| |
The next two days slipped by easily as the new pair made their way down the road towards the western horizon. The days were warm and the clouds moved out, taking any threat of rain along with them. They had seen no other travelers as they walked, keeping mostly to the center of the road except at night where they found shelter in the trees and lit a small fire thanks to Lex’s tinderbox. Dusk was overjoyed to have the addition of the fire and welcomed it wholeheartedly. He worried the first night that it would give away their location, but soon relaxed as the warmth spread across him, sending him into a restful sleep.
The nights were quiet and neither of them felt the need to keep watch around the small fire. Even though the bandits were a worry, they took care each night to find a well hidden spot to bed down. Dusk had awoken a few times to the sounds of snapping twigs and cries in the night, but wrote them off as wild animals. Juniper’s warning still floated in the back of his mind, but he found it had less power when his eyelids were so heavy after a long day of travel. Lex hadn’t mentioned anything about creatures prowling the world, so maybe the rumors were only rumors after all. Still, there were moments when Dusk felt like he was being watched, especially when he faced the fire and had his back to the darkness, but he assumed it was only nerves. He wasn’t used to sleeping in the open.
By the end of the third day Lex had burned through as many conversation topics as he could muster. He’d talked about trading, the economy, plays he’d seen, brothels, wine, horses, swordplay, and many others. Each time his family came up he stopped immediately, dropping into a silence for a few moments before coming up with something new to talk about. Dusk tried to pretend he was listening, but Lex spoke too fast about things Dusk knew nothing about. He was lost in a whirlwind of facts with no frame of reference. He thought Lex might never run out of subjects, but eventually he began to slow down and allow a peaceful silence to hover between them.
The sun was sinking low in the sky, just resting on the edge of the horizon when they saw the spires. Off in the forest, a ways from the road, there was a set of towers that looked like they were covered in a dark green ivy. One looked as if the top section had collapsed long ago and fallen to the forest floor below. They both stopped for a moment and stared at the pinnacles rising above the trees.
“If I remember my geography correctly,” Lex started, pointing a finger towards the towers, “Those must be the ruins of Alamond.”
“Alamond?” Dusk repeated.
“Yes, it was once a great city, they say the two towers were once sparkling white and shone in the sun like beacons that could be seen for miles. But it was attacked and destroyed over a thousand years ago.”
“By who?”
“Not who, what. The history books say it was a dragon. A white one to be specific, but I’m not sure if I believe such tales.”
“A white dragon?” Dusk thought of the skeleton he’d seen in the cavern and the crystal that still felt warm in his chest pocket, tingling through the fabric. For a moment he considered telling Lex about it, but then decided against it. “Tell me the story.”
Lex smiled and began, “Well it’s a really simple story actually. Alamond was the capital of the surrounding country before Ditania was founded. It was the center of all government and ruled by a group of three kings, although the books don’t mention their names. Everyone who lived in the city prospered and there are even rumors that they had created flying machines, which were housed inside the towers.”
Dusk raised his eyebrows high, “Is such a thing possible?”
“I have no idea, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned about history, it’s that it gets embellished with time,” Lex laughed. “But anyway, you know how these fairy tales go. Everyone was perfectly content until one day there was an attack made on the city. It had been a hard year and many were left wanting for food. Those too poor to live within the city walls banded together and attempted to ransack a small granary to get them through the oncoming winter. They were no more than a group of starving farmers with farming tools.
“When the kings convened to decide how to respond, two of them wanted to find the outcasts and bring them into the city, giving them places to live and food to eat even though their own people were on hard times. The third king however,” Lex held up a finger and quirked an eyebrow, “wanted to make an example of them and kill them, teaching all who lived in the kingdom the lesson that Alamond was not to be toyed with. There was much debate and in the end the other two kings outvoted the third and put together a band of soldiers to go fetch the farmers the following day.
“But in the night the third king roused his dedicated followers and sent them into the darkness.” Lex hissed quietly. “When the city soldiers found the outcasts the next day, they all lay slaughtered in a field, their blood leaching into the soil and fertilizing the dying crops. It didn’t take the kings long to figure out who had ordered the attack, but before they could arrest the third king and imprison him, he fled, taking his followers with them.
