Brinks in Time: The Unification

by Tom Rogal

  He said, “Let’s go.”

  Divi came down the steps slowly. Levus put the hood of the robe over his head and started toward the cart.

  As she passed Leeta, everyone in the village could have felt the tension of the glare they exchanged. Leeta stared as if should she take her eyes off that evil tramp, she would lose her love forever. She continued to watch as Divi jumped into the cart and sat down next to Levus. Frey came to stand by Leeta, turning to the sky to the west.

  “A dark storm is on its way.”

  “I don’t like this, Frey. I don’t like Levus being alone with that mage.”

  Frey replied, “I know what you mean. Mages can’t be trusted. You saw it. She didn’t even cast a spell to help them against Ulcinar.”

  “Why did you let him go?”

  “It’s his choice. Besides, he has too much of his father in him.”

  As the cart headed toward Arnis' gates, Leeta said, “From what you described about your husband, that makes me worry more.”

  The two watched until the cart was beyond sight, engulfed by the Dyyros Woods.

  The cart drove deep into the forest. A light rain began to fall and all the passengers covered up. This was a very dangerous time to be traveling the Woods' roads. It was very easy and common for a wheel to get stuck in the soft mud. It was also rumored that parts of the road might just collapse if it became too wet. This cart, though, didn’t heed the warnings. It wasn't like the cargo it carried was very important most of the time.

  Refugee carts were rare, last used during the Aranian War. Most were sold to merchants, while others were preserved should they need to serve the same function one day. When Ulcinar took over, that was the moment these returned to service. Usually it was thieves, the sick, and homeless people who risked the journey. At night, sometimes Night Predators came from the back and snatched an unsuspecting traveler. The cart wouldn't stop, though. Fall off and you were on your own.

  As the cart made a turn, a Night Predator hiding atop one of the trees just watched. He looked at each passenger carefully, though in the rain most faces were hidden.

  When the cart finished its turn and was on straight road again, the last two passengers drew great interest from the creature. He looked down at them, trying to take in each feature of their partially covered faces. The rain fell harder and thunder rumbled the area around them.

  When they were out of sight, the creature softly said, “Levus.”

  The three nights in the Woods went without incident, which was a relief for Levus and Divi. They knew first-hand what was out there when the sun gave way to the sister moons. They made three stops enroute to pick up more refugees and buy from a couple merchants willing to sell cheap food for the passengers. It was usually ready to spoil, but Levus was just happy to get food in his belly. Harrin’s friend slowed the cart down when a strong storm passed through a day after reaching the plains.

  After a week-long journey, they were now a couple miles from Tartus, and Levus was sure that those guards were still at the gates. The road was getting rougher. The cart slowed to a crawl and he heard men's voices. Within minutes, it came to a complete stop. Levus wanted to see what was going on, but that would arouse suspicion. He had watched a few of these carts arrive at Tartus when he went to visit Cerrapies. The blacksmith had explained to Levus that since Ulcinar took over, those who seemed even a little concerned about what the guards were saying were considered suspicious. Levus guided Divi’s head to his shoulder to make sure she didn’t look either. All he could do was listen and pray.

  “Your business here?” asked one of the guards.

  “I’m bringing these refugees to the port. Many of them have sicknesses that Dyyrosian doctors can’t handle with the medicine shortage,” replied the driver.

  Another guard asked, “Mind if we look?”

  Levus didn’t hear an answer, but assumed that the driver agreed because he could hear footsteps coming toward them. Levus grabbed some mud from the cart bed and rubbed as much as he could on his and Divi’s faces. He just finished as the guards made it to the back. He hoped the guards’ perfect incompetence was just as robust as when Cerrapies was getting them out of Tartus. They started examining each individual passenger closely. This was not good. Levus didn’t move his head, continuing to look at the floor. He could still see the guard from the corner of his eye, though, and he seemed to be staring right at him. Levus had his hand on the Moonsaber’s hilt if the need arose.

