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DUGGAN WAS GETTING closer to his prey. He could feel it.
Unfortunately for him, the Alaith wore the Cloak of Light, which hid her from his sight. He had tried every method of scrying he knew, but whenever he looked for her, the cursed light blinded him to any landmarks or terrain that might have given away her position. The best he could do was guess her destination as quickly as possible. He had been to the palace of Nomar, had wasted three days lurking in the shadows, watching, but she was not there. Nor was she at the Shrine of Light - though he had not ventured too near it out of fear.
Duggan had to find the healer before his master became impatient. He shuddered at the thought, remembering the last time and knowing he had been let off easy. He set his shoulders in grim determination. He would not let her escape again.
When he had first seen the girl, he had been nearly certain that she was the one they were seeking. The other healers were too old and when he discovered she was an orphan, he knew it couldn’t be coincidence. He had followed her, watching closely until the opportunity had presented itself that day by the king's lake in Nomar. How fortunate that she had been standing so near the unsuspecting woodsmen, close enough to hear his cry of pain when Duggan sent the arrow whizzing across the lake into the man's side. He had been delighted to see his theory proven true as she instinctively healed the injured man there on the grassy banks. Even now, he grinned at his cleverness.
Unfortunately, their last encounter had not been so successful. He had expected her to run from him, as most young women would, but instead she had raced to defend the young prince. The plan had been to separate her from the prince and his men, and take her to his master in the mountains. Her bravery was something he would have to account for in the future, but bravery wasn't enough to keep him from his plans. It was something else that made him fear his master's wrath: Loian.
He had been surprised by the protective power Loian had over her the day they met by the pools. That surprise had nearly cost him everything. He would be careful not to underestimate Loian again. Certainly, Duggan would be able to catch up with her now and keep her from destroying all his master’s plans.
Duggan stood in the middle of a road, contemplating where she could possibly be headed. Staring at the sign, he realized his answer stood right in front of him. The sign had four arrows, one pointing southward read Palace of Nomar, another below it pointed the same direction with the word Keelan printed neatly on its wooden surface. Of the two pointing north, the first said Strafeloch and the second gave him his answer: The Borderlands. How had he not guessed it before? Of course she would seek refuge at the Mountain of Light. He grinned and rubbed his hands together, delighted. She could not be on the mountain yet—it was a week’s travel from the palace. He just needed to get to her before the prince interfered again. Hopefully the silly fool had not already found the girl himself. He smiled knowing that wouldn’t be a problem. If the prince did have the healer with him, Duggan could easily take her from him and his master would be all the more pleased.
His cloak—the Cloak of Shadows— allowed him to traverse great distances without a step. The shadows welcomed him, anywhere in the world. Taking his cape, he turned into it and whispered, "Take me to Prince Justan."
Descending into darkness, the cold pulled at him and all the air seemed to be sucked from his chest. At last, he was released into the twilight again, only now he stood in a field of tall grasses. A road stretched ahead of him and just beyond, the prince camped beside a large fire with a small contingency of soldiers.
Duggan grinned and stepped back into the trees that stood at the edge of the field. Watching the soldiers as they ate and drank, he decided on his plan of attack. He called his army from the shadows, gathering them for battle.
The valiant prince would trouble Duggan no more.
****
JUSTAN SAT IN THE FIRELIGHT, listening. His men laughed and shared coarse jokes, but he wasn’t paying attention to them. Something dangerous lurked in the darkness beyond their camp, and it watched them intently. He was certain of it. His heart raced, though he could find no sign of a threat for all his searching. Finally, unable to shake the feeling, he casually strode up to Caide and, with a broad smile on his face, whispered to him his suspicions.
"Let's not let them know we are aware, Caide, but prepare everyone for a fight. We’ll go about it the way we discussed. They have darkness, we’ll use light."
