Techromancy Scrolls: Adept (28 page)

We passed between two low peaks and even from two miles away, the tall reddish orange walls were visible around the startlingly rectangular village. Where Flatlash seemed to be a labyrinth of construction upon construction in a seemingly disorganized maze of roadways and alleys, Treth Keep looked even more organized than Wexbury though it was unremarkable except the imposing wall.

All of the roadways I could see were laid out in a perfect grid pattern with the castle being in the middle. I started to wonder if Wexbury was the only keep with the castle adjoining the outer wall. I made a mental note to myself to ask Celeste later.

We slowed as we came out onto the Ring and the familiar clopping of hooves on cobblestone rang out. We slowed even further and Celeste and her mount were fidgeting and side prancing. Our caravan came to a stop and there was silence. I looked around and all the knights and our archers were all on alert, looking all around us.

Verna rode up between us and asked Celeste, “What do you think?”

My Lady was looking all around us and I noted her eyes were burning green and trailing sparks behind as she looked. I pulled my power to me and looked around too. She tilted her head at the keep then asked, “Laney, what do you see?”

I squinted at the keep where she was looking and saw nothing. I shrugged. “Just the keep.”

She nodded and looked back at the caravan. “Well, they have already seen us.”

Verna nodded and I made an exasperated sound. The muscular woman gave me a crooked half smile. Then she asked, “What do you see without your magic.”

Grrrr. They were going to make me reason it out. I let my power fade then I looked all around us then at the keep again and then said, “I see nothing.”

Then she explained, “Exactly. Where are the merchant men and travelers? There is no traffic between Treth Minor to the south and the keep. We are an armed caravan moving through their territory yet an escort has not come out to challenge us.”

Then she smiled as I blinked in understanding. Then she continued, “Celeste had you look at the keep with your Techromancer sight and you saw nothing. Meaning nobody inside the keep is using magic. None of their Techromancers or their Techno-Knights? That seems unlikely... unless they are not using magic on purpose, like they are hiding. It feels as if the very valley is holding its breath.”

All sorts of nasty scenarios were going through my mind until I pointed. “But you can see the villagers going about their business in the keep.”

Celeste nodded then took one last look around as Fredrick came walking up to us and looked up to Celeste. “What do you think?”

She shrugged. “There is only one way to find out.” He nodded and she said, “Verna, Peter, with me.” I started to move forward and she shook her head. “No, you stay with the caravan Laney. If things go south on us, you and Tennison are magic users and will need to get the caravan to safety.” I squinted at her. I knew that wasn't the real reason. She was afraid for me and it got my hackles up for some reason.

I just nodded and she hesitated, she saw the frustration in my eyes. Then I watched as they started down the road to the Keep. I turned away in a huff and Duke Fredrick chuckled at me. “She worries about you Laney. Do not take it so hard.”

I said in almost a whine I was embarrassed about as I said, “But I'm her squire.”

He nodded and chuckled. “Yes, but you didn't see her when the caravan reached Bowyn and the poor man had grief on his face when he told of your death. Let her have this.”

I looked down at the man. He was craning his neck up at me. I closed my eyes and exhaled then gave him a nod in thanks when I opened them again. Then he teased as he walked back to the coach, “And get a horse that fits you, you look positively silly up on that monster.”

That brought a grin to my face as I patted Goliath's neck. “Don't listen to them boy. We're a team you and me.” Then I turned my attention to the advance party as they made their way to the gates of the magnificent metal wall. I could see from this distance, and taste, that the reddish orange color was rust. I had never felt so much metal before. It almost drew me to it.

From where we were, five hundred yards back, we could hear the horrendous screeching of metal on metal as the giant iron portcullis was raised. A man came out and spoke with our advance party. It was an animated discussion. Then Celeste turned and made a hand signal and we moved forward with most of our fighting force up front and only two behind.

We stopped at the gate and the man in ill-fitting armor in the yellow and purple colors of Treth looked us over. He was nearly as big as Sir Tennison. Then Celeste dismounted and escorted the man back to the coach. I noted her hand was resting on the hilt of her sword as was every other knight in our contingent, so I followed suit and Bex and Brenda caught it and did the same.

Celeste said, “Sir Ken here says that we may not shelter in the keep tonight.”

The Duke stepped out of the coach, but I noted he stayed slightly behind Sir Kristof and Lady Verna. Everything was making me a nervous wreck. I peered around and saw more knights inside the keep. They looked a raggedy band, with ill-fitting armor and unkempt hair and beards.

The Duke spoke to the man, “I demand to speak with Duke Vladimir and Lady Sara.”

The man bowed and said, “I'm sorry my Lord, but they have traveled south to Far Reach to forge a new defense compact. We were ordered to lock down the keep until their return. Nobody enters, nobody leaves.” He kept his head bowed.