  The guard suddenly summoned a couple of the soldiers that followed him to the back. When they arrived, the guard pointed in Levus’ direction. We're had. He gripped the Moonsaber tighter as two soldiers rushed the cart. In a brief moment of fear, though, he froze and didn’t react. For Divi and his sake, he was glad he didn’t. The soldiers pushed Divi and Levus apart, grabbed the man behind them, and threw him to the ground. They promptly drew their swords and drove them through the man’s heart.

  The guard stared at the lifeless corpse for a few more seconds before turning to his soldiers.

  “Tell the driver he is free to go and tell the administration that we killed a thief who escaped us from Fort Kerran. The description matched perfectly. Lord Ulcinar will be pleased.”

  Levus gave a heavy sigh as the cart began moving toward the innards of Tartus.

  Divi slowly turned to him. “Shouldn’t we jump off now?”

  “No. The guards know who goes on these carts. We get off now, our cover is blown.”

  All they could do was wait patiently as the cart advanced through the thickly covered streets of Tartus. A few of the people around them on the sidewalk began throwing their junk inside of the cart. One piece of garbage hit Levus square in the chin. He wanted to grab it and throw it back, but he restrained himself. The scent of smoke that was always present in the industrial center of the city began to dissipate, replaced by the smell of salty water. He was glad they had got this far. When the cart stopped, they exited along with the rest of the travelers.

  The port of Tartus was quite large. This was Levus’ first time here, though he had been in the city on numerous occasions. Since Cerrapies’ place was so close to the gates, though, he never got a chance to view the port up close. He never realized how gigantic some of the merchant ships were because they looked like miniatures from Cerrapies’ roof. The masts and sails looked large enough to cover the entire hulls of the ships. The thick wood would allow the craft to take a lot of damage before sinking.

  The port was also crowded with many people. Only about a third of the people were workers. The rest were just walking, eating, or wishing loved ones a safe journey. He was surprised about the dining near the port, a concept new to him. In Porsita, you wouldn't be caught dead eating near the dock because it was so filthy. Tartus' looked almost immaculate.

  Levus grabbed Divi’s hand as the crowd moved them to the ship in front of them.

  Their ship was a bit smaller than the others, but if it got them to their destination, he wouldn’t be picky. It was also obvious that they weren’t the only refugees looking to escape the continent. There had to be hundreds in front of Divi and himself. Their cart must have been the final shipment to this vessel.

  The line they were part of began moving slowly toward the ramp leading to the deck. Levus was wondered what was taking so long. Not until they got close did he realize what was going on. Three guards were checking the faces of all the passengers before they got on board. This was not good. Even with the mud he applied to their faces, it was still very apparent who they were. He hoped Harrin’s friend had a great distraction planned to get them on.

  “Get your hands off me! I can handle myself!”

  That voice. He knew who that was. Within seconds, a couple of guards carried Cerrapies on a stretcher. They came from a side entrance used for those who physically couldn't walk. Whatever mood soothers Sylph put his old friend on in Arnis had worn off. The crowd watching laughed as Cerrapies was carried up the ramp to the ship. He certainly had an
easy way on. Yet Levus and Divi's major problem remained: getting past the guards without being recognized. They were about five people from the checkpoint. Levus looked over at the blacksmith, who was still arguing with the helpers carrying him.

  It was not until two people before the checkpoint that Cerrapies noticed Levus and Divi’s predicament. He winked, assuring Levus he was going to give them their distraction. As the person in front of them was about to go in, Cerrapies sprang forward and fell hard onto the ramp. He rolled a few feet down before stopping. The guards turned to him, and some bent to help him. This was their chance.

  Before either could make their move, strong arms grabbed both of them and forced them forward over the ropes used to separate the ship from the checkpoint. They fell hard on the wooden dock. The guards, who were still enthralled by what Cerrapies was doing, didn’t notice their arrival on the other side.

