The remains of the road was hard packed earth in places with grass growing in others. Nobody knew why but plant life didn’t grow as well in areas where the old roads had been. There were places where the earth had been dug out revealing a hard black material underneath.
The young man thought the number of other travelers would throw their pursuers off their trail. But he knew it wouldn’t be that easy. The pair kept up a steady jog as they covered the miles in silence. Every hour the pair would stop and walk for a mile and they stopped for lunch after the fourth time walking.
Warren stretched as they slowed, “How far do you think we have made it?”
Alden sat down on a stump and rubbed his chin, “I reckon about 20 maybe 25 miles. Been maybe five hours. And we’ve been runnin’ hard so 4, 5 mile an hour. Them agents oughta be followin’ us by now.”
Warren nodded and sat down nearby, pulling a bottle of water off of his pack and taking a drink, “We are making good time though.”
The smaller of the pair shrugged off his duster, he would be glad he brought it later but right now he was baking, and started rummaging for food. A loaf of bread appeared followed by salted beef and some cheese. It was dry but a meal was a meal. Alden pulled out his wax and envelope and set about making his plan work while Warren watched him with an amused expression.
After the pair ate they sat in silence for a few more minutes before Warren asked, “Where do you think the others got sent?”
Alden shrugged, “I don’t know. I reckon they got sent about the same distance as us. But we need to get movin’. Want to stay ahead of them guys tailin’ us.”
Warren and Alden climbed to their feet and Alden, reluctantly, pulled his duster back on and then his pack. As the pair set off again Alden realize that the stop may have been a mistake. They were slower then before and it was a couple of hours before they settled back into the steady, driving pace they had maintained earlier.
The day wore on and around seven hours in Alden’s ears picked up the sound of rattling armor. The young man glanced over hs shoulder to see a pair of Royal Guardsman cosing in on them. Alden grit his teeth and growled, “Head for the trees. Now.”
Warren sensed the danger from Alden’s tone and dashed off the road. The Knights broke into a sprint and Alden heard their pursurers behind them yelling as the pair rushed through the woods. The Knights closed the distance quickly and Alden changed directions abruptly, heading north again. The young man knew his partner had turned and dashed off in the opposite direction. They would round back towards the road together later and meet up again. Once they reached the road, Warren would head north while Alden traveled south. Once they reached the point where they had left the road they would stop and wait.
Alden tripped and fell and felt the Knight grab him roughly and lift him. The young man spat, “I don’t have it. Hope your partner is quick.”
The Knight growled and shoved Alden to the ground, “Are you sure about that? You should’ve kept moving and stayed off the roads. You left a trail as plain as day and made no effort to cover your tracks. Of all of Malcolm’s students you’ve given the worst performance.”
Alden grimaced at those words and rose back to his feet. He shrugged the pack off and stepped towards the Knight. The young man threw a quick jab that was blocked easily and the Knight swung a back handed strike at him. Alden ducked under the blow and threw a short punch into the Knight’s side. The Knight grunted and stepped towards the young teen and knocked him off balance before kicking hard at the back of Alden’s leg. The young man fell and slammed into the ground. The Knight placed a foot on Alden’s chest and bent to retrieve the pack.
The young man struggled and tried to shove up on the Knight’s leg but the man was too strong for him. The Knight opened the pack and smiled, “Well look what we have here. Right on top of the pile.”
The man held up an envelope sealed with red wax and marked with the crown and scepter emblem. The Knight took his foot off Alden’s chest as he dropped the pack and disappeared into the woods. Alden moaned and rushed to his feet but the Knight was already out of sight. The young man’s mouth twisted itself into a smirk.
Chapter 23 Return To Sender
Warren crashed through the woods with reckless abandon, drawing the second Knight away from his partner. The Knight caught up to him and flew through the air, tackling Warren to the ground. The big man and Knight scrambled back to their feet and Warren spun to face his pursurer, tossing his pack aside.
The older man smiled, “As much fun as it would be to trounce you, kid, save us the trouble and give me the letter.”
Warren shook his head, “You have the wrong ‘kid’.”
The Knight grunted, “I think you’re telling the truth to be honest, but I have to be sure. Now hand it over, kid.”
The large teen responded by lunging forward and dropping his shoulder. The Knight slid easily out of the way and latched onto Warren’s collar, yanking him off his feet. The young man landed on his back hard and rolled back to his feet in half a moment.
The easy smile formed again, “You’ve got potential, kid, I’ll give ya that.”
Warren grit his teeth and rushed forward again, jerking out of the shoulder charge and tossing a jab with his left hand toward the Knight’s face. The older man’s head snapped back as the blow connected and Warren pushed forward, slamming his open palm into the Knight’s chest and making him stumbleback.
