a few temples.”
“Like what? What could be more important than that?”
“Like finding you and making sure you’re delivered safely,” she replied.
“Why should I be important?” he asked suspiciously.
“I don’t know,” said Celandine. “But, if the Dark One wants you captured, then it’s obvious that you are.”
“I’m not going anywhere unless you tell me where we’re going, and who exactly it is that wants me,” Gewey said stubbornly. “So you can save us both some time and just tell me.”
“West,” she said. “We’re going west. Beyond that, I really don’t know. There’s a temple where you’ll be safe, but I don’t know exactly where it is.”
Gewey laughed. “So we just head west and hope we find this so-called temple? Sounds like a great plan.”
Celandine’s eyes narrowed. “I said I don’t know where it is-
“What about my friends?” Gewey asked. “How will they know where to find me?”
“If they still live, they’re on their own,” she said bluntly. “We can’t risk going back to find them. If you’re captured again, your enemies won’t be so careless twice.”
“I’m not abandoning my friends,” Gewey protested. “They
“I think they probably are alive,” she agreed. “I doubt the buffoons Salmitaya sent to kill them succeeded. But I’m no warrior, and neither are you. If we go after them, we
“How did you know about Salmitaya’s plans in the first place?” Gewey asked. “How did you know to follow her?”
“She sent me away after dinner to spend the night at another temple,” she answered “A habit of hers when she wants to do things unseen. She tells us that one of the other temples wants to ensure a blessing by having a follower of Ayliazarah under their roof. Maybell believed her, but that woman would believe anything. I, on the other hand, packed what I needed and hid outside the temple until morning. I saw the guards arrive, then later drag you out and put you in the carriage. I knew they had left some men behind to deal with your friends, but unfortunately, I had neither the time nor the means to help them. Instead, I followed Salmitaya, hoping for a chance to free you.”
Gewey was unsure. “Assuming I believe you, what should we do now?”
“We head west to Althetas,” she replied. “We need to find a way to get there unnoticed, and unfortunately I don’t have much in the way of supplies or money, so we’ll have to improvise.”
“Do you know where we are now?” he asked.
“We’re north of the Spirit Hills,” answered Celandine. “We have enough food to pass through, and there’s a town on the southwestern slopes where we should be able to re-supply. From there, we can hopefully find a way further west.”
“I still don’t feel right about leaving my friends,” Gewey said.
“We’ll try to send word to them when we can,” she replied. “But we have to keep moving. I doubt the guards will be able to keep up with us, but Salmitaya won’t give up easily. She’ll send trackers.”
Celandine got to her feet and held out her hand. Gewey thought for a moment, then pursed his lips.
“I’ll go with you,” he said, taking her hand. “But don’t think that means I’ve given up on finding my friends. As soon as we’re safe, you must promise to find them.”
“You have my word,” she said, pulling Gewey to his feet.
“Then let’s go,” he said as they set off.
They crossed the stream, and headed south toward the hills.
Gewey still wanted to turn back and find Lee, but he knew Celandine was probably right. And if even she wasn’t, there was no other choice.
To turn back would deliver him straight into the clutches of Salmitaya.
Chapter 13
Lee and Kaylia ran west along the road, at a pace no normal human could match. Lee worried about being noticed, but he knew they had to risk it if they wanted to catch up with Salmitaya. Each time they came to a crossroads, they were forced to stop and make sure their quarry hadn’t turned. Fortunately, a carriage with a ten- guard escort left an easy trail to follow.
As the hours passed, Lee worried that Kaylia’s strength would give out. He could run a full day without tiring, but he had no experience with the stamina of elves, and he couldn’t afford to leave her behind. With a good plan of attack, he was sure he could kill ten city guards, but it would only take one to get to Gewey and cut his throat.
He needed the elf to ensure that didn’t happen.
“Do you need to stop?” Lee asked at one of the crossroads.
“Elves are stronger than you know,” she replied. “We do not tire easily.”
Lee nodded and took off west. Just as the sun was going down, Kaylia grabbed Lee’s arm, stopping him.
“They’re one mile ahead,” said Kaylia. “I can smell them.”
They waited until it was fully dark before approaching the camp. Two tents had been erected twenty yards off the road, in a small clearing. A carriage pulled by a team of six horses had been pulled just to the side. As they’d been told, ten guards were busy about the camp, building fires and cooking meals. They didn’t see Gewey anywhere.
“Looks like they’ve been here for more than an hour,” Lee noted.
“Gewey’s probably in one of the tents.”
“But which one?” Kaylia asked. “We shouldn’t move until we know.”
“Agreed,” he said. “I’ll keep watch from here. You go around through the woods and check from there. Be back here in an hour.”
Kaylia nodded and took off through brush.
Lee watched as Salmitaya wandered through the camp, her head held high as she shouted orders to her men. She walked in and out of both tents, but gave no indication as to where Gewey was being held.
An hour later, Kaylia returned.
“These guards should be easy to deal with,” she said. “They have no idea how to secure a camp; the entire perimeter is left unwatched. They’ll be bunched together near the fires in two groups. Once we know where Gewey is, we can take them out.”
Lee nodded, watching as a guard carried a bowl and cup into one of the tents. A little while later, Salmitaya emerged from that tent and went into the other.
“He’s in there,” said Lee, pointing to the tent Salmitaya had exited. “I count nine men by the fires, so that leaves only one guarding Gewey.”
“We should wait until they’re sleeping before we strike,” Kaylia proposed. “If one of them raises the alarm, the guard in the tent could kill the boy before we can get to him.”
Lee nodded in agreement. They settled in, never taking their eyes off the camp. Lee watched as the guard inside the tent was relieved, careful to take note of the length of time it took for him to return to the fire. It was then they saw a woman in novice robes enter where Gewey was being held.
“How did she get here?” Lee asked anxiously. “Did you see her before?”
Kaylia shook her head. “I think we have a new player in this game. We’ll need to move soon.”
Lee went over the plan with Kaylia. She was to enter the tent holding Gewey and take out the guard, while Lee took care of the guards by the fire nearest the tent. If the alarm were raised, then Lee would fall back and join
