"There's the path." Jarom pointed out the faint game trail partially concealed by a large grove of ferns.
"It's not surprising we missed it when passing." Jacom commented with a frown. He pointed to the faint outline of a footprint in the soft soil of the path. "Someone passed this way recently. It seems our young friend spoke the truth."
"Let's get moving." Damion nudged Storm with his heel, and led the great beast along the scarcely visible trail that led into Teirsia.
The overgrown path proved to be far more difficult to navigate than the trade road, slowing their progress considerably. They pressed on, however, moving as quickly as they could without endangering the horses, keeping their eyes open for side paths that Leia's abductors may have used to throw them off the trail.
It was early evening when Damion finally called for them to halt in a small clearing that was bordered by a narrow stream.
"Someone camped out here recently." Sly pointed out the remnants of a small campfire. He slipped down from his saddle and examined the ashes closely. "It's no more than a few hours old." He scanned the soft earth carefully. "It looks like two horses and two adults," He pointed to a footprint near the edge of the stream. "and there was a child with them." He turned and gave the others a tight grin. "I think it's safe to say they were here less than twenty four hours ago."
"We're gaining on them then." Damarius groaned as he slid down from his horse. "If we're lucky, we may catch up with them in the next day or so."
"Are there any cities between us and the highland temples?" Damion asked the twins, staring at the child's footprint with sad eyes.
"The only major city in Teirsia is Teir." Jacom answered with a frown.
"It's about forty leagues to the northeast." Jarom added wearing an identical frown. "We will have to pass through it on our way to the highlands. It would take far too long to bypass, and the witch will surely cut through the city in the hopes that we lose her trail, or are delayed by the Teirsians."
"What should we expect in Teir?" Sly asked, pulling himself back up into his saddle.
The twins both frowned and shook their heads.
"It's hard to say." Jacom told him. "The Teirsians aren't the most welcoming of people, but they still have a fairly large commerce system in place. Merchants from all over travel there to sell their weapons and armor."
"Teirsia has the largest standing army in the world," Jarom explained. "Every male from the age of six is enlisted and trained as a soldier. It takes a lot of equipment to arm them all, so they were forced to create a huge market to accommodate all of the merchants and armorers who set up shop to hawk their wares."
Damarius nodded. "Their demand for weapons inadvertently turned the market in Teir into one of the largest in the world. The city is enormous, stretching for miles, and almost half of that is devoted solely to the markets."
"Who rules the Teirsians?" Raven asked curiously.
"Their king." The old wizard answered with a frown. "He is a fearsome warrior who rules over his people with an iron fist."
"Teirsians only respect those who have proven their worth and prowess as a warrior." Jarom told them in a scholarly tone.
"Their most fearsome warrior is king." Jacom continued in the exact same scholarly tone. "Every year they hold a huge tournament pitting the best warriors in the country against one another. The fiercest warrior is always elevated to king."
"Who is king now?" Raven inquired, her expression worried.
"King Mika the Cruel." The twins answered in grim voices. "He has been their king for over twenty years now. They say he has never been defeated in battle."
"Sounds like a pleasant fellow." Sly grunted sardonically.
Damion glanced at the setting sun. "Let's get moving. We can still get a few more miles behind us before we stop for the night."
************
"The horse has died," Boris reported in an emotionless tone. "and the other won't make it much farther without rest."
"How much further is it until we reach Teir?" The witch hissed, staring angrily at the beast which had collapsed beneath her.
"At least twenty more leagues, Mistress."
The dark haired young woman snarled. "We need to reach the city. Once we are within its walls, it should be an easy thing to disappear within its depths."
"We're going to stop in Teir?" Boris asked in surprise.
"The Dragon Lord is far too close for comfort. I don't wish to lead them directly to our temples, and need to distract them so we can escape. We will be safe once we reach the highlands. The temples are virtually impossible to locate by an outsider. Once they loose our trail in the city, they'll spend the next ten years wandering aimlessly through the highlands, hopelessly lost."
"How are we going to distract them from our trail?"
The young woman shook her head. "Set up camp for the night, and start a fire. Once the child is busy eating, I'll attempt to commune with the elder spirits for guidance." She gave the little girl a look of disgust.
The child stared back at her with contempt, flexing her tiny little fingers as if girl wished nothing more than to wrap them around her throat and choke the life from her captor.
She idly noticed the elaborate dragon pendant that dangled from the young child's neck, and the strange shifting gem that looked much like the eye of a dragon. Yet another reminder of the man who had been hounding their every step.
They had been running for weeks now in a desperate attempt to put some distance between themselves and their pursuers, but it seemed no mattered how hard they tried, the Dragon Lord and his companions somehow managed to continue to close the distance.
