Erin shook her head and me and gave a little chuckle. “Leave it to you to have late night trysts with your lover in a library,” she said.
“He wasn’t my lover,” I told her with a blush. “It was just a fling. Have you had any luck?” I asked, changing the subject.
“No, I was talking to some of the girls the other night and thought I was on to something, but it turned out to be nothing.”
“What was it?”
“Well, apparently there’s this prophecy or something that floats around among the common people. Rose said a lot people swear by it, but the nobles don’t really pay attention to it. I guess when magic was lost the first time there were all these other realms that were locked behind magical gates. There used to be different races like elves and fairies that all lived here in Adylra. Rose told me the prophecy says when the time is right the Gatebreaker will appear and will release the magic and all the realms in Adylra once again.”
“Wow, that’s quite a prophecy.”
“Yeah, I thought I was onto something when Rose started talking about gates and different realms but apparently there’s not been any sign of any of these other realms in like a thousand years. Plus, this Gatebreaker person is supposed to be someone who ‘can control magic itself’ which just sounds like a tall tale to me.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. Oh well, maybe we’ll get lucky and this Gatebreaker will show up soon and just send us all back home.” I had finished with Erin’s shirt. I handed it back to her and stood and stretched. “Well, I’m heading back to bed. Maybe I’ll get a full night’s sleep tonight for once.”
Erin patted my arm as I passed her on the way through our shared washroom and into my bedroom. I changed into my nightshirt and slipped under the covers. For the first time since training began, I laid down and slept the whole night through.
41
The next week passed in much of a blur for me. I was able to get my head in the game and not get dismissed anymore, even though I was still sad about Aidric. For the most part, Aidric stayed away from training all week. I caught a glimpse of him a couple of times, supervising different groups and taking notes, but he was never close enough to talk. It was just as well. I realized one day that during these twelve weeks of training I had actually become fairly skilled with different weapons. I did feel a little proud about that. I was pretty positive that “spear throwing” was not a skill that I could put on a college application when we returned home, but it was a little something to cheer me up. I didn’t bother sneaking to the library anymore. I was tired and disheartened from not being able to find anything so far. I quit practicing magic for the time being, as well. The week proved to return me to a bit of an emotional stasis. At least until I was sitting at dinner with Erin and Murphy at the end of the week. John was off to another lesson with Reynard. Erin, Murphy, and I were chatting about the upcoming assignments.
“You know they’re probably going to separate us, right?” Murphy asked. “I doubt all four of us are going to be assigned to the same company.”
I looked up from the noodle dish I was eating so quickly I dropped my fork.
“What?” I asked so loud people at the next table looked over at me.
“You mean you really thought they’d keep us together?” he asked me.
“Honestly,” I told him truthfully. “I didn’t think about what would happen after this.”
“Yeah, well, while you were running off at night with your boyfriend, some of us were thinking about reality and what this means for me.”
“Hey!” I said, hurt at Murphy’s tone. “I’ve not thought about it because I thought we would be home by now. I have never stopped looking for a way to get us back home, thank you very much.”
“Enough, both of you,” Erin said under her breath. “Quit fighting. Murphy that was uncalled for.”
Murphy looked away for a moment, his jaw clenched. Then he turned back toward me.
“Erin’s right. Lydia, I apologize. That was rude and unfair to you,” he told me.
“It’s okay,” I told him. I was still stung by his words, but we had bigger problems now.
“If we aren’t going to be together, how are we supposed to get back home? We don’t even know how big this country is, or how many people even live here.”
“I don’t know,” Erin said. “But maybe if we get the chance to see more of everything, we can find something that will help us get back home.”
“I hope so,” I said, suddenly feeling concerned about the future.
The next day was the day we were supposed to get our assignments. We were about to graduate from being recruits to being soldiers for real. When this whole thing had started, I had hoped Aidric would help the four of us out and keep us close to the castle since he felt bad about our being in the army in the first place. But with everything that had happened in the last twelve weeks, I wasn’t so sure anymore.
We were allowed a free day so Erin, Murphy, John, and I all went down to the harbor. It was autumn so it was too cold to play in the water, but the shore of the harbor that came up by the castle was a pleasant walk. There weren’t many people out so we spent the time talking about home and what we would be doing in school right about now. We brought our own lunch and dinner so we wouldn’t have to return until it was time for the announcements. By ourselves it was easier to pretend we weren’t firmly stuck in another life. When we had first arrived in Adylra, I had constantly felt like we were always just a moment away from finding out a secret and going home. That feeling had long faded. More and more home felt like a memory and this time and place felt like my reality. I wondered if my friends felt the same way, but I didn’t have the heart to ask them.
“If we get split up, how are we going to find each other?” Erin finally asked as we were all seated on some rocks, watching the sun dip closer to the sea. No one had an answer. For the first time, I wanted to tell Erin about my magic. I wanted to tell her it would be okay, that I would find a way for us all to be together, and I would find a way to get us home again. But, I couldn’t. I had been telling myself the same thing for weeks now. I wasn’t sure I believed it anymore.
