The Veredor Chronicles: Book 02 - The Journey West (5 page)

‘Many people
meet their end out here. If you try to cross without enough water this place consumes you,’ said Quade, his dark eyes scanning the horizon.

‘Are w
e likely to meet anyone?’ asked Cassiel.

‘
Sometimes I see people out here, and other times I’ve crossed and haven’t seen a soul, but I doubt we will see anyone since the Skatheans have closed the wells. This place can send you a little crazy; it’s something to do with being all alone with so much space. The main problem out here is running into groups of Blue Caps.’

‘
Blue Caps, out here?’ asked Cassiel, concerned at the revelation.

‘What are
Blue Caps?’ asked Stella.

‘
They’re nasty little men who bore deep into the desert. If you stray too close to a colony they all come out in groups of hundreds and swarm you. They then take you away and keep you as a prisoner deep beneath the desert’

‘What
do they look like?’ asked Stella nervously, her eyes searching their direct surroundings.

‘
They look like miniature men. They are not taller than the height of your knee, and they are incredibly ugly. We should be fine with the horses. If you’re ever out here without a horse it would be difficult to outrun them. You’d probably end up as a Blue Cap breakfast.’

They rode on throughout
the day and saw no other men and no signs of any Blue Caps. The hazy horizon extended out before them as far as they could see. As night fell they set up camp. Cassiel used his magic to make a fire. At first light the following morning they set out again. The day was a little warmer and the wind had subsided. They struggled onward, and by late in the afternoon they had come to a place where the clay surface gave way to white salt lakes that extended as far as the eye could see. Not a drop of water remained in the lakes.

‘Across these dry
salt lakes we will come to the Adira River. If we move quickly we should arrive at the western side of the Deep Desert tomorrow. The Adira River is not far,’ said Quade.

‘The sooner the better,’ said Red
, clearly flustered.

‘Look,’ said Stella, pointing
westward toward the horizon.

In the distance they could see horsemen galloping toward th
em. The sun was low in the sky, and the riders shimmered on the desert horizon.

‘Are they
Skatheans?’ asked Red.

‘It’s hard to
tell,’ said Quade. ‘There are three of them.’

‘I think we can handle three
Skatheans,’ said Red confidently.

‘Maybe,’ said Cassiel anxiously.

Eben stared as the riders slowly approached across the plain. When they came into view it was clear they were not Skatheans, but they were dressed in the same manner as Arthur with their faces covered by dark metal masks. They wore the small round bronze badges over their chests which revealed they were Desert Knights.

‘
They’re Desert Knights. Be careful; Desert Knights can’t be trusted,’ said Quade.

‘What do
you think they want?’ asked Cassiel.

‘I’m sure we are about to find out,’ replied
Quade.

T
hey waited in silence as the three riders approached. The Desert Knights halted their horses about twenty yards away.

‘We greet you, Ortarians,’ said
the leader. ‘I am Dillon of the Desert Knights. We have come to warn you. Word came to us from our kinsman, Arthur. He said that you are being pursued by a large group of Skatheans. The Skatheans arrived at the Eastern Well shortly after you were there.’

‘How many
Skatheans?’ asked Quade.

‘At least twenty,’
replied Dillon.

‘Tw
enty,’ repeated Cassiel, shaking his head in shock.

‘
Yes, they are not far from you now. We have come to offer you safe passage through the tribal regions to the north. From there you can come to the Adira River further away from Darancra. The Skatheans won’t be able to follow you. If you continue west from here you will find that the Skatheans rule the southern reaches of the Adira River and you will meet your doom.’

‘
Why do you want to help us?’ asked Cassiel coolly. Dillon didn’t answer straight away. He looked to his two companions, and they whispered among themselves.

‘We do
not want to help you,’ he answered flatly. ‘Arthur, our kinsman, has requested this. We would have avoided contact with you if not for his request as we have little care for you or your business. Now that we have met we are bound by oath to help the Ortarian Knight who rides with you.’

Eben
looked to Cassiel. ‘Should we accept?’ he asked in a whisper.

‘
It seems that Arthur is on our side even if these Desert Knights are not,’ replied Cassiel, also whispering. ‘If what they are saying is true we would be fools to go west from here. The tribal regions are probably our best option. I think we should go with them.’ Eben nodded and gave it a little thought. The last thing that he wanted to do was to walk into a trap set by Skatheans. Knowing that they were being followed so closely was cause for great concern.

‘
We accept your offer of help,’ said Eben.

‘
Follow us,’ said Dillon as he turned his horse around and galloped north.

CHAPTER FIVE

They rode north quickly and came to the edge of the plains of salt. As the day progressed they entered an arid land where only small brambles grew from the dry sandy soil. The landscape became ever so slightly undulating. The harsh wind of the salt plain had been left behind.

‘At least something grows here,’ said Red, looking
sullenly down at a prickly bush.

