Dark One Rising (23 page)

She took it gratefully and started to eat, without even thoughts of being poisoned. The stew was delicious, and she was finally starting to feel better. She had another helping almost finished before he spoke again.

“Last time I saw you, you were no taller than my hip,” he said looking at her head. “You had the longest curly hair, all the way down to your knees.”

She rubbed a hand through her short locks and grimaced. “I felt it was necessary, at the time.”

“You were correct, it was.”

She was surprised at his answer.

“It probably kept your identity hidden for the most part. Anyone who didn’t know you would never look close enough to see your eyes. Eventually you would have been discovered, but luckily, I found you first.”

“You found my horse?”

“Yes, right where you left her, your sword too.”

“I had nothing but escaping in mind.”

“I gathered, and you did a good job.”

“I got sloppy in the end though.”

“Yes, but losing your sword and your horse is nothing compared to losing your life.”

“Kevaan must be frantic.”

“Aye. He came to me out of desperation. There are many unexplainable things going on, and he needs to focus on looking into them, but he wanted to be sure you were safe first. He knew you would run.”

“You really are his friend?”

“Besides King Dainard, your brother is the best friend I’ve ever had. I’ve given my life to serve His Majesty, King of Azlyn, because he’s a good king and because he’s my friend. Your brother I have known since we were boys. Your father and mine used to go on the hunt together. That was before you were born.”

“Why haven’t I ever seen you?”

“Because Azlyn is far from Aaralyn to visit often. The hunts were only once a year. As we grew, I became a Bounty Hunter in employ of the previous king of Azlyn, King Colwyn. When he died, I pledged my life to his son. We were already friends, so pledging my life to him was easy. I’m away a lot. I’ve ridden across one end of Aelethia to the other more times than I can count. Sometimes, it’s very tiring. Seeing friends is something one can only do when they have free time. And I have none, especially recently.”

“Why does Fallon want me so badly?”

“That is the question, isn’t it? Although it’s not so surprising that he would find you attractive, because you are, why he is willing to go so far to possess you is what we all want to know. There does seem to be some talk about him around all of Aelethia.”

“Yes, I’ve heard them, and I’ve seen some strange things riding through the countryside. Things I cannot explain.”

“Tell me about some of them.”

“Herds of animals falling over dead without reason, crops dying in the field after the same field was strong and healthy just days before. Poison water in the wells. Some rivers flooding, others bone dry in their beds. Events like these don’t happen naturally with no reason.”

“Hmm, yes. I have experienced similar things in cities closer to my border as well. I think Fallon is playing games he cannot win, with players whose only prize will be his soul, and probably all of ours as well.”

“You think he’s some kind of sorcerer, some kind of wizard of dark arts? He’s too stupid to be that talented.”

“Messing around with the dark arts is stupid, and being ignorant is the first criteria. Those who are intelligent don’t mess around with things they know they can’t control. And those that are wise don’t sell their soul for power. They understand that knowledge is power enough.”

“If it’s true, and he’s gaining power over evil, what will we do?”

“I don’t know. I have a good friend who’s trying to sort out all of these mysteries and get a better look at what we’re dealing with. He and the elves will figure it out, and then we’ll know.”

“The elves? I didn’t think anyone knew where to find them.”

“Most people don’t, but Sol is not most people.”

“Sol? As in Sol, the wizard?”

“You’ve heard of him.”

“Only stories. I didn’t think he still existed.”

“There are a lot of things about Sol that are unknown, and I for one like it better that way. I trust him, however, and I’ll be more calm when he has returned from Vallis, and we can start figuring out what all these strange events mean and what to do about them.”

“Why do I get the feeling I’m somehow involved more deeply, and always have been?”

“Because you’re an astute young woman who recognizes when things around her are not as they should be. I reckon you have felt it since birth.”

“Yes, I’ve felt odd all my life. But I doubt it’s because of anything extraordinary.”

“Extraordinary things can happen to ordinary people.”

“Where did you hear that?”

“Sol told me that once. And you know what? I believe him. The world would be a much better place if everyone remembered that sometimes the most insignificant being can make the biggest difference.”

He smiled at her and finished his stew. After they had their fill, they packed up the gear and prepared the horses. The sun was higher in the sky, but covered by grey clouds that were still building in the west. Another storm was on its way, and Alek wanted to be on the road to Azlyn before the downpour started. He pulled a heavy wool cloak from out of his bag and handed it to her.

“Here, wear this. You’ll be much warmer, and it’ll hold back the damp for much longer. I don’t need you getting the fever by the time we reach the keep. It’ll be a bit big, but if you wrap it tight it will suffice.”

He then handed her Tanith, now sheathed in a tooled leather scabbard. She pulled it out and examined it in the muted morning light. It sang to her, and she could feel the excited hum vibrate up her arm. She re-sheathed it and tied the scabbard to her belted tunic. If she needed it, it would be close.

“Thank you.”

He looked over at her and smiled. “Oh, we’re done being petulant and cranky now?”

She glared at him. “Only for now.”

“That’s a relief. I’d hate for you to change your tune on my account.”

“If you think I won’t get back at you for the bruised wrists I have, and probably will have for days, you have another thing coming.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less, Princess.”

They finished packing and Alek helped her on the horse. The overly large cloak made it difficult for her to climb into the saddle. Once she was settled, he swung up into his saddle, and they headed out.

