Thaddeus stood up and stared at the sky. He touched his hand to the hilt of one of his dragon bone swords. It felt good knowing that these swords were his fathers.
He then thought of his mother. The only real physical object that he owned of hers had been stolen a few years back. Lot had taken the locket in the middle of the night, and it was never seen again. As Thaddeus thought about Lot stealing the locket, his blood began to boil, but then something came to him that caught him off guard. It was him. The boy in the market, it was Lot. He could not believe it. Lot saved their father in the market on the day of his tenth birthday. Lot had saved the life of his own father and did not even know it. He also made it possible for Thaddeus to get the locket. If father had died that day, the locket would have been the most distant thing in my mind. And how ironic is it that Lot came back years later and stole it from me. The thought of Lot never knowing his true parents or lineage began to weigh on Thaddeus's heart. He decided that he would tell his brother this story when they reunited, and he hoped that Lot would be glad to know that he had met his true father, if only for a moment.
Thaddeus jumped slightly when he heard River call out, "Thaddeus."
“Yes?” he answered.
“I hate to bother you, but everyone is ready to go. Will you be much longer?” she asked.
“I will be there in a moment,” Thaddeus said as he waved her off.
He turned and knelt beside the brook, splashing the cool water onto his face once more. He cupped his hands together and took several large drinks. Once back on his feet, he thought of the journey ahead. Thaddeus guessed that if all went well with Locmire and Lot, he would have at least two, probably three, more days until it was time to meet back up. He hoped that the rest of their travels would be a little easier and that they would not have to waste valuable time, as they had for the past six hours.
Thaddeus knew that he was being hopeful. He knew that there would be more perils before them. It seemed that Hasbarie’s forces were growing stronger every day, and Thaddeus did not think that the Dark Wizard would give up on destroying them. He could not wait until the moment that he faced Hasbarie face to face on the field of battle.
His mind was constantly reverting back to Lot, hoping that he would make it back to their upcoming rendezvous. There was much he wanted to say to his brother, and he hoped that he would have the chance.
He had to put that out of his mind for the moment. His companions were depending on him to lead them to Dead Marsh. Rasmere and Azonis would both be capable enough to lead the group to Dead Marsh on their own, but Thaddeus suspected they would kill one another before they ever made it there. He knew that he had to stay focused. He was certain that more trials and troubles lay before them, but Thaddeus could have never foreseen from where these troubles would originate.
Thaddeus walked back to the cabin to find his companions all standing next to one another. He was surprised to discover that his party did not seem to be broken, but rather united. This lifted the King’s spirits considerably.
“Are we ready?” asked the King.
“Yes,” Azonis replied.
Rasmere nodded his head.
“Ready if you are,” Caleb replied.
“Yes,” said River.
“Very well, let us take leave from here. We still have a long journey ahead of us. It will be especially long since we have no mounts to ride upon,” Thaddeus said.
“Speak for yourself,” River said as Caleb transformed into the form of the lion and she climbed upon his back.
This brought a smile to the King’s face.
“I think we should take turns,” Azonis said with a hint of laughter in his voice.
“I do not think any of us have the nerve to try and mount him,” said Rasmere.
Caleb let out a blood curdling roar.
“Point taken,” Thaddeus said.
The warriors set off deeper into the forest hoping to safely make it to their rendezvous point with Locmire and the others.
Locmire's Quest: Book One A Tales from Calencia Novel Page 70