by Brad Clark
The exodus from the city was clear. The Humans had moved in a northerly direction towards the mountains. They did not hide their path, which was wide and well traveled. That meant many Humans and likely many soldiers as well.
With long strides, he strode through the city, frustrated at its emptiness. He had hoped that the feeling of the Ark of Life would come to him, but he was not surprised at all when he did not feel it. At the northern edge of the city, he followed the packed ground and wagon wheel tracks that led towards the mountains. Soon more goblins would come streaming from the forest to follow the same path to the north. This battle was over and won by Humans. The next one, he assured himself, would have a much different result.
Chapter Twelve
Lord Martin led the survivors of South Karmon through the village at the foot of Neffenmark Castle. Sir Gossmire had led them through the forests and into the foothills of the mountains, but now that they were reaching their destination, it was time for Lord Martin to take the lead. Every muscle in his body ached, which surprised him. He thought it would only be his legs and feet that would be protesting after such a long march. But his back ached from sleeping on the hard ground and at some point, he had slipped in the rain and landed on his arm. He was assured that it was not broken, but he was in near constant pain. At one point Sir Gossmire suggested the limb just be cut off to keep him from complaining.
Sir Gossmire acquiesced command to Lord Martin without question or word, knowing his place in the hierarchy of command. He didn’t like it, nor did he have to. But he couldn’t let protocol slip even in these times. In fact, it was more important than ever for protocols to be followed. They needed to maintain order and continuity else the kingdom would surely fall apart. But he also knew Lord Martin, and he made sure to march at his side as they approached the castle gate.
The wall was high and to Sir Gossmire’s dismay, was unmanned. In fact, he was disappointed that they had not been challenged the moment they started coming out of the forest and reached the village. He feared that the castle would be empty, which meant either they had run away or were conquered. He could understand running away, but if they were conquered, then an enemy might be behind the walls.
“We need to be cautious,” Sir Gossmire said.
Lord Martin chuckled and gave a quick wave. “Hardly! The walls of the castle are in place. The gates are secure. Look at the fields. They have been harvested and likely stored for winter in the castle’s storerooms. We will wait out the winter here, as planned, and then we will start to retake our land come spring!”
“Your optimism is refreshing,” Sir Gossmire replied dryly. “Just last night you were wallowing in your cold stew, griping and complaining like a child.”
Lord Martin’s plump cheeks turned red. “Sir Gossmire!”
Without waiting for Lord Martin to respond further, Sir Gossmire marched up to the large doors and pounded upon them. The sound of the pounding echoed back to them.
From above them, a head poked out from behind a battlement. “Go away! The castle is full, and we cannot take any more survivors!”
Sir Gossmire glanced at Lord Martin to see if he would respond. He didn’t. Instead, a look of panic crossed the lord’s face. He looked up the speaker. He knew most knights and soldiers at least by face, even if he didn’t know them personally. The man, who had a strong jaw and steely eyes looked like a soldier, but Sir Gossmire did not recognize him.
“Hail!” Sir Gossmire called out. “I am Sir Gossmire. These are survivors from South Karmon. We seek refuge.”
“The village is suitable for your needs. There are plenty of homes that you may use.”
“Winter will be here shortly. There are many more than can fit in the houses. Unless the entire city of Tyre is within your walls, there should be more than enough room for all of us!”
The man shook his head. “The gates are closed and shall remain so. There is a war going on in this kingdom if you had not noticed.”
Lord Martin cleared his throat. “I am Lord Martin. In the absence of Queen Elissa, it is I who maintains rule in the kingdom. Who might you be?”
The man smiled. “My name is of no concern to you.”
Lord Martin cried out,“You will open the doors under my authority!”
“You have no authority over me or any of us,” the man retorted.
Lord Martin looked at Sir Gossmire, mouth agape. “How dare he!”
Sir Gossmire shrugged his shoulders. “He is the one atop the walls.”
“But I am Lord Martin! He must listen to me.”
Sir Gossmire was concerned about what was going on. There should have been no reason for them to not be let into the castle, but clearly, something beyond their understanding had happened since the war started. They had no army or means of entering the castle by force. Their small force of centurions who marched with them would do little to the tall castle walls. Looking back at the tired survivors, he knew there was little more they could do than find shelter for the night and hope that it was only for one night.
“Diplomacy will work,” Sir Gossmire said to Lord Martin. “But in time. We must find shelter for our people before nightfall.”
“We will find shelter behind the castle walls tonight! I am Lord Martin, and I am the defacto ruler of this kingdom! He will do as I command.” Lord Martin turned to look back up at the man. In as commanding a voice as he could muster, he shouted out, “I demand you let us in!”
The man laughed and then disappeared.
A look of satisfaction crossed his face as he looked back at Sir Gossmire. “See? They will let us in!”
Sir Gossmire shook his head and nodded up towards the top of the walls.
Lord Martin turned to see dozens of crossbowmen suddenly appear from behind the battlements. Their weapons were not trained upon Lord Martin or Sir Gossmire. They were aimed into the mass of survivors.
