Jon rode right up to Corporal Darron and stood face-to-face with the band of six in front of him. The one with the fine-looking sword seemed to be the leader, flanked closely by a man with a bow and the woman whose daughter was supposedly missing. The woman was clearly terrified at the loss of her daughter, but Jon could see there was a strength and beauty beneath her farm girl exterior. The other three men rode behind but seemed just as determined – except perhaps the man in the far back. He seemed more interested in Jon than he did about recovering a lost child.
The woman reached out for the hand of the man with the bow, who took the offered hand and looked up at Jon with eyes of hope. “Please, sir, we mean you no harm. We simply need to get to Locus before the man who has taken Ellen’s daughter.”
Jon was about to answer when Corporal Darron spoke up. “Now that I think on it, C’tain, I did see a lone rider approach our lines a short while back. The man didna’ come close enough for me to see his face, but he did have a smaller rider sitting on the horse with him. He rode around to my left. The long way around to my left.”
This new piece of information sealed it for Jon. Last time strangers came to a unit he commanded Jon was a lieutenant, but this time he was a captain. He had the authority to do as he wished.
“Thank you Darron, I believe we can make an exception for good citizens of Kentar on a mission of such vital importance. In fact, I will escort them the rest of the way myself.” Jon pointed his finger at two riders off to his left and two riders off to his right. “You and you, ride with me as we escort this group through our lines.”
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Nero rode with the companions down the Kentarian highway leading from Guard Tower to Locus. As they flew over Guard Tower, they had seen massive amounts of men and equipment being organized for some sort of campaign. He wasn’t entirely sure why an army was massing at Guard Tower, but he assumed it was the beginning of the war between the elves and the humans that the Guildmaster had been orchestrating for the last several years.
Now if the Guildmaster could only get the Krone to attack Armena from one of the entrances to the Underworld. The more of those vile creatures that died, the better. As a follower of Venal, Nero hated the Krone with the totality of his being, followed only by the malevolence he felt since finding out that the Guild was in league with them. After learning of the Krone’s involvement with the Guild at his first Inner Circle meeting, he had vowed to think long and hard about whether he could still be a member of the Guild if they were allies with his god’s greatest enemy. It had taken Nero several moons to decide on a course of action after that day, but in the end, he decided to stay the course. He could hardly abandon the Guild after he had invested so much time on his god’s behalf. He was finally one of the Thirteen, and he was gaining in status and power all the time. It wouldn’t be long before he was the Guildmaster’s right hand. Once that happened he could turn the power of the Guild on the Krone and grind them into the ground from whence they came, forever ensuring his rightful place in Venal’s kingdom.
They were making excellent time and had to be gaining on the Krone holding the human woman’s daughter hostage, the problem being that Nero didn’t particularly care. What he did care about was the gem. He kept his eye on Xander day and night, but the half-elf kept the diamond around his neck at all times. Nero didn’t fret, as it was only a matter of time. If he didn’t have the gem by the time they made it to Locus, Nero intended to contact the Guild and use his power as one of the Thirteen to recapture the gem once and for all.
The companions were closing in on Locus by mid-morning when Nero spotted trouble on the horizon. At first, Nero saw a half-dozen men way off in the distance marching up the highway toward them. As they galloped onward, Nero became more and more troubled as the number of men on the road grew into the hundreds and thousands. Humans were such a bother. Nero hated being disguised as one of them, but no matter the cost, he would complete the mission and recover the gem for the Guild.
Xander yelled up ahead to Evisar. “So, what are we going to do?”
Evisar responded without slowing down. “We’re going to request safe passage through their lines. If we try to go around this army, it will take the better part of a day.”
Nero didn’t care one way or the other, but he had to pretend to be useful from time to time. With that in mind, he decided to state the obvious. “Remember to try and sound human. Maybe Ellen should do the talking.”
The companions rode hard and didn’t pull up on their reins until the last possible instant. There were six human guards in the vanguard with hundreds more off to the sides and behind. The six guards, as well as those close by, drew their swords, readied their pikes, or took aim with their crossbows.
Evisar brought his hands up as a sign of surrender. “We mean you no harm.”
Nero had to admit that Evisar sounded passably human. If he was able to hold the facade, he might just be able to pull this off.
Evisar continued, “We are in a life and death struggle and need to pass through your lines.”
Nero tuned out the rest of the conversation as irrelevant as Ellen blabbered on about her lost daughter, until a man wearing a captain’s uniform rode up and wanted to know what was happening. Nero listened intently to the officer on horseback. Nero had seen this man before. He had been at Endwood when Nero and Calim forced the abandonment of the town “on orders” from his Philosopher superiors. Nero had obviously never spoken with the man, but he had seen him rally his troops against the giants, have the foresight to call for reinforcements at a key moment, and form a bucket brigade to put out the fire Nero and Calim had started. The lieutenant, now a captain, had always been competent, but now he seemed much more comfortable in command situations. He listened to the companion’s story and quickly came up with a course of action.
“I will take them through the lines myself. You and you, ride with me as we escort this group through our lines.”
