by Andrew Wood
Melia was not going to take no for an answer, "You will need a healer...and well...Maxim is my friend too," she added trying to appeal to them.
Danton looked at Ramon, and the man who led them gave a small nod.
"Very well Melia, you can come, but know the trip will be a tough one," Danton told her. Darion scoffed, and grumbled several expletives, clearly not of the same line of thinking.
Zack walked over to his bed, he had already packed most of the things he would need on his trip, and was almost ready to go. Ramon however suggested they take their time, "Leave after lunch, you will make Denley before sunset this evening." Zack's shoulders dropped, as he took a deep breath, "Fine...but no later. Maxim needs us," he added sniffing and wiping his eyes with his sleeve.
Melia decided to act and rushed over to where Zack was stood. Without giving it a second thought, she wrapped her arms around him, giving him a big hug. Danton watched on feeling nothing but pity for the youngsters in the room. It had been he, who had bought them all together, and he knew then whatever happened, he would do all in his power to bring them back.
Zack took the offer of Melia's hug; he felt he needed a friend now more than ever. Melia breathed in deeply, ignoring the fact the young man in her arms was sniffling. She felt a tingle she had never felt before, and her mind became even more confused as to how she felt about Zack. She still felt sure Zack's feelings for her were no more than friendship, however she realised, almost with horror, that the same could not be said for her own about him. She felt almost a little disappointed when Zack finally pulled away from her, although she held his gaze as they parted, hoping for something else, all she got was a warm-hearted smile.
The palace gardens in Waltham, capital of Bosaria were bereft of much colour. The frost covered lawns glistened in the early morning sunshine as Gorius led Maxim, Shonna and a small party of followers across the pathway that split them. Those behind were other magicians, all out to see the new weapon their king had been raving about. Many doubted such a bedraggled looking youth was as good as their monarch was making out, but naturally, they had kept such opinions amongst themselves.
The whispers and mutterings from those gathered could be heard, and Gorius knew they were about his new prize. He afforded himself a smile; he knew any youth capable of brushing aside a small army as this one had already proven, was more powerful than anything stood amongst his own men. The Bosarian king leaned forward to his new prize asset, "Show me how you destroyed my men," he whispered. Maxim heard the words, and something told him he needed to do as the man had asked, although somewhere at the back of his mind was a niggling doubt.
Across the far side of the garden, alongside the wall, several timber and straw targets had been erected for Gorius to demonstrate Maxim's skills. The Bosarian king gestured with his hand, and the chattering behind him stopped and silence fell. Only the twittering of a few birds perched amongst the bare branches of the tall trees could be heard. "Pick a target and burn it," he said sharply to Maxim.
Maxim nodded his acknowledgement and without giving it a second thought, he held out his hand palm up. A small flame suddenly burst into life upon it, which quickly grew in size. There were already a few gasps from the small crowd behind, although Maxim was all but oblivious to them. The young captive then thrust his hand forward as he had been taught to do, and the ball of fire flew across the lawn toward the target. The fireball smashed into the timber and straw, as the flames quickly engulfed them.
Gorius clapped excitedly, like a child showing off a new toy, "Again...again," he shouted. Maxim obeyed the command and instantly fired off another fireball at the next target along. Shonna stepped towards her king, and whispered quietly to him, “Perhaps we best leave it at that Sire. If you keep this going the others will all feel completely inferior.” Gorius thought about the words for a moment before finally coming to his senses. He knew that everybody else gathered in the gardens with him and his prize pet were all inferior, yet he knew it also made sense to keep them happy. “Enough,” he declared. “It is far too cold out to be stood watching this,” his gestured to the two targets, destroyed by the fire. There were one or two grumbles amongst his audience, but they all did as he asked and slowly shuffled their way back indoors.
Shonna took one last look back at the small-scale destruction the boy had managed. It appeared to her the flames he cast burned much hotter than those of any normal fire would. The targets had already all but burnt out, nothing now but two smouldering heaps on the floor. Even the wall behind them had been affected by the intensity of the heat, as she could see the blackened marks upon the stones. She let the others walk ahead of her, and was last through the doors, and back into the welcoming warmth of the palace. Gorius may have his great weapon, she thought, but she also knew that this was one needed to be used very carefully. The mind of the prisoner would have to be completely subdued or else they would likely risk their own destruction.
As she made her way down the dimly lit corridor towards Gorius’ study, she stopped just briefly to gaze upon a picture on the wall. The painting was clearly quite old and depicted a battle scene from long ago. She looked closely at the men carrying swords and shields, all lined up closely together to provide better protection. What use would they be against the power of the boy? She had seen a man burn to death several times before. Her own Aclat could breathe fire, and had done so to protect her, but even her beast could not muster flames so quickly and intense as Gorius’ new pet. She would have to keep a very careful eye on him, and she decided then, that at the first sign of Gorius not having complete control she would have to intervene. Better, she thought, that the boy was dead, than have him let loose against them.
