CHAPTER NINE
The company journeyed north and the land flattened out as they marched toward Lantern Hill. As they progressed the trees grew more numerous and the landscape gradually turned into forest. Eben and Red had passed through the same forest weeks earlier on their way to Ancora. The forest was the magnificent Altus Forest, the largest forest in Ortaria. They found a goat track that led northward through the woods, and by the mid-afternoon the trees gave way to the muddy highway that cut directly through the forest from east to west.
‘Is Lantern Hill to the east or west?’ asked Cassiel as he looked from left to right.
‘West,’ replied Red.
‘I thought east,’ said King Ignis. The highway gradually curved out of sight through the forest.
‘Is that horses?’ questioned Stella softly.
‘Quick, off the highway!’ cried Baftel.
They all dashed back off the highway and made their way into the trees as the sound of galloping horses could be heard growing louder from the west. They ducked out of sight behind trees and bushes and watched as a group of at least two dozen armour clad horsemen rode by at full speed. A few moments later they were gone from sight, and the sound of the galloping faded away into the east.
When they were certain the horsemen were gone they walked back toward the highway. Baftel led the way and looked in the direction the horsemen had ridden.
‘They’re gone,’ he said.
‘We should go west,’ said Red. King Ignis nodded. ‘Lantern Hill is west. I travelled back and forth along this highway when I was a trader. The town is about an hour from here. We should stay off the highway for our safety.’
The group walked through the forest and kept just south of the highway to avoid the possibility of an ambush. After about half an hour the forest started to thin and gave way to a long lush field that stretched out into the distance. At the far side a line of yew trees grew along the base of a small hill that the town of Lantern Hill was built upon. They could clearly see the outline of the gabled rooftops and smoking chimneys of the stone houses and huts. They stopped short of the field and stood just within the last trees of the forest.
‘How should we proceed?’ asked Cassiel, looking to King Ignis.
‘We can split up the tasks; that would reduce the time we spend in the town. One group can get the food, and the other group can buy the horses and the swords,’ suggested King Ignis.
‘There’s a dark shadow covering the town. I don’t think we are safe here,’ said Baftel.
‘What do you see,’ asked King Ignis, glancing uneasily back at the wizard.
‘Vultures feeding on a carcass,’ said Baftel gravely.
‘Keep your eyes open. If we get separated then we’ll meet back here,’ said King Ignis.
‘I can buy the six horses we need,’ said Red. ‘I know a merchant in the town who sells horses and travelling goods, and we may even be able to buy some swords from him. After I buy the horses I’ll lead them to the other side of the town.’
‘Good,’ said King Ignis. ‘I’ll go with Red and Baftel to buy the horses and swords. Cassiel, Eben, and Stella can gather the food supplies. We’ll meet on the western side of town as quickly as we possibly can. Don’t talk to anyone unless it cannot be avoided, and keep your heads down.’
Cassiel divided his gold between the two groups. They crossed the field quickly and ascended the slope of the hill up to the eastern entrance of the town. The town had no wall and was cut in two by the main road that ascended directly over the hilltop and ran straight down the opposite side. A few scruffy guardsmen near the entrance scowled as they passed by. The whole town was very dank and grimy. The streets were full of mud and rot. The people of Lantern Hill looked to be downtrodden and miserable. Eben felt dismayed by the haunted and bleak faces of the townsfolk.
Red led the King and Baftel away to the right as Cassiel, Stella, and Eben walked up the hill to the top of the town. At the top of the hill there was a large open square and in the centre was a marble statue that had been smashed and was missing its arms and head. Cassiel sighed at seeing it.
‘That statue was of Teodric the Builder. He was one of the greatest kings who ever lived,’ whispered Cassiel.
They walked by the broken statue and down the road leading toward the western side of the town. A little down from the top of the hill they found a merchant storehouse. Cassiel went inside to arrange the supplies whilst Stella and Eben waited at the door just outside. Eben looked over the rooftops and down across the countryside as the view from the hill was panoramic. He could see the many fields that surrounded the town. His eyes glanced up the road and his heart froze when he saw a hooded horseman passing the ruined statue and heading in their direction. The rider was dressed in black and had a deathly pale complexion. His eyes were fixed on Eben and Stella.
‘Get inside,’ said Eben, taking Stella by the arm; he led her into the storehouse. Cassiel was finalising his deal and had slung a large sack of food over his shoulder.
‘Cassiel!’ shouted Eben. Cassiel quickly turned and looked back at Eben and Stella. ‘We’re in trouble.’
‘What is it? What did you see?’ asked Cassiel.
‘There’s a horseman near the statue. I think he’s a Skathean,’ said Eben. The colour instantly drained from Cassiel’s face.