Fredrick regarded the man then asked, “When did they begin their journey.”

The man said quickly, “Four days ago. They await Wexbury and Flatlash.”

Celeste asked like she had not known that Duke John of Flatlash had already left. “Has Flatlash passed by yet?”

The man said, “Nay.” Then added, “I'm sorry and wish I could grant you respite.”

Celeste locked eyes with the Duke and he nodded almost imperceptibly and she told the Knight, “Thank you and we hope we have not caused you any trouble by opening the gates to speak with us.”

He bowed graciously. “Not at all. Safe travels.”

We moved off and Celeste led our caravan south in silence. The Knights shot us squires warning glances when it looked like we might start asking questions. The sun was setting as we passed through Treth Minor. The roads were empty, but we could see people peeking out the shutters on the windows. I had a huge lump in my chest screaming at me that something was off.

We traveled in twilight until the we entered the forest and the light from the Three Sisters couldn't light the way very well through the canopy of deciduous trees that were still green in the warmer southern climate. Then we made an unconventional camp with all of us around the coach with the supply wagon and the archers to the rear.

Then as a light supper was being prepared, the Knights started talking. Bowyn asked us, three Squires, “What did you see?”

Brenda mentioned something I didn't notice. “There was only one guard on the wall above. All the other alcoves were empty.”

Then he looked at me and I added my observation, “They need to work on their ranks. They were in disarray and their armor was ill fitting like they had no pride in their station.”

Then Bex said, “They sent out a shadow.” Another thing I did not notice. I was the worst knight ascendant ever.

Celeste smiled at us all, as the Duke and even Duchess Lucia nodded in approval. Then my Lady said, “Very good. All of that tells us that something is not quite right in Treth. We will not breakfast in the morning and will head out before Father Sol tops the Whispering Walls.”

Then Bex added, “And Sir Ken said they had not seen Duke John when we know he had to come by before us.”

Kristof clapped his shoulder and said, “That may or may not be. If the Duke stayed to the flat lands to circle into Far Reach he would not have passed Treth Keep. Even though that scenario is unlikely as it would add a half day to the trek.

I understood. Celeste just wanted to see what the man said about Duke John. That added to the implausibility of everything but wasn't necessarily a lie.

We bedded down after the light meal and Celeste set up double lookouts for the night. After she and I had been relieved, we nestled in together on my bedroll and she whispered to me, “Far Reach in two days.” I nodded as I dozed off, excited to be nearing the end of our trek.

I awoke to Celeste gently shaking my shoulder. “Let's get moving Laney.” I inhaled and sighed, then my eyes snapped wide. We would arrive at Far Reach Keep by the end of the next day, and this great adventure would be at an end. If it were not for the tragedy of losing Lord Samuel, I would have said this was the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me. I turned my head to look at Celeste's smiling face and revised that to the second most amazing.

Our caravan was on the move again in the morning twilight. We all ate unseasoned jerky and bland, flat bread on our horses. I asked as I tore off some of the jerky with my teeth, “Why don't we just wait until mid-day meal to eat?”

Celeste explained, “We must always take every opportunity to stay strong and ready for anything. If we are hungry, our bodies are not at their best, nor our minds. And a sharp mind is a sharp weapon.” Then she gave a sarcastic grin. “So shut up and eat your jerky squire Laney.”

I stuck my tongue out at her then smiled and washed the jerky down with fresh water from my skin. Verna asked from behind us, “Where did you get that ugly waterskin.”

I flushed in embarrassment. I thought it was pretty. I defended its honor. “It's not ugly, I made it back with the Lupei band. They cast a charm on it for me, so I never have to purify the water within it and it is always sweet and cool.”

She caught up and held her hand out and I gave it to her. She squinted an eye comically. “Odd shape but the designs are beautiful.” She took a sip. “Wow.” Then she smiled crookedly. “The Gypsies charmed your waterskin?” She shook her head. “Only you Laney. How did you convince them to do that for you? They never share their magics except to heal the injured.”

I shrugged and blushed as I stowed the skin. “I just helped out in the camp, contributing what little skill I had, until the caravan showed up. They all just sort of did it and said it was for me because I was... what was it? Femeie de Sabie of the Altii. I told them that I was no Woman of the Sword.”

I heard Tennison tease from where he flanked the coach, “Aye that much is true, it is more like Woman of the Toothpick.” Everyone in the caravan including my Lady laughed.

I complained through my smile, “It's not a toothpick, it is my sword.” Which got everyone roaring with laughter.

Celeste forced herself to stop laughing and schooled her face with great effort and said in a strained voice, trembling on the brink of laughter, “And a fine sword it is Lady Laney.”

