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  Antello reappeared at the head of the little column and announced that he had found shelter for the night, and led the party to a small cave not far off the trail. The cave entrance was small, forcing the students to crawl in and necessitated leaving the horses tied up outside. There was barely enough room for the four of them and their packs and the small enclosure certainly ruled out a fire for the night, though they did light a torch for illumination. While everyone was getting settled, Syman went out to tend to the horses, but he returned after only a few minutes when the sky opened up and sent torrents of rain tumbling down.

  “Looks like we made it just in time,” Syman announced as he shook the water from his hair. “We won’t have to worry about being tracked, but I do not feel good being so close to the trail and the horses being left outside. I think we should leave as early as we can and put some more distance between us and the Academy.”

  “Sounds like a good idea to me,” Lyra added as she passed out bread and cheese to everyone.

  “I don’t understand why we are running away,” mused Walak. “I mean they got what they came to the Academy for, didn’t they?”

  “Only half of it,” stated Antello realizing the Walak had not heard the conversation near the drawbridge. “They are searching for Lyra now because…”

  “Enough talk of such dreary things,” interjected Lyra. Lyra wasn’t entirely sure why, but she didn’t trust Walak very much. It was not as if he had ever done anything to her or anyone had complained about his dishonesty. It was just a nagging feeling in the back of her mind and she decided to learn more about him before anything more was revealed. His father was very wealthy and he did manage to miss the massacre this morning. Could his father be the wealthy person looking for a mage? “Perhaps we can talk about something more pleasant. Why are you studying magic, Walak? Was coming to the Academy your choice or did your father choose your vocation?”

  Antello stared at Lyra in puzzlement, while Syman smiled thinly. Walak sat looking from one to the other and shook his head in confusion. Not fully understanding what was happening, Walak finally shrugged and look down at the cavern floor.

  “It was my father’s choice,” Walak finally admitted. “I guess he wanted the prestige of a son attending the Academy. He was coming today because Master Malafar sent him a note regarding my progress, which I fear was not very congratulatory. I think the magic lessons are a waste of time. I mean, Master Malafar doesn’t even teach any of the exciting spells and what he does teach is hardly worth learning. I would much rather tend to my father’s estates and let my brother try magic lessons. He doesn’t have a clue as to how to maximize the income of an estate. His only qualification is that he is older than me.”

  Lyra forced a smile at Walak. “Perhaps you will get that chance now. The Academy is finished. Maybe your father will relent and let you do what it is you can do best. I could not even begin to imagine how I would manage an estate. What would you do differently than your brother?”

  Antello curled up near the wall, pulling a blanket over himself, clearly disinterested in the conversation. Syman sat pawing through his sack for dry clothes, but Lyra could tell that he was following the conversation closely without appearing to.

  Walak brightened at Lyra’s question as if nobody had ever asked for his opinion before. “That’s easy,” he remarked. “My brother is too lax with the gentry for one. Often he has been known to let a payment slide because the borrower complained of problems. He has turned a blind eye to our contracts when a farmer’s yield is not sufficient or when a supplier has failed to deliver the appropriate goods on time. It may not sound like much, but when you add all of these errors up, it comes to a very tidy sum. He also doesn’t know how to negotiate an agreement. There are many vendors vying to contract with my family and he does not appreciate the bargaining position that puts us in. He insists that a contract is only good when both parties are pleased with it, but the fact is, that when you push far enough that the other party balks, that is when you maximize your profits. The point is, my brother just doesn’t know the value of a coin, and I do.”

  “Hard to understand with your skills in managing, why your father packed you off to the Academy,” Lyra interrogated. “Does he know magic? Maybe he wanted you to follow in his footsteps?”

  “Hardly,” Walak laughed. “My father couldn’t perform even the easiest spell. He has always relied on hiring mages when he needed one. No, I think my father sent me to the Academy because he would then have a free mage at his disposal. I think my brother may have had something to do with it as well. He knows that I am a threat to him and I spot his management mistakes easily. It would be better for him if I were sent away somewhere. I guess he will be disturbed to have me home again, if I ever get there alive that is. Why are you going to Alamar and why are the raiders looking for you?”

  “You two will have plenty of time to talk tomorrow,” interrupted Syman. “We need to get an early start and some sleep will be good for all of us. We are not free of the raiders yet and until we are, we must travel long and swiftly.”

  Lyra quickly agreed and stretched out as far from the entrance as she could. She pretended to fall asleep quickly, but her mind was troubled for a long time before she finally drifted off.

  Chapter 4

  Gatong

  “Wake up,” Antello whispered and upon seeing Lyra open her eyes, moved off to wake Walak. Syman was already stirring and Lyra rose quietly and gathered her belongings.

  “A band of raiders rode by here a few moments ago,” Antello softly explained. “If we were awake, I think we could have taken them. No more than six of them.”

  “Antello,” Syman growled, “we don’t want to attack anyone, even if we can take them. What we want to do is quietly disappear. Which direction were they heading?”

  “South, like us,” Antello replied sullenly. “They were not moving fast, so maybe we should wait a while before moving out.”

