Ben shrugged, "I know they have some of the most amazing sights, that their food is beyond anything we have ever tasted, oh and the way they have fun," he shook his head, beaming, "I hear there is this tall mountain and people climb to its peak and then they slide over on a rope, could you imagine the thrill?"
Nyla rolled her eyes, as Deswald replied, "this is a rescue mission, not a field trip, we have a day’s ride before we get to the dark forest. Once we get in there, there’s no telling how long it will take us to get out.”
“I have heard men have wandered in circles there for days,” Ben interjected.
“We cannot let that happen to us,” Deswald said, “If we hurry, we might be able to get to them before they get into the city. Prince Jasper said it is absolutely important that we not succumb to fear, regardless of what we see. Just remember that they are all illusions.”
“Well I guess we are the people for the job then, right Nyla?”
Nyla looked over at him in annoyance before returning her attention to the road ahead.
“El is with us,” Deswald added, “Until then we would all do well to remember the gravity of this mission and ride as hard as we can until we get to the border."
He dug his heel into Ryder's side, "ya!"
✽ ✽ ✽
Ruby opened her eyes to Serin's handsome face, having felt the weight of his hand on her shoulder as he gently shook her from her prayers. He smiled as she sat up from lounging against a tree.
"Hello beautiful, birthday cheer to you."
Ruby blushed, as he reached out his hand to pluck a dry leaf from her blouse, "did I mention that you have beautiful eyes?"
She smiled, "yes, and elbows as well."
“Why did you wander away from the camp fire?”
Ruby lowered her gaze and Serin frowned.
“What is it? Oh do I embarrass you by asking about your private business,” he slapped his forehead, “why did I not consider that you were merely relieving yourself.”
Ruby pulled his hand from his head and smiled, “oh I am not embarrassed about that… well only a little,” she said, “I was… I was praying. It is customary to bring offerings to El on one’s day of birth. I had nothing to bring but my prayers.”
Serin frowned, “we are no longer in Aldor Ruby, you can do as you please. You do not have to bring offerings to El ever again if you do not want to.”
“But this pleases me Serin,” she frowned, “are you no longer going to believe in El because we are no longer in Aldor?”
Serin shrugged, “I have not given it much thought, I do know the last thing on my mind is sneaking away to pray to a God we have not heard from for years.”
Ruby sighed, “I did not know you felt that way.”
“Hey, it is okay Ruby. Our beliefs do not have to align in Dravia, I hear there are many silent gods there. El will fit in easily among them.”
Ruby gasped, “careful Serin!” Serin laughed, “it is a joke Ruby. It is okay if you wish to pray. But please do not sneak away to do it. It is not safe.”
He chuckled, and lifted a sack toward her, "hungry? This is the best birthday present I can offer for now."
Ruby rolled her eyes at him but nodded. "Famished," she finally replied. They had been riding non-stop since they had managed to make it past the city gate later last night. Morning had found them just about to cross the Aldorian border. It surprised her how easy Serin managed to evade the soldiers who made their rounds there. He had really planned their escape well. He had credited it with all the time he had to himself while being locked up in the dungeon.
"I promise to get you a better present when we get to Aldor. But we must eat quickly," he said, hunkering down next to her, "we need to get moving. Until we get behind the gates of the city we are not safe. Not from your father and not from the dangers lurking about.”
Ruby sighed.
"What is it my love?"
She shrugged, "are you sure we are doing the right thing. I keep thinking about Haydward, are you sure he is okay?"
Serin scooted closer to her and pulled her close, "it is the only way we could be together, that is what you want is it not?"
She turned and considered his dark eyes, "yes," she said, "but..."
"Then there are no buts" he interrupted and pulled her even closer for a kiss. That was all the convincing she needed for now, being in Serin's arms seemed to push all her insecurities away and the anguish of hurting her family seemed to fade from her heart to make room for the love this man had to offer.
“And as for Haydward,” he said taking a bite of his own fruit, “I have wanted to do that from the first time I saw him look at you with those beady eyes.”
“Serin!”
He chuckled, “If I had known you felt the same way about me, I would have approached you sooner.”
Ruby laughed, “so you say.”
“Well we shall never know, for you my love were quite the eager beaver,” he countered.
“You kissed me remember.”
He nodded, suddenly sobering, “That I did. Now hurry and eat, we need to move.”
Ruby frowned at the sudden change but thought it wise to comply, “are you sure we are going the right way?” she asked as she bit into a crisp pear.
Serin nodded, his attention on a yellowing piece of parchment, “I have had this map a while now. Just waiting for the right opportunity to use it.”
He looked over at her, “I am glad that opportunity was you.”
She blushed, hiding her smile in a bite of her pear, “me too.”
“It outlines a path that will help us avoid going through the heart of the dark forest. There is a path where Dravian guards make regular rounds. If we ask for passage into Dravia they can get us safely in without facing the dark Forest.”
“That sounds great Serin, but how can we be sure they will take us in. We are Aldorian.”
Serin sat up, stooping before her so he could hold her gaze, “we are making the right decision Ruby, we can be together. No rules, no guards and captains and… higher standards,” he mocked.