“Soon all of Alamond fell into chaos,” Lex gestured his hands about dramatically. “The two remaining kings were at odds and the third, knowing the secrets of the entire city, made multiple ruthless attacks and poisoned the water. Eventually he made it back to the palace himself and killed the other two kings, naming himself as the one and true ruler of Alamond and all the country it governed. But it wasn’t meant to be.
“At the ceremony the next day, just before the crown was placed on his head, the defeated crowd heard a terrifying roar and from between the clouds a monstrous white dragon erupted, breathing fire down at the palace. It terrorized the city, killing many and destroying one of the towers,” Lex gestured to the broken tower in the distance. “Some say the dragon came to kill the false king, others claim it was just a monster that happened there by coincidence. If you ask me, I think the people rose up against the monarch and destroyed the city themselves. But one fact is made abundantly clear, the king survived and took all three crowns with him to prove his claim. However, they’ve never been seen again.”
Dusk was silent. He’d never heard such a story before and he was in awe of the performance Lex had delivered. He had so many questions, but he wasn’t sure where to start.
“Not a bad story, but it seems more like a fairy tale than real history,” Lex continued, shrugging. “There’s always a lesson with fairy tales and this one is no exception. Be good or bad things will happen. Pretty run of the mill honestly.” He laughed for a moment and added, “There was even some ridiculous notion that magic existed there, but that’s a big fairy tale, even for me.” Lex glanced at the horizon and the last bit of the sun sank below it. “We’d better find a place to camp for the night.”
“Yes si–ahem,” Dusk cleared his throat and corrected. “Good idea.”
Pushing his questions aside about the dragons, he and Lex made their way to the same side of the road as the distant towers. They passed into the trees in search of a sheltered spot to spend the night and it didn’t take long for them to find the perfect spot. Three massive oaks spread their roots across the forest floor, creating a makeshift ring. They built a small fire in the center, taking out the last bit of food that Dusk had left. The cheese and the bread were both stale, but still edible. The rest of the supplies had long since been eaten.
“I heard there was a town still living in the shadow of Alamond,” Lex said as he chewed through the crunchy bread. “We should be able to make it there tomorrow or the day after without any issues.”
Dusk nodded and continued chewing. Even stale and crumbly, it still tasted wonderful.
The night drew around them, wrapping them in darkness like a thick velvet. The sky above was partially filled by Gartha and there was no sign of the smaller moon. Stars shone brightly as Dusk laid back against the thick tree roots, wrapping the cloak around himself. The night air was already cold and he swore he could smell the frost. Out in the distance a few twigs snapped and animals started on their nightly sounds. Glancing over the fire he saw Lex still sitting up, holding his hands out to the flames. He had a thin blanket wrapped around his shoulders, one that Juniper had packed. Dusk had given it to him the first night when he nearly set himself on fire by sleeping too close to it.
Dusk watched as the light of the flames danced across the man’s features, highlighting his hard jawline and the soft blue eyes. Most of the mud was gone from his hair by this point, although it was still stained dark, but in the light of the fire it looked natural. Lex’s eyes flicked up and caught Dusk’s.
“I’m curious...” Lex began. “What was it like being a slave?”
Dusk was silent for a long while as memories flashed through his head. Images of pain, hard labor, and never ending night. He screwed his eyes shut, trying to block them out. When he opened them again he saw a concerned look on Lex’s face.
“Sorry... forget I asked.”
Dusk opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it. Instead he rolled over, turning his back to the fire and Lex on the other side.
“Goodnight,” Lex whispered from behind him.
***
Dusk was roused from his sleep by something striking the back of his head hard. He turned over without thinking, raising his hands to shield himself from the blows that were inevitably coming. This wasn’t the first time the soldiers had roused him from sleep in this way. But then he realized his hands and feet were free. Another object struck his shoulder and he opened his eyes only to see darkness and the dim glow of dying embers in the fire.