  Syman stuck his head out the cave entrance and peered at the sky and the ground. “It hasn’t rained for some time and doesn’t look like it will today,” he announced. I would like to make it to the city of Gatong today if we can, but I do not want to catch up to the raiders. Does anyone know the trails in this part of the forest? Perhaps there is another trail we can take, one that is less used.”

  Everyone looked sheepish and shook their heads, but it was Lyra who spoke. I have never been farther than Tala, which is the village we visited last night. I know the main trail goes to Gatong, as does the road, but I have no knowledge of the other trails. I do know a bit about the geography though. The Altha River flows into Gatong and should be to our east. Maybe we should cross the road and try to find it. We could follow the bank into the city.”

  “I have to believe that the road would be closely watched,” frowned Syman. “Even just crossing it would be a risk and we would not make Gatong before nightfall if it is any appreciable distance to the east. I would rather risk an unknown trail as long as it heads in the right direction.”

  “But we might find the Imperial Guard on the road,” argued Walak. “Once we find them we will be safe.”

  “The Imperial Guard has barracks in Gatong,” interjected Antello. “We can tell them about the attack when we get there. I think Syman is right. I will scout for another trail while the rest of you travel slowly down the main trail. You won’t catch up to them unless they stop, but be alert in case they turn around.”

  When Syman nodded at the plan, Antello mounted his horse and rode off into the forest. Walak was torn between wanting to stay in the cave until the raiders went home and getting to Gatong so he tell the Imperial Guard about the attack. During his hesitation, Syman and Lyra mounted and set off down the trail. Walak hurried to catch up to them before they left him behind.

  They rode slowly for over an hour with Syman in the lead before Antello returned and indicated that he had found another trail. The group left the main trail and followed Antello. Their cross-country jo
urney was easy at first, but soon they were riding through scratchy bushes with thorns and barbs. The barbs reached out to snare their clothes and scratch their arms, but it was the noise of the journey that bothered them the most. If anyone were listening, the sounds of their journey would certainly be heard. Finally, they broke free of the bushes and found a narrow trail. Antello halted as he reached the trail and listened intently for any sounds that didn’t belong. Only the morning chirping of birds and the gurgle of a distant waterfall disturbed the woodlands and Antello led the small group southward in single file.

  It was impossible to talk while riding single file and still remain quiet, so everyone was left to their own thoughts for the remainder of the morning. Lyra had a lot of questions without answers and thinking of them only frustrated her. Instead, she let her mind drift back to her magic lessons and started looking at what she had been taught in a different light. She had always hated the lessons because she saw no reason for the magic. Walak was right about one thing; the lessons were boring and useless. Still, she had never thought of being in her present position and now she started seeing uses for some of the spells that she thought were useless, like starting a fire without a tinderbox. That lesson had seemed pointless while living in a castle where the corridors were lined with burning torches.

  She started looking at each spell in a new light. Fetching a small object could become handy if they were hiding and couldn’t move. Making a noise emanate from a distance could be a good distraction and sending a scent upon the wind could be used to lead tracking dogs astray. Smiling to herself, she began to find dozens of uses for the spells she had learned. Mentally, she cataloged each spell and thought of ways they could be utilized. Still she wished she had learned some offensive magic and her hand instinctively patted her saddle sack as she thought of the books she would read as soon as she got the chance.

  Near high sun, Antello called a halt and they ate a small meal of dried meat and bread. No one spoke during the brief respite and soon they were back on the trail. An hour later, Antello slowed as the narrow trail rejoined the main trail. There were no recent tracks visible, which led Antello to believe that the raiders had not come this far and they proceeded down the main trail.

  The afternoon’s travel was uneventful and as the sun approached a hand’s width from the horizon, the city of Gatong appeared through the trees. The area between the students and the city was all cultivated so the trail turned sharply at the edge of the forest and ran directly east towards the road. Antello stopped and Syman drew abreast of him as they scanned the open area together.

  “I don’t see anyone who looks like a raider, but I am not fond of proceeding in the open,” Syman summarized. “Perhaps we are better off to spend the evening here and approach the city in darkness.”

  “You can’t be serious,” cried Walak. “We spent all day riding in silence for fear of being discovered and right down there is the Imperial Guard. All we have to do is make a run for it. If anyone is watching for us, we will be inside the city before they know what is going on.”

  “Let’s compromise,” offered Lyra. “Antello and Walak can ride in now and alert the Imperial Guard. Syman and I will follow as soon as we see you enter the city safely and try to book passage on a boat.”

  “Don’t book any boat passage for me,” objected Walak. “I have no desire to go to Alamar. I am reporting the attack and asking for an escort home. You three can go off fighting raiders by yourself. I want no part of it. It was your father’s fault that the Academy was attacked in the first place. You will be lucky if you aren’t jailed for failing to report the attack.”

  With the last words of Walak’s tirade, he charged down the trail towards the road and Syman nodded to Antello to follow him. “You don’t trust him either, do you?” Syman asked Lyra when they were alone.

  “It is not that I distrust him,” Lyra replied after some hesitation, “it is just that I do not trust him. I wonder if his father might be behind the attack on the Academy.”

