The Lone Apprentice

by I K Spencer

  Teya had the same sense of foreboding and she guessed that Anthen knew it as well. "Was there a woman involved somehow?" she asked somberly, still remembering Cidrl's taunts as they fled the castle.

  The guardsman told Teya about Urvena and the pretty trap that had been laid for Anthen. "He fell hard for the young lady and the traitor used her to distract and weaken him and even make him question his loyalties. I think he still may hold hopes that she is an innocent victim, acting involuntarily under Cidrl's control."

  "You think the temptress may yet prove virtuous?" Teya asked doubtfully.

  Garrick shook his head sadly. "No but I would not say such a thing to him. He has little else left to hope for."

  Teya felt suddenly very tired, saddened by the tale and angry that Anthen's betrayal was at the hands of a woman. She was not above using her gender if needed but it seemed unfair and cowardly to take advantage of a man in Anthen's situation. Raised without much contact with females, he would be especially susceptible to feminine guile. Teya climbed into her bedroll and soon fell asleep.

  Garrick scooped nearly all the hot coals from the fire into the pit, lining the bottom of the trench. He then added a layer of green leaves and finally the food. He layered more leaves on top, followed by some of the dirt from the trench. He then pushed the fire over on top of the trench, careful not to let it go out, and replenished it with most of the gathered firewood.

  Moments later the exhausted guardsman was snoring away in his bedroll, a smile on his face from the promise of the delicious meal that awaited them upon waking. The party had decided not to keep a watch, given Anthen's special skill and the fact that they were far from any inhabited area. The trio slumbered through the oppressive heat of midday, sheltered at least from the sun by the canopy of trees overhead. Teya and Garrick did not stir while the younger guardsman, as usual, seemed to struggle with unseen demons.

  It was past mid-afternoon when Anthen awoke with a start. He looked fearfully around as if expecting an attack, then his face softened as he recognized his surroundings. The other two slept in blissful peace, Garrick snoring rhythmically and Teya with a half-smile on her peaceful face.

  He caught the aroma of roasting meat as he started to rise and sat there awhile, enjoying the serene surroundings. He felt rested and the forest was alive with spring growth, lush green with bursts of color in places where flowers were in bloom. Rorc and Lance lazily foraged on the other side of the small clearing like old friends and he sensed no presence of danger to spoil the tranquility.

  Nature and the enticing fragrance of the impending banquet, however, compelled him to rise. He relieved himself in the bushes, then splashed some more of the refreshing water on his face. Looking up, he saw Teya sit up and stretch. She smiled at him, then gestured toward the pit and rubbed her stomach. He nodded enthusiastically before going to the tree where his clothes hung and slipping into the still-damp garments.

  Teya rose silently and, scooping up her things, disappeared through the bushes. Anthen knew the perfect addition to Garrick's feast and kindled another fire in the original spot from the few remaining embers above the pit. Once the fire was secure, he set to work to dig out their meal. He carefully pushed away all the ashes using his sword, then used the weapon to gently shovel away the dirt. Finally, he uncovered the steaming food, taking care that no dirt be allowed to spoil the perfect meal. Teya had returned and spread a tablecloth of fresh green leaves and Anthen set the mouth-watering food upon it. While Teya fetched their utensils, Anthen set a pot of water over the fire to heat for his beloved coffee. With nothing else to do, the two famished warriors looked longingly at the banquet, then at the still-snoring chef.

  Anthen shrugged and said in a louder-than-usual voice, "Rise Master Garrick. It is your right to partake first of this wondrous bounty but Teya, here, is so hungry I fear she will not be able to control herself long."

  "Lies!" she shot back in mock anger. "Repose in peace noble Guardsman. I will protect your feast from this scoundrel."

  "Enough already," quipped the stirring guardsman. "You both speak loud enough to call the beast from the very depths of hell. Hold your tongues and let me enjoy this moment." The portly figure rolled over and with eyes still closed, Garrick breathed in deeply, savoring the mouth-watering smells. "I dreamt I was in a soft, feather bed while a plump wench laid out my breakfast table." The aging guardsman groaned as he rolled from the hard bedroll and joined them at the feast.

