It took time to get everything organized to Kyriu's liking before they could leave. They were going by horse and Lozan had assumed, or rather hoped, that meant a carriage but found out there was no way. He had gone ahead and had the official carriage of the Citadel brought out, complete with regal tassels and colors. The staff had finished preparing it when Kyriu arrived to the ready area and pointed out his objection to Lozan. He had remained calm but Lozan could sense the anger that lurked below the surface. Having the carriage unhooked and rolled away took a deal longer than Lozan would have liked and he couldn't believe that he had disappointed Kyriu once again. To say he was frustrated was an understatement. Further frustration was caused by the fact that they were going to be riding horse-back. Lozan hadn't ridden in such a fashion for many years and was not looking forward to travelling without the comforts afforded by his official carriage.
It was of small solace that Kyriu didn't appear worried about the time that was slipping away from them while the staff servants fussed with the carriage. Kyriu paced back and forth, a dark look on his face, as he fingered a large roll he had tucked under one arm. It looked like a bed roll but stiffer and everything about it was black.
With his official Citadel carriage now put away, Lozan called for the horses to be readied. Staff disappeared and returned with saddles and blankets to start preparing the horses for travel when Kyriu stopped his relentless pacing and commanded them to stop. The staff looked at one another and then to Lozan for direction. Lozan nodded his assurance and they backed away from the horses, all eyes on Kyriu.
Kyriu stepped forward and pulled the roll from under his arm and placed it on the ground in front of him and rolled it out.
Lozan could now see that they were blankets that had been rolled up but they weren't blankets that he recognized from the Citadel. Rolled out, they maintained their otherworldly darkness, filled with relentless and unceasing emptiness. Lozan shivered in spite of himself.
Kyriu got down on his knees at the edge of the blankets and closed his eyes.
Lozan could hear a low chant coming from Kyriu’s mouth. Kyriu raised his hands from his side until they formed a triangular shape and then pulled them in close to his chest. Lozan couldn't see what was happening now, Kyriu's hands were too close to his chest, but he could see Kyriu’s body vibrating. Not violently like he was shaking, but in small waves. Kyriu's body wriggled and swayed, almost imperceptible, but it was happening. The vibrating stopped and Kyriu's body went still. He moved his hands away from his chest and broke the shape they formed and placed them on the top of the pile of blankets that he was kneeling in front of and held them there.
Lozan and the Citadel staff stood frozen in place with bated breath, waiting for something to happen; anything. A flame; a wave; but nothing happened. Kyriu stayed on his knees a while longer and then stood up and turned to Lozan. "These are to go on the horses first, beneath any other blankets and saddle." Kyriu moved out of the way of the staff and back into the nearby shadows.
"You heard him." Lozan shouted at the staff. "Get to work."
The servants moved toward the stack of blankets that Kyriu had left lying in a pile, looking at one another sidelong, afraid to touch them. One by one they each picked one from the heap, six of them in total, and took them to the horses that stood nearby. With great care they put them on the horses, afraid to move the blankets too much in case they awoke the magic Kyriu had infused them with. Nothing untoward happened and they picked up the pace and put more blankets and padding over the black blanket and lastly, the saddles. If there was some sort of enchantment in the black blankets, the horses didn't seem affected by it and stood awaiting a rider.
With the horses ready, Kyriu wandered out from the shadows once more and mounted the sturdiest of the horses, not bothering to wait for direction or assistance. Once in the saddle he had the horse maneuver around the small courtyard they were in, getting a feel for the horse and its behavior.
Lozan was surprised at how adept Kyriu was with the horse. They had never ridden together or even spoke of horses before and Lozan assumed that Kyriu stayed away from them. Lozan felt ashamed when he tried to mount his steed and servants had to rush to his side to assist him. If they hadn't, he would have fallen on his face.
With Lozan safely on his steed the other men mounted their horses, checking to make sure they had all their equipment properly stowed. Lozan hadn't even bothered to look at his pack. He was used to all those minor details being attended to by one of his servants. He thought about checking his supplies now but resisted, deciding that if everything wasn't satisfactory there would be some retribution when he returned from this trip.