She leaned wearily against a nearby rock formation and closed her eyes. Weeks of little sleep, in combination with the nearly overpowering need to feed, was making her weak.
"As soon as I have fed the child, I'll go off in search of the closest farm." Boris murmured, glancing up from the fire he had just built. "You need to feed, and we'll need new horses."
The young woman didn't answer.
The enormous man stared at his mistress for several long moments, his expression emotionless, then he returned to preparing a meal for himself and the young girl.
Once the girl was busy devouring the crude meal he prepared, the young woman disappeared into the darkness to attempt to commune with the spirits. When she returned, she was so weak she could hardly stand. "The spirits have advised me of what our next move should be," She mumbled weakly. "but first I need to feed."
Boris quickly led her towards the warmth of their tiny fire, then hurried off into the darkness in search of the closest village or farm. He returned an hour or so later, winded and out of breath. "There is a secluded farm less than two miles from here where you can feed, Mistress." He reported, immediately setting about breaking down their camp. "There are only four of them, but they should be enough to help you regain your strength. They also have the supplies and fresh horses that we will need to continue." He helped the young woman woman up into the saddle, then lifted the child into his arms, ignoring her cries of protest, and led the way into the darkness.
Chapter 16
"There appears to be an abandoned farm just to the west of here." Snowfeather told Damion as he swooped down from the darkness above. "It should be a suitable place to stop for the evening."
"Snowfeather says there's an abandoned farm to the west of here." Damion reported to the others, who looked as weary as he felt. "It should be suitable enough for our purposes."
"Thank the gods!" Sly groaned in exhaustion. "I'm not sure how much further I can go."
It was late, and they had been searching for a suitable place to set up camp for several hours since the twins had been reluctant to set up camp in the open, fearing alerting any Teirsian patrols to their presence.
"We should not trust those that we encounter in these lands." Jacom had warned them in a quiet voice.
"Any Teirsians that the witch encounters will surely be ordered
to search us out and kill us," Jarom cautioned. "and most of them will obey to avoid angering the spirits."
After hours of searching without locating a sight that met the twins' approval, Damion had finally grown tired of looking, and sent the enormous snow owl to scout around for a well secluded site for them to stop for the night.
They quickly followed Snowfeather to the isolated farmstead located a mile or so from the main trade route, and sighed in weary relief when it finally appeared through the darkness.
The main farmhouse was constructed from heavy stone collected from the area, and fit tightly together with mortar. A huge barn stood nearby, constructed from huge timbers that had been painstakingly shaped and fitted together. A corral had been built outside of the barn, and was bordered by a number of smaller outbuildings.
Sly swung down from his saddle and hurried inside. "It's abandoned," He reported, reappearing a moment later with a troubled look on his face. "but it hasn't been for very long."
The others disappeared inside, while Damion took the horses to the barn and removed their saddles and packs. Once they had been watered and fed, he made his way into the farm house to find the others quickly making themselves at home.
"There's no trace of whoever used to dwell here." Raven told him with a frown. "It's like they just disappeared."
"Or were consumed." Damarius suggested, a knowing look on his face. "We've been hot on the witch's heels, giving her very little time to rest. It also takes a lot of energy to commune with the spirits, especially when you delve into the depths of the underworld, as she has been doing. I have the feeling that the poor souls who once called this place home are no longer among the living."
Damion frowned, then looked around at the interior of the spacious farmhouse. It was little more than a large open room with the different areas of the home separated by large wooden partitions. One area separated from the others had a number of beautifully carved beds, while another area was obviously used to prepare their meals. The largest area was reserved for the common area, which was centered around a huge fireplace that still had hot coals burning amongst the ashes.
"It's no more than a few hours old." Jarom reported with a tired smile.
"It looks as though we're gaining on our quarry." Jacom agreed with a yawn. "I wouldn't be surprised if they were no more than a few miles ahead of us."
"Where did Sly disappear to?" Raven asked as she began rummaging through the stores in the kitchen area in search of provisions.
"He said he wanted to check out those outbuildings." Damarius grunted wearily. "I think he's trying to find worth stealing."
The little man came stumping into the house a few minutes later with several dead chickens, and a small barrel under one arm. "I found a chicken coop full of chickens, and a small brewery set up in one of those outbuildings. I thought maybe some roast chicken with something other than water to wash it down with would be a nice change from travel rations."
Raven smiled in delight, quickly cleaning the birds and setting them on spits over the fire. She also found several loafs of bread, and some freshly churned butter stored in a small cabinet at the back of the kitchen.
They were soon dining on roasted chicken and washing it down with large amounts of the tasty flavored ale.
"This is good stuff." Sly burped, dipping his tankard into the barrel happily.
