Alice tightly gripped the fur on the werewolf's neck as it bounded towards the mountains. Lake Vervain gleamed to their right, reflecting the evening sun. Lucy managed to keep up with her brother even with Alice on her back.
After one more day of traveling, they reached Ithacus. The guard greeted them at the gate and let them in. They headed straight towards the inn, which had been turned into a temporary headquarters for the eleventh pack.
Alice smiled, remembering the night she and Scar had sneaked in and killed the Empire's soldiers. She was beginning to miss her best friend.
They collected the necessary supplies for the rest of their journey. It was already past noon, so they decided to spend the night.
They set out at dawn. Before long, Ithacus was just a tiny speck on the horizon.
Slowly, the country side started yielding to wilder lands, covered with brambles and stunted trees. By nightfall, they were able to see the mountains looming before them. The peaks looked like a black mass against the gray backdrop of the sky.
By noon, the next day, they reached the foot of the mountains. The weather started to change, getting colder and rougher. We had traveled only a few leagues when the wind started to howl, ripping at the trees.
Lucy stopped near a rock outcropping that would protect them against the wind. Alice jumped down and leaned against the back of the rock, pulling the cloak closer around her. She was shivering with cold. It had never been this cold in Atlantis.
Lucas turned back to his human form.
''We cannot go any further today, at least for your sake'', he said, looking at Alice. ''Are you alright?''.
''A....A little cold'', she stuttered, her teeth chattering.
Lucy who was still in her wolf form, snuggled beside her. Alice leaned against the giant wolf, grateful for the warmth.
Lucas opened his pack and passed her a loaf of bread.
''I don't think we can build a fire in this weather''.
Alice nodded, nibbling at the bread. Lucas spread a bedroll at the back for her.
''Here'', he said. ''You can go to sleep now''.
Alice held up the rest of the bread for Lucy. The wolf snapped up the bread and gulped, before running her tongue across Alice's cheek.
''Stop'', giggled Alice.
She grabbed a spare cloak from her pack and snuggled against the rock wall on her bedroll. Lucy slumped down beside Alice, shielding her from the cold wind.
In a few minutes, Alice was sound asleep, breathing peacefully into Lucy's fur.
Their ascent was steady and slow, with the cold wind battering against them. Alice buried her face in Lucy's fur as she bounded up the pass. The mighty, snow tipped peaks loomed over them.
Alice was anxious to reach the other side of the mountains. The only thing that was preventing her from freezing to death was the warmth emanating from the werewolf.
The path was starting to get steeper and more difficult. By nightfall, they had almost reached the top of the pass.
The werewolves plodded on through the snow as they began their descent down the mountain.
It was almost midnight, when they came across a small rock shelter in the side of the mountain. They shared the loaf of bread in Alice's pack and drank some water from the waterskin.
''Have you ever traveled through the mountains before?'', asked Alice.
''No'', replied Lucas. ''Rarely does anyone travel to Southfay, except by sea. It is an isolated port city. Even Viktor hasn't bothered to take it back from the pirates''.
''It has been a long, tiring day. Take some rest, Alice. You need it'', said Lucy.
Alice nodded, spreading her bedroll on the ground.
''Goodnight'', she whispered, as she leaned her head against her backpack and closed her eyes.
The next day, they continued their journey down the icy slopes. The sun had just started disappearing below the horizon, when they reached the base of the mountain.
Before them, stretched the port city of Southfay. It was beautiful, with intricate houses and lush gardens. Wispy clouds swept by overhead. Hundreds of ships littered the bay.
There was one ship that stood out from the others, looming over them. It was bigger than any ship Alice had ever seen.
Its sails were emblazoned with the Pirate Lord's crest, a hooded skull surrounded by nine bones. On its bow was carved a figurehead of the sea god with a trident in his right hand, below which were painted the letters 'POSEIDON'. It was the flagship of the Pirate Lord, Edward Payne.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
''Phoebe was right'', I whispered, as I stared at the dark fortress of South Warren, where most of Empire's forces had gathered.
