"I hope you are not thinking of sneaking out of the camp?" Prince Derri asked as he turned and frowned at his friend. "That would be a gross insult to King Gharkin."
"And we should not be insulted when the Hyremites take our weapons and hold us prisoner?" retorted Prince Antion.
"They saved our lives," shrugged the Salacian prince. "Besides, we are not really prisoners. They have offered us everything we could possibly wish for."
"Other than our weapons and directions to the mysterious pass through the Roof of the World," Prince Antion shook his head. "We are not allowed to leave the camp, Derri. In my mind, that makes us prisoners."
"We are to await the return of King Gharkin," sighed Prince Derri. "I am sure that he merely wants to ensure that we do not end up getting caught in another early storm. Besides, no one I have spoken with knows anything about any pass through the mountains."
"King Gharkin knows of it," asserted the Arin prince.
"What makes you say that?" asked Prince Derri.
"His reaction when I mentioned our purpose for being in Hyrem," answered Prince Antion. "I could see it in his face. Once I mentioned the pass, he could not wait to leave our presence. He knows that it exists, and he knows how to find it."
"I think he was more concerned about hearing of soldiers from Borunda operating in his country," countered the Salacian prince. "Certainly King Caedmon would be equally distressed over such news."
"No," Prince Antion argued as he shook his head exaggeratedly. "I saw the look in his face. Umal will back me up on this. Where has he gone off to?"
"Where else?" chuckled Prince Derri. "He is out caring for the horses. He is the one person in our party who could be quite content to stay here forever. He has a yurt to keep him happy and this land is as barren as many parts of Odessia."
The Salacian prince had turned and waved his hand over the endless plain as he spoke, but the final words from his mouth drifted off as he stopped and stared across the emptiness. Prince Antion noticed the distraction and turned to follow Prince Derri's gaze. At first he saw nothing but an empty plain stretching away to the distant towering mountains of the Roof of the World, but as he looked more closely, he saw what had caught Prince Derri's eye. A tiny speck moved through the shimmering haze where the mountains met the plain.
"Is there only one rider?" Prince Antion asked softly.
"Only one that I can see," nodded the Salacian prince. "Unless that changes we will have no need to worry that it is the Borundans."
The two princes watched in silence as the rider drew ever closer to the Hyremite camp. After a time it became obvious that the rider was heading directly towards the camp, and when he got closer both princes recognized the rider as King Gharkin.
"So the king feels free to ride around the countryside without an escort?" asked Prince Antion. "He must not be overly concerned about Borundan soldiers in the area."
"So it would appear," nodded Prince Derri. "Maybe your thoughts about his reaction to the mention of the pass were accurate after all. I always was better at reading tracks than reading people."
As the two princes continued to wait for King Gharkin to arrive, the Salacian prince's eyes rose and stared beyond the rider at the Roof of the World. The tall mountains ringed the country of Hyrem on three sides, and to most people each of the mountains appeared the same as the one next to it, but Prince Derri was very adept at noticing small differences. The tracker within him studied the mountains until the king arrived and dismounted.
"So you are anxious to leave us?" chuckled King Gharkin. "One can always tell when he has lost the attention of his guests."
"We would like to be on our way," replied Prince Antion, "but not because your hospitality has been lacking. We are anxious to find the pass through the Roof of the World."
A Hyremite warrior raced forward and took the king's horse and led it away. The king put his arm around the Arin prince in a good naturedly way.
"I can only wish you luck on your quest, Prince Antion," smiled the king. "What I can do to make your travels more memorable is to hold a feast in honor of the visit by you and your fellow travelers. Tonight you shall learn how the Hyremites treat noble guests. May you remember our hospitality in years to come? Gather your people and join me in the yurt."
The king smiled again and strode purposefully into the camp. The two princes exchanged glances of confusion.
"Do you have any idea what is going on?" asked Prince Derri. "The king has been gone for a week and suddenly returns to throw a banquet in our honor. What has put him in such a good mood?"
"A very appropriate question," frowned Prince Antion. "It is almost as if he had doubts as to our identities and has finally authenticated us, but that makes no sense. He already knew who you were, and unless he has a great talent for describing people, no one could have told him who the rest of us are."
"And if he knows where this mysterious pass is," added Prince Derri, "he certainly has no intention of telling us. Let's get Umal and return to the yurt. Maybe we will learn more at the feast."
They met Prince Umal on his way towards the yurt and the three princes joined the rest of the group in the yurt. Dozens of Hyremites flowed into the yurt until it was quite crowded. A great boar was put upon a spit and roasted over the fire, and Hyremite musicians filled the large yurt with exotic music.
King Gharkin appeared to be in a jovial mood and was easily approachable throughout the festivities. He discussed many things with his guests, but whenever the mention of Orro or the mysterious pass came up, he found some excuse to turn his attention elsewhere.
The Hyremites were early morning risers, and the festivities died out early in the evening. Prince Derri woke everyone before sunrise to get an early start on their journey. As the foreign warriors were packing up their horses, King Gharkin appeared with a train of Hyremites carrying bundles.
"My people have prepared gifts for you," smiled the king. "It is our hope that these gifts will aid you during your travels in our land."