The Desert Knights led them onward
and continued northward without delay. Eventually, as the day was drawing to an end, they came upon a shallow gorge, and the knights led them down and along the base. The temperature had dropped significantly, and they could feel moisture in the air. They followed the dry base of the gorge westward. After a few minutes they came upon a small settlement of mud huts. The Desert Knights halted their horses and indicated for the others to remain in place. Dillon dismounted and walked toward the mud huts. Several rugged tribesmen approached him from the settlement.

‘We request sanctuary for the night,’ said
Dillon.

‘And you will have it,’ said an older
tribesman. The tribesman had a long dark beard and a deeply weathered face. A few quiet words were exchanged between Dillon and the tribesmen who nodded several times and then indicated for them to pass.

Dillon
led them beyond the huts as the gorge curved around toward the north. The area widened significantly as they rounded a final corner. Before them was a shallow lake surrounded by hundreds of mud huts. Across the lake was the entrance to a large dark cave. A trickle of water slowly poured down from the cave into the crystal clear lake below.

‘This is the
home of the Jeanians. They’re a large Vastorian tribe. They have no allegiance to the Skatheans,’ said Dillon. ‘We will be safe here until the morning. Tomorrow we will ride northwest toward the Adira River. The river is about a day and a half away from here.’

Dillon
led them over to the side of the lake. The locals kept their distance and refused to speak within earshot of them. Eben felt that if the Desert Knights had not been with them that the Jeanians would not have welcomed the company. They set up camp beside the still lake.

‘They are very aloof
,’ said Stella.

‘They don’t trust outsiders,’ said
Dillon, glancing from Stella back toward the grouping of huts where a small gathering of Jeanians kept a watch on them from a distance. ‘That’s why they have survived here for so long. In the old days they were the largest tribe in Vastoria, and they subjugated the lands to the west of the Adira River and most of the Deep Desert. In recent times they keep to this hidden gorge and several other concealed springs throughout the desert.’

Dillon
looked back to Stella and then across to Eben. His dark metal mask made it impossible to see his expression

‘
They say that the Jeanians were here when the Ecorian Emperors ruled Veredor. They follow the old ways of that ancient empire. They will serve no one but the Ecorians. For a long time they waited for the return of the Ecorian Empire. Of course the Ecorians are no more. The Jeanians have a legend that says the Ecorian Emperor once lived in that cave across the lake for a year. They say that the water came up from the deep to greet him. Supposedly the Ecorian could mysteriously draw the water from the deep and create springs in the desert. This is the last large lake; there were once many throughout the Vastorian deserts. The cave across the water is revered by these people.’

‘I had no idea there was
this much water this far out in the wasteland,’ said Quade.

‘
They guard this place with their lives, and they only allow Desert Knights to stay here. No other outsiders are ever allowed to pass through this place. They would kill you if we weren’t here accompanying you.’

They all looked acro
ss the lake at the trickle of water that splashed down from the cave creating ripples in the clear shallow water.

**

The sound of a commotion woke Eben from a deep sleep. He quickly sat up and could see their camp was surrounded by a multitude of Jeanian tribesmen. The sun was just beginning to rise. At first Eben thought they were in danger, but then could see that the Jeanians were actually staring out across the small lake with wonder in their eyes. A raging torrent of water was rushing from the cave. The lake below was rapidly deepening, and a stream was starting to flow through the gorge. The group stood and watched with the Jeanians as the flow of water grew.

‘This
is a sign!’ cried an old Jeanian tribesman. ‘We have waited for sixteen hundred years. Our time has come again! The Ecorian Empire will return! The water flows like the days of old!’

More Jeanians gathered as the lake filled
, and they cried with joy. They all believed it to have great significance.

As the Jeanians celebrated a
lone hawk descended from the skies above. Dillon raised his hand. The hawk landed on his wrist. He took a small piece of paper from its claws. Moments later Dillon released the hawk. The bird of prey quickly ascended back toward the sky.

‘We m
ust make a move. The Skatheans have gathered a small army of mercenaries in Darancra and are following the Adira River northward. They hope to intercept you before you cross the river. The twenty Skatheans are at our heels; they are camped just south of this hidden gorge. They are using their vultures to keep track of us. We must leave this place and make for the river. Arthur has organised a single boat for you to cross at the Mooring of Gastrell where a brigade of my kinsmen await us. Once you reach the far side of the river you will be much safer.’ Dillon paused and stared at them for a few moments. ‘I wonder what is so important that the Skatheans require an army to intercept you?’

‘
Our business will remain a secret, Sir Dillon,’ said Cassiel. ‘You should know that you do well protecting us from the Skatheans.’ Dillon nodded and accepted the fact that they were not going to tell him anything.

‘Gather your horses. W
e must leave immediately.’

