With the extra labor, we cobbled together one wagon. We used it to carry the worst of our injured and any supplies we could cram in.
Only a third of the animals made it out alive. They carried the rest of our salvaged supplies.
We were not nearly as weighed down with food as I would have liked.
More stress.
We didn’t leave the valley until midafternoon, barely traveling more than a couple of miles before making camp.
It was pathetic.
But as my optimistic son would say, “It was still something.”
CHAPTER 39
We persevered.
It wasn’t easy, or rather, it wasn’t as easy as before. That’s saying something since easy would not have been a word I would have used to describe our journey.
The roads were in worse shape after the third cycle from the artifact. More fissures, more holes, more bubbling lava, and lots of spurting steam brought on by the daily thunderstorms that rolled in with little warning.
At least we had rain again.
As before, the changes in the land forced us to re-examine our current course. The river we had been tracking, one that had remained constant for centuries, now flowed in a completely different direction from where we needed to go.
In just two short days, we traveled forty miles, but only ten in the right direction. Even with Sivan and Ira scouting, there was quite a bit of backtracking.
I wondered if we’d make it to the Southern Kingdoms by the time I reached my fiftieth name day.
* * *
After another painstakingly slow day of travel, with the dim sun still an hour from setting, I stopped in the middle of the muddy road. Wheeling about, our group stretched out in clumps at least a hundred yards long.
Ridiculous. If trouble hit us, we were too fractured to protect ourselves.
Boaz drove our lone wagon, and I gave him the order to halt. Everyone caught up and gladly fell in behind the wagon.
Reuma joined me with a look of confusion. “What’s the matter, sir?”
“Get with Myra and make camp for the night.”
She glanced at the sky. “Lots of daylight left.”
“At least another hour.” I motioned to the stragglers still catching up. “But do you think they can take another hour?”
She frowned. “Probably not.”
“Better to let them catch up on rest tonight, otherwise tomorrow we’ll be moving even slower.” I paused, thinking. “See that everyone gets full rations for dinner. Just this one meal. Maybe the extra food will do them some good as well.”
“I’ll pass the word.”
“Don’t forget to send out your foragers since we do have this extra light.”
She gave a nod and left.
Three times a day, I had Reuma send out people in the hopes of finding something edible to bring back to the group. So far, we managed ten potatoes, half a pail of old walnuts, and a couple of skinny foxes.
It was better than nothing, but still hardly enough to matter. We’d do better if I let them venture farther from the road, but then I’d lose sight of them which would raise a whole new set of worries and potential problems. I wasn’t ready to go there yet.
Ava walked up. She had Myra and Zadok in tow. The three had spent most of the day accompanying Nason and his kids. They helped my old friend move his young ones along now that practically everyone had to walk.
“Looks like you’re getting soft,” Ava said. “Making camp already?”
“Just looking out for those who’re struggling.” I gestured. “You seem to be breathing pretty heavy. Maybe I should have stopped sooner for your benefit.”
“I wouldn’t be huffing so much if I wasn’t carrying your share of supplies.”
An itch ran down my neck and over my back. Resisting the urge to scratch it was almost as difficult as the itch was annoying. The herbs taken from Denu Creek’s apothecary had done wonders for my burns. I was wearing a shirt again and each day I felt improvement in the health of the skin.
“If things continue to heal as they’ve been, I might be able to strap on a pack in the next week or so.”
“Or so?” She raised an eyebrow. “That leaves you a lot of wiggle room.”
I smiled. “My eagerness to ease your burden will be heavily dependent on how much of a hard time you give me from now until then.”
She snorted.
“Are you going to tell Pa about your—” started Zadok.
Ava cut him off, scowling. “Yes. Of course, I am. Show some patience. I was just making small talk.”
Both Myra and Zadok cracked a smile at their aunt for getting all puffed up.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“I’ve got some potentially good news.”
“Spill it. I sure could use some.”
“I think my powers are starting to come back.”
My breath caught in my throat, and I took a step forward. Having a mage of Ava’s level along with us wouldn’t necessarily solve all our problems, but the solutions would be much easier to come by.
“What do you mean, ‘think’? Tell me everything.”
“I noticed something felt different after this last cycle of destruction, but I couldn’t quite figure out what was going on and didn’t want to say anything until I knew better. Then Abigail did something to one of the horses this morning that got me thinking.”
“Explain.”
“Well, the black mare was bucking wildly because it didn’t want to get in the harness. No one could get it to calm down. I tried and almost got kicked. Abigail walked up to it, touched its nose for the briefest of moments and the horse not only calmed, but practically put on the harness itself.”
“Definitely strange. Go on.”
“You told me that her parents said she had a way with animals that you thought might have been sorcerous,” Ava said. “So when we had a moment, I pulled her aside and asked her what she did. She wasn’t sure exactly, but said there was a fuzzy sensation that went from her hands to the animal. It reminded her of what she felt before the first eruption sometimes. It happened by accident this time. She didn’t remember doing anything consciously.