Each of the foreign warriors was presented with a fur coat, a hat, gloves, and boots.
"You must keep warm at all times," warned the king. "While the storm that brought you to our camp was an early autumn storm, winter does arrive here earlier than you are used to. Each day brings the chance that you will be stranded wherever you are. Be prepared."
"Thank you," Prince Derri bowed in respect. "Your hospitality has been most generous. I hope that we have the chance to repay your kindness."
"I have no doubt that such a chance will occur," the king grinned mischievously. "You must come and visit again when you no longer follow the tracks in search of legendary peoples and places. May the hopes of all peoples shower upon you in your travels."
Chapter 53 - Endless Canyon
Endless Canyon
Prince Derri led the group northward on the shortest path from King Gharkin's camp to the base of the mountains. Around high sun he called the procession to a halt for the midday meal. As the other warriors dismounted and stretched their legs, the Salacian prince rose up in his saddle and gazed to the south.
"What are you looking for?" asked Prince Antion. "Is someone following us?"
"No one is following us," answered Prince Derri as he dismounted. "I just want to make sure that we are no longer visible from King Gharkin's camp."
"Why?" the Arin prince asked suspiciously.
"Because I plan to change directions after we have eaten," replied Prince Derri. "We need to be further to the east, but I didn't want to be obvious about it."
"Explain what is going on," Prince Antion sighed with frustration. "I am in no mood for riddles."
"I am not sure what is going on," admitted the Salacian prince, "but I know that King Gharkin knows more than he lets on. You were right about his wanting to avoid any discussion about Orro and the pass through the Roof of the World. I purposely watched him last night, and I noted his reactions each time the subject was brought up. He either changed the
topic or moved away from the questioner. He is hiding something."
"I agree," nodded Prince Antion, "but what does that have to do with changing our course?"
"I want to pick up the tracks he left yesterday," answered Prince Derri, "but I don't want him to know that is what we are doing, so we left the camp heading due north. Now that the camp is out of sight, we can move to the east and pick up his trail."
"You think he might have gone to the mysterious pass?" asked the Arin prince. "For what purpose?"
"I don't know," sighed Prince Derri, "but I find it very strange that the King of Hyrem would ride out of his well-guarded camp for a week alone on the plains. He clearly did not even want his own people to know where he had gone. Doesn't that make you extremely curious?"
"It does," nodded Prince Antion, "but maybe he has no fears about riding around in Hyrem alone."
"With a detachment of Borundan soldiers on the loose?" Prince Derri shook his head. "I don't buy that. I think he took a risk in going wherever he went, and that knowledge just makes me even more curious."
"You don't trust him at all, do you?" questioned the Arin prince.
"I do not think he means us any harm," replied Prince Derri, "but many things about King Gharkin do not add up."
"What else about him bothers you?" asked Prince Antion.
"He claimed to know me," answered the Salacian prince, "yet he never leaves Hyrem. How can that be when I have never been in Hyrem before? We certainly would have never met at an official function if he does not attend them."
"Can we even be sure that he is King Gharkin?" asked the Arin prince.
"That is the one thing that I do believe about him," replied Prince Derri. "Even in his absence his people spoke of him as the king. I do believe his story about his brother, but I suspect that King Gharkin accompanies his brother on those trips as a personal servant. That way he gets to observe people without having much attention focused on him. He is a very clever man."
"As are you," grinned Prince Antion. "Let us find the king's tracks and see where he spent the last week."
The group finished their midday meal and rode off to the east. Prince Derri often glanced at the mountains in an attempt to recognize the features of the Roof of the World that he had seen beyond the king when Gharkin had returned to the camp.
"It won't be long now," the Salacian prince announced as he recognized the image of the mountains he had memorized the day before
A few minutes later, Prince Derri dismounted and examined the tracks he had found.
"How did you know?" asked Prince Antion.
Prince Derri pointed to the mountains. "That is the view we had yesterday when we watched the king approaching the camp. See the three tallest mountains? The center one is slightly taller than the other two like the fingers of your hand. There is also a large gap between the three peaks and the fourth one farther to the right. These tracks are the king's tracks."
"How far do you estimate those mountains are?" asked Sandar.
"Probably about two days at a comfortable pace," answered Prince Derri.
"So a little less than three days from the camp in each direction?" asked Prince Antion. "If so, then wherever the king went had to be within a half day's ride of the base of the mountains."
"Or right at the base of the mountains and he spent a day there," nodded Prince Derri.
"Perhaps we should consider camping here," suggested Talot as he glanced at the setting sun. "This day is just about over."
"Let's travel on a bit along the king's tracks," responded the Salacian prince. "I am sure that we will find a fire ring where King Gharkin camped for the night."
Prince Antion nodded in agreement, and Prince Derri turned the column and started following the tracks towards the mountain. An hour later the sun had dipped below the horizon and the sky had begun to darken, but not before they had found the spot where the king had camped for the night. The fire ring had been disassembled and the rocks scattered about in a half-hearted attempt to draw no attention to the place. Prince Derri recognized it for what it was only because he was looking for it.