**

Without delay the company rode away westward from the gorge. Dillon galloped out ahead with his two companions and kept a blistering pace. All the horses apart from Swiftwing strained to keep up. After riding for at least half a day Dillon halted his horse and stared back across the desert. Eben did the same. They could see on the horizon the dark shapes of riders pursuing them.

‘
Skatheans! They intend to catch us before we reach the river. We must ride like the wind!’

The
y rode on as quickly as their horses would take them. Eben looked back over his shoulder and could see the Skatheans were gaining on them. After another hour the landscape gradually changed. The soil was becoming darker; bushes and shrubs were dotted all about.

‘
Can you see that rise ahead? Beyond that ridge we will come to the Adira River and the Mooring of Gastrell.’ In the distance there was a slight rise and a line of small trees.

‘Look!’ cried Red, pointing
toward the southwest. A great cloud of dust was rising from beyond the ridge.

‘It’s the
Skathean army!’ shouted Dillon. ‘We must hurry!’

They
pressed ahead as fast as their horses could manage. Before long they arrived at the rise, and the exhausted horses rushed up the slope to the top of the ridge. From the height of the ridge they could see the mighty Adira River. A gradual slope led downward about four hundred yards to the riverbank. The river was wide, at least five hundred yards across, and flowed slowly to the south. Shrubs and trees lined the banks, and a dusty road led along the side of the river. They could see the stone landing which served as a small place for passing boats and barges to dock. Directly beside the landing a large group of fifty Desert Knights were mounted on their horses and waiting.

Toward the south, perhaps only a mile away, an army of horsemen were charging to
ward the Mooring of Gastrell. A group of Skatheans were leading the mercenary army from the front.

‘We have no time!’ cried
Dillon. ‘Follow me!’

They followed
Dillon and the two other Desert Knights as they charged down the slope. Within a minute they were nearing the landing. It was instantly apparent that there was only one small wooden canoe. The group of Desert Knights directed them out onto the landing.

‘You
will have to leave your horses. On the far side of the river you will be safe for a time. The Skatheans will have to ride a long way south to find a boat or barge to follow you across. Follow the river north as quickly as possible. The further north you go the safer you will be,’ said Dillon.

The sound of the approaching army was growing.
Eben dismounted Swiftwing and quickly gathered his backpack and sword. He felt sad at having to leave Swiftwing behind. He had come to appreciate his great warhorse.

‘Make haste
!’ cried Dillon.

Red and Stella were already in the small canoe and Cassiel was stepping in. The
top edge of the canoe was nearing the surface of the water; it was obviously not built to carry any more than one or two passengers. Eben was next to step in. The water almost came over the edge, leaving only an inch or two.

Quade
stood on the landing and looked down at them. He realised that the boat couldn’t possibly carry another. ‘Goodbye my friends,’ he said, warmly smiling down at them.

‘
Come on, Quade, there’s enough room,’ said Red, dismayed and not wanting to leave his friend behind.

‘No, there’s not,’ said
Dillon firmly. ‘The boat cannot take another. You must go now! The Skatheans are almost upon us!’

‘We can’t le
ave you,’ said Red, insisting that Quade come with them.

‘Don’t worry about me.
I have survived worse than this, and besides, this was always your quest. I was just tagging along for a while. Vastoria is my home now, and I mean to defend it,’ said Quade as he turned back toward the horses. ‘I hope you don’t mind if I borrow Swiftwing. Of course I’ll return him if we ever meet again.’

Quade mounted
Swiftwing and drew his curved Vastorian sword. Simultaneously the fifty Desert Knights turned their horses to face the approaching army of Skatheans and mercenaries. The army was charging toward the landing with a terrible roar. The thunderous sound of a thousand galloping horses echoed between the two opposing ridges and grew louder with each passing moment.

‘Go!’ cried
Dillon. ‘We have risked much to see you safely through the desert. You must go now!’

Ca
ssiel and Eben took oars and started to row the canoe out across the water. They watched as the fifty Desert Knights formed a line to face the approaching army. Suddenly the Desert Knights charged forward at the army. Within seconds they smashed into the leading ranks of the Skatheans and mercenaries. The battle raged. It was difficult to make out exactly what was happening amid the calamity. Eben and Cassiel continued to row the small vessel across the river as they watched the battle intently. The Desert Knights were fighting valiantly, but the task at hand was simply too great. They were being crushed and overwhelmed.

‘Look,’
cried Stella as about a dozen remaining Desert Knights broke away from the battle and rode up the slope to the top of the ridge. ‘Quade is with them!’

The
Skatheans and mercenaries were in close pursuit and within seconds the Desert Knights and Quade galloped over the ridge and were beyond sight. All fell silent on the shoreline in the wake of the battle. Several Skatheans approached the edge of the water and stared out at them. Eben and Cassiel continued to row, and they stared back at the Skatheans in the eerie silence.