I sniffed the air regally and said, “You my Lady, are no lady.” Then urged Goliath into a trot. She caught up and then we slowed the pace and we grinned at each other. She had these mischievous fun spurts that caused me to smile just as much on the inside as the outside.

I actually caught the movement of our Treth shadow to the east. I was proud of the fact he didn't need to be pointed out to me. I didn't give away that I saw. I said, “To the east.” Celeste smiled and nodded. I felt pride in that. I wanted to do good by her. I peeled off to do a random rotation, Bex and Brenda fell in beside me.

Bex said quietly, “Technically, that is a parrying blade, not a sword.” Just to have Brenda lean over on her saddle and slap the back of his head. He looked back and forth between the two of us, then said sheepishly, “And a handsome sword it is.”

I smirked. “She, not it. Her name is Anadele.” The man rolled his eyes and Brenda suppressed a grin and winked at me for teasing her beau. We paused as Father Sol cast his warming rays over the Whispering Walls. I closed my eyes and basked in the warmth a moment. By the time we hit Far Reach, we would be in a temperate zone that never dropped below seventy degrees even in mid-winter.

The forest was not as dense as the Black Forest, and it started to get even more sparse as we traveled. Near noon, we sent Brenda forward with one of the archers, Linus, and Lady Beth. I started to hum an old Herder's tune and the caravan started to come alive. It was a sort of melancholy feeling as we moved along the cobblestone road with the harmony of voices of these knights of Wexbury singing the song in restrained voices.

When we found Lady Beth's party at a defensible rise with nothing but a couple squirrels to tithe the lunch, Celeste and Fredrick agreed we had distanced ourselves enough from Treth that we could pause for a proper lunch.

One of the porters, Henry said they were going to go all out for the next few meals to use the last of our perishable supplies since we would resupply in Far Reach for our return trip. We had salted beef with a little squirrel meat thrown in and steamed rice with a delicious gravy. The smell alone had me salivating. They made some sort of dumplings with cheese inside of them that were divine. Then they made a desert of cored apples that had been heated in a glaze of butter and cinnamon. For such a simple dessert, it was incredible.

I once again took a moment to compare that meal with any I had before I had become a squire. Besides the Holy Day feasts at the castle, I had never had its like. I stared at the last bites of apple and felt sort of guilty. I paused. Then was startled by Celeste's voice. “What is it, Laney?”

I held up a bite of the apple and shrugged at her apologetically. “Just waxing about my life before now and how this would seem a feast for kings. None in Cheap Quarter eats like this unless it is the Holy Day feasts. I guess I was just feeling a little guilty.”

Others stopped eating and looked at their forks. Some pushed their plates away and Celeste got that look on her face that I still couldn't identify. Was it anger, shame? I whispered, “Did I do something wrong again?”

She smiled sadly and whispered back, “No, not at all Laney, on the contrary. You teach us humility.”

Then Lucia gave me a cross look, but Duke Fredrick looked pensive and thoughtful as he pulled her away from the plank tables to retire back to the coach.

After tending to the horses, we broke camp. Everyone was so quiet and the atmosphere was somber. I felt terrible to have caused such a mood. I slid back to Bex to see what I could do to lighten things up. We started singing a gay tune the minstrels favored at carnival. The Tavern Maiden's Bonnet.

Before long we had most of the company chiming in and I beamed a smile at my Lady when I saw her just watching me with a wistful smile on her face. I felt much better as we started another random rotation around the caravan.

The sun was low in the sky when we suddenly broke out of the forest into a vast rocky grassland. I had to look back to confirm we had actually been in a forest. I shook my head at how sudden it was. I looked at the ground and it seemed the soil was different. It wasn't the rich dark soil that nurtured the forest. Maybe the trees didn't like this hard packed clay like material we had emerged onto.

Then I pulled Goliath up short and stopped breathing. He cantered to the side and made nervous huffing sounds, his nostrils flaring from my unexpected stop. Celeste held a fist in the air and the caravan stopped as she looked at me in concern. Her eyes flitted from me to the horizon on all sides, “What is it, Laney?”

About two miles southwest, towering high above the horizon, was a man-made mountain. It was a mammoth rectangular structure that seemed to grow out of the very earth at a forty-five degree angle, defying physics as it stretched for the sky. It was the only thing in this rocky grassland beside the rolling hills. How had the Wizards of the Before accomplished such a feat?

I said in a hoarse voice, the words tasting odd in my dry mouth, “That is the monolith from my dream.” I swallowed, it pained my dry throat.

She sidled up to me and said as she reached out and laid a hand on top of mine on my reins. “That is the Monolith that lies on the border between the realms of Treth and Far Reach. It is okay Laney. It was only a dream.” I remembered all that Mother Udele had shared with me, that this wasn't a dream, more of a seeing of what was likely to come to pass, but nothing was set in stone. I nodded and the caravan continued on, in search of a defensible position to make camp.