“We talked for a bit and we both tried to do some simple tricks. Neither of us could do anything with consistency, but I can feel the power now. It’s there, just harder to access.”
My brow furrowed. “What does this mean? What can you do?”
“It means what I said. My powers are starting to come back. However, the success rate is low. Maybe two out of ten times, and that’s just with very basic spells. I’m nowhere near ready to try anything complicated.”
I swore. “That’s not as good of news as I originally hoped.”
She looked at me exasperated, slightly angry. This was a big deal for her. I knew that, but my pessimistic tendencies found it hard to get excited about such inconsistency. I wouldn’t be able to rely on her as I had in the army.
“But it’s still good news,” chimed in Zadok.
“It is. Sorry if I’m downplaying that. Who else knows beside Abigail?”
Ava shook her head. “No one. I told her to keep it a secret. Surprisingly she’s good at that for her age.”
“Let’s keep this to ourselves then. I don’t want people to get their hopes up, or from the opposite view, upset because of it.”
Ira came galloping up, putting our conversation on hold.
While Sivan scouted the land before us, I had sent Ira to Ashkelon and Susa, the two towns we had considered seeking refuge in before the third eruption of the artifact. In part, I had hoped to gain some information from them. I also wanted to know how they each fared in the storms and quake. If their supplies were in better shape than ours, perhaps they’d consider trading or selling us some.
Ira didn’t slow until the last moment, causing some people nearby to jump out of the way. That made my stomach sink. Based on the hard look he wore, I didn’t expect the news to be good.
He stopped and handed th
e reins off to Zadok while coming forward. His mount was well lathered.
“Ty, let’s go for a walk,” he said, passing me.
I swore. “That bad?”
“Yep.”
I gestured for Ava and the kids to stay put and followed Ira up the road until we were well out of earshot.
He didn’t wait for me to prompt him.
“Things are pretty bleak out there,” he said. “Susa is gone.”
“Gone?”
“Practically wiped off the map. Every building was flattened by those flaming rocks in the sky or engulfed by the ground when it opened. I spent an hour searching what little debris remained, calling out in case people were trapped like in Denu Creek. Not a sound.”
I sighed. Susa was the smaller of the two towns we had considered and for that reason, was one I had felt less inclined to visit for protection.
“And Ashkelon?” I asked.
“Better, but not great. About a third of the town kicked it. The others are busy searching for survivors and trying to put their lives back together.”
“Supplies?”
“Not great. They had plenty before the eruption, but ended up storing most of them in one location. It got damaged badly. Most of their food went up in flames. No way are we going to get anything from them without taking it.”
He tilted his head up, insinuating a question without actually asking it.
I shook my head. “We’re not that bad off yet.” I hoped we never were. Even in a life or death situation, there were lines I’d rather not cross. “What else? This is all bad, but honestly, I was expecting worse from the look you wore riding in.”
He blurted, “There’s an army heading our way.”
I blinked. “An army?”
“Yes. Ashkelon had sent out a couple of scouts themselves. One came back right as I was about to leave. There’s a force of over two thousand men marching south, stopping at every town it comes upon and forcing people into its ranks. Looks like that army we heard about from that raider is making good time?”
“Crap.”
“Apparently, they’re recruiting hard, Ty, and not just from the various raiding parties. From what that scout said, the first question they ask when they come upon any town is for anyone with previous military experience to come forward. Those are the first pressed into the army. Afterward, they start selecting the best of what’s left over.”
I rubbed my temple at the onset of a sudden headache. “Tell me this is a joke, Ira. An army over two thousand strong? How is that possible? Keeping our small group fed and watered is challenging enough, how can they do it? And how did they survive all the eruptions?”
Ira shrugged. “Good questions, but I don’t have the answers.” He worked his jaw and spat. “You haven’t heard the best part.”
“I don’t think I want to.”
“Balak is leading that army.”
My breath caught in my throat. “That’s impossible. He was so close to Hol, he should have died.”
Ira spat. “Look around, Ty. Is anything really impossible at this point?”
I began to think aloud. “He did have people resistant to sorcery by his side when the artifact erupted according to Ava since he was worried about the High Mage council.”
“You think he’s recruiting for the king?” Ira asked.
“Balak might be alive, but there is no way the king should be. No one with a resistance was near him since he sent those after the general. Plus the king was too close to the artifact.”
“Then what is Balak doing?”
I remembered the last conversation I had with Balak and the ten years of comments before. One thing Balak never lacked was ambition. He wanted to go forth and conquer.
“He’s recruiting for himself.” I swore. A lot. “Do you know what direction they’re heading?”
“Right toward us.”
“Of course.”
“He was mad the king made him discharge us. Especially you. If Balak catches up to our group, there’s no way he’s going to allow us to get away. Heck, they’re specifically looking for veterans. That even puts Sivan in Balak’s sight.”
“Molak, be damned. Go get your brother, but don’t tell him or anyone else what you heard and saw yet.”
He jogged over to Dekar. They returned a few moments later, ignoring the questions from Ava and the kids, as well as the looks of others.