‘A Skathean!’ he repeated as he dashed to the window beside the door. He looked out and leapt back an instant later. The whole storehouse shuddered, and the window shattered with the sound of a mighty crash. Orange flames smashed through, knocking Cassiel to the floor, and setting fire to the far side of the storeroom.
‘Zarceler! Zarceler is here, and he has Skatheans with him!’ cried Cassiel. Cassiel struggled to get up off the floor; he was clearly injured from the fiery blast. The storeman ran out a side door as Eben drew his sword. Stella looked horrified and went to help Cassiel.
‘Eben!’ cried Stella as Eben moved toward the front door. The store around them started to burn.
‘I’ll protect you!’ shouted Eben. He threw his bag, axe, and bow aside and looked to the Sword of Light in his hand. Courage pushed the fear from his veins. A shockwave smashed into the door, blasting it off its hinges and forcing Eben to stumble back. A moment later a fierce Skathean stepped in through the doorway. His face was deeply pale, and his piercing blue eyes revealed his murderous intention. He was clothed completely in black and wore a long dark cloak. He held a large sword in his hand, and he stared directly at Eben with malice.
Suddenly a blast of fire from the hand of Cassiel struck the Skathean, knocking the evil warrior toward the door. With great agility the Skathean recovered his balance. He leapt towards Cassiel and Stella furiously, ready to swing his blade, but Eben moved forward and stood between the Skathean and his friends. Their blades clashed with a screech of steel on steel. The Skathean fell back and stared at Eben with menacing eyes. Eben quickly advanced. He struck at the Skathean several times and forced his opponent to parry. The Skathean stepped backward and out through the doorway onto the street.
‘Go out the back!’ shouted Eben, glancing over his shoulder to Stella and Cassiel. Stella helped Cassiel. They went toward the back door as the fires blazed around them.
‘Eben, they’re Skatheans! You can’t beat them!’ shouted Cassiel as they exited out the back.
Feeling confident, Eben leapt out into the street after the Skathean. Instantly he was surrounded by five waiting Skatheans. Zarceler was standing across the way and grinning wickedly. Eben stood at the doorway as the storehouse burned behind him. He raised his sword and was ready for combat.
‘That looks like a wonderful sword, boy!’ said Zarceler with a smirk. ‘You are surrounded, surrender!’
‘Never!’ cried Eben defiantly.
Instantly he found himself defending multiple blows from the Skatheans. He struggled to parry and counter attack as the Skatheans pushed him away from the storehouse and down the road. He kept stepping back as they advanced and strained to defend the incoming strikes, stabs, and slashes. The five of them worked together like a machine. They surrounded him and forced him further down the hill until he was eventually near the western edge of the town.
With his back against a stone wall he desperately tried to defend himself. His sword flickered in the light of day and moved so gracefully in his hand, but his faith and courage were diminishing and his weariness was growing. A moment later a flash of bright red light struck him in the chest and he dropped to the ground; the Sword of Light fell from his hand as he curled over in pain. A burning sensation of fire circulated in his abdomen. Completely breathless he curled up against the stone wall as the Skatheans pointed their swords at him and were ready to finish him off. Zarceler approached and looked down at him with a mocking smirk.
‘In truth, I have never seen such a wonderful display of swordsmanship. What fool in all of history would challenge five Skatheans at once? You lasted so long. It’s a pity you are not my servant. You would make a good bodyguard; unfortunately I have to kill you,’ said Zarceler, grinning viciously.
‘He has the Sword of Light,’ hissed one of the Skatheans. Zarceler’s jaw dropped, and his eyes filled with devious wonder at hearing the words.
Eben found some energy within and started to get up off the ground. He looked up at Zarceler who was grinning down at him and gloating.
‘Where did you get that sword, boy?’ asked Zarceler.
Eben didn’t answer and stared defiantly up at the wizard.
‘We will take the Sword of Light to the Master,’ said Zarceler, grinning with malicious delight.
Suddenly a bright blue wave of energetic light blasted out from the stone wall behind Eben. The shockwave knocked all the Skatheans and Zarceler away from him; they tumbled to the ground. Eben grabbed his sword and regained his feet. A moment later he could see Red charging down from the top of the hill on a large horse.
‘Eben!’ cried Red.
Eben felt his confidence return at seeing his friend coming to his aid. He dashed away from the Skatheans and rushed back up the hill toward Red. The Skatheans were quick to regain their feet and turned to pursue him. Zarceler watched with a sneer as Eben ran. Moments later he reached Red. Red leaned down and helped Eben up onto his horse.
‘We have to get out of here! The others are already out of the town.’
‘What about Stella and Cassiel?’
‘They’re safe with King Ignis,’ said Red.
The Skatheans were almost upon them. Red turned his horse around and charged away. Zarceler snarled and was furiously enraged. Several dozen town guardsmen appeared at the top of the hill and attempted to block their escape. Red turned the horse and charged down a side lane that led out of the town.
