The others could do nothing but stare at the Keeper in disbelief and fear, except Alandra. She knows exactly how her friend feels towards the Red Dragon.
Sadja is now breathing hard, and his face is engulfed in anger. He turned to face the captain and navigator, and forced himself to regain his composure once again.
He then said, “Turn the ship around captain, and let’s go home.”
He then slowly walked towards the doorway leading to the sleeping quarters. The captain looked at Alandra, and back towards the screaming General. He then turned to the navigator, and nodded. They quickly went to work turning the sails around and pulling up the anchor. It took them half an hour to turn around. Bargokk’s cries faded, and turned into screams of hatred. As they finally got turned around and properly adjusted the sails, the ship began to sail out of the bay. His screams slowly grew to nothing, as well as the two massive glaciers. Back in his sleeping quarters, Sadja just sat on his bed, and rested his forehead on his clinched fists. Alandra knew to let him be. He then prayed to the Lord Kaidian for the first time in many years. He asked him for his forgiveness, and to watch over the old man, and that he might one day be able to forget what Bargokk had done, and rid himself of his hate once and for all. He then rested by forcing his eyes closed. The party sailed off into the dangerous open waters of the Northern Sea as they began their journey back to the capital.
It has been nearly one month since the trial of the Guardian. Sadja and Alandra have not yet returned to Menethiel. Glammdreing has since left the capital, and returned back to Brethiel with the rest of the Golden Army. The White Queen stayed behind to help the people of Kain in council, since their own King could barely bring himself to leave his chambers, let alone run a city. The Kain struggled to build up their food stores for the winter, since the Dragonkin had ransacked all their stores during their temporary stay. Kalorah ordered a caravan of food and supplies from her domain to help the broken people of Kain since the request from the coastal city of Mir-Menthiel was unanswered. Many went without warm cloths and wood for their fireplaces, for a lot of their homes were completely destroyed during the war, forcing them to either live with others, or take to the streets. The drakes of the Dragonkin had completely wiped out all livestock within fifty miles of the capital. The Kain’s Guard led a charge of skilled hunters to try and find enough game to feed the starving capital.
Keeper Malthius assisted Malthiel with the restocking of Belroot after the Kain used most of their stores. He was rarely seen, for the Mines were no better off than the capital. Their many dead, Kain and Clauggs alike, were carried deep within the Mines and buried, and the countless Krocklin bodies were burned inside the tunnel they came through, and reduced to ash. Malthius used his mighty Hammer to collapse the tunnel and seal their ashes away forever.
Ayden and Nathian took Ethan and a few other elite members of the Kain’s Guard, and traveled to the surrounding towns and villages in the northern territory to weed out the remanding Drykan resisters. After they sent them back to their lands in the eastern territory, Ayden commanded the citizens of the towns and villages to head for the capital with as many supplies and food stores that they could carry. He promised them that they could return back to their homes after the winter passed, and the capital’s future was secured. After securing the villages to the east, Ayden and his party then traveled west of the capital after hearing word of the missing captain, Krog, who was spotted moving west with a small battalion of Drykan warriors. The party traveled through the green lands to the south of the capital, and did not stop as to stay on top of the escaped captain’s trail.
The company was now several miles outside the capital, and continued to make their way northwest. The dead of winter was vastly approaching the northern lands, having already snowed almost a foot in the mountains, and several inches on the green lands, blanketing the vast meadows in white. Ethan rode towards the front of the party
Ayden rode up next to him, and said, “Listen, Ethan, I know that you would have liked to stay in the capital, but it is of the utmost importance that we find the missing captain. We cannot allow him to escape.”
“You don’t have to explain,” replied Ethan as he turned to him, “I understood what I was giving up when I took my vows, and I understand the duties I must perform within the Kain’s Guard.”
Ayden was a little taken aback at the teen’s candidness, and said, “Well then… I’m glad we settled that.”
“How much further to the straights?” asked Ethan.
“I would say about another twenty miles or so,” answered Ayden.
“Where are we heading after we cross?” asked Ethan.
“Well,” Ayden answered, “the villager that saw him said that he was last seen heading northwest towards the village of Deer-Run, at the foothills of Mount Graypeak. He is unlikely to still be there, but we might find some answers on where he could have gone, or if he was even there to begin with.”
Ethan then asked, “Are we going to stop at all the villages between here and there first?”
“No,” replied Ayden, “they will have to wait. The captain was the commander of the Irondrake Army. If he escapes, there’s a chance he could rally any remaining drakes to his cause, and attack us out of revenge. We cannot take that chance with the fragile state the capital is in. Not to mention my brother.”
“The King?” asked Ethan.
“Yes,” replied Ayden, “he hasn’t been the same since we reclaimed the capital. He won’t speak to anyone, not even his own son. I know he is taken by grief over everything that has happened, and the death of his wife, but I have never seen him this way. It’s as if he’s sick. His skin is almost white, and he sweats all of the time. He’s taken to drinking day and night.” Ayden stopped for a moment, then added, “I should not be talking about the King’s affairs to you, he is still your King. Try not to think any less of him.”
“I won’t, I promise,” replied Ethan.
