Ossendar: Book Two of the Resoration Series

by Williams, Christopher

  Flare turned back toward the guardians. “Enton, trust me. You will be able to fit through.” He paused just a moment, but Enton didn't respond, “All right, I'll go through first. Atock, you bring up the rear and be sure to close the grate behind you.”

  He took a deep breath and squeezed into the darkness, using one hand to hold his spare clothes above the ankle deep water. The tunnel was dark, and the walls were plenty wide enough for him to crawl through. He quickly became soaked and was greatly relieved when he reached the other side and opened the other grate with the second sequence that Jared had given him.

  He pushed himself out and quickly stood up out of the water. It wasn't as bad as he had expected, it seemed to be mainly spring water that he had crawled through, and not sewage. Looking up, several bushes and small trees blocked the top of the wall from view, just as Jared had described. The area that was around the grate was wet and swampy, but that was good since it kept the away the poor people who camped outside the walls. No one wanted to sleep in the muck.

  He was glad that the temperature had warmed back up after the first couple of snows. The water was still cold, but at least it wasn't freezing.

  Several grunting noises from around his ankles brought him back from his thoughts. Aaron was busy trying to push himself out of the tunnel, and keep his spare set of clothes dry at the same time.

  Flare set his clothes down on a bush and then bent down to help Aaron out of the tunnel.

  It took a good ten minutes to get everyone through the tunnel, but they eventually made it. Enton had the hardest time, but even he soon forced his way out, albeit covered in mud and grime. Kara had coated him in the muck to help him slide through. The mud may have helped him get through the tunnel, but it certainly hadn't helped his mood. He wore a sour expression on his face, and was rather short with everyone.

  They quickly and quietly changed into the spare set of clothes that they had brought, and then in groups of two and three, they left the small group of bushes and trees heading toward the western road. They carried their dirty wet clothes with them, just as Jared had requested. He didn't want people looking too closely at the drainage grate, which they just might if someone found a large pile of wet clothes next to the grate.

  There was a half moon out, and it gave plenty of light to see. It wasn't a cause for concern though, since quite a few people moved outside the walls. People passed as the guardians walked toward the road, but no one approached them. Even in groups of two or three, the guardians had the look of people that could handle themselves.

  They took great pains to avoid being noticed, each group taking a different path toward the western road. Some went directly west, and then eventually turning south, while others went south first. No one paid them any attention.

  Flare walked with Enton. They had headed west first, and planned to turn south after half a mile or so. Enton had been quiet the whole way, seeming to be in a sulky mood.

  “Enton, I'm sorry that I didn't realize that you would have issues following the orders of a woman. Are you still upset by that?”

  Enton walked another few steps before answering, “No. I was furious at first, but that was just my pride. Heather is a good warrior and I think she will be an excellent leader,” he paused for a moment and then quickly added, “Just don't tell her that I said that.”

  Flare smiled, glad to hear that there wasn't going to be a problem between the two of them. “Good.”

  There was quiet between them for a moment. “Tell me Flare, why did you put her in charge? Do you think I'm reckless?”

  “Uh, Reckless isn't the word that I would use, but it does seem that sometimes you would rather fight to the last man than retreat.”

  Enton nodded, “There's no better way for a soldier to die than quickly and in battle.”

  Flare shrugged, “Perhaps, but the whole purpose of a leader is to see that as few of his men die as possible. And sometimes it makes more sense to retreat and fight again later.”

  The silence lasted for several moments, and then Enton answered with one word, “Perhaps.”

  Chapter 10

  Flare and Enton met up with the rest of the guardians on the western road about a mile west of Telur. No one had noticed anything out of the ordinary, no one seemed to be following them or paying them any attention. They threw their wet clothes into a clump of bushes and then walked at a fast pace toward the west.

  Jared has said the grove of trees was five miles along the western road, and even though that wasn't that long of a trip, it was rather slow going since they were all on foot. The time passed slowly as the walked, and the temperature slowly dropped. They might have been cold, if not for all the walking.

  Not much was said on the journey. Quiet was vital to not drawing much attention. Not that there were many people this far from the city, but they didn't want to take any chances.

  As they walked, the moon drifted behind some clouds darkening up the surrounding night quite a bit. Although to Flare's elven eyes, it was still plenty bright. The sounds of the night were relaxing to him, although there weren't that many sounds this close to the city, but the sound of flowing water could be clearly heard.

  “Is that it?” Heather asked.

  Flare looked up and over at the small grove of trees that was about twenty yards to the south of the road. They were just on the other side of the bridge. This would be the second bridge that they had crossed since leaving Telur. “Has to be. Jared said that the grove of trees was just on the other side of the second bridge.” He thought about it for a moment, “Heather why don't you quietly go over and check it out.”

  She nodded and crossed the bridge in a crouch, moving quickly and silently.

  Derek made to move past, but Flare put a hand to his chest stopping him, “Let's wait here until she returns. It shouldn't be but a few minutes.”

