A World Apart (49 page)

"That was until, around sixteen years ago, the royal princess from Aletonia and her retainers came to Sanduas to discuss border issues.  Dom was responsible for their security during this visit.  He worked closely with the Aletonian princess' staff, making sure that everything was in order.  During this visit, Dom met the woman that he would marry."

"The princess?!"  Jake exclaimed.  "He married the princess?"

"No, Jake."  Jonas said, chuckling.  "The princess was already married.  It was one of her maids, Elidona.  She was a beauty, tall and slender, with raven-black hair and beautiful dark eyes, her darker skin making her beauty even more exotic.  She was also one of the sweetest and kindest women I have ever known.  They apparently would meet each other after the sessions, going for rides and talking.  Their feelings towards each other grew very strong, very quickly."

He shook his head, a slight smile on his face.  "Dominic then did the most impulsive thing I have ever seen him do.  Late one evening, he came to my house and roused me and Marlis, my wife, out of bed.  He took us to the Temple, where only then did we find out that he was getting married to Elidona.  While a bit put out by the sudden, late-night ceremony, Marlis was overjoyed to see him safely married off, but we did not consider the ramifications of that act."

"Once it was found out, it caused an uproar amongst the nobles.  While the king and the Aletonian princess publicly blessed the union, many at court were against it.  Here was Dominic, the Commander and a knight, marrying a foreigner.  When he learned of this, in open court, Dom challenged some of the most vocal critics to duels, claiming his honor was being tainted, but they wisely refused.  This did make him enemies at court, constantly trying to undermine him."

"Frustrated with court life, he went to the king to offer his resignation.  When the Royal Guard and army officers found out, they came to the king as well, telling him that they would also resign and follow Dom.  To make matters worse, rumors had spread in the city that Dom was to be exiled because of his wife.  The people came out into the courtyard around the palace in protest."

"To settle things down, Dominic and the king went out together to address the gathered crowd, smiling and reassuring them of his continued position."  He smiled at the memories.  "Dom hated politics.  Give him an enemy he could fight openly, he always said."

"Over time, the controversy faded."  Jonas continued.  "As you know, he and Elidona established their home outside of the city.  Eli, as we called her, had grown up in a small town on an open plain and was not comfortable in the confines of the city."

"He could not refuse her anything.  Despite the increased danger, they built their home near the foothills of the Gray Ridges."  Jonas sighed, eyes distant.  "Soon after, they had their son, Jaimor.  He was a precious child, always smiling and happy.  Marlis and I were his aunt and uncle and Dominic doted on him.  He was just three years old when tragedy struck."

"As you know, Dom was called away to face an army of half-men and demons.  I was there at that battle, still serving with the army.  We were engaged with them when a rider came up to Dom.  He was told that a small group had broken away from the main force and were headed toward his home."

Jonas shook his head sadly.  "Before anyone could react, Dom was on his horse and riding away.  I saw him ride by, a look of terror on his face, such a look as I had never seen before or since.  Knowing something was very wrong, I was released to go after him.  I rode as hard as I could, but I could not catch him."

"As I got close to his home, I could see the smoke rising.  When I arrived, I found the house burning.  I went around back and saw Dom, who was caught off-guard and overwhelmed when he arrived, being held by a group of half-men, a demon carving that scar into him with a claw.  I fought with them, destroying most of the half-men and driving off the demon. "

  "Once it fled, I found Dom, blood streaming from that wound, kneeling over Eli and Jai, shaking them, begging them to get up, but they were already dead.  When I tried to heal Dom, he pulled a knife on me, stopping me.  He was lost in his anguish, so I did not press him.  He told me then that he would never be healed again."

"Knowing he was ravaged by sorrow, I simply bandaged him up, then helped him bury his wife and child."  Jonas' eyes were now angry.  "They had abused them before they killed them, being especially cruel to Jai.  That sight was forever burned into my memory."

He gave himself a little shake, then continued.  "We then went back to the city.  We headed straight to the palace, as we knew that word of Dom's abandonment of his command would have reached the king.  I tried to calm him down, but my effort failed."

