hurriedly finish their business, and promptly disappear.
Brom was finally compelled to gather what knowledge he could from people's minds, which practice he engaged in as sparingly as possible. They were deeply troubled by what they
learned. Rumors of Ra'zac sightings were increasing. People were disappearing without a trace from their towns and homes during the night. Respectable establishments were
shutting their doors as owners tried to keep themselves and their families safe by going into hiding. Crime was building as povertystricken residents were forced to such measures
through desperation. Enforcement officials seemed now to be chosen from the more corrupt segment of the populace, which only exacerbated every problem as they apparently
encouraged such chaos. Anyone opposing the dismal decline was immediately shipped off to Ilirea's dungeons, which punishment—or threat thereof—inspired greater fear and
compliance than any other compulsory method.
These conditions worsened the closer the youth came to DrasLeona, which had long remained the seediest city in Alagaёsia in spite of the high queen's best efforts. From DrasLeona
the party intended to travel directly to Ilirea, for Will's ring seemed to be guiding them in that exact direction. And if they didn't find Lena, they hoped to at least learn more
useful information concerning her whereabouts and possibly even dispatch of the Shade, since they knew nothing less would reverse the depressing degeneration of their beloved
homeland.
Ajh had already decided to disguise his appearance as much as possible the nearer they drew to Alagaёsia's capital city, fearing that many people would undoubtedly be able to
identify him as the firstborn royal prince. However, cloaked and hooded figures clearly drew much attention from DrasLeona's suspicious citizens.
The nine friends determined to restock their supplies on the outskirts of town and be on their way as soon as possible, but things did not go quite according to plan. Before they had
concluded their transaction with the nervous farmer selling them hay, oats, and other goods, a large group of armed men rode up and encircled them.
While greedily examining their fine mounts, exquisite weapons—which all of the former Dragon Riders wore in plain sight—and money, the leader of the band spat a disgusting wad
of tobacco from his mouth and crustily demanded, "What's yer bizness in these parts?"
Before replying, Brom spoke into the minds of his eight friends, Let me handle this, please. Zadí, don't say anything. These men are as low as they come. Any smile from you or
Hanna will only mean trouble.
Then he calmly answered, "We are purchasing feed for our horses and provisions for our travels, sir."
The man scowled at Brom's perfectly articulate speech and unperturbed manner. "Mixed group, ye are. We rarely seen elves here 'bouts. Those are some handsome weapons ye
have. Where ye from?"
"We started our journey in Feinster," Brom selectively responded.
"Where ye headed?"
"Ilirea."
The deputy loudly guffawed and was joined by several of his men. Wiping his watery eyes, he declared, "Ilirea! Haven't ye heard what's been going on there? Fools ye are fer
headin' that way. Though her eminence might be pleased such a healthy group of young'uns be riding straight toward her lair, you won't get far. We heard rumor of some newfangled
vegetation blocking the gate to the main avenue."
"Is that so?" Brom replied in mild interest. "Well, we have also only heard rumors. Are you in good standing with her eminence? Perhaps you can give her word of our intentions."
The man's face paled. "Nah," he quickly protested, "no'un sees her eminence 'cept those she wants to see. And them's never alive long."
"I have a feeling she will want to see us," Brom casually remarked. "Perhaps we can take her a report of your performance in DrasLeona."
The ruffian shifted uncomfortably in his saddle. "I don't care fer yer attitude young man," he snapped. "P'raps we might relieve ya of yer weapons and take ye into custody fer the
night."
"If you feel it necessary," Brom allowed. "Though you might as well not go to the trouble. We would not still be your prisoners in the morning, nor would our horses or weapons
fetch the high price you are hoping."
Squinting suspiciously, the man growled, "Ye threatenin' me, young mister?"
"Not at all," Brom said. "Simply informing you of what would happen if you take us into custody. We would go willingly enough, but we haven't done anything wrong and so we
would also leave when we please. Unless you initiate violence, none of us would so much as lift a finger, though I can assure you that we all know how to use our weapons far more
efficiently than your men. But no prison or cell will hold us, which is why I said before that you may as well not go to the trouble."
The deputy again spat his protest and barked at Ajh, "Ye there, lower yer hood, if ye know what's good fer ya."
Ajh readily obeyed, and the man's eyes widened as recognition crossed his features. "Yer royal highness," he breathed. "Where're yer ma and da? And yer dragon?"
"I'm not sure where my parents currently are," Ajh replied. "My dragon left some months ago after she forgot that I was her Rider."
"I thought those weapons were too fancy fer a group of teenagers," the man muttered. "So were ye all once Dragon Riders? Her eminence boasts that the Dragon Riders are no more, and since we ain't seen no sign o' them or their dragons anywhere in Alagaёsia since last summer, we 'spect she's speakin' true."
"Seven of us once were," Brom confirmed. "The Shade spoke truly. Which is why were are riding horses. Now, may we conclude our business and be on our way? We have kept this
good farmer waiting long enough."
The deputy mumbled nervously before saying, "She mayn't like to hear that I let you off easy. P'raps she'd want to know yer so close."
