“So you will travel to Elharlia. I am glad to hear that.” The Queen said, moving to take a seat at the table. Once she was seated, she continued. “I am sure you all talked about the length of the journey facing you while you waited for my return. It is indeed a daunting distance to cover, and will take quite some time. However, I will outfit your party with horses and supplies to allow you to travel for some time. Make your way as far as possible with those supplies. Once those supplies are gone, there will be some gold as well, but there is something we must discuss involving traveling into towns first.”
The three of them looked at one another, curious as to what she meant. Careful about going into towns? Nihlen thought to himself. “Why would that be? I shouldn’t be recognizable on this continent, as long as I’m careful.”
“To most people, that is true. The common folk would not be so familiar with other royal families to recognize you easily. It is not the common folk you must worry about being discovered by though. Have you ever heard of Illian?” The Queen asked.
Nihlen shook his head. The name didn’t sound familiar at all, even with the education he had received.
“I am not surprised. The world is full of secrets, and this is just another one of them. Illian is a group who lives in the shadows. Throughout history they have shown up at all different times in all areas of the world. Their goal is but one thing, and that is power. They do not believe the world should be divided, but instead brought together and ruled under one person. Every generation of members gives everything they have to try and accomplish that goal.”
“What does that have to do with Nihlen though?” Marina asked.
“The Eye of Kings.” The Queen said, looking at Nihlen. “As I said, Illian seeks power. You have one of the greatest powers known to the world. If they hear of you, and that you possess that eye, they will hunt you mercilessly to attain it. Power leaves traces, even beyond what normal people can see. It is imperative you hide that eye, and only use its power in extreme circumstances. All it takes is one person remembering seeing an individual with a very strange eye, or someone to pick up on traces of its power, for Illian to be after you.”
“They’re coming already.” Nihlen said suddenly, turning toward the window. People have already seen it. People who don’t want me to stay alive… Nihlen thought, cursing his ignorance to such a group. “There are people who have seen this eye already, and they aren’t exactly friendly with me. If they know about this group as well, then it is safe to assume these Illian already knows of my existence, and are searching even as we speak.”
“It is best to assume they are searching for you then. You must be cautious, avoid towns and other travelers whenever possible. Should you need something you can't get in the wilderness, it would be best to send one of your friends instead.”
Nihlen nodded, though the thought of living in the wilderness for and unknown span of time wasn’t exactly a prospect he was jumping up and down about. We have to do what we have to do I suppose.
“I will begin making preparations at once for your journey to begin.” The Queen said, moving for the door. “This will be the last time we meet for quite some time I am sure, Nihlen. I will send Galen for you when the preparations are complete. May your Path be flat and safe, Nihlen Draven. I wish you all the best in your journey to come. I will do what I can on my end to bring the other world leaders together to help. I am sure this will be a topic discussed at length in the coming weeks. Hopefully, they will feel the sympathy for your land that I feel.”
With that, the Queen disappeared through the door, leaving the three once again to contemplate the coming ordeal.
With a weak smile at his companions, Nihlen took a seat at the table, unconsciously eating from a bowl of fruit. Cal had a chair leaning on two legs, his head lying against the wall and his eyes shut. Marina took the chair next to him, settling once again into the silence of waiting.
It had only been maybe an hour when the door to their room opened, and Galen stepped inside. He was no longer dressed in his regal court attire, but in a long dark green coat, simple black pants, and was carrying a large sack over his right shoulder. “The Queen has instructed me to accompany you all. I know this land well, and will ensure your safe passage to the other end of the continent.”
Nihlen stood, and bowed deeply. “Is that all right though? As the Queen's personal assistant, can you leave her to travel with us?”
“I am her assistant, but much more as well.” Galen said lightly. “Before I became the Queen’s envoy, I served in the military of Leoradan for many years. I assure you I am a capable guide, as well as fighter. Should any danger present itself, I will defend you as if you were the Queen. These are my orders, and I will follow them with all my knowledge and power.”
Nihlen bowed in thanks once again, before offering his hand to Galen. “I thank you wholeheartedly for your aid, and the aid of your kingdom. I will never forget the help I’ve received from this land.”
Galen shook Nihlen’s hand, and bowed in return. “We should make haste to begin our journey then. If you will follow me, I will lead you to the horses and provisions which have been prepared for us.”
Without a pause, the group exited the room, and wended their way through the castle, emerging from a different entrance than they had entered originally. There was a large clearing, a fenced in field of tall grass, and a large stable on the other side of the field. They quickly made their way over to the stable, stepping into the building.
Just inside the door were several large bags, packed neatly into bundles, and ready to be loaded. “The Queen has instructed me to have you each pick your own horse. Any and all you see here may be chosen. My own horse is also stabled here, and I am going to go prepare it. When you have chosen your steed, just let one of the stable hands know. They will ready the horse and pack the bags upon it. Then, we shall be on our way.”
