Chapter 4

"Life has no smooth road for any of us; and in the bracing atmosphere of a high aim the very roughness stimulates the climber to steadier steps, till the legend, over steep ways to the stars, fulfills itself."—William Doane

Bonewood staff in hand, Karigan had left the town walking east. Because of the hilly terrain, she knew she was close to the Sacoridian border. There she'd find a guard station where she could seek help with the King's men. Ignoring the grumbling in her stomach, she kept a good pace. She had no money to buy food, let alone a horse. At first this didn't overly bother Karigan, who was now accustomed to walking long distances with a bad leg and little rations.

After several hours, Karigan's endurance was beginning to wan and she had to rest often due to the pain in her leg. She was still determined to make good time, but she needed food and maybe a place to sleep. By the time she came to another Rhovan village, she was exhausted. Still, she had to be cautious. It was too risky to go walking about casually, for she had no idea when it was or what had happened since she'd left on the Spring Equinox. Judging by the dry grasslands and the heat, she'd guess it was late summer. There could be many new dangers that she was unaware of. As she approached the small cluster of buildings, she turned her invisibility back on. She was relieved to see that as before, she'd faded into complete invisibility.

The town was small, with only a few shops to service the local population. She passed several people on the street. No one glanced her way. She was about to sneak into the inn when something caught her eye. The man who just passed her, there was something about his hand. It seemed familiar. Wasn't it a black tree, almost like the one worn by Weldon Spurlock? The thought of Second Empire made her frantic, could they be here? Of course they could be. Hadn't Spurlock bragged that they were in every layer of society, placed in every city. Forgetting about her hunger and fatigue, she followed the man. She had little choice; it was her duty to Sacoridia and its King. As she tailed him, she took the chance to observe his behavior. He kept glancing around as if paranoid someone might see him.

She kept pace with him as he went inside a private stable. He walked to a doorway on the far side of the wall. Afraid she'd lose him, she stepped inside the room before he could shut the door. The space was tighter than expected and she had to stop quickly before running into someone's broad back. Inside was a group of seven men and what she heard was distressing.

"Birch is on his way now."

"So the monarchs have agreed to meet with him?"

A tall, bald man nodded, "They can't afford not to. When we win, Rhovanny will be at our mercy. They'd rather make a deal with us and avoid becoming our next targets."

The man closest to her said, "Right," and suddenly turned. She didn't have the time or extra space to avoid him and he barreled into her. Pushed back, Karigan's head slammed against the hard wall. She slid to the ground in a daze, unaware her invisibility had dropped. There were yells of shock and anger.

A deep voice yelled, "Quiet, you fools!"

"I recognize this woman. She's the daughter of Stevic G'ladheon."

Karigan didn't know who was talking, neither did she recognize the faces of anyone present. Apparently, the speaker knew her.

"She serves the king," he spat, "probably sent here as a spy."

Someone grabbed her shoulder and bodily threw her to the center of the floor.

She tried to sit up, but was pushed back to the ground and kicked. There was a crack and sharp pain shot through her ribs. Then, she was picked up and shoved against the wall. She tried to kick and hit the man, but had to stop when he blocked her wind pipe with his arm. The pressure was sharp and Karigan futilely tried to suck in air.

The man's breath was hot against her face, "Oh Galadheon, we've heard about you. You've lived up to your last name, Betrayer of Lord Mornhaven." He shook his head, "Sickening, how you could turn on your own people. Your family is one of only two noble lines that are still alive, and still you grovel at the feet of the petty Sacoridian King."

What was he talking about? Arcosian nobility? Her head hurt. She was sick of this, sick of being man-handled, and sick of playing by other people's rules.

Using a trick of Drent's, she loosened her arm and slammed her elbow in the man's face. He backed up, and touched his nose, his fingers came away bloody. His gaze lifted from those fingers and Karigan knew she was in trouble.

She just wanted to go home. She wanted to ride Condor. She wanted to see her friends. She wanted to be a normal messenger again. The man was coming at her, fist raised. She wasn't sure how it would help, but Karigan instinctively grabbed her broach, as if that could protect her from his beating. She closed her eyes. She wanted to be standing in front of Captain Mapstone, giving her report. She wanted…

Hoof beats roared in her head and heart. She had expected to be hit by the man's hard fist. Instead, she was pulled by her broach into the familiar sensation of travelling.

She opened her eyes. Things were rushing past her. It was similar to the Wild Ride, but this time there were no ghosts. She saw towns, forests, roads, the Grandgent River, the far-reaching Green Cloak. Then there was Childrey, followed by the village outside Sacor City. This was a different kind of travelling than she was used to.

Her broach was taking her home.

When she entered the castle, she almost cried with relief. She passed the outbuildings, the guards, the servants and then she was passing courtiers in the throne room. She let go of her broach. With an audible suction sound, she dropped back into the normal world. Disoriented, she fell to her knees at the foot of the dais.

She looked up to see the shocked faces of Zachary, Estora and Captain Mapstone. In front of them stood a tall man she had never seen. Before she was able to say anything, exhaustion overwhelmed her and everything went black.

o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o

The petitioners had just been dismissed for the day, when he felt a big amount of magic approaching. Alert for anything, he stepped forward, prepared to protect this king who seemed to care so much for his people. If only every monarch cared half as much, the world would fare much better. So Sevelon stood, an invisible protector against the fast approaching threat.

It was a woman, becoming more and more visible as she entered this layer of the world. She stopped at the foot of the dais stairs. She looked in a state of shock, as if she didn't register where she was. Then she collapsed.

The throne room was silent as if all the mortals were taking a breath to process this new development. Then the king rushed forward. He was closely followed by the queen and several attendants. Interesting, the monarchs obviously care for this woman, but they are confused at her presence.

It was also interesting that none of them were afraid of her. None of them were acting wary; they must not feel the dark presence that surrounds this person. There was a certain brightness to her soul, but she was irrevocably tied to something sinister. Sevelon tilted his head to examine her further.

He watched as they turned her over. Her clothes were torn and dirty, her skin bruised and judging by the mud in her tangled hair, he suspected it had been quite some time since she'd last bathed. Her arm was broken, but held together by cloth and shafts of moonarrows. He sensed that one of her ribs was cracked. There was also an infection in her leg. Her lips looked very red against pale skin that hadn't seen sunlight in months. Even half dead with exhaustion, her features were strong and resilient.

Since his arrival in Sacor City, he'd seen little more magic than card tricks. Finally, he was presented with an example of stronger power. He wasn't sure if that strong power was hers or if it was that sinister thing connected to her.

Indeed, the woman's appearance was very curious and Sevelon found himself following as they took her away.