Just then, a snowball hits Ayden in the back of the head, causing him to jump in his saddle, thus spooking his stallion Ronan. He turned around in anger, only to see Nathian laughing behind him.
“What are you two ladies talking about?” asked Nathian. “Hopefully not about me. I’m taken, so you ladies will have to look elsewhere.”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” replied Ayden, “you aren’t my type.”
“Oh, is that so?” laughed Nathian, acting fake hurt. “Well then…”
Ethan laughed at the two as Ayden looked at him and winked.
Ayden then said, “Enough joking around, we have to make the straights by nightfall. We don’t want to be caught in the coming storm at night. We will camp there for the night, and make our way for Deer-Run in the morning.”
They rode for several more hours and arrived at the straights just before the sun set over the horizon. No stars can be seen this night due to the large winter clouds that started to form around midday. The air grew cold as the company built a fire with what little dry wood they could find. One of the Guards was able to kill a few rabbits the morning before. Ethan was considered quite the cook back home in Greenglen, so using some spices he brought with him, and a few onions, he put together a tasty stew that filled the bellies of all the men. After they ate, Ayden threw a few logs on the fire, and suggested that they go to sleep early so they can get an early start in the morning. He wanted to beat the coming winter storm and make it to Deer-Run, which was only twenty miles away.
As the sun began to rise, the snow started to fall. Ethan was the first up, and rushed to wake the others. They quickly packed up their camp and saddled the horses. They would have to leave now if they were going to make it to Deer-Run by nightfall. The snowfall grew thicker and more intense with each passing hour. Ayden’s stallion Ronan was the largest and strongest of the horses, so he rode in front, creating a trail for the rest to follow. All along the way, Ayden scoured the ground for any sign of captain Krog and his company. It was hard to see any signs as snow
continued to cover the ground. The horses began to tire as the snow grew deeper the higher they rose in elevation, making the outline of the mountain hard to see.
Ayden turned and yelled to the company behind them, “We have to keep moving, I can see the mountain, which means we are getting close.”
Nathian yelled back as snow blew in his face, “If we keep moving at this pace, the horses will never make it! We have to find somewhere to take shelter and wait out the storm!”
“No,” Ayden yelled back, “we need to reach the village before nightfall!”
Ethan interrupted the two, and said, “Both of you, shut up for a moment…”
Ayden turned his horse around, and stared at the young man, shocked by his abruptness.
“Listen,” said Ethan, “do you hear that?”
Ayden listened for any sound outside of the storm, but heard nothing.
“I don’t hear anything but Nathian’s mouth,” he replied.
“No, listen closer,” said Ethan.
Ayden concentrated, and finally heard the faint sound of a woman screaming to the west towards their destination.
“I hear it… its coming from the direction of the village, which means we’re closer than I thought.”
“It’s Krog! It has to be,” said Ethan.
Nathian turned to Ayden, and said, “It’s possible, I mean, we don’t know if he had actually reached the village yet, or if he was even heading there. They might have misjudged where they saw the captain’s company heading.”
“Either way, we need to investigate it,” said Ayden. “Nathian, Ethan and I will go investigate on foot, the rest of you make camp within that group of trees over there. You there, take our horses. Don’t make a fire till you hear from us. We don’t want to attract any unwanted attention.”
The three of them got down, and grabbed their weapons.
“We have to be invisible,” said Ayden. “If the captain is there, he will most likely have others with him. There’s no telling what he will do to those people in the village. He’s probably scared and desperate to escape the kingdom of Kain unnoticed.”
“Which means he will not leave any witnesses alive,” said Ethan, “so we have to hurry before he kills them!”
“The boy’s right,” said Nathian, “we must be quick and thorough, and kill them quickly before they even notice that we are there.”
“Not the captain,” said Ayden, “we need him alive. We need him to talk, for me might know where the missing General is, or might be heading.”
They only had a couple of hours of daylight left, for they were growing shorter as winter arrived. Though they were only a few miles away from the village of Deer-Run, the landscape proved to be difficult to cross over. There are many steep ravines and coulees directly east of the village. The village of Deer-Run sits on the foothills of the Grey Mountains which run west and north all the way to the western coast line. The largest of these mountains is called Mount Greypeak. It gets its name from its bald rocky grey peak. Deer-Run lies on the foothills of the southeastern side of the grey mountain. The village gets its name because they are the leading provider of venison for the capital due to the large population of whitetail deer that live in the area.
The sun has now been set for several minutes just as the three men finally crossed the last ravine. As they climbed out of the ravine, they could see the distant glow of fire from the village. The snow had finally stopped falling as they prepared to enter the village.
“What’s the plan?” asked Nathian.
“The plan is to be invisible,” replied Ayden, “do either of you see the captain?”
Ethan said, “How are we supposed to know, none of us have ever seen him?”
Nathian said, “Well, I heard he’s short and fat, kind of like Ayden’s…”
“…You better watch what the next words that come out of your mouth are,” snapped back Ayden. “We need to be serious. Let’s get closer so we can get a better look, make for that thicket of trees over there on the northeast side of the village. We should be able to see them better from there.”
