The Flames of Deception - A Horizon of Storms: Book 1 (85 page)

“
You’re a strange one Emary. But I’m
glad
you have decided to
come along,” he said.

“
You’re
paying
me, remember? And from the sounds of the dangers
this dragon brings, not
enough.
”

Matthias shook his head and turned to look behind
them. “I suppose we had better get
him
up,” he said, motioning to Luccius who was still
sleeping softly, curled up like a cat.

Emary snorted and sidled over to him. She poked him lightly
on the shoulder with her boot. His ears twitched and it took
another prod before he began to stir.

“
Get
yourself moving!” Emary barked.

Luccius rolled away from the avenging foot and
opened his eyes. “
What?
” he mumbled sleepily with unmasked
annoyance.

“
It’s time to
go
.” Emary retorted. “Come
on!
” she repeated until he was on his feet, stumbling
about like a new - born foal.

“
I’m
so
pleased Matthias asked you along,” Luccius said grouchily
as he dusted himself off. Matthias chuckled. “I can’t have been
asleep for more than a couple of hours,” the ansuwan
yawned.

“
You
can’t always have the luxury of a comfortable bed and a full
night’s sleep,” Emary commented. “You have grown too soft in these
lands.”

Luccius grimaced. “Better than being a hard, emotionless
stone like you.”

Emary smiled. “Emotionless? No. Fearless? Perhaps.
Not to mention ruthless and efficient. And this stumbling from
place to place is
not
very efficient," she opined. “It takes us hours, if
not
days
to reach each town or village around here, and
every
hour we waste
walking is another this dragon can use to
kill
more people. Sooner or later, one of them
will be your princess.”

“
Then we need to find a place to get some faster transport
don’t we?” Matthias commented.

“
There were horses in that last village?” Luccius
suggested.

“
They weren’t for sale, if you remember?” Matthias
replied.

“
We have to find your princess and stop the beast
at
any
cost. What are a few stolen horses compared to such
stakes?” Emary asked him.

“
Many of these people have already lost their
livelihoods. I won't add to their troubles when we are able bodied
enough to walk. And we're
not
going back,” Matthias interrupted. “We go
forward
, onward.” He reached deep into his dirt - encrusted coat,
into an inner pocket and pulled out his map, sodden from rain. He
shook it out.

“
There’s a village – Moriana - a few more miles east,” he
advised as he studied the map. “I’d say it’s the better part of a
day’s walk from here.”

Emary inspected the map. “If we go quickly. There can be no
more loitering. We must march swiftly.”

“
I
wouldn’t call what we did the last few days ‘loitering’,” Luccius
exclaimed. “My shoes are worn down to the soles of my
feet!”

“
Then you need better shoes,” Emary grinned. “Not those thin
pampooties you stride around in.”

Luccius squinted. “These are fine shoes,” he
rebutted.

“
For a trader, maybe, or a
jester
.”

Luccius opened his mouth to respond but caught Matthias’s
eye. The wizard shook his head quickly, and the ansuwan shut his
mouth and folded his arms, his ears twitching with
annoyance.

“
In
any case, we’ll walk quickly to Moriana and try and get horses from
there.”

“
And
if there aren’t any for sale?” Emary asked.

Matthias looked back at her stonily. “Then we'll
get a bit more
exercise
, won't we?" he suggested.

After walking across country for several hours, past fields
of yellow flower and lush, high grass they found their way to a
well - trodden pathway. The dusty road headed off near enough in
the direction they wanted to go and so they strode along it, a
welcome change from grass and nettles rubbing at their heels. Emary
stopped suddenly and held a hand up.

“
What is it?” Luccius asked.

“
I’m surprised you cannot
hear
with
those
ears,” she sniffed.

“
Hear what?” Matthias asked.

“
Horse’s hooves on gravel and mud. A
lot
of them.” She
squinted as she strained to hear. Then she pointed. “There.” On the
horizon the shady figures of a multitude of men on horseback
appeared. Matthias threw up a hand to his brow and stared, as they
grew closer.

“
Soldiers,” he whispered.

“
This is the first time we’ve seen any since we
fled Crystal Ember,” Luccius added. “There must be at
least
a hundred of
them.”

Matthias turned to Luccius and handed him his staff. “It’s a
walking aid, if they ask,” he advised. Luccius nodded and shifted
his weight on to the wooden splint. The wizard pulled off his coat,
turned it inside out and threw it over his arm so that only the
lining showed.

“
What are you doing?” Emary asked him.

“
The people of this country aren’t very keen on
wiz- on
wielders
,” he advised. “The average Olindian wouldn’t likely know
one when they saw them and I
hid
my pendant already, just in case. But a soldier is
much more well - travelled than the average person. The staff and
coat might draw their attention.”

“
Even so, surely you could fight off their numbers?” she
asked.

“
Possibly. But I’d rather not
have
to, not least because
they
aren’t my enemy. We
should keep walking and act as normal as we can.”

“
That might be
difficult
for us,” Luccius
sniffed.

“
For
you
, maybe, rabbit – ears,” Emary snorted.

