Maxi stiffened, and Idsilla threw her a surprised glance before addressing the knight. “Do you mean that Sir Riftan of Wedon is here right now?”
“That’s correct. He was patrolling the castle vicinity in time for our arrival,” the soldier replied flatly, now appearing slightly annoyed that the conversation was continuing. “We will be at Eth Lene Castle in two hours. Both the Remdragon and Temple Knights will be guarding us until we get there, so you can all breathe easy.”
Idsilla stuck her head out the window and scanned the men at the fore. “Is Sir Riftan riding ahead of us?”
Though Maxi was sorely tempted to push her head out the window as well, she summoned every last bit of self-restraint she possessed to suppress the urge.
“He rides at the front,” the soldier said. “Now, enough of your questions. Pull your head back inside.”
After squinting through the thick clouds of dust shrouding the road, Idsilla pursed her lips and sat back.
Maxi tugged at Idsilla’s robe and whispered, “Well? D-Did you see him?”
Idsilla slowly shook her head. “He was too far away.”
Maxi ran her tongue over her dry lips, her heart hammering in her chest. Her nerves were so wound up that her whole body ached.
Riftan would never forgive her if he found out that she had gone against his will and followed him here. Perhaps it would finally cause him to be utterly disillusioned with her.
Sliding her sweaty hand into her pocket, Maxi clutched the copper coin. The fear that Riftan might swing the door open at any moment and discover her made her throat go dry.
After what felt like an eternity of hunching there with her stomach in knots, the loud whistle of a pipe played outside, and the wagon noticeably slowed.
Maxi’s shoulders tensed. She was so scared that it did not even occur to her to look outside. It was Idsilla who cautiously put her head out the window on her behalf.
All of a sudden, the girl gasped in surprise. “Heavens, I’ve never seen such a massive rock face.”
Her curiosity getting the better of her, Maxi pulled down her hood and peeked out. A towering gray rock filled her vision. It was so tall that it seemed to touch the sky.
Maxi stared, her mouth agape. It truly was massive. A large block of sharp, light gray stone formed a steep slant above the gates of Eth Lene Castle like a seawall. Below itwas a sturdy wall made of carved rock. Maxi nervously eyed the boulder perched precariously at the top of the crag.
“I-It looks as if it could come c-crashing down at any moment,” she murmured.
“That wall of rock is what has kept Eth Lene safe from the fierce north winds and enemy invasions for hundreds of years. You do not have to worry about it collapsing,” Nora, the female cleric who was sitting across from Maxi, said proudly.
Maxi gave her a quizzical look. “Have you…b-been here before?”
“It is my hometown. I lived here before I moved to Levan,” Nora replied, looking out the window with somber eyes. “I was quite surprised when I heard that it fell to the monsters. I’ve always believed that it was the safest place in the world. Since Eth Lene is surrounded on three sides by steep rock walls, and its ramparts are high and sturdy, I thought that it was an impregnable fortress.”
“No place in the world can truly be safe from all dangers,” Idsilla muttered cynically.
Nora bitterly agreed. “Perhaps that conviction is what lost us the castle.”
The gates drew closer, and the conversation barely reached Maxi’s ears as she gazed up at them in awe. The magnificent rampart flanked by steep rock walls certainly looked indestructible. She could not fathom how the monsters had been able to capture it, nor how the coalition army had recapturedit.
As she was lost in this thought, the dark gray armor of the Remdragon Knights caught her eye.
Maxi quickly hid in the corner of the wagon. Sir GabelLachzion was inspecting each of the vehicles entering the gates. Cold sweat dripped down Maxi’s back.
When it was finally their wagon’s turn to pass through, Maxi sat curled in the corner with her hood drawn over her face. A soldier opened the wagon door and scanned the people inside.
The coachman said respectfully, “These are female clerics who have come to heal the wounded.”
Afraid that she might attract the soldier’s attention, Maxi did not dare move a finger.
Before long, she heard Gabel’s calm voice. “All seems well. Let them pass.”
The door closed, and the wagon began to roll once more. Maxi shakily let out the breath she had been holding. Idsilla must have been nervous as well, for her shoulders sagged in relief. They were not in the clear just yet, however. The knights could still discover them inside the carriage or as they stepped out of it at their destination. Feeling as though she were treading on thin ice, Maxi gnawed her lip. Even after entering the gates, the wagon kept moving for another ten minutes.
