“Where are they?” Loren whispered.
“Off to the right, closer to Rhodia. Ma’trii can lead up away from them, but we have to change course now.”
Loren nodded, and flicked the reins of the horse. “Lead the way, Kae. Hopefully the ground is muddy enough to mask the sound of the hooves. Did Ma’trii say how many Beastmen were there?”
Kae shook her head. “He didn’t, only that there’s a patrol. It could be two men, it could be ten.” The huntress carefully steered her horse to follow the slight trail her wolf was leaving them. It took a bit of work to calm the horses once Ma’trii’s scent started to fill their nostrils from a downwind breeze. In time, the slight shift in course brought them away from the Beastman patrols, and up farther north than the packed earthen walls of Rhodia. They were farther north than they had gotten before, and tension was in the air. Loren, nodding to her companions, resumed taking the lead once all signs of Beastman patrols were gone. The princess closed her eyes, lightly touched the dragon pendant, and forged on.
Chapter Thirteen
Loren, Kae, Cassendir, and Ma’trii stopped in their tracks. They stood at the very edge of a patch of grass, green, vibrant, and full of life. Behind them were the rolling plains and fields of golden grass that surrounded the Beastman kingdoms. Before them, was a barren expanse of nothing. The grass at their feet stopped suddenly, as if a knife had cut the grass in a clean line. It gave way to dry, cracked earth. Nothing grew, not even weeds. A few dead trees still stood, dried out husks that were long past the stage of rot. Dry animal bones dotted the flat landscape, resting on parched brown earth and slate gray rocks.
“Princess…” Kae started, watching for any signs of life or movement. “I’m starting to think we really should turn back.”
“I agree with Kae.” Cassendir said in a rare moment of agreeing with the huntress. “These are the Plaguelands, the cursed land of the ruined Yureun kingdom. It’s just as haunting as the tales say.”
Loren took a breath, steeling herself. “I know. But it’s the only way through to the North.”
“Maybe we could pass through the Imperial Highway and through the Kilrough mountains. Then up the other side to the North.” Cassendir offered.
“There are more bandits there, not to mention the entire East is ruled by the Red Sisters of Sagna.” Loren said. “Our journey will be stretched to months if we go that route. Come on.” She urged her horse onward, cautiously crossing the invisible barrier into the Plaguelands.
Kae sighed, and was the second to cross into the Plaguelands. Her wolf Ma’trii came next, then Cassendir, grumbling under his breath. The huntress nudged her horse close to Cassendir’s.
“Why exactly is it called the Plaguelands?” She asked. The air seemed different, hanging still and silent with no breeze. Kae held the reins of her horse just a bit tighter.
Cassendir sensed Kae’s unease, and explained the history of the Plaguelands so that there would be some noise in the eerily quiet air.
What was now known as the Plaguelands was once the kingdom of Yureun. It was the last waypoint before the ruined kingdoms of the North, on the West side of the Kilrough Mountains. A thousand years ago, Yureun was a prosperous kingdom and the cultural center of the land. It was a time before Aldoran was founded, and the legendary warrior Ylfair the Dragonheart had only just been born.
The kingdom of Yureun was bordered to the north by the fallen kingdom of Talonsreach which had been remade into an outpost, to the east by the Kilrough mountains, and to the south by the Beastman plains. The people were content to till the farmland, raise cattle, and trade with nearby kingdoms. Life was simple and good, and people were happy. But the ruling monarch of Yureun was less than pleased. Her name was lost to history, as was her king, but her legacy continued in the barren land of her kingdom.
The queen of Yureun was a jealous woman. She was beautiful — stunningly so — with jet black hair that fell to her waist in an immaculate cascade. She was loved dearly by her people. She ruled fairly enough, imposing just taxes on her people, and keeping peaceful alliances with her neighbors so there would be no need for war. In her heart, she was a lonely, restless woman. Her husband reassured her that he loved her. Her subjects brought her gifts and adored her. She didn’t believe a word of it.
In a fit of madness, the queen began to kill her people. At first, it was the prisoners. She ordered mass executions, emptying the prisons of her city. The streets ran red with blood as soldiers gutted criminals in the streets. The queen walked the path through the city, and saw how her subjects would bow low, hiding her eyes. They would say she was beautiful. She was fair. The queen knew the truth; their words were lies.
She began to curse the fields. The queen was a powerful mage, and wove spells of death and decay into the very earth of her kingdom. Crops withered to dried husks, and seeds died as soon as they touched soil. Still, the people of her kingdom would bow, and say she was beautiful. They told her they loved her. The queen’s heart grew hard with hate, and resolved to further punish these liars.
Curses went into the air, stilling the breeze and magnifying the scorching heat of the sun. Trees had long died, providing no shelter from the sun. No rain fell to quench the parched earth. Finally, the peasants revolted. Men and women alike stormed the castle of Yureun, armed with whatever they could find. They raised pitchforks and axes, swords and picks. Even the
