Halman was the first to come down the stairs in the morning. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked around. The blood and gore from the previous night’s battle had been cleaned up. He heard noises coming from the kitchen and decided to investigate.
“Morning,” greeted the innkeeper of the Western Woods Inn. “You are up early.”
“And it appears that you have not slept at all,” replied Halman. “The common room is already cleaned for your guests. I am sorry that we brought these troubles upon you. Can I help with anything?”
“You already performed your greatest service last night when you protected my daughters rather than your lord,” replied Crawford. “You have my gratitude for life.”
“It was my lord who requested that I do so,” declared Halman, “although I was pleased that he did. How are the girls?”
“I have not woken them,” frowned Crawford. “I am afraid that last night was too horrible for them to understand. One of the reasons that I left the Kheri tribe was to isolate them from the deaths of tribal warfare. I guess that is not possible in these times.”
“No it isn’t,” agreed the Torak soldier. “They should have the satisfaction of knowing that their father is a fearless warrior and will protect them with his life. You performed well last night.”
“I am getting old,” grinned the innkeeper, “but I still know how to use a sword. Do you think more of them will come today?”
“I do not think so,” answered Halman. “It is my lord they are after. We will be on the road within the hour, so I think your life will return to normal.”
“Why is your lord so important to those creatures?” asked Crawford.
Halman went silent for a few moments as if weighing his answer before giving it. The innkeeper waited patiently as he sliced portions of clova for the morning meal.
“My lord is Emperor Marak of Khadora,” Halman finally stated. “We do not wish much word of his passing to be spread, but it is obvious that our enemy already knows.”
“The Emperor of Khadora?” gasped the innkeeper. “Mercy! I am honored to have served him and his people last night.”
“You did more than serve us,” smiled Halman. “You fought alongside us. It is a memory to be cherished.”
“Indeed,” the innkeeper nodded excitedly. “It is also exactly what I need to help the girls recover from their fright. They will be so excited to serve the Emperor of Khadora that they will forget the troubles of last night. Excuse me while I go and waken them.”
Halman smiled and returned to the common as the rest of the party was coming down the stairs. Gunta looked tired, and Halman realized that he probably stayed up the whole night. The group gathered at the same table that they had occupied the night before. There was not much talking as Halman brought mugs of coffee from the kitchen and placed them on the table before sitting down. A few minutes later Crawford raced down the stairs and into the kitchen. A short while later the two girls descended the stairs. They stared briefly at the travelers before whispering excitedly and running into the kitchen.
Both girls emerged from the kitchen carrying plates of eggs and clova slices. They very formally placed the plates in front of each of the travelers and then bowed low to the Emperor. Marak’s brow creased in confusion as he watched the performance. Halman’s lips curled upward in a smile as he watched the girls depart.
“The girls seemed to have recovered well from the incident last night,” remarked the Emperor. “I guess the Fakarans are built of hardy stock. Most Khadoran youngsters would still be hiding from the hellsouls.”
The girls returned with more plates and repeated the performance, ending with a low bow to the Emperor. This time Halman could not help but chuckle when they left.
“You will explain this, Halman,” the Emperor said. “What is going on?”
“I thought it would ease tensions to explain who you are,” admitted the Torak soldier. “It appears to have taken the girls’ minds off of last night. I hope you do not mind.”
Marak’s confusion quickly faded and was replaced with a smile. “You have talents that have not yet been discovered, Halman. Your discovery last night that decapitation can vanquish these creatures is but another reason of why I value your services so much. What do you think the chances are of finding another horse in this area?”
“You will not have much luck in that endeavor,” answered Crawford as he brought a pitcher of coffee to the table. “In a few month’s time your chances will be greatly improved, but not now. The people in these parts are farmers, and they have no horses to spare. Perhaps in Meliban you will have more luck.”
“Caldal and I can continue to ride double,” offered MistyTrail. “It is not a problem.”
The Emperor nodded, and the innkeeper retreated to the kitchen.
“We need to be more alert in our travels from now on,” announced Gunta. “There will certainly be more attacks on us before we reach Angragar.”
“Caldal and I can take turns scouting ahead,” offered Eltor. “We will not be mistaken for a Khadoran Emperor.”
