“Incredible,” he thought. “We did it.” Then, suddenly, he heard a noise. He turned his head and spotted one last noruk racing away from the battle.
“Over there!” cried the boy. “One is escaping! Don’t let him get away!” If the monster managed to reach his encampment, he would certainly tell them about Glaide, and who knew what would happen then? No one was close enough to reach the noruk, though, and besides, they were all exhausted. Then, however, the adolescent saw a soldier calmly reach for a crossbow that he carried on his back. With a confident gesture, he took a moment to load it with a bolt, then he took aim. After what seemed like an eternity, Glaide heard the string make a twanging sound, propelling its deadly projectile toward its target... and it mowed the creature down easily. The bolt passed through the neck of the creature, killing it instantly. The young man released a great sigh of relief and then, quickly, everyone headed toward the road, the unscathed supporting the wounded. From a distance, they noted a small group of rocks where they could sit and evaluate the damage done. Upon their arrival, they found themselves rejoicing, because they hadn’t lost a single man.
“The noruks were overconfident,” declared Kezthrem simply.
“Aras be thanked,” replied one soldier. After a quick examination, they counted a few minor injuries, and one or two more serious ones. No one seemed to be in critical condition, though, for the time being. Glaide remembered then that he still carried his provision of herbs from Shinozuka, which he had never yet had to use. He hurried to pass them out to Kezthrem and to the soldiers to disinfect wounds and stop bleeding. Then, they made bandages from what they had on hand. As they worked, Glaide’s group learned that their compatriots, too, had been chased by noruks. At first, they’d decided to ignore them, but as they saw the number grow, they became worried. Luck had smiled upon them, however, and they’d come across a contingent of elves coming to lend the temple a hand. Thanks to their chance allies, they’d managed to destroy their enemies without difficulty. Once they’d finished with their first aid efforts, Kezthrem spoke.
“My friends, thank you for your help. I never thought our enemy would send so many troops after us, and that doesn’t bode well for the battle that is about to take place at the temple. For that reason, I have to ask you to start back immediately.”
“Kezthrem, we’re supposed to escort you miles farther than this.”
“I know. But soon, our enemy will realize that their troops are late in returning, and then they will send additional contingents to see what has happened, or they will block access to the temple, in which case you won’t be able to get back. Besides, there are the injured men, some of whom need immediate care.”
“If you’re sure...”
“I am.” Glaide nodded, too, backing up his master’s words.
“In that case, yes, we’ll leave you. Good luck!” Without further ado, the men gathered together and started back at a moderate pace, so as not to exhaust the injured. As they disappeared over the horizon, Glaide sighed deeply.
“That’s quite a start for our journey,” he muttered.
Chapter 21
“WE shouldn’t stay here,” Kezthrem announced. With that, he started down the road heading north, which intrigued his disciple, who’d thought they’d return through Ojilon, toward the south.
“Master, aren’t we going back to your house?”
“Yes, but we won’t take the same way back. First, we’re heading to Vlatendire, which we should reach in a couple of days. There, we will rent horses to return to Ojilon. We’ll have to pass near Zakorth again, but thanks to the horses, we won’t have to stop there.”
“Umm... I should probably tell you that I don’t know how to ride...”
“I know, but we don’t have much choice. We shouldn’t take the time for a long detour around Zakorth, and I refuse to spend the night in that area again. Don’t worry. I’ll ask for gentle mounts.” With that, the man smiled, and Glaide thought he could discern a slightly mocking note in the smile. “This should be quite the journey,” he thought resignedly. The idea of riding didn’t excite him at all. As long as they stayed at a slow trot, he’d be fine, but if they had to gallop... Once more, he made a mental note to learn to ride properly as soon as he had a chance, but this wouldn’t exactly be a good opportunity for that.
For the moment, however, he was once more enjoying the open road. The day was just beginning, but Glaide thought to himself that it had already been a full one. Nonetheless, he took up his spot next to his master, and the two walked on, both lost in their thoughts. The young man hoped that in the days to come, he would once again have the chance to have some real conversations with Kezthrem.
The two travelers walked at a calm pace. They had no reason to hurry before they reached the village. As the man said, there would be plenty of time to rush once they were riding past Zakorth. As the hours passed by, the boy tried to glean a bit more information on Vlatendire. He learned that it had been an important city in the past, but over the course of the years since the time of Novak the Liberator, it had lost importance bit by bit, and had grown smaller at the same time. Today, it was no longer perceived as anything more than a village near the eastern border, instead of a city at the crossroads of the different races that peopled this world. However, there were still a respectable number of inhabitants, and it was still much larger than Adrish or Ojilon. Kezthrem estimated that it was similar in size to Morthiaz.
Glaide thought then that he was rather like a tourist. He had already been to most of the towns marked on the map, and he felt like he’d toured them all. He knew, though, that there were many smaller towns and villages that didn’t appear on the map, and that many appeared, only to disappear again after a few years. Besides that, there were many tiny villages, like the one he’d passed through on the way to the temple. That made him realize just how much he’d gotten around in seven months.