Chapter 13.
Zack sat impatiently atop his horse waiting for the others. He had selected the same creature that had carried him so ably to Pitford from Woodhaven, and tied to his own, was the horse that had been ridden by Maxim on that very same journey. Although the others told him that they need not take the extra animal, Zack insisted; after all, if they were to rescue his friend, he would need a horse to ride for the journey back. He was beginning to doubt the others in the group had the same goals as he did. The very thought of having to kill Maxim shocked him to the very core. So much so, he was certain he wanted no part of it, in fact he thought, he would even try everything in his power to stop them, should the need arise.
The sun had passed its zenith and was already dropping low into the sky, as the group finally made its way out of the main gates. Consisting of Zack, Mikel, Melia, Danton, Darion, Shadow, Maxim’s horse and two smaller packhorses, they turned onto the main track heading eastwards towards the Great Lake. They rode in silence for a while, and the only sounds came from the hooves of the horses on the frozen ground. The pace would have to be slow or else risk injury to them, much to Zack’s annoyance.
The young royal cast his head skywards, looking at the position of the sun. He remembered the last time he had travelled this way, not so long ago. Then as now, he had joined the group to rescue Maxim, only that time they had succeeded in preventing his capture and he had returned back safely with them. This time was different; Zack felt they had already failed him. Maxim was gone and was in danger, and without his friend beside him, he felt alone despite the other friends riding with him.
Melia trotted her horse up alongside Zack’s, and almost sensing what he was thinking, “We will bring him back,” she said softly. Zack turned to face the girl beside him and smiled. Melia had been such a good friend he thought, always there for him when he needed. Melia of course had different feelings, although something told her Zack would not be interested, she had decided to try anyway. She knew he was a little on edge at the moment, with Maxim being taken, and so would have to take things slowly.
Mikel had to ride at the back, because apparently Shadow spooked the other horses a little, or at least that was what Darion told him. He had made a link with his own horse 'Treader' and as a result, the creature was q
uite happy to trot alongside the huge dire wolf. Judging by the position of the sun, he reckoned they had a few hours of daylight left, which wasn't so bad, as they planned to stay in Denley for the night. Although it was clear, nobody had considered quite how an innkeeper would react to having Shadow in their establishment. He shrugged the thought aside as he decided to think about what to have to eat when they stopped instead.
The town of Denley was situated along the shore of the Great Lake. A large body of water that was fed by the many streams and rivers that flowed from the nearby mountain ranges, and flowed out to the Great River, which gave the Kothians and Bosarians their natural border. Two bridges crossed the river much further upstream, linking the two nations, although that was not the route the group would take.
With the knowledge that Bosarians were raiding further north, and to save time they would travel over the lake by barge. Boats were often used to carry goods north and bring in goods on their return. They would use one of these very same boats to cross the lake. With Mikel being the magician capable of linking with animals, it was going to be up to him to ensure the horses were calm enough when they boarded in the morning. This had been a little trick Katria had taught him, and although he would not be making a permanent link with t he animals, he would for all intent and purposes be talking to them. Naturally, the communication between man and beast was not as one would normally envisage a conversation, but merely images, to let the creature know all is well and calm.
As they approached the outskirts of the town, they passed by two guards who gave them no notice at all. Not even the fact there was a huge dire wolf amongst their number appeared to have any effect. It was clear where the wealthier members of the town resided, as they could see several walled properties off to the south. The town itself did not have a defensive wall as most did, but did have a small garrison of about thirty men, whose job it was to keep the peace.
It was abundantly clear the people of the town were much more awake than the two guards they had passed, as several quickly moved aside. Mothers quickly grabbed children from off the main track, on seeing the wolf approach. "Pfft, anyone would think they'd never seen a wolf before," Mikel commented as he watched one such woman drag her child out of their path.
They headed on through the cobbled market square, and pulled up alongside one of the few stone buildings. Danton had a written missive to deliver to the Captain of the guard, before they continued any further. "I'll only be a moment," he said slipping down from his horse and into the small walled yard. There were a few soldiers going through some drills over to one side, and a couple more leading a horse out of the small stable block. Danton headed straight for the main building and entered the doorway into a dimly lit corridor and around a corner to an open office.
The man he sought was sat at a desk with a much younger lady sat upon his lap. On noticing the intrusion the Captain shouted, "What are you doing in here? Be gone before I have you arrested," he snapped.
"I have a letter for you, from the King," Danton replied calmly. Nobody was certain as to whether the troops at Denley were loyal to the Monarchy or the Government, although Danton could hazard a guess by the man's reaction. He wondered whether they were even aware of the country's turmoil and problems this far from the capital. He guessed he would quickly find out by the man's reaction.
The captain quickly shoved the young lady off his lap, much to her disgust. "From the king you say?" the man asked just wanting confirmation that he had heard correctly. Danton nodded, slipping his hand into his tunic pocket and removing the letter in question. He handed the small folded paper over to the Captain, who immediately checked the Royal Seal upon it. Danton turned about, to leave the man to read the note at his leisure; he after all knew what it contained as he had assisted the king in writing it.