“Don’t leave Mistake and me out of this,” interjected MistyTrail. “I am used to traveling unseen in a forest, and I am sure Mistake can as well.”
The Emperor smiled broadly as he pushed his empty plate towards the center of the table. “You have all shown your ability to be part of this group last night. We will ride with a forward scout from now on. Everyone who wants to scout will have a chance to do so. Now it is time to get on the road.”
The travelers rose and headed for the rear door of the inn. Emperor Marak extracted a small pouch of gold as he rose. He paused at the door to the kitchen on his way to the door. The innkeeper and his daughters had left the kitchen to watch the group leave. Emperor Marak handed the pouch to Crawford.
“You ended up with more work than you bargained for when you accepted us last night,” smiled the Torak. “I hope this will be enough to compensate you for your troubles.”
The innkeeper opened his mouth to protest, but Marak had already moved away and stood in front of the two girls. He bowed to the first girl and kissed her hand. He repeated the procedure for the second girl and then stood and smiled at the two of them.
“It was a memorable night for all of us at the Western Woods,” he said with a smile. “Remember what was good about it, and push the other thoughts away. As long as there are men in this world like your father, mankind will not lose hope in their future. Be well.”
The girls were giddy with excitement as the Emperor walked out the door. They rushed to the door to watch the Khadorans leave. Crawford exited the inn and put his arms around the girls as Halman led the procession out of the stables.
* * *
“Land ho!” shouted the sailor from the rigging, his arm pointing slightly to the starboard side of the bow.
“Stand ready,” Captain Mynor shouted to the small crew of the Sprite. “We are now in the enemy’s territory. Be ready for evasive action at any moment.”
The Sprite was the sleekest and fastest of Khadoran vessels. It carried a crew of only four besides the captain. It was a small ship built for speed and not for the heavy burdens of cargo. Captain Mynor stood at the helm and corrected his course slightly to starboard. Beside him, a member of the crew recorded the change in direction. The crewman kept a detailed log of the travels of the Sprite, and it would be up to him to chart the Island of Darkness as the captain circumnavigated it.
The other two members of the crew stood at the stern rail, one on each side of a barrel of oil. They carried bows and had scores of arrows readied to shoot at pursuing ships. If the Sprite were chased, the barrel of oil would provide for flaming arrows to keep the enemy at bay while the captain tried to outrace the pursuer.
Captain Mynor was excited at finding the Island of Darkness. He had plotted the course of the Khadoran ship that had sighted the sailboat carrying the elves. He had then used that information to chart a hypothetical course for the sailboat. Backtracking along that hypothetical course from Raven’s Point had brought the Sprite to its current position. Now that land had been sighted, the captain was thrilled. He knew the possibility existed that the Motangans would attempt to attack the Sprite and capture the crew, but Captain Mynor had other plans for the voyage. He was prepared to lure the Motangan vessels far out to sea and then outrace them back towards the island. No matter what happened, he was determined to properly place the Island of Darkness on the charts for Khadoran seamen.
* * *
Emperor Marak’s party rounded a bend in the trail and saw Eltor in the distance sitting stationary on his horse. The party immediately halted. Mistake swiftly wove an air tunnel and directed it towards Eltor.
“Speak softly,” she ordered the elf. “Why have you stopped?”
“There are several people in the forest between us,” Eltor answered. “They are on your left about halfway between us. They let me pass by, but I did not think I could turn around to warn you. I figured that you would stop when you saw me sitting here.”
Mistake repeated the elf’s words to the Emperor. The Torak used hand signals to order the party to dismount. They tied their horses to trees and huddled at the edge of the trail.
“MistyTrail,” ordered the Emperor, “I want you to swing around to the left to get behind those people. We need to identify them before we attack. Can you do that without being seen?”
“Easily,” grinned the Sakovan. “I will use an air tunnel to let you know who they are and how many there are.”
The Torak nodded as MistyTrail slipped into the woods. He turned to the Chula shaman.
“We need some type of distraction to keep their interest away from MistyTrail,” he said. “What can you do?”
“I can provide a distraction for her,” the Chula grinned, his whiskers dancing from the movement of his lips.
Without any further explanation, Axor slipped into the woods. Everyone was watching him as he slipped behind a tree. They were expecting to see him move further into the forest, but they never did. Instead, a large tiger moved silently through the trees towards the supposed position of the hidden people.
