Attaly felt the horses slowing down as she awoke. She yawned, and tried to
stretch, but she could not move much in the sack. Rubbing bleary eyes she
looked around. She caught a scream in her throat when she saw no open
space. Her breathing came quick, and she struggled in the bag, looking for
a way out. She couldn't breathe, there was no air.
"Let me out," she whispered. "Let me out!" She beat at the burlap walls, fighting to open the bag. She heard alarmed voices outside, but she could not understand what they were saying. Her arms fell as she could take in no air. Her eyes closed and she felt near death. Her head lolled backwards. In a final rebellion, she raised her arm, pushing against the cloth. Her hand barley touched it – but at the slightest touch, the sack blew apart, releasing her onto sand. She coughed and sputtered as it entered her mouth. Attaly rolled to her knees, gasping for breath.
"Attaly!" A voice came from behind the girl. She could hear horses. Attaly tried to stand, but her legs had fallen asleep. She started to fall, but someone caught her. Looking up, she saw that it was Griffith. Giving a sort of cry, she threw her arms around her brother, hugging him tightly. She looked around, bracing herself upon Griffith's shoulder. They were in a sort of desert. To one side lay dunes of sand, to the other laid the king's city. Cal stood nearby; so did another wizard, a young rogue, a horse boy, and the man Attaly had found what seemed so long ago.
"You!" She gasped, pointing to Alth. "What are you doing here?"
Alth stared at her a moment, and then said in a deadened voice, "Saving your life."
"Saving her life!" Cal exploded, outraged. "You kidnapped her, you lying bastard!"
"I did, but in doing so, I saved her life. Make sure you know everything before speaking out."
Attaly smiled slightly, but with a look from Cal stopped.
"I was in no danger, was I?" she asked.
"Yes. Very great danger." Alth looked away, refusing to say more.
"Who are you?" Attaly looked around at the others.
Rahm stepped forward, bowing to her.
"Madame, please, excuse my manners. My name is Rahmadon the Wise. I am an initiate wizard." Taking her hand, he mimed a kiss upon it, as was proper. Darr nodded to her.
"I am Handarr. The Rogue."
Attaly's gaze turned to Osprey.
The young horse boy blushed, but stepped forward, clutching his horse's lead rope tightly.
"I am Osprey, milady."
"Osprey who?" Attaly asked.
"Just Osprey. I work in the palace stables…" Alth turned to the boy with a sharp glance.
"Why are you here?" He asked sharply.
"I-I was sent by Lunord."
"Lunord? If you lie, boy, I promise you, you will not be happy.
"I lie not sir!" Osprey declared. "Lunord sent me himself! He spoke to me, sir!"
"Very well. But be warned; if you betray us, I shall not be so kind." Osprey nodded. There was an awkward silence. Attaly turned again to Osprey.
"What a strange name! How did you come by it?"
"As a young boy, I was always around animals. Ospreys, mostly, birds of prey, horses, all of them. I had no name, so people started calling me Osprey. The animals come to me. I rescued Valdis, here." He patted the black stallion's flank.
Attaly moved away from Griffith, feeling mobility in her feet again. She walked to Valdis, petting him with a gentle hand.
"He's beautiful," she said softly.
Osprey smiled proudly. "I've groomed him well. I keep his mane and tail neat, and he's never once had a pebble in his hoof." Attaly smiled, running her hand over the stallion's nose. Valdis breathed heavily through his nostrils, tickling the girl's hand. She giggled, scratching the side of his face. The horse lipped her shirt good-naturedly.
Osprey grinned. "He likes you," He told Attaly.
"The feeling is mutual." She told him. The smile disappeared from her face. She turned to Alth.
"I demand to know what danger I was in." she told him coldly. "And if it has anything to do with a being called the God."
Alth turned to her, his face frozen in a looked of hate, pity, and guilt. After a long silence, Alth replied quietly, "Yes, it has to do with called God. How do you know about him?" Alth watched her intensely.
Attaly's cheeks reddened a bit. "I – I had a vision. And a dream."
