A nimble Lief climbed down from his tree, jumping the last couple of metres to land silently. He suggested that they try to get some sleep because they were going to need it for the following day. It was his turn to take watch and he would be able to wake everyone if anything was remotely near. After his shift he would wake Darci.
Darci thought sleep impossible after such an attack. Yet, like the others, her eyes closed and her breathing slowed as soon as her head hit the makeshift pillow.
* * *
The first rays of light were creeping over the horizon when Lief woke Darci with a gentle hand on her shoulder. Birds had started to sing their welcome to the dawn as a light breeze rustled the leaves above.
“I thought my watch was earlier than this,” she mumbled as she slowly got up from under her blanket. The scary events of the previous night seemed like a bad nightmare. Darci was surprised she had been able to fall asleep so easily after the attack, but fear had taken its toll on her already saddle-tired and abused body.
She let out a slightly laboured moan as multiple joints clicked and crunched in protest at the effort of standing. Her movements were slightly jerky as she walked over to the dwindling woodpile; her legs still bent as if she were sitting on the barrel belly of her horse, causing Lief to smile. When she noticed, they both laughed, Darci making a conscious effort to stand straight despite the soreness in her legs and back. The young girl’s muscles complained loudly.
Lief smiled at her obvious physical state as he sat down, back against a tree. “Elves don’t seem to tire as easily as humans. Anyway, I decided that you needed the sleep more than I,” he replied in his musically soft voice.
Darci thanked the elf before putting another tree branch on the fire, but he made no move to go back to bed. Instead, he picked up his quiver of arrows, inspecting them one by one to make sure that they could cope with the accuracy of his shooting. From his pack he pulled out a knife and some wooden sticks. He had not used many arrows the previous night yet he figured that he might as well replenish his stock while he had the time.
“What do you think I should cook for breakfast?” she asked him, not having much of an idea of what she was supposed to do. He smiled again as he brushed a stray lock of soft blond hair out of his face, and then leaned over to pull some oats out of a pouch in his backpack. Getting up he, grabbed a charred old pot from Maledorian’s pile of things. They then made breakfast together, sharing general conversation about some of the amazing things the young elf had witnessed on his travels, which made Darci think about how much she had wanted to travel after she had finished her schooling. A snide thought entered her mind as she realised that inter-world travel had not been part of her plan.
Soon, everyone awoke with the promise of food wafting past their twitching noses. Taslessian saw that Lief and Darci had been up together. He was not quite sure why he was jealous of the young elf. He had only known Darci for a short amount of time and yet he felt something for her, or so he thought. These new feelings had him confused because he had not ever felt like this before about anyone. He wanted to protect her, to tell her that everything was going to be okay, and how he could solve all her problems that he seemed to be the cause of. The fact that this was pre-ordained did little to comfort his guilt. The young wizard sighed, as he did not think he could even convince himself of these things. He surrendered his line of thought as he too ate his breakfast with the rest of them. On the journey ahead he was sure to have plenty of time to contemplate such things.
Through the giant trees of the Jungle Dragon they rode. The sun shone through the canopy above with small shafts highlighting the greenery surrounding them. The fresh smell of living flora and fauna reaching out for the rising sun relaxed their nerves. Flowers that had opened for the day, spread their pollen on the breeze while the occasional animal was sighted, freezing in fear before running away to hide.
That morning, Taslessian travelled next to or behind Darci, depending upon how thick the forest was at the time. He noticed that she seemed relatively unaffected by their midnight adventure, happy to talk about how amazing dragons were, along with other things she had seen. Her genuine enthusiasm for the topic ignited his passion to talk at great length about the mystical world that through his knowledge of magic he was privy to.
Lief made casual conversation between the two before riding off to the front of the group with Maledorian, who had taken the lead. Defyance rode mainly back, just out of sight, to make sure they were not being followed too closely. Yet all knew that no matter what they did, Domati could still find them while they remained on the move. With a pause in conversation for Taslessian to take a drink, Darci attempted to engage with the only other female in their group. She wanted to know more about the quiet warrior woman, however, Darci always seemed to end up telling Defyance about the non-dangerous parts about her life and world, the sports that were played and the common pets that people owned. Defyance was able to not only avoid Darci’s questions, at the same time managing to get Darci to talk about herself.
Eventually the young girl gave up by telling Defyance that she would be a good politician. She gladly left the warrior woman with a creased brow that suggested she had no idea what she was talking about.
* * *
Shortly after lunch, the forest began to thin out slightly, eventually giving way to a well-worn dirt road between the Jungle Dragon and the forest of Nadrak. The constant background noise of birds and the smell of spring were replaced by less shade and the occasional dust cloud kicked up by their steeds on the dry dirt underneath. Turning to head southwest, they passed the odd traveller, going about their business. None stopped to question them or even make conversation with the group of five. Darci had a quiet notion that this had something to do with the burly Knight Protector who rode in the lead, ready to take on any forthcoming challenges. No danger seemingly present, the Knight Protector, the Dagger Bearer, the Elf Wanderer, the Apprentice Wizard and the Offworlder made their way towards the city of Chinta.