"Not a thorough job," remarked the Salacian prince, "but it would be good enough for a causal observer to miss it."
"Why is he taking such precautions?" asked Prince Umal. "Why would he care about someone finding his fire ring?"
"He doesn't want his own people to know where he went," replied Prince Antion. "King Gharkin is a man of many secrets."
"All evidence of the king's passing will be wiped out completely by the next decent wind that comes along," remarked Prince Derri. "I doubt that any of his people will be allowed to leave the camp until that happens."
"Yet he let us leave," noted Monte. "Why?"
"I have no answer for that," frowned the Salacian prince.
* * *
Prince Antion sat up and saw Jared making the morning meal. He rose to his feet and stretched as he stared up at the huge mountains before him. He saw Prince Derri and Prince Umal standing off a ways talking and decided to join them.
"Ah," smiled Prince Umal, "our great adventurer from Arin has finally arisen. What say you, Prince Antion? Shall we climb a mountain today?"
"You are in an awfully chipper mood this morning, horseboy," retorted the Arin prince. "I should think you would be vehemently opposed to any hike without a horse under your soft seat."
"Soft seat?" balked Prince Umal. "Those are fighting words, lad."
Prince Derri was laughing so hard that he spilled some of the tea from his mug. "There is nothing more invigorating in the morning than to listen to you two try to outdo each other. What are the plans for today?" he asked seriously after he regained control. "We have spent three days getting here, but King Gharkin's trail ends right where we camped."
"Is there a chance we could pick it up again?" asked Prince Antion.
"That is just what we were discussing," explained the Odessian prince. "The ground is solid rock or loose shale. There is not much chance of picking up a track unless the king went somewhere where there was soil to make an imprint. Derri is determined to search for just such a place, but I think the king would have to be foolish to leave such markings for us."
"And you do not take him for a fool," nodded Prince Antion. "I do not either, but I agree with Derri's plan. There is a reason that King Gharkin let us leave the camp before the winds erased his tracks."
"You think he wanted us to come here?" asked Prince Derri.
"I do," nodded Prince Antion. "I have been thinking about it constantly over the last three days. He came from here in a straight line to the camp. He never once deviated from that path, and he knows that we saw him when he entered the camp. Call the man whatever you wish, but he is no fool. It is as if he expected you to lead us directly here."
"He did say that he knew you," Prince Umal nodded in agreement, "and that your father had visited up here. If King Hector is anything like my father, he must have bragged about your abilities to King Gharkin, and that means that the Hyremite knows well about your ability to track anything that moves."
"So you suspect that the loss of his track will only be temporary?" questioned Prince Derri.
"I suspect that we will find whatever it is that King Gharkin wants us to find," replied the Arin prince. "I only hope that we will be pleased when we find it."
"You think he might have betrayed us to the Borundans?" questioned the Odessian prince. "That canyon up ahead would sure make the perfect spot for an ambush."
"I don't know what to think," conceded Prince Antion. "I think we need to check out that canyon, and we need to be prepared for anything when we do."
"I agree," stated Prince Derri. "Let's avail ourselves of Jared's cooking and get things underway. I want as much daylight as possible to find the king's trail."
The three princes returned to the fire ring and joined the rest of the group for a hasty meal. The group cleaned up the campsite and mounted their horses. Prince Derri led the group towards
the towering peaks and into the mouth of a narrow canyon. The Salacian prince kept his eyes on the ground as he sought any small sign that the king had entered the canyon, but the walls of the canyon blocked the early morning sunlight.
After a short distance, the walls of the canyon spread apart and their height diminished. The floor of the canyon was a jumble of rocks, some rough and irregular in shape, but most of them were smooth and round.
"It is like an old riverbed," the Salacian prince remarked.
"The water probably used to rush through here during the spring melt," commented Talot. "That would explain the apron of rocks outside the mouth of the canyon."
"But now it goes down there," Monte pointed to a spur of the canyon that dropped like a chute. "Do you think we are meant to go down there?"
"There will be no light down there this early in the morning," replied Prince Derri. "Let's check around up here until the sun gets higher."
There were many spurs running off the main canyon and caves dotted the walls. Most of the cave openings appeared to be no larger than a man's head, but others looked large enough for the group to spend the night in.
Prince Derri followed the main spur of the canyon as it twisted and turned, and finally he was forced to halt when the spur ended in a large circular area. He was about to turn the group around and check a different spur when his eyes landed on something shiny on the ground. He dismounted and walked over to the object, which sat at the foot of the wall.
"What is it, Derri?" asked Prince Antion. "What have you found?"
The Salacian prince did not answer, but rather stooped to examine the object. Prince Antion's curiosity got the better of him and he also dismounted to see what Prince Derri was looking at. The others dismounted and followed. The Salacian prince was staring at a golden bracelet and the rest of the group huddled around to look at it.
"A nice find," Monte nodded in appreciation. "That should be worth a bit. The workmanship is excellent."
"And unlike any that I have ever seen," nodded Prince Derri as he gingerly picked up the bracelet. There are no scratches on it, and that makes me wonder how it got here. It certainly did not flow down with the spring melt."
Evil Within Page 64