The base was surrounded by wide stone walls about fifty feet tall. Its battlements were crawling with armed sentinels, who kept watch over the surrounding plains.
We were crouching behind a clump of boulders, out of sight from the sentries. It was well past sundown.
The fortress was surrounded by thousands of enemy tents. The soldiers patrolled the surrounding lands on their mounts. Multiple watch fires glowed at regular intervals.
''The lycans cannot defeat an army of this magnitude'', said Julian. ''And these are just the Empire's troops, without considering those of Argent and Cerebrene''.
''We cannot go into the city'', I said. ''It is probably filled with soldiers. By any luck, we might be able to get some supplies at Norwood''.
We carefully crawled back to our camp, keeping to the shadows of gnarled trees that dotted the hill. The night was dark and cold, with a light mist hanging in the air. The stallions pawed at the ground nervously.
We did not dare light a fire, which would probably draw the attention of the soldiers and give away our location. Julian grabbed a loaf of bread from his pack and started nibbling on it, while I took a long draught from my blood skin.
''Take some rest'', I told Julian. ''I will keep watch''.
The night drew on in silence, except for the occasional screeching of bats. I closed my eyes and strained my ears, listening to the sounds of night. I could hear the babble of countless voices, mixed with the clanging of weapons and neighing of horses from the encampment.
I opened my eyes as the first rays of the sun filtered through the leaves. I woke Julian and we were back on our way as soon as he had finished his breakfast.
''We are nearly out of supplies'', said Julian.
''How far is Norwood?'', I asked.
''We might reach it before sundown''.
Slowly, the trees started to get farther apart, before giving way to wide grasslands. After riding for several leagues, we finally caught sight of the village at a distance. I lowered my hood as we spurred the horses toward the gates.
The guards lazily waved us in, without even giving us a second glance. We found a small inn at the end of the street. We tethered the horses in the stable and checked in. Julian went out to gather supplies for our journey. I went up to my room and dumped my backpack and sword in the corner, before I crashed on the bed.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Alice winced as the pirate poked her shoulder with his curved sword. ''Move!'', he snarled.
Lucas was in chains behind her. They were being herded to the palace that loomed in the middle of the city. It was beautiful, with an intricately decorated exterior. The streets were filled with pirates and nervous civilians.
We had decided that Lucy stay behind, in case we did not return. She was well hidden in the woods on the slopes of the mountain.
The gates opened and they were ushered into the throne room. Beautifully carved stone pillars held up the domed ceiling. The floor was made of white marble.
At the far end was a silver throne, on which sat a beautiful woman. She looked proud and noble, even though she was dressed like a pirate, with a plumed hat.
Alice's jaw dropped when she saw the man standing near the throne. It was Ronin! The mercenary who had tried to kill Scar. He winked at Alice, giving her a wicked grin.
''I have seen you before, haven't I? You were with Scarlett Ironfang'', he said.
''Yes'', replied Alice, throwing him a look of contempt. ''Anyway, we came here to talk with the Pirate Lord''.
''He is quite busy'', said the woman sitting on the throne. ''And you are not in a position to make any demands''.
''Let her speak, sister'', said Ronin, nodding at Alice.
At that moment, a pirate walked up to the dais and whispered something in the woman's ear.
''Very well'', she said, before turning to Alice. ''You may speak''.
''I speak on behalf of the Wolf King'', said Alice. ''We need your help to take down Viktor Grimm''.
All the pirates assembled in the palace started laughing.
''And why would we help you?'', asked the woman. ''We do not deal with lycans''.
''I am not a lycan'', said Alice. ''I am an Atlantian''.
The woman looked surprised. She looked at Ronin, raising her eyebrows questioningly.
''It is true'', he nodded.
''We will speak with the Pirate Lord himself'', said Lucas.