As Galen headed off to take care of his own business, Nihlen and the others moved off to search for their own mounts. Nihlen ambled by the stalls, looking at all the various horses. There were all kinds of colors and sizes. One horse, pure white as snow, stuck its head over its stall door, and Nihlen patted its nose. He was no stranger to horses. He was an accomplished equestrian, with several horses of his own back at home. With a sudden spark of intuition, he called over his shoulder. “Marina, I believe this one is the one for you. I can feel her calling your name.”
Marina came over, stopping next to Nihlen. She rubbed the horse's muzzle, and it nuzzled her in return.
“She's beautiful. I'll take her.” Marina said, laughing as the horse pushed into her shoulder.
With a nod of satisfaction, and a wave at one of the stable hands, a young boy, Nihlen moved on to continue searching for his own mount. He passed by a strong looking brown mare, and a painted one, before he looked into the next stall.
Standing tall and proud was one of the most beautiful horses he had ever seen. Black as midnight, tall and powerful, it was truly the definition of a powerful horse. Instantly Nihlen was drawn to it. With a quick signal, another of the stable hands came over. This stable hand was a man, some ten years older than Nihlen. He was dirty from his work, dirt smeared on his face, hands, and clothes. He had a large smile on his face though. He clearly enjoyed his work.
“You are welcome to any horse in here, but I recommend you steer clear of that one.” The stable hand said in a friendly tone.
“Why is that?” Nihlen asked.
“He hasn’t been broken in yet. He was recently acquired by the palace, and we are still trying to train him. Despite our best efforts though, he’s quite wild and unpredictable. No one has been able to ride him yet.” The stable hand said.
Without another word, Nihlen opened the gate to the stall, and started inside. The stable hand reached out to him, and started to tell him to stop, but Nihlen ignored him. Cautiously he approached the horse, as he had done so many times with his own. The stable hand stared on, tense, ready to jump in and save him as h
e felt he inevitably would have to.
Nihlen stared at the black horse, and it at him. Slowly, but without hesitation, he reached out toward the horse. It rose up on two legs, shaking its head and huffing fiercely. “It’s all right.” Nihlen said gently, rubbing one hand on the side of the horse. Instantly it quieted down, and he began stroking it’s broad nose with his other hand.
“Well I’ll be.” The stable hand said, running one of his hands through his hair, unable to believe his eyes. “You must really have a way with horses.”
Nihlen wasn’t listening though. He just stroked the horse, feeling it’s powerful muscles beneath his hands. “I will ready him myself, if you will check on my friends.”
The stable hand nodded, heading off in the direction Nihlen assumed Cal was still searching for his own horse. Nihlen began the series of steps to saddle the horse, talking to the steed gently the whole time. When he was finished, he was still talking to the horse. “You’re a good boy, a fine steed indeed. I shall call you Palata.” Nihlen said, resting his own head against the horse's large nose.
A small giggle suddenly brought him back to the world around him, and he looked over to the stall’s gate. Marina was leaning up against it, her head resting on one of her hands as she watched him. He turned away, feeling slightly embarrassed. He wondered how long she had been listening to him talking to the horse.
“Do you have your own horses back home?” Marina asked, straightening up.
“Yes, many. I’ve spent a lot of time learning to ride, and how to care for them.” Nihlen said, patting the horse gently.
“I’ve always wanted to own a horse.” Marina said wistfully.
“Well then that wish has come true today. She belongs to you now.” Nihlen said.
“Everything is ready now.” Galen called from the door to the stables. Cal was standing next to him, the reigns of a beautiful painted mare in his hands. Galen’s horse was a brown stallion, with a long white spot down the exact center of its nose. “Before we leave though, there is one other piece of business.”
Galen moved toward the wall of the stable, to the right of the door. Sitting propped against the wall were three packages neatly wrapped in green cloth. One was extremely tall and slender, half again as tall as Nihlen. The second was nearly as tall as the first, but nearly as twice as broad crosswise as Marina. The third was the shortest, and quite thin as well. Galen picked up the larger item first, and Nihlen knew there was only one thing those packages could contain. “Cal, if you could come over here please, this is for you.”
Cal moved toward him, standing right in front of him. Galen pulled the simple cord holding the package closed. As the packaging fell away, Galen was holding a sword. It was of simple design, no ornaments, but extremely heavy looking. It must weigh nearly as much as Nihlen, and the strain of the weight was visible for Galen as he held it out toward Cal. “Are you familiar with using any weapons, Cal?” Galen asked.
Cal shook his head.
