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“Do you think they’ll find us here?” Lorial asked.
She and Ishtvan had made it to the cover of a small mesa on the plains before dawn, away from the mountain range.
Ishtvan was sitting on a rock, smiling as he surveyed the rugged but attractive landscape that lay below them.
“I doubt it,” he replied. “They’ll be looking for us in the foothills somewhere. And when they realize we’re not there, we’ll be long gone.”
Lorial looked to the south. The land was very dry, with the occasional rocky outcrop or hill, and was sparsely covered with coarse grass. There were some small trees, bushes and clusters of wild flowers as well but nothing in the way of cover.
“We won’t be able to move from here until it’s dark again though,” she said.
“Then we’ll wait,” Ishtvan replied. “Anyway, we’re not far from a safe haven. In a day or two, I think we can make it to Ketchyin. Then we can get some more supplies and plan our next move.”
“We’ll be going into the town?” Lorial asked.
“Well, we’ll have to,” Ishtvan told her. “Where else were you planning to stock up?”
“There might be some mountain streams nearby,” she pointed out.
“True. But do you think you’ll find a spare flask by any of them?”
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It was hot and dry when they entered the town of Ketchyin late the next morning but, at least, it was a pretty place. Low buildings with generous eaves provided some shade, the streets were wide and paved with cobblestones, and small trees and fountains lent the town some cheer.
It was also close to the mountains, more barren here than they had been farther north, and not far from desert country. The land of Maharei to the south, of which Kalishar was the sole remaining city, had dried up over a thousand years ago and nothing remained of Damasi, the civilization that had once thrived to Maharei’s east.
Still, Ketchyin had some life left. Plenty of greenery managed to survive in the dry conditions and there were a few small farms scattered around the town as well, irrigated by underground reservoirs that also provided drinking water. And the townspeople looked as though they didn’t have a care in the world.
“What’s wrong with these people?” Lorial muttered.
Ishtvan gave her an odd look. “What do mean, what’s wrong with them?”
“How can they all be so cheerfully ignorant of all the fighting that’s been going on this past few years?”
“They’re not ignorant,” Ishtvan told her. “They’re probably more aware of it than most people are. They’re just putting up a brave face, that’s all. Besides, they probably don’t think anyone would bother with a tiny town in the middle of nowhere. Why should they?”
“I was in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere before I went to Ensildahir,” Lorial said. “That didn’t help me.”
“I’m sorry.”
Ahead of them, a number of people were playing instruments, singing and dancing in the street. Finding some shade, Lorial and Ishtvan sat down to rest and watched them.
“Well, whatever else you can say about these people,” Ishtvan said, “they know how to have a good time.”
Lorial nodded, fumbling through her pockets for coins to buy supplies. Ishtvan in the meantime was thinking over their next move when noticed a man sitting on some steps a few yards away from them. He was also watching the singing and dancing but he watched as Ishtvan and Lorial did, as an outsider looking in.
“Keld,” Ishtvan murmured.
“What?” Lorial asked.
“That man,” Ishtvan said, nodding towards the seated figure. “That’s Keld Vascakyle, an old friend of mine. He was at Orishelm when it fell.” There was no trace of anger in his voice as he spoke of his city, just a quiet sadness. He motioned for Lorial to follow him and they walked over to his friend.
“Keld,” Ishtvan greeted him. “It’s been quite a while.”
Keld’s eyes lit up when he recognized him. “Ishtvan.” He climbed to his feet and clasped his hand in greeting. “You’re alive.”
“More or less,” Ishtvan said, managing a smile.
“And you are?” Keld asked, turning to Lorial.
“Lorial Sunderlass,” she replied, shaking his hand as well. “I’ve been traveling with your friend Ishtvan for the past few days.”
“A pleasure,” Keld said, then nodded in a direction down the street. “Say, I’m staying next to a little inn close by. Why don’t we go back to my humble lodgings and talk?”
“Good idea,” Ishtvan said, following him. “Do you have any spare flasks, by the way?”
“I’m sure the innkeeper could find me a few,” Keld said. “Why do you ask?”
“Long story,” Ishtvan told him. “By the way, how did you get away from Orishelm in one piece?”