The three quietly made their way over to the thicket of trees, which are completely covered in the freshly fallen snow. A soft yellow and orange glow illuminates the night sky from the center of the village. The fire is a lot larger than the villagers would have lit on their own, so Ayden knew that they were not alone. It was a known fact that Drykans are not a fan of the cold, especially snow. They have thicker blood that the Kain and Ela, so when they are chilled beyond a certain temperature, it causes their muscles to not respond as fast, which in essence, causes them to move slower, and does not help in situations of war. They do not experience winter in the eastern territory like the Kain do, so the captain will be in a rush to leave the northern territory and escape back to his homeland.
“Can you see anything now?” asked Ethan.
“I can see two men by the gate,” replied Nathian, “I think they are Dragonkin.”
Ayden said, “There are two more at the southern gate. One is sleeping and the other is sharpening what looks like a wooden spike with a dagger.”
“How can you see all of that?” questioned Ethan in disbelief.
“Because, before he was the captain of the Kain’s Guard, Ayden was the best scout there was,” said Nathian.
“Correction, the best scout there IS!” smirked Ayden. “Wait, there is someone else coming.”
Ayden can see the shadow of a figure walking towards a nearby building. The shadow belonged to someone short and stout. It was clearly the missing captain Krog. Ayden watched as Krog stopped at the door, and looked both ways to make sure that no one followed him in. He then motioned for the two men at the southern gate to guard the door. Their movement is slow, just as Ayden hoped. Krog then entered the building, and closed the door behind him. This was their chance to get him alone.
“I think it would be best if we take out the two guards to the right first,” said Ayden, “once we are inside the village, we can get a better idea if there are more guards than what we see. I find it hard to believe that the captain of the Irondrake Army would travel with no more than four guards. Ethan, do you think you can take out those two?”
Ethan looked shocked at Ayden’s question, and didn’t immediately respond.
He then shook his head, and replied, “Yes, I think I can, I mean… yes.”
“We will be right behind you,” said Ayden, “remember to be silent and quick. We can’t take the risk of attracting their attention all at once.”
“I will be, I can do this,” said Ethan as he turned, and slowly walked off towards the village.
Ethan approached with incredible stealth, staying close to the ground, and choosing each step just as carefully as the last. He is now only a hundred feet away from the entrance. He can see both guards clearly, as they paced back and forth at the gate. Ethan sat and watched them for several minutes, studying their movements and state of awareness. Just then, the one on the left took a nearby stool, and sat down. They both acted tired and out of it. Ethan decided this would be the perfect moment to strike. He walked down and around to the outside wall, then crept his way towards the gate. Just before he arrived, hiding behind the corner, he silently pulled out one of his grandfather’s dagger.
Just as he went to strike, he stopped himself, and whispered in his breath, “Calm down Ethan, silent, and quick… silent… and quick.”
He then closed his eyes, and took in a deep breath. He then opened them, looking strong and confident, and gracefully turned around the corner. He floated right behind the guard sitting in the stool, took his left hand, and with one fluid motion, grabbed the guard’s chin, raised it upwards towards the night sky, as his right hand bearing the silver dagger reached around. He then smoothly dragged the blade across the guard’s exposed throat, all the way to the bone. As Ethan released the lifeless and silent corpse, the other turned and noticed. Ethan then took the same silver dagger, and threw it directly into the
opposing guard’s left eye socket, dropping him dead. He quickly grabbed the first guard’s legs, and dragged him behind the wall. He then slowly crept around the gate, then moved to the other guard. After he decided the coast was clear, he quickly dragged him out of the gateway, and behind a nearby tree. He then stood tall and waved over to Ayden and Nathian, signaling them to come over.
Ayden and Nathian rushed over to Ethan, while staying as low and silent as possible. Once they reached him, Ayden took in their surroundings. He counted ten guards that he could see or hear. Most of them were in the main courtyard of the village, and appeared just as incoherent as the two Ethan just killed. After carefully planning out their attack, they prepared to strike. Nathian was using his faithful bow, acting as coverage while Ayden and Ethan silently took out the rest.
“This is it,” said Ayden, “on my count. One… two… three…”
They then moved into the village with great stealth and concealment. One by one, they quietly assassinated the nearby guards, and drug their bodies out of site. Nathian saw some heading their way towards Ayden, but before they could even make the sound of placing one foot in front of the other, Nathian released two arrows, one right after the other, right into their hearts, dropping them dead where they stood. Ethan and Ayden were nearing the room where they saw Krog enter. They stopped and stood behind a building to get a better look at the street around the corner before they made their move on the captain. As Ethan slowly peered around the corner, he saw a young woman tied up with a gag in her mouth. She is covered in blood, and clearly unconscious. The two guards that were guarding the southern gate before, now stand outside of the room Krog entered. Ethan listened closely to what they were saying, but failed to decipher their mumbled speech.
He ducked back around the corner, and turned to Ayden, who was watching the courtyard behind them to make sure that no more Drykans were coming. Once he was certain that no more guards were coming, he motioned for Nathian to cross.
The Reclaiming: The Keepers Saga: Volume Two Page 41