“Where did he go?” Caldal asked softly. “Does he know there is a tiger in the forest with him? He may get eaten before he distracts anyone. Perhaps I should go help him?”
“Remain here,” ordered the Torak. “A Chula shaman is very much at home in a forest. He will not be attacked by any tiger. Everyone ready your bows.”
The tiger moved slowly, its nose sampling the air with every step. Within a few minutes it had sighted the first of the humans. The tiger watched the human for several moments before circling behind the man. It saw three more humans as it crouched low among the underbrush. Suddenly, it smelled MistyTrail. The tiger moved deeper into the brush so she would not see it.
“I see four men,” MistyTrail reported softly through the air tunnel. “I cannot tell if they are hellsouls or not. What should I do?”
Emperor Marak thought for a moment before answering. “Stay hidden where you are. We are going to start moving forward to see what their intent is. If they attack us, attack them. Try to drive them onto the trail.”
“I shall do as you say,” replied MistyTrail.
“This is important, MistyTrail,” cautioned the Emperor. “Do not under any circumstances attack a tiger. Do you understand?”
“No,” admitted MistyTrail. “I don’t think there are any tigers in these woods, but if I see one I will not attack it.”
“That goes for all of us,” the Torak announced to those around him. “Mistake, inform Eltor of our plan. Also let him know about the tiger.”
Mistake nodded and wove an air tunnel to Eltor. She passed along the Emperor’s message. When she was done, the party mounted their horses. The Emperor waved his hand at Mistake and Caldal indicating that they should lag behind somewhat. Gunta and Halman moved to Marak’s left side to shield him from any attack. They rode slowly along the trail.
Suddenly a mighty roar was heard throughout the forest just as the attackers made their move. The tiger raced forward and leaped onto the back of one of the humans. Its powerful jaws opened wide and its teeth sunk deep into the man’s neck. The man screamed loudly as he fell to the ground, his hands trying to reach behind himself to grab the tiger. The tiger snapped the man’s neck and growled again. Several arrows were fired at it, but the tiger darted to one side. The arrows slammed into the fallen man. While the archers were reaching for more arrows, the tiger charged them with a mighty roar. Two of the men instantly turned and ran. The third tried frantically to nock his arrow as his eyes were focused on the charging beast. He failed.
The tiger leaped at the man, knocking him to the ground. The man’s arms grabbed the tiger and tried to hold his mouth away from him, but the tiger was too powerful. The tiger’s teeth snapped closed on the man’s throat. The man’s scream instantly died.
When the two attackers ran out of the forest, a hail of arrows struck them down. Emperor Marak leaped off his horse and ran towards the bodies. He unsheathed the Sword of Torak and brought it down on the first body. It disappeared in a puff of smoke. He repeated the procedure on the second body.
Suddenly the tiger appeared. It dragged a body out of the woods and dropped it on the road. It immediately turned and reentered the forest. Emperor Marak brought his sword down on the new body and watched it disappear.
“I do not believe this,” Caldal said as he watched the tiger reenter the forest. “Is that beast actually helping us?”
No one answered as MistyTrail dragged another body out of the forest and dropped it on the road. The Torak dispatched the hellsoul and sheathed his sword.
“That tiger is quicker than me,” frowned MistyTrail. “I already had the air tunnel woven when he suddenly attacked. I guess I should be thankful.”
“We should all be thankful,” smiled the Emperor. “Those of you who did not chose a sword for your weapon must get one. If decapitation is the key to vanquishing these creatures, you will need a weapon that can accomplish that. Knives and bows will not help to destroy them. That will only slow them down. We will go shopping when we get to Meliban.”
Unseen by the others, Axor walked out of the woods where his horse and MistyTrail’s were still tethered. He untied them both and walked along the road to rejoin the party. Caldal stared at the Chula shaman with questioning eyes. Axor ignored the gaze and handed MistyTrail the reins to her horse.
“We have expended enough time here,” announced the Emperor. “Let’s ride on.”
