LITMIR.BIZ

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request is on its way. You will have your reply shortly,” he whispered before leaving them to their drinks.

      Allarik thanked him as he left and he slouched back to enjoy a few moments out of the saddle while they waited for instructions. With their third drink almost finished, Marcus brought a fourth mug for each of them, and two bowls of thick stew that tainted the air with the sting of heavy spices. Piaz’ spoon was halfway to his mouth when a shadow fell across the table. He looked up while Allarik’s hand fell to the hilt of his sword.

      A man, hidden in a worn brown cape and hood, slipped into the booth beside them. Piaz noticed three other men taking up positions in the tavern. All wore loose cloaks that did not hide the swords at their waists. Marcus made no move to approach the booth or the three men. The innkeeper’s calm settled Piaz as he moved to make room for the stranger. When the man spoke, he did so in a whisper.

      “Leave us to talk.”

      Allarik rose and left without question. Piaz had not expected the soldier to be so obedient. He must know the man and accept him as superior. Allarik thought as the man in brown spoke.

      “I wished to speak with you before you were brought before me at the palace,” the man muttered quietly.

      Piaz’ eyes widened with recognition. This man was the King of Arenia and he was speaking with him in a darkened corner of a tavern! Xavier raised his head and pulled the hood back enough to reveal his features only to Piaz.

      “Do you remember me?” he asked.

      The king’s face was unfamiliar but the flowing locks of red hair were vivid in his mind. He cast his thoughts back and combed through memories till he remembered the young man who listened intently and questioned him later about his speeches. Piaz nodded.

      “I see you do remember,” smiled Xavier. “Is there any chance you remember the questions I asked?”

      “I remember what you did not ask. There were no questions about the dangers the world faced, or my distant travels. That is what most people ask of. Instead you asked about how I prepared for my talks, and where I learned to speak so confidently.”

      “And you advised that all a person required was to show belief in what he spoke of. I want you to remember those words when I explain my summons.”

      Xavier went on to detail his plans for Piaz and, satisfied with the answers he received, the king left to disappear into the back of the inn with his minders.

      His parting words were a caution that when they met in the palace, he was not to mention this meeting.

      Chapter 7

      The land was dry as he rode north. The ground was dry, the trees and grasses were dry, even the air was dry. The whole world was dry. Jaimz thought. Dry and changed.

      They had left the farm near Thistledowne only days ago and he had planned to be well on his way by now. But the King’s Road finished at Thistledowne, and the Northern Way did not go to the mountains. They were forced to travel over untouched land as they rode north with no road or trail to lead the way. Progress was slow though they encountered no problems with the low hills and wide grassy plains and his men were keen to obey the commands he gave following their training. Travel was simply not as fast as he had hoped it would be.

      He kept them to the route he had taken with Xavier when they chased the girl witch, and they were still in an area of small trees and gaping cracks where water raced away when it fell. These slashes across the land could be easily navigated by the horses and foot soldiers, but the supporting carts of weapons and food were stalled until a way past could be found. Glancing up to the sun as it climbed almost to its peak, he knew that the column would need to stop again soon for food. But of more concern to him was water. They had brought with them all that they could carry, and he knew that more was available at the base of the cliff, but between here and there, water would be scarce.

      He decided to push on a little further before stopping.

      Jaimz looked over his shoulder at the two lines of riders stretching out behind him and thought of how they too had changed. In a few short weeks they had been transformed from ill-disciplined militia squads to part of The Fist, the great army of The Society. And he was now a Field Captain, leading them to their first battle. Though Jaimz considered that battle was not the right word for this was to be no more than a mission of discovery.

      The council had ordered his task. He was to determine the true strength and numbers of the auchs that inhabited the northern mountains. But his concerns came at the wording, it instructed him to engage the enemy and determine their strength. He would do what they asked but he knew that any minor skirmish could end in a major battle. He had to be prepared and his men should be rested and ready.

      Looking back over his shoulder again, he decided there were some things he would never get used to. When he was part of a militia group they could ride fast and stop only briefly when food or water was needed and broken ground meant little, but an army lumbered along and any break was a major task. Firstly there was the time it took to stop a line this long, and then to have them gather for food or rest. But getting them organised and moving again took even more time. There was much more to leading a Finger of The Fist than any of the Field Captains had imagined, and he was sure the others were finding the same difficulties on their march south to Whitebridge. And while he only had at his command a quarter of the men they led, there were four of them, four Field Captains to share the work. Should he feel the pride of the council’s faith in his abilities, sending him to travel north alone? Or had they thought he had nothing to face, only sending one Finger to find the auchs?

      That raised another question that played games with his mind. What was happening in the capital? The messenger they had been expecting had never arrived, and although the others would learn of the outcome of the planned coup, he would be left not knowing if he was to return, or break up his men and go back into hiding. He could only continue and hope that all was well.

      Winter was approaching and the days were becoming shorter, but the nights were proving clear with enough light shining down on the land from the full moon and vast field of stars to allow him to press on into the period after dusk. Although he was frustrated with the pace, this provided some consolation and he also knew there were no constraints on the time of his mission other than the need for water. Eventually the ice-capped peaks of the mountains would loom in the distance ahead of them.

      He slapped the saddle with an open hand and his horse looked back enquiringly.

      A soft wind blew from the north, out of the mountains, carrying with it the threat of cold days and even colder nights. But although the wind came off the ice it carried no moisture, making the cool air bearable for the moment. They would reach the unusual band of trees he remembered that spread along the base of the cliff soon enough, and once there he knew they would be close to the fissure where he and Xavier had discovered the passage to the high country and the mountains beyond. Then their mission could really begin. But he could not plan too far ahead until he determined if the auchs were guarding the pass.

      The army crawled on into the early afternoon, giving Jaimz time to think on recent events that led him to where he was today. Only weeks ago he was hiding on the farm north of Whitebridge, waiting to hear if his leader was still alive. Now he rode in command of more than eight hundred men dressed in the black uniform of The Fist and Xavier had become a counsellor for The Society. He still found it difficult to believe how quickly his world had changed and held no doubts that his own rise was due solely to Xavier’s good fortune, but now he carried responsibilities, not only for completing his orders, but for the welfare of his men too.

      Finally he was forced to call a halt to their slow march. As the line of soldiers crumpled to a stop, Jaimz sent word to Thom asking if he would join him. Another man was sent to bring in Lenk-Shadow Gerard who was ahead with his scouts. Thom arrived quickly and together they walked across the brown grass and out of earshot of the other soldiers.

      “How is the water holding up?” Jaimz asked.

      He had placed Thom in charge of supplies because, although the years were catching up with

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