"Better go easy on that stuff." The twins warned the little man, refilling their own tankards. "There's not much left."
"Nonsense." The scruffy little man waved his hand dismissively. "There are a half a dozen more barrels out in the brewer's shed."
"Just make sure you don't get too drunk." Damion cautioned in a tired voice. "We need to be ready to move first thing in the morning."
"Relax," The little man reassured him. "I'll be ready when it's time to move out."
They all sat back comfortably, and one by one, fell into a deep sleep, save for Damion, who decided to step back outside and stand watch while the others rested.
Though he was exhausted, Damion knew that sleep would be elusive. His mind was a whirlwind of anger and frustration knowing that they could be within just a few miles of his daughter and her abductors. He desperately wished to press on and ignore the fact that they were all completely exhausted, but he knew he needed to remain calm. It would do Leia no good if they were to finally locate their quarry, only to be too tired to rescue her.
He sat down with his back against the cool stone of the farmhouse and sighed heavily. He glanced up into the clear autumn night, his eyes automatically searching out the void which once held the stars making up the constellation of the dragon god.
He stared with boiling fury at the void which once held the deity that was responsible for his only daughter's abduction, but was soon distracted by a new group of stars that twinkled on the horizon, stars that he had never seen before. He stared at them for several long moments, puzzled by their strange appearance. He knew every constellation in the sky, having learned the art of astronomy from Damarius as a child, and he knew for certain that he had never seen these stars before.
After several moments of quiet thought, he suddenly realized that he did know these stars. This was the constellation of Estheryal, the Serpent Mother. He could suddenly feel Her gaze as She looked down from Her place in the heavens. Her chilling warning ran through his mind, sending his pulse racing. If he couldn't save Leia from the dragon god, he must sacrifice her to save the rest of mankind. The thought of such an act brought tears to his eyes, and he knew without a doubt that he could never bring himself to murder his only child. He would rather see the world around him destroyed, than to allow her to be killed.
"I will not kill my only child," Damion growled at the twinkling constellation, knowing his quiet words would be carried on the wind up to the deity above. "I would rather see the world destroyed, than murder my own daughter! I will save Leia, and destroy the witch who dared to abduct her. With the witch dead, and Leia safe, this world will have nothing to fear from Draco!" His eyes flashed red with fury.
The sudden soft rustle of feathers drew his attention to Snowfeather, who came gliding in from the darkness on silent wings, and landed on a nearby branch, a rat dangling from his beak. "Shouldn't you be trying to get some rest?" He chirped, gulping the rodent down whole.
"I can't sleep knowing we're so close to overtaking the witch that has my daughter." Damion murmured aloud, tearing his gaze from the heavens. "Did you see any sign of them?"
"Nay," The huge owl hooted, drifting down to land lightly on his knee. "but there are numerous farms in the area. They could be hiding in any one of them."
"They're close," Damion grumbled, feeling his frustration growing once more. "and the witch knows we're right behind her. I can almost feel her desperation, and smell her fear. She's close, and she knows we're right on her heels."
"I'll continue to search while I'm out hunting." The huge owl promised, launching himself back into the air, and disappearing into the darkness. "Just calm down, and try to get a little rest."
The huge warrior watched as his friend glided off into the darkness, then, with one last glance at the constellation of Estheryal, he slowly made his way back inside of the farmhouse to try to get some rest.
He awoke the next morning to the smell of sizzling bacon and freshly cooked eggs. After eating as much as they could, and taking as many provisions that they could carry from the abandoned farmhouse, they gathered in the corral outside of the barn.
"I finally found the former residents' stash of coin." Sly reported happily, holding up a large pouch in one hand. "They had it hidden in a small compartment in the floor near the rear of the farmhouse."
"Have you no shame?" Raven asked in disgust, staring at the little man with disbelief in her eyes.
"What?" He asked defensively. "The people who used to live here won't be returning for it. We may as well put it to good use."
The young woman didn't reply, but merely stared at him in d
isapproval.
"We need to be cautious as we continue towards Teir." Jacom reminded everyone as they started off towards the trade road. "We'll be encountering more Teirsian patrols as we draw closer to Teir."
"The witch will surely send every patrol that she encounters after us," Jarom added, his tone worried. "and they will obey to avoid displeasing the spirits."
They arrived back at the trade road a few minutes later, then immediately set off at a brisk trot, with Snowfeather drifting high overhead on the lookout for danger.
The first two Teirsian patrols they encountered that morning passed them by without a second glance, much to the companions' relief. Each patrol consisted of forty heavily armored warriors, grim faced, and armed to the teeth. The companions followed the twins' example and moved their horses off of the road to allow the patrols to pass, all the while, preparing themselves for an attack.
Omensent: Wrath of a Dragon God Page 26