  “And you do not find it strange that he was the only person from inside the castle who escaped unharmed?” Syman asked.

  Lyra cocked her head and sent Syman a puzzling glance. “So that is why you were so interested in our conversation last night. I just assumed that his story was true. Walak has always been a cowardly obnoxious brat and I could picture him hiding in a closet so I gave it no thought.”

  “He certainly has no love for Master Malafar or the Academy,” added Syman. “I don’t know what to think. I only urge caution in what we let him know.”

  “Thanks for stopping the conversation last night,” nodded Lyra. “I wasn’t sure how to get out of telling him more, but I share your caution. Still, Walak does not have the courage to have remained at the Academy if he knew there was going to be an attack. He could not have had any advance notice of the attack, but that does not mean that his father didn’t order it. I am probably fishing in a wash tub, but his father is something I want to check out.”

  “Well at least we shall be free of him now,” reflected Syman. “He just entered the city with Antello not far behind. Nobody gave them more than a cursory glance so I think we are safe to enter. Let’s ride casually and make a run for it only if we are threatened. No sense in giving people a memory of our passing.”

  Lyra nodded in agreement as they started down the trail towards the road. The sun was just starting to set as they gained the road and traffic was almost nonexistent. Lyra let her eyes wander to the farms lining the road, their uniform rows of tilled earth reflecting a warm glow in the light of the setting sun. Half height painted fences lined the road with a scattering of gates for the access trails leading to the farmhouses. It was a pleasant view and prettier than Tala’s scattered farms. The walls to the city rose up before them and Lyra felt excitement run through her. She had only been to Gatong once before and that was so long ago that she had all but forgotten those childhood memories. She tried to anticipate what the hustle of city life must be like with people running every which way on shopping sprees or errands of some sort.

  The city gate was clearly visible now and Lyra could pick out the shining white uniforms of the Imperial Guard manning the entrance. Beyond them she could see fine carriages on the road and a long line of storefronts with gaily-painted signs. As they got up to the gate, she saw Antello standing beyond the Imperial Guards and he was making some strange gestures. Syman halted and grabbed the reins to Lyra’s horse just before they passed through the gate.

  “Darling,” Syman cooed, “maybe we should inquire about work with the farms out here before we try to get a job in the city. I am pretty handy with a plow and it looks like they might need help.”

  Lyra stared at Syman, but watched the Imperial Guards who were only several feet away. “Whatever you wish husband. I think living on a farm again would be good. Which one should we inquire of first?”

  Syman mumbled an unintelligible reply as he turned, leading Lyra’s horse with him, and headed back up the road. He slowly and calmly passed two or three gates before selecting one to open. They traveled up the trail to the farmhouse and Syman dismounted and walked up to the farmhouse door. Lyra stole a glance back towards the city and saw nothing unusual. Lyra sat upon her horse as the sky darkened and Syman talked to an old weathered farmer in a jovial manner as if there was no urgency in his unusual behavior. Lyra wanted to scream at Syman to tell her what was going on, but she forced herself to sit calmly as the old farmer kept glancing over towards her and smiling.

  Eventually the farmer retreated indoors and Syman came back and helped her dismount. “We are going for a little walk my dear,” he grinned. Leading their horses eastward pass the farmhouse, Syman whistled an old sailor tune and walked with a swagger. Lyra’s curiosity boiled within her as she walked alongside the whistling cadet, but again she held her loving façade. Syman led them along a narrow path that ran between two fields and eventually they halted at another gate. Syman opened the gate and kept on going
until they had entered the forest beyond.

  “Okay,” Lyra huffed, “what exactly is going on?”

  “Sorry, Lyra,” smiled Syman. “I am not sure what is the matter, but Antello signaled not to enter the city. He was concerned about the Imperial Guards, but for the life of me, I cannot understand why.”

  “How do you know all this?” questioned Lyra. “And what was all that with the old farmer?”

  “Antello and I have a system of signals,” explained Syman. “We developed them to avoid getting caught at the Academy. It is nothing fancy, but he signaled that we need to circle around the city and, as Gatong is a seaport, the only way we can do that is to the east. The little speech I gave at the gate was to make a story up which the guards would believe. I think they would be interested in people who turned around after seeing their uniforms guarding the gate. I chose the farm that was best tended to inquire of work, knowing we would be turned down.”

  “Okay,” conceded Lyra with a warm appraisal of Syman’s cleverness. “So you asked for work at the least likely place to want workers, but what did you discuss with the farmer for so long?”

  “I told him that I was a sailor and newly married,” chuckled Syman, “just in case he actually needed help. When he politely declined my offer to work for him, I confided that your father did not approve of me and that he did not know of our wedding. I asked if there was somewhere that we might spend our honeymoon night without entering the city, for I feared that your father might come looking for us. I must have struck an old memory in him as he offered us a room for the night. I politely refused and inquired if there might be an old hunter’s cabin in the woods nearby. As I guessed, he confirmed that there were several and told me where I might find one. I asked permission to traverse his property and he gave it gladly and here we are.”