Rune’s cheeks plumped slightly as he grinned, “Good. Then you can have our horses. I’ll ride with you to the Brookside area, but will have to turn around and rendezvous with my companions again. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help to you.”
Bo started to help Thomas as they lifted Kirsten in preparation to leave.
Rune wrapped his coat closed by crossing his arms again and started toward the tents. “You’re welcome to the warmth of our fire and a meal before we leave in the light of day.”
“We’re not leaving now?” Thomas asked, halfway through lifting his sister.
Rune stopped just outside the tent and faced his guests, “You are tired from your escape. It’s clear you’re all exhausted. A little rest will do you good and we can leave in the morning. The trail will be more easily navigated in daylight.”
“But she might die,” Max said.
“Your friend is stable. Yes, it’s true she’s in grave peril, but I’m willing to wager the sapphire she has is imbued with a potent magic. If it’s held for this long, it will hold until we get to Brookside.”
“Do you treat all of your patients this way?” Max said, trying to encourage Rune to agree to a more hasty departure.
“Those are my terms. You’re welcome to walk if you won’t wait, but if you want the horses, then you’ll wait until morning,” Rune said as he disappeared through the tent door.
“Who does this guy think he is?” Bo growled, helping Thomas gently lower Kirsten back down onto the ground near the fire.
“We could just take the horses now,” Britt suggested.
Saaja stepped in closer, and Max became keenly aware of the long broadsword he held as he raised it, resting the flat of the blade on his shoulder. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he said sternly, in offering fair warning.
“Well, it doesn’t make any sense to walk. We’ll get there way faster if we just wait,” Thomas reluctantly agreed as he let go of Kirsten for the first time since they’d arrived. He sat on the ground, carefully propping Kirsten’s head on his lap.
Max could tell Thomas was exhausted from the trek they’d made thus far; they all were. Letting the radiating warmth of the fire lull him in, he glanced to Britt and Bo, “If we’re gonna wait, we might as well get some rest next to this warm fire.” Squatting, Max plopped his rear-end on the ground next to Thomas and leaned back, crossing his hands behind his head. He watched as Britt and Bo reluctantly joined him. Before Saaja sheathed his sword again, Max asked the lookout, “Saaja, could we bother you for some water?”
Saaja put down his blade and pulled the log he’d been perched on closer to them, reached into his coat and pulled out a leather flask. Max accepted it gladly.
Taking the full tear-shaped leather bladder, Max uncorked it and took a long pull. The moisture eased his drying throat. He pulled the flask from his lips, swallowing hard. He offered the waterskin to Britt, who was quick to accept. Thomas and Bo drank next. Thomas poured a small amount onto the corner of his shirt and held it against Kirsten’s lips.
As he lay next to the fire, Max took some comfort in the fact that they’d be arriving at Solomon’s home the next day, much faster than if they had to walk. He just hoped Kirsten could hold on long enough for the old wise man to help. Closing his eyes, Max passed into a dream state with ease.
Waking, Max was pulled from his slumber when the first bird alerted them to the rising sun. Its call tweeted continually until others joined in. Within minutes, the trees were erupting with the chatter of winged creatures. Lying on his back with eyes open, Max peered at the rough outlines of the trees slowly becoming more clearly defined.
The fire burned with fresh logs. Max knew it to be the work of their lookout. He sat up and turned to see that the shift had changed during the night and a much smaller person had replaced the broad-shouldered man. For all Max knew, the shift had changed several times and multiple strangers had been sitting nearby while he slept. The thought of someone he’d never met watching over them while they slept sent a chill down Max’s spine. At least with Saaja, they’d had time to speak a little before he’d gone lights out.
Bo, Britt and Thomas were quick to stir after Max. He sat up and warmed his body by the fire. The other members of Rune’s group emerged from their tents. Max stared at each one as they realized there were five people who they didn’t know sitting at their fire. Before conversation between them began, Rune walked up from behind.
Slapping his hands together and rubbing them, he said, “Ready?”
Max jumped slightly by the sudden clap that came from behind them. He heard Bo offer to carry Kirsten, giving Thomas a well-deserved break. As they left the fire, Max turned to see all of Rune’s fellow travelers gathering around the fire. He counted four men and two women and wondered what would happen to them when they came across the wreckage in Grandwood.
Reaching the saddled horses, Rune helped each of them climb onto their steeds. He loaded Kirsten and Bo last. Being the most experienced rider, Bo took Kirsten in his saddle. Max knew he and Thomas could ride, but doubted Britt knew how to ride at all. When they were settling into their saddles, he noted that Britt appeared pleased with the idea of riding her own horse, but once they’d mounted, she changed her mind. When Max offered to ride double with her, she quickly joined him.
Saddled and eager to get going, Rune led the way south, away from camp and toward the trails that would lead them to Brookside. Dividing Grandwood and Brookside lay two mountain ranges with a valley in the middle. Both the Grandwood Mountains and the Sharpstone Mountains ran northeast by southwest. Max recounted the last time he’d traveled this way and hoped they wouldn’t run into any more goblins.
