The Sword of Light: Book One of the Veredor Chronicles (14 page)

‘
Kill them! Kill them all!’ screamed Zarceler in the
distance.

Moments later
Red and Eben rode westward out of the town, leaving the Skatheans
and Zarceler staring after them. They met with King Ignis and the
others about three hundred yards from the eastern edge of Lantern
Hill. The whole company had acquired horses and swords. Eben jumped
down off Red’s horse and mounted his own.

‘
Are you alright, Eben?’ asked Stella.

‘
I’m fine,’ said Eben.

‘
We have to go before they come after us,’ said
Red.

King Ignis
turned his horse. They galloped away west toward the edge of the
forest.

**

They rode west
along the highway for several minutes before King Ignis led them
off the road into the forest to the north. They kept moving through
the woods for quite some time and eventually stopped beside a small
stream.

‘
I can’t believe you tried to fight them. They were
Skatheans!’ said Cassiel.

‘
He saved our life,’ said Stella, clearly annoyed that Cassiel
was questioning Eben’s choice.

‘
You were very brave, Eben. Thanks for saving us,’ said
Cassiel.

‘
We have to keep moving,’ said King Ignis. ‘They will surely
follow us.’

They rode west
through the forest for the remainder of the afternoon, and the day
grew darker as thick clouds crossed the sky and gentle misty rain
started falling. At the end of the day they set up camp beside in a
wide clearing and made a small fire. They sat around the fire and
tried to keep warm as the frosty evening progressed into an icy
cold night.

‘
We all have swords and horses now and enough food for the
journey to Galdir,’ said King Ignis. ‘The Skatheans will follow our
tracks through the forest, so we will have to ride constantly
tomorrow to put as much distance between us and Lantern
Hill.’

Baftel looked
to the sky above. ‘A big storm will arrive tomorrow and will slow
us down.’

‘
We must persevere,’ said King Ignis sternly.

That night few
of them slept. The rain grew heavier and the horses stirred and
were anxious. The morning was cold, and the rain was torrential. A
little after sunrise they rode west from the clearing. By midday
they arrived at a wide and slow flowing river. A thin track
followed the bank.

‘
This is the Merus River; it flows all the way from the Endora
Mountains to Ancora,’ said King Ignis.

‘
There’s a town along the river further west called Riverside.
I recommend that we take my advice this time and avoid it,’ said
Red.

‘
Red is right; we must not go there,’ said Baftel. ‘Riverside
is shrouded by a shadow that is as dark as night.’

‘
We will follow the river west and go around Riverside,’ said
King Ignis. ‘I believe there may be several places where the river
is shallow enough to cross. We are probably safer on the northern
bank.’

They moved on
and followed the river. The rain grew heavier with each passing
hour. They could hear thunder booming in the east. Eben could see
the dark clouds were moving in their direction. Before long the
rain became torrential, and the thunder was directly above them.
The track beside the river was growing muddy and difficult for the
horses. They were making slow progress. They came to a shallow area
of rapids; King Ignis led them across the river to the north bank.
The track that followed the river on the north side was little more
than a muddy goat track.

‘
We should find shelter from this storm,’ said Red.

‘
No, Red, we must persist,’ said King Ignis.

‘
This rain will wash away our tracks,’ said Red. ‘The
Skatheans and Zarceler won’t be able to follow us through this.
There’s no point trying to push forward.’

The thunder
boomed above and flashes of lighting lit up the sky illuminating
the gloom around them.

‘
There is an abandoned farmhouse further along the river,’
said Baftel. ‘It is about an hour from here.’

‘
Good. If it is safe we will stop there,’ said King
Ignis.

They continued
through the heavy rain and mud. After an hour they arrived at a
cleared area of forest. A farmhouse was near the riverbank. It
looked to be long abandoned and mostly in disrepair. King Ignis led
them over to the farmhouse and dismounted. He walked in through the
front door which was hanging by one rusted hinge. Eben and the
others did the same. Inside was a large living area that made up
most of the lower level of the house. To the left there was an open
fireplace. A few broken chairs and a half rotting table were the
only other contents of the room. Cobwebs covered the interior. King
Ignis cleared away the cobwebs with his sword, and Cassiel picked
up the scattered chairs.