“Begone!” the man said, reappearing with a cocked and ready-to-fire crossbow. He aimed it directly at Lord Martin. “The village can be yours, but that is all. The castle is ours.”
Lord Martin tried to stammer out a reply, but nothing but a high-pitched croaking sound.
“You doom us if war comes to the mountains,” Sir Gossmire shouted.
“We doom ourselves if we let you in. We only have enough room and supplies for those of us already in the castle. I am sorry, but we cannot sacrifice all of us for the few of you.”
Sir Gossmire looked back upon the survivors. There were more than just a few. They were tired from the long journey, and each and everyone had a look of desperation. If he gave the order, they might just throw themselves at the wall in a courageous, but vain, attempt to gain access to the castle. If he had a battalion of knights, he might just have ordered it. But these were regular people: merchants, farmers, women, children, men young and old. They would be slaughtered in minutes.
He knew he needed to lead, and that meant taking charge and control. With a firm and loud voice that he was sure all his people could hear, Sir Gossmire shouted out, “Your mercy will be rewarded.” He turned his back to the wall and started to walk back towards the survivors.
Lord Martin hesitated before chasing after the knight. “Gossmire! Is that all?”
Sir Gossmire stopped and turned. “Sir Gossmire, if you please. And yes, there is little we can do other than to find shelter for our people and prepare for winter.”
Lord Martin stiffened. “The Karmon Knights are no more. Such titles are not necessary.”
“Fine, Martin.”
“I am still a lord of the kingdom. My land holdings are the largest of the kingdom. It is a title earned and deserved!”
“And yet, you were safely in the castle at South Karmon and not protecting your land. What of the farmers and peasants who work your land? What has become of them? Or do you even care?”
“If you must know, I have appointed regents to handle supervision of my land. With the fall of King Thorndale and the rise of his daughter, i
t was necessary for me to leave my home and serve the kingdom in the castle.”
“Safely in the castle.”
“Sir Gossmire, you are out of line! I am a lord of this kingdom, and its ruler until the queen returns. I demand that you treat me with the respect that I deserve.”
A small contingent of survivors had moved towards them as their argument progressed. They were looking for leadership from Lord Martin and Sir Gossmire and not a fight. Sir Gossmire paused for a moment to look over at the red-faced plump man who stood in front of him. He wanted to strike the oaf right across the jaw and leave him at the base of the wall to fend for himself. But he was a Lord, and many of the people of the kingdom would still look up to him because of his title. They needed solidarity and not division if they were to survive.
With reluctance, he said, “Lord Martin, we have better things to do than sit and argue with one another. We must get these people into the houses and prepared for winter. I will arrange hunting parties so that we can build up stores of food. If you would coordinate the housing situation? We are all tired and irritable and will need some good rest very soon.”
“Of course, Sir Gossmire,” Lord Martin said as color began to return to his face. He marched towards the crowd of survivors and started barking out orders to start the process of establishing a permanent camp in the village.
One of the centurions, Thadius, walked up to Sir Gossmire. “We have been hunting and scavaging for some time out in this part of your kingdom. My men and I would like to take that job. We will also keep our eyes so that we can establish a perimeter.”
“That is wise. I will ensure that Lord Martin saves one of the houses for you and your men. It may be cramped, but you will have a roof over your head.”
The survivors slowly dispersed. Lord Martin walked with authority towards the village, waving his hands and shouting orders. Thadius and his men jogged off towards the woods to find some meat. It would take a lot to feed everyone, but if they didn't get started now, they would soon starve.
Sir Gossmire glanced back at the wall. The man who had challenged them was still atop the wall, crossbow held comfortably in his hands, but pointed down. The rest of the crossbowmen had left or were hidden. There was something about him that didn’t sit right. No Karmon should have acted the way he did. Then his heart skipped a beat as a feeling of dread fell over him. Neffenmark Castle was actually closer to Thell than to South Karmon. He quickly turned away, hoping the man didn’t notice him looking to the north.
***
Marik was sure that he wouldn’t be able to keep up with the dragon, even though he was on a fast horse. Not only could the dragon fly faster than he could, but it could also fly in a straight line where he had to maneuver around all obstacles that were in his path. But each time he thought the dragon was going to finally disappear for good, it would reappear a few miles ahead, high in the sky. He figured that he hurt it more than he had originally thought and the dragon couldn’t fly for very long before it had to stop and rest. It was fortunate for him, for now, that he knew how he could hurt it. Maybe he could get close enough to finish it off.
Once he was out of Darkenwood Forest, he could ride straight and fast. His horse was as fast as any he had ever ridden, which helped as the land began to slope up towards the mountains. The peaks of the White Mountains loomed ahead of him, and he tried to imagine where the dragon was heading. At first, he thought it would travel farther to the east where the mountain peaks were much higher and were nearly impassable. But as it continued almost due north, he had some hope that even if it found a cave high up, he should be able to reach it even on horseback.
With the ground going from a gentle slope to rolling foothills, he decided to let his horse drink when he came across a wide, fast-moving stream. Hesitantly, he slid off the back of the horse to let it rest for the next push up higher into the mountains.