* * *
Rejji and Bakhai rode into the city of Meliban. Thousands of workers were moving to and fro as the city expanded outward. Rejji swelled with pride for the Fakaran people as he saw how far the development had progressed. The city center was fully developed, and the marketplace was filled with buyers and sellers. Everyone shouted and waved as they noticed the Astor riding through the city.
Rejji rode straight for the administration building. The brothers dismounted and tied their horses to the rail outside. They marched up the steps and into the building.
“Rejji!” greeted Marshal Wyant as he quickly crossed the entry foyer. “How was the trip from Taggot?”
“Gratefully uneventful,” answered Rejji. “I am hearing more and more tales of random murders, though. I witnessed one attempt in Taggot. A hellsoul tried to attack Adger. This does not bode well for our people.”
“No it doesn’t,” agreed Wyant. “We have had six deaths here in the last week. The people are getting quite nervous. We did receive a message from Khadora recently. They say that decapitation kills the hellsouls. I have not had a chance to verify it yet.”
“Find a way to verify it quickly,” advised the Astor. “You are joining Bakhai and me on a trip. I would like this issue settled before we leave.”
“Where are we going?” asked the marshal.
“Angragar,” Rejji replied. “Do not tell anyone. Emperor Marak and his people should be arriving at any time, if they are not here already.”
“They have not entered the city yet,” replied Wyant. “I would have known about it. Are they going with us?”
“They are,” confirmed Rejji. “There are eight of them coming from Khadora. Another four will be coming from the Sakova.”
“A large party,” Wyant responded with raised eyebrows. “What is the purpose of this trip?”
“There are several purposes,” explained Rejji. “One is the need to learn more about the prophecies that we must deal with. We must know as much about what is to happen as we can. How long will it take you to get ready?”
“Less than an hour,” answered the marshal. “I will have Yojji take over for me here.”
“I am sure you will have more notice than that,” smiled Rejji. “I imagine that the Torak’s party will want to rest overnight when they arrive.”
A tribesman ran into the building. He saw Wyant and ran over to him.
“A party of foreigners is approaching the city,” he reported. “We counted eight of them.”
“Go back and escort them to the inn across the street,” ordered Wyant. “I will wait for them there.”
The tribesman nodded and ran out of the building. Rejji shook his head and looked at Wyant.
“Do you keep track of everyone coming and going from Meliban?” he asked.
“Anyone who arouses any suspicion,” nodded Wyant. “Or special people,” he added with a grin. “I was informed of your arrival as well. The advance notice gave me time to get things cleared up before you arrived here. Shall we cross the street and wait for Emperor Marak?”
Rejji, Bakhai, and Wyant crossed the street and entered the Kheri Inn. The common room was huge and hosted dozens of long tables. Most of the tables were occupied with workers taking a break from the workday. Wyant walked up to the innkeeper, Tutman.
“Special guests are arriving in a moment,” the Marshal said softly. “There will be eight of them. Make sure that their every wish is granted.”
“It will be as you wish, Wyant,” nodded the innkeeper. “I will even prepare a special meal for them.”
Wyant turned and stared at the tables in the common room. “Should we get a table for our guests?”
“I would wait and let them choose,” answered Rejji. “If I know Marak, he would want the corner table, and it is already occupied.”
“Why the corner?” asked the Marshal.
“So his back is not exposed,” shrugged Rejji. “He never says much about security, but he is constantly thinking about it. Even the way he walks is subconsciously calculated to avoid being trapped. He is a very careful man.”
Wyant nodded and marched towards the corner table. The occupants looked up when he arrived.
“Marshal,” greeted one of the men. “Sit down and join us.”
“I am afraid that I cannot,” smiled Wyant. “I am with the Astor and need to discuss some things privately. I was wondering if I could talk you men into moving to a different table. We are expecting some others.”
“Rejji is here?” asked one of the men as he rose and turned to look. “I would like to say hello to him. I am done with my meal anyway.”
The other men nodded and stood up. Those who had not finished eating moved to another table while those who were finished walked towards the door and greeted Rejji. A serving girl immediately arrived at the now empty table and gathered the dishes. She came back and cleaned the table just before Gunta and Halman entered the room. Rejji broke off the conversation with the tribesmen and welcomed Marak to Meliban. Mistake hugged Rejji when she saw him. Eltor’s brow creased as he watched the affectionate embrace, but he did not say anything. Rejji guided the party to the corner table, and everyone sat down.
