Chapter 12
Off to Garner
"Two days ago our traders were attacked by a group of Aroughian soldiers who had retreated after we won. We need you, Adam, to take a group of soldiers and put this to justice." Said Christopher, as he slammed his dagger into his wood desk, the blade burrowed deep into the timber.
He had a pile of maps and charts on his desk, showing various points on it where the Aroughians were most likely to be.
There were several roads that led out of the city to other cities that they traded with. The roads were named after the product that made the most trade, for example: the road to the south was called the Jewelers Road because the cities in the south harvested gold, diamonds, emeralds, and rubies. The city to the east was called the Logger's Road because the forests that grew there were made up of the greatest wood in the planet, cedar, redwood, and pine. The road to the north was called Farmer's Road, the road that was ambushed by Aroughians. Those cities harvested great amounts of food like wheat, fruit, and vegetables.
Christopher pulled the knife out of the table and ran it along the Wheat Road on his map. "This road is imperative to be open for traders and caravans, for it is the only source of our food we can't grow down here in the south."
Adam looked up and down the map, deciphering easy ways to trap in the attackers. "So they blockaded the roads." Adam said to himself.
"And as far as we know they have killed any who travel them." Said Christopher, pointing at a spot on the road that ran past Carevl River. "This is the closest place to their last location, Garner village. We think they may be planning to attack it."
Adam studied the map then said, "Okay, I'll gather a group now and head out immediately."
Christopher looked to Adam and said, "We already sent an advance group ahead of you late last night. They should arrive at Garner village in about three days, then you will meet up with them and help protect the city." Christopher thanked him, then bid him farewell as Adam left to prepare for his journey.
The next morning Adam was awoken by a messenger who said it was time for him to head out.
"Your group is gathered at the northern gate." The messenger had said, then she turned, her dress waved in the air, and left the room, followed by the scent of crushed pine needles.
He dug his armor out of his bags and then out fitted himself in the bright dress of war. First he pulled his hauberk over his tunic, then strapped his chased greaves to his legs and his inlaid bracers to his forearms. On his head went his padded leather cap, followed by his coif of tempered steel and then his bronze and silver helm, even though he would eventually take it off for he wasn't fond of helms. Last of all, he attached his mail-backed gloves to his hands.
His sword hung at his left hip. Across his back, he placed a quiver full of arrows. The quiver, he was pleased to find, could also hold his yew bow in place.
Then he left his room and rushed down the hallway, covered with paintings. Then he turned right and headed out the front door and down a flight of wooden stairs. After that he sped down the streets of the sleeping city until, at long last, he arrived at the northern gate that opened up as he approached.
On the other side of the portcullis stood a group of three people atop three white stallions fitted with saddlebags. Trey turned to him as he approached.
"Adam, oh don't worry take your time." He joked, his voice betraying the humor.
Adam slowed to a light trudge, just to annoy Trey.
Trey laughed lightly then said, "Not literally."
Nolan and Connor had stepped off their horses and walked up to Adam. "It's going to be a long journey. Do you have all the provisions you will need?"
Adam nodded and then asked, "Where is my horse?"
"We have another messenger coming with it, don't worry it won't be long." Said Connor, stepping toward him, then in a whisper he said, "They wanted me to tag along so as to keep an eye on me." He shrugged as Adam nodded and turned to set his supplies down.
After the messenger came and supplied Adam with a roan horse named Havnr, they strapped their belongings to their saddlebags, then headed out. The road lead them farther and farther from Xeon until it disappeared in the distance.
Soon a small forest appeared on both sides of the road, mainly pine trees. Small hills dotted the land on the opposite side of the clump of trees. The landscape wasn't interesting only small forests and hills topped with colorful crowns of flowers. Once they spotted a wolf chasing a deer, after scattering the herd in all directions. Most of the time they remained silent and tried to enjoy the view, up until Trey attempted to bring laughter and told some annoying jokes, without a reaction from the others, causing him to stop. Before long the sun had ducked behind the horizon, casting a purplish pink haze across the sky.
Nolan pulled his horse, Barok, to the side of the road, just in front of the forest. "It's time to settle down and make camp. The forest will take a day to get through, by then the advance group will be at Garner."