***
Myllia turned her head to the left to look back behind and let out a frustrated growl. One again, she forgot that she could no longer see out of that eye. She twisted her head back to the right to see if the Human was still following her. The Human had stopped to allow the horse to drink, so she pulled up her wings to slow down. Far in the distance, a storm was coming. Heavy rain dumped from black clouds that hung over the land between the mountain range that she was flying over and the even larger mountains at the edge of the horizon. Another Human city lay between the two mountains, and it was currently getting the brunt of the storm. Eventually, she would make her way north to that city, but it would have to be after the storms had passed. Flying through heavy rain would not normally be a problem, but with her damaged wing, she wouldn’t want to risk the arrow holes ripping and getting larger.
She slowly banked to the right to keep the Human in her sight. For a moment she considered whether she should simply end this chase right now. It would be a fairly simple task to dive straight down at the Human and spread her fire across him. But the Human had proved to be courageous and resourceful. If he somehow managed to get another shot off at her only remaining weak spot, she would be blinded and unable to fly. Or hunt. Or eat. If she lost her remaining good eye, she just might as well let the Human kill her. There would be no point in living, but she couldn't let it come to that. She had not survived for eons by being rash or impatient. She had survived by being careful and prudent. It was not just her own survival that she needed to protect, but her entire species.
Her gaze left the Human and drifted down to the land before her. When she attacked him, it would have to be from a location that she would have a clear shot without him being able to run or hide. But it would have to be a location in which he would be sure to come. Slowly, she drifted along the mountains until she saw the perfect spot. It seemed to be a Human settlement of some sort. There were several buildings, but only one appeared to be standing and undamaged. The other buildings had either collapsed or were about to. A small tendril of smoke drifted from the chimney of the undamaged building indicating to her that the settlement hadn’t been completely abandoned. She hoped the smoke would be seen by the Human and draw him here.
She pulled her wings in tight and descended in a lazy circle towards the group of buildings beneath her.
***
Marik glanced up just as the dragon dropped quickly out of sight. He smiled at the thought of the beast being wounded and unable to keep up with his chase. He had no illusions that the dragon couldn’t see him and kept a keen eye on the dark spot in the sky as it descended towards the ground. He wanted to make sure it was out of sight before he started moving again. If he couldn’t see it below the tree line, it couldn’t see him either.
Once the dragon could no longer be seen, he quickly mounted the horse and kicked it into a run. If he was able to keep out of sight as he climbed up higher in the mountains, there was a chance he could sneak up on it and surprise it. With thick groves of trees between him and the beast, he had a very good chance at staying hidden. He wasn’t sure how good its vision was, but it did only have one good eye.
Past the creek, Marik’s horse pounded its way across fields of grass that reached almost up to its belly. The ground was soft from a recent rain, and he could see that there would likely be more rain coming. The clouds above the mountains were dark and threatening, which meant more than just a typical autumn rain. Although a storm at this time of year could be treacherous in the mountains, it might help him by providing cover.
The field that he rode through ended at a thick woods with tall trees. Directly in front of him, he could see a wide opening between trees that exposed a path that led straight into the heart of the forest. He let out an audible sigh of relief at what he saw. Although the wide path was covered with short green grass, it was clear that it had once been a well-used trail that led up into the mountains. It was wide enough for a small wagon, which meant that there would likely be a settlement or even a village up ahead. The thought of the dragon coming across unsuspecting people caused him conce
rn. Even if they had heard about the fighting and the war, the people would have no chance against a dragon. His only hope would be for them to run into the forest and get lost.
With the dragon unable to see him, he could run his horse as fast as it could carry him along the path. He gave a sharp kick to the side of his horse to get it moving faster. Several times the trail became steep and muddy. Twice he had to dismount and walk his horse around trees that had fallen across the trail, making his trek even longer than he wanted. The rain started to fall before he came out of the trees, and it was hard enough to make it through the leafy canopy. He was getting wet, and it wouldn’t be too long before he was soaked.
After several numbing hours in the saddle, he came to the end of the trees. The trail opened up to a wide lane at the edge of the woods and continued up a small hill towards a clump of buildings that were in various stages of disrepair. Behind the buildings, the tall peaks of the White Mountain were mostly hidden by gray clouds that were carrying the cold autumn rain.
Marik dismounted as he left the trees and pulled out his bow. It was already strung and ready to fire an arrow. His quiver of ten arrows was put over his shoulder, and he pulled out an arrow, holding them both with his right hand as his left hand held his horse’s reins. Warily, he approached the buildings. At first, he hoped to be greeted by friendly villagers, but as he looked more closely at the buildings, it was clear that he wouldn’t have any company. Those that were still standing were in poor shape and likely hadn’t been lived in for years. Three of them had collapsed roofs and broken windows. A larger building looked in better shape, but bushes and trees had grown wild around it. Long vines had taken root along the walls, digging their way into the wood. Soon, those walls would collapse. Directly across from the large building was an empty foundation where a building had once stood. Weeds and wild plants had grown their way throughout the inside, intermingling with blackened wood. It appeared that some years ago, a fire had destroyed the building.