Chapter 2
The next day came without any hindrances. They had found a cosy camping spot just off the road where the group had set watches for the night, but there was no sign of Domati or his wounded beast, Trolog. Their sleep had not been interrupted and all had managed to eat a hearty breakfast, bolstered with fresh meat from a rabbit-like animal with a long tail from Maledorian’s trap. In the end they had all left with the minimum of fuss. Whenever Darci tried to buckle the saddle on her horse it sucked in air so that the saddle would no longer fit, but she was too embarrassed to ask Lief to do it for her again, leaving her to wobble precariously as they rode.
Early that morning, they came to the edge of the Jungle Dragon. The jungle appeared to leave the road, giving way to grass and only a thin scattering of trees. Now there were a few fields that lay between the road and the forest, with freely grazing cattle accompanying their path. Signs of civilisation began to appear. Small farmhouses were sporadically placed along the sides of the road, built solely from what the forest provided. The sound of children playing amongst the trees carried on the wind, causing Darci to envy their carefree attitudes.
But something seemed to be wrong with the farmhouses; something that itched at the back of Darci’s mind. No men were outside working on the crops or working with the animals. In a world like this, Darci expected the men to be working all the time. The only people she did see were women labouring – some ploughing the fields, others herding their cattle. She did not know why, but to her, such a thing felt wrong. She was all for equal rights, but that did not change the fact that most males were simply physically better prepared for some tasks compared to females.
“Where are all the male farmers?” she asked Taslessian who had not really left her side since they had started riding. It had taken all the previous day and that morning, but the apprentice wizard had finally tired of talking about dragons, content to simply enjoy the quiet scenery.
“I guess that all of the men a
re in Chinta. Grisham did tell us that the North and South were preparing for war.” He stretched his arms towards the heavens as he wriggled around in his saddle, unaccustomed to so much riding. Aside from Darci, he had fared worse than the others, feeling as if his behind would forever be out of shape.
Maledorian, who had overheard their conversation, decided to join in. “I agree, if the South is preparing for war, all the farmers and the farmer sons will be training with the local garrison. Personally, I am excited by the challenge of war, but I know that for those who must leave their families, war is not as glorious as it seems.” The young knight scratched his stomach, smiling sheepishly as it rumbled loudly enough for all to hear.
Up ahead, the forest again came closer to the road. Cresting a hill, they looked down to see there was a farmhouse placed just off the side of their path. This well-made building which was bigger than all the others they had passed. It lay at the bottom of a slight valley surrounded by soft green grass. Behind the homestead it was as if the Jungle Dragon had stretched out to encompass the land, both protecting it, yet hiding what wished to remain unknown in its peaceful yet secretive depths.
The group stopped just outside the house, dismounting at Maledorian’s instruction, horses snorting impatiently as they waited to be tended to. A lady rushed out of the front door to greet them. Hair held at bay by a faded grey bandanna, her eyes full of the surprise at her unexpected guests, she wiped her hands hastily on her plain, full-length dress. Despite her somewhat well-worn clothes, there was a mysterious beauty about her sharp features. Inclining her head to Maledorian, she politely asked him what he required. He respectfully requested that their horses be attended to, and if she had enough to spare so they could have lunch at her house. She nodded, calling out someone’s name, she then sighed, shaking her head as she called for someone else. A teenage girl, who looked around Darci’s age, promptly came running out from behind the house to tend to the horses. After the guests had unpacked their baggage, she took their mounts by the lead having no problems, not even with Maledorian’s charger, as she led them off towards the barn that lay discreetly up another small hill nearer the jungle.
Darci looked at the face of the woman, for an instant it looked as if she was about to cry, and yet the expression was gone as soon as it appeared. The lady ran her fingers through a loose strand of hair. Snapping her attention back to her guests, she bid them into the house and introduced herself as Lisette, telling the group that her daughter, Tallen, was tending to their horses.
Lisette led the weary travellers into a large room furnished with a large wooden table and six matching chairs. Just past the dining table lay a neat assortment of larger wooden chairs and cushions, hugging the large open fire that doubled both as a heater and an oven. Well-made wooden doors were shut on the other side of the eating area, keeping private the rest of their residence. Their gracious host swiftly gathered up some mugs, making sure that they were clean before filling them with some ale. She placed one in front of each before busying herself about her kitchen to make them lunch.
“I’ll take that.” Maledorian swooped up Darci’s mug with a wink before downing it with barely a couple of gulps. The young girl simply shrugged in response, wondering if her knight friend ever stopped being thirsty, also amazed that he managed to stay in the tight fitting confines of his armour with such a habit.
Darci looked around the spacious dining and kitchen area while her friends drank, waiting for their meal. Everything around the home seemed to be placed in a neat, ordered fashion. Sturdy shelves lined the walls, holding all manner of things, from little wooden carvings to a set of well-used pots and pans. Near the main door, an almost empty weapons rack held only a small bow and quiver along with a short sword, despite the fact there appeared to be room for many much larger weapons. Much to Darci’s delight, on a large rug near the fire lay an almost giant white dog. It was sleeping peacefully, ignoring the presence of the strangers.
