The Awakened Book Two (10 page)

“What did you find?”

Dacien shook his head and proceeded to speak, his voice barely above a whisper. “One of the larger farms had a barn that was burned down. We searched the ashes and found bones.”

“Human?” Kael asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yes.”

“How many?”

“I would guess that all or most of the citizens were in the barn when it was set aflame.”

A moment of silence followed, not out of respect for the town’s inhabitants, though they were deserving, but because it seemed wrong to speak until each person had time to consider what they had just heard.

It was Kael who broke the silence. “Let us sit. I would like to share something that hasn’t made sense to me until now.”

Slowly, the men made their way to the fire, settling upon the floor with their meals, though most didn’t have the stomach to eat. Kael took a few bites of hard bread and swallowed before speaking. “One day before my arrival in
Bastul
, I was traveling along the eastern coastline. At the mouth of a wide river I witnessed a long formation of Syvak warships entering the ocean. Once the small fleet was assembled into formation, it turned toward
Bastul
and sailed from my sight. I arrived at the end of the fighting in the city when we met.”

“You mean the ships sailed from the river?” Dacien asked with surprise.

“Yes. Their ships have wide, shallow hulls without a keel, making them highly maneuverable in shallow water. And their sailing ability is unmatched.” At this, a few of the soldiers grunted with disapproval, not ready to agree with any statement that put Orud behind another nation or people.

“I don’t mean any disrespect, but it is a fact. Their entire culture is based upon their sailing and navigational skills. They have weaknesses, but this particular skill is unmatched and unquestioned.”

“What are you suggesting?” Dacien asked.

“I believe that the Syvaku descended upon this town quickly and surprised the citizens, dispatching them quietly and thoroughly, taking care to prevent anyone’s escape. Then they used a river only a few miles to the north of here to make their way inland. Judging by the disproportionate number of ships to foot soldiers that attacked
Bastul
, I would guess that they have been transporting their soldiers to a base camp somewhere along the river. They are most likely using the branching river systems to place solders in strategic locations throughout the southern region. And if this is the case, the Syvaku are not just attacking but invading.”

“That is a lot of speculation,” Dacien said flatly.

“True,” Kael conceded.

After a few seconds, Dacien looked back to Kael. “If what you say is true, then our situation has indeed become significantly more complicated. I was expecting to find a dispatch rider in this town to send word to
Leoran
. But now we will have to deliver the message. And I can’t communicate your suspicions to the General without any proof. But to search for the proof means delaying the delivery of this critical message which is my first priority.” Dacien looked at the floor, not expecting anyone to answer. He was simply speaking out loud the decisions that were his to make.

In the absence of discussion, one of Dacien’s men spoke up. “If they are using this river to the north as an entry point, shouldn’t we also hold the river, or at least monitor it?”

Kael responded immediately. “No. At this point it would be a waste of time. The attack on
Bastul
is an indication that they reached a point of readiness with a sufficient number of soldiers and other resources. You won’t see any more ships along this route.”

Dacien looked to Kael as soon as he finished speaking. “Take two of my men with you. Ride upriver and follow it until you find confirmation of your theory. Make sure that my men see it as well. I don’t mean to offend you, but the General won’t accept intelligence from a scout that I met on the day of the attack. We will ride north for
Leoran
and deliver our message. If you do indeed find confirmation of what you seek, ride north and find our trail if you can. Otherwise, we will wait there for your arrival. You can leave at first light.”

Kael nodded. “We’ll leave now.”

Chapter 8

The night passed at an agonizingly slow pace as Maeryn found it impossible to sleep with all that was on her mind. She ran the numbers in her head over and over. They had set out from
Bastul
with nearly five hundred slaves.
With seventeen boats carrying ten people per boat, it will be three trips with or without the Resistance soldiers. Which means there’s no other way out of this situation.
She had already told Thaddius that he should take the first group and that she would stay behind, but her mind wouldn’t stop trying to come up with a better solution.

Sometime in the early morning, she awoke from a nightmare. She had been dreaming that she was underwater, her ankle tied to the ropes that connected their escape boats. She could see the Syvak warship beneath her, disappearing into the darkness amid a flurry of tiny bubbles. The rope around her ankle pulled her through the water, downward toward the darkness. It didn’t take long for the panicked feeling to go away, and when it did, it was replaced by a sense of relief that she had actually fallen asleep.

Morning quickly erupted into a frenzy of activity as Thaddius and sixteen of his men boarded the remaining escape vessels and began to help the slaves of
Bastul
aboard. The provisions would be split equally between the three trips, in case there were any accidents along the way. Once underway they would fish to supplement their stores of food. Each vessel was fitted with six oars and a small sail to accommodate a variety of situations. The rowing, when necessary, would take place in shifts to spread the work evenly among the passengers. Shortly after sunrise, the first group departed the cove, turning north as they entered the broader expanse of ocean. Maeryn watched, her anxiety growing with each stroke of the oars. At last the boats disappeared from view and Maeryn knew that her most difficult trial had just begun.

“Everyone, clean up! Let’s get moving,” shouted Garust, the next ranking officer among the Resistance soldiers. Maeryn already suspected a hint of a tyrant, but she hoped it was only the over-eager response to his new responsibilities. She had seen it many times with soldiers in
Bastul
.

All at once, she felt two opposing emotions, longing for Adair and repulsion for Lemus. It was amazing, but since she had left the city, she hadn’t thought about Lemus. It never even occurred to her to fear that he might come after her. But now that she thought of it, the concern seemed valid. Although, it seemed so small in comparison to what she was now facing. And with that, she dismissed it from her mind.