  Garrick chuckled at the sight of the other two, nearly drooling, and started the feeding frenzy by spearing the largest quail with his dagger. The other two followed suit with lightening quickness and soon each of the warriors was feasting on one of the succulent birds.

  The only sounds for several minutes were moans of pleasure and praises for Garrick's cooking through mouths filled with food. Both of the guardsmen, used to women eating like fastidious birds, marveled at the way the Arnedonian woman attacked her food. Teya finished her first course well ahead of the two impressed guardsmen, leaving only a pile of clean bones.

  Their stomachs no longer empty, the diners slowed down to better appreciate the rest of the meal and make it last. Anthen set coffee and tea to brew while Garrick dished them each a pair of the fish. The fish were a pleasant surprise for the two guardsmen, who had not expected much taste from the ordinary-looking breed, but the flaky pink flesh had a nice flavor. Soon only the fish bones remained and they were onto the next course—roasted chunks of tubers and wild carrots.

  During the feast, the warriors talked of some of their favorite banquets. Garrick described the celebrations that he attended after each of the previous Dolonarian wars as weeklong events filled with food, drink, and contests. Anthen cherished the diversion and was thankful that no one brought up their current situation.

  "My dear I think you must have a hollow leg. I have never seen a woman eat so much and I have feasted with women twice your size," Garrick joked as he divided up the final course of rabbit, stuffed with more of the vegetable mix.

  Again, Teya had emptied her sizable bowl of vegetables ahead of the two men.

  "Yes but one does not earn much of an appetite from stitching tapestries," she retorted. "Most of your 'ladies' do little else and the rest of your women probably go hungry to keep their menfolk happy." Teya laughed but Anthen could tell she thought little of the limited role of her gender in his homeland.

  The party followed up the final course with mugs of hot tea or coffee and the sweet, juicy berries Teya had collected. Conversation lagged as the gorged warriors, not used to a full stomach, rested and enjoyed the rare sensation.

  After letting their meals settle, the party roused themselves and began the work of breaking camp. They purposefully did not speak of their grim situation, not wanting to spoil the good mood created by rest and a hot meal. Nearly five full days had passed since Anthen and Teya fled Greyrock and they were still at least a day from the border and probably a couple of days behind the traitor now.

  As they departed the camp, just a few hours shy of sunset, Garrick chuckled to himself at the sight of the two freshly scrubbed young people atop the big bay stallion. Though the serious young man did his best to hide it, Garrick could tell Anthen was visibly nervous at having a woman so near. Teya did not appear completely immune to the close quarters either.

  The trio headed north, using the cover provided by the jungle while it lasted. Teya sang softly as they rode to distract herself from the nearness of her comrade. The image of him kneeling by the creek, clad only in a loincloth, kept returning to her mind. She was a normal, healthy woman and the image of his sculpted body had the obvious effect. She also did not overlook the fact that he had taken at least enough interest in her to bathe and shave, knowing they must share a horse. Her legs were continually touching his as they rode and the contact left a warm tingle. She had a terrific urge to study him but forced her gaze toward the forest scenery instead.

  For his part, Anthen was not unaffected by the
closeness of the attractive and amazing woman. Her clean fragrance wafted over him and he felt her warmth as she regularly brushed against him. He enjoyed the pleasant sensations for a while but then the contact brought painful images of Urvena to mind and he quickly shifted his focus elsewhere.

  The sun had barely set when they ran out of forest. They paused before exiting the jungle and Garrick gave the younger guardsman a questioning look.

  "It is not near." Anthen shrugged, adding, "I have sensed nothing since the last attack."