''You do not speak, wolfling'', snarled the woman. Lucas angrily gritted his teeth, but did not react further. He could have easily taken down the woman, but he knew that he was no match for the Pirate Lord.
''Where is Edward Payne?'', asked Alice.
Suddenly, the air shook, and there was a sudden blast of wind. Standing in front of them was the Pirate Lord himself. He wore a long, hooded cloak, with two swords strapped to his back. He looked formidable with his fierce, handsome features.
''Showoff'', muttered Ronin, rolling his eyes.
''A hunter, I see'', said the Pirate Lord, looking at Alice. ''You wanted to speak to me?'', he asked.
Alice stared at the newcomer with wide eyes. She almost gasped when her eyes fell on his neck, which bore the Hunter's mark.
She gathered her bearings and said, ''The Wolf King wants to strike a deal with you''.
''And what does he want?'', asked the Pirate Lord.
''You are to launch an attack on Kingsport with your armada''.
''Interesting'', said the Pirate Lord, and the woman snickered. ''And why would I do that?''.
''In exchange for hundred chests of gold'', continued Alice. ''He has already sent a hundred ships, as a peace offering. They have probably arrived by now''.
The Pirate Lord was silent for a moment before he answered. ''That is a reasonable offer. But, if I am to attack the Empire's fleet in Kingsport, I want a ship for every one of mine that gets damaged during the attack, in addition to what he has already offered''.
''That is too much'', said Lucas, angrily.
''Silence, mongrel!'', snarled the pirate woman, rising from her throne.
''Peace, sister'', whispered the Pirate Lord, in a calm voice, before turning to Lucas. ''Those are my terms. I will begin the attack on Kingsport during the next spring tide. Tell your king to keep the gold ready. I will be coming to collect it soon'', he said, before he started dissipating into mist, which was carried away by a breeze.
''You can leave now'', said the pirate woman, sitting back on her throne. ''Remember the agreement. We will come for our gold''.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
''How are we supposed to get inside?'', I asked, looking at the stone walls that surrounded the Vampire Capital. They were over seventy feet tall, stretching on both sides of the iron gate as far as I could see. The battlements were crawling with vampire sentinels.
We were standing at the edge of a forest, where it joined a huge plain separating the woods from the city. There wasn't much traffic on the southern road, save for an occasional wagon or two, since most of it passed through the eastern gates.
''We should somehow get inside those gates'', said Julian.
''We can pretend to be travelers''.
''No, that is too dangerous. They will surely recognize you. This is Argent''.
He pondered for a while, leaning against a tree. ''Wait'', he said, looking up. ''What about the prison wagons?''.
''What prison wagons?'', I asked, puzzled.
''The prison wagons that are used to transport prisoners into Argent''.
''Oh, alright'', I said, ''but I haven't seen any prison wagon pass by since we reached here''.
''We will have to wait till one of them arrives'', said Julian. ''We can ambush them and hitch a ride''.
I agreed, since we had no better plan. We spurred our steeds back towards the road. Once we were safely under cover of the dense forest, we tethered the horses and waited beside the road, hidden from sight.
Occasional travelers passed by, but I did not see any wagons. The shadows grew longer, as the sun began to set.
''How long do we have to wait?'', I asked impatiently.
''We might even have to wait for a whole day. We don't have any other choice. The walls are impenetrable''.
Finally, after hours of waiting, I saw a closed wagon headed straight towards our hiding place. It was surrounded by four mounted vampire escorts.
''Please tell me that is a prison wagon''.
''It is'', he replied.
''I will take care of the guards'', I told Julian. ''You stop the wagon''.
He nodded, stringing his bow. I drew my sword and braced myself as the wagon drew nearer. I strained my ears, and sure enough, I heard the heartbeats of around ten scared humans.
When the wagon was directly in front of me, I charged. The guards were taken by surprise. Before they could even react, I sliced off one of their heads, before burying my fangs into the neck of another.