The Knight sprang back up and advanced. The easy smile was gone, replaced by a thin line. The Knight launched a hook toward Warren’s head which the big man managed to duck. The young man slammed his fist into the Knight’s ribs but the older man simply grunted and grabbed Warren by his collar again. The Knight planted one foot and pivoted, tossing the big man through the air.
The young man landed roughly and rolled. The Knight turned away from Warren and opened his pack and began to rummage through it. The older man grunted, “Not here. You know I could just search you and take it at this point. So tell me, do you have-”
A voice broke through the woods, “I have it, Mason!”
The Knight looked up and called back, “I hear you!” With that the older man stood and shrugged, “Sorry about the rough treatment but we have jobs to do just like you, kid. Best of luck next time. Good job with that hit, been a while since anyone made contact with me. Take your time heading back. They won’t be expecting you until Wednesday anyhow.”
The big man just nodded mutely from where he lay and he slowly climbed back to his feet. He had to find his partner and make sure everything had worked out the way Alden said it would. The tall boy shouldered his pack again and started back in the direction of the road.
Warren rushed down the road when his friend came back into view and noticed the limp Alden had acquired. The smaller teen grimaced as he dropped his pack and fell with a thump onto the ground beside the road. The big man dropped to one knee and eyed his friend silently as he licked his lip.
The large boy scowled as Alden rubbed his leg for a moment and asked, “Well?”
The green eyed boy let out a sigh and the big man felt his heart drop. Alden’s hand emerged from the inside of his coat, clutching a plain envelope sealed with red wax. “He fell for it.”
Warren’s mouth stretched into a broad grin, “So we have a clear road now?”
The shorter boy grinned back, emerald eyes shining, “That we do.”
Warren rose to his full height, “Getting your blood flowing again might help keep that leg from locking up on you.”
Alden nodded in agreement and took the hand Warren offered him and the large teen pulled him upright again. The large boy started to walk, with his partner limping alongside him and after about ten minutes Alden broke into jog. Warren maintained the easy stride Alden set for them. They had ground to cover and night would be falling in a few hours. The pai
r began to slow as Celina came into view two and a half hours later. The big man took the time to look up and he saw the stars above him away from all the distractions of the city lights.
Warren must’ve been staring because Alden spoke, “Beautiful ain’t it?”
The large teen snapped out of his thoughts and mumbled a reply, “It is. I never paid attention to them before.”
Warren looked up at the sky and thought about how it looked at home and in the city. In town the streets were lined with Wizard Lights and at home, at home Warren never loked up at the night sky.. And for whatever reason, out away from all those lights, the stars seemed brighter somehow.
The large boy turned his attention to the road ahead as the pair began to walk along the bank and into the small lakefront town. The ruins of the old city were still there, just beyond the town but the tall structures were falling apart. Instead of repairing them, a new town had sprung up beside the old one and the people in new Celina scavenged what they could from old Celina.
Alden led the way into The Lake’s Front, the only tavern in the town, and Warren followed just behind him. The barroom was half filled with half drunk patrons. The large boy navigated the cramped space carefully, trying to avoid knocking anyone over with his impressive frame. Alden walked up to the counter and asked, “Do you know a Alyssa Mils?”
The barman grunted, “Who’s asking?”
Alden leaned in, reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the letter. The young man replied smoothly, “I am. And she wants to know.”
The bartender saw the letter and nodded, “Give me one moment.”
Warren looked around the room as the pair waited. The patrons here were rough and dirty looking. A lone figure in a fine cloak stood out from the rest on the far side of the room. The air reeked of fish and the young man suspected it wasn’t the room itself or the meals. The large teen turned to lean on the counter and noted how relaxed Alden seemed. His partner always seemed to calm down in places like this.
Warren shrugged off the thought as the cook came out and walked up to them, “Let me see it.”
Alden handed her the letter and the young woman opened it and scanned the contents. She sniffed loudly and said, “I thought you must have gotten caught. I expected you earlier.
Alyssa ducked back into the kitchen and returned a moment later with another envelope, this one sealed with blue wax and the image of a small water wheel. Alden took the letter and tucked it back into his coat and Alyssa said, “You two probably want a rest and I have a room free that you can drop your gear into. I’ll show you up and have my husband set out a couple of plates down here for you. They’ll be waiting when your ready.”
Warren bobbed his head, “Thank you.”
Alden grunted, “What do we owe you for the trouble?”
The young woman started up the stairs and waved a hand dismissively, “Don’t you worry about that. This is on the house.”
The smaller of the two fell silent and Warren led the way up the stairs, eager to eat and fall into bed. It had been a long day and tomorrow was going to be longer. At least the hard part was over though.
Alyssa opened the door and offered Warren the key before saying, “Let me know if there’s anything you two need.”
Warren smiled, “We will.”