"I can guarantee that she knows we are close," Brom reassured. "I would actually wager that she is expecting us, even hoping we soon arrive. I know you fear this Shade, and
rightly so, but if you allow us to ride on, we may extend you more mercy than we otherwise would have once the Shade is gone and things are back to normal. I doubt your law
enforcement efforts in DrasLeona have been above reproach, and the high queen will not tolerate such underhanded measures of keeping peace in her kingdom."
"A fine speech, pretty boy," the man snarled. "I git yer gist. Now ye are threatenin' me. No need for that. I'm not really in charge 'round here. Just answer to the sheriff, who works
fer the guv'ner. But if her eminence really is xpectin' ya, she might be more put out that we slowed ye up. Be off with ya!"
The man turned his horse and spurred it forward, his restless men falling in behind.
The farmer had fearfully witnessed the entire exchange. Now he shakily accepted the money Brom handed him and whispered, "You really were once a Dragon Rider?"
"Yes, sir."
"Is there any hope for us? For Alagaёsia?" the humble man questioned.
"There is always hope where people don't give up," Brom answered. "You may not be able to do much, but we can and we have a better chance of defeating the Shade than most. We will do our best to set everything right just as soon as we can. Thank you for dealing with us. We will ensure your safety as much as it is within our power."
The farmer nodded. "The provisions are in the barn."
"If you show us where, we can load them ourselves," Brom offered. "You can return to your family."
They quickly retrieved the supplies, and as they began to ride away, Brom cast several basic wards to protect the man's home and farm from vandalism. Then he removed any memory of their interaction from the peasant's mind to protect him from mental prying, replacing the true events with a scenario where the band of ruffians had surrounded the
believable cover and protect the man from any negative consequences of his goodwill.
Yet another exhausting month dragged by—the youth toiling through freezing snow and torrential rain—before they reached Ilirea. Their pace was infuriatingly slow, but they simply
could not accelerate it at all. Brom refused to counter any magical efforts that might be responsible for the weather conditions, arguing that they didn't know if the Shade or Tenga
was behind it all and that he didn't want either of them to have a clue of his abilities before they confronted them.
The most he consented to do—with Nefin and Hanna's assistance—was melt the snow each night when they stopped to camp, clearing ground for them to set up their tents and for
the horses to graze on. This measure was also necessary since they were crossing the uninhabited stretch of barren wilderness between DrasLeona and Ilirea and therefore had
fewer opportunities to obtain supplies at settlements along the way. And it was also useful in providing fresh water, since the water they carried was always solid ice.
The one advantage of the relentless glacial temperatures was that the Ramr River had frozen over, which allowed them to bridge the waterway without deviating from their direct
course.
But when they finally began crossing the plains and farmlands stretching out before Ilirea's wall, the youth quickly saw that their direct course had ended, though the setbacks
clearly hadn't.
A full mile before the gate to Ilirea's main avenue, their progress came to an abrupt halt. Extending away in front of them toward the city wall was a tall, dense tangle of
vegetation.
"What is this?" Will asked in confusion.
Ajh shrugged. "It wasn't here before. Perhaps this obstacle we've heard mention of? Another of Tenga's games? Or the Shade's?"
"There's an entrance," Nefin commented, not turning his attention away from the wall of shrubbery.
"Where?" Brom doubtfully questioned. "I don't see anything."
"Me neither," Hanna confessed.
"Here," Nefin confidently proclaimed, walking forward and a few steps past the seemingly impassable border of greenery. "It's an optical illusion."
Nefin glanced to either side of himself then jumped straight up and easily landed atop the eightfoot hedge. "This is a maze," he stated, drawing his sword to hack at the bush under
his feet. The blade bounced back, and Nefin lithely sprang from his perch to avoid falling off. "A maze we won't be able to cut our way through. It appears to be magically
protected."
"A maze?" Var dubiously repeated.
"Yes," Nefin verified. "A pathway extends away from me in both directions. I can see where it turns at either end."
"Why can't I see the opening?" Brom wondered. "I can usually sense things like that."
"Now that I'm inside," Nefin slowly began, "I can't use magic anymore. Maybe that's why you didn't notice. You rely on magic to perceive such subtleties. I just noticed because I've
trained my eyes and ears. Must be a tracker's thing."
Brom creased his brow and moved toward Nefin, turning his head aside and unconsciously cringing as he passed through the magical deception meant to disguise the entrance.
"It's so real," he admiringly breathed once he stood beside Nefin. "But I see exactly what you mean. I feel really helpless in here. I must rely on my magical abilities more than I
thought."
"You can't use magic in there?" Brin ascertained.
"Apparently not," Brom conceded, lifting his palm and attempting to light a small flame above the surface of his skin by muttering, "Brisingr." Nothing happened.
"Then let's just go around," Brin suggested. "It seems really risky to put ourselves in a situation where you, Nefin, and Hanna can't use magic, and the hedge only stretches a
handful of miles in either direction. I'm sure we could reach the border by nightfall and just make our way to the wall from there."