  Levus, seeing what the man did, quickly grabbed Divi and brought them back to the line just as the guards regained order. They made it! They were past the checkpoint. The two guards finally controlled his friend, and turned back to observe the refugees. That was close. A salty sweat drop touched Levus’ lips. He knew that everything was all right the moment he stepped on the wooden ramp. The line began to move with more haste. As they got closer to the deck, the man who had pushed them over the rope came between them very nonchalantly.

  He said as he passed, “Meet me at the bow of the ship topside as soon as we pass the blockade. I will explain myself then.”

  He passed them, trying to make the top of the loading ramp before any of the others. Levus looked at Divi, who gave him the same expression: If they wanted to find out what was going on, they had no choice but to follow this man’s orders.

  It took nearly five hours for them to reach the blockade, stretching north and south across the sea, that now separated Tartus and the capital from the mainland.. It was a tense moment, seeing nearly fifty ships, each armed to sink any boat that tried to disobey them. To earn their safe passage, they had to unfurl a flag given to the ship’s captain by the dockmaster. Without this flag, the next land the ship would see was the bottom of the ocean.

  As they went to the ship’s deck, they could still see the hazy image of the Dyyros fleet, but they were far enough away that they didn’t need to worry. Their only concern was discovering what this mysterious person had for them. As they neared the bow, he was already waiting there. He had taken off his burlap cloak, revealing a handsome man dressed in commoners clothing. His fingers housed many rings with different colored jewels and stones. Divi started to push back her hood to get a better look at this newcomer, but a voice stopped her.

  “I would leave those on if I were you two. Have you forgotten you have a large sum of money on your heads?”

  Levus and Divi moved closer to the man. Even though the deck was nearly empty, free from even most of the crew, it seemed he didn’t want to run the risk that someone was listening and would turn the boat around so that the blockade could apprehend them.

  The man continued when they were well away from all prying ears, “I apologize for the insincere and rude tactic I had to take when getting you on the boat, but the guards were recovering quicker than I thought from Cerrapies’ ruse. My name is Karath Farsith, longtime friend of Harrin Ferrud and that blacksmith you call a friend. It’s a pleasure to meet you two.”

  He shook their hands firmly. Levus didn’t recognize the last name, though surnames were normally common among those living in the villages of the Dyyros Woods. Everyone knew everybody. Karath must be from the capital or from the mainland, as Harrin spent much of his youth in Cordca.

  Levus asked, “How were you able to get to us? Harrin told us his man was driving the cart.”

  Karath laughed. “The driver is one of my associates. He uses my name whenever we do this. And let me tell you, since Ulcinar has been around, we’ve been doing this almost every fortnight.”

  Divi asked, “What do you know about Ulcinar? Whatever you can tell us will be useful when we seek help from . . . “

  Karath cut her off. A member of the crew was coming topside to get readings on the wind speed and direction, a small, yet important task for these ships. The crew member went back under to report to his superior. After the coast was clear, Karath continued.

  “Don’t tell me where you are going. Although I and those who work for me are quite clever, the less I know about where you are going and doing, the better for all of us. As far as Ulcinar is concerned? I have some sources in the Dyyros military that inform me they believe the Dark Lord is not of this world. His becoming the royal soothsayer before he took over was odd. Those are positions usually given to . . . other races more suitable for that task.”

  Divi understood what race he was talking about. This man was, however, smart enough not to reveal them in front of Levus, who as a native of this continent, would probably not understand. This misunderstanding could blow their cover.

  “Ulcinar only confides his plans to a few people. Kile Craslin is by far his top general. Alcatar is a distant second, but still in good standings. Only three other men are in his confidence: Hirum Draconis, the military advisor; Sergeant Yugra Frallius, his ‘dark operations’ head; and Corweig Vallance, Yugra’s apprentice and newly appointed Captain of the Guard. I have two of these men giving me information, though one of them is not as reliable because of his distance from the Dark Lord. Despite these highly placed contacts, what Ulcinar is planning is still a mystery. All I know is that some great plan has been put into effect, something much larger than just taking the rest of Dyyros. He is keeping that secret very close to the chest, informing only Kile and Alcatar for now.”

