lead, but that is the way the army taught him to train. Remember, he gets nothing out of training us. As you just pointed out, he doesn’t need the wood we are about to chop. We need the discipline and muscle building. He knows we are tired and he is forcing us to go beyond our own thoughts of endurance. Come on, it is not going to kill us.”
Tedi grumbled about never having volunteered for any army as he followed Arik towards the woodpile.
The next morning the wagon never moved. Garth started the boys off with their morning workout and after breakfast the training continued. Garth observed the boys’ archery skills and then gave them pointers on improving their accuracy as well as the speed required to reload another arrow. After archery practice, it was swordplay until the boys were exhausted. While they were recuperating he taught them tricks with a rope and the various type of knots and their uses. When they were somewhat refreshed it was back to swordplay. The next rest period was assigned to horse care and covering their tracks in the forest.
The routine continued until about an hour before dinner when Garth set them to more swordplay and disappeared. Garth returned just as Kalina was serving a dinner of pork and carrots with a green pea soup. Arik had downed the hog himself during one of the tracking sessions the day before and that had led to a lesson in butchering. The boys were almost too tired to eat. Every other day was broken up by the necessity of moving the wagon from one campsite to another, but this day had been brutal.
Garth sat down and took his plate from Kalina without a word. Everyone ate in silence until the meal was over. Garth, as usual, lit his pipe after dinner and gazed at the boys before he spoke. “Whoever they are, they did not move their camp today. It would appear that they wish to know where we are going.”
“Where are we going?” demanded Tedi. “Arik and I had plans to reestablish ourselves in another town, but since we have joined up with you, we have had no idea where we are heading.”
“Where were you heading?” Kalina asked.
Tedi glanced at Arik and the taller boy just shrugged. “We weren’t sure,” Tedi said. “Just some place south of Lorgo. Any town that would accept us as apprentices would have been acceptable.”
“Have you given any thought to changing your names?” Kalina inquired. “There can be little doubt that your names are now being circulated along the coast.”
Tedi blushed but stated defiantly, “Of course we have. Surely you do not think us so stupid as to announce ourselves in each village?”
“Certainly not,” Kalina replied dryly. “I think you should shave your face every morning until your facial hairs stiffen, then you should grow beards. It will make you look older.”
Now it was Arik’s turn to blush. Tedi at least had the start of some facial hair though it did not require any shaving, but Arik had not a hint of any. “I don’t think I could grow a beard,” admitted Arik.
“Sure you can,” Kalina insisted. “Follow my instructions and in a few weeks you will have a fine face of hair. The single, most important thing that you two can do to avoid close inspection is to be older and wiser. Garth’s lessons will help you only after the inspection has already been too close.”
“Why are the Dark Riders after us?” Tedi asked. “Master Clava related the tale that Garth mentioned to him, but it all sounds ridiculous.”
“The tale is not ridiculous,” Kalina stated sternly. “It is to be taken with deadly seriousness. The Dark One is real and his interest in children born in the year of the Collapse is real. If the Dark One can destroy certain children born that year, he will reign for a thousand years at which time the Great Demon, Alutar, will be released from his prison to rule forever. If he cannot locate these certain children, he can destroy all of the children born that year and still succeed in his goal. The threat is quite real.”
“How can he tell which children are the ones whom he seeks?” Arik asked.
“I am not sure,” sighed Kalina. “There are many prophecies that deal with the Collapse, or the Darkness as these times are called, but they are confusing at best. Tell me about your own family, Tedi. What do you know of your parents and their brothers and sisters?”
Tedi’s eyes narrowed and he stared at Kalina with barely concealed suspicion. “Why do you want to know about my family?” he asked.
Kalina met his gaze evenly. “Are you ashamed of your family?” she quipped, “or are you embarrassed that you do not know about them?”
“I am not ashamed of my family,” Tedi asserted. “I just want to know why you want to know. We know practically nothing about you and Garth and you expect us to tell you everything. You could be working for the Dark One for all we know. The fact that you killed some Dark Riders means nothing to me. If these children are as important as you say, I am sure that the Dark One would sacrifice some men to find the right children.”
“Fair enough,” Kalina smiled. “I look for anything that stands out from the ordinary. The necklace you are wearing is finely crafted and worth more than your entire town could scrape together. Yet you claim to be a simple fisherman’s son. I merely want to know how you came by it. If your uncles or aunts were wealthy nobles, it would not be so outstanding anymore. That is why I ask.”
“You still didn’t say who you and Garth are,” reminded Tedi.