Whether the Captain would heed the words of warning written in the missive, Danton was unsure. The man in charge of the garrison, and therefore the overall security of the town and the surrounding area did not fill him with confidence. He had however done as was asked in seeking out the man and handing him the warning, whether the captain heeded and acted upon them was up to him.
Back outside the group all waited for Danton to return, and despite him only being gone a matter of minutes, Darion felt the need to comment. "Bloody hell you took your time, did you stop for a cup of tea and a chat as well," he said snidely. Danton just ignored the comment and climbed back atop his horse, before nudging it forward to continue on their way.
"I know the best inn to stay at," Darion said picking up the pace just a little.
"Probably got his own table," Mikel whispered over to Danton, who chuckled at the remark.
"I heard that boy," the old man shouted back, turning his head. Mikel just smiled, and gave the look of innocence attempting to make out he did not know what he was on about.
The inn selected by Darion was as close to the lakeside as any building could possibly get. It had a yard around the back, where there was adequate stabling for their mounts. After removing their gear, and leaving the horses in the capable hands of two young stable boys, who appeared more frightened of Darion than the fact a massive wolf lurked about in their number. "I think it's safe to say Darion has been here before," Danton whispered over to Mikel.
"I heard that as well," the old man shouted leading them towards a set of doors.
"I think he has selective hearing as well," Mikel uttered with a chuckle.
A wave of warmth struck them the moment they stepped inside, bringing a relieving comforting feeling. Then the usual smells and smoke of an inn hit home, which were not quite so welcoming. "Come on...I know the innkeeper," Darion said almost excited at being there. Mikel was last through the door, as he held it open for Shadow, still uncertain that such a beast would be welcome.
The main common room was large, and unsurprisingly most of the clientele had positioned themselves at the tables nearer the large stone hearth that had a good fire burning within. The chatter in the room suddenly ceased as if someone had switched it off, that was quickly replaced by gasps as Shadow nonchalantly walked his way in. Mikel turned as he heard a muffled scream to the left of their position, to see one of the serving maids with her hand to her mouth, as if in shock.
A large built man stepped forward, with a rather grubby looking apron around his waistline. "Can't be having that thing in here..." the man boomed in a deep a voice as Mikel had ever heard.
"The wolf stays...it will not hurt anybody that doesn't upset it," Darion interrupted, much to Mikel's surprise. He was not used to Darion jumping to his defence, although he was certain it was not something he would see on a regular basis.
"Darion..." the tall innkeeper replied realising who his guest was. "Not seen you in years...Ooh you have aged so terribly," the man added.
A short silence fell, and Mikel waited for Darion's reaction, which he was sure would be shrift. Again the old man surprised him by chuckling, "Not bloody surprising Thomas; I have to babysit this lot." The group watched on as the two men embraced, patting each other's backs as if long lost friends re-united. Darion then turned to them, "Meet my little brother Thomas." It was clear every one of them was surprised by the announcement. For some reason the others all looked to Danton for clarification, "Don't look at me," he said, "I didn't know either."
The tall man quickly waved a hand to one of the young serving girls by the bar, who duly obliged and made her way over. "Get these people what they want...on the house," the man told her, holding out a hand for them to seat themselves down at a table. Darion waved a hand back, "No...No... We will pay our way Thomas...he has plenty of money," he added pointing to Zack. The young royal was in no mood to disagree and just nodded his acceptance.
Mikel watched one of the young serving girls as she walked away to get their drinks, something which Darion did not miss. "Don't even think about it," the old man said giving him a prod across the table. "That is my niece... you touch her and I'll feed your balls to the d
og," he said in a serious and quite threatening tone. Mikel held both hands up, "I was just looking," he pleaded innocently. He thought a moment, before leaning over to Danton, "How does something as pretty as that be related to something like him?" he whispered. "Ouch..." Mikel yelped as he felt a boot kicking him under the table, "What was that for?" The old man just grinned inanely at him, saying nothing.
Fortunately, it did not take long before the drinks were duly delivered. The same pretty girl leaned over placing each person's drink in front of them, leaving Mikel until the end. As she passed him his, she gave a sly wink and a smile, which got his pulse racing. Melia smiled as she watched the two share a moment, just looking at each other, before Darion noticed them. "I warned you boy," he said calmly. Mikel tried giving the look of all innocence, and wrapped his hands around his drink.
They had all been given cups of mulled wine, to help warm them up. Zack however clearly did not particularly want his, something the young serving girl noticed. "What's up with your friend," she asked, in what Mikel thought was an angelic voice. "Umm... oh we have lost one of our friends...and well we are going to rescue him." He then felt another kick under the table, although this time did not cry out in pain, as he did not want to show any weakness in front of the girl. After she had turned to walk away, Darion snapped, "Don't go telling the whole world what we are or where we are going you imbecile."