Around noon, the master and the disciple decided to stop to eat. They had been given enough provisions from the temple to last for several days, so they made no attempt to ration them. They took the time to enjoy their meal while chatting about this and that, and Glaide even got to take a short nap. Their early departure and the fierce battle that morning had left him feeling exhausted, and he knew one needed to be well-rested to travel far on foot.
They continued on their way mid-afternoon. The young man quickly found a natural rhythm and let his mind wander, abandoning himself to the serenity that came with not having to worry about anything.
After a little while, Kezthrem mentioned that they would probably reach Vlatendire the next evening. He added that it was unlikely they’d come across any homes in the area, so they’d have to spend the night outside. Though that was typical in long journeys like the ones they so often made, Glaide couldn’t help but miss the idea of a real bed. Nonetheless, that also meant he’d be more likely to get to speak with his master, which he found encouraging.
The day passed without any further incident than the battle they’d had at dawn. Thinking back on it, the adolescent wondered to himself if the monsters had already launched their assault on the temple or not. In the end, though, the exact date of the battle probably didn’t matter, and Ralon had been very confident, so there was no reason to worry. It would be better for Glaide to concentrate on the future, and not on the past. That thought brought the last words of Koeris back to his mind. He decided to mention them to Kezthrem while he began to light a fire in the center of a plain, marked here and there by rocky hilltops.
“Master, just before we left, Koeris told me something very illuminating. He said that it was entirely up to me to decide if I’d return to visit them all there, but also that a day will certainly come when this entire adventure will come to a close...” The man made no reply, and instead began pulling food out of a sack. Glaide didn’t let it bother him; this meant—contrary to appearances—that Kezthrem was listening attentively. “What I wanted to mention was that I’ve never looked so far into
the future. Supposing everything happens as expected, and that our battle ends in our victory, what will happen then for my friends, and for me?”
The man sighed. “No one knows. Between now and then, many things will have changed. We are on the threshold of a new era. Perhaps we will find a way to return you to where you came from, but if not, you’ll have to build a life for yourselves here. As far as what you should do is concerned, it seems like your future is mapped out; there is no reason you shouldn’t continue to act like protectors and maggs.”
“And... as for the Destroyer?”
“You could certainly continue to offer aid to others, or work to better understand your powers.” Kezthrem started to say something else, then stopped abruptly. He fixed a piercing gaze on his disciple, then asked, “Glaide, do you fear that end? Or do you wait for it with impatience?”
That question caught the young man off guard, but he realized then that that was the heart of the problem. Did he want this adventure to come to an end? The answer was not a simple one. On one side, he didn’t want to see an end to this chance to live life as he was doing now, and he certainly didn’t want to leave Galadria, but on the other hand, he wanted to live life the way he wanted to live it, instead of constantly chasing goals that had been set for him... In the end, he couldn’t decide if those obligations were weighing down on him or not. It was very practical to know where to go, and what to do, and to have something specific to accomplish. That was perhaps even vital thing for someone who had come from another world like he had. Otherwise, what would he and his friends have done? What if they’d had no one to guide them or tell them what to do? What would have become of them, thrown into a strange world so different from their own? That idea had a frightening air to it.
However, it would also be good to have no worries, and to be able to simply find a place to stay for as long as he wanted, without having to think about the lives that had been lost, the challenges he had to face, and torturous thoughts about the future, and instead to be living in the present, in the moment. The young man fell into silent thought for several minutes, and Kezthrem didn’t interrupt him. However, the young man never found an answer to his question. Seeing that he seemed lost, his master began to speak again.
“Every story has an end, Glaide. Yours will, just like all others do. Some ends we wish for, and others we fear. It forms a dilemma for us, because every step we take helps us construct a future, but also drags us closer to finishing that future. Because the end is there, unalterable, and even for the Destroyer, that fact remains unchanged. We can only accept it and work to use it to our advantage. The difficult part, however, is understanding that it’s useless to worry about it, because at the same time, it remains forever inaccessible to us. Learning to live life in the present, without worrying about a future that we have no control over is without contest the first step toward wisdom.”
“All I want,” Glaide murmured, feeling a lump form in his throat, “is to live here. That is what will make me happy.”
At that, the two let silence fall over their camp.
Chapter 22
“SO, do you think they’ll have made a lot of progress on the village by your house?”
“I’d imagine so. We’ve been gone for a little more than a month, and so if they’ve stayed on schedule, I’d think they’d be almost finished.”
Glaide and Kezthrem had left their campsite mid-morning. They had again taken the time to stop and have a nice meal, and now, just after lunch, they were on the road again. Neither of the two wanted to tarry on the road longer than necessary, and once again, the older man had commented that they’d surely reach Vlatendire by evening.
“They’ll have to come up with a name for themselves, and announce their existence to the rest of the Known Lands.”