"What happened in the dream? And the vision?"
"In the dream, the God spoke to me. He told me I am a-" she stopped, embarrassed to go on.
"Told you you are a what?" Rahm asked intently.
Attaly took a breath. "He told me that I am a descendent of the Gods." There was a silence in which Attaly's companions watched her numbly.
"And…The vision?" Alth asked her.
"I – I saw myself…"
"And?" Cal prompted her.
Attaly was silent a moment more. Just as her brother was about to ask again, she finished in a rush.
"And I lay dead on the ground." Osprey looked quickly at her, then said, "You were…dead. And…did you see…who had killed you?"
Attaly cast a quick, almost fearful glance back toward the city, then one of open relief toward the open desert before her.
"I lay on the ground, blood seeping from my chest. Above me, King Raleigh stood, laughing, a bloody dagger in his hands. Above him, the God watched, smiling." She was silent a moment longer. "A wizard of his guild once told me that I…That I posses extraordinary power. He said that I…must set the world to rights."
"He is right. You must do this." Rahm told her quietly.
"Do what?" Attaly asked him desperately. "I know nothing of magic! I do not know who this God is! I want nothing but to go home! I-"
Alth held up a hand.
"Hush," he said severely. The companions stood in silence a moment, Osprey stroking Valdis nervously.
"What was that?" Darr turned keen ears to where Alth was looking.
"Is that dust cloud?"
"I think it is."
"They've found out she's gone! Hurry! The horses! Ride!"
Darr, Rahm, Alth, and Osprey each jumped onto their horses. Alth held out his hand to Attaly, telling her to ride with him. Attaly hesitated a moment, then put her hand over Alth's.
"Attaly, what are you doing?" Griffith asked her. "The king's army is here to arrest them! Come here!"
"No, Griffith." She said quietly. "I believe him. And I must go." Alth pulled her in back of him upon the horse, and she wrapped her arms tightly around his middle. With a cry, Alth gave his horse a nudge, and they cantered off. Griffith, yelling after them in alarm and rage, jumped upon his horse, Cal following suit.
I hope I'm doing the right thing…Attaly thought as her eye lids closed in the darkness. The God…must be…stopped…
"Let me out," she whispered. "Let me out!" She beat at the burlap walls, fighting to open the bag. She heard alarmed voices outside, but she could not understand what they were saying. Her arms fell as she could take in no air. Her eyes closed and she felt near death. Her head lolled backwards. In a final rebellion, she raised her arm, pushing against the cloth. Her hand barley touched it – but at the slightest touch, the sack blew apart, releasing her onto sand. She coughed and sputtered as it entered her mouth. Attaly rolled to her knees, gasping for breath.
"Attaly!" A voice came from behind the girl. She could hear horses. Attaly tried to stand, but her legs had fallen asleep. She started to fall, but someone caught her. Looking up, she saw that it was Griffith. Giving a sort of cry, she threw her arms around her brother, hugging him tightly. She looked around, bracing herself upon Griffith's shoulder. They were in a sort of desert. To one side lay dunes of sand, to the other laid the king's city. Cal stood nearby; so did another wizard, a young rogue, a horse boy, and the man Attaly had found what seemed so long ago.
"You!" She gasped, pointing to Alth. "What are you doing here?"
Alth stared at her a moment, and then said in a deadened voice, "Saving your life."
"Saving her life!" Cal exploded, outraged. "You kidnapped her, you lying bastard!"
"I did, but in doing so, I saved her life. Make sure you know everything before speaking out."
Attaly smiled slightly, but with a look from Cal stopped.
"I was in no danger, was I?" she asked.
"Yes. Very great danger." Alth looked away, refusing to say more.
"Who are you?" Attaly looked around at the others.
Rahm stepped forward, bowing to her.
"Madame, please, excuse my manners. My name is Rahmadon the Wise. I am an initiate wizard." Taking her hand, he mimed a kiss upon it, as was proper. Darr nodded to her.
"I am Handarr. The Rogue."
Attaly's gaze turned to Osprey.