Finally, John stood up. He grabbed Erin’s hand and pulled her to her feet.
“Come on, guys. We need to get up to the mess hall for the announcements. We will be missed if we don’t,” he said. Murphy and I stood up. We all dusted ourselves off and headed back up the hill toward the castle.
By the time we arrived at the mess hall, almost everyone else was there. The hall was abuzz with people talking. I looked over at my friends but they all just shrugged. I saw Val at a table near the back and got her attention.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Didn’t you hear? We aren’t getting our assignments today. Apparently, King Bleddyn has one more test for us before we get to be in the army proper.”
“Is that normal?” I asked.
“No, no one has ever heard of it before,” she said.
Just then the doors to the mess hall opened and our teachers and Aidric came in like usual. With them was the king. Just like the first day there was a rush of people trying to stand when they saw who was walking in. I pulled at Erin’s sleeve and the four of us found some seats together in the back. Everyone bowed when the king got to the top. He motioned for everyone to sit. As we did, he stepped forward and began speaking.
“Recruits, it has been an honor to hear of your dedication and training these past twelve weeks. You have proven that my idea to bring in the young of our country to build the greatest army ever is a fine one.
“There are still those who doubt that folks as young as you have what it takes to be in the army, so to prove them wrong there will be one last test before you get your assignments and report for duty in the regular army.” The whole room seemed to hold its breath at once.
“To prove your readiness for battle, this group will be broken up into three groups of 50. You will be paired with a squad from the Palace G
uard of 25 and will be led by one of your teachers. All three groups will set out from the palace on different paths. Over the next week each group will have to travel to the Golden Forest with the supplies and weapons you will be assigned. Once you arrive be prepared for anything. You are to pretend the other two groups are your enemy. Once we are at the Golden Forest you will engage in mock battle.”
The king laid three long pieces of parchment out on the table in front of him.
“The assignments are here. One group will be led by Weston and Nadine, one will be led by Reynard, and one will be led by myself and Prince Aidric. Come forward and find your group. You leave in an hour.”
There was a pause while the king’s words set in and then everyone rushed for the front. My brain was going crazy. We were being assigned to play a big war game? It seemed unnecessary but at least we weren’t being sent out to a real battle first thing.
We finally made it to the front to see who we were supposed to report to. John found his name first, he was in the group with Reynard. As soon as he saw it, he gave Erin a quick kiss and rushed off the get ready.
“My group is so going to beat yours,” he told her.
“You wish,” she yelled after him.
The three of us remaining searched the lists for our names. We finally found them all together. We were reporting to the prince and the king.
“Well, this should be fun,” I said.
42
I didn’t have time to think about how I felt being under the command of Aidric for the next week. As soon as we saw our assignments, we rushed back to our rooms to throw what we needed in a pack and ran to the stables to get ready to head out. The king and the prince were already mounted and waiting. The other groups were mustering in different areas of the courtyard.
Aidric looked much like he had when I first met him in the Golden Forest. He was dressed for traveling with unobtrusive leather armor. The only things that denoted his status were his wolf head pin and the ring with the black stone he always wore on the middle finger of his right hand.
The king, however, was in full regalia. He had on the armor of a knight. His helmet was under his arm. He was mounted on a huge black warhorse. His shield was tied to the saddle. It was the same design as Aidric’s pin, all gray with a thick black border and a black wolf’s head. The king’s horse was prancing with excitement as everyone milled about trying to get ready. There was a huge gilded battle axe that hung beside the shield. I had heard rumors a massive battle axe was the king’s weapon of choice, but seeing it and him in full battle readiness was breathtaking.
“Everyone, report to the stables to receive your new mounts,” Aidric said as we all began to mill about. “These horses will be your mounts for the army. Treat them better than you treat yourself. You will be in charge of packing enough rations for yourself and for your mounts and everything you need to complete this journey. This is your only chance to secure supplies, make smart choices. Each of you bring your supplies to the back cart and load them in the wagon. Your supplies will be tagged with your names.” Prince Aidric gave orders easily as people scurried to and fro to get ready. He announced the time we were leaving in ten-minute increments.
My first stop was to get issued weapons. We were allowed to choose which weapons to take during this trial. When we were under our real commanders, they would be making the choices for us. I wasn’t spectacular with anything, so I took a few moments to decide what I needed. I settled on a bow and arrow, a spear, and a set of daggers. The attendant giving me weapons asked if I wanted a sword, but I declined it. I had never made it past the ‘swinging wildly’ stage of sword fighting. The attendant did have to stop me on the way out to make sure I grabbed the necessary padding for my weapons.
“This is just a test, not a real battle, after all,” she scolded me. I thanked her sheepishly and left. It would probably be best if we didn’t cut each other to pieces out there.
