Michael Sullivan: Avempartha

“If I can walk, why not?” he raised an arm and Royce offered his shoulder, helping him to stand.

“What about me?” Mauvin asked, holding his side and sitting up on his cot. “You’re not going to leave me, are you?”

“You have to take him,” Arista declared. “He killed two of Guy’s men.”

“Can you ride?” Royce asked.

“If I had a horse under me I could at least hang on.”

“What about Thrace?” Hadrian asked.

“I don’t think you need worry about her,” Royce told him. “I was just by the bishop’s tent. Tomas is demanding that they declare her empress.”

“Empress?” Hadrian said, stunned.

“She killed the Gilarabrywn right in front of the deacon. I guess it made an impression.”

“But what if they don’t? We can’t leave her.”

“Don’t worry about Thrace,” Arista said. “I’ll see she’s taken care of. Now you all need to get out of here.”

“Theron wanted at least one of his children to be successful,” Hadrian muttered, “but empress?”

“You need to hurry,” Arista said helping Royce pull Mauvin to his feet. She gave all three of them a kiss and a gentle hug and then pushed them out like a mother sending her children to school.

Outside the tent, Magnus arrived with three saddled horses. The dwarf looked around nervously and whispered. “I could have sworn I saw guards watching this tent earlier.”

“You did,” Royce replied. “Three horses-you read my mind.”

“I figured I needed one for myself,” the dwarf replied pointing at the shortened stirrups. He looked at Mauvin with a scowl. “Now it looks like I’ll need to get another.”

“Forget it,” Royce whispered, “Ride with Mauvin. Take it slow and make sure he stays in the saddle.”

Royce helped Hadrian up onto a gray mare then started to chuckle to himself.

“What is it?” Hadrian asked.

“Mouse.”

“What’s that?”

Royce pointed to the horse Hadrian sat on. “Of all the animals he had to choose from, the dwarf stole Mouse.”

Royce led them away from the camp, walking the horses across the scorched land where the ash muffled their movement. He kept a close eye on the distant sentries. No outcry, no shouts, no one appeared to notice and soon they slipped into the leafy forest. Once there he turned back toward the river in order to throw off anyone who might look for their tracks. Once he had them safely in a shallow glen near the Nidwalden, Royce ordered them to stay put while he went back.

He crept up to the edge of the burned area. The camp was as it had been before. Satisfied they made a clean escape, he walked back toward the river. He found himself on the trail that led to the Wood’s farm and the shell of the old building. Inexplicably, the fire never reached this far and it remained untouched. There was one change, however; in the center of the yard where they first saw the old farmer sharpening his scythe, there was a mound of earth. A stack of stones borrowed from the walls of the farmhouse circled the oblong mound. At its head, driven into the ground, was a broad plank and burned into it the words:

Farmer

Below that, scratched in into the plank, Royce could just make out the additional words:

Father of the Empress

As Royce stood reading the words, he noticed it-a chill making the hair on his skin stand up. Someone was watching him. On the edge of his sight, a figure stood in the trees. Another stood to his left. He sensed more behind him. He turned his head, focused his eyes to see who they were-nothing. All he saw were trees. He glanced to his left and again nothing. He stood still listening. Not a twig snapped, nor leaf crinkled, but he could still feel it.

He moved away from the clearing into the brush and circled around. He moved as quietly as he could, but when he stopped, he was alone.

Royce stood puzzled. He looked for tracks, where he saw the figures, but none existed, not even a bent blade of grass. At last, he gave up and returned to where he left the others.

“All’s well?” Hadrian asked, sitting atop Mouse with the sun on his bare shoulders and chest wrapped in broad strips of white cloth.

“I suppose,” he said mounting up.

He led them southwest along the highlands near the falls, following a deer trail that cut through the deep forest. It was the same trail he had found in his hours searching for a tunnel to the tower. Hadrian and Mauvin appeared to be doing better than expected though each of them winced in pain whenever their horse took a misstep.

Royce continued to look back over his shoulder but nothing was ever there.

By midafternoon they had cleared the trees and found the main road heading south to Alburn. Here they paused to check Mauvin’s and Hadrian’s bandages. Mauvin started to bleed again, but it was not bad and Magnus turned out to be almost as good a nurse as he was a sword smith, fashioning a new pad for his side. Royce searched through the saddlebags and found Hadrian a suitable shirt.

“We should be fine,” Royce told them, going through their inventory. “With a little luck we should reach Medford in a week.”

“In a hurry are you?” Hadrian asked.

“You might say that.”

“Thinking about Gwen?”

“I’m thinking it’s time I told her a few things about myself.”

Hadrian smiled and nodded.

“You think Thrace will be alright?”

“Tomas seems to be watching out for her pretty well.”

“Do you think they’ll really make her empress?”

“Not a chance,” Royce shook his head and handed the shirt to him.

“Arista told me you two were with Esrahaddon in the tower last night. She said he needed help with something, but wouldn’t tell me what it was.”

“He was using the tower to look for the Heir of Novron,” Royce replied.

“Did he find him?”

“I think so, but you know how he is. It’s hard to be sure of anything when dealing with him.” Hadrian nodded and winced as he pulled the shirt over his shoulders.

“Having troubles?”

“You try getting dressed with broken ribs sometime. It isn’t so easy.” Royce continued to look at him.

“What is it? Am I that entertaining?” Hadrian asked.

“It’s just that you’ve worn that silver medallion ever since I’ve known you, but you never told me where you got it.”

“Hmm? This?” Hadrian said. “I’ve had this forever. My father left it to me.”