"When some in the court called for him to be punished for desertion, Dom, mad with grief, drew his sword and challenged them all to a duel to the death, right then and there.  The king tried to calm the situation, but Dom was having none of it.  He insulted and berated the king, calling him craven and a coward for sitting safely on his throne while others bled and lost.  He railed against the assembled nobles as well."

"I was eventually able to pull him away, begging him to be silent."  He said.  "The king dismissed the court, leaving only us and the king and queen.  The queen was the one that crafted the compromise that allowed Dom to resign his titles and commands.  Even though his pride was wounded, knowing what Dom had just gone through, the king finally agreed to it."

"Since that day, Dom has been a solitary hunter of our enemies."  Jonas concluded.  "He has thrown himself into that mission, unconcerned for his own safety.  That has been his life for the last twelve years."

He reached over to pat Jake on the shoulder.  "I have told you all of this so you know that Dom has survived the worse the demons have dealt him.  You need to have faith that he will return."

They continued until dark, finding another piece of the princess' clothes along the way.  As they were setting up camp, Jake went out and looked back down the road, bathed in the soft moonlight, hoping against hope that Dominic would come riding up.  But Dominic did not come.

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY-
S
EVEN

The next morning, Jonas suggested that they should begin to scout their way, rather than simply riding ahead together.  Jonas thought the best choice for a scout would be Jake, though Marcus protested, claiming that he was better trained.  Jonas pointed out that Jake had a fast horse, was armored and, if needed, could use his magic to defend himself if he ran into demons.

Marcus grudging agreed, then took Jake to the road.  He pointed out the signs of the princess' passage.  "Just look for tracks like these.  Watch for any reduction of numbers or turns in their path."  He looked over at Jake.  "Are you sure you can do this?"  He asked, looking unconvinced.

Jake nodded, then headed back to his horse.  Fixing his helm and making sure his armor was in place, Jake climbed onto Dontas while the others finished packing up the camp.  Before he left, Jonas walked over to him.

"Remember, Jake, just look for passage of the princess or signs of our enemies."  Jonas said as he stood next to Dontas.  "You don't need to ride hard.  Stop every hour or so, so we can join up with you.  Also, if you see something that needs further inspection, wait for us to catch up.  Do not go off the road on your own.  If you see our enemies or some other danger approaches, fall back to us."

With a nod and a farewell wave to Hailyn, Jake started Dontas down the road.  He was both excited and a little frightened to be riding off on his own, knowing that their enemies operate in this area.  He tried to focus on his task as he set a moderate pace, scanning the dirt road and surrounding trees for the signs Marcus showed him and any indication of a change.  The road wound its way over some hills and twisted around others.  He rode on for what he believed was an hour, the trail staying on the road, then stopped where he had a clear view of the road ahead and waited for the rest to catch up.

The weather was nice, not too hot, though the sun was out.  He took in the surrounding land.  The trees were starting to change, with more evergreens beginning to mix in with the other trees.  The ground was getting rockier, with the hills rising more sharply. He could see the Gray Ridges pushing into the sky in the eastern distance.  They were clearly moving towards the mountains.

After the rest caught up, Jake took off again, riding ahead.  For most of the morning, that was their routine.  By the early afternoon, the terrain became steeper and the road became more hard-packed, making the trail harder to follow.  At the mid-day meal break, Jonas decided to send both Marcus and Jake ahead, Marcus being the better tracker, but Jake could provide the needed defense against the demons.

Jake protested.  "What if you are attacked?"  He asked.  "You need to have Marcus here to deal with the physical threats."

"Jake, we are only four."  Jonas said.  "Everything we are doing is a risk.  Aside for bows, the half-men have to get within sword distance to harm either Hailyn or myself.  With us working together, they will never get that close.  It will take more than a group of half-men and a demon or two to defeat us.  If we are attacked by something larger, then it may not matter if you and Marcus were here anyway."

