Delver Magic I: Sanctum's Breach by Jeff Inlo (ebook reader 8 inch .TXT) đź“–
- Author: Jeff Inlo
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Mappel shook his head serenely. “They might slow us, if you simply refer to the elves and perhaps the delver. You must now, however, think with greater scope. The horses will help those that can not walk within the trees, such as Matthew here, and Stephen, and our good friends the algors and dwarves.”
“I considered that from the start,” Holli corrected him quickly but politely. “I wonder more about when the trees thicken and block most passages. What about paths in the forest that prove too narrow for the horses?”
“We could head northwest,” Ryson called out the suggestion. “We could pass through the edges of Dark Spruce and then cut south to approach Sanctum. We would lose a little time in the beginning by not heading due west, but we would make it up and more as we close in. Besides, if the path is too narrow for a horse, then I doubt it would be wide enough for Dzeb.”
Holli seized upon the last statement, still unsure if taking the horses would give them a true advantage. “That is another point. What horse here can carry the cliff behemoth without collapsing after a minute’s ride? Would it truly help us to leave a trail of exhausted animals?”
“There’s a cart at the front of that building,” Lief asserted as he pointed to the warehouse. “If we hitch two of the horses to the cart, they could carry Dzeb with ease.”
Holli nodded in agreement. “That would solve most problems, though we would have to leave the cart at the base of Sanctum. Dzeb would have to climb on foot.”
“I expect all of us will at that point,” Ryson acknowledged. “After a full day’s ride with little rest, none of these horses will be in any condition to take a slope as steep as Sanctum’s. The important thing is that we will reach the mountain before night falls.”
Dzeb interrupted the discussion with a point seemingly overlooked by the elves. “If you are talking about taking these horses, I would have to decline for other reasons.” His voice was melodic, but no less firm. “These horses do not belong to us. No matter what these men have done, it would not be right for us to take them. The cart also does not belong to us.”
“I’m sure this man won’t object to giving us his horses, would you?” Holli’s tone did not hide the edge of a threat. Her hand still held the bow as the tip of the arrow again bore down upon Consprite’s throat.
Dzeb maintained his serene yet unshakable tone. “I can not accept that, either. I can understand what we have done here to this point, for in truth we have done no harm. To threaten and steal is another matter. I can not, will not, be a part of that.”
Lief could not hold his tongue. “You would risk the land for the sake of these men that were willing to slaughter us all?! Fire upon you and your Book of Godson! There are times we must do what we have to in order to survive. Taking these horses would be no different than you crushing that guard’s bow.”
“I already regret that action,” Dzeb replied with more than a twinge of sadness. “It was, however, necessary.”
“As taking the horses is necessary!”
“We have other choices,” the cliff behemoth reminded the elf with no hostility in his voice.
“Fire upon you and your other choices.”
“Wait a minute, what if we pay for the horses?” Ryson quickly asked while walking up to the cliff behemoth. “What if we pay for the cart as well? We would simply be acquiring what we need for the trip by totally acceptable methods. Would that be alright with you?”
Dzeb did not protest. “It is stealing I am against.”
“Very well, then.” Ryson turned and trotted toward Consprite. He first looked about him to ensure the count of the party. “I will need twenty-one of these horses.”
“They’re not for sale,” Consprite snarled.
Ryson was not shaken for a moment. “Oh but they are. You see I had a bargain with the town council, of which you belong. I’m sure you remember. I was to scout out towns to check the damage of the quake. I was paid only half when I started out. I was to be paid the other half when I returned. Well, here I am, and I want my payment.”
“The town council no longer exists,” Consprite replied with irritation flooding his voice.
“But you are here and acting as mayor. That makes you responsible. Do you have my money?”
The mayor said nothing.
“I didn’t think so. Therefore you have broken your end of the bargain, but I am willing to make a deal. I will take twenty-one of these horses now. In return, I will forget your debt as well as return to you the entire portion of the initial payment.” Ryson flipped a bag of gold coins in to the lap of the mayor. “That bag contains more than I was given when I took on your job, I expect you to give the difference to the owner of that cart. More than fair.”
The delver turned and looked toward Dzeb. “The horses are rightfully ours, do you agree?”
Dzeb nodded and gave a warm smile. “It is the will of Godson.”
Lief and Ryson hitched the warehouse cart to two of the stronger horses. Upon completion, Ryson guided the cliff behemoth to the cart’s front where he could hold the reins. The axles creaked and groaned under the giant’s weight, but they would hold.