“How many Dark Riders do you need us to kill before you will believe that we do not serve the Dark One?” asked Kalina. “A hundred? A thousand? Ten thousand? If you think we serve the Dark One, no number of dead Dark Riders will ever convince you. If we wanted you dead, you would have been dead a thousand times already. You will have to come to trust us for ourselves. If you are not there yet, then decisions will have to wait.”
“Hope that whoever is following us, allows us time to wait,” Garth remarked glumly.
Chapter 11
Paths of Fate
Fredrik and Niki rode side-by-side down the dusty trail heading north. It had been a week since they left Cidal by heading westward towards a seldom-used north-south trail. The north-south trail was pretty barren and the only food they were able to procure had been coconuts, some kind of berry and a chicken they stole from a farm. The chicken had almost cost them Fredrik’s life when an arrow streaked past his head. With no target to aim his magic at, Fredrik had simply run off with the chicken.
Niki was miserable. She was hot, tired and dirty. Her days in the mansion in Cidal seemed a distant memory and she kicked herself every time it surfaced. She always knew that she was destined to be a queen someday and when her chance finally came, she had thrown it away. The worst part of it was that Fredrik had become extremely quiet
since they left Cidal. She could have accepted him yelling at her for her rash behavior, or even if he laughed about it, but he never mentioned it. His only talk was of where to stop for the night or where they should look for some food. If he didn’t say something about it soon, she was going to scream.
Fredrik sat up straight in his saddle and cocked his head slightly. “There is a wagon up ahead,” he announced. “Let me do the talking. Maybe we can get something to eat.”
Niki perked up at the mention of food and the two magicians rode steadily up to the wagon that was stopped at the crossroads of two dirt trails. An old man and a young boy were sitting under a tree alongside the wagon having a food break and Niki’s eyes lit up when she read the sign on the canvas of the wagon. It read, “Boris Khatama Merchant”.
Fredrik and Niki dismounted and Fredrik tied the two horses to a low branch of a nearby tree. Slowly, they walked over to the merchant. “Greetings, Merchant,” Fredrik said. “I see that you are having a meal break. I wonder if two hungry travelers might join you?”
“If the two hungry travelers are peaceful and courteous, they are welcome to share what little we have,” greeted Boris. “How are you called?”
Fredrik thought quickly about how he should respond. Finally he decided that he would be truthful, but vague. “I am Fredrik and my traveling companion is Niki. We are from the south and have been some time without proper food.”
Boris nodded as if he understood the necessity of being vague these days. “I am Boris, the merchant, and I am traveling with my niece, Tanya. Welcome to our poor table.”
Fredrik looked around for the man’s niece and flushed when he realized that who he had taken for a young boy was the niece. He bowed slightly and held Niki’s hand as she lowered herself to the ground. Fredrik quickly sat next to her and the niece rose and went to the wagon and came back with two plates of bread and cheese and some dried beef. She returned a moment later with two glasses of wine. Niki sniffed the bread and cheese as if it might be moldy, which earned her a nasty glare from Tanya. Both men managed to miss the exchange and seemed to be measuring the other’s mettle.
Boris broke the silence first. “Collapse children, I suppose. You won’t want to be going west, then. There are several score of Dark Riders who are camped out about two hours from here.”
Fredrik and Niki exchanged surprised glances. “What makes you think we are Collapse children?” Niki asked.
The old man’s eyes twinkled. “You appear the right age,” Boris began. “You are obviously running from someone and you just verified it by not denying it,” he chuckled. “Do not be afraid of me. I do not stomach the Dark Riders or their kind very well and what you are and where you are going is none of my affair. At my age, all I have left is my curiosity. Which one of you is a Collapse child or are you both?”
“Both,” offered Fredrik. “You have a keen eye, Master Khatama, and a generous heart. Niki and I do thank you for the food. I am afraid my funds are pitilessly poor, but the few coins I have are yours for the asking.”
Boris waved his hands. “That is not necessary, traveler. Your coins are better kept for your next meal. The road east goes to Toresh. Avoid that town, as it is a major staging point for the Dark Riders. I fear you must continue north and there is not much that way in terms of food unless you know how to live off the land. You strike me as city children and the next few days will be hard on you. I am sorry to say that we are eating the last of our food, so I can not fix you up something to take with you.”
Niki suddenly felt ashamed at sniffing the food now that she knew it was all they had left. She removed her cloak and laid it on the grass as she finished the last piece of bread. She looked at the young girl who, dressed in brown leather shirt and pants with a brown leather cap that came down to her ears, very much resembled a boy. “Is there somewhere where I might clean up a bit, Tanya?” she asked.
Tanya removed her hat and volumes of long, flowing, golden hair fell down her back. “There is a stream just beyond those trees,” she replied. “I will get towels and show you the way.”
