by Alex Quill
CONTENTS
Dedication
Chapter One - The Escape
Chapter Two - The Emissary
Chapter Three - The Inn
Chapter Four - The Party
Chapter Five - The Draft
Chapter Six - The Law
Chapter Seven - The Plan
Chapter Eight - The Captain
Chapter Nine - The Donkey
From the Author
For Marcus.
CHAPTER ONE
The Escape
SYNAGO STRUGGLED TO keep control over the huge draft horse she stole from the University stables. It was a dark night, with thick clouds covering the moon and most stars. She was headed up an incline through a forest dense with trees. Every now and then the horse would pause in front of a tree she’d led them into and she’d have to tell it which way to go around.
At one such pause, she sighed in frustration and looked behind her. Tolren was a red smudge of light on the dark horizon now. That red smudge meant that the Wraithen hadn’t only come and stolen her home, they’d decided to burn it to the ground too. She wiped an errant tear away and sniffed back more that threatened to spill over and shake her resolve.
The war between the Wraithen and the Resistance had torn the world apart every day since the first wave of the Devah Plague. It was a disease brought on as a punishment from the Wraith, or so the Wraithen said. With so many Devah dragons dead because of it, magic was limited to ley lines only.
Devahkin, or the Devah dragon handlers, were now few and far between. Only the Resistance and researchers like Synago stood between the Wraithen and the annihilation of magic. But now her research was burning to the ground.
She turned back in her tandem saddle to the forest ahead. She still had a lot to do before she could make a break for the Neutral countries to escape these Wraithen bastards.
Synago clucked at the huge horse and it turned to move left of the big tree in front of them. The tree, like most of the forest around them, was covered in moss on one side. Synago reached her hand out and as they passed, rubbed her palm against the bark there. They were due south, just as she’d planned.
Soon, they came across exactly what she was looking for — the “Big Old Tree” as her sister Mellie called it. It was an enormous redwood, uncommon to their part of the world. There was a dip on the southern side of its trunk that made for a great hiding place, where she’d told Mellie to go when the war horns sounded. But when Synago dismounted and checked for her, she was gone. Synago’s heart skipped a beat. Only the leather satchel she’d given Mellie remained in the spot where she should have been.
Synago slipped the satchel over her shoulder and closed her eyes, trying to remain calm. Perhaps she’d just wandered off. They couldn’t have search parties out already, could they?
She slipped her hand inside the satchel and felt for the Devah dragon’s egg. She stashed it there a few months ago, when she heard of Wraithen attacking bordering villages. It was still there, cool against her palm. She let out a breath she wasn’t aware she’d been holding in. Her entire plan rested on that secret egg she’d taken. And very soon, they’d be hunted for it. She had to find Mellie.
“Mellie!” she said in a half whisper, half shout as she wandered around the forest just outside the hiding place. She tried that a few more times before sighing and actually shouting into the night.
“Mellie! Where are you?” Her answer came quickly after.
“Syna!”
Mellie rushed out from behind a tree not far away and ambled in her clumsy way over to where Synago was standing. She thrust out one of her clenched fists, it was full of small white flowers.
“I got you flowers!” she said, and pointed to them with her other hand.
Synago looked up into her sister’s face. She was tall, almost six feet, and had a large, crooked nose and chin length blond hair that stuck to her face after all the running. Synago reached up and brushed it out of her eyes, which were wild with excitement at the prospect of having found the flowers.
It was a look Synago was used to. After a childhood accident her sister was locked into the mind of a five year old, unable to mature. She could only take care of herself in the more general sense of going to the bathroom on her own and knowing how to take a bath and get dressed… for the most part. Occasionally she still messed up putting her shoes on the right feet in the morning. When left to her own devices she’d often totter off out of boredom and return with something to show Synago.
But tonight was the worst possible night for her wandering. They had to leave, and soon. Who knew if anyone had seen her out here already?
“Those are great Mellie. Don’t wander off though, okay?”
Mellie nodded. “Okay!”
Synago flinched at her overly loud voice. It had caused a few birds sleeping in the trees above to fly off, cawing as they went. If there was a Wraithen search party anywhere in a mile that didn’t know where they were, they knew now. Synago took the flowers, which Mellie still held out to her, and put them in her pocket. She put her other hand in Mellie’s and led her away, back towards the draft horse she’d stolen and the “Big Old Tree”.
When they got to the horse, Mellie made a squeal of delight and ran up to him to stroke his nose. Synago flinched again at the noise. She’d have to do something to make Mellie quiet, but she didn’t understand that they were hiding. An idea struck Synago. She approached Mellie from behind and spoke softly to her.