Adam hopped off Havnr and hitched him to a gnarled stump near a set of boulders. Then he took out several blankets and folded them into a makeshift bed. After settling down Nolan brought a pile of wood and set it down in the camps center and whispered, "Brisingr." The wood sparked and a gentle flame spurred within the pile.
Trey and Connor sat up as the fire roared with a mighty glow.
"So, how about some stories. Oh, I'll tell you my favorite; one I heard when I was a kid." Said Nolan, reaching into the fire without it hurting him. With a short spell the fire shifted into figures that seemed to have a life of their own, walking within the boundaries of the bonfire.
"That must have been a long time ago." Joked Trey, bringing laughs from Adam, Connor, and even Nolan too.
"Ha ha, funny." Said Nolan, "But anyways, a long time ago there was a man. He was a farmer that lived in the great city of Eleese. He had a nice family, a loving wife, two young sons, and his nephew. One day a common thief, or probably not so common, came to his house while he was off in the fields with his nephew. The thief robbed him of all his fortunes and his inheritance, a long staff made of the rarest of wood. It had several precious gems inlaid into the leather handle."
The fire-figures shifted to resemble a cloaked man entering a farm house. Several minutes later the figure left and shifted back into the flames.
"The robber killed the man's sons and wife then burnt his house to the ground." The fire showed a house covered in a thick layer of flame. "Then when the man saw the smoke enter the cloudless sky, despair washed over him and he and his nephew ran to their home.
"But they were too late, they watched as their house slowly disintegrated into ash." The house in the fire burnt down until a pile of ash was left, then with a wave of his hand the scene shifted. "Now, the man sought out the robber along with his nephew. They searched day and night, high and low for this man that killed the only things in the world that mattered to him: his family.
"Then he found him. It turns out that the thief was, in actuality, a magician and the staff, a legendary weapon carried by the greatest of warriors. But the man didn't know. He killed the killer while he slept and retook his inheritance. But at what cost? The man didn't return home to find everything back in its rightful place, just ruins covered in weeds and overgrown plants.
The fire shifted into a figure sneaking up to a sleeping man, then with the stealth of a spy the man plunged a dagger into the man's chest repeatedly until the man was no more than a heap of bleeding flesh.
"The man ended up killing himself, but before he did he gave the staff to his nephew, and gave him an honorable title. 'Son'. From then on the boy took care of the staff as if it were his uncle, father. The boy ran away hiding in cities until he reached Chazter, there he remained until he learned what the staff did.
"With the powerful weapon in his hands he escaped the bonds of the orphanage he dwelt in and came to Xeon in search of someone who would teach him magic."
"And that someone was Master Xenon, right?" Adam said with a knowledgeable voice.
"Right. Keep this story in mind, it will help you one day. It'll teach you things important to you and me."
Then with a solemn 'goodnight' they were off to bed…
The morning arrived too quickly, they scurried to bundle up their supplies and ready their horses. After strapping in their belongings then spurred their steeds onward. And soon entered the dense forest, where few light rays made it to the muddy ground.
Birds sang their songs, bugs and their annoying chirping echoed through the trees, and strange creatures lurked into the intruders' presence. Oftentimes, the branches were so thick overhead, it was impossible to tell from what direction the sun rose and set. That, combined with the repetitive scenery, made Adam hopelessly lost.
When it rained, the clouds and the forest canopy plunged them into profound darkness, as if they were entombed deep underground. The falling water would collect on the black pine needles above, then trickle through and pour a hundred feet or more down onto their heads, like a thousand little waterfalls. At such times, Nolan would summon a glowing orb of blue magic that floated above his right hand and provided the only light in the cavernous forest. They would stop and huddle underneath a tree until the storm abated, but even then water cached in the myriad branches would, at the slightest provocation, shower them for minutes on end.
As they rode deeper and deeper into the heart of the forest, the trees grew thicker and taller, as well as farther apart to accommodate with their increasing span of their branches. The trunks-bare brown shafts that towered up into the overarching ribbed ceiling, which was smudged and obscured by shadow-were over a hundred feet tall, higher than any tree that grew anywhere besides in the Forbidden Forest.
But after many more steps later, the forest began to grow smaller and closer together. Adam mentioned this to Nolan, who replied with, "That means we are near Garner." A faint blade of light pierced the dusty emerald branches overhead and limned his arm and face with liquid gold, dazzling bright against the murky background.