The remaining slaves, now numbering just over three hundred, broke camp in under an hour and quickly assembled double file. Garust sent two men ahead as scouts to find the best path and with the return of the first, the column began to move. Maeryn and Aelia were positioned near the middle of the group; Garust thought it best to have them visible to all the slaves.

It was in this moment that Maeryn realized her role and power in this situation. For some reason, the Resistance soldiers had neither the respect nor authority over the slaves that Maeryn had.
Perhaps it’s because I’m a woman, or because the Resistance fighters are soldiers. They earn the automatic disdain of the slaves.
After pondering this thought for the better part of the morning, Maeryn came to the conclusion that her planning of the exodus from
Bastul
must have given hope to her current traveling companions.
All those years I worked to establish lines of communication throughout the slave class of
Bastul
, I never considered the effect it would have on the people.
She imagined herself as a slave, chained to a detestable way of life, without hope of change. Then, she imagined what it would feel like to hear rumors of messages being passed from one slave to another.
Finally, you would be approached and asked to report information about your masters and their affairs. Your fear would be great, but equally matched by the anticipation of something undefined. Perhaps change? Your feelings would slowly grow into hope that someone would act, that someone would use the supplied information for some greater purpose, perhaps something that would affect your own life in a positive way.

As Maeryn considered these thoughts, she looked around at her traveling companions. Her gaze was met with the smiles of men, women, and children alike. It was in this moment that her resolve was hardened and she promised herself that she would never abandon these people as she had been abandoned. She couldn’t let them be captured or fall back into a life lived against their will. If anyone understood their pain and suffering, it was she.

* * * *

After saddling their mounts, Kael and the two soldiers from
Bastul
rode north to the mouth of the river. The moonlight reflected off the gently flowing water as they turned inland. Already, Kael could feel the discomfort of his companions.

“Is there something you wish to say?”

“Do you plan to travel by night? How will we be able to see what we are searching for in the dark?” The shorter man was bolder in his speech, compared to the tall, fair-haired one.

“This is just for tonight. We will stop tomorrow evening and travel only by day from then on.”

With that, the men were silent and remained so for the rest of the evening. The travel was slow without proper light or a defined path, but as the sun began to rise in the east, their progress quickened. By the time the sun was a hand’s breadth above the horizon, they spread out to become less visible to any spying eyes.

At midmorning, they stopped to breakfast together and it seemed that the others were not used to the solitude. The conversation started as soon as the first bites of food were swallowed.

“What exactly do you hope to find?”

Kael smiled. “I hope to find nothing. But if we see any sign of a temporary dwelling, cold camp fires, or any sentries, then my fears will be confirmed.”

There was silence for a few minutes before Kael spoke again. “When we’re finished with our meal, I’d like to spread out even farther. I don’t want anyone to ride along the opposite side of the river, it’s too exposed. I’ll ride along the base of the mountain,” Kael said, pointing to the low mountain chain running along the south side of the river. “If you stay in the trees, you won’t be visible from above, but we’ll have visible contact with each other beneath the foliage. If you see or sense anything, stop riding and signal me.”

Kael could see the irritation in their faces. Though he had already proven himself to the men in battle, they couldn’t stomach taking orders from a scout.

“Oh yeah…one last thing. You should remove your cloaks and armor; anything bright in color or able to catch the sunlight will give you away.” Before the men had time to object, Kael held up his hand. “I know you don’t like it, but it is for your own good. Even scouts in the Orud army are not required to wear the royal color,” he protested, indicating their red cloaks. “You’ve been given a new charge by Dacien and for the time being, you are considered scouts.”

The men slowly nodded in approval and swallowed the last of their meal. “Let’s go,” they ordered, attempting to regain their dignity.

For the remainder of the day they followed the river to the east, with Kael traversing the foothills and the others staying between his position and the river. They camped at nightfall without a fire and repeated this rhythm for another three days until the river forked, one branch continued southeast, while the other turned due south.

“Look,” the tall soldier said, pointing across the eastern branch to the northern shore. “It looks too large to be animals.”

Kael followed his outstretched arm and saw the large area of trampled grass beneath the trees. “It’s too far away to tell for sure, but I agree with you. I think we should follow the southeastern branch; it should lead us toward the eastern sea, where I saw the Syvak warships.”

Suddenly, the dark-haired soldier shifted his gaze and looked over Kael’s shoulder.

Kael turned around slowly and saw it immediately, movement in the rocks to the south of their position. Whoever it was, he was staying just below the horizon to keep his silhouette from being visible, but he moved with too much confidence to be invisible.

“We must keep talking as if we haven’t seen him.”

The men nodded quickly and casually, adapting to the situation with ease.

“Why don’t you two take to the southern branch, along the shore? Make it look as though you seek a place to cross. If he has been watching us for any length of time, then he’ll expect me to go back to the foothills. From there, I will try to ascend to him unseen.”

The men turned and headed to the river and Kael steered his horse to the foothills. Within minutes, Kael lost sight of the crest of the mountain and immediately began to look for his passage. It didn’t take long to find a steep valley that carved its way into the mountainside. Kael dismounted and placed the reins of his horse over a low-hanging branch. Then he sprinted as fast as his legs would carry him up the valley. He knew that time was of the essence. If the enemy scout lost sight of Kael for too long, then he would start to get suspicious. Kael had to reach him before that happened.