The room was a simple one with two twin beds and a window looking out over the lake. Warren dropped his pack onto one bed while Alden shed his bag and then dropped his duster on top of it. The large boy stretched and thought about the food waiting for them downstairs. The smaller of the two must have been thinking about the same thing because they both turned and rushed for the door before calming themselves when they reached the stairs.
Warren noted the cloaked man leaning over the bar near their food. The bartender handed the man a bottle aand the cloaked man disappeared out the door. The large boy dismisssed the incident. Some noble with a drinking problem on his way to somewhere else.
The young pair sat down in front of the bowls of stew Alyssa’s husband had set out and proceeded to eat. Ale was what was offered so Warren drank it even though he didn’t care for his last experience with the beverage. The food was good and as soon as he finished Warren sat back and closed his eyes. He was tired all at once and he had no idea why.
Alden slapped him on the back, “I know the feelin’. Let’s head back upstairs and get some shut eye. We’ve got some ground to cover tomorrow.”
The large boy rose to his feet and made his way up the stairs and fell onto his bed after shoving his pack onto the floor. He was out in seconds after his head hit the pillow.
Chapter 24 An Unexpected Development
Sergeant Hunter was sitting at his desk relaxing. He wouldn’t have to worry about training the Cadets for a couple of days. The man expected them all to succeed despite the Knights following them. This was largely because the Knights trailing them were recently established Knight Corporals. They had just passed the third Trial a few months ago and didn’t have much field experience. This exercise was meant to test endurance and give the Knight Corporals a touch of humility since most felt invincible and full of themselves after being promoted.
There was a knock on the door and Sergeant Hunter slung his feet down off his desk, “Come in.”
A pair of Knight Corporals filed into the room and Hunter recognized them instantly. Their names were Grant and Mason and they had been sent after Alden and Warren. The Sergeant hid a grimace, “Grant, Mason. I didn’t expect to see you two so soon.”
Grant smiled, “You shouldn’t underestimate us. The two of us did pass all of the Trials without a sweat.”
The Sergeant grunted, “You approached them with no finesse or grace. A hammer is useful, but a scalpel is harder to replace.”
The Corporal hid a scowl and Hunter leaned back in his chair, “I take it you have the letter?”
Grant smirked and held it out, red seal in tact. Sergeant Hunter took it and sighed, “Well done. Are Warren and Alden back yet?”
Sergeant Hunter studied the seal on the letter as Grant replied, “No, but they’ll be back before long.”
The Sergeant shook his head, “Did you happen to examine this seal at all?”
Grant paused, “No, why?”
Hunter held it up, “This isn’t the original seal. This is a fake made using a common gold crown. The original was much more ornate.”
The Corporal growled as the Sergeant opened the letter and scanned it. The instructor continued, “I suspect that Alden and Warren will be in Celina by now and on their way home tomorrow.”
Corporal Grant spat, “What’s it say?”
Hunter offered the letter to the younger Knight who snatched it out of his hand. The young man scanned the letter and then tossed it back onto Hunter’s desk before storming out of the room. Mason stared after his partner and then looked down at the letter. There was a messy scrawl of writing that said: I’m sorry to have inconvenienced you two but I thought we needed a little bit of space. So, when you’re reading this Warren and I will be at our destination or on our way home. If not, well, you can compliment me on how clever I am and dig into the bottom of my bag. You have my humblest apology. -Alden Flint
Mason snorted, “Clever kid. Grant will be in a mood for the next week.”
Sergeant Hunter laughed, “When I saw you two I thought it didn’t make any sense.”
The younger man smiled, “I don’t know about Alden but Warren has potential as a fighter. Lot of strength and surprisingly fast. Just needs to stop pulling punches.”
Hunter nodded, “I noticed that to. Warren is a lot like a boulder. Big and hard to move but he doesn’t exactly hit back. Alden though, he’s a hurricane on fire when he gets angry. It’s dangerous to even be nearby but he burns himself out.”
Mason nodded, “I’ve heard he had a temper. I had
better go try to calm Grant down. He gets all worked up like this and it can be weeks before he calms down. Good night, Sergeant.”
The Knight Sergeant bowed his head, “Good night, Corporal. Will you be heading out in the morning?”
The Corporal nodded, “I believe so. Try to intercept them on the way home.”
Hunter nodded, “Alright. Be careful.”
Mason moved for the door, “We will be.”
Chapter 25 A Rough Morning
Alden woke up as Alyssa shook him roughly and shouted, “Get up! Why won’t you wake up!?”
A sharp crack resounded as Alden was slapped and he moaned. His head was throbbing and felt full of cotton but it wasn’t from the slap. The young man groaned, “What’s goin’ on?”
The older woman let out a breath, “Its two in the afternoon! You’ve been asleep all day!”
Alden tried to sit up but retched as a wave of nausea washed over him and his head erupted in agony. The pain was enough that when it faded the young man’s forehead was coated in sweat and he was out of breath.
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