“They will let us in. I know it, many people escape to Dravia.”
“And many never get out,” Ruby countered, “what if we change our mind and we do not want to live in Dravia?”
Serin sighed, “we will figure something out… together.”
Ruby nodded and managed to smile past the feeling of discomfort in her heart, “I trust you Serin.”
He smiled, “good. Come now, let us get going.”
CHAPTER 10
Far beyond the boundaries of the great kingdom of Aldor, Deswald, Nyla and Ben finally succumbed to their need for rest. They had been riding hard for the length of a day and would soon enter into the dark forest. But even at the forest’s edge something sinister lingered in the air. They had found no trace of the Princess and her companion until now.
Deswald used his boot to scatter the poorly hidden remains of a campfire, his jaw set hard, he had hoped to find them already but the task he had so willingly signed up for was proving more difficult than he had expected. Serin had to have been planning this for some time, even with a map the way to Dravia was a difficult one. They had gotten lost during the night and had spent most of the morning getting back on the path. But it seemed that Serin and Ruby had made no wrong turns and were well on their way to their destination.
"They were here," Deswald said, leaning down to inspect the brown remains of fruit.
"Then we must not be very far," said Nyla, "we should press on."
Deswald shook his head, "they are moving very fast, clearly Serin knows what he is doing," he said, "and our horses need refreshing, let us take a break from our saddles. We have to prepare for the possibility that this journey may very well take us to Dravia."
Nyla held his gaze for a moment, not hiding her disagreement with his decision but there was no denying who was the leader on this mission. Ben came over and hunkered down on a bulging root and proceeded to re-stri
ng his bow.
"I have no problem with that," he muttered.
Nyla rolled her eyes and dismounted, "of course you do not," she said.
Ben looked up at her, "and what have I done to you?" he inquired, the smirk on his lips revealing that he was not being as serious as the question seemed to be. She pointed at his face and made a circular motion with her hand, "that is my problem," she said, "you cannot even pose a simple confrontational question. Some of us should be so lucky to have the captain of the guard for a father."
Ben twisted his lips, "you think my father's position earned me a spot in the military?"
Deswald sighed, the pained expression on Ben's face was not something you saw every day, but Nyla tended to have that effect on people. Ben had always been very sensitive about his relation to the captain of the guard. Since he was a pledge he had to endure jabs like this, coupled with his mixed heritage, it had not been an easy journey for Ben. Deswald felt like Ben had grown to truly believe that he was where he was because of his father. He often doubted his ability to be anything much when it came to the Royal Army, but Deswald could think of no other archer he would trust to cover him in battle. They had both aspired to become centuries, not only was it the closest they could get to Knighthood but it meant more responsibilities, more adventure, more opportunity and more prestige.
Having a father working for the Royal Army as the chief weapons craftsman, had always pointed Deswald in a similar direction, hence he was very crafty himself. However, from the very first time Deswald had witnessed the Aldorian Knights marching into the city after completing a mission, he had known he wanted to be a soldier like they were, losing his father the way he did, had only confirmed it.
Nyla directed her comment toward Deswald, returning his attention to the current topic of conversation, “notice Des, I did not say anything to that effect. Ben said it himself.”
"Alright guys, let us not fight amongst ourselves," he said.
Nyla scoffed, "who is fighting?"
"No need arguing over the truth," Ben muttered, too low for any of his colleagues to discern as he bowed his head over his bow.
✽ ✽ ✽
The prince watched as the hunched over creature wheeled his seer's ball before him, the impish creature avoided his heavily lined eyes as was customary and the prince averted his eyes from his grotesque frame as was his habit. He arose from his gold chair, pushing aside his velvet cloak as he made his way to his subject's side.
"What do you have for me?"
He asked, barely looking at the three bony creatures standing beside him. Despite their general usefulness to him, the prince always thought the seer brothers were an eyesore to his surroundings. Like the king’s council, it was another thing he had to endure, until he could have things his way. Once he was fully in control of Dravia, things would change, and the ugly imps would have their very own temple, where they could serve Maldeev openly under his unchallenged reign. Then he would be free of their haunting presence.
"Look your high one," came the raspy reply. The prince leaned forward and peered at the ball, within its depths he could see the objects of the creepy creatures’ alarm.
He straightened up, "Well look at that, Kalgary’s little soldier came through after all. Is that… is that really her?” he leaned closer to the ball, turning his head this way and that at the blurry image in the ball.
The monks nodded, clearly proud of themselves, “yes yes, master. She is the one.”
The prince straightened up and smiled, “finally the pieces are falling into place.”
“We have one small problem master,” one of the brother’s interjected, shrinking under the prince’s cold glare.
“What?” he demanded. With a wave of the creature’s bony hand, the image in the glass ball shifted and three figures emerged.
“They are from Aldor," he said, "I would know king Kalgary's little foot soldiers anywhere, so much for his little peace treaty."
"You do know that treaty has nothing to do with Dravia, my high one, especially if you corrupt his daughter."