I was thankful for the supplies courses we had taken during our training these past weeks. I had been convinced I would never need to know how much food a horse needed on a twelve-day journey but now that information came to me readily and I used it to secure food for two mounts, food for myself, and some extra tack and supplies in case anything broke. When I had everything logged with the clerk, I threw my cloak around my shoulders and rushed to the stable to get my mounts.
Each person was assigned two mounts. Both were taken on long journeys like this, so each horse got a break after riding so long. I was pleasantly surprised to be paired with Willow as one of my mounts. I greeted him enthusiastically with a carrot I had taken from the mess hall.
“Nadine told me you two got along quite well on your journey here. He’s a good horse and will serve you well,” the stable hand told me. He also assigned me a spirited little piebald mare named Peaches. I thanked him and led both of my mounts out of the stable. After I quickly introduced myself to Peaches, and gave her my other carrot, I tied her in the back with the string of extra mounts. Then I mounted Willow and found Erin and Murphy on their own horses, ready to go.
The Palace Guard members who were riding with us had arrived and had already taken their places at the back of everyone.
“They’re probably just here in case we really mess up and they have to save our butts,” Erin said. “But really, how difficult can a week long camping trip really be?”
“You better hope you don’t jinx us by saying that,” Murphy told her. She stuck out her tongue at him and then swung her horse around so they were facing away. I shook my head and drew my horse up beside Murphy.
“Well, this ought to be interesting,” I said. Murphy nodded his head.
“Interesting just about covers it. Hey, you think we might be able to find anything out by going back to the Golden Forest?” he asked.
“You read my mind,” I told him.
Just then the king and the prince rode their horses to the front of the line. The king lifted his hand and gave the order to move out. I nudged Willow into line next to Erin and we exited the castle gates into the night.
43
The first night of our mission we rode all night long. And all morning. And all day. There wasn’t much entertainment but I did enjoy the way people moved out of our way when we came up on them. Our little company was an impressive sight, especially with the king riding in the front. We stopped for a few short breaks and once to change mounts. King Bleddyn finally changed out of his regalia and opted for the travel wear and leather armor the rest of us were wearing.
“It was really only to scare the other groups,” he told us with a laugh.
By the time King Bleddyn called for a halt late afternoon on the second day, I was saddle sore and exhausted. After the hundred or so people in our party all stopped, the king turned his horse to face everyone and stood in his stirrups.
“We will stop here for the night. The western edge of the Golden Forest is just another day’s ride from here. Care for your mounts, rest up. I would suggest pitching your tents quickly, the weather suggests rain,” he announced to us. He and Aidric both dismounted and handed their mounts off to a servant.
“Must be nice to not have to do everything yourself,” Murphy said.
“The perk of being king, I’m sure,” I said. Murphy chuckled and dismounted from his own horse. I followed suit quickly after. I took my time making sure both Peaches and Willow were groomed and tied where they could get some good grass before going to the supply wagon to retrieve my tent. I found where Murphy and Erin were pitching theirs and set mine up with only a bit of struggle. We finished and sat down to eat.
“I thought the Golden Forest was a lot further away,” I said.
“The area where you all met up with us is,” a voice said to our right. I turned to see Aidric standing there. “The Golden Forest covers a huge portion of the south of Thavell,” he continued. “We were in the eastern part of the forest, for this trial we are heading to the western section. It’s much closer to the castle.
I’m sorry to interrupt. I was just making the rounds and checking on everyone. Also, Murphy, if you aren’t busy the king has heard of your talent with the battle axe. He wanted to know if you would like to meet him in the area behind his tent to do some training.”
“Oh, yeah, sure,” Murphy said. He stood up and with a quick bow to the prince, retrieved his axe from his tent and walked off. Aidric looked back at Erin and me.
“Are you ladies doing well? Get everything packed in time?” he asked. He was trying too hard to be casual.
“Yes, thank you,” Erin replied when I refused to say anything.
“Are your horses suitable?” he asked.
“Yes, they are very nice,” Erin again replied. “When do you think we will be meeting up with the other groups?”
“Tomorrow or the next day, I’d imagine,” Prince Aidric said. “The leaders have all agreed to a designated meeting point for the actual battle simulation, but we are all quite competitive so I wouldn’t be surprised if we met with some—um—untraditional warfare and skirmishes along the way.” He grinned a bit as he said it.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” I asked him. He smiled at me as I spoke, but then smoothed his expression.
“You know,” he said. “I think I am. It’s been awhile since I’ve been able to get out in the field and do something fun. Now, you ladies better rest up. My father and I expect our group to win.”
“Just get me to John and I’ll beat him up,” Erin said with a wink. We both bowed our heads and Aidric walked off to talk to the next group.
I didn’t get called for watch duty that night so I was able to sleep all night long. Everyone was up before dawn, packing away their things and getting ready for another long day of riding. I had ridden Peaches for the better part of the day before so I put her back in line and mounted Willow again. If we did get into any skirmishes today, as Aidric had suggested we might, Willow was bigger and sturdier than Peaches so I thought I had a better chance of waging fake war on him.
Gatebreaker: Book One Page 17