They felt
relieved to be out of the rain and took off their coats and cloaks.
Before long Red was busy trying to build a fire in the
fireplace.

‘
We should stay here until the storm passes,’ said King Ignis.
‘Red is right, Zarceler won’t ride through this wild weather. They
won’t be able to follow our tracks after this heavy
rain.’

‘
We are safe here,’ said Baftel. ‘I can’t see the Skatheans
following us. There are no enemies close by.’

‘
Good, we must rest well whilst we can,’ said King
Ignis.

Red managed to
get the fire started and gathered some wood from around the
farmhouse. The day faded into the evening. The company huddled
around the warmth of the fire. Stella and Red prepared a meal of
bread and potatoes. They all ate well and felt revived after a
proper meal.

It was agreed
that they should take turns to keep watch through the night. Eben
lay down in a corner of the room and rested. He drifted off to
sleep.

CHAPTER
TEN

Eben awoke to
the sound of voices. He sat up and looked over to see Cassiel,
Baftel, and King Ignis standing by the front door.

‘
Wolves,’ said Baftel. ‘There are packs of wolves and other
forest creatures across the river. ’

Eben could
hear the howl of wolves in the distance. He stood up and walked
over to the others.

‘
Is everything alright?’ asked Eben.

‘
No, there is something else,’ said Baftel. He was in a
trancelike state.

‘
What?’ asked Cassiel, staring out the doorway into the
darkness.

The heavy
storm had passed and the rain had mostly stopped, only a light
drizzle remained.

‘
A wizard,’ said Baftel as he stared blankly out at the
darkness. King Ignis drew his sword.

‘
There,’ said Baftel, pointing out the doorway across the
river. There was a blue glow on the far bank that was gradually
growing brighter. ‘I can’t see any ill will. The wizard may not be
against us.’

Cassiel boldly
stepped out of the house and walked toward the river. King Ignis,
Eben, and Baftel followed him down to the bank as the blue light
across the river grew even brighter. The light flew down and struck
the water. The surface of the water started to freeze as the light
glided across the river creating a bridge of ice. A silhouette
mounted on a large horse appeared on the far bank. The rider moved
out onto the ice bridge toward them.

‘
Look,’ said King Ignis. A large wolf and a fox followed the
approaching rider. They waited nervously as the wizard drew
near.

‘
Who are you?’ shouted Cassiel.

‘
Cassiel,’ said a woman’s voice.

‘
Meara. I can’t believe you found us,’ said Cassiel
happily.

‘
Meara!’ said the King gladly.

‘
Torela,’ said Eben.

‘
King Ignis. I am very glad to see you again,’ said Meara as
she arrived at the bank. The icy bridge dissolved behind her. ‘I
have been following you for several days now.’ She dismounted and
stepped over to them.

‘
These are my friends, Kiarn and Gasta,’ she said, indicating
to the large wolf beside her and the smaller red fox. The mighty
black wolf stared at them with fierce golden eyes, and the fox
stayed some distance back.

They walked
with Meara back to the farmhouse. She took a seat at the table as
Kiarn the wolf sat beside the fire directly next to Red who was
still sleeping. Gasta, the fox, refused to enter the house and
waited outside the door.

‘
I bring many tidings,’ said Meara as she took a seat at the
table.

‘
Are you hungry? We have food,’ said Cassiel.

‘
No, thank you, I’m fine. Kiarn, Gasta, and the other
creatures of Altus Forest have been bringing me food.’

‘
What news can you tell us, Meara?’ asked King
Ignis.