When the forest stopped and the trees were left behind, they stopped and made camp, for the sun had already set, the sky a purple and pink haze. Their camp was set between a group of large, gray boulders. They hitched their horses and settled down for the night with a warm fire glowing brilliantly in the dusk.
Nolan settled down then spoke about the times before the new empire and their ruthless king, Aodin, arrived. "There once was a time when the land of Salazier was different. Even its name was a contrasting to the way it is now. Alageasia was its name. The land was filled with many races: Humans, the most imperfect of them all, Elves, the most elegant and peaceful races with the naturally given gift of magic, Dwarves skilled masons and fierce fighters, and Urgals who were tall, muscular beings with horns protruding from their heads and are the toughest fighters in the land.
"Last of all were the Riders. Riders had the ability, no matter the race, to use magic and fought alongside their own bonded dragon. The dragons were once wild and untamed, until an elf named Eragon hatched one and soon created the order of Dragon Riders. But when one of their own turned against them, a rider named Galbatorix decided to take all the power for himself and cut down the freedom fighters known as the Varden.
"He eventually grew in power and led a group of riders called the Thirteen Forsworn. He killed all remaining dragon riders with his loyal group and took the thrown as king and ruled for years with his black dragon Shruiken. It was said that Shruiken towered to unimaginable heights and was more feared than the king himself.
"But when a new rider free of Galbatorix's control escaped the Empire and fled to the safety of the Varden, all of the king's efforts to retrieve him are extended. For his dragon was the last female of her race, the Rider's name was Eragon, his namesake originated from the first Rider. He soon grew in power and helped lead the Varden to Uru'baen where he heroically kills the dark king and unfolds a secret that will save the dragon race."
Adam seated himself closer to the fire and to Nolan so as to hear him over the crackle of the flame.
"But when he leaves for a new home of the Riders and dragons, he disappears and not one dragon was seen for thousands of years. When the Salazians invaded Alageasia they nearly killed the entire race of Dwarves, Elves, Humans, and Urgals. The Elves suffered a surprising defeat and left for the dragon island, not knowing where it was. Ever since then the Salazians have ruled Alageasia and have tried to conquer the memory of the races other than human."
Nolan stopped speaking and threw a stick into the campfire.
"So… Where are the Elves?" Asked Connor, drawing images in the dirt with his dagger before wiping them away.
"No one knows, they disappeared and not one has been seen then." Nolan replied, smoothing the wrinkles in his robe.
Adam stared intensely into the fire, acknowledging all the fine details that made up each spark of flame. The oranges and yellows spread unevenly over the logs that fueled the fire. "Why haven't I heard this story before? I've heard many a tale, but none the likes of this."
"Because King Aodin has made this subject a small source of knowledge and if one is caught reciting this they will be killed." Nolan replied, now readying his makeshift bed.
Trey nearly fell off his log he was seated upon, "Then why are you telling us this?"
Nolan chuckled, "Because we are rebels, we don't follow the king's laws. Heck, we don't even give them a first thought!"
Trey seemed to settle down a little bit and continue nibbling on his small piece of bread. After a couple bites he stuffed the rest into his mouth, and wiped the crumbs off the corner of his lips.
Nolan looked to the sky and watched the stars glisten, "Lets get some rest, we start early in the morning if we have any hopes of getting to Garner by noon. Lie down and get some sleep or I'll put ya'll to sleep with a spell."
With no one wanting to argue they all folded out their blankets and fluffed their pillows and lied down. The camp fire heated their camp and cast strange shadows onto the surrounding forest, and often sprayed a shower of sparks when a log would burn to its limit and break apart.
Adam closed his eyes and focused on the story Nolan told, about dragons and elves, who, up until this point, he thought were myth and stories to be told around a campfire, literally. He soon fell asleep amid the crackling of the fire and soothing breeze of the wind, comfortable and at peace since his probable resurrection.
But that soon ended as the calm night, with its still, hypnotizing collection of stars, was shattered by the sounds of war cries and the deep, thundering of running feet mixed with the scraping sound of metal, which Adam knew all too well as the sound of a sword being pulled from its sheath, scrapping against the metal band along the inside of the case.
Hope this chapter was exciting and offered ya'll with a calm chapter with no fighting, because the past ones have been full of war and such… In that case, review if ya'll like this chapter, the feedback will help if I need to make improvements which will greatly improve future chapters. Thnx.
-7RON