‘Kill them! Kill them all!’ screamed Zarceler in the distance.
Moments later Red and Eben rode westward out of the town, leaving the Skatheans and Zarceler staring after them. They met with King Ignis and the others about three hundred yards from the eastern edge of Lantern Hill. The whole company had acquired horses and swords. Eben jumped down off Red’s horse and mounted his own.
‘Are you all right, Eben?’ asked Stella.
‘I’m fine,’ said Eben.
‘We have to go before they come after us,’ said Red.
King Ignis turned his horse. They galloped away west toward the edge of the forest.
**
They rode west along the highway for several minutes before King Ignis led them off the road into the forest to the north. They kept moving through the woods for quite some time and eventually stopped beside a small stream.
‘I can’t believe you tried to fight them. They were Skatheans!’ said Cassiel.
‘He saved our lives,’ said Stella, clearly annoyed that Cassiel was questioning Eben’s choice.
‘You were very brave, Eben. Thanks for saving us,’ said Cassiel.
‘We have to keep moving,’ said King Ignis. ‘They will surely follow us.’
They rode west through the forest for the remainder of the afternoon, and the day grew darker as thick clouds crossed the sky and gentle misty rain started falling. At the end of the day they set up camp beside in a wide clearing and made a small fire. They sat around the fire and tried to keep warm as the frosty evening progressed into an icy cold night.
‘We have swords and horses now and enough food for the journey to Galdir,’ said King Ignis. ‘The Skatheans will follow our tracks through the forest, so we will have to ride constantly tomorrow to put as much distance between us and Lantern Hill.’
Baftel looked to the sky above. ‘A big storm will arrive tomorrow and will slow us down.’
‘We must persevere,’ said King Ignis sternly.
That night few of them slept. The rain grew heavier and the horses stirred and were anxious. The morning was cold, and the rain was torrential. A little after sunrise they rode west from the clearing. By midday they arrived at a wide and slow flowing river. A thin track followed the bank.
‘This is the Merus River; it flows all the way from the Endora Mountains to Ancora,’ said King Ignis.
‘There’s a town along the river further west called Riverside. I recommend that we take my advice this time and avoid it,’ said Red.
‘Red is right; we must not go there,’ said Baftel. ‘Riverside is shrouded by a shadow that is as dark as night.’
‘We will follow the river west and go around Riverside,’ said King Ignis. ‘I believe there may be several places where the river is shallow enough to cross. We are probably safer on the northern bank.’
They moved on and followed the river. The rain grew heavier with each passing hour. They could hear thunder booming in the east. Eben could see the dark clouds were moving in their direction. Before long the rain became torrential, and the thunder was directly above them. The track beside the river was growing muddy and difficult for the horses. They were making slow progress. They came to a shallow area of rapids; King Ignis led them across the river to the north bank. The track that followed the river on the north side was little more than a muddy goat track.
‘We should find shelter from this storm,’ said Red.
‘No, Red, we must persist,’ said King Ignis.
‘This rain will wash away our tracks,’ said Red. ‘The Skatheans and Zarceler won’t be able to follow us through this. There’s no point trying to push forward.’
The thunder boomed above and flashes of lighting lit up the sky illuminating the gloom around them.
‘There is an abandoned farmhouse further along the river,’ said Baftel. ‘It is about an hour from here.’
‘Good. If it is safe we will stop there,’ said King Ignis.
They continued through the heavy rain and mud. After an hour they arrived at a cleared area of forest. A farmhouse was near the riverbank. It looked to be long abandoned and mostly in disrepair. King Ignis led them over to the farmhouse and dismounted. He walked in through the front door which was hanging by one rusted hinge. Eben and the others did the same. Inside was a large living area that made up most of the lower level of the house. To the left there was an open fireplace. A few broken chairs and a half rotting table were the only other contents of the room. Cobwebs covered the interior. King Ignis cleared away the cobwebs with his sword, and Cassiel picked up the scattered chairs.
They felt relieved to be out of the rain and took off their coats and cloaks. Before long Red was busy trying to build a fire in the fireplace.
‘We should stay here until the storm passes,’ said King Ignis. ‘Red is right, Zarceler won’t ride through this wild weather. They won’t be able to follow our tracks after this heavy rain.’
‘We are safe here,’ said Baftel. ‘I can’t see the Skatheans following us. There are no enemies close by.’
‘Good, we must rest well whilst we can,’ said King Ignis.
Red managed to get the fire started and gathered some wood from around the farmhouse. The day faded into the evening. The company huddled around the warmth of the fire. Stella and Red prepared a meal of bread and potatoes. They all ate well and felt revived after a proper meal.
It was agreed that they should take turns to keep watch through the night. Eben lay down in a corner of the room and rested. He drifted off to sleep.