The pikemen in the vanguard parted to let the companions through on their horses. The Captain kicked his horse up to a canter as he led the way down the highway. “My name is Jon Campbell. I’m sorry to hear about your daughter. We’ll get you on your way as quickly as possible.”
Evisar said, “We appreciate your understanding, and your help.”
The Captain looked at Evisar queerly and asked, “Pardon me for asking, but I can’t place your accent. Where in Kentar are you from?”
Evisar clearly hesitated. As the most competent liar, Nero decided to speak up and save Evisar from himself. “We live in a tiny village north of Guard Tower and south of the Unyielding Marsh.”
“Ah, that explains it then.” Captain Campbell kicked his horse up to a gallop and everyone else followed suit.
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Evisar was determined to retrieve Ellen’s daughter and move on to get rid of Valihorn’s cursed ring, but something about this situation was nagging at him.
He asked the Captain, “Where is this army going? Is there some new enemy?”
“We are marching against the elves.”
Evisar was in shock. The implications of what the Captain said were profound. After a long time, he managed to say, “Why? What has happened?”
“I wouldn’t ordinarily be able to tell you anything because of security, but since you are citizens of Kentar heading in the opposite direction, and because we desperately need the support of the people, I will tell you that the elves destroyed one of our frontier towns.”
“Are you sure it was the elves? We haven’t heard or seen an elf in over three hundred years. Some claim they never existed at all, except in stories.”
“Oh, they’re real enough all right. I was stationed at the frontier town on the edge of Glenmyr Forest where they first appeared like shadows out of the woods.”
Evisar thought back to that day so long ago. So many things had changed after his first outing as a Border Ranger. He wondered w
hat had happened to Lord Chas, and to the city of Ash for that matter. He wondered what King Jalid was doing at this moment. Did Shane still control the young King, or had Jalid grown to take his father’s place as a strong leader?
“Just because the elves paid you a visit doesn’t mean they meant to start a war.”
Captain Campbell shook his head. “They did far more than that. They killed my captain and drove the entire town into the woods like frightened children. King Benjin will not stand for the unprovoked molestation and killing of his citizens. As far as we know, this may only be the beginning of their aggression. We have to defend ourselves.”
“Maybe they had some reason for doing what they did? Maybe they felt like they were defending themselves?”
“Perhaps so, perhaps not. I hope you are right and that all of this is a huge misunderstanding, but I don’t see how. Either way, we shall know soon enough.”
“What do you intend to do?”
“We intend to find the elves and get an explanation for what they have done. Rest assured, my fellow citizens of Kentar, you are perfectly safe. You have an entire army of your countrymen standing between you and these elves. We will have their explanation for what happened or there will be war. There is no other way.”
Evisar rode the rest of the way in silence. As the Captain approached the rear guard of the human army he said, “I will say my goodbyes as we ride so you don’t have to stop. I wish you luck on your mission. May the gods be with you!”
“And with you, Captain.” The companions rode past the rear guard and pressed on for Locus. There was nothing Evisar could do at the moment, but he could not dismiss what he just heard. He didn’t know how, but he had to find a way to warn his people that a massive army was about to envelop them. It always seemed like the weight of the world was on his shoulders, and he was sick of it. Evisar was beginning to wonder if the gods would ever grant him peace.
Chapter 91: The Gates of Locus
Six companions rode toward Locus looking for all the world like an adventuring band of humans. Mestel looked around to make sure the transformation spell was still in place and sure enough, unrecognizable human faces stared back at him. Only Ellen was the same. Gorgeous and powerful, she was just as beautiful as ever. Mestel forced himself to look away and focused on the approaching gate. They were still a mile away, but they were coming down a slight incline and he had no trouble seeing the impressive stone walls and wide, steel-reinforced gate of Locus. Mestel’s clear eyes barely picked out a lone horseman at the gate with what appeared to be a second, smaller rider sitting in the saddle in front of him. Mestel stood up in his stirrups for a closer look, and while he couldn’t be absolutely certain, there was only one possibility that sprang to mind.
“Ellen, I think that might be Faye at the gate up ahead.”
“What do you mean? I can’t see that far.”
Mestel never knew elves had better eyesight than humans. “Trust me, then. Come on.” Mestel kicked his horse into a run with Ellen close behind. As he closed in on the gate, he could see the person on horseback talking with one of the city guards, no doubt trying to gain entry into the city. He and Ellen were going as fast as they could, but it was quite a distance to the gate and there was no telling how long Faye’s kidnapper had already been negotiating entry into the city. The guard was on the ground talking casually with the kidnapper, oblivious to the approach of the companions. The horses pounded on.
If the guard at the gate could just hold him there a little longer, then they would have him! Unfortunately, as soon as the thought formed in Mestel’s head, he saw the guard turn around and unlock the right-hand gate. Mestel urged his horse on, but it was no use. Faye’s captor rode casually through the gate; the guard closed and locked it behind him. Only after the guard had finished securing the gate and turned around did he notice the two horses riding hard down on him.