The stars were bright overhead and Gartha had moved fractionally across the sky, but still emitted a dull light that lit the woods. Dusk looked about, searching for the source of the disturbance. He saw Lex a few feet away begin to stir underneath the blanket before a stone struck him in the chest. Lex yowled like a kicked dog and threw the blanket off him, scrambling to his feet. He spotted Dusk and ran over, crouching behind him for cover.
“What is it?” he whispered hurriedly into Dusk’s ear. “Bandits? Thieves? Thugs? Ruffians? Monsters?”
“Shh!” was all Dusk said in return.
Out in the dark forest a sudden boom echoed, like a large branch being struck against a tree trunk. It sounded deep and hollow as it echoed across the ground, repeating over and over again. Lex ground his feet into the soil nervously, looking out into the dark. Dusk had his hand clenched around the satchel at his feet, ready to spring at any moment. Then all the noise stopped. The woods were silent. Not even a bug dared to chirp in the silence that pressed around them, seeming to squeeze the very breath from their lungs.
A scream sounded in the distance suddenly, like a great bird had been caught by surprise and struck dead. Without a second thought Dusk jammed his heels into the ground and took off in a random direction, leaping over the great tree roots and out of the protected circle.
“Wait!” a voice behind him shouted, but he didn’t stop.
Dusk sprinted through the woods, diving under branches and kicking up leaves in his wake. He could hear something behind him, boots pounding against the forest floor. Blood rushed to his ears and the muscles in his legs burned. He needed to get away. He couldn’t be caught and taken back to that place ever again. His heart pounded and he knew he’d rather die than be dragged back alive. Glancing back only for a moment he saw a dark shape coming after him and he put on a burst of speed. The man was yelling at him, but he couldn’t make out the words. He knew it was a soldier coming to take him back.
For a moment he thought he’d outrun whoever it was, but within a few moments he heard them gaining. As a last ditch attempt to throw them off, Dusk dug his left foot into the soil and turned right only to immediately catch his toe on a root and send himself sprawling to the ground. He hit the earth like a bag of rocks, bouncing and forcing all the air out of his lungs. Everything hurt, but he dug his fingers into the soil, trying to push himself forward and regain his feet.
“Dusk! Stop!” a familiar voice called, skidding to a halt next to him.
Dusk looked up to see Lex crouching down next to him, grabbing him by the arm.
“Get off me!” Dusk growled in a deep voice.
“What’s wrong with y—”
“They’re after me!” Dusk continued. “I should’ve known they’d find me!”
“Who’s after you?”
“The foreman! Maxon! He’s come to take me back to the mines or put me on the post to strip the flesh off my body before he finally kills me! I’m not going to go quietly. Not again.” Dusk stood up and began to make his way forward. He didn’t care which direction it was as long as it led him away from his pursuers. “I won’t go back there. I won’t.” Dusk continued to repeat himself as he stepped over a small stone wall.
“Dusk. Don’t go that way. The road is the other direction.”
“The road is dangerous, we have to stay away from it. Juniper said to stay away.”
“Dusk,” Lex jogged up beside him, hopping a second stone wall and grabbing his arm. “Please, see some reason.”
“Why the fuck do you care?” Dusk shouted at him, ripping his arm away. He lurched forward and shoved the man to the ground. “Go back to your cushy life of swordplay and brothels. You don’t know anything.”
Lex scrambled to his feet as Dusk turned away, but before he took another step he felt a pair of hands in the center of his back. The force sent him tumbling into a stone wall covered in ivy, his hands splayed out to catch himself.
“You don’t know anything about me,” Lex cried. “You haven’t heard a word I said since I met you. I should have left you after you cut me loose in the road.”
“Then stop following me like a lovesick dog and go aw—”
Dusk was cut off as a fist slammed across his jaw, causing his teeth to crunch together painfully. He tasted blood and fell back against the wall. Before he could react Lex was on him again, swinging wildly at anything he could gain purchase on. Dusk held up his arms to shield his face and kicked out with his left leg, knocking Lex to the ground as it swept the foot out from under him.
Lex pushed himself up, dirt and leaves clung to his face and hair. He crawled forward and just as he reached Dusk the ground shifted underneath them both. They paused for barely a moment and looked at one another before the earth gave way and they fell into darkness.