by Bill Albert
“We’re going to have to get rid of the wagon. It’ll slow us down if we don’t,” Gallif ordered noting that the guards were streaming out of the barn just a hundred years behind them. “Jakobus and Blinks get to your horses.”
The road straightened out and they could see the deep gap they had crossed earlier running parallel to the road. Believing this meant they were going in the right direction Gallif took over the reins and ordered Luvin to get ready with his bow and arrows if the guards got closer. Meanwhile Jakobus and Blinks went for their horses. Sparks was the youngest of the four and was staying ahead of the wagon, but Luvin was not going to leave her yet.
Blinks called for Horse to come closer and the bigger horse had no problems galloping closer to the side of the wagon. Gallif looked back and kept Snow and Sparks going as fast as they could. Blinks was also tall enough to reach out and grab his companions reins but was relieved that Jakobus had a tight grip on his waist. As he pulled in, Blinks swung his legs over the side of the wagon. He glanced ahead to make sure there was no upcoming bend in the road and was able to simply step across to his mount. He let the wagon move ahead and reached over to grab the reins for Jakobus’ mount as well.
Harton was an older horse and, though still quite strong, was having some trouble keeping up. Jakobus was about to ready himself for a transfer when an arrow smacked into the wooden floor of the wagon. He fell back as two more struck the wagon as well.
Luvin knelt down to steady himself as he took aim. The guards were grouped together on the road and hitting one of them would be difficult. They were constantly changing places and he would not fire until he knew that he would hit a guard and not a horse.
Gallif was forced to slow the wagon a bit for Jakobus’ mount to stay even with them. Blinks held the reins tightly and slowly moved the horse closer. The dwarf was smaller and would be unable to step across so easily.
The guards were moving closer now and Luvin finally let an arrow fly. It hit one of the guards in the chest and he fell on to the road in a heap. The other guards fired their arrows and a line of them hit the board on the back of the bench Gallif was sitting in. Luvin balanced himself again and fired as soon as possible. One guard was struck in the arm. His bow fell to the ground and splintered as the other horses trampled over it.
Blinks maneuvered Harton as close to the wagon as he could get, but the wheels were too close to get between them. Jakobus had no choice but to throw himself off the wagon. The wagon hit a bump just as he did so, and his aim was off. Blinks reached forward and grabbed the dwarf by the collar of his metal armor and kept him from falling. After several tries, he got his foot in the saddle and climb on safely.
The guards were less than fifty yard behind them and took a few more shots at Jakobus and Blinks. The arrows dropped ahead of them this time and they were quick to rearm. The gap near the road veered away and the turn to the bridge would soon be before them.
Luvin fired three shots in a row taking out another guard. There were still ten left and one fired an arrow that sliced through Luvin’s boot. Luckily it did not hit his foot and he was able to tear it away, allowing the cast repair the damage.
Gallif slowed when the sharp turn in the road appeared ahead of them and signaled for Jakobus and Blinks to move ahead. It gave the guards a chance to close the gap, but she wanted to make sure they were ahead of her before they crossed the bridge. She warned Luvin to hold on tight and could feel two wagon wheels lift off the road as they took the corner.
Once they were straightened out again, she saw the bridge ahead. Off one side was the entrance they had originally taken, and three guards came out of the gate with swords ready. Jakobus and Blink’s passed through them and each removed one of the guards. The third fell back into the gate and closed it behind them.
The distance between the wagon and the bridge was closing rapidly as Gallif reached back and grabbed Luvin’s arm. He turned to face her, and she pulled the acid bottles out from her armor and handed them to him. He nodded and slung the bow over his shoulder and held a bottle in each hand. The guards were now only ten yards behind them, and he hoped the acid would work quickly. He listened intently and when he heard the rumbling of the wooden bridge under the wheels, he let both bottles drop.
They bridge dropped behind them and the combination of acids worked as quickly as they’d hoped. A mist of acid started to rise. Some of the guards clicked their heels against their horses to sprint forward before the bridge collapsed. Two of the horses refused to proceed and reared to stop before entering the mist. Five crossed the bridge, but several of the boards broke loose before the last one could cross completely, and it stumbled to one side. The horse rose quickly but it had landed on its rider and the guard kicked back in pain. There were only four guards left, but they were getting closer every second.
“You need to go right now,” Gallif ordered Luvin and he knew better than to protest.
Blinks realized what was going on and took Sparks by the reins and slowly pulled him back to match the wagon’s speed. Luvin was soon on his own mount leaving Gallif on the wagon alone.
She knew Snow was strong and sturdy but knew they had to separate from the wagon soon. She looked ahead at the massive gate, desperately thinking about how they were going to get through. She held a hand up to stop the glare of the setting sun and smiled, thanking all of their gods for feeling nice to them today. The gate was open. There were guards at the gears trying to close it, but they would be too late.
Gallif decided it was time for her to leave as well and tied the reins to the bench to prevent them from falling and getting tangled in the wheels. There was nothing for her to hold on to as she started to walk up the wooden poles to the harnesses around Snow. She had to balance herself perfectly to cover the distance and for a few moments the sound of the rumbling wagon faded away from her. She held her arms out to help keep steady and took a few more steps towards the pure white body of her best friend.
