As promised, King Albert, along with many others that Dart did not recognize, met them at the city gates the next morning. Along with the king and the captains came three laden horses – one of which Lavitz greeted like an old friend – and their requested sets of armor. Shana graciously accepted hers, and Lavitz was so excited that Dart wondered if he would put it on then and there. But instead, he strapped the package to his horse's saddle and began bidding farewell to the minor crowd of people, beginning with words of encouragement and a long embrace from King Albert.
"I will pray for your safe return," smiled the king, though a shade of sadness was hidden behind his eyes.
The final goodbye was given to Lavitz's mother, and he hugged her for several long moments.
"I'm proud of you," she told him. "You've always done whatever was asked of you, and with such integrity." Placing a hand on his face, she smiled. "I'll see you home soon."
"I'll be back in a few months," he replied, placing his hand over his. "I love you, Mom."
She nodded as he backed away, and mother and son wiped their faces of fresh tears. Then Lavitz, Shana, and Dart mounted, and amid waves, cheers, and applause, they left the city.
As they crested the first hill, the feeling of safety that had comforted them in Bale vanished, replaced by the dangers of the open road. They traveled wordlessly, only speaking up when discussing directions and other less important things, and Dart was grateful for the silence, as it allowed him time to ruminate over the past several days. Every so often, he had to shake himself to remember that he'd chosen this path – a path that every moment brought him closer to a dragon.
It was a humbling thought, and one that shot anxiety into his stomach on every advent. Every now and then, he would glance at the others and see if they were as worried as he was, but he could never decide. Lavitz and Shana both frowned, both kept their eyes on the road, and both said nothing.
What if they arrived at Hoax and the town was already being razed? It was a feeling that Dart could not shake.
The first day of their journey south, the mountains grew more and more distant on either side. The Western Mountains shot off toward the west, and the Serdian Mountains dove to the south, leaving them along the road between them. Before long, their path delved into a forest, and they spent much of the day under the shelter of the trees.
An urgency followed them all morning, pushing them forward. Every hour or so, Lavitz would boost them into a canter before slowing once again to a walk. While none of them was eager to reach Hoax, they understood that their presence was necessary, and that time was of the essence. At any moment, the dragon could attack. As such, they traveled several hours past sundown, and Dart estimated that it was an hour or so before midnight when they stopped.
The next morning, Lavitz changed into his new plate armor, which had been decorated forest green to match the other captains of Basil. The attire suited him, and despite the new weight, from then on, Lavitz walked with his head a little higher and his shoulders a little farther back.
He also encouraged Shana to don her own armor so that she could grow accustomed to it and they would enter Hoax well prepared, and she hesitantly agreed. The process was much longer than Lavitz's thanks to Shana's inexperience, and in the end, she had to ask for help from both men to make sure everything was attached in the right places. When at last Shana's outfit was complete, Dart and Lavitz took a step back to see their handiwork. Immediately, Dart noticed that the shoulder pad was too far over, and he quickly adjusted it. Then he nodded his approval.
"Does it look okay?" asked Shana timidly.
The armor was woven across her torso and arms and flat over her shoulders, knees, and shins. Her gloves had been especially designed to protect her fingers as they drew back her bow, and Dart noticed another thick pad over her left forearm to protect from the twanging bowstring. At Lavitz's request, the armorer had also decorated Shana's armor with bands of light blue that swirled around her arms, legs, and torso to match her bow. All in all, Shana looked the part of an archer in Basil's army.
"You look great," smiled Dart. "How does it feel?"
She swung her arms around, and the leather squeaked. "Tight," she said.
Lavitz laughed. "Armor is an adjustment, for sure," he agreed. "But the more you wear it, the more the leather will start to bend with you. Less squeaking, less stiffness, more dexterity. Just give it time."
They gathered their things and prepared to leave, though Shana needed a little help to mount her horse. Then they continued south.
By nightfall, they had moved from forest to grasslands and were weary and sore from their travels, but following Lavitz's direction, they persisted two hours after the Western Mountains were beyond the horizon. Even the Serdian Mountains were distant, only the tallest peaks visible as the road turned southwest. They continued this way for another hour or so until the silhouette of a town became visible, perched atop the next hill and keeping watch over a vast swath of forest and grasslands.
Both moons were in the sky tonight, and with their combined light, Dart could see a wall encircling the small town, no more than the size of Seles. Abundant farmland sprawled around it on every side, and many houses dotted the landscape, but they saw no fires lighting them. For a moment, Dart feared that the dragon had already attacked, but then he spotted the light of torches on the far wall, and his spirits lifted once again.
They started up the slope of the hill and came to a small gate, where two guards ordered them to halt.
"What business do travelers have here at this hour?" one demanded.
"I'm Lavitz Slambert, here with two warriors," explained Lavitz. "King Albert sent us to reinforce the ranks."
