Khir glanced at his friend, who had slumped to the side slightly. "Yes. He's been exhausted both in body and mind over the last days."
"I hope his dreams are good ones," sighed Kithia, her gaze lingering on the troubled man who was her brother. She then stood and walked to where Rynn sat.
He heard her approach and shifted uncomfortably. He had not had much to do with the young women of Boraila since becoming an acolyte of the temple, but the younger sister of Gorric Orgillian had been on his mind since their unforgettable first meeting. He found that his pulse quickened and he did not know where to look when she was nearby. He blushed uncontrollably when she so much as looked at him.
"May I sit with you a while?" she asked him.
"Of course." His throat became suddenly dry.
Kithia lowered herself onto the grass next to him and stared out into the darkness of the forest. "It's a strange place at night."
Rynn glanced at her. She wore what she had called her travelling clothes, which consisted of a white and blue tunic, loose-fitting trousers and a pair of black boots, which had seen better days. The long cloak she had been wearing was back next to the fire. "What's strange about it?" he asked, realising he had been too busy watching her to utter any words.
She shivered. "You just get the feeling that there are things out there in the forest watching you." She looked at him and laughed at his expression, making him blush.
"Sorry, Rynn. It's just that you looked like you had no idea what I was talking about."
He concentrated on the dark foliage beyond the firelight. "There are only animals out there. Nothing bad."
"Apart from those men." Kithia's words, although quiet, burnt with hatred.
"Apart from them, but they are nowhere near us at present. Tomorrow, we'll continue for Turambar."
"I hope we don't get lost."
"Khir said that if we stay close to the river, we'll reach Turambar without any problems."
Kithia nodded. "I keep forgetting that Khir knows these woods like the back of his hand. So, what will you do once you get to Turambar?"
"I need to get back to Boraila," replied Rynn. "That's where everything I love is, although my parents are visiting Kariska." He made a mental reminder to think about his words before he said them. He must have sounded weak to her. The sort of man she would be interested in would be strong, able to fend for himself and not someone like him.
"How have you found travelling with my brother?" Kithia asked him.
Rynn was surprised at the question. "I have found Gorric to be a good companion. All three of them have saved my life and I just don't know how to repay them. Blessing them in Ardan's name can only be done two or three times." He smiled weakly, hoping she would get the joke.
Sure enough, Kithia laughed. "Don't worry, Rynn. They know how you feel. It's the way I feel about all of you. You came and saved me."
Rynn felt himself reddening. "Gorric wanted…he needed to…"
Kithia interrupted his stammering. "Thank you." She leant over and kissed him on the cheek, then stood to make her way back to the warmth of the fire. "By the way, Rynn, I really
am
sorry about before."
She left the acolyte alone, his mind reeling from the kiss. In the shadows of the trees, away from the eyes of the others, Rynn found himself smiling for the first time in days.
Chapter 13
Draliak leant on the edge of the balcony, looking out across the captured Rotian city of Boraila.
He had arrived at the city with his small force of soldiers and their prisoners from Barentin and Tamriel. Upon entering the city, the Rotians had been led away to the docks, where they would be placed on Shada-Kavielian vessels and then begin the final part of their unwanted journey. Draliak had accompanied Balthus to Sephonis' makeshift residence at one of the houses previously owned by a noble family.
Boraila it seemed had been taken quickly by Sephonis' men and had indeed been surprised by the sudden appearance of the Shada-Kavielians, who had been hidden in the abandoned smuggler dens. Sephonis' power was strong enough to hide all of the men sufficiently. When the Shada-Kavielian warships had sailed into port, it was simply a matter of time before the cityguard collapsed beneath the attack.
"Commander, there is not much to see out there. Join us."
Draliak felt like shuddering every time he heard Sephonis' voice. He simply did not trust magic-users, whether they be young and inexperienced as Balthus was or whether they be strong and well-versed in the mystic arts.
"The commander often likes to be alone," he heard Balthus say.
Draliak turned and strode back into the warm room, which had been used as a dining area when the Rotians still held residence there. A long wooden table stood central, with eight well-crafted chairs circling it.
"The city is still reeling from the strike," stated Draliak, glancing first at Balthus with distaste and then turning his gaze to Sephonis.
The powerful high mage was not particularly impressive to behold. He was the shortest of the three men and wore dark green robes, which were fabricated from a material that glistened in the candlelight. He was a slight man, similar in frame to Balthus, and yet whispers had circulated about him, regarding an unnatural strength for one of such size. His hair was as dark as Draliak's, but was cut short. The most striking feature though was the high mage's slate-grey eyes. In Shada-Kaviel, eye colour tended to be either green, brown or, on rare occasions, dark blue. Sephonis was the only known Shada-Kavielian to have grey eyes and this fact alone had been a talking point for many years.
"It should be glad that it still stands," said Sephonis, casting a glance out into the night. "If my men had their way, they would have burnt the city much as your men burnt Tamriel and Barentin."
"The men are eager for victory." Draliak smiled slightly. "Too eager."
Sephonis looked back at Draliak. "They have their first victory now. The most difficult time lies ahead of us. We must discuss this next stage."
Draliak sighed quietly. "With all due respect, I have travelled far and good rest has been scarce. Whilst your young invoker here could easily sleep in the saddle, I could not. I would appreciate some time to rest before we talk anymore of the coming battles."
"Commander, you may sleep after our business is concluded." Sephonis' tone was hushed and even. "I will reside in this house for another two days, after which I will be found at the temple to the east."
Draliak frowned. "Why move to the temple when it is safer to remain central in the city?"