“We get to ride the horsie—”
“We do? Horsie! Horsie!” chanted Mellie. Synago nodded, but shushed her.
“Shhh! Yes, horsie. We get to ride the horsie, and we get to go to Sweet Tash’s shop, would you like that?” said Synago.
“Pash’s?” said Mellie, her word for the candy shop Synago mentioned.
Synago nodded again, this time more fervently. She checked over her shoulder to see if anyone was around them. There was no one so far. She leaned in and spoke quietly to Mellie. “Yes, Sweet Tash’s. We will go there, but only if you can do one thing for me, okay? You have to win the quiet game tonight.”
“The quiet game?” said Mellie, her face screwed into a confused frown.
“The quiet game is if you make a noise you lose, remember?”
“Oh yeah!” shouted Mellie. Synago closed her eyes. pinched the bridge of her nose, and sighed. She took a deep breath, willing herself to calm down before speaking again.
“Yes, the quiet game. It starts now, okay?”
Mellie nodded and Synago smiled up at her. She helped her up onto the draft horse’s back tandem saddle, and then positioned herself in the front saddle. She felt one more time in the leather satchel at her side, reassuring herself that the egg was still there. It was cool to the touch, and calmed her frayed nerves. She dug her heels into the sides of the horse, and it moved forward.
There were only two other things next to the egg in the leather satchel, both of them magical devices. One of them was a Devah-blessed stone made solely for the purpose of rendering things temporarily invisible. It was a pet project by a lead researcher and Devahkin professor. He’d made it years ago to impress new students. The other was a cracked pair of ley line spectacles. Despite their fractured lenses, they still worked, and when worn allowed Synago to detect any latent ley line energy about.
The spectacles were Plan A. They’d escape with the horse, find the main ley line that led into Osko, and follow it to escape without having to take a main road for guidance.
The stone was Plan B. A less preferable plan. Should any Wraithen find them, the ley line they followed would also serve as
an activator for the stone and render them completely invisible.
It was their only chance at escaping with the egg, which had always been her Plan C - connect with a Devah dragon, become a Devahkin, and use the power to protect her sister at whatever cost. But that plan was far ahead still, the egg had yet to show signs of the life developing inside it. It would be months before it hatched at the very least.
The sound of men shouting behind her broke through Synago’s thoughts. She twisted in her saddle and peered around Mellie. Behind them were Wraithen Riders, holding aloft lanterns. They were looking at “Big Old Tree”, but one of them saw her and nudged the other to look. Synago whipped back around in her saddle, and dug her heels further into the horse’s sides. The horse took off into a sprint through the trees, which were thinning as they went further and further up the hill. They had a small lead on the men, but not much. It was time for plan A, the spectacles.
Synago reached in her leather satchel and pulled out them out. She fashioned them over her eyes. They were a bit too small and hugged her head as she bumped up and down with the horse’s gait. She could see the tail end of a ley line ahead of them, at the hill’s peak in a clearing just obscured from view.
Synago pushed them through to the other side of the clearing and then stopped behind the first copse of trees they hit. She needed to be still to concentrate. The men couldn’t see them now, even with their lanterns, but it wouldn’t be long before they could.
She pulled out the palm-sized stone from her satchel, and closed her eyes. She visualized the ley line underneath them, and felt it coming and going on the edge of her mind, like an ocean crashing against a beach. She dipped herself into it and a familiar feeling of coolness rushed through her.
She opened her eyes and saw that the edges of her vision were blurred, as if they’d been draped in translucent cloth. Did this mean that it worked? The Wraithen Riders broke through trees on the other side of the clearing. Synago held her breath as they searched.
But the men were befuddled at their disappearance. They spent only a few moments searching before they turned around with curses and frowns and rode away back down the hill. They soon disappeared themselves amongst the foliage on the other side. A good thing, too, because soon the effects of the stone dissolved away.
It was all used up now. They’d have nothing to hide them if the Wraithen came again. Synago almost cursed, but held her tongue back at the last second, not wanting to end the Quiet Game with Mellie when the men were still nearby. She instead threw the rock on the ground and dug her heels into the sides of the horse to urge him onwards.
They wouldn’t have time for sleep like she’d hoped. They’d have to ride through the night to Osko or risk being seen in the light of day on their journey. It was only a matter of time before they were discovered. And Synago didn’t have any time to spare.
