Rojuun (14 page)

“Well . . . still . . . to kill things . . .
is considered bad . . .” It was obvious she was having a very hard
time wrapping her mind around Sir Danth’s beliefs.

“There are many who feel so, Milady.
However, I assure you that life is purely a game spiritual beings
play. Death is an aspect of a temporary life.” He saw that she was
not convinced. “I fear that I have upset you terribly, Milady and
that makes me sad.”

“I don’t know, Sir Danth. Give me time to
think about your words.” Liselle rode on in disturbed thought. Sir
Danth raised a gauntlet as though to make another attempt at
convincing her, but thought better of it, falling silent.

“What about you Vevin?” Tathan asked a few
moments later. “I know you aren’t human. Will you tell us what race
you are?”

Vevin looked at him with concern and then
looked at the other two to see if they felt the same way. “You
don’t think I’m human?” he asked.

Tathan stared at him. “You are definitely
not
human, Vevin.”

The creature thought about it for a moment
and then asked, “Why do you think I’m not human, exactly?”

Tathan raised an eyebrow. “Really?” He
counted off the points on his fingers. “One, you have liquid-silver
eyes that glow in the dark. Two, you have purple hair and your skin
is tinted purple. Three, you have very sharp teeth. Four, you can
see through rock, in the dark, and across vast expanses.” He used
his thumb for the last point. “Five, you leap distances that aren’t
humanly possible.” Tathan looked at the creature intently. “You are
most
definitely
not human, Vevin.”

The creature looked at Liselle and Sir
Danth, who both nodded in agreement. Then he looked back at Tathan.
“Oh . . . I tried to look human,” he explained hopefully.

Tathan raised the other eyebrow. “Tried? . .
. What exactly are you, Vevin.”

Vevin panicked. “Oh no! I can’t tell you
that! You might not like me!” He shook his head side to side.

“It’s alright, Vevin. We already like you,”
said Liselle.

“Nope. Uh, uh.” He shook his head in
refusal. “I’m not gonna tell you. I like you and I promise never to
eat you, alright? I promise!”

“Uhh . . .” was all Tathan could come up
with.

“We accept your promise, Vevin,” Liselle
agreed. “Will you tell us what you are now?”

“Nope. But I promise not to eat you.” Vevin
smiled hopefully. The sharp teeth didn’t make his audience any more
comfortable.

“Do you like killing too, Vevin?” Liselle
asked quietly.

“Oh no! I don’t like killing at all. Killing
is bad unless you need to eat, but only to eat. You should never
kill if you don’t have to eat!” he said rapidly.

“Oh. Alright, Vevin. As long as you promise
not to kill or eat us,” she said with a hesitant smile.

“Oh yes! I promise,” he agreed, nodding his
head vigorously.

Tathan didn’t look convinced. He wanted to
argue, but relented at Liselle’s determined look.

The party traveled on for the rest of the
day and engaged in small talk. At night, they stopped in a clearing
near the cliff to eat and rest. For the next four days, they rode
peacefully deeper into the forest. Most of the conversation was
light. Tathan told a few general stories of his past, Liselle
talked of growing up in her valley, and Sir Danth told of his
knight training and details of the city in which he lived. Vevin
remained mostly quiet, but was always helpful and eager to
please.

Chapter
13

During the cousin’s journey to Aaltdiin, as
well as the time traveled since, the road had been wide enough in
most places for two people to ride side by side. By the time they
reached deep forest, the road had turned into a single path.

“I say, the road isn’t what it used to be
when I was young,” Sir Danth remarked. “The army kept it in very
good condition. “They used prisoners to do much of the labor while
army wizards put protections on it to keep animals and monsters
from harming travelers.”

“Monsters?” Tathan asked, peering into the
forest on either side. He was at the front of the group, leading
the way. The farther a person traveled from civilization in the
world of Ryallon, the more dangerous it became. There were real
monsters that could rend a full-grown man with little effort, even
a capable man like Tathan.

“Yes. The Willden Forest has a variety of
creatures that like to eat people. It’s not a problem if you stay
on the road, even now. However, I would not recommend venturing out
on one’s own for any distance though,” the knight cautioned.