  Sure enough, Heather was back in less than five minutes. She had left in a crouch, but returned walking upright and taking her time. “It's all right,” she said, crossing the bridge. “There's four boys waiting with the horses, any one of us could kill all of them.”

  “Did you notice anything else?” Flare asked.

  “No. I checked around the trees, but there's nothing else out there.”

  Flare nodded, “Aaron, I want you to talk for us.”

  Aaron's forehead scrunched in confusion, “Me? Why?”

  Flare motioned over toward the clump of trees, “Those boys will recognize me. In fact, most of us are fairly easy to recognize, but you aren't.”

  Aaron looked as if he might be upset over this statement, but then he glanced over at Enton and Atock. Enton, who was almost seven feet tall, and Atock who had dark black skin. Their appearance seemed to change his mind, and his only response was a quick nod of the head.

  Flare pulled the hood of his cloak over his head, and the other guardians quickly followed. All except Aaron, sighing, he walked in front of the group and led them toward the trees.

  Flare had worried that the boys who delivered their horses and baggage might be too inquisitive. He had worried that perhaps they would want to know who had horses delivered to a grove of trees in the middle of the night, but that had not been the case. As soon as the guardians had entered the small grove, the boys had dropped their eyes to the ground and not looked up again. Flare was impressed; these boys had been trained well. His respect for the old spy-master grew with each moment.

  Aaron quickly thanked the boys and then sent them on their way. The whole time, they kept their eyes on the ground. As soon as they were dismissed, they headed straight for the road, heading east towards Telur.

  Flare waited another moment, watching their path as they walked the road out of sight. Then, he pushed the hood of his cloak back, feeling as he did so, a lump of anxiety forming in his stomach. He hated sending these soldiers, his friends, into danger.

  They quickly split into three separate groups, and quickly tended to their horses, including the supply horse t
hat each group had been given. The guardians were old hands at tending to a horse and it wasn't long before they mounted their horses, and then they paused, as if they weren't quite ready to split up.

  Flare sat on his horse and glanced at the faces of the eight soldiers that were taking a different path. It took a moment for him to speak, as he had to fight down a lump in his throat. “Please take care of yourselves. I don't want to lose any of you.”

  Heather smiled at him as she turned her horse westward, “Do you actually think that I intend to lose any of my men? This is my first command after all.” Still smiling, she nudged her horse into a slow walk.

  Mikela and Aaron smiled at the other guardians, and then turned their horses to follow Heather.

  Enton paused a moment longer and then touched his fist to his heart. “May your gods protect you.” Then he too turned, and rode slowly westward.

  Derek moved his horse in front of Atock, Philip, and Flare, “Take care. We'll see you in Helum.” Then nodding he rode eastward, back toward Telur.

  Enstorion and Trestus followed Derek, with Kara bringing up the rear. Kara smiled a sad smile as she passed the three guardians. “Be safe,” she said, and then she too was gone.

  Flare glanced at Atock and Philip. They too showed the strain of leaving their friends and fellow guardians. He knew the feeling; he hated to see them go. Not for the first time, he questioned his decision to split the group up. He hoped that it was the right thing to do.

  “Now what?” Philip asked, as Flare had not shared his plans with anyone.

  “We're going eastward, and then skirt around the city to the southern road.”

  The two men just nodded.

  They traveled the road back toward Telur for several miles, and then cut off of the road and headed southeast. This close to the city was mainly open fields broken up by the occasional grove of trees. Any closer to the city, and they risked running into the people that lived in the shanty town that existed around the city walls.

  It was taking longer to get to the southern road than Flare had planned. Dawn was approaching quickly, and he wanted to be on the road where they could blend in with other travelers. He knew better than to rush through a field in the dark though, that was a good way for one of the horses to break a leg. So instead, he gritted his teeth and held a steady pace.

  They wound their way through the fields in the cool early morning darkness. Several times they had to backtrack to avoid farmer's fences, and several times dogs could be heard barking close by.

  They rode through the darkness for several hours, until with about an hour still to go until sunrise; they stumbled across the southern road. Flare was relieved at hitting the road in the darkness, as he had begun to think that they would still be in the fields when morning came. The last thing he wanted was for them to be spotted emerging from the fields in the early morning. If there were any guards on the road, three riders emerging from the fields would certainly catch their attention.

  The southern road was one of the four main roads of the kingdom. Each of the main roads ran from the edge of the kingdom to Telur. The southern road ran from Telur to the border with the southern kingdoms. From there, the southern kingdoms maintained the road, although trade caravans had reported that the roads south of the border were in poor repair. But inside of Telur, these four roads were meticulously maintained, as they were the key to trade within Telur. Numerous smaller roads connected up with them to allow quick and easy travel within Telur's borders.

  Turning to look back toward the city, lights betrayed its location, although not much else could be seen. Flare felt torn, on one hand he was glad to be back in the field away from the castle, but then again he was sure that he would miss the warm castle before this was all done.

  Atock shivered, sitting in his saddle. “It'll be light soon. We had better get moving.”