She didn’t notice the arrow from the remaining armed guard punch into the bench she had left. She didn’t notice the guards jump off the road as they passed through the open gate and she didn’t register the fields on each side of the road. She saw only the safety of her friend and took his reins as she slid into the saddle. Quickly she pulled the flame sword and took a quick look back to see the guards just a few feet behind the wagon.
With two remarkable strikes she cut the harness away from Snow and both poles dropped down. They dug into the dirt and the wagon vaulted up and over shattering as it smacked into the road. The pursing guards tried to move around the wreckage, but the horses skidded to a halt and refused to move around the heap. Now that they were free Gallif took the lead and they rode at full gallop until after the sun had gone down.
Finally slowing, Gallif led them into the woods off the main road. The sky was clear with enough light to see clearly when they dismounted in a small glade.
“We should be safe here for the night,” Gallif told them as they dismounted, scratching Snow’s head and neck as she continued. “We can stay here for a few hours, but I want to get moving before sun rise. We’ll have to stay off the main roads and stagger our traveling, but we’ll be in Outbound in a few days. There’ll be things we’ll need to get there before going into the swamps on the other side.”
“What about what you need?” Luvin asked as the rest of them got off of their mounts.
“I’ll take some,” she said rubbing her belly. “I’m feeling a bit of rumbling right now. There should be plenty of places for Blinks to get salt as we go.”
“Why him?” Luvin asked jealously.
“There’s less of a chance of people recognizing him,” she said brushing Snow’s mane with her hand. “They know what I look like and word has probably gotten around about the only dragon rider anyone has ever seen. Jakobus has been with us a long time as well so they might know him. Blinks has only been with us a bit and, depending on whether Marassa or Acrufix were able to get the word out, th
ey probably don’t have information on him yet. Especially if they do wanted posters.”
“Me? A wanted poster?” Blinks asked proudly. “I hope they get an artist who’ll do me justice. I’ve been told I have a good profile, especially from my right side.”
Jakobus rolled his eyes but failed to hide his laugh as Luvin shook his head and turned away. Gallif smirked and brushed her hair back thinking he was attractive from the front as well.
They sat quietly for several hours and watched as two search parties went by. They occasionally slept, but she made sure at least one of them awake all the time. As Gallif stood guard she sat watching the road and nestled an exhausted Lincilara in her arms.
There was the slightest bit of light coming from the eastern horizon when Gallif called them all together and announced it was time for them to leave. They walked eastward as long as they could stay inside the forest. As they walked Gallif found comfort being surrounded by the trees again. She had always felt better here and hoped that being so close to nature would help keep the eggs in her belly at bay. She pulled a piece of long grass from a clump, smelled its freshness, and then chewed on it as they walked.
She wondered if her parents, Henra and Nieta, would approve of what she was doing and if her god would be pleased as well. She knew that she had been so caught up in what was going on these past few months she had not thought of them often but knew that they were in her heart. She imagined Veret, her sometimes annoying little brother, laughing at her when she made a mistake.
She also felt sadness as she thought of her brother. There had been a riot after an aquilus attack when she was just eleven years old and he had been lost in the tragedy. She fought hard to keep the anger and resentment towards the beasts, no, the elves down. She had gotten so used to hating them it was still easy for her to slip back into that old habit no matter how wrong she knew it was.
They walked through a shallow creek and the horses wanted to stop for a drink. She knelt down and scooped up a handful of water, but her attention was caught by a leaf floating down the stream. It was a large maple leaf that was in the process of fading as the cooler weather approached. The center was green, but the edges were already orange and the combination reminded her of the symbols she had seen in the druid camp.
They had told her there that she had druid blood in her history, but she had denied it. Her family had been just a plain ordinary family and she had been positive that there were no druids in her ancestry.
As positive as she had been that all elves were evil, and the Starpoint Mountain would always stay standing.
***
King Paleth had to slow himself down so as not to look so excited. This was a period of mourning throughout the land and it would not be good to see the king smiling. He scolded himself with a warning to walk slowly and sadly in honor of the Fourth Minister even though he had always considered him an ass. It didn’t make it any easier that he was about to do one of his favorite things anyway.
As he neared the offices of the Ministers he rounded a corner and came to an immediate stop. The Second Minister and the Sixth Minister both bowed respectfully.
“My Ministers,” the king nodded at them. “How are you today?” he asked with a smile.
“In mourning, as is everyone else in the land,” the Sixth Minister said somberly.
“Of course,” Paleth said and his smile instantly disappeared, and he wrapped the black mourning cloak around his body. “How pitiful that we should lose such a good member of the Circle of Ministers.”
The Ministers glanced at each other and quickly turned back to face him hoping he had not caught their suspicions.
“And if I may ask, my king, where are you off too?” the Second Minister asked.
“Court duties still have to be taken care of,” Paleth said looking at the Second Minister.
