Dark Road

Yelo rode ahead. She simply could not stand any more of her companions. Against her advice, Heiwa had insisted they take horses. Now they were forced to stay on the main roads. This made them easier to spot, but the general felt they had nothing to fear this far east. Yelo’s assurances both trilljas and mancor were already here were dismissed. And it was not only Lokastron’s henchmen who were to be feared. Slave traders and bandits were also roaming everywhere. If it had been up to her, they would have set out on foot and moved through the woods off the roads. The fewer people who noticed them, the better. But of course, neither Heiwa nor the princess had any intention of making the long journey on foot.

Yelo wondered once and again what the three of them thought they were doing here. On an excursion or a leisure trip? It was dangerous to travel in these times. Yelo cursed Heiwa’s stubbornness and arrogance, which prevented them from moving more slowly, but more safely and unnoticed.

Heiwa had made it clear to her right at the beginning he would take the lead at this endeavor. She had to keep her mouth shut and follow. However, his abilities were limited to the royal court and Yelo quickly realized she had to do something to avoid unpleasant surprises. So far everything had gone well, but Yelo suspected her luck would not last.

That’s why she had gotten into the habit of riding a good distance ahead of the others. On the one hand, she could search the streets for suspects, and on the other hand, she escaped Heiwa’s never-ending stream of words. He entertained the princess and Nepet at a volume as if he were at a royal banquet and not on a rescue mission in the wilderness.

It was hardly bearable! Again, she shook her head. Unbelievable! Yelo was sure, alone in the wilderness, without provisions and horse, none of the three would survive even one day. Oh Goddess, why couldn’t she travel alone?

“Hey there!”

Heiwa’s call resounded from behind. Yelo reined in her horse and turned.

Nepet waved her over while Heiwa helped the princess off her horse.

Why were they stopping? It wasn’t even noon yet. She trotted her horse back.

“Has something happened?” she inquired, but Nepet overheard the question.

“Go find some wood, we’ll rest!”

“Here?”

Yelo nearly fell off her horse. “May I suggest that–”

Heiwa cut her off, „You may not suggest anything. You have been given an order. Carry it out!”

Slowly she got off the horse, only with difficulty suppressing her anger. Everything in her screamed to grab him by his collar and shake some sense into that stubborn body. It took all her self-control not to immediately put that thought into action.

Yelo exhaled deeply. Well, if they wanted it so badly, they should have it! A rest in the middle of the road. Unprotected. No chance for cover! Yelo shook her head. They were crazy and this was madness! But there was also nothing she could do about it. Why wouldn’t Heiwa listen to her? Was he really so afraid of her he forgot all common sense? She didn’t want to question his authority. She just wanted them to be safe. Couldn’t he see that?

Kevra had watched the argument. Silently, she was pleased with the way the general was treating Yelo. It was about time for someone to show her her place. She had no objection to that. Yelo was just too arrogant. Kevra noticed how Yelo’s whole body tensed, and her hands clenched into fists. Silently, Kevra admired her for her self-control. She would never have let anyone talk to her like that. She saw Yelo press her lips together, throw her reins to Nepet, who unsaddled the horses and headed toward the forest. Fascinated, Kevra watched Yelo move smoothly and silently between the trees and finally disappear into the forest with the dekal.

As if they were part of the wilderness Kevra thought. Instinctively, she knew Yelo was more at home out here than the general.

First, Kiala noticed it. A change in the air. Yelo put a hand on the ground and felt the slight vibrations. That could only mean one thing. Hoof beats! Someone was coming, or rather many riders!

She threw away the wood she had gathered and ran as fast as she could back to the others.

If they hurried, they could still manage to take cover in time! In any case, they had to get off the road, and fast!

Yelo broke through the undergrowth and caught sight of Kevra, who was just looking up. When she looked into Yelo’s face and saw her tension, she instantly stood up. Something was wrong. With all her might, Yelo came sprinting up and shouted:

“Quick, clear everything up, someone’s coming!”

“You don’t give orders here, let’s get that straight.”

General Heiwa had risen and was looking at the princess, waiting for her approval. Yelo looked desperately at the general. He couldn’t be serious!

“General, we don’t have time for this nonsense. There’s someone coming down the street. Judging by the sound, it’s a group of horsemen. Until we know who it is, we should–”

“We should keep quiet and relaxed. There’s no reason to hide. We are not in enemy territory and any other danger I can handle myself. I’m not thinking of hunkering down like a rabbit in a hole! After all, I am not a general for nothing. I have proven my skills in numerous battles–”

This was too much even for Yelo.

“General, will you stop this bullshit already!” cried Yelo in exasperation. “It would be sheer folly to stay here! We’ve got to hide. If we hurry, we can still make it!”

Stunned, she stared into the faces of the others. Did no one but she suspect the danger? One look at Heiwa was enough to realize he would not follow her in his bigotry. She glanced at the princess and held out her hand.

“Kevra, please!” she said urgently. “We are not safe here. We need to hide. Come with me.”

Kevra, who was still unsure whether they should follow Yelo’s suggestion, was now outraged by the intimate form of address. Who did she think she was anyway!?

“How dare you!” Her face turned red with anger.

“What are you allowing yourself!” snapped the general before she could continue. “You have to address the princess as Your Highness. Don’t you dare–”

“Fine.” Yelo cut him off and raised her hands. Enough was enough!

“If you really want to die here, go ahead. I, for one, really love my life and want to continue to enjoy it, and I’m not going to put up with this any longer. So much stupidity is simply unbearable.” She turned to the princess. “And you, ‘Your Highness,’ would do well, should you survive the coming encounter, to seek another advisor and guide. I will set out alone to free the queen. I doubt even one of you will ever reach Darklûn.”

With these words she detached her bag from the saddle of her horse and disappeared into the forest. One of the larger trees offered her sufficient cover. Cautiously, she peered out to get a look at the road. The three were still standing where Yelo had left them, looking at each other in puzzlement. But before anyone could say a word, a large band of horsemen rode up and instantly surrounded them. Yