Fredrik and Niki rode side-by-side down the dusty trail heading north. It had been a week since they left Cidal by heading westward towards a seldom-used north-south trail. The north-south trail was pretty barren and the only food they were able to procure had been coconuts, some kind of berry and a chicken they stole from a farm. The chicken had almost cost them Fredrik’s life when an arrow streaked past his head. With no target to aim his magic at, Fredrik had simply run off with the chicken.
Niki was miserable. She was hot, tired and dirty. Her days in the mansion in Cidal seemed a distant memory and she kicked herself every time it surfaced. She always knew that she was destined to be a queen someday and when her chance finally came, she had thrown it away. The worst part of it was that Fredrik had become extremely quiet since they left Cidal. She could have accepted him yelling at her for her rash behavior, or even if he laughed about it, but he never mentioned it. His only talk was of where to stop for the night or where they should look for some food. If he didn’t say something about it soon, she was going to scream.
Fredrik sat up straight in his saddle and cocked his head slightly. “There is a wagon up ahead,” he announced. “Let me do the talking. Maybe we can get something to eat.”
Niki perked up at the mention of food and the two magicians rode steadily up to the wagon that was stopped at the crossroads of two dirt trails. An old man and a young boy were sitting under a tree alongside the wagon having a food break and Niki’s eyes lit up when she read the sign on the canvas of the wagon. It read, “Boris Khatama Merchant”.
Fredrik and Niki dismounted and Fredrik tied the two horses to a low branch of a nearby tree. Slowly, they walked over to the merchant. “Greetings, Merchant,” Fredrik said. “I see that you are having a meal break. I wonder if two hungry travelers might join you?”
“If the two hungry travelers are peaceful and courteous, they are welcome to share what little we have,” greeted Boris. “How are you called?”
Fredrik thought quickly about how he should respond. Finally he decided that he would be truthful, but vague. “I am Fredrik and my traveling companion is Niki. We are from the south and have been some time without proper food.”
Boris nodded as if he understood the necessity of being vague these days. “I am Boris, the merchant, and I am traveling with my niece, Tanya. Welcome to our poor table.”
Fredrik looked around for the man’s niece and flushed when he realized that who he had taken for a young boy was the niece. He bowed slightly and held Niki’s hand as she lowered herself to the ground. Fredrik quickly sat next to her and the niece rose and went to the wagon and came back with two plates of bread and cheese and some dried beef. She returned a moment later with two glasses of wine. Niki sniffed the bread and cheese as if it might be moldy, which earned her a nasty glare from Tanya. Both men managed to miss the exchange and seemed to be measuring the other’s mettle.
Boris broke the silence first. “Collapse children, I suppose. You won’t want to be going west, then. There are several score of Dark Riders who are camped out about two hours from here.”
Fredrik and Niki exchanged surprised glances. “What makes you think we are Collapse children?” Niki asked.
The old man’s eyes twinkled. “You appear the right age,” Boris began. “You are obviously running from someone and you just verified it by not denying it,” he chuckled. “Do not be afraid of me. I do not stomach the Dark Riders or their kind very well and what you are and where you are going is none of my affair. At my age, all I have left is my curiosity. Which one of you is a Collapse child or are you both?”
“Both,” offered Fredrik. “You have a keen eye, Master Khatama, and a generous heart. Niki and I do thank you for the food. I am afraid my funds are pitilessly poor, but the few coins I have are yours for the asking.”
Boris waved his hands. “That is not necessary, traveler. Your coins are better kept for your next meal. The road east goes to Toresh. Avoid that town, as it is a major staging point for the Dark Riders. I fear you must continue north and there is not much that way in terms of food unless you know how to live off the land. You strike me as city children and the next few days will be hard on you. I am sorry to say that we are eating the last of our food, so I can not fix you up something to take with you.”
Niki suddenly felt ashamed at sniffing the food now that she knew it was all they had left. She removed her cloak and laid it on the grass as she finished the last piece of bread. She looked at the young girl who, dressed in brown leather shirt and pants with a brown leather cap that came down to her ears, very much resembled a boy. “Is there somewhere where I might clean up a bit, Tanya?” she asked.
Tanya removed her hat and volumes of long, flowing, golden hair fell down her back. “There is a stream just beyond those trees,” she replied. “I will get towels and show you the way.”
Niki stared at the girl’s beautiful hair and face and suddenly wondered how she could have mistaken her for a boy. “Thank you, Tanya. I would like that.”
Fredrik and Boris talked about different places they had been when the merchant said he was heading south and asked Fredrik how conditions were down there. “I am glad that we have met,” Boris said. “I think I shall change my plans and not head south, after all. The picture you paint is not one that would be very lucrative for a merchant. Spare my old bones, Fredrik, and get the bottle of wine at the rear of the wagon. I think we need another glass if we are to wait on the women.”
Fredrik chuckled and rose to get the bottle. When he returned, he found Boris fondling the cloak that Niki had left on the grass. “A very interesting design,” Boris commented, “but I fear that fire has marred its perfection. How did she come by it?”
Fredrik looked at the merchant suspiciously. “She likes it very much, Boris. Niki is sure that she is destined to become a queen one day.”
Boris chuckled as he placed the cloak back where he had found it. “Who knows,” he said. “Perhaps she will be. This is the last bottle of wine, as well. This trip has not been very prosperous.”
The old man’s casual attitude put Fredrik back at ease and the girls soon returned from the stream. Fredrik and Niki mounted their horses and prepared to leave. “Will you be heading north, as well, then?” Fredrik asked.
“I expect so,” Boris replied. “I am not much of a one for living off the land, though. I may head into Toresh for supplies before I head north. Safe journey to you both.”
Tanya turned and finished cleaning up after the midday meal. “There were no Dark Riders west of here,” she stated. “Why did you lie to them?”
“There are many hazards in life, Tanya,” Boris said softly. “Those two are not ready to face them. Nobody is really ready to face them, but that group north of here is where they need to be, at least for now. It should prove to be quite interesting.”
Tanya continued cleaning up and Boris rose to walk off the stiffness of sitting before he climbed up on the wagon again. Boris walked around in circles and suddenly saw something that he had not seen in seventeen years. Through the gray sky overhead, a small hole appeared and a sunbeam lanced down into the intersection of the two roads. It disappeared as quickly as it came and Boris walked over to the center of the intersection where it struck. Looking down he found a small, flat rock. Burned into the face of the rock was the following inscription: From North and East and South and West The children gather towards unknown The whole world’s saviors they are blest The seeds of True Light now are sown Shall Darkness win or Light prevail The outcome’s not foretold or known On brink of Fate’s fluttering sail They’ll win and live or hear Death’s moan
Boris studied the inscription over and over and finally put the rock in his pouch and returned to the wagon. He climbed up onto the wagon just as Tanya finished and joined him. He started the wagon rolling along the dusty trail and at the intersection he turned onto the trail to the north.
“I thought we were going into Toresh for food,” Tanya said
“There has been a change in plans,” Boris replied glumly. “The day you have prepared for is fast approaching. You must remember all that you have been taught by the others and me. It is time that I sent you into the viper’s den.”
Arik and Tedi were utilizing their tracking skills to follow Garth’s path. The trail had become increasingly hard to follow, but the boys were still managing to track it correctly. “I heard Garth telling Kalina this morning that our mysterious followers have not been around for over three days now,” Arik said softly.
“Maybe it was all in his imagination,” retorted Tedi. “There might not have been anyone ever following us. I wonder why Garth never has us take turns on sentry duty? You would think that if he was really concerned about somebody being out there, he would post a sentry all night.”
“There are only three of us,” Arik reminded Tedi as he pointed to a leaf on the ground with a fine layer of dust on it. “Not to mention that two of us can hardly keep our eyes open through dinner.”
“What is it that Garth does in the woods every night and every morning?” Tedi asked. “He does it every day and it is the only time that he will not allow anyone to accompany him.”
“I don’t know,” Arik conceded while pointing out the peculiar way the slant of the blades of grass alternated between pointing right and pointing left as if someone had swept something across the grass back and forth to remove footsteps. “I suspect that he is making sure that no one is near. Or, at least, it must have something to do with the security of the campsite.”
Suddenly, the trail totally disappeared and the boys stood up, puzzled. There was not one clue as to which direction Garth had taken next.
“You forgot one of the most important lessons in tracking,” Garth said from behind them.
The boys spun around and faced the length of Garth’s long, sinuous sword wavering between their throats. “What lesson was that?” croaked Tedi.
“The first one that I taught you, fisherboy,” Garth said grimly. “Maintain silence at all times. Why do you think I taught you to use hand talk? Do you think it was to give your idle fingers some exercise? Your tracking skills are coming along fairly well, but you would be dead now because of a very foolish mistake.”
“But this is only practice,” complained Tedi.
“There is no difference between practice and real life,” sighed Garth. “What do I have to do to convince you? If I kill you, you will have finally learned that lesson, but I will have wasted my time teaching it. Do you think we are in some park where no bad people exist? We are but a few miles from Toresh where the Dark Riders have a major garrison. Their own practice sessions use these very woods that you are frolicking in and yet you walk around as if there is no danger. There is danger every moment of your life. Never forget it. Never.”
“What did we miss here?” Arik asked as much to break the tension as to hear the answer.
“Look at the tree bark,” Garth explained. “I jumped up and grabbed that branch, but my feet disturbed the bark there and there. You would have trouble following from there, but if you checked surrounding trees you would eventually find where I came down. Enough tracking for now. You boys are due for some more sword practice. Today you two get the chance to kill me. It should be fun.”
Garth turned and headed back towards the campsite leaving Arik and Tedi shaking their heads. Arik watched the way Garth walked as he followed him. The careful, if subconscious, placement of every step. His feet always coming down on the quietest, most solid surface the path provided. Arik wondered how many years Garth had been walking that way. It was so second nature to the man that Arik was sure he did it without thinking.
The afternoon was as full of activity for the boys as every day for the last two weeks had been. While they still had trouble keeping their eyes open during the late dinner, the aches in their muscles were becoming less each day. Garth came into the campsite late for dinner and sat down with a frown on his face.
“Your friends are still looking for you,” he said to the boys. “There are about thirty Dark Riders several miles to the North and your friend, the witch, is with them.”
“Should we leave tonight?” Tedi asked nervously.
Garth chewed a mouthful of rabbit before answering. “Traveling by night is too dangerous unless you know the country well or you are very desperate. Neither case applies here. One of the hardest tracks to hide is a wagon. I think we can avoid any problems with them as long as you two are out of sight when they come.”
“What about their horses?” asked Arik. “They are bound to recognize their horses and saddles.”
“Not necessarily,” Garth stated. “And if they do, I will tell them that I purchased them from a gang of bandits that headed south. Gypsies are known to trade with anyone. If they argue too much, I will offer to sell them back to them.”
“I can’t believe that you are taking this so lightly,” Tedi burst out.
Garth put down his plate and leveled his gaze on the boys. “I take nothing lightly,” he declared. “I do not always seek a fight when there are other ways out of a situation. I do not shun a fight, but it is better to choose when you wish to fight and not let others decide for you. You would do well to remember to face every problem with calmness and logical thought. Emotion can kill you as quickly as a sword.”
“Is there anything that we can do to prepare for tomorrow?” questioned Arik.
“Get some sleep,” ordered Garth. “If all does not go well, you may be called upon to exercise your new skills and I would like you well rested for the occasion.”
The boys nodded and headed off to their blankets. Kalina and Garth sat talking softly for an hour before they, too, retired.
Niki was practically falling asleep in the saddle. “Why do we have to keep riding, Fredrik? I’m tired and I want to go to sleep.”
“I want to ride a little longer,” answered Fredrik. “We have been too long without something substantial to eat. If we keep stopping early, we will die of starvation. We need to find a village or small town and the longer we ride each day the sooner we will find it.”
“We haven’t seen so much as a farm since that place you stole the chicken,” Niki complained. “I don’t think anyone lives along this road.”
“You may be right,” admitted Fredrik, “but I thought I smelled smoke a little while ago and I wouldn’t mind some food before I fall asleep.”
They rode on for another ten minutes and Fredrik perked up again. “I know it is smoke this time,” he said hopefully. “If we don’t find some food at wherever the smoke is coming from, we go to sleep anyway, okay?”
Niki didn’t answer and Fredrik led them off the road and onto a small dirt path that led into the woods towards the East. The smell of smoke was still very faint, but Fredrik followed it until it got stronger. Finally, he saw the shape of a wagon far up the dirt path. He thought he heard a slight sound like two pieces of metal tinkling against each other, but ignored it. When he reached the edge of the clearing where the wagon was parked, he dismounted and told Niki to get down and hold the horses. He surveyed the campsite and could not see anyone moving. Other than the wagon, the campsite held a string line for horses and Fredrik could see around a half dozen horses. He thought he could pick out two shapes over by the horses that might be men sleeping.
“I’m going in to see what I can find to eat,” whispered Fredrik.
Niki nodded and tied the horses to a small tree. Fredrik crept toward the wagon, keeping an eye on the two sleeping forms. He successfully reached the back of the wagon without waking anyone and began to ease the door open. The tip of a sword touched his throat from alongside the wagon.
“Don’t you know it is polite to knock before you enter a woman’s wagon?” the steely voice asked.
Fredrik raised his chin and the sword followed it up. He let go of the door to the wagon and raised his hands. “Sorry,” he croaked, “I was just looking for food. I haven’t eaten in days and I am very hungry.”
Garth looked at the boy before lowering his sword and sheathing it. As he started to open his mouth to speak, he caught the glare of a magical projectile screaming in from the woods. He threw himself to the ground and kicked Fredrik’s feet out from under him. Quickly twisting his body as the projectile screamed by overhead, Garth wrapped his muscular arm around the boy’s neck.
“One more mistake like that and this boy’s life is ended,” he shouted. “Come out of the woods so I can see you.”
Arik and Tedi leaped to their feet, their bows ready and arrows nocked. The door to the wagon opened and Kalina stepped out. She looked at the boy carefully and then gazed into the woods as if trying to determine who would be helping the boy.
“Whether you value the boy’s life or not,” she called, “do not use any more magic. There is a company of Dark Riders only a couple of miles away and they have a witch with them. Your magic will call them down here quicker than if you sent a rider to tell them you are here. If you want food, we will feed you. If not, you may leave.”
She nodded to Garth and he released the boy and stood up. The boy rose slowly and looked all around the campsite. He saw the two boys with their bows ready. He saw Kalina standing next to the wagon in a black sleeping robe with her hands on her hips and he saw Garth standing seemingly at ease, or at least as at ease as a predator gets. Garth motioned to the boys with a hand signal and they reluctantly lowered their bows and returned their arrows to their quivers.
For a long moment, nobody moved and nobody spoke. Finally, Garth turned to the boy. “Either eat in peace or leave in peace, but make up your mind,” Garth demanded. “I do not fancy losing sleep while your friend takes the night to decide.”
Fredrik finally made up his mind and waved Niki into the campsite. Everyone watched the redheaded girl lead the two horses into the clearing.
“Tedi,” Garth called, “see to our guests’ horses. They look like they have been ridden since first light. Arik, light the fire and get some coffee going.” Turning to Fredrik and Niki, Garth looked them over before he indicated that they should sit by the fire.
“You could have just asked for food,” Garth commented. “No one but Dark Riders and bandits would refuse you if they had any to spare. Who are you and where are you heading that you travel at night?”
Niki, even though frightened, appeared ready to fall asleep sitting up. Fredrik appeared to be calming down and spoke. “We are Fredrik and Niki and we are from the south. We are traveling at night because we have not eaten in days and I wanted to push on in hopes of finding a village. I smelled your smoke and followed it in to the clearing. I saw no one awake so I thought I would just grab whatever food I could find without waking anyone. It was wrong and I apologize.”
“It was wrong because you got caught, you mean,” Garth frowned. “Your apology is accepted, just the same.”
Kalina emerged from the wagon with plates of cold food for the new couple and they tore into it as if they were really hungry. Kalina watched them eat and looked at Niki’s cloak with interest and suddenly frowned. Garth caught the look, but gave no indication. She looked over at Garth and said, “It would appear that we are becoming a magnet for Collapse children. We need to keep these two from the Dark Riders, as well.”
Fredrik looked up in surprise and then looked over his shoulder at Arik and Tedi. Niki just kept on eating and mumbled, “How does everyone know?”
Kalina had been watching their reactions closely and just smiled. Arik and Tedi stared at the redheaded witch whom Garth and Kalina had just welcomed into their campsite and Garth strode out of the clearing to fix his trip line without anyone noticing.
Fredrik and Niki finished all of the food that Kalina brought out. Garth started a pipe as he sat and watched them finish up. Kalina made another trip into the wagon and came back with blankets for the visitors.
“We may be having visitors tomorrow,” he began. “The Dark Riders that Kalina mentioned are only a few miles north of here. We may have to wake you early so that we can arrange to hide you. They do have a witch with them and any use of magic, no matter how small, could result in death for all of us. Will you listen to my orders in the morning?”
“We have little choice,” sighed Fredrik. “There are Dark Riders to the East and to the West and I know that we cannot survive the trip back south. If you are correct about Dark Riders to the north, we are stuck with you or you with us. We will not resort to magic unless our lives depend on it.”
“So, you are both magicians?” Garth asked.
Fredrik shrugged. “I have been told that you should not submit to interrogations when you are tired,” he chuckled. “Now, I know why. Yes, we both have the ability and, yes, we will behave.”
Garth nodded. “Then you should both get some sleep. You look like you can use it.”
After Fredrik and Niki were settled in their blankets, Garth and Kalina spoke in private. “Let me guess, the cloak has a spell on it?” Garth asked.
Kalina nodded. “The same type of spell that I detected on the necklace. You did get a good look at the cloak didn’t you? Including the burn marks?”
“I saw it,” Garth said. “This has turned into quite a fishing trip. The Dark One would be thrilled to know where we are right now. In fact,” Garth smiled, “he would give almost anything to know.”
“There is something else,” Kalina added. “The boy has the ability to gather the power. He was doing so when you held him. That ability is very rare. I do not know if she possesses it, as well. If she does, she wasn’t using it tonight.”