  Flare said nothing, simply nodding instead. Then he turned his horse southward and nudged her into a gallop.

  Flare kept them riding for several hours past sunrise, trying to get a reasonable distance away from Telur. If there were any spies in the castle, then it wouldn't take long for the guardians to be missed. Luckily, the road was packed with travelers. Wagons headed to Telur and other wagons headed away from it. Ratty looking people on foot headed toward the city, while even rattier looking people headed south. Most of the travelers were on foot, but not all were. Some, like the guardians, rode well groomed horses.

  As they moved farther away from the city, the road became less crowded. It didn't take long to come across the first town. Juttstown was several hours ride south of the city, and was one of the main supply towns for Telur. Juttstown was a farming community that helped keep the large population of Telur from starving.

  In addition to the granaries and livestock auctions that Juttstown housed, there seemed to be an inn on every corner. No doubt because of the trade caravans that traveled the southern road from the southern kingdoms.

  They stopped just short of Juttstown. “So what do you think?” Flare asked.

  As if in response, Atock let loose with a jaw popping yawn. It had been a long night and they hadn't gotten any sleep.

  Philip smiled, “I'm with Atock. Let's find an inn and get a room.”

  Flare nodded, “All right. But there's just one thing. I gave it a lot of thought, and I think that we should say that you are a merchant.” He was looking at Philip.

  “Me. Why me?” Philip asked.

  “Well for one thing, with you being noble born, it would be hard to pass you off as a mercenary. I think that Atock and I can pull that off better than you.” Flare answered. “So I want you to take the lead and pretend that you're a merchant traveling south. Atock and I will be your hired swords. Ask for two rooms, one for you, and one for Atock and me.”

  After a moment, Philip nodded. “All right, but why would we be getting a room with it still early afternoon?”

  Flare frowned. He hadn't thought about that. It was Atock who quickly solved the problem.

  “I've spent a few nights in the bars and inns of the merchant quarter. Most of those men spend their whole time in Telur drunk. It shouldn't be too hard to pass ourselves off as,” he paused, searching for the right word.

  “Recovering?” Philip volunteered.

  “That's the word,” Atock said, as a smile spread across his face.

  “All right then,” Flare said, as he too smiled, “Just act like you have a terrible headache.”

  They found two rooms at an inn called The Sword Hilt. It was reasonably kept up, both on the outside, and on the inside. The common room was off to the right of the entrance; most of the furniture looked pretty new and it wasn't hard to figure out why. Several maids were cleaning up what looked like the remains of a fight. There were several large spaces where tables should have been, but were now gone. Perhaps broken in the fight? The maids were busy sweeping up broken pieces of glass and pottery. They didn't even look up as the three guardians entered the inn.

  A large man in a white apron motioned them to come over to his desk, which was immediately to the left of the entrance. A stairwell was just past the desk on the left, and a hallway led to the back of the inn, between the stairwell and the common room.

  The big man looked them over, but didn't seem too interested in their appearance. Even Atock's black skin hadn't drawn much attention. Several other men with dark black skin had been in the streets of Juttstown when the guardians had arrived. They had worn the colors of several different caravans' merchants.

  “Hello. My name is Will. What can I do for you?” The man in the apron asked.

  Philip was slow to respond, and Flare thumped him in the back. He used his right hand and tried hard to keep it out of sight of the innkeeper.

  “Uh, yes. We would like two rooms. One for me and one for my men.” Philip was not a good liar and Flare started to worry.

  “Yes sir.” The innkeeper said. “May I ask, are you coming back from Telur?”

&n
bsp; Philip nodded and Flare really started to worry. How could they pass through all the southern kingdoms if they couldn't lie convincingly to one innkeeper in Telur?

  The innkeeper smiled knowingly. “If you'll pardon me for saying so, but you had the look of someone who spent some time in the bars there. In fact, I do quite a good business just from the merchants leaving Telur, although sometimes they have more of a problem standing than you're having.” He smiled, as if sharing a joke.

  Philip was given a room to himself, since he was supposed to be the merchant. Flare and Atock were forced to share a room. Both rooms were on the second floor, but Philip's door was on the landing near the stairs, while Flare's room was in the back at the very end of the hallway.

  Flare entered the room and immediately bumped his head against the low sloped ceiling. He dropped his pack on the floor and fell into the bed on the left. He supposed that it could be called a bed, but it was really more like a cot. It was uncomfortable, and he noticed that the pillow had a sour smell about it.

  Atock dropped his pack on the floor as well, and then he flopped onto the bed on the right.

  Pushing the pillow into the floor, Flare wondered how he would ever be able to get to sleep. That was his last thought before he dropped off.

  Flare slept until the late afternoon when the setting sun shining in through the crack in the curtains woke him. He could hear Atock's deep breathing coming from the other side of the small room. He sat up on the bed, and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He sat on the bed for several moments, trying to clear the fog from his head. His head hurt from sleeping in the somewhat awkward position, and sleeping in the afternoon didn't help either.