Liselle also looked into the forest
nervously. “And people lived here?”

“Yes. In fact, we should have passed a few
small towns by this point. There has been no sign of them,” he
said. “It is very odd to travel through a kingdom that no longer
exists.” Sadness tinted Sir Danth’s voice.

Liselle looked back at him with an
encouraging smile. “I can only imagine how hard it must be for you,
Sir Danth. I’m not sure I could handle it as well as you are
doing,” she said.

“Thank you, Milady.”

Tathan spoke loudly over his shoulder. “What
sort of monsters are we likely to find, Sir Danth?”

“The sort of monsters attracted to loud
noises,” the knight replied in a deadpan.

“Oh, ha, ha. That’s very funny,” Tathan
replied. He
did
look around at the trees to see if he had
attracted anything.

“Do not concern yourself, Master Tathan.
There is no monster in these forests I cannot dispatch with
efficiency,” the knight reassured.

Tathan asked a little less loudly, “Where
does this road lead to, Sir Danth?”

“At one time, it led to the capital city of
Brondaggiin,” he said. “Brondaggiin was a beautiful city made to be
in tune with the forest. The buildings of Brondaggiin existed in
harmony with the trees.”

“Do you think it still exists after all this
time?” Liselle asked. “And how did Aaltdiin survive when the other
towns did not?”

“You ask excellent questions, Milady.
Aaltdiin was built at the top of the cliffs, where the trees did
not have a strong hold. The architecture was some of the finest our
engineers had ever made. But most of Aaltdiin is gone as well. Only
remains of the larger buildings toward the cliff face are left,”
the knight said with sadness in his voice.”

“I’m sorry your home has fallen to such
condition, Sir Danth,” Liselle sympathized. “So Brondaggiin is most
likely gone now as well . . .”

“I don’t know. It was a vast city covering
miles, but of the forest. The Willden may have let it continue to
exist.” He shrugged.

“How long before we reach it?” asked
Tathan.

“In another seven days or so, should the
road hold true,” Sir Danth said.

“And how would we get to the fortress we saw
from the cliffs?” Liselle asked.

“I don’t know. I can’t imagine there would
be a road to it. Perhaps we can try to explore from
Brondaggiin.”

The forest grew thicker and darker over the
next few days. Light rarely reached the road they traveled. Liselle
took advantage of each stop to seek out new flowers she had never
met before. One of the men would always accompany her to keep her
safe from danger.

Sir Danth tried sniffing the flowers Liselle
showed him, but to no avail. He was amazed at how animals would
come up to her in curiosity. The same furry creatures scampered
from his presence.

Vevin was especially enamored of Liselle
since she had eased the pain of his wound. The gash looked much
less angry and his mind didn’t seem quite as addled as it had when
they first met him. Tathan thought that perhaps the pain had been
driving him slightly insane.

They heard sounds of animals and monsters
from within the forest, but none ever ventured onto the road. A
steady drizzle fell most days, but it seemed right and Tathan
enjoyed it. At night, Sir Danth would take watch. He needed no rest
and was always diligent.

***

Tathan awoke in the middle of the night,
twelve days after leaving Aaltdiin. There was no rain and he could
see stars in the sky above. The clearing they camped in that night
was nice, with a clear, cool stream running along the western
edge.

It worried Tathan that he was able to sleep
at night. He hadn’t slept well in years. Another thing that
bothered him was that he felt safe with Sir Danth doing guard duty.
Tathan felt as though he was beginning to lose edge that he had
gained in his travels.

Another thing that worried Tathan was the
fact that he had no idea what to do with his life. At times, it
seemed as though he had found a place to live, but things always
went wrong and he had left every city, usually in a hurry.

The Eastern lands held the Empire of Iynath,
whose emperor was trying to take over the world. Tathan thought
that to be a silly idea because Ryallon was an enormous world and
no one had ever ruled all of it. But he wasn’t an emperor, so his
thoughts didn’t count. To the north was . . . well, nothing. They
might make their way to the Kingdom of Kethril to the northwest and
from there take a ship to another land.