Niki stared at the girl’s beautiful hair and face and suddenly wondered how she could have mistaken her for a boy. “Thank you, Tanya. I would like that.”
Fredrik and Boris talked about different places they had been when the merchant said he was heading south and asked Fredrik how conditions were down there. “I am glad that we have met,” Boris said. “I think I shall change my plans and not head south, after all. The picture you paint is not one that would be very lucrative for a merchant. Spare my old bones, Fredrik, and get the bottle of wine at the rear of the wagon. I think we need another glass if we are to wait on the women.”
Fredrik chuckled and rose to get the bottle. When he returned, he found Boris fondling the cloak that Niki had left on the grass. “A very interesting design,” Boris commented, “but I fear that fire has marred its perfection. How did she come by it?”
Fredrik looked at the merchant suspiciously. “She likes it very much, Boris. Niki is sure that she is destined to become a queen one day.”
Boris chuckled as he placed the cloak back where he had found it. “Who knows,” he said. “Perhaps she will be. This is the last bottle of wine, as well. This trip has not been very prosperous.”
The old man’s casual attitude put Fredrik back at ease and the girls soon returned from the stream. Fredrik and Niki mounted their horses and prepared to leave. “Will you be heading north, as well, then?” Fredrik asked.
“I expect so,” Boris replied. “I am not much of a one for living off the land, though. I may head into Toresh for supplies before I head north. Safe journey to you both.”
Tanya turned and finished cleaning up after the midday meal. “There were no Dark Riders west of here,” she stated. “Why did you lie to them?”
“There are many hazards in life, Tanya,” Boris said softly. “Those two are not ready to face them. Nobody is really ready to face them, but that group north of here is where they need to be, at least for now. It should prove to be quite interesting.”
Tanya continued cleaning up and Boris rose to walk off the stiffness of sitting before he climbed up on the wagon again. Boris walked around in circles and suddenly saw something that he had not seen in seventeen years. Through the gray sky overhead, a small hole appeared and a sunbeam lanced down into the intersection of the two roads. It disappeared as quickly as it came and Boris walked over to the center of the intersection where it struck. Looking down he found a small, flat rock. Burned into the face of the rock was the following inscription:
From North and East and South and West
The children gather towards unknown
The whole world’s saviors they are blest
The seeds of True Light now are sown
Shall Darkness win or Light prevail
The outcome’s not foretold or known
On brink of Fate’s fluttering sail
They’ll win and live or hear Death’s moan
Boris studied the inscription over and over and finally put the rock in his pouch and returned to the wagon. He climbed up onto the wagon just as Tanya finished and joined him. He started the wagon rolling along the dusty trail and at the intersection he turned onto the trail to the north.
“I thought we were going into Toresh for food,” Tanya said
“There has been a change in plans,” Boris replied glumly. “The day you have prepared for is fast approaching. You must remember all that you have been taught by the others and me. It is time that I sent you into the viper’s den.”
* * * *
Arik and Tedi were utilizing their tracking skills to follow Garth’s path. The trail had become increasingly hard to follow, but the boys were still managing to track it correctly. “I heard Garth telling Kalina this morning that our mysterious followers have not been around for over three days now,” Arik said softly.
“Maybe it was all in his imagination,” retorted Tedi. “There might not have been
anyone ever following us. I wonder why Garth never has us take turns on sentry duty? You would think that if he was really concerned about somebody being out there, he would post a sentry all night.”
“There are only three of us,” Arik reminded Tedi as he pointed to a leaf on the ground with a fine layer of dust on it. “Not to mention that two of us can hardly keep our eyes open through dinner.”
“What is it that Garth does in the woods every night and every morning?” Tedi asked. “He does it every day and it is the only time that he will not allow anyone to accompany him.”
“I don’t know,” Arik conceded while pointing out the peculiar way the slant of the blades of grass alternated between pointing right and pointing left as if someone had swept something across the grass back and forth to remove footsteps. “I suspect that he is making sure that no one is near. Or, at least, it must have something to do with the security of the campsite.”
Suddenly, the trail totally disappeared and the boys stood up, puzzled. There was not one clue as to which direction Garth had taken next.
“You forgot one of the most important lessons in tracking,” Garth said from behind them.
The boys spun around and faced the length of Garth’s long, sinuous sword wavering between their throats. “What lesson was that?” croaked Tedi.
“The first one that I taught you, fisherboy,” Garth said grimly. “Maintain silence at all times. Why do you think I taught you to use hand talk? Do you think it was to give your idle fingers some exercise? Your tracking skills are coming along fairly well, but you would be dead now because of a very foolish mistake.”
“But this is only practice,” complained Tedi.
Sapphire of the Fairies, Book 1 of Sword of Heavens Page 13
