Cassiel had flown off some time ago, presumably following from above. Like him, Von didn’t exactly feel welcome, regardless of being a Guardian. He kept to the back of the procession. A flash of black in the thick green bushes reminded him of the large wolf following in their wake.
The drizzle changed into rain, pattering loudly on the leaves. The first couple of days spent on the road were wet and tense. While Von gave a wide berth to everyone, Dyna avoided Cassiel, and Zev avoided the wary elves who distrusted a wild Lycan. He had no opinion on anyone’s business.
The rain let up when they at last reached the end of the province by the evening, marked by the view of a large river in the open clearing. The gray clouds had at last cleared as well, casting the last rays of the sun over the glittering surface. Beyond it rose the distant silhouette of mountains and flowering knolls.
“Ah, now there is a sight,” Eldred said as they came to a stop.
“God of Urn willing, may the rains allow us a reprieve, or we may have a problem,” Camsen said as he studied the surrounding hills. “We will stay on high ground when we can, but it’s best we reach Avandia as soon as possible.” To his men he announced, “We will camp here tonight.”
The carriage door opened, and Raiden stepped out. He helped his mother down first, then Dyna appeared at the opening.
She took Raiden’s offered hand and stepped down. “Where are we?”
“The River Myst. It serves as a border between Sellav, Erendor, and Avandia.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“Isn’t it?” Aerina smiled brightly.
“Are we to cross the river tomorrow?” Lucenna asked as Keena came to sit on her shoulder.
“Yes, but not here,” Raiden said. “There is an old bridge a day’s ride up the river at the Melodyam Falls.”
“The ruins there are lovely as well. It’s quite a sight,” Aerina told Dyna, taking her arm. “Come with us to the river. You simply must have a drink. There is no other water like it in all of Urn.”
While they left to do so, the Rangers quickly set up a perimeter as the Norrlen guards unloaded supplies and built tents. The familiar activityreminded Von of his time as a Raider. He dismounted and began unbuckling the saddle from Coal’s back. Best to find a dry place to sleep under a tree somewhere, far away from the others.
“It’s incredible that he managed to track us all the way here on his own,” Von overheard Keena say. The fairy and Lucenna lingered by the carriage, watching Klyde and Tavin gather wood.
“Tenacity runs in their family,” Lucenna muttered, crossing her arms.
It certainly did.
Von passed by the camp, taking a roll of bread from the reserves as he wandered off into the woods. He found a dry enough spot beneath a tree and set down his bed mat with the rest of his belongings. A rattle came from the branches above him. Von looked up and a force flipped him onto his back. Gasping for the air knocked out of him, he met Klyde’s glare.
The mercenary had him pinned to the ground with a knife at his throat. “Do you recognize me now?” he asked through clenched teeth.
Von sighed. “Aye, I know who you are … Dale. I think I always knew.”
The signs were all there.
Tarn’s reaction to the description of the mercenary’s fighting tactics had given it away. The mercenary fought like Lord Morken because he was his son.
Klyde grit his teeth, tilting the knife with enough pressure to make Von wince. “I no longer answer to that name.”
There was enough venom dripping from his words to feel the utter hatred embedded in them. Years of anger and resentment had settled in the lines of his face. Von could see it clearly, and he didn’t blame him.
“I thought you were dead. I thought everyone was.”
Scoffing, Klyde rose to his feet. “Is that what Tarn told you?”
Von looked away, hearing an echo of the words that had haunted him since that day.You did this. You.They are all dead because of you...
“So you left without checking for survivors.”
The accusation left him stumped. Hehadleft without checking on Tarn’s orders. Without thinking of anything else but all the death he had caused.
“I saw the bodies.” Von sat up, rubbing his face to ban the memory away. It didn’t work. “Or what remained of them. I didn’t have the heart to search for more.”