They could also try to discover what the
fortress was, but in Tathan’s experience, fortresses contained
people with weapons who didn’t invite intruders into their midst.
There was also the fact that the group had no clue how to get
there. The concept of a new race was both intriguing and
frightening though.

Tathan looked over to his cousin sleeping
peacefully on his right. She had done an amazing job of keeping her
wits about her considering what she had been through. Many people
would never have recovered from the experience. Liselle brightened
the days when she smiled. Tathan had found himself smiling in
return and that was not normal for him.

He worried about what the future would hold
for her. The world was a rough place where many kingdoms suppressed
the rights of women. There was one organization in the Western
lands where women became soldiers called Blue Wyverns. They were
powerful in bringing about change, but many kingdoms wanted to see
them done in.

Sir Danth was an oddity. Tathan had met a
few ghosts in his time, but the knight was different. There was an
aura of death and danger about him that Tathan recognized and it
concerned him. Should the knight ever turn on them, he wasn’t sure
they would survive.

The biggest enigma was Vevin. For days and
days, he had tried to figure the creature out. He had a feeling
Vevin was even more dangerous than the knight, but couldn’t place
why.

Tathan looked on the other side of Liselle
where Vevin normally slept. His bedroll was empty. Tathan quietly
stood, put on his sword belt and looked around. Both of Ryallon’s
moons were half-full in the sky, casting lavender illumination over
the clearing. He could see Sir Danth near the road and went
over.

The knight greeted him pleasantly. “Hello,
Master Tathan. What wakes you at this hour?”

“Have you seen Vevin?” Tathan asked.

“Of course. Nothing gets past without my
knowing.”

“I didn’t mean to imply otherwise,” Tathan
assured him. He stood there for a moment, waiting for Sir Danth to
continue. When the knight didn’t, Tathan asked, “Where did he
go?”

“He went off into the forest like he does
most nights,” Sir Danth answered.

“And you didn’t stop him? It’s dangerous out
there,” Tathan said incredulously.

“Whatever monsters and animals may be in the
forest, I assure you that they are more frightened of our friend
than he will ever be of them,” Sir Danth stated
matter-of-factly.

“Right . . . I honestly believe you’re
correct,” Tathan said with a sigh. “What is he? Do you know?”

“I do not, though I must admit to curiosity.
Dawn will be breaking shortly, Master Tathan. Would you like me to
begin breakfast?”

“No, I’ll get it this morning.” Tathan
paused for a moment and then faced the knight. I’ve wanted to thank
you for all you’re doing for us,” Tathan said.

“Not at all, Master Tathan. I am grateful
for the opportunity to do something other than stare at walls,
which refuse to pose a danger to the vault,” he said with a
metallic chuckle.

Tathan chuckled as well. “I imagine so.” He
walked back to the fire pit, stoked the fire and began breakfast,
enjoying the smell of wood smoke in the crisp morning air.

When breakfast was almost ready, Vevin came
back. He arrived at the fire pit just as Liselle was waking up. Sir
Danth came over at the same time. Vevin whispered, “We have
company. People just arrived and they surround the clearing. They
were hunting in the forest when they saw our campfire.”

Tathan loosened his sword in its scabbard.
Liselle slid out of her bedroll, picked up her bow and strung it as
she moved to Tathan’s side.

“I see them. I wasn’t expecting invisibility
in the middle of the forest,” Sir Danth said after looking
around.

“They’re invisible and very, very quiet,”
Vevin replied. “They have magical cloaks, which allow them to blend
into the forest.”

“Are they human?” asked Liselle.

“Oh yes. Most definitely human,” he
answered.

“They are Druids. It is good to know they
still exist.” Sir Danth said. “The Kingdom of Morhain and Druids
co-existed in this forest for centuries.”

“Of course there would be Druids,” Tathan
said with a snap of his fingers. “The Willden Forest is believed to
contain more Druids than anywhere in the world.”

“I always wondered what a Druid looked
like,” Vevin said thoughtfully. “They’ve been around for as long as
humans and forests I think,” he said, frowning in deep thought. “I
think the first humans were Druids. Druids are good. I like
Druids.” He went into his happy dance.