“Of course, I meant no disrespect,” the Second Minister said bowing his head.
“None taken, my friend,” the king said. “It’s a tough time for all of us.”
“Thank you, my king,” the Second Minister said dutifully.
“Well, I must be going. I have to meet with the Royal Artist and the Royal Biographer and put together a proper tribute.”
“As you said, my king, all part of the court duties,” the Sixth Minister said, and they stood aside to let him pass.
King Paleth walked away quickly, worrying that he may have not handled the situation wisely. He glanced back and saw the two giants talking but was too far away to hear if they were discussing him or not. He knew that he would not be directly involved in the preparations for the memorial and hoped that, in their grief, the Second Minister and the Sixth Minister had not caught his slip up.
He walked as quickly and as mournfully as he could to the Third Minister’s office and waited what he felt was an incredibly long time before being shown in.
“You forgot your place,” King Paleth said after they were alone again. The Third Minister looked back at him in confusion, so he continued. “I am the King of the Giant Lords. You should not force me to wait outside like an assistant delivering a message.”
“I humbly apologize,” the Third Minister said grinding his teeth together in anger. He was not used to Paleth standing up to anyone let alone him. He did not need this idiot to get a spine now, so he had to put him in his place. “You are correct. I just wanted to make sure the Royal Proclamations are ready for your signature. It will be a splendid moment that will bring peace and stability to our land.”
“Oh,” King Paleth said as he softened his tone. “An important decree at this important time is, of course, more important. I understand.”
“Thank you,” the Third Minister said extremely satisfied with himself. He rose and waved a hand at his plush desk. “Please, have a seat.”
Paleth took a slow walk around the massive furniture and nestled into the comfortable chair. He reached forward and stretched his arms as the Third Minister laid the scrolls in front of him.
“These are a bit different from what we discussed earlier; but some new information has come to light.”
Paleth nodded and began reading one of the scrolls and occasionally nodded with the text. Only twice did he stop to ask for word definitions, but he made it through the entire document barely nine minutes. All the time the Third Minister stood behind him destroying the earlier versions that he had signed.
“I like this part,” he said at one point. “The one about the importance of ‘staying the course.’ I’d like to use that one if I may.”
“Of course, King Paleth, after all these words are yours as far as anyone else knows.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s right isn’t it?” he laughed and sat up straight and proud.
“Feel free to use my feather and ink.”
With a flourish Paleth swept the feather from the ink well and used his best handwriting skills to sign his name to the documents. Each time he finished he would blow the ink dry and marvel at his own royal signature. It never occurred to him to ask if anything in the proclamation was true.
***
Despite their slow progress the first three days of traveling had gone quite easily. There had been a few storms, but they had cleared and travel, mostly at night, was uninterrupted. During the days Blinks had been able to go into small towns or farms and get what they need. They had enough coins to pay handsome prices, but some had taken pity on the handsome man in tattered armor and had given him provisions cheaply.
There were no problems until just after dusk on the third day. Gallif was sleeping on her side with her head on a pile of fresh grass. Lincilara was sleeping next to her cocooned inside her silky wings. They both were awake instantly when they heard a guttural wail nearby.
Gallif leapt to her feet with her weapons in hand and scanned the area for signs of combat. In the starlight a short distance away she could see Jakobus, Blinks and Luvin surrounded by elves.
One of the elves took a swing with its sword and cut in to Luvin’s
exposed left arm. He struck back with his cast hammer, but the elf backed away out of reach.
At a full sprint Gallif entered the scene and used her flame sword to strike down Luvin’s attacker. Another aquilus took a swing at her and managed to graze her side and she countered it with her frost sword. This opponent was quite strong and pushed back at her so fast she stumbled over a large tree root. She hit the ground and rolled to one side as the attacker’s sword missed her by less than an inch. It reared back to strike again, but a strike from Jakobus brought it down.
As she stood and gained her balance, she saw Blinks remove an elf from the battle. She looked around and saw a half dozen aquilus left, but three were circling Blinks and she ran to help. Two of the three elves surrounding him realized she was coming and split up in different directions.
Blinks saw that he was protected now and quickly downed the elf that was still attacking him. One of the escaping elves had panicked and run in Luvin’s direction, but his hammer prevented it from getting any further. The elf that Gallif was after looked back and realized she was closing in. It turned to fight but she stopped it cold.
Gallif pulled the flame sword from its body as it fell to the ground in a heap. It looked up and made eye contact with her for just a few seconds before it died. Despite the sweat from the combat and the heat from the flames Gallif felt incredibly cold when she realized what had just happened. Wide eyed she looked at the body and knew that the others were around her.
“We had them,” she said breathing heavy. “We had them beat already. Two of them were retreating, but we still struck them down.”
As they watched in silence she knelt down and closed the elf’s lifeless eyes. Jakobus and Luvin realized what she was saying. Jakobus prayed to Ha’dar for forgiveness and Luvin suddenly felt weak and sat down on the ground feeling dizzy. Blinks followed and let his arms drop by his sides with weapon still in hand. He just couldn’t bring himself to look at the blade.