''Make a run to the city'', shouted one of the guards. ''We need reinforcements''.
I ran my tongue over my lips in satisfaction, as the blood replenished my energy. The guard who had called for help, slashed at my head, but I ducked and pulled him off his steed, burying my sword in his chest.
The fourth one tried to run towards the gates, but Julian was ready. The guard crashed to the ground, an arrow protruding from his back.
He had already killed the wagon driver. I handed Julian my sword and said, ''Keep this with you. I will be one of the prisoners. You be the coachman''.
Julian nodded, strapping my sword to his belt and covering it with his cloak. I snapped off the lock and opened the wagon door.
''Who are you?'',asked one of the prisoners, glowering at me.
I pulled him off the wagon and snapped his neck. We hid the bodies in the forest and covered them with some branches.
Their horses had already scattered into the woods. I hoped they had not headed in the direction of the city. I pulled the hood over my eyes and covered my face with a ragged scarf.
''Give me your seat'', I demanded, gesturing at the prisoner sitting at the back.
He nodded and scooted over, his eyes wide with fear.
I sat down and asked the prisoners to move closer, so that I would be hidden from view. I rapped the sides of the wagon, signaling Julian.
He closed the dead bolt and after a moment, the carriage started moving. From the barred window in the side of the wagon, I saw the forest give way to wide, green plains.
''Stop!'', shouted a guard, as we reached the main gates.
The door opened and a sentinel peered in. His eyes scanned the inside of the carriage, but did not linger for long.
''Where is the escort?'', asked one of the guards.
''This shipment is from South Warren. They did not deem it necessary to send any guards'', answered Julian.
''Alright, take them to the hold''.
The carriage started to move. After almost an hour, it stopped again and Julian's head appeared at the window.
''All clear'', he whispered, and opened the door.
He had stopped the wagon in the outskirts of the main city. We were surrounded by large trees and dense undergrowth. There was not a single soul nearby.
''What about them?'', I asked.
''Lock the door. We will leave them here for now'', replied Julian.
''Where is my father's house?'', I asked.
Julian pointed at the lone, dark castle that stood on a small hill overlooking the city, ''There''.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
13. An Ally in Acantha
The vampire city of Argent was almost bigger than Lycaonia itself. Dark clouds drifted across the sky, hiding the city in perpetual gloom. The buildings looked ancient, with intricate sculptures and decorations. The gardens were adorned with fountains and gargoyles. In the middle of the city, loomed a huge citadel, dark gray in color, with black towers and spires that rose to the sky.
I felt a cold breeze sweep through the trees as we walked up the paved road towards my father's castle. It was situated at the edge of the city, away from the rest of the buildings, surrounded by large trees that towered over its walls. The gardens looked like they hadn't been attended to in a long time. The castle looked dark and mysterious.
''This city gives me the creeps'', I muttered.
''It doesn't seem like anyone lives here anymore'', whispered Julian, looking up at the dark castle windows.
We walked up to the huge black door and knocked. I heard someone approach the door from inside.
The door slowly creaked open and an old man peered out from behind the it. His scent was clearly human. ''What do you want?'', he asked.
''Does Gregor Ironfang live here?'', asked Julian, his right hand resting on the pommel of his sword under the cloak.
''No one lives in this castle anymore'', he replied, sourly. ''Except the servants. Gregor used to live here, until his father called him back to the citadel. Who are you anyway?''.
''I am Scarlett Ironfang'', I said, removing the hood and mask covering my face.
He gasped and took a step back in surprise. ''You look just like her. What are you doing here?''.
''We wanted some information''.
''You must be out of your mind. If someone sees you....'', he muttered, glancing around nervously. ''Come in. quick!''.
He closed the door, before turning on us, ''What do you want to know?''.
Atlantis: The Beginning (The Atlantis Saga Book 1) Page 17
