“We do not have to fear immediate attack,” Thyss said. She reclined somewhat lazily in a high backed chair, her feet elevated and resting on a large, plush ottoman. “I believe the emperor cannot use the power of transportation to send anyone here.”
Cor had risen before the sun and immediately began making an inventory of everything he thought a group might need for a journey. He knew that he would not think of everything, but this didn’t concern him. Cor was sure that the steward would have advice on the matter. Thyss had stayed in bed for awhile and only grudgingly awoke and dressed after the sun had been above the horizon for a solid hour.
“Loszian sorcery is heavily based on enchantment, and their transportation spell requires a magical beacon,” she continued. “Just as their animated corpses cease to function, so should their beacons. It only stands to reason that Taraq’nok created the beacon in this castle. If it still functioned, the emperor would have already sent someone to investigate.”
Cor listened, though did not react or respond to her statements; the logic seemed sound as far as he understood magic, but it did not change the current predicament. Thyss stood from her chair, clearly aggravated. She was not used to not being the center of attention, and she suspected she could make her presence felt more clearly. She lightly approached his seated form from behind and leaned over him so that her breath would caress the back of his neck and ear.
“So, what now Dahken Cor?” she whispered.
“I must lead the Dahken from Losz, to a place of safety,” he answered, struggling to keep her presence from distracting him. Thyss hissed, a sound Cor was quickly learning to recognize as disgust from the elementalist, and she stormed back to her chair, throwing herself into it heavily.
“Where will you take them?”
“I see little choice except to take them west, back through the Spine into Aquis.” Cor leaned back and stared at the ceiling as he talked. “While the Loszians wouldn’t dare invade the Northern Kingdoms in chase of us, they are too far away. I doubt we could reach them in time, and I doubt that the children are prepared for such hardship. I could attempt to reach the southern coast; it isn’t as far, and I could hope to hire a Tigolean smuggler.”
Thyss laughed loudly, drawing an injured look from Cor. “The Loszians are not friendly merchants like Westerners. They inspect their ports too closely for you to escape them there.”
“Again,” Cor responded with a sigh, “I have little choice but to travel west.”
“And combat Lord Menak and his entire garrison?” Thyss asked. Her voice registered doubt or disbelief, but Cor could see something else burning in her eyes.
“I can’t be sure how many soldiers are there, but no doubt it is a force roughly matching that of Fort Haldon on the other side of the pass. I cannot defeat five hundred men in a direct confrontation. It’s a problem I have to work out between here and there.”
“Maybe you cannot,” Thyss agreed, stretching languidly, “but it will be a gloriously bloody battle I think. When do we leave?”
After a checking his list several times over, Cor sought out the steward, who was in the process of laying out a meal for he and Thyss. The steward looked over the provision list, agreeing that it was well made, though lacking in a few items. The steward agreed to handle the task and would have it ready by noon. In the meantime, the steward informed him that three of the Dahken, all boys in their teenaged years, had already struck out on their own in the dead of night. While this troubled Cor, he saw little he could do about it at this point.
Just after the sun reached its zenith, twenty-six persons on horses set out from Taraq’nok’s castle. At the head of the group was a black armored warrior on a beautiful palomino, the horse’s coat in stark contrast to the man’s countenance. At his side rode a beautifully dangerous woman from a far away, eastern land. The middle of the group was made up of children, riding two to a horse, and the smallest of which had larger children to help them. The rear of the column was brought up by two young adults who looked over their shoulders at the peasants, slaves and occasional guard who took great note of their passing. They rode west, the sun overhead, towards the Spine.
To Be Continued in Fire and Steel
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