“This type of sword is specially forged for those with great strength. Though I am not personally proficient in its use, I am sure between Nihlen and myself we will be able to train you while we travel. Though it looks simple, I can assure you that is simply so it will not draw more attention to us than it already will. A rag tag band such as ourselves will stick out if our weapons seem too high class. It is made by the palace sword smiths though, and will serve you as powerfully as any blade you could ever ask for.
Cal pulled the sword from it’s sheathe, easily hefting it above his head with one hand. He stared silently at the blade, before lightly swinging a few times. Nihlen couldn’t help but be impressed he could swing a sword with such a high heft almost effortlessly. He feared for any enemy who would look down that blade once he was proficient in its use. Seemingly satisfied, he slung the sheathe across his back, and sheathed the sword within it. With his large stature and massive bulk, it definitely seemed like it was made for him.
Instead of reaching for the second package, Galen instead reached into his coat. “For Marina, I figured a light, agile weapon would do best. However, unsure of what weapons she may know how to use, if any, I decided it would be best to outfit her with an assortment of weapons, so she may always be able to surprise any enemies we may encounter.”
First, he pulled out a dagger. Like Cal’s blade, it was simple in design. A polished white bone handle set into a plain black scabbard. Lightly, and without a sound, he drew the blade, which was about the length of the middle finger to the wrist of his hand. He then sheathed the blade, and handed it to Marina. He reached inside his coat once more, and this time pulled out a long belt. All along the length of the belt were smaller blades, which could easily fit in the palm of his hand. “These small blades are throwing knives. With practice, you’ll be able to throw one or even more with great ease. Your weapons, Marina, are based on stealth. The dagger will serve you well in close quarter combat, but once you are proficient with their use, you will be able to bring your enemies down before they even know what has happened. There is also a space for your dagger on the belt.” Then he grabbed the slimmest and smallest package of the two remaining. With a quick pull of the wrapping surrounding it, it fell away. Inside was a staff. It was made of a dark colored wood, and looked quite sturdy and well made. “A light and flexible weapon, I am sure it will serve you well.”
He handed the belt, dagger, and staff to Marina. She removed one of the small throwing knives, looking at it. A strange look momentarily crossed her face, and she looked at Nihlen for just a brief moment. “Thank you Galen.” She said, bowing toward him before she began to string the belt around her waist.
Galen turned to the wall, grabbing the final package. From its size, and Nihlen’s experience with nearly every kind of weapon imaginable, he had an idea what was in the package.
Galen quickly untied the string, allowing the packaging to fall away. In his hand was a halberd. It was comprised of a solid iron staff, colored a deep blood red. Upon its top was a wickedly curved blade, half moon shaped. Galen tossed the halberd silently through the air, and Nihlen caught it. It felt like it was made for him. The weight was perfect, as was the balance.
“How did you know this was my weapon of choice?” Nihlen asked, still amazed at how well the weapon fit him. Even the countless weapons that had been forged for him back at the palace had never felt this right in his hands, and those weapons had been made specifically for him.
“My time in the military gave me a keen eye for outfitting my soldiers. I’m sure with your training, any weapon I would have brought would have been fine. If you’d been one of my soldiers, this is what I would have armed you with. Years of experience and intuition at work.” Galen said, tossing Nihlen the light, leather looped carrier he could strap over his back.
Nihlen slid the halberd into it’s holder, and bowed deeply to Galen. “Your gifts are greatly appreciated. I thank you, as well as the Queen.”
“I have one other gift for each of you.” Galen said, reaching in his coat once more. From inside he withdrew three small packages, tossing one to each of them in turn. Nihlen caught his package, and pulled the string to open it. Inside was a pair of gloves.
“These gloves.” Galen said, holding up this right fist. He was wearing a pair as well. “Are a new item recently developed for our military. They are called Ironweave Gloves. They are light and flexible, and feel almost as if they aren’t there. They are amazingly durable though. They are nearly impossible to cut with even the sharpest of weapons. Should you find yourself disarmed, these gloves in themselves can help you fend off your attacker. You can block your enemies weapons, even catching their blades. When clenched with your fist, the metallic alloys in the glove come together at the knuckles, adding great damage to your bare handed attacks. They are quite a miraculous tool of war.”
Nihlen pulled his gloves on. They were indeed surprisingly light, but he could feel their durability. “I cannot thank you enough for everything you and the Queen
are doing for me, for us.” Nihlen said, bowing once more.
As everyone examined their new gifts, the last of their bags were loaded onto the horses. Once they were finished, everyone began mounting up. There was a great sense of apprehension, and Marina couldn't believe she was involved in this. About to traverse across an unknown land, to find the most wanted man in the world.
I'd never believe it if I wasn't here.
Chapter 12
On the Open Road