CHAPTER 14

J
ust as Alekzand’r predicted the rain started up just after they had started that morning, and it hadn’t let up since. They had been on the road for about a week and a half and if he was getting agitated, he knew she was too. They were approaching the village of Zhen now, a small hamlet in the Triple Cities, just across the border from Aaralyn into Azlyn.

They had stopped a few hours after breakfast to grab a quick lunch, then got going again. The rain was coming down heavy now, and the drops fell from his hood and ran down his nose. The air was cold, and he could see his breath and his horses in the afternoon chill. He was glad he found her before the rain came; tracking in it is not easy, but riding in it wasn’t fun either. He grumbled. He slowed his horse a bit to let Melenthia catch up so he could talk to her, and she’d be able to hear him above the noise of the rainfall. She reached his side and looked at him from under her cloak, grimacing.

“Are you alright?” he asked her, hoping that she wouldn’t come down with a chill because of her weakened state.

“I’m cold, wet and bad tempered. Why can’t we stop until this is over?”

“Because we have to keep moving in order to get ahead of Fallon and his men, which are no doubt still searching for you. His men will eventually detect your trail again. The rain will only hide our tracks so much.”

“What about the creature? A wraith you called it.”

“He’ll be waiting until this stops. He won’t come out in the rain. As I’ve said, wraiths don’t like water; it’s too pure, that’s why he didn’t follow you into the river. For them it’s like acid. Not a very good choice for evil beings to raise from the dark, especially with these long damp days. He’ll have to sit it out. Fallon will have to send his men to find you. They know where you went into the river so they’ll start there.”

“If I could’ve just slipped further into Isamar, it might have saved me.”

“You are safe now, more so than if you had made it to Isamar. The towns are spread out far, and there is nothing between them but leagues of sand, and the heat can be unbearable.You may have been walking through the dunes a long time before you found a town, if you made it to one at all. The Isamarians are also very leery of strangers. They are a nomadic people, and they tend to be rough and uncivilized. You may have been considered a threat. It matters little anyway. You didn’t make it across the border. You were still in Aaralyn when you came to my campsite.”

She looked at him with surprise. “I thought I crossed over the border. Isamar is just over the river.”

“Yes, but you came out on the same side as you started. You never actually went across the river.”

She scowled, so he tried to make her feel better.

“That bump on the head would’ve made anyone delirious and create confusion. In your state it would have been difficult to orient yourself in the right direction. Don’t berate yourself. You were very smart to jump into the river to escape. You should be proud of yourself for surviving the fall. Most people would not have. They would’ve drowned.”

She lightened a bit at his words. She knew how to take care of herself, but maybe she was a bit too optimistic about just how well. “I have been taught a lot, but I guess I still need a little help.”

“We all do sometimes. I consider myself a great tracker, but you managed to slip by me more than once. I had to ask your friend Garreth which direction you were headed, and even then, you managed to evade me. I never thought to look for you at the river.”

A fear suddenly overtook her. “Is Conor alright? I had to leave him behind when that creature came after me. I didn’t want to, but he insisted.”

“He’s fine, Princess. He’s a resilient boy. He was shaken up but unharmed. The wraith and Fallon’s men left him alone. He was the reason I found out what was following you.”

“Why did they leave him alone?”

“A wraith belongs to whatever master calls him from the depths. He will only do what they are told and are relentless in their tasks. His goal was finding you, period. No one else mattered to him.”

She was relieved, but only for the moment. “Why are we going to Azlyn?”

“King Dainard has agreed to hide you in the Keep. Your brother thought it would be a safe place for you where Fallon and his men would not think to look. They will eventually figure it out, but for now, it’s the best option.”

She thought about that for a moment, then recalled in her memory stories about King Dainard and his escapades when it came to partying and women. It may be safe from Fallon’s spies, but would it be safe from a rogue who seems to have a hypnotizing effect on women? She certainly didn’t want to feel trapped under his protection. It would be no different than being trapped under Fallon’s hand.

“Are you sure that I’ll be safe at Drydon Keep?”

“It’s formidable. It can and will withstand a great deal of pressure. It can hold back an army’s attack, and the king has troops that are equal to Fallon’s.”

That’s not what she meant, but didn’t say so. They rode alongside each other but said nothing else. As the up and down motion of her horse’s steps lulled her, she had a chance to think about things. Fallon was after her for marriage. He was powerful, and now, hearing the stories of the people and Alekzand’rs’ account of the creature that followed her, she was sure he had to be evil. A marriage would gain him nothing except more land and power over it. Her father was not himself, but Kevaan would make sure Fallon didn’t gain what he wanted. She understood that he wanted her in order to connect the two realms, but if he was as powerful and evil as everyone thought, why would he need a marriage. He could just overthrow her father and take the province for himself. The army that was under her father was almost as large as Fallon’s, but if he could use dark forces, that would put her father’s army at a disadvantage. The people were looking to her father and Kevaan to protect them, but she was becoming more sure that they couldn’t. Things would happen, and when it did, she would be in the middle. But why?

She was jerked out of her musings by Alekzand’rs’ horse butting up to hers. She snapped out of her thoughts and looked at him.

“Are you up to riding hard, Princess, because we need to run.”

“Why?”

She followed his gaze behind them and saw a group of at least ten men on horseback, the mud flying into the air with every hoof beat. They had black tabards and the green gryphon of the Rommel house, and they were gaining on them fast.

She saw a rider at the front of the group, wearing a cloak which was pulled tightly, hood pulled down. She could not see his face, but she felt him. Her insides turned cold, and she shuddered. She pulled Tanith from the scabbard. He touched her arm. “Not yet. Keep it hidden until things are desperate.”