  Levus had heard of all but one of those names. Hirum was already the head of military strategy under the previous king. Kile, he obviously knew. Alcatar's acquaintance he hoped to confine to the horrifying stories he heard about him. Yugra, from what his mom told, was the former Captain of the Guard. His father had told her to stay away from him if possible, as he was quite mad. Corweig . . . he had heard of that name from somewhere. But where? In rumors?

  Karath continued, “Once you are safely off the ship, I will be going back. In fact, I would recommend not talking to me the rest of this trip. Until we know what Ulcinar is planning, it would be unwise for us to speak much more. It is rumored he has spies everywhere.”

  Divi replied, “Understood. We thank you for helping us. I hope things go well for you.”

  “I wish you both the best of luck too. Stay strong and put faith in each other. You are all that you two have.”

  As Karath was about to leave, Levus grabbed his arm. The man seemed surprised by the strength of his grip.

  “If you see Cerrapies, tell him I owe him one now.”

  Karath nodded, but didn’t say a word. He had done everything Harrin had paid him to do, and much more. As he left Levus and Divi at the ship's bow, he remembered Divi’s thanks. It was something that, despite what he had sacrificed, he didn’t hear too often. Most people he saved or smuggled were thankful, but only because it helped them escape a debt or a situation they lost control of by their own doing. These two were something different. They were genuine. Harrin was telling the truth. As the night descended, he would say a prayer that these two, whatever they set out to do, would succeed.

  ***

  Divi gazed out on the ocean waters. The heavy breeze hit her hard in the face, but she didn’t mind. She was just happy to be able to feel the winds after experiencing what she had on Dyyros. She hoped to not to go back again soon. It was at this moment that she thought of Levus.

  He sat on a cargo box on the deck of the ship, staring back toward Dyyros. He had been quiet ever since their conversation with Karath. The blockade ultimately delayed them a day, an extra day for him to look back at what he was leaving behind. She walked slowly toward him and could see him shaking a bit. She did admit that it was chilly with the wind, but not enough to be freezing.

  “He
y, what’s up? You look cold.”

  Levus didn't look away from the horizon.

  “I’ve never been off the Dyyros continent. Everything I’ve ever known is on those shores hundreds of miles away.”

  “Scared?” Divi asked.

  Levus gave a little laugh. “Maybe.”

  Divi sat next to Levus on the box. She put her arm around him and crossed her legs.

  “I remember my first time on a boat. I was twelve. My mother would take me about forty feet away from the dock and we’d go back. I was so scared because mages are not very good swimmers. Yet she kept taking me and taking me until one day I couldn’t look at anything but the water. I saw the beauty in it.”

  Levus asked, “How was your first actual trip?”

  “Memorable . . . in its own way. We visited a port town in the Cordcan territory named Kilvarn. My dad had to bring me with because he needed to take my usual guardian along as well. Normally he wouldn’t even let me near a boat since my mom died. Kept forcing my guardian to put me in situations where I would have regretted not knowing magic. Some he did, some he didn’t. I should be thankful for that much at least. Still, worst experience I ever had.”

  “What did your mother do for a living?”

  Divi was a little shocked by his question. She was silent for a few seconds before answering.

  “She loved medicine. It was her life’s work. She discovered previously unknown cures to many unknown in her time before . . . before one took her away from me. Why do you ask?”

  Levus couldn’t come up with an answer. He just wanted to know and that was it. He looked back at the sea. He tried to feel the same sensation that Divi felt after her mom's trips on the boat with her, but something was stopping him.

  Virsu interago faxinta . . .