hardly looks like the same man that left two days ago.
“Khalim!” exclaims one of the women. “Where are the others? Where is Ibala?”
Khalim’s eyes dart around without recognition. A speck of white foam begins to ooze from the corner of his mouth.
“What’s wrong with him?” his father asks.
“I don’t know,” Zyrn replies. “Take him home.”
“Ibala!” cries the woman, and then others begin crying out the names of their loved ones.
“We can’t wait until morning,” one man says.
Zyrn turns to him and says, “No, we can’t.” Taking five of the men with him, they hurry back to their homes and saddle their horses. Once they are ready and each has several torches, Zyrn has each light one. Then with torches held aloft, they race into the desert to try to find out what happened.
Chapter Three
The next morning they are up and off with the dawn. Throughout the day they see the signs of the battles that have raged through here. Ever since the battle at Lythylla turned the tide in Madoc’s favor, the enemy has been pushed further back toward the original border. In places the dead remain unburied though there are work details out collecting them as quickly as they can.
Travelers are still nonexistent, at least those of a civilian nature. The odd patrol, messenger or rider at times approaches them from the north but continues by without a word on their way to the south. None ever so much as says hello.
When they reach the town of Cerinet to the north of Saragon, there are more visible signs of battle. Mounds dot the countryside from where the dead have been buried in communal graves. The walls surrounding the city show extensive damage from the Madoc catapults which battered away in their attempt to breach the walls. One gaping hole in the wall shows where the attackers finally were able to bring down the defenses of the defenders.
A squad of men ride to intercept them when they approach but only delay them a moment. Once they find out who they are the soldiers allow them to proceed. Not bothering to linger any longer, they once more head up the road to the Merchant’s Pass.
They push their horses relentlessly in their desire to reach the Pass quickly. When darkness begins to fall they are forced to stop and give the horses a break. Even with the spare horses, the unrelenting pace has worn them out.
A quick meal and then they’re to bed. Out here on the road, they rotate a watch throughout the night. The recruits have the honor of pulling that particular duty. The barest sliver of moon rises to shed a small amount of light on the world. James looks at it with anxiety. For when it again passes to full and returns to dark, the knife will fall and Tinok will die.
He sees Jiron staring up at the moon too. Getting up, he goes over and takes a seat on the ground next to him. “Worried?” he asks.
Nodding, Jiron replies, “Everyday his doom approaches. And here we are, moving further away.”
“I know,” he says reassuringly. “Tomorrow we’ll see the others safely to the Pass then we can return in search of him.”
“Sometimes life can be hard,” a voice says behind them. Turning around they see Shorty standing there. “There comes a time in everyone’s life when he’s faced with two choices at odds with each other. If it’s any consolation, I think Tinok would be satisfied with the choice you made.”
“Thanks,” says Jiron. “Doesn’t make me worry any less though.”
“If the god’s decide we are to find Tinok in time, we will” he says with conviction.
“But what if one god wants us to find him and another doesn’t?” Scar asks as he and Potbelly join the conversation.
“Then we are left to our own devices,” states James. He gives the pair an irritated gaze. They are doing nothing to alleviate Jiron’s anxiety over Tinok.
“Which I find has been the case more often than not,” says Jiron. Glancing at everyone he adds, “I appreciate your concern, I really do.” Then his eyes flick to movement behind Scar and Potbelly and sees Aleya coming toward him.
As she makes her way between the pair, Potbelly clears his throat then says, “Maybe we all should make ourselves scarce.”
With a grin and a wink to Jiron, Scar says, “An excellent idea.”
They leave and allow Jiron and Aleya what privacy they can. As James returns to his blankets Aleya sits next to Jiron and as they’ve done so much of late. They sit and just hold each other as they talk quietly. The last sight he sees before falling to sleep is them sitting together, her head on his shoulder.
That night as he sleeps, dreams of Meliana run through his mind.
Miko had an uneventful sleep, no dream came to awaken him in the middle of the night much to his relief. He didn’t mind it when James had the dreams that left him in a cold sweat, but he definitely doesn’t care for them now that they are happening to him.
Up with the dawn, they’re quickly riding hard down the road. The road has continued to run alongside the river throughout their journey and if James’ memory is correct, they’ll follow it all the way to the Pass.
Not long after they leave camp they approach what once was the town of Pleasant Meadows. Now little more than a demolished ruin, there’s not much more to it than stone walls and chimneys which survived the flames that raged here. Throughout the ruins, people can be seen as they search through the rubble.
“I feel sorry for them,” comments Delia.
“War is always hardest on regular folks,” adds James.
A few people here and there take notice of their passing, only pausing in what they are doing to watch them ride by. Another road intersects the one they’ve been following and they turn onto it heading west toward the Pass. The Silver Mountains begin to appear before them and it isn’t long before Pleasant Meadows disappears behind them.
“Not much further now,” states Jiron. Elated to deliver his sister to a place of safety, he’s also saddened by the prospect of having to leave her once again.
Signs of the Empire encampment where they maintained a presence before the mouth of the Pass appear as the day progresses. They had constructed several buildings during their occupation and fire pits dot the area. At one point a Madoc patrol intercepts them, but as before, they are allowed to continue their journey.
When the mountains have risen high before them, a wooden wall appears ahead. It crosses the road and extends to the river on the right and far to the mountains on the left. Where the road passes through stands an open gate guarded by a squad of men. They see that the men are a mix of Cardri and Madoc soldiers.
One of the men wearing the uniform of a Cardri soldier steps forward as they draw close. Holding up his hand he signals for them to stop. “Good day to you all,” he says when they come to a stop. “Are you planning on taking the Pass into Cardri?”
“Yes,” replies James. “Some of our group plan to.”
“There isn’t a problem is there?” asks Jiron concerned.
“Not at all,” replies the guard. “Seeing as how they put us out here in the middle of nowhere and all the action is down south, we must look like we are actually doing something.” Giving them a smile he waves for them to continue through the gate and into the Pass.
Jiron moves his horse next to his sister’s and says, “I guess this is where we part again.”
“It looks like it dear brother,” she says. A tear begins to well from her eyes and she adds, “I told myself I wasn’t going to cry.”
Leaning over to her he envelopes her in a big hug. “Everything will turn out fine,” he assures her. “You keep working on those bears of yours and I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Those who are leaving and moving on into Cardri begin to disengage themselves from the others. The pit fighters move to face the recruits as they gather near Delia.