There were a canyon and rocky area that traversed from the west to the east to the Monolith that demarcated the border. We located a large rock outcropping that we could put to our backs, which would make a good lookout with the canyon at its back. After us squires tended to the horses, the entire camp was on edge as the porters made a large meal. I had no doubt that they'd deplete our stores with the last two meals the next day before we arrived at Far Reach Keep.

Tennison and Kristof sat on either side of Celeste and me, and Bowyn, Bex, and Verna sat across from us. The Knights spoke around Bex and me. Tennison said, “Our Treth shadow fell back an hour ago.”

Kristof nodded and added, “Our old shadow is back, about a mile ahead.”

Then Verna said, “And I believe the Gypsies are out there too. I haven't seen them, but I keep catching something in my peripheral vision, but it is gone when I turn.”

Celeste got a twinkle in her eye. “Aye. Aren't we a popular lot?”

Duke Fredrick grunted in assent from the next plank table over. Then he said, “It is well that we will be in Far Reach on the morrow and we can dispense with whatever game is being played out there.” He nudged his chin out into the rapidly darkening night.

Celeste sat up with me for a while, as we whispered things about our childhoods to each other. She had a stray barn cat as a pet. I was amazed, we couldn't seem to catch them in Cheap Quarter, let alone tame one. In some of the tomes I had seen, cats seemed to play a big role in the lives of the people pre-Impact. They appeared to be a common pet back then. I smirked. Like a cat could ever be as loving as a dog. But I always thought them as smaller wild cousins to the cougars and bobcats in our area. We tolerate them in Cheap Quarter because they are fine mousers.

I woke to Celeste trying to sneak off to her turn at watch. I grabbed her hand before she could slink off. I saw the moonlight and starlight twinkling in her eyes as I shook my head at her with a little smile and joined her. She whispered, “You don't have to Laney.”

I answered in hushed tones as I stalked past her, “But I want to.” She quickly caught up, opened her riding cloak, and I cuddled into her side. We walked up to the top of the outcropping and relived the archer who never spoke a word since the trip began. He keeps to himself, I think his name was Paul. I felt terrible for not knowing for sure.

He smiled and nodded as we approached then lowered the little knife he was carving a tiny boat with, from a scrap of wood. He tucked them both in his belt then hurried off to the camp below to catch a few hours of shuteye.

“What's that?” I asked as I pointed to a pinprick of light wavering on the other side of the canyon. It grew until I could see it was a large fire.

Celeste looked at it and murmured, “That's where our original shadow is camped out tonight.” Then she started scanning the horizon and two more fires lit heading down toward Far Reach about a mile apart. “Signal fires, they are warning of our approach.” But then her head snapped back and we saw fires ignite behind us too, heading back toward Treth. “Fuck,” she hissed.

I looked at her in concern and she said, “We'll need to break camp before dawn and double time it to the safety of Far Reach Keep. We may need to leave the Ring and travel side roads in case whoever is trailing us is setting up an ambush to intercept us before we reach our destination.”

She looked back again. “We can't slow down, as we may have an enemy at our back too.”

I swallowed and asked, “The rogues somehow know of our mission? Is it Raneth or Poe?” I tried not to let my voice crack. She shrugged and hugged me in closer and then we just watched the night in silence. I didn't nod off, I was wide awake after I voiced the names of the rogues.

We broke camp early while Celeste filled everyone in. It was jerky, flatbread and water again. And we changed out formation a bit. The Coach rode in a cushion of Knights, the supply wagon trailing with the archers and a single Knight, Randolph. We stayed on the ring until Father Sol blessed us with his warming light. Then we doubled our pace. One knight would ride forward a quarter mile and scout out any possible ambush areas then backtrack to get us off the highway and onto a side road to bypass.

We ate lunch on the move, each of us falling back to the supply wagon one at a time to be handed some dried fruits, nuts, and meats.

In the early afternoon, hours before we would have arrived at our regular pace, we swung southwest as Lake Visintine came into view. We just needed to cross the bridge over the Lynx River and then we would head west again along the shores of the Visintine to Far Reach. I couldn't wait to arrive so I could get cleaned up. Our whole company was getting a little ripe.

The bridge was a worry, we would be vulnerable there, it was the last place a possible ambush could be waiting before the safety of the Keep. We approached with care, sending scouts to both ends of the bridge to reconnoiter the area around it. We tightened ranks around the coach and when the all-clear was signaled we crossed quickly.

Celeste had been fidgety all day, and the closer we got to Far Reach the more she shifted in her saddle. It seemed to be catchy as by the time we crossed the bridge, all the other knights looked uneasy as well. I thought they would have been relieved as the high stone towers of Far Reach were visible over the wonder of the rows upon rows of trees with exotic fruits on them including... tangerines!