“Well, as far as the latter is concerned, they’ve no real problem. They’ve already done a good deal of commerce with the other small villages in the area. It also seems like your friends are numerous, so their new home won’t remain anonymous for long.”
“I just hope the orks have been leaving them alone...” Kezthrem nodded his agreement. The countryside around the two travelers had changed a great deal in the last few hours. They’d left the great plains behind them, and were once again traveling through a wooded region. On more than one occasion, the trail had steepened and led them near rocky promontories that towered over the surrounding forest. In those places, the young man had found a magnificent view. The road then always dipped down again, going around the highest parts of the peaks, and letting them continue on their way. They’d also encountered a few hostile creatures, as was always the case for travelers, but they’d been no problem for the two.
Glaide began contemplating what Vlatendire would be like as they walked. At first, he imagined a very traditional village, with thatched cottages surrounded by a wall of wood, situated in the middle of a wide plain, much like Rackk or Adrish. With the vegetation surrounding them, he decided it was more likely that their destination was nestled into a great clearing in the woods, though. There was probably also a main, paved route, because the city had been an important crossroads between the different civilizations in Novak’s time. He wouldn’t be surprised to see a few watch towers peeking out above the trees, too. The more he thought about it, the more excited he was to discover the place.
“Master,” he exclaimed suddenly, “will we be able to see Vlatendire from a distance?”
“Oh yes, no worries,” his master replied with a grin and a laugh. Glaide looked at his master, but received no other response.
As the rays of light falling on their surroundings began to take on golden tints, the adolescent began looking around almost frantically, trying to spot their destination. For a while now, they’d been walking on a road that, though not paved, seemed well-maintained, as evidenced by the occasional remains of stumps dotting the path, or bushes that had clearly been cut down to make it easier to pass through. This path through the middle of the forest had obviously been constructed by men.
For another quarter of an hour, the two didn’t encounter anyone else, but as the light around them became dimmer, the number of travelers around them grew. Glaide quickly noticed that small roads were coming together much like they had on the way to Shinozuka. The smaller ones disappeared into larger ones, and the larger ones led to the main route, and from that road, they finally discovered Vlatendire.
His first reaction when he saw it was to think that it really wasn’t at all like he’d imagined. Instead of being constructed in a great clearing, it was built onto a plateau with steep cliffs for sides, much like many castles back home. The boy saw before him the cliff that protected the back side of the fortress. From where he stood, the stronghold seemed to tower over the trees, certainly offering a breathtaking view that covered miles and miles.
As they continued to walk, still under the cover of the forest, Glaide realized that there was one major difference between this and the many other villages he’d traveled through up until that point. Without really knowing why—because it wasn’t just the similarity of its access roads—this city reminded him—especially in terms of architecture—of Shinozuka. However, from his position far below, he of course couldn’t make out what the houses looked like. After another hundred yards, he and his master found themselves in a great clearing after all. Any archers up above could easily take them out here. As he raised his eyes to the wall before them, Glaide understood why it reminded him so of Shinozuka: the wall here, too, was not made of wood, but of stone. “That’s a point in common with the capital,” he thought. In front of him, all of the travelers were headed in the same direction: a road turned to the left to slowly rise up toward the main entrance, situated high up the cliff on the other side of the castle.
“Master, how come Shinozuka and Vlatendire are the only cities to be surrounded by stone walls?”
“Simply because they are the only ones that the dwarves built, and because today, finding such mat
erial is difficult, since most of the mountains are filled with goblins, making it too dangerous to venture there.”
“So, that also means the walls of those two cities are ancient.” Kezthrem nodded at that. Though the walls here weren’t white, like those of Shinozuka, the stone used for the wall surrounding Vlatendire was very beautiful, with the facade covered in ornate sculpture work that had stood the test of time, set off clearly by the bronze tints of the setting sun. It was a symbol of the past that had endured to the present. After gazing at the structure in rapture for a few minutes, the adolescent hurried to catch up with his master, who had continued along the road leading up to the main gate. He had thought that all of the smaller cities would look like Adrish, Rackk, or Morthiaz, but after having discovered Ojilon, and now Vlatendire, he realized that each was unique in its own way.
As he climbed the path leading into the city, the adolescent looked around him and noticed that, even at this late hour, little before night fell, there were still many people moving about. Most of them seemed to be merchants, often accompanied by an armed escort. The richer merchants had slews of chariots and carts containing all kinds of different products. Soon, a fork appeared in the road. Kezthrem explained that one path was much steeper, but led directly to the main entrance, while the other was more adapted to vehicles, taking a small detour in order to climb more slowly, making it more practical for the horses and everything they had to pull.
Within a few minutes, the travelers had reached the top of the hill. The sun still gave off beautiful colors, and Glaide was pleased to reach the city while it was still light out. The fact that the city was high above the trees let it take full advantage of the sun all day long, unlike Ojilon, which spent most of its time in shadows. The interior of the village was much like that of the other villages. The houses were again built in a style that seemed both western and oriental at the same time, and large avenues cut the city into quarters.
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