  The trio returned to the open flat land without hesitation or complaint. They spied no cover but there was no other choice. Each warrior knew they must try to reach friendly soil as quickly as possible. Once darkness fell, the party turned to the northwest, unsure of their exact location. They wanted to make the crossing at the first possible point so it made sense to locate the foul border region, then follow it to the north until they found a place to cross. If not thick with Dolonarians, the trail just south of the bay would be their first option. If it proved too risky, they would follow the open water north until they could steal or hire a vessel for the passage.

  When dawn broke the next morning, they knew from the terrain that the swamps could not be much further to the west. All vestiges of the jungles were gone and only sparse, withered grass and the all too familiar deadwood trees could be seen in any direction. The party turned north when they spotted the first loathsome bog, steaming in the early morning sun. The only fertile ground was on the shores of feeder creeks and they chose to camp near one of the waterways at about midmorning.

  The campsite offered little cover so they fashioned tarps from their bedrolls and tried to sleep some during the worst heat of the day. Feeling exposed in the open wastelands, they resumed their practice of keeping watch. The slumber was far from restful but at least it saved them from riding through the baking midday sun. Shortly after noon they listlessly broke camp and pressed on.

  During the late afternoon, Anthen suddenly felt a presence and warned the others. All eyes searched the barren terrain for cover but found little to offer. Toward the swamps the deadwood trees were thicker so they decided to move in that direction. Once they sighted the foul water they turned north again and kept scanning the skies and horizon for signs of movement.

  Near dusk they spotted movement ahead and dismounted behind a small cluster of the shriveled trees. Anthen was the first to scan the area with his telescope, counting about a dozen Dolonarian soldiers with mounts.

  "They appear to be camped for the night," Teya murmured from beside him.

  "What is their purpose?" Anthen wondered aloud.

  Garrick searched the horizon all around the enemy camp, then lowered his glass. "I believe we are near the border crossing trail just south of where open water begins. Perhaps they are planning to cross."

  "Or searching for us," Anthen replied, still studying the enemy. "It is reasonable to assume we will try to cross here, so they may be expecting us."

  "At least they will be prepared for that possibility," Teya agreed. "How should we proceed?"

  "Wait until dark then push on," Anthen offered.

  "Aye," the older guardsman agreed. "We should see if there is a chance to use the trail through the swamps and if it is too heavily guarded, we must pass through and find a way to cross the open water farther north."

  "If we decide to follow the trail, can we make it across at night and by morning?" Anthen remembered the fear in Cidrl's eyes at the prospect of being caught in the swamps at night.

  "Aye," Garrick replied. "This trail is different from the hellish one you and I crossed to the south. The trail is all solid ground and not infested with those frightful creatures. Speaking of frightful creatures, what is meant by the long absence of the winged demon?"

  "I fear it is not a good sign," Teya answered.

  "Agreed," added Anthen. "My concern is that Cidrl is satisfied that we now pose little or no threat to his purpose."

  "Or, at the very least, he has more important uses for the beast for now," Teya countered.

  "Which means the same," concluded Anthen. "Our threat to the traitor has diminished."

  The trio waited for the red sun to set, then moved north on foot, leading the two horses. They kept near to the marshes, where the tree cover was thicker, and then with full darkness they crept near the enemy camp.

  The Dolonarians were so lax they didn't even bother to post a watch and the three warriors easily crept within hearing distance of their fire. The trio watched the enemy soldiers for a time to see if they could learn anything useful but the men made no mention of either the escapees or the imminent war.

  The party continued north past the camp and soon came to an east-west road, which undoubtedly led to the border trail. They crossed the road, then turned west, keeping the road within sight. They followed the road for nearly an hour before seeing anything, then came upon a small outpost, comprised of two small structures and a gate across the road. There appeared to be just a couple of bored-looking soldiers sitting by a small fire.

  "There must be a larger outpost further on," Garrick whispered. "This is just to keep common folk from wandering any nearer to the border."