CHAPTER TWO
The Emissary
BY MORNING, OSKO glittered on the gray horizon against the misty clouds. Synago hadn’t taken off her ley line spectacles all through the night. As soon as there was enough sun in the sky Synago reached in one of the saddle bags and retrieved an old, tattered map she’d stolen from the University. She double, then triple checked their location on it. She wanted to be absolutely sure they were arriving at Osko, and not some other Wraithen infested village along the Neutral zone border. When she was satisfied, she put the map back in the saddle bag and woke Mellie, who’d been sleeping against her with her head on Synago’s shoulder.
“Morning, sleepy head,” said Synago.
Mellie rubbed her eyes and yawned. “G’morning.”
Synago smiled. Her sister really could sleep anywhere, she’d fallen asleep halfway through their trip. It never ceased to amaze her. Most nights lately she couldn’t even sleep in her own bed. She’d been up with worry about the Wraithen for weeks.
“Pash?” said Mellie, pointing towards Osko.
Synago nodded. “That’s right, we’re almost there.”
Osko was a small town, or at least it had been a few years back when Synago visited with Mellie. Now it had high walls surrounding it, made with huge slabs of stone and mortar. To either side of the gated entrance hung yellow banners that fluttered in the wind. On the left side of the gate was a small gatehouse with a stoop. On it stood a creature half the size of a man and covered in fur, with the ears and tail to match. He was smoking a pipe. Synago did her best not to stare, but it was her first encounter with a Yukan - half man, half fox. They hadn’t had any of them in Tolren.
When they arrived at the gate house, she did her best to hide her awe. “Good morning, sir. This is Osko, is it not? May we have passage?”
The Yukan man puffed on his pipe a few more times before replying. His voice was gravelly, closer to a bark and growl than words. “Outsiders, eh? Whereabouts you from?” He eyed the University symbols on the tandem saddle and saddle bags suspiciously.
“Tolren. It’s been burnt to the ground. Wraithen did it. We’re looking for a new home here in the neutral zone. Osko is closest to us. I’m sure you’ll get lots of others from there later today. If… if anyone else made it out.”
Mellie broke in and pointed to the Yukan. “Kitty!” she said. Synago sucked in her breath and grabbed Mellie’s pointing arm, pushing it down. She cleared her throat and babbled an apology.
“I’m sorry, she’s—”
But the Yukan cut her off before she could finish. “We’ve already had a few from Tolren. You’re to report to the Resistance embassy if you want to stay here more than a night or two. They’ll outfit you with proper work and a place to stay.”
Synago felt a wave of relief wash over her. They weren’t the only ones to have escaped, it seemed. The Yukan man walked to the gate and grasped a small handle, which he pulled. The gate door slid on runners to the side and Synago urged their horse forward. She turned to thank the man, but he was already pulling the gate closed behind them.
Inside the gates was a large common square filled with vendors hawking their wares to passerbys. Many of them were Yuka, as the gate house man was, but a few were human. Synago recognized a few of them from the time they’d visited all those years ago, but she looked for one in particular. The old man who’d been so kind to Mellie when they’d passed by his candy cart - Sweet Tash.
“Pash! Pash! Pash!” Mellie chanted as they rode, drawing the stares of a few people in the market around them. Synago smiled and nodded at them. She was long past getting embarrassed by her sister, and happy that Mellie could be excited about anything at all right now.
Mellie’s chanting grew louder and when they turned a corner and at the end of the alleyway Synago spotted the brightly colored candy cart they were looking for. Mellie bounced up and down on her side of the saddle, and Synago could tell she was barely containing her excitement. As soon as they were close enough Mellie scrambled down off the horse and ran for the cart. Synago dismounted herself and used the horse’s lead to guide the giant beast with her.
Tash was facing away from them both, but as soon as he turned around and saw Mellie a wide smile cracked across his face. Recognition lit in his eyes. He had the same fluffy white hair and wispy goatee that he’d had when they first met him.
“Well, well, well,” he said, “Now there’s a face I haven’t seen in a while. Mellie, isn’t it? And your sister Synago is here too!”
Synago aghast that he remembered them at all. She masked her surprise with a casual tone.
“It’s been a few years, hasn’t it Tash?” she said.
“It has indeed. What brings you two here today?”
Synago watched Mellie peruse the various colorful candies, wanting to ignore Tash’s question. Most of the candies were just melted sugar pressed into various shapes and hardened. When she could bring herself to do it, she met Tash’s eyes.
“Tolren is gone. Wraithen took it.”
Tash’s smile faded from his face. His look softened into one of comfort.
“I’m
sorry to hear that,” he said and then paused. Synago could tell he was weighing his next words; “I have the feeling my sorry isn’t going to help you. Is there anything I can do?”