"Oh! Sir Lavitz! Please, come on in."
The gate opened, and they entered the tiny city. By the light of many standing torches scattered about, Dart was now able to see that the wall was little more than stacks of wooden beams and logs roped together and a platform attached to the top, and he wondered whether it would survive any sort of attack, much less that of a dragon. What must have once been a quaint town was now a sorrowful scene overrun with soldiers sporting the royal blue of Basil.
They entered the town square that had been cut in half by the southern wall, and to the right were long stretches of buildings, homes formed in long, upright lines. Around the square were multiple shop stalls, devoid of vendors or customers, a large inn, and a stone building marked as the city hall and topped with a bell tower.
"Over there," said Lavitz, pointing to the flag of Basil – forest green cut with a white stripe – waving over the inn's front door.
As they crossed the square, they gathered the attention of the soldiers that milled about, and soon enough, it seemed that every knight in Hoax had come to greet them.
Lavitz leapt off his horse and began shaking hands and offering words of encouragement while Shana and Dart remained mounted and cautious. Dart could not help but glance around at the slightest abnormal noise, and he tried to keep an eye on the skies. Would they be able to see if a dragon flew overhead at this hour?
Soon, a captain barreled out of a building toward Lavitz while sporting a wide grin.
"Sir Lavitz!" he called.
"Sir Kaiser!" returned Lavitz.
"We hadn't received word of your coming!" said Kaiser as he shook Lavitz's hand vigorously. "Forgive me; I might have had preparations in place for you."
"It's no worry. We were only told a couple days ago."
"Are you headed south?"
"No, we're actually here for you."
"You brought friends!" Kaiser looked up questioningly at Dart and Shana.
"Yes, they've come with me to join you in your fight. Do you have a place we could talk?"
"Of course, of course. Right this way."
Kaiser motioned to them, and Dart and Shana dismounted and followed him and Lavitz while a young knight led their horses away. Dart smiled awkwardly to the men and women pressing in on them and was relieved when they entered the inn. Once inside, Dart realized that it had been transformed to accommodate the knighthood, and just inside were several tables that now served as Kaiser's command center.
"Please make yourselves comfortable," Kaiser was saying. "Erik here will go fetch some refreshments." He nodded to a man behind a counter, who nodded back and disappeared into another room. A minute later, he came back with a pitcher of water and a loaf of bread. "What brings you all here to Hoax?"
"Orders, although I guess that's always the case," chuckled Lavitz. "I'm guessing you've heard about the issue of the dragon?"
Kaiser sighed. "Haven't we all? It's had my troops on edge for weeks. Do we know anything more about it?"
"Not as much as I'd like. Just that it's probably in this region."
"So, it's a waiting game?"
Lavitz nodded. "We're here to help however we can."
"And who are these fine people you've brought with you?"
"Oh, sorry," said Lavitz, standing to introduce them. "Dart and Shana. They helped me escape Hellena Prison."
After shaking their hands, Kaiser introduced himself as head of the Sixth Knighthood of Basil. "We sure are glad to have more support, and it sounds like you two are up to the task."
"We'll do what we can, sir," nodded Dart.
"Where would you have us stationed?" asked Lavitz.
"Archers are taking shifts patrolling the walls," he explained with a nod toward Shana. "Although you also have the option of staying in the inner city. We built a rampart around the city hall, just next door, and stocked it with ammunition so we can have archers at all times should the city be breached. For infantry, we've been staying inside the walls as best we can except for the guards posted by the gate. All the civilians have bunkered down inside the town for the time being, and they take some wrangling from time to time. They're a little restless… It's planting season, you know… But anyway, I suppose… you could take shifts guarding the gates if you wanted. The archers have been serving as lookouts."
"We can do that," said Lavitz. "We're here to help."
"Perhaps for tonight, Sir Lavitz, if you could just go around and speak to the men and women… We could use the sight of someone like you. The rest doesn't need to be bothered with until tomorrow. You've all traveled so far today."
"Understood."
"Did you lose many during the last attack?" asked Shana quietly.
Kaiser nodded. "Five. Not too bad, all things considered. But we felt it just the same. These men and women have been together for months."
"Are there any injured?" asked Dart.
"Yes, we have one who's still in recovery, but he's almost better now."
"Shana is a skilled healer," he added. "If you need any help in the infirmary, she can do it."
"I will keep that in mind," smiled Kaiser. "We may need you, Shana, if an attack comes."
"Do you have any reason to think it will happen soon?" asked Lavitz.
"No more than you, I'm afraid. But we think it will be a night raid. The plains are just too visible from our vantage point. Either they'll spring out of the forest, or they'll come upon us after sundown. Either way, we should have some warning."
"And if the dragon comes?"
Sighing, Kaiser shook his head. "We'll do what we can."