Jake finally agreed, though he was not happy about it as he and Marcus left, riding on.  After they were back on the trail, however, Jake saw the wisdom of it.  He lost it several times, though Marcus seemed confident, continuing on.  Jake, realizing that he was not helping with the trail, began to focus on the surrounding area, looking for threats.  They continued like this for another half hour, when Marcus suddenly stopped.

As Jake watched, Marcus got off his horse, looking closely at the ground.  He walked slowly around the area, then started off towards the trees to the southeast.  He stopped just inside the tree line, kneeling to examine something, then came back.

"They turned off here and rode into the trees."  Marcus said quietly.  He pointed back towards where he had been.  "The trail is clear in the soil."

"I guess we wait here for Jonas and Hailyn."  Jake said, sliding off of Dontas and leading him into the shade of the trees.  Marcus did the same with his horse.

They waited there, not speaking, watching and listening for any signs of movement.  Soon, they could hear the sound of the wagon approaching. When it rounded the corner, they came out to greet them.  They quickly explained what they had found and Jonas looked around, frowning.

"We will have to leave the wagon; it won't make it through the trees."  He said.  "We should find a place where it can be hidden."

They were able to find a gap in the trees where they could push the wagon, sheltering it from anyone on the road.  They grabbed some fallen tree limbs and other items to help camouflage it.  After Jonas unhooked the horses, Jake and Marcus did what they could to erase their tracks to the wagon as they returned to Jonas and Hailyn.

Jonas and Hailyn were on the wagon horses, with only a blanket as a saddle and the bridles and reins from the wagon.  Jake and Marcus loaded the extra food and water they brought from the wagon into their saddlebags.

Once they were all mounted, Jonas signaled Marcus to lead them.  He went ahead, followed by Jonas, Hailyn and Jake bringing up the rear.  They rode slowly, moving through the trees.  The forest, made up mostly of tall pines, seemed too quiet as they rode, making Jake nervous.  He constantly looked behind them, as well as to the sides.  He saw nothing, but that did not make him feel better.

They rode for another two to three hours, moving up and down along the hills, not seeing anything, but Marcus was sure they were on the trail.  The sun angled to the west, its light filtering through the trees, deepening the shadows.

Without warning, they came across a large forest trail, almost a road, heading east-west.  Marcus stopped, dismounted and examined the trail closely.  "They went east along the trail."  He said, getting back on his horse.  He started off in that direction, the others following.

They continued on, the light getting lower as the day drew to a close.  The terrain was rugged, but passable.  They rode up a steep and rocky hill, suddenly stopping at the top.  Below them, the sparse trees ended halfway down the slope.  Beyond that, the trail cut its way through a tumbled mix of rocks and they could just make out a rocky cliff ahead.

However, it was not the rocks that stopped them.  There was a feeling of coldness and evil that seemed to radiate from the area.  The horses begin to whinny and shy away, nervous.  Facing those sensations, Jake resisted the urge to call up his magic, not wanting to draw attention.  Jonas motioned them to go back.

They rode down the trail a ways, then left it, concealing their passage as they went.   They headed into a dense grouping of trees, going until they could not see the trail.  Jonas had them dismount, then gather close.

"I believe that we have reached where the demons brought the princess."  He whispered.  "I think that we have two options.  The first is that we ride back to find Alleon and bring back the army.  Finding Alleon seems the most logical choice, despite the delay of many days.  With the additional soldiers and clerics, we would stand a better chance in a fight."

He paused.  "However, there are drawbacks to this.  We do not know how many of our enemies we face or even if the princess is still here.  It may be that we will have brought them here for nothing or to confront more enemies than even Alleon's force could overcome.  A bitter fight also increases the chance that the princess will be harmed."

"The second is that we attempt to enter secretly and locate or recover the princess ourselves."  He continued, face serious.  "It will take stealth, strength and courage.  It goes without saying that there is great danger to attempt this.  We could easily be seen and killed, overcome or captured.  But, to attempt such a feat is probably the last thing our enemies would expect us to do.  That element of surprise may be the edge to allow us to succeed."