Riding as fast as they dared, Rune led the group. With the changing seasons, autumn’s chill nipped at their cheeks as they rode. Max wasn’t sure if the horses moved any faster in the cooler temperature, but the peace of mind in knowing their horses wouldn’t die from heatstroke gave him comfort as they rode.
Passing the location where he and Anders had encountered goblins in the fog while in pursuit of Thargon’s ships to Eastland, Max thought about how much his life had changed. He hoped the next time he passed through this area it would be under ordinary circumstances.
The group stopped twice to let the horses drink water. Kirsten’s condition didn’t worsen, so they continued at their constant pace after stopping both times. Approaching Brookside near evening, Max took the lead since he knew better how to reach Solomon’s place while bypassing the town proper. The veil of darkness soon aided their skirting of Brookside and the horses allowed them to move through the wooded area more quickly.
Although the darkness made it more difficult to identify, Max and Bo eventually came upon the treehouse belonging to the old wise man. While they all dismounted, Thomas and Bo hastened to get Kirsten inside. Max stayed with Britt, helping to string the horses together for Rune’s return journey. Gripping Rune’s hand in a gesture of gratitude, Max thanked the doctor for all he had done to get them there safely.
“If it benefits the cause, it’s worth the risk,” Rune said as he gripped the reins. “When you find the Resistance in the Riverlands, tell them Rune sent you.”
Max nodded and Rune spurred his horse into motion, the train of horses pulled along behind him disappearing into the night.
By the time Britt and Max caught up with Thomas and Bo, they’d just reached Solomon’s front door. Bo pounded, his fist hammering against the wooden face. The pounding echoed into the treehouse as they waited for Solomon’s answer. Max had been here many times and the old man had never turned away a guest. He was reliable to a fault, never venturing far from his home. This time, however, they heard no sounds of shuffling feet or muttering under his beard. For the first time in all of his visits, Max knew the home to be empty. Cursing, he pushed his brother out of the way and shouted, “Sol! If you are in there, we’re coming in! We really could use your help!”
He burst through the door, the rush of wind from its sudden opening sent parchment on the nearby chairs and shelves flying. The group pushed their way inside the small home, into a living room cluttered with books, papers and maps. The darkness of Solomon’s home reflected its welcome, absent of warmth and light.
“Sol!” Max called again as he hustled to the bedroom door. He pushed it open. The room was empty. Max cursed and rushed back into the main room where the others were laying Kirsten on the couch. Looking down at her pale complexion, Max shook his head, “Guys, he’s not here. Solomon’s gone.”
Chapter 46
Nagano
Maija tingled with excitement, the thrill of what she was doing sent chills down her spine. Trying to control her body’s response to the dragon’s calling, she filled her lungs with the cool Eastland Mountain air, exhaling with a shiver. She had never made such an impulsive decision in her life, to leave her companions in search of a dragon. Her desire to follow the scarlet dragon thrummed through her like an instinctual passion she couldn’t ignore; the call urged her to find him. Stepping forward, she aimed toward Nagano and broke into a run. Feeling the wind in her flowing brown hair, Maija let her elven legs carry her. Her recent discovery of her heritage as an elf brought with it more than learning that she haled from a dragonrider family; it also gave her the elf’s gift of inhuman speed.
The uneven ground rushed beneath her as she rapidly gained speed. The adrenaline pulsing through her veins carried her into a higher state of being, and she let out a cry, unable to contain the animal she was becoming. She had never felt so alive. Not fully understanding where she was going, Maija let her instincts guide her. She could feel the scarlet dragon’s pull drawing her toward it and willing her to run free with him. Her desire to know where she was going and why was overridden with the sensation the dragon gave her. Maija passed into a trance-like state, the rocks and forest washing by in a blur. No longer caring about the choice she’d just made to part from her first love, Anders, and her recently found sister, Maija let her mind become consumed by the animal inside her and allowed the dragon to guide it.
Suddenly she halted, skidding over loose rocks as they clicked, scattering atop a cliff-lined ridge. A wave of clarity washed over her as she snapped into reality. Looking down at her feet, she realized she stood at the edge of a precipice. Panting, she turned her gaze out toward the open expanse of green fields and lush hills sprawling into the distance below. An arc of jagged mountain peaks spanned the horizon, creating a spine of rock protruding from the far off hills. Winged creatures soared over the peaks, their familiar silhouettes hardly recognizable from such a distance. Those dragons told her where she was, on the edge of Eastland with the entirety of Nagano spread out before her. Somewhere in this great place the wild, red-scaled dragon was calling to her. Maija had touched the dragon and he imparted something to her in return. From that moment she could feel the dragon’s desire to be with her again, to share a bond.
It’ll be dark soon, she thought, noticing the changing light across the sky. Maija could still feel the dragon calling, but she suppressed it and retained her self-control. I should find shelter. I’ll need my legs to be well rested if I give in to this sensation every time I start to run. She walked along the edge of the ridge, searching for a place to descend into the lush valley below. There has to be some way down, she thought.