Ryson leapt upon a chestnut stallion and motioned for the others to follow suit. The horses remained motionless, as if in the deepest of sleeps, and each of the group had little difficulty in reaching a saddle. Even Tun and Jon, both forced to hoist themselves higher than their short legs would allow, found it easy to mount a horse which stood as still as a stone.
Dzeb mouthed another indiscernible word, a word with no meaning to any there, save the horses. The animals stirred immediately. Some fussed and reared as if startled from a dream. Their new riders took firm grip of the reins and reassured their mounts with pats on the neck and soothing words.
“I guess we should move along,” Ryson suggested as he nudged his horse forward.
The party left the mayor and his guards behind as they took to the road leading west. Only Holli looked back. Her vision swept across every guard, watching them all, especially those with bows. Her own bow remained in her hand. She held it up ever so slightly when her eyes locked with Consprite’s. Her message was clear. If he tried to follow, cliff behemoth or no cliff behemoth, she would pierce him through the throat.
With the continuous beating of horse hooves, the mayor and his mercenaries soon dropped from sight. The spirits of the wayward travelers lifted as the sun hung brightly overhead. Warm rays filled the air. Trees, flowers, and the growing crops fed upon the light, reaching higher toward the sky. Birds chattered off in the distance, some simply ignoring the scattered scarecrows as they swooped down upon ripening fields of grain.
The promise of this gorgeous day, however, would not last. A growing wind from the west brought attention to thickening clouds on the horizon and cooled the air enough to allow the algors and dwarves to maintain their cloaks about them. No true surprise, for all but perhaps the dwarves knew that the growing season produced quick moving storms. Even the algors in the Lacobian Desert witnessed small squalls during this time in the cycle. It was the one season when even a desert could feel the cooling spray of rainfall.
The wind swirled dust from the roads, as did the hooves of the horses, and their movements took on a new sense of urgency. The swelling overhead clouds pressed the riders forward. The quicker they could reach their destination, the faster they could find shelter. It was thus they sat in saddle with even greater thanks, even as they looked behind to see the fading structures of Connel. They could never have hoped to cover so much distance in so little time. At the very least, they would reach the cover of trees in Dark Spruce before the heavy rains fell upon them. It was as Mappel and Dzeb suggested - a true blessing these horses, perhaps even a gift of Godson.
As Holli led them, she thought the reader would be the first to object to a strenuous pace. He appeared as much out of place upon horseback as did the mayor. To her surprise, he moved along without a grunt of dissatisfaction. So did they all, seemingly willing to go even faster if it would bring them to their destination before the heavy rains began.
Holli took advantage of such willingness, setting a pace faster than she could have expected but within the constraints of the horses. She would test their endurance without leading them to the brink of exhaustion. The horses that pulled Dzeb proved to be the measuring stick. As they grew tired, she slowed them all to a trot until they were again ready for a more strenuous run.
While Holli remained in the lead for the duration of the trip, it was Ryson that truly directed them. It was at this time that the delver’s true skills became evident to even the most unwilling believer. On countless occasions, Ryson actually dismounted and ran off on foot. He left the reins of his horse in the hands of Holli as he set off forward, or to the right, or to the left. He moved at a speed that easily surpassed the guarded gallops of the horses. He disappeared over hilltops only to return within moments to announce what lay ahead. He would leap back upon his moving horse with casual ease to converse with Holli. He kept her advised of travelers on the road, or farmers in nearby fields. Never winded from these excursions, he spent as much time scouting as he did riding. Occasionally, he brought back a pocketful of wild fruit which he passed out to his grateful yet amazed companions.
Ryson was well acquainted with the hills in this outlying area. He knew these roads with intimacy, knew the land like a lover knows the expression of his companion. These hills were his own, with or without the newly arrived magic.
He directed the group to the northeast and over the most passable, yet isolated countryside. It was not a straight path that would lead them to Sanctum, but a cut first to the north, to avoid the neighboring towns of Burbon and Pinesway.
They stayed on the open dirt roads, though they chose turns at Ryson’s direction. Most times they avoided all passerbys. Occasionally, an encounter with a farmer by the side of the road or a traveling merchant was unavoidable. Rather than waste time trying to elude them, Holli accepted the consequences and moved onward directly past.
None of those that witnessed the party made a single comment. Most stood aghast at the sight of the cliff behemoth, standing regally in the warehouse cart. Some farmers ran off, back to their houses or barns and watched from a safe distance to ensure the group did not linger by their property. One merchant nearly drove his own cart off the road into a ditch. Only by pulling his team to a complete halt did he avert disaster. He sat on top of his cart stunned, looking back over his shoulders at the passing menagerie.
As the span of travel passed, the clouds thickened overhead. The sun was now invisible to them, hidden behind
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