from the inn’s courtyard.
Riyan was quite glad when they returned to the road and left the stares of the locals behind. Most he was sure didn’t believe they had a hand in the escape. But some like the old soldier, had their doubts.
They rode south out of Marl Crest for three miles before finding the farmhouse with the broken chimney where Haran had said he would stash their horses. Bart had been reluctant about this part of the plan, he hadn’t wanted to trust the Raider with their horses.
When they originally came up with this plan, he had argued against leaving the horses with someone they didn’t know. But Chyfe had insisted that it was the only way for them to avoid suspicion. So, they had left it to Seth and Soth’s judgment. If they felt they could trust him, so be it. And they had.
“They’ll be there,” Seth assured them. “He seemed an honorable sort.”
Bart just glared at him as they turned off the road toward the farmhouse. He fully expected for the horses not to be there.
As they moved toward the farmhouse, the unmistakable sound of a horse’s snort was heard coming from within. When they entered through the front door, they found the farmhouse was just a shell of its former self. The back wall was gone as was most of the roof. Tied to a fallen support beam were their three horses.
“I told you he would leave them,” Seth said as he dismounted.
“So they are,” replied Bart.
“Thought he would be here,” commented Soth as he dismounted to claim one of the horses.
“This was where he must have stashed his horse last night before coming to Marl Crest,” stated Chyfe.
“You think so?” asked Chad.
Chyfe nodded and pointed over to the other side of the farmhouse where a pile of semi fresh horse dung lay. It was in a place where their three horses could not have left it.
The rest who were riding double dismounted and reclaimed their horses. Once they were all in the saddle again, they left the farmhouse and resumed their trek south to Hylith.
Chapter Eleven
The plains south of Marl Crest were barren for the most part. In the summer, this area would have tall grass blowing in the wind. But now there were only stunted remains.
Seth and Soth rode in the fore now that the likelihood of encountering Raiders was greater. It was their hope that since they looked like Tribesmen, it may give them an edge should they be encountered. For their part, the twins were quite glad to be leading for a change.
Throughout the morning, the road remained deserted. They continuously kept vigilant for signs of riders in the distance, but so far their luck held good. Above them, the sky was crystal blue. Far to the south was another matter as dark clouds filled the sky.
“Not much to this area,” commented Riyan from where he and Bart rode behind the twins.
“Wouldn’t expect there to be,” replied Bart. “If this area is truly disputed by both sides, then life here could be hazardous.”
“I suppose,” agreed Riyan.
Shortly before noon, the outline of a small cluster of buildings appeared out of the horizon before them. Several buildings stood on the west side of the road, none of which were of any size. Looked more like a cluster of huts than anything else.
As they drew closer, it quickly became apparent that the buildings had long been deserted. Doors were off their hinges, one of the buildings had long ago been gutted by a fire.
“Think they were killed in a Raider attack?” asked Chad.
Riyan glanced over his shoulder at his friend and shrugged. “Maybe,” he said.
Coming abreast of the buildings, a small animal akin to a kidog bolted from one of the buildings and raced off into the plains.
“Should we stop?” asked Seth.
Bart shook his head. “No reason to,” he replied.
Seth nodded and continued on. They soon left the deserted buildings behind.
Those weren’t the last of such buildings lining the road they encountered as they traveled. A couple miles further on they passed by a farmstead set off the road. It too had the look of being abandoned. Then there was nothing for an hour. Now with the sun halfway through its descent to the horizon, more buildings appeared ahead of them. This time however, they could see smoke rising from one of the chimneys.
“Someone’s home,” Soth stated.
“So it would seem,” agreed Riyan.
Shortly after the buildings had come into view, the smoke coming from the chimney stopped. The building from which the smoke had risen was a single story dwelling, set among half a score of similar structures. It and the other buildings had the look of being abandoned. There was no sign of life.
“That’s odd,” commented Bart as they approached the cluster of buildings.
“What’s odd?” asked Riyan.
“Smoke from a chimney usually means people,” he explained. “Yet this place looks just as abandoned as the one we passed through earlier.” He continued gazing at the building from which the smoke had come as they rode past the buildings. Then, just as they came abreast of the one smoke had risen from, he saw an eye peering out from the corner of a window.
“Hello!” he cried as he came to a stop. Immediately, the eye vanished. “Someone’s in there,” he said.
Riyan turned to look. A moment later, the eye reappeared. “Suspicious sort,” he stated.
“I would be too if I lived here,” said Chyfe. Chad nodded in agreement.
“None of our business,” Bart told the others. Then with the eye staring at them, they continued on their way.
When the cluster of buildings had disappeared behind them, Riyan said, “You know, maybe that first place we went through hadn’t of been as deserted as we thought.”
Bart nodded. “I was thinking the same thing,” he said. “In a place prone to raids, and possibly even banditry, such caution could well mean the difference between life and death.”
“But why would anyone stay in such a place?” asked Soth.
“It’s hard to leave your home,” Bart explained. “Even in such a forlorn place as this.”
“True,” agreed Chyfe. “The unknown is always more terrifying than whatever you are currently dealing with.”
“I’d agree with you for the most part,” Riyan relied. “But I would think there would come a time when even the unknown would be preferable to some things.”
“You got that right,” agreed Bart. He himself had embarked on the unknown when he originally came to Quillim. Of course, he had done so because his life would have been forfeit had he remained in Wardean.
They rode until the sun was low in the sky before moving off the road to make camp. There they made a fire to keep the cold at bay until morning. It took most of the remaining daylight for them to find sufficient fuel to last throughout the night as the surrounding countryside had little in the way of trees. What they did find were roots and grass which they bundled tightly together to form logs.
A watch was posted and the night passed uneventfully. As the sun emerged with the dawn, they had a bite to eat before retuning to the road. The clouds which were present to the south throughout the previous day were no closer, much to everyone’s relief.
The road continued to be deserted as they put miles behind them. Late in the morning a forest appeared ahead of them. By late afternoon they came to a village situated within the northern fringe of the tree line. Unlike the previous collections of huts they’d run across, this place was clearly inhabited.
They were pretty sure they had passed out of the disputed area and were now completely within lands unequivocally that of the Moran Tribes. And in all probability those of the Orack Tribe.
Any doubt about where they were was quickly quelled when they saw that the villagers had the darker skin of Tribesmen. As if that wasn’t enough the tell-tale pattern of the Orack Tribe was worked into many of their