Keld shrugged. “I was knocked out. When I came to, there was no one near me so I was able to crawl off the battlefield and limp off into the forests.”
“How did you end up here?”
“The local innkeeper gives me free board in exchange for dealing with any Angdar who wander too close to the town. It’s a good deal. But what I really want is to head back north and help our friends in Valahir.”
“You’ve tried?”
Keld nodded. “A couple of times. The Angdar have them hemmed in tight. They control both sides of the Avahast and you can’t head east and try to get in from the north because of all the sentries near Wyvern’s Peak. And short of that, without any reinforcements, the only thing you could do is try to cross the Ileskande Mountains.”
“Well, they say Kelahil the Wolf–Hearted did it,” Ishtvan said. “Although, I’ve always thought that part of the histories was made up.”
“By people who’ve never seen those mountains,” Keld said, stopping in front of a doorway. “Here we are.”
“Lorial and I are heading to the southern cities with important news,” Ishtvan said as they stepped inside.
“Ensari or Kalishar?”
“Either. I’m sure it concerns them both. We’ve uncovered information that the Angdar armies are planning to attack Ensildahir. The captain of the guard there is working with them.”
“Well, that is important,” Keld agreed.
“There’s more,” Ishtvan told him. “Cirreone...” He stopped and corrected himself. “No, it’s not just Cirreone, or even all of Aracea. It’s the entire Aracean Empire. They’re resuming their fight against the lands allied with the mages.”
“Well, the fighting from their side’s been quiet for a while,” Keld conceded. “I take it this isn’t going to be more raiding along the border of Un’vari then?”
“A fleet of ships is attacking Ensari from the sea.”
Keld shook his head. “The Araceans really need to abandon this stupid grudge with the western regions. We should be uniting against the Angdar.”
Ishtvan waited a moment before replying. “Well, that’s the thing. We’re not entirely sure that the Araceans and the Angdar aren’t on the same side.”
“Are you joking?” Keld asked him after a moment’s pause.
Ishtvan held his gaze. “The attacks are going to coincide, Keld. Down to the day.”
Keld pressed his hands together and rubbed them against his forehead, exhaling a breath of air. “We can’t fight the Araceans and the Angdar at the same time.”
“We’ll have to try,” Ishtvan said. “But there is one consolation. Ensari and Maharei have the best fleets in the Greater Realms. The Araceans’ attack would work as a surprise strike if they can cripple the Ensari ships before they can leave the harbor. But if those same ships are waiting for them as they come through the strait, they’ll decimate them.”
Keld smiled. “Well then. We may have a fighting chance after all.” Then his smile faded. “However, that’s going to depend entirely on whether or not you can get to Ensari or Kalishar safely. If you want any help from me, you’re welcome to whatever I can give.”
“We might like some help actually,” Ishtvan said. “Earlier, we talked about crossing mountains. The Ileskande range is almost impassable, true enough, but there are a few paths across the Entruscian range.”
Lorial, who had so far been listening to the conversation in silence, stirred at this. “Hang on, Ishtvan. We’ve just come out of the mountains. Why would we want to go back?”
“Because,” Ishtvan told her, “if our enemies are onto us, they may well have riders waiting to cut us off at Avani’s Pass. I hadn’t really thought of the possibility until just now, to tell you the truth, but now that I have, I’ve got an idea.” He turned to Keld. “You’ve been through the mountains before. You and your brother escorted the Arahir envoys to the Ulak once or twice, didn’t you?”
“Yes, Liulfur and I made that trip four times,” Keld replied.
Lorial couldn’t help noticing that Keld looked a little sad as he spoke.
For a moment, Keld was silent. Then he shook away the mood that had taken him and smiled again. “Anyway, I think I know where you’re going with this. You want to cut through the mountain range and just head straight to Ensari.”
“Basically,” Ishtvan said. “Do you remember the Ulak paths well enough?”
“I think so. If you want to leave now, we can reach the nearest trailhead just after sunset.”
“You can leave just like that?” Ishtvan checked.
“The innkeeper and I have an understanding,” Keld told him. “Now, let’s get ready.”