Lisette began to serve everyone lunch, making sure that Maledorian was well looked after before tending to the rest. Finally handing Darci her meal, she noticed her admiring their dog.
“Do you like dogs young one?” Lisette stood with one hand on her hip, washing towel dangling from her spare hand. When Darci nodded, their hostess continued. “She is called Jaylene and she is a pure mountain dog. Normally she would not be inside, but my husband is not here and she is not far from giving birth.” It was then that Darci noticed the abnormal bulge in the dog’s belly.
Without further talk everyone dug into their meals. Lisette had served them cold meat with some heated potatoes and other assorted garden vegetables. Darci ate hers in thoughtful silence. She wondered what had made Lisette upset before. No one else had seemed to notice, and whatever it was, there was no sign of it now.
Smiles shone around the room as everybody leaned back in their chairs, taking time to eat their meal. Even Defyance had let down her guard, laughing at some comment or other from Lisette as she passed by. The food tasted good and they were glad to be out of the saddle, even if only for a short time.
Maledorian was talking to Lisette about something with a big silly grin on his face. It was unlikely that such a woman in such a place did not have a husband, but he just seemed to be having some harmless fun. The hungry knight soon handed their host an empty plate, only to receive it back again topped with the same. Having satisfied his ravenous hunger by inhaling his first helping, he now started to take time to enjoy the meal, even chewing it before swallowing. On the other end of the large table, Defyance and Taslessian were talking quietly about more serious matters. Lief was switching from conversation to conversation depending on which interested him at the time.
Darci had finished her meal before everyone else; not receiving as great a portion, and glad for it. With conversations all around, none including her, she decided to make her way up to the barn so that she could talk to Tallen.
Lief began having an animated conversation with their host, talking as if they were old friends. Darci raised an eyebrow as she noticed that Lisette shared many of the same features as the elf. She could not be sure in her assumption however, as the tops of Lisette’s ears were covered with a bandanna. She quietly excused herself from the table as she slid down from her chair. When no one objected to her leaving, she tiptoed over the wooden floor before slipping out the door, closing it gently behind her.
Darci walked with a spring in her step as she travelled the short way to the barn, a pungent scent of hay and horses causing her to wrinkle her nose. Hopefully, whatever Lief had done for her the other day also covered her for hay fever. Looking in through the open double doors of the barn, she could see the five mounts amongst another two horses, tethered to a rope-scarred wooden pole. A soft layer of hay covered the floor.
Tallen was brushing Taslessian’s stallion as she whispered comfort to the horse. She was so involved in her task, she had not noticed Darci’s presence. The young girl was around the same height as Darci with a slightly slimmer build. Long brown hair ran free down her back, some of it covering a young and innocent face that matched the bizarrely Elven features of her mother, yet her ears were the same as everyone else.
“Hi,” Darci said tentatively as she took a step inside the door.
Tallen turned around and smiled, but she did not return the greeting and continued brushing the horse until she was satisfied with the result. With a soft pat on the rump, she moved to Sahik.
“Can I help?” Darci asked, grabbing another brush off the wall. The young girl stopped brushing for a moment to take a second look at this stranger. She was obviously of some station to be travelling with a knight, yet she looked just like any other girl, not even wearing the fine materials of those not for common life.
“Why would you want to help me?” Her soft voice was non-threatening, simply curious.
Darci smiled, taking a moment to explain that she was not any kind of spoiled brat, getting someone else to do any work
that she was not prepared to do herself. Not to mention the fact that she would be glad to get to know the horses since she had only ridden on one.
Darci and Tallen soon began talking as if they were old friends. When questions were asked, Darci employed the same tactics as Defyance, managing to get Tallen to reveal things about herself instead. The Offworlder found out that Tallen was the youngest in a family of five. Her two brothers and their father had gone to Chinta as part of the city guard. She only hoped they would not be dragged into the army of the North; a dire possibly perhaps explaining Lisette’s earlier sadness. Considering no battle had begun, her father had taken up station as Sergeant of the Guard within the city itself. If war was imminent, it was most likely that not all of them would return.
When Darci could no longer avoid talking about her life, she told Tallen a story of how she was Taslessian’s sister and that they were on an important journey. She knew that it was a lame story, but she had never really thought about a cover, and it was the best that she could do on such short notice. Aside from that, the truth could be dangerous, not only to their group, but to Tallen herself.
The young girl’s eyes lit up at the mention of a possible adventure. Her practiced hand brushing down Maledorian’s stallion paused for a moment, as with a dreamy look on her face, she confided in Darci that she had always wanted to do all the things that boys were allowed to do. Tallen wanted to be able to train as a warrior, and when her brothers were around she was able to play with them, picking up reasonable sword skills, but her father disapproved of anything other than self- defence, wanting her to act more like the lady that she would one day be. She did not want to marry some rich merchant because he paid her parents enough money. She wanted more than what a life of bearing the children of some stranger would bring.