Lozan's thoughts turned to the trip. From his reckoning Tagan and Braulor were somewhere in the Vjeinka mountains, leagues ahead of them. As fate would have it, they were also closer to the land of Dwenar Gliv, as Kyriu had divulged that’s where they were headed. They would have to ride night and day to even hope to catch up to them. Being unfamiliar with Dwenar Gliv, Lozan figured Tagan and Braulor could go in any multitude of directions and couldn’t see how they were going to find them. Once they were out of the borders of Brankin Huoh, Lozan would have no ears on the ground. No troops to feed him intelligence. They would be blind. He wanted to talk to Kyriu about this apparent oversight but decided against it once he ran down the list of ways he had failed Kyriu of late. Lozan felt like he was on thin ice and he didn't want to agitate Kyriu any further. He hoped Kyriu had a plan that would have him back to his servants and fine linens in no time at all.
Kyriu still seemed unconcerned with time. He almost seemed patient as he waited for everybody to mount their horse. Once they were ready he took charge and led the small group out of the courtyard and through the Citadel main gates, into the early evening. The sun had set and dusk was coming on quick. At Lozan's insistence they took a small road that led from the main. It was a more circuitous route but it also provided more secrecy. Lozan didn't want the people to think that he was abandoning them. The few times he had reason to leave Brankin Huoh in the past he turned it into a regal affair. Lozan made sure that everyone was made aware so that there would be a grand turnout to see him off, a chance to stroke his ego, but it also helped cement the idea that he was the ruler. He didn't need anybody getting any ideas in his absence. There had been no time to plan for any of that on this occasion and Lozan was certain that Kyriu wouldn’t have allowed it anyway.
The small group clip clopped down the dimly lit road; Kyriu at the lead, Lozan behind him. Flanking Lozan was two of his personal body guards and bringing up the rear were two regular infantry men. Kyriu didn't want to bring a large contingent of men. He had assured Lozan that it would be unnecessary.
The road led them to the main gate of the city. The large gates were drawn shut in accordance with curfew rules and there was a small group of guards manning it. They snapped to attention as the group approached. Two drew swords while another darted into a nearby open door. Lozan was impressed with their efficiency.
One of the guards commanded them to stop as more guards issued from the doorway and formed a line facing the group.
Lozan dispatched one of his personal body guards to speak to them. After some hushed conversation and gesticulating the guards stood down and opened a small access door beside the main gate to let them out. They eyed Kyriu, but not too closely, as he rode by and bowed their heads to Lozan as he passed, then shut and secured the door behind them.
It was dark outside the wall and Lozan fidgeted in his saddle. He was already getting sore from it. Looking around he couldn't remember a time when he had been beyond the gate at night. It made him nervous.
Kyriu didn't stop and kept riding away from the gate. He followed the main road over the bridge but veered off it once they were on the other side and led them around a bend, out of eyeshot of those at the gate before stopping. The others pulled up behind him looking at one another wondering what was going on.
Kyriu turned to them,
his eyes gleaming in the dark. "Whatever happens, trust in your horse. Don't try to stop him. Don't steer him. Hold on and you’ll be fine." Without any further elaboration he turned his back on them.
Lozan could see the men grow tense and grip the reins in their hands as they looked at one another, frightened at what that could mean.
Kyriu started chanting again, as he had over the blankets. Slow and steady he hissed a steady stream of words that drifted into the dark. The night deepened around them and the horses started to paw at the ground underneath their hooves. The air grew still and there was no noise coming from anywhere. The silence was so deep it felt like it was squashing them. Even the stars seemed to be blocked out.
Lozan became aware of a presence. More than one presence, there were hundreds, maybe thousands of them. Perhaps even more, it was impossible to tell, but their presence was pervasive and all encompassing; everywhere all at once, blotting out the real world. It was like ghosts were gathering around them to see what was going on. It made his skin crawl and he shivered as they drifted all around him.
The chanting stopped but the presences still remained. Kyriu lurched forward and looked back at them. "Ride."
The men didn’t have to do anything as the command was meant for the horses and one by one they started forward, following Kyriu.
Lozan wrapped the reins around his hand and sunk low over the neck of his horse. It felt like the beings that were present were pawing at him, jeering at him and somehow he knew if he fell off they would drag him into the darkness to never be seen again. Underneath his legs he could feel the blanket Kyriu had enchanted, vibrating in slow pulses. Lozan closed his eyes and held on. Just as he thought it would never end, the beings began to recede back to wherever they came from and then disappeared altogether. The vibrating coming from the blanket slowed and slowed, then stopped.
Lozan sat up straight and opened his eyes when his horse came to a stop. It was still night but even through the dark Lozan could tell that the land had changed.
"The land of Dwenar Gliv," Kyriu announced.
Chapter 29