  The trio gave the gate a wide berth, then continued to parallel the road. In another half-hour they saw lights in the distance. They approached cautiously before using their telescopes to survey the source of the lights. Anthen was surprised to see a giant fortress loom above him when he lifted the glass to his eye. A long stone wall at least twice his height spanned a few hundred yards and beyond, several buildings rose above the walls as far as he could see in the darkness. The fort was at least as large as Dolonhold, from what he could see alone.

  "This traitor's treachery knows no bounds!" Garrick growled angrily from beside him.

  "What do you mean?" Teya asked.

  "That fortress is a complete surprise to me and it does not look newly built. It is new since the last war and there is no way Cidrl would not know of it! He has kept its existence hidden from Jamen's generals."

  Anthen was not surprised. "Can we pass by it?"

  The older guardsman moved his glass slowly between both corners of the fort, then shook his head. "I would not risk it. It is patterned after Dolonhold and we would have to cross open ground nearly in the shadow of the walls."

  "We must cross the bay then?" Teya asked, the disappointment clear in her voice.

  "Aye," Garrick said heavily. "And we must make haste or we will be forced to wait until tomorrow night."

  The trio mounted up and rode away toward the north, as fast as they could manage without exhausting the overloaded horses. As they rode, Garrick explained that there were greedy men that ran goods in all manner of craft across the bay at night, avoiding coastal patrols on both shores. For a lofty sum, one could secure passage on one of these vessels.

  The land rose steadily as they moved further north. After another hour they reached a ridge and were suddenly overlooking the southern shores of the large bay, which widened as it continued north for as far as they could see in the moonlit night. The waterway was nearly a hundred miles in length and the channel width ranged from ten to twenty miles, depending on the crossing route.

  They could see the long stretch of calm water shimmer in the moonlight and noted that all the land within a few hundred feet of the shore was laid to waste by the foul waters. The ridge they’d halted on continued on along the eastern edge of the bay and the grade rose sharply from the water to the crest of the ridge. They were happy to see that beyond the barren strip of land next to the water, the hillside was heavily forested.

  With Garrick taking the lead, the riders descended from the ridge toward the water until they reached the edge of the trees. From that vantage point they could see a road running to the north just beyond the trees. Garrick explained that they would follow the road and look for vessels along the shore, warning that the road was probably fairly heavily traveled and they would likely have to duck back
into the trees frequently to avoid patrols.

  As they moved onto the road, the stench from the contaminated water hit them like a wall. Anthen recalled the same smell from the border marshes but this seemed much worse, probably because there was so much of the putrid liquid and little else to mask the stench. His eyes began to sting almost immediately. Garrick tied a rag over his nose and mouth and the other two quickly followed suit.

  They didn't have to ride far before coming across a vessel. They ducked back into the trees and studied the situation. Anthen raised his glass and surveyed the scene, illuminated by a few dim torchlights. The craft seemed sizable, easily over fifty feet along the side, and appeared to be box-shaped. It was connected to the shore by a gangplank and men could be seen unloading it. Anthen counted at least a score of men on vessel or the shore and didn't like the odds.

  "Too many men," Garrick whispered, echoing the younger man's concern. "There will be other crafts with less risk."

  No argument came from the others so they passed up the vessel without a word, riding through the woods until they were well past the busy scene. The trio journeyed a few miles before catching sight of another light and boat along the shore but this boat proved too small for the horses. As they watched, a beautiful, young woman stepped to the shore and Anthen chuckled to himself; some wealthy Dolonarian had a taste for western flesh. A bit farther they spied a vessel moving slowly along the shore toward them. They soon identified it as a coastal patrol craft and waited among the trees until it passed.

  After another hour of empty road the anxious warriors caught sight of a fire on the shore and again took to the trees to check it out. This craft was a sailboat, perhaps thirty feet in length, with a pointed bow and matching stern. Anthen counted less than a dozen men working on the vessel or on the shore unloading her.

  "This looks more promising," Garrick commented. "See any problems?" There were none offered so the older guardsman dismounted. "I will talk to the captain while you marksmen watch my back eh?"