“What’s going on?” Dekar asked.
“We got a problem. A big one.” I nodded to Ira. “Tell him.”
When Ira finished, Dekar took his turn at cursing. He was not as practiced as his brother, but did a more than serviceable job in my opinion.
“What are we going to do?” he asked.
“A few days ago you mentioned that abandoned military outpost that hadn’t been occupied since the border shift decades ago. If we left now, how long before you think we’d get there?”
Dekar looked up to the sky with his eyes closed. He was doing the math in his head. “From here, it would take at least three days, even if we lit a fire under everyone.”
“Do you think Balak or anyone else would know about it? I sure didn’t.”
“I don’t know. The only reason I know about it is because I saw an old map of Turine from back when King Asher reigned. The outpost isn’t on that newer map I found in Uman. Still, it stands to reason that out of two thousand plus men, someone else will know of it. Especially if they lived around here. The bigger question is will Balak feel it’s worth his time to investigate?”
“Depends how he finds out. If someone tells him he should look into it, he might not out of spite, or maybe so that person doesn’t think they knew something he didn’t. He didn’t take outside advice often.”
“Unless it came from you,” said Ira.
“Unless it came from me.”
“Hamath always hated the way Balak used you like that,” said Dekar.
I chuckled, missing my old friend again, even his complaining. “That he did.” I paused. “All right. Going to any other town would be pointless based on what Ira learned. Going back to the caves is too dangerous. Our only two options are stay south ahead of the army, which we all know we won’t be able to do forever, or go to the old outpost and hide for a while and hope Balak doesn’t show.”
“And if he does show?” asked Ira.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I’ll have to deal with that scenario if it happens. In the meantime, you ride up and find Sivan. I want one of you scouting ahead while another rides at the rear to confuse and cover our tracks.”
“That isn’t going to be easy in all this mud,” said Ira.
“I know. Ava might be able to help some with that. Her powers are starting to come back. I’ll talk to her in a minute. Dekar, while I talk to Ava, go break the bad news that we aren’t making camp after all. We need to dig deep and travel into the night. Tell Reuma to find a way to make room on the wagon carrying the injured. She is to rotate people, especially the children and elderly, as we travel so they can rest and not slow us down. We are going to make it in three days and I’ll ignite an inferno to see it done.”
“What do we tell everyone when they start asking questions?” asked Dekar.
“Tell them a large army is coming our way and they’ve been stealing men to fill their ranks. Leave out the rest. Especially, that we know the man in charge.”
CHAPTER 40
We made it to the military outpost in three days, but not before the physical exertion caused the spirits of three people to break. They’d collapsed on the muddy ground, crying, asking to be left to die. Two more passed out from exhaustion shortly after.
We left no one.
The outpost itself was situated against a low mountain. It was hard to distinguish it from the terrain at first glance. The construction of its gray walls, and the fact that time had not been kind to them, blended the outpost, mountain, and sky so much that they were hard to tell apart from a distance.
Closer, I could see t
wo small towers on either side of a fifteen-foot wall that spanned one hundred and twenty feet and butted directly against the mountain rock. Though the ground before the outpost had holes from the eruptions, the wall thankfully was unscathed. I didn’t even see the narrow gate until we were directly in front of it.
I walked ahead and met Sivan at the gate where he waited on horseback. He gave me a nod. “You got us all here safe and sound.”
I gave a tired snort. “Sound? I doubt it. People are pulling on mental and physical reserves they never knew they had. And we still don’t know if Balak will bring his army this way.”
He shook his head. “Your son is right about you and your pessimism.”
I raised a finger. “Realism,” I corrected.
“Take it from someone older, enjoy the small victories when you can. It will relieve some of the stress you carry.”
“That doesn’t work for me. When one stress goes away, a new one steps right in.”
He shook his head. “Orders?”
“I’m going to stay out here until everyone gets inside. You get everyone situated in the courtyard. Start searching the barracks and towers for damage and supplies. We might come across something worthwhile. Especially the cellar. Just make sure people understand the dangers that they can come across—spiders, rats, crumbling walls, and so on.” I paused. “Have Dekar and Reuma figure out sleeping arrangements. Get Boaz and Dinah to tend to the animals. Have them grab whoever they need for help.”
He rode through the arched entrance. I waited for the long line of people to catch up. My kids were the first to arrive.
The fatigue was evident in every move they made, but still they smiled.
“Not very impressive,” said Zadok.
“I bet it served its purpose well in its time,” Myra added.
I gave her a look. “Oh?”
“It was an outpost,” said Myra. “It wasn’t intended to intimidate with a large garrison. It was supposed to slow or harass the enemy while they sent a messenger out to call up reinforcements. Probably was manned by less than a hundred men. Right, Pa?”
“Probably,” I said. Her quick analysis impressed me. “It isn’t much, especially now, but what is there would not be easy to take with the right people defending. The gate is very narrow, making it simple to barricade. The walls slope outward so they’d be harder to scale. And the towers are situated in such a way that there are no blind spots the enemy can exploit.”
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