“Quite a city you are building here,” complimented the Torak. “You must be proud of your accomplishments.”
“I am proud for my people,” nodded Rejji. “They are the ones rebuilding Fakara. How was your trip?”
“I would like to say uneventful,” frowned the Torak, “but that would be a lie. We were attacked several times. We are getting better at avoiding the attacks, but I am afraid the family at the Western Woods became involved more than I would have cared for. We have avoided your string of inns since then.”
“Crawford?” asked Wyant. “Is he alright?”
“He is,” nodded the Emperor. “He and his girls were fine when we left, but he had a great deal of cleaning to do.”
“You have been camping then?” asked Rejji.
“We have,” answered the Emperor. “In fact, I would like to take a route towards Ghala that is not traveled much. Is that possible?”
“We could go up the Meliban River and through the Valley of Bones,” nodded Rejji. “There are no inns along that route. Is that what you want to do?”
“Yes,” replied the Torak. “I think we will be attacked no matter which way we go, but I prefer to keep innocents out of harm’s way.”
“Do these hellsouls know where Angragar is?” asked Wyant.
“I doubt it,” Marak replied. “I think they are just watching all of the trails for me.”
“Then I can be of help,” grinned Wyant. “I know the area along the Meliban River quite well. It is the area my tribe used to call home. I can take us along trails that will not be watched by anyone.”
“Excellent,” Emperor Marak replied as Tutman arrived with plates of food.
Each plate was filled with a wasooki steak, slices of clova, and a thin strip of fish. Two girls followed the innkeeper with several large bowls of vegetables.
“A meal fit for a king,” announced the innkeeper as he gazed at each of the visitors and tried to figure out what was so special about them.
His eyes hesitated on the hooded man, but Tutman finally shrugged and returned to the kitchen for more plates. When he returned, Emperor Marak smiled at him.
“Your service is the best I have had on this journey,” Marak said. “We would also like to have four rooms for tonight. I would like the rooms together, but with two on each side of the hallway. Can you accommodate me?”
“Of course,” nodded the innkeeper as he grinned because of Marak’s compliment. “I will give you rooms at the end of the hall so others do not disturb you.”
“Excellent,” smiled the Emperor.
“Introduce us to the rest of your party,” urged Rejji after the innkeeper had left.
Emperor Marak started introducing everyone to each other. Rejji shook his head and stared at MistyTrail when she was introduced.
“So Mistake does have a sister,” Rejji grinned happily. “That makes every step up the mountain to see the Sage worthwhile. I am so happy for both of you. I would like to talk to both of you after the meal if that is acceptable.”
“Acceptable?” balked Mistake. “I would be sorely disappointed if you had not asked. I have so much to tell you. Bring Bakhai with you. We can talk in our room.”
Both elves frowned at the turn in the conversation. Marak saw the tension building and continued the introductions by presenting Eltor and Caldal.
“Elves?” Rejji said with surprise. “Real elves? How can this be? I thought they were a people of ancient history. Where have they come from?”
“We come from the land of elves,” Caldal replied brusquely, refusing even to mention the name of Elvangar. “We will soon be returning there. We will be taking Mistake and Misty Trail with us. They are elves just like Eltor and myself. They have no place in the land of humans.”
A deep frown fell over Rejji’s face from both the tone of Caldal’s speech and the content of his statement. His mouth opened to speak and the Emperor abruptly stood up.
“While this is a magnificent meal,” he announced, “I am quite tired from the day’s journey. I am sure the rest of you are as well. Perhaps we should retire to our rooms and prepare for an early start in the morning. Wyant, some in our party are in need of swords. Can you pick some up at the marketplace for me?”
“We have quite an assortment in the administration building,” answered Wyant. “We can meet there in the morning, and each person can choose for himself.”
“Good,” the Emperor nodded curtly. “Let’s retire to our rooms.”
Halman and Gunta immediately stood up. Axor and the Fakarans did as well. The elves stared across the table at Mistake and MistyTrail and finally rose. They turned and walked away silently to get their key from the innkeeper.
“What is wrong with them?” frowned Mistake. “I thought Caldal’s attitude was improving, but he sounded quite put out. I wonder if the food does not agree with him?”