Caide nodded and clapped him on the shoulder as if they had just shared a private joke. Without a pause, he wandered over to a group of his men and shared the joke with them while the prince went to find himself a mug of ale. He brought the drink back to the fire and sat again in his seat as though nothing had occurred.
Toying with a long stick, Justan thought again about Merrilyn and hoped she was safe. He would not let her be taken as his brother had. If the wizard was near, he was ready this time.
As if in answer to the thought, the darkness seemed to thicken in the field before them. He dipped the long stick into the flames. The end of the stick caught fire and as it blazed, he stood up and threw it as hard as he could into the field. Just as he had hoped, the darkness split where the fire landed. An inhuman cry shattered the night. His men echoed with a battle cry.
Instead of fighting with swords and spears as they had before, they fought now with fire and light. The archers among Justan’s men stood at the campfire reloading flaming arrows again and again before shooting them deep into the darkness. The soldiers, meanwhile, dipped their swords in oil and set them ablaze before they rushed into the field to meet the enemy.
The shadowmen's cries filled the night, and Justan knew his tactics were dead-on. Now, he knew their weakness. Taking his makeshift torch, he stepped to the edge of the camp and searched for the wizard. Within moments, the man stood before him, his cloak billowing behind him as the wizard drew himself up before his enemy.
"You will wish you had not tangled with the kingdom of Nomar!" Justan shouted,
Justan threw the torch at the man. To his disappointment, the wizard raised his hand and swallowed the flame into his palm, leaving the stick to fall harmlessly to the ground. Duggan laughed.
Frustration surged through Justan’s veins, throbbing in his ears and pounding within his chest. With a yell he rushed forward, thrusting his sword viciously toward the wizard, sure of his mark. The sound of laughter rang painfully in his ears as the dark wizard turned into his cloak and...vanished. Justan's sword fell to the ground with a discordant clang, and all was silent.
Looking about him, Justan saw that the shadowmen had disappeared as well. His men cheered loudly as they realized their victory. Justan wandered back toward the campfire, relieved to see that they had all survived the attack, despite a few injuries. Clapping his men on the back, he thanked them for their bravery.
He was grateful to have realized the enemy's weakness before the battle. All his thoughts during that long ride home had been on Merrilyn, their enemy, and the battle that nearly cost her life. He had puzzled on the shadowmen and on the cloaked wizard. Who were they and where did they come from? What did they seek? He knew they were after Merrilyn, but why?
He still had no answers for these questions, but he was certain now that their common darkness was not unintentional. He could see that fire and light were his only allies against the wizard, and now he feared more than ever for Merrilyn. If only he could reach her in time, perhaps he could warn her of the dangers that pursued her—and keep her from them.
Now, he stood at the campfire and addressed his men. "Tonight, you have made me proud. You fought darkness and won. Now, I urge you to consider the Alaith and our brother, Aiden. They do not know this evil pursues them, hunting them like prey across the great land of Nomar. We must reach them before the enemy can destroy them. It is our duty to protect our own. Do you agree?"
"Agreed!" they shouted.
"Then, let us ride to their defense!"
The men worked quickly, packing their gear and readying their horses. Then, they took off into the night and rode past dawn in the hopes of reaching the mountains before the wizard and his army of shadowmen.
Justan was determined not to leave Merrilyn unprotected again. He could hardly go a minute without thinking of her now. Consumed with the fear that he would be too late to help her, he was desperate at the powerlessness he felt. This drove him on, ever faster, riding harder and harder until at last his men insisted they stop for water.
As soon as Justan’s men were resupplied, they continued on. He was fairly sure they weren't more than a day's ride from the border. This would make him feel better if only he knew how the wizard was traveling. He had not seen a horse or any other form of transport at any of their encounters. He must have had a means of moving himself from one place to another without the usual methods his men used. Justan couldn't be sure the wizard wasn't already ahead of them somehow. The more he pondered this mystery, the more his worry turned to anger.