The young horse boy blushed, but stepped forward, clutching his horse's lead rope tightly.
"I am Osprey, milady."
"Osprey who?" Attaly asked.
"Just Osprey. I work in the palace stables…" Alth turned to the boy with a sharp glance.
"Why are you here?" He asked sharply.
"I-I was sent by Lunord."
"Lunord? If you lie, boy, I promise you, you will not be happy.
"I lie not sir!" Osprey declared. "Lunord sent me himself! He spoke to me, sir!"
"Very well. But be warned; if you betray us, I shall not be so kind." Osprey nodded. There was an awkward silence. Attaly turned again to Osprey.
"What a strange name! How did you come by it?"
"As a young boy, I was always around animals. Ospreys, mostly, birds of prey, horses, all of them. I had no name, so people started calling me Osprey. The animals come to me. I rescued Valdis, here." He patted the black stallion's flank.
Attaly moved away from Griffith, feeling mobility in her feet again. She walked to Valdis, petting him with a gentle hand.
"He's beautiful," she said softly.
Osprey smiled proudly. "I've groomed him well. I keep his mane and tail neat, and he's never once had a pebble in his hoof." Attaly smiled, running her hand over the stallion's nose. Valdis breathed heavily through his nostrils, tickling the girl's hand. She giggled, scratching the side of his face. The horse lipped her shirt good-naturedly.
Osprey grinned. "He likes you," He told Attaly.
"The feeling is mutual." She told him. The smile disappeared from her face. She turned to Alth.
"I demand to know what danger I was in." she told him coldly. "And if it has anything to do with a being called the God."
Alth turned to her, his face frozen in a looked of hate, pity, and guilt. After a long silence, Alth replied quietly, "Yes, it has to do with called God. How do you know about him?" Alth watched her intensely.
Attaly's cheeks reddened a bit. "I – I had a vision. And a dream."
"What happened in the dream? And the vision?"
"In the dream, the God spoke to me. He told me I am a-" she stopped, embarrassed to go on.
"Told you you are a what?" Rahm asked intently.
Attaly took a breath. "He told me that I am a descendent of the Gods." There was a silence in which Attaly's companions watched her numbly.
"And…The vision?" Alth asked her.
"I – I saw myself…"
"And?" Cal prompted her.
Attaly was silent a moment more. Just as her brother was about to ask again, she finished in a rush.
"And I lay dead on the ground." Osprey looked quickly at her, then said, "You were…dead. And…did you see…who had killed you?"
Attaly cast a quick, almost fearful glance back toward the city, then one of open relief toward the open desert before her.
"I lay on the ground, blood seeping from my chest. Above me, King Raleigh stood, laughing, a bloody dagger in his hands. Above him, the God watched, smiling." She was silent a moment longer. "A wizard of his guild once told me that I…That I posses extraordinary power. He said that I…must set the world to rights."
"He is right. You must do this." Rahm told her quietly.
"Do what?" Attaly asked him desperately. "I know nothing of magic! I do not know who this God is! I want nothing but to go home! I-"
Alth held up a hand.
"Hush," he said severely. The companions stood in silence a moment, Osprey stroking Valdis nervously.
"What was that?" Darr turned keen ears to where Alth was looking.
"Is that dust cloud?"
"I think it is."
"They've found out she's gone! Hurry! The horses! Ride!"
Darr, Rahm, Alth, and Osprey each jumped onto their horses. Alth held out his hand to Attaly, telling her to ride with him. Attaly hesitated a moment, then put her hand over Alth's.
"Attaly, what are you doing?" Griffith asked her. "The king's army is here to arrest them! Come here!"
"No, Griffith." She said quietly. "I believe him. And I must go." Alth pulled her in back of him upon the horse, and she wrapped her arms tightly around his middle. With a cry, Alth gave his horse a nudge, and they cantered off. Griffith, yelling after them in alarm and rage, jumped upon his horse, Cal following suit.
I hope I'm doing the right thing…Attaly thought as her eye lids closed in the darkness. The God…must be…stopped…