"Fine with me," Brom agreed, exiting the maze.
Nefin followed Brom out and they both loped off toward the distant boundary of the labyrinth, the others following on horseback.
By nightfall a few hours later, they hadn't reached the end of the long hedgerow. But the horses and youth were weary, so they put up camp for the night with the intention of
carrying on in the morning.
The next day, Nefin was nowhere to be seen when the others emerged for breakfast. Ajh told them that the elf hadn't come into their tent at all during the night, and they were
beginning to worry when Nefin ran into camp.
He quickly recovered his breath and said, "I continued along the maze all last night. It never ends but endlessly stretches on and on the same seemingly short distance ahead. It must be another type of optical illusion, but there's no point in going forward from here. Whoever designed this obstacle for us either hoped we would waste a lot of time trying to
go around or intended for us to go through."
Nefin grabbed a plate and served himself huge portions of the food Ajh had prepared. As he began devouring it, he went on, "I tried jumping up to the top and from one row of
hedges to the next, but I was only able to mount this outer edge. All of my efforts to proceed along the top surface were blocked by some invisible barrier. So that is also not an
option. And I don't think we should try to take the horses in there. It's bound to be dangerous, and there simply wouldn't be room to move quickly enough with nine large horses
lined up in a row. I doubt they could even fully turn around, and we would surely be doing some backtracking."
"But where will they stay?" Zadí worried. She and Hanna had a special way with the animals, who could perhaps sense the gentleness of their natures, and Zadí had grown very
fond of their steeds. Though now through the first three months of her pregnancy, it still didn't show, but Zadí had been as grateful as Keeta for the horses' constant service in
carrying her from place to place and through the awful weather. The first trimester of her pregnancy had been far more draining than she would have dreamed possible.
"I worry about leaving them with someone," Var responded. "The entrance to the maze is only a mile from the main city gate, so hopefully we won't be gone long. But if something
held us up, caring for nine horses is a lot to ask of someone in times like these. Plus, it might make them a target if any of our enemies attacked the animals to set us back."
"I hate to think of them or anyone being in danger," Zadí fretted. "What can we do?"
"I suppose we can picket them in a secluded place in the forest with plenty of grass to graze on and a stream nearby," Brom ventured. "Perhaps the unnatural weather will relent
while we are playing the Shade's little game and she has her focus on us. Or I can cast some wards to keep it warm enough that the water won't freeze. We'll leave them with their
blankets and surround them with protective spells. That might be the best we can do."
"It's better than nothing," Zadí said. "If at all possible, no matter what happens here in Ilirea, we need to return the horses to Frederick and Marta on our way back to the ship."
Brom and Var nodded their agreement, along with some of the others. So once they finished their breakfast, they rode the horses about halfway back toward the opening in the
hedge wall and found a location in the surrounding forest that served their purpose. Everyone who owned any donned their armor. They also brought their shields and weapons.
After doing all they could to ensure the horses' safety and comfort, the nine friends covered the remaining distance on foot.
They arrived at the maze's entrance just before midday.
"We better be able
to use these in there," Brin nervously muttered, twirling one of her daggers in her hand as they stood and regarded the hidden opening.
"I experimented with that," Nefin said. "I could shoot my arrows without any trouble, though nothing I did damaged the bushes themselves. But I hope our weapons will otherwise
serve us."
"Yes," Brin shortly agreed. "Or we're dead. Without magic or weapons, we're nine regular kids."
"You can fight really well with your whole body," Brom reminded. "We'll just pit you against any threats we happen across."
"Thanks," Brin dryly retorted. "Let's go. I can't stand just waiting here."
Since Nefin was the only one who could discern the entry, everyone followed him into the maze.
"How can you even see it?" Keeta questioned.
"I don't see it as much as smell it," Nefin explained. "The real bushes smell like living things. Where there aren't any, it smells like air. But magic also creates a certain sensory
effect on the physical environment. I don't know how to describe it, but it's almost like a buzz or a hum. Inaudible even to an elf unless they've trained themselves to be aware of
it."
"Impressive," Keeta admired.
Nefin shrugged. "Maybe I'll finally be useful as a tracker."
"It goes without saying that you will lead out," Brom said. "How about the rest of us? We won't necessarily have to walk single file unless you think it best. I'm only going to be
useful as a fighter in here."
"I want Brin up here by me," Nefin directed. "She has the quickest fighting reflexes besides me. Then Keeta. She'll be best for potential lower threats or maneuvering through tight
spots. Will next. We might need some height and brute strength close to the front. Then Ajh and Hanna. Ajh, protect my little sister."
Ajh nodded firmly.
"Zadí and Var next, with Var behind," Nefin continued. "I know Var wouldn't have it any other way, and we also need someone tall and muscular back there. Brom stay beside Var.
You two are the rearguard. Any questions?"
Everyone shook their heads. "Be as quiet as you can," Nefin requested. "I'm going to be listening for that magical hum I just mentioned, and I also want to be able to hear any other
The Black Morass Page 16