‘
I will tell you what I know. I escaped my first confrontation
with Zarceler in Ancora, and soon after I learned that Cassiel and
Eben had left for Zyran to attempt to free you. I was very worried
because I didn’t expect the mission to succeed. By the time I
discovered the plan it was too late for me to follow. The Zyranians
would have detected my presence if I had followed you to the
island. I waited in Ancora for news. Eventually the news of your
escape came to me. I was astounded to hear that Azagord saved you
and sacrificed his life.’

‘
I knew that you would not come to Ancora or Sevadir. I soon
learned that the Zyranians had sent five Enforcers to find and
capture all of you. I also became aware that the Zyranians have
been working with the Skatheans. Soon after I discovered you had
landed south of Ancora. I believe a secret power has been
protecting your company. The power has prevented anyone from
following you,’ she said, looking to Eben for a moment. ‘I met
Kiarn and the wolves of Altus Forest. Kiarn showed me the plight of
the forest creatures. Muckrons and other monsters have been roaming
the forests and killing everything. The wolves, jackals, bears, and
foxes have fought against them for two years. Only recently the
wolves learned that an army of muckrons has been brought to Ortaria
by the Skatheans.’

‘
An army of muckrons!’ cried King Ignis, shocked by the
revelation.

‘
Yes, an entire army. The forest creatures are not fond of
men, yet they know that only with the help of men can they free the
lands of muckrons and other monsters. Kiarn is a king among wolves.
I asked for his help to find your company. The wolves helped me to
follow you all the way to Lantern Hill; I almost met you there. I
was in Lantern Hill when Eben fought the five Skatheans, and I
helped him in the battle. You rode away without knowing of my
presence. We then followed you to this farmhouse. Without the help
of Kiarn and the other forest creatures I would have never found
you. They had to communicate with other creatures that had seen you
passing by. That is how we followed you.’

‘
You created the blue flash of light that saved me from the
Skatheans,’ said Eben. ‘You saved my life.’ Meara smiled warmly
across at Eben.

‘
I’m glad that I did,’ she said. ‘You fought valiantly against
those Skatheans’.

‘
Thank you,’ said Eben. Meara nodded and then looked back to
King Ignis.

‘
I told Kiarn that you, King Ignis, would help the forest
creatures free the land of muckrons.’

‘
I will,’ said King Ignis resolutely. ‘Tell Kiarn that I will
help.’

‘
You both want to free the land of this evil shadow that is
destroying Ortaria. An alliance will be formed.’

King Ignis
nodded and Meara looked across at Kiarn. The black wolf stared at
her with his large golden eyes.

‘
He welcomes your offer of help,’ said Meara, looking back to
King Ignis.

‘
Good. This army of muckrons will not live long in Ortaria,’
said King Ignis decisively.

‘
We are heading for Galdir. Once we arrive I will lead my army
back to Ancora and destroy our enemies,’ said King Ignis
firmly.

‘
I have some bad news. The Imposter who sits on your throne
has ordered your army to invade Scaldonia,’ said Meara. The King
was deeply concerned at hearing the news. ‘The Imposter and the
Skatheans know you are heading for Galdir and that you hope to lead
your army back to Ancora. The Skatheans rule most of Scaldonia;
only one resistance army remains at the town of Orelin. The
Scaldonian army in Orelin is led by Duke Egil. Your army has been
ordered to attack Orelin, which will destroy any remaining
resistance in Scaldonia. The battle will also likely weaken the
Ortarian army. Our enemies plan to destroy both the resistance in
Scaldonia and to cripple the Ortarian army.’

Stella woke
and walked over to join the group at the table.

‘
Is there time to intercept my army?’ asked King Ignis, his
face showing his strain and grave concern.

‘
If we ride quickly we may be able to catch them,’ said
Meara.

‘
Then we will have to ride like the wind to the Iron Gate
Pass,’ said King Ignis. He stood up and took his coat from the back
of his chair. He was ready to go at once.

‘
It won’t help,’ said Baftel.

‘
Why?’

‘
Skatheans and Zyranian Enforcers are riding out to the Iron
Gate Pass. They will wait there and attempt to prevent us from
following the army into the pass.’