How could Merrilyn have been so foolish? Why would she go running off on some quest on the orders of some "god" she worshiped? It made no sense. How would that work, anyway? How did she get instructions from an invisible being, and even then, how did she know she should trust them? Furthermore, what made her think it was a good idea to go running around the country after having a serious injury?
As far as he was concerned, Merrilyn was acting as though she were crazy. He was more and more certain that once they found her, he would have to see to it that she got the absolute best care possible. He only hoped she could regain some of her former self with a little rest and healing back at the palace of Nomar. Otherwise, he would have to explain somehow to the people that the only Alaith Nomar had seen in these many years turned out to be slightly insane.
This thought made him frown. Guilt filled his heart. He shook his head, trying to clear it of his anger. No, he surely didn't believe Merrilyn was losing her sanity, but he was certain she was confused at the very least. He hoped he could convince her to come home. He wasn’t sure what he would do if she refused, but he was determined not to leave Merrilyn’s side once he found her. It was his job to get her back home safely. Until then, nothing else mattered.
They reached the border by late afternoon. There was a commotion ahead as his men were spotted on the road by the Norwulf guard. When they reached the gates, the guardsmen blew trumpets to announce the presence of royalty in the village. This caused Justan to grind his teeth in annoyance. He had hoped to find Merrilyn quietly, without the pressure to perform his royal duties in each village they entered. He was not interested in being served the best food or staying in the inn, but only wanted to ride on through to the mountains on the other side.
His men had other plans.
"Your Highness, I know that we must make haste," Caide said quietly at his side, "but the men are famished and greatly fatigued after riding for two straight days. Please, sire, let us rest here for the night and gather information about the Borderlands before we travel onward."
Justan considered this for a silent moment before sighing. "I suppose you are right, Caide. We will stop here for the night. Besides"—he gazed up at the darkening mountains—"the wizard would have the upper hand at night."
Caide asked the guards by the city gate for directions to the inn. They rode straight to its doorstep, where they were greeted by a small group of villagers who stood just outside. The innkeeper appeared in the doorway, shoving men out of his way to smile up at the prince before bowing low with a dramatic sweep of his hands.
“Welcome, Your Highness! We are so very honored to have you visit our humble village.”
“The prince is on urgent business and we will only be staying a short while,” said Caide.
“Yes, of course, we are honored to serve you in any way we can, your majesty. Won’t you please come in and allow us to refresh you after a long day of travel?”
“Do you have rooms for us, innkeeper?”
“Yes, of course, we can always accommodate guests from the palace. Please come with me. Your horses will be well tended in our stables.” He gestured to a few of the men standing nearby and they rushed forward to take the reins while the soldiers dismounted. Justan sighed and joined them, handing his reins to a young boy who stared at him wide-eyed.
The innkeeper ushered them into the taproom, grinning widely as he shouted orders to his staff, fully aware of the stir this caused among the other guests.
“Ready the best rooms, Margretta! We have distinguished guests from Nomar. Brentley, ask Cook to rearrange tonight’s menu. We have guests from the palace.”
Justan rolled his eyes and crossed his arms with an irritated sigh. Tapping his foot with impatience, he glanced around the room. Men who had been outside were now crowding into the room, slinking into chairs or leaning against the walls to whisper to one another as they stared at the prince and his men. The inn was much larger than the one in Strafeloch, but not nearly so nice. It seemed shabbier as did the residents and he wondered if perhaps life on the border was not as comfortable as it was in other parts of the country.
The innkeeper led Justan and Caide through the main dining hall and into a back room, where Justan’s men could have more privacy. There was a separate fireplace here that was already lit and a dining table large enough to seat him and all his men. There were also several cushioned armchairs seated around small game tables. He looked around, nodding his approval.
"I'm glad you convinced me to stay, Caide," he admitted.
Caide smiled. "Glad to be of service, sire."
"If only we had found Merrilyn here, all would be well indeed."
Justan took a seat and stared into the fire, fear taking the place of his other companions.