The
men continued to canter down the sloping path towards them. They
wore the silvery armour of Olindian guardsmen and the black and
silver woven banners they held at regular intervals in the front
row of men signalled them as such: an image of a trident topped by
a crown against a dark backdrop of stars. As they grew closer, one
man rode ahead of the rest and approached them. He peered down at
them through his shining, pointed helmet at them.

“
Good day to you,” he said. “What is your business along this
road today?” he asked them.

“
We
are on our way to Moriana,” Matthias answered politely, an air of
calm surrounding him as the man eyed him. It reminded Matthias of
the way Thadius weighed him up on first coming to Rina. “We have
been travelling a fair while and are in need of rest.”

“
What is your trade?” he asked. “You are heavily armed for
merchants and you have a lack of any wares about you.”

“
Wouldn’t
you
carry weapons if you were this close to chaos?”
Emary cut in with an abruptness to her voice.

“
Chaos?” the man tilted his head, studying her
cautiously.

“
There is a
dragon
on the loose,” Emary replied.

“
Then you have seen the dragon?” the soldier asked
her.

“
She
hasn’t, but we have - my companion and I,” Matthias replied,
interjecting. “We were in Crystal Ember when it attacked. We lost
everything we own, save for what we have on our person,” he added.
“We met with this woman a few days ago in a nearby town. We felt
there would be safety in numbers.”

The
guard dismounted and took off his helmet. His dark brown, curly
hair spilled from its confines. “Against the creature you speak of,
there is little safety,” the soldier said gravely. “That you made
it out in one piece is a miracle in itself.”

“
We haven’t seen any soldiers since we made it out
of Crystal Ember,” Matthias commented. “I was afraid that you
had
all
been killed by the creature.”

“
The
attack has taken my people off guard,” the soldier said. “We have
been riding hard for well over a week, from the border with
Aslemer. We are heading to the capital to give aid to the forces
there,” he said. “The rest of the army tracks the dragon’s
movements.”

“
Your people intend to hunt it?” Matthias asked.

“
If
we can,” the soldier said bluntly. He held out a hand to Matthias.
“My name is Joseph Maranin. I command these men.” The rest of the
soldiers had slowed to a halt behind them.

“
A
fine group of soldiers,” Matthias nodded back. “My name is Matthias
Greenwald.”

“
Tell me, Matthias Greenwald, is the damage to Crystal Ember
as bad as the stories say?” Joseph asked.

“
When we left, it was in
pieces
,” Luccius interrupted. “Every building
was burning.” Noticing the solemn change in the soldier’s face, he
added: “I’m sorry.”

Joseph looked gravely back at his men. “A lot of my men have
family there. Myself included.”

“
Many people fled just as we did,” Matthias replied. “There is
hope that the people you care about escaped.”

Joseph nodded. “Perhaps.” He exhaled and gestured
to the three of them. “You are an
interesting
party of travellers,” the man said. “The
clothes you wear are eastern, unless I am mistaken?” he asked
Matthias.

“
I’m
from Mahalia,” Matthias replied casually. Luccius looked at him in
surprise at the revelation. “You have journeyed far, it would
seem?”

Joseph nodded with a smile. “I have travelled to
your lands once. Your fashion is quite distinct. I wondered whether
you would tell me the truth of where you came from. There
are
many
of your kin who would lie to an army of Olindian soldiers,
for fear of being strung up and hung as a
wizard.”

“
I have nothing to hide,” Matthias said with a
smile. “I am a merchant, a vendor of fine spices. That is all. I
care not for the wizards in my lands. That’s
partly
why I left to become a
merchant.”

Joseph nodded. “I see. And you,” he continued, turning to
Luccius. “I have seen an ansuwan before, but never in my
country.

“
I
am his partner in our venture,” Luccius smiled. “We had aimed to
make our living in your lands selling our goods.”

Joseph nodded. “I am sorry for the loss of your
livelihood,” the man said. “But at least you came away with your
lives. What about you?” He gestured to Emary. “Where are
you
from?”

“
I
have travelled from across the ocean,” Emary replied. “From a land
called Lantai.”

“
I
have never heard of it,” Joseph said. “What reason have you for
travelling so far?”

“
That is
my
business, soldier,” Emary said sharply.

Joseph looked wary for a moment, but then he smiled wryly at
her. “You are a confident woman. Just be sure that business does
not involve the use of those weapons you carry against any of my
people. There are many bandits in these parts. Do not count
yourself amongst them girl.” He turned to Matthias. “I would watch
your travelling companion. She could get you into trouble the way
she speaks to others.”

“
We’ll keep her in line,” Matthias said with an edge to his
voice as he glared at her.

Joseph placed his helmet back on his head. “If you seek
longer term shelter, it is better to go further afield to somewhere
like Gavna. Moriana is a small village, with a single very cramped
tavern with a couple of rooms. It will take you longer to get to
Gavna - another three day’s walk in the same direction - but you
would be further from danger, from what I have heard of the
dragon’s movements and more comfortable to boot.” He mounted his
horse.

“
Thank you. We might just do that,” Matthias
replied.

“
Safe journey.” Joseph turned and indicated to his men, and
they began to move again, parting slightly to avoid Matthias and
the others as they rode past. When they had ridden out of earshot,
Matthias turned to Emary and raised his hands.

“
Well that was a good way of getting yourself trussed up and
carted along with them, speaking to the man like that!” he
exclaimed.