"I understand your concern, commander, but I will be safe enough. I have my reasons for being there. If it is the road to the river fortress that worries you, then I will station men there. After the second stage is complete though, we will not have any concerns remaining."
"What of the temple priests?"
Sephonis smiled coldly. "The inhabitants of the temple have been removed. Some went quietly whilst those who defied us died where they stood."
Draliak nodded. "Then Boraila is truly our's."
As he spoke, Saroth entered the room quietly, nodding in respect to Sephonis before moving to join them.
"What news do you bring, Saroth?" Sephonis asked. "Has there been activity on the roads?"
"Your attack was sudden enough to catch most before they could flee the city," reported Saroth. "There were but a handful that made it out and along the roads."
"None reached the river?"
"They did not. The Rotians that fled Boraila traveled straight for the fortress, as you suspected. None went into the woods."
"These Rotians are predictable," stated Balthus. "That is why they are so easy to overcome."
Draliak shook his head at the young invoker's words. "You may think they are predictable but you must never get so complacent in war. Tell us again, Balthus, how you got that scar."
"He has explained to me what happened," said Sephonis. "The matter is of no consequence now but it has taught Balthus an invaluable lesson."
"What lesson would that be?" Draliak asked.
"That you do not need to wield a blade or fire a bow to kill a man."
Draliak wanted to laugh outloud but the respect he held for Sephonis' power stopped him. Here was a man who would last mere seconds in a true battle was it not for the powerful enchantments at his command. Still, if he wanted to, Sephonis could kill Draliak where he stood at any time and this alone held the commander's respect in place.
"May I ask what you would have me do next, high mage?" came Saroth's question.
"Of course," nodded Sephonis. "Our next step is to be discussed tonight because we must continue to act swiftly. So far, since we arrived on the shores of the Rotian Kingdom, we have successfully accomplished the first three steps. Barentin was destroyed and its people either killed or enslaved, as were Tamriel and Boraila. These were the three northern points in the Rotian Kingdom of interest.
Barentin was a link between the north and south side of the river, Tamriel had a strong number of potential slaves and Boraila is the best possible port for us to use at these early stages. We are in the process of sending many of the slaves captured back to Shada-Kaviel as I speak and the other warships are on their way to join us here.
I formed a new idea whilst spending some time in those abandoned smuggler dens beneath the city. With the warships comes a number of Tyllasi."
At this, Draliak and Saroth exchanged concerned looks. "What good will those mercenaries be?" asked the commander.
"The Tyllasi are known back home for many dubious reasons, but one area that they excel in is that of piracy. Were they not paid well by us now, they would no doubt be preying on our merchant vessels again. That is the reason we formed the alliance with them. I intend to use them to cause havoc along the coastline, for our own eventual gain."
"They cannot be trusted."
Sephonis looked across at Draliak. "They will keep the Rotian fleet busy for us, at least for a while. If the Tyllasi all perish in the coastal waters, then so be it. At least they will make sure that Rotian eyes are not focused on our actions."
"Who leads the Tyllasi?" Draliak knew of most of the mercenary leaders through various sources.
"They are led by Vortain. He is one of the more-brutal leaders, which is why he made an excellent choice for this."
Draliak had never met Vortain but he had heard the tales of the man. Reports had allegedly placed him at the head of a Tyllasi raid on a lone warship once, before the alliance. They had killed half of the crew and left the other half to drown as they sank the warship. Draliak had lost good soldiers and a fine ship to Vortain. It would be hard not to cut the Tyllasi leader down where he stood when they met.
Sephonis could see by the expression on Draliak's face that he did not agree with this development, but continued nonetheless. "We have many men here in Boraila as it stands. The combined forces of the commander and I means that we have just over three thousand men at our disposal. When the warships arrive, our number will grow and over time we will have more than ten thousand soldiers on the Rotian shores. Even with the Dar'ota's aid, the vessels will still take time to reach us though."
"Were the Rotian forces to gather as one army, then they would still not reach ten thousand," exclaimed Saroth. "They have not spent as much time as they should have training men and developing their army. To the east lies Skarda, which posed their biggest threat until now. However, the Skardans would only ever have attacked via the mountain pass and this can be held by the Rotians in smaller numbers due to their fortress which stands to defend their land now. The main force lies in the capital but other cities have garrisons too of varying sizes. I do not see the Rotian force as posing a major problem."
"The capital should be our last objective," said Sephonis. "We will take the surrounding towns and cities, thus penning them in and they will have no other alternatives than to fight and die or surrender. However, battles will be fought between our soldiers and their's, of that I have no doubt. Our force must outnumber them so our key objectives at this time must remain north of the river. This leads me to our next action.
The fortress, Turambar, sits on the north bank of the river. It is a well-defended structure but has not been designed to resist a major attack from within the kingdom. It's purpose is to protect the river but the last thing that the soldiers there will expect will be a force hitting it from Boraila. It will fall and then the entire northern side of the river will be our's."
"Do we plan to send ships upriver towards Naskador?" asked Saroth.
"Not yet," replied Draliak. "When the time is right, we will send forces in that direction with the intent of cutting off any other supply routes. Barentin was the main point of supply, as mentioned, between the north and south sides."
"Once Turambar is taken, we shall bide our time and gather our strength," Sephonis added. "It will give us a good idea of how the Rotians react." He looked to Saroth. "You shall go back to Vylandor, Saroth, after Turambar has fallen. There, you will need to remain for a while in contact with your Rotian source. We must be aware of what they plan to do after learning of the demise of their northern territories."