The guard nearly jumped out of his skin. He managed to recover somewhat and found enough wits to draw his sword. It did not take a lot of training to see the sudden appearance of two charging horses as a threat. Mestel looked on top of the wall and saw the six soldiers standing post nock arrows onto their bows. He quickly recognized this was not going to end well, so he reduced his horse’s speed to a canter and rode up to the gate. The guard on the ground kept his weapon drawn, but he seemed to relax as Mestel put his hands up in the air as a gesture of peace.
The guard asked, “What do you want?”
An interesting question. They needed to get into the city as quickly as possible, and there were two possible ways to go about it. They could say they were coming to Locus for some standard reason and wait the standard amount of time for the guard to allow them entry, or they could tell the truth, whereby the guard might let them in immediately or turn them away altogether.
Mestel weighed the choices and replied quickly but calmly. “We want to apprehend the fugitive you just let through the gate.”
The guard said, “What are you talking about, son?”
“What is your name, soldier?”
“Lieutenant Gilmore.”
“Well, Lieutenant Gilmore, I am Officer Fillion, and we” – he pointed his hand at Ellen and at the other companions walking up behind him – “have traveled here from a neighboring town to try and recover this woman’s daughter. She was taken from her by the man you just let into the city. We chased the kidnapper for two days and two nights, and it has come down to this. We are sorry that our approach startled you. When we saw the kidnapper at your gate, we ran as fast as we could to try and catch up. I hate to be abrupt, but can you please let us into the city before the kidnapper gets away again?”
Lieutenant Gilmore stood at the gate with a stupefied expression on his face. He opened his mouth to speak and then closed it. After another moment, he opened his mouth again.
“Your story is very interesting, Officer Fillion, if that’s who you really are. I admit I thought the man looked suspicious, traveling alone with his daughter, all shrouded in a dark cloak. For some reason I felt compelled to let him through anyway. If only the girl had spoken up and said something, then I would have had good reason to detain him.”
Mestel dared to get his hopes up. Then Gilmore continued, “However, Kentar doesn’t have Officers and your words sound strange. I think I’m going to have to hold you here until I figure out what is going on.”
Mestel cursed under his breath at his accent. Like every elf of Armena, Mestel had been taught several languages when he was young, including the common language of Kentar. Since no elf, as far as he knew, had been to Kentar in more than three hundred years, his words no doubt sounded strange.
Mestel was about to speak again when Ellen beat him to it. “Lieutenant, please.” She spoke in her softest, most pleading voice. “We are telling you the truth. We just want to find my daughter and go home. Her kidnapper is getting away as we speak. Please, just let us pass.”
Gilmore seemed partly convinced. Before he could say anything else, Mestel thrust his hand into his pouch and pulled out two platinum coins. The coins represented more than a year’s wage for a simple soldier, perhaps half a year’s wage to an officer. Mestel flashed the two coins at Gilmore quickly enough so the Lieutenant could see them, but the soldiers in the guard tower could not.
He spoke in a low voice. “Perhaps these could help persuade you that we are telling the truth.”
Mestel wasn’t a fan of bribery, but this was an emergency. In addition, he knew this was his god’s work, so he had no qualms about using Martel’s divine treasury to rescue a helpless girl that had been wrongfully abducted.
Gilmore reached out his hand as if to shake and Mestel did likewise. The two shook hands and Mestel pressed the coins into his hand without anyone else being the wiser. Gilmore pulled his hand back, felt the weight of the coins, and slipped them into his pocket.
“This woman’s story has convinced me that you are telling the truth. I’m sorry I didn’t hold your daughter’s kid
napper long enough for you to catch him. I pray to Sentinel that justice will be done.” The guard turned to the gate and yelled for all to hear, “Let them pass.”
Mestel heard the gate unlock from the inside and the right-hand door opened. Gilmore put his sword away as the rest of the companions walked up to the gate. Ellen was eager to catch up with her daughter, so she nudged her horse forward first.
Mestel spoke up quickly before it was too late. “Ellen, let me go first. I may be able to find the kidnapper’s tracks if no one else has gone by.” Ellen abruptly stopped and waited for him to pass.
The guard holding the city door open said, “Are you coming in or not? I don’t have all day.”
Mestel dismounted his horse and walked carefully through the gate. He led his horse over to the left, behind the gate that hadn’t been opened for them or the kidnapper, and urged the rest of the companions to do the same. The guard hurriedly shut the gate and locked it, trampling over a portion of the ground Mestel wanted to examine.
“About time. I’ve got important business, you know.” Mestel stood in silence as the guard walked carelessly across the road and entered his barracks, no doubt missing a good card or dice game with his friends.
Mestel moved forward and carefully bent down to look at the impressions in the dirt, hoping against hope that he would see the kidnapper’s prints. There were thousands of prints in the dirt, as one would expect at the front gate of one of the biggest cities in Kentar, and the dirt was packed down from years of abuse. Nevertheless, Mestel trusted his skill as a ranger, and it had rained in the last few days, making the dirt somewhat impressionable.
Oddly enough, it only took Mestel a short time to find fresh hoof prints leading directly down main street toward the center of the city. To Mestel the hoof prints stood out against the road, almost as if they were another color.
He turned to the others and said, “I think I see the kidnapper’s hoof prints. Follow me.”
Do the Gods Give Us Hope? Page 13