The handsome prince bared his teeth at him, "I did not permit you to speak. Remember, there are two more of you that would prove just as useful. As for corrupting Kalgary’s daughter, we all know, she is no such thing. Just another of Kalgary’s schemes to retain his power. Even if we did not sign their treaty, there is an unspoken principle that Aldorians live by. And if they break it with us, it will be easy to convince other kingdoms that they are not safe from an Aldorian invasion because of a piece of paper.”
The brothers nodded, “yes master, so wise you are.”
He continued, “Still I am not worried about these... children. The Feelers will take care of them, they are dead men already," he leaned forward again, with a hint of amusement on his pale face, "Oh my mistake, that one is a woman."
He waved his hand before the ball and the image of the young heroes faded into a white cloud to be replaced with another.
The prince smiled widely, "Oh yes" he crooned, "our guests are here. Send some men to the meeting point and prepare our accommodations," he commanded turning on his heels.
✽ ✽ ✽
Ruby and Serin rode in silence even as the cool morning morphed into the sweltering heat of midday. Ruby’s mind was still burdened with her decision, Serin had gotten them both horses to make the journey easier, he had planned everything out, all Ruby had had to do was escape. Only now she wondered how he had managed to put this together so quickly, especially from prison. But as she looked over at him, as he rode beside her, his eyes scanning the area around them, she knew that he was a man who made things happen. He was so handsome, so strong and dependable, she thought, watching the way he kept his hand on his sword.
She too had brought along her weapon, dressed practically in the leather trousers she wore for training, with boots reaching just beneath her knees and a loose cool blouse with a coat. Being with Serin dulled the guilt she felt over fleeing the castle, she could imagine her father's grief, his anger and poor Bianca, she must feel utterly betrayed. She sighed but she had to do what was necessary for Serin's sake and for the kingdom's sake. Aldor would be much better without her. Once she came of age, the king would have to begin seeking a worthy match for her and preparations would have to be made for her future. It would open her up to close assessment by the council, and she doubted a stylish head wrap would be able to keep her secret hidden from the people of Aldor, for much longer. Not only was she not the king’s blood, but she was an anomaly, an unknown, she had no people, no history and people tended to fear what they did not understand. She knew this for a fact, for she too lived every day in fear of finding out who she truly was. It must be something truly terrible for her father to think it best to keep it from even her.
Suddenly her eyes picked up movement at the edge of the forest. The path they had taken had somehow taken them around it and not through it. But to her surprise she saw a figure standing there looking right at her. It was a man, but what scared her was the fact that he looked like her. It was the first time she had seen someone with similar features, the honey toned skin, thick cherry red hair. The man was well built and dressed only in a trouser torn at the knees. She gasped as slowly blood started flowing from his head, down his face and onto his shoulders. She felt a chill run through her and she stopped her horse abruptly.
“Ruby?”
She could hear Serin calling her name, but she could not look away. She felt pain like fresh heart break as tears flowed from her eyes onto her cheeks.
“Serin look,” she cried, raising her hand to point at the bloody man. She felt Serin grab hold of her raised hand and inserted himself into her line of sight.
“Ruby look at me!” he demanded. “Serin!” She cried again. He grabbed hold of her face and turned it away from what she was seeing. When her eyes focused on his face, she blinked and fresh tears flowed down her cheek.
“It is not real my love,” he said, affectionately strokin
g her cheek.
“But…”
“It is not real. It is an illusion, do not look that way, we will soon be past it. Okay?”
She nodded jerkily, “okay.”
He stayed at her side as they urged their horses forward again, “we are almost there, just keep your eyes forward.”
They rode in silence for a while again. Ruby was still affected by what had happened, she was still confused and shaken up. She was not even aware of how far they had ridden or how long they had to go until Serin reached out to her again.
"Look sharp my love. I think we are here."
Ruby frowned, “are you sure? It does not look much different,’ she said, shaking off the feeling of horror that had descended upon her.
“Look we have company,” Serin said, sending a reassuring smile her way, “trust me Ruby, let me do the speaking.”
Two men were approaching them, and from the emblems on their breast plates Ruby could tell that they were not from Aldor. There was no turning back now.
"Good day," Serin greeted, "we come in peace, seeking..."
He stopped short, his face contorting into a look of shock. Ruby's eyes grew wide, as she realized what had happened. A blue tipped dart was stuck to his arm and she watched as he slumped forward on his horse. Instinctively she drew her sword, but it felt like lead in her hand, she groaned, feeling a pinch on her neck.
"Oh no," she muttered as her sword fell from her hands, the men were walking toward them now, bending and dancing out of shape, she felt her eyelids grow heavy and her mouth felt like she had swallowed cotton just before her world went dark.
CHAPTER 11
Ben looked at Deswald over the tip of the arrow he was examining, "Sooo, which one of the twins are we rescuing again?"
It did not take him long to return to his old self after Nyla had stomped all over his self-confidence just moments ago.
Deswald stepped back from roasting the critter he had caught, "I cannot believe you are on this journey without knowing who we are trying to find," he said.
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