A Warrior's Redemption

  Chapter Seventeen

  The Plan

  We made good progress over the next several days. We didn’t encounter any ships at all, which I felt was due in large part to the skillful navigation of Captain Jansa. Soon we would be put ashore near Yorktown in the Southern Settlements.

  It was far too risky to continue traveling further up the coastline, because that was where the bulk of the Zoarinian navy was stationed. The Zoarinians kept the much smaller, but still formidable fleet of the Tranquil Islanders, bottlenecked up within the harbors and inlets of their islands to keep them from coming to the Valley Landers aid.

  Captain Jansa stepped up to the ship’s railing beside me and shared my view of the shoreline that we were approaching under cover of darkness. “I wish we could be of more service to you, but I’m afraid this is all that we can manage for now. I know it is but little, given the graveness of the situation faced by our two peoples.”

  “Captain Jansa, during my brief time in the Valley Lands I detected no blame being leveled against your people for any lack of military support on your people’s part. You have to protect your lands just as we do ours.”

  “Yes, this is true. But if our long time allies perish, then who do you think will be next to fall? It is better that we stay together and if need be, die together. I can assure you that I will continue to preach just that to my superiors until they have no cause but to see it my way as many of us already do!” Captain Jansa finished passionately.

  I offered my hand to the young captain, “I wish you luck in your endeavor as we could certainly use the help, but there is no shame if you don’t come.”

  Captain Jansa left me and returned to the bridge to directly oversee the pulling of the ship close to the shore line in the darkness. When we were far closer to the shoreline than I would have thought safe, Captain Jansa gave the orders to cut the sails and come about.

  A long, hastily constructed wooden ramp was hauled out over the side and secured with rigging. Zarsha and I mounted Flin and, with the click of his hooves sounding loud and hollow in the night air, I directed him down the swaying ramp. I lifted a hand in a silent farewell to the sailors who had risked their lives to come pick us up and now to offload us. Flin buck jumped off the end of the ramp into the cold waters of the surf.

  The water came up to the saddle horn but no further and within minutes we pulled clear of the water altogether and headed up over the wet sands of the beach toward the cover of the dunes beyond. It would take us almost a week to reach Kingdom Pass, which was more than it should have taken because we would travel by night as it would be too dangerous to travel by day.

  Five days later saw us at the foothills of the mountains. We had crossed the Litian River without incident in the night, but now the first rays of sunlight were peaking into the morning sky. I kept riding, hoping that we were far enough that we wouldn’t fall prey to any Zoarinian patrols this close to the Valley Lands.

  It was late morning of the next day when we entered the beginning of the long narrow pass that would lead us to the great wall at the head of the pass. I let Flin into a full gallop, eager to be on the other side of that massive wall at the head of the pass. I heard an arrow whizz past my ear where I had been just moments before and smash off a rock to the other side of me.

  Several arrows came from the opposite direction of the first arrow, but they weren’t aimed at us but rather at the source of the first arrow. Several riders, with bows at the ready and arrows held notched with one hand for a quick delivery, came riding out of the rocks toward us. Their faces were sharp with concentration, as they scanned the upper slopes around us. They drew abreast of us and offered us an escort up the narrow pass.

  It was good to be among friends again and the rest of the ride passed without incident. Later in the day the great walls came into view and I could see a flurry of activity occurring all over them.

  New mortar shone brightly from the joints of the giant cut stone blocks where it had eroded away over the years. Whoever had been put in charge of the wall repairs had even gone so far as to add new cut stone blocks in places where the rock had become overly porous.

  The tops of the walls bristled with a forest’s worth of wood in the forms of siege equipment and extra bulwarking. The Valley Lands were preparing for war. Once again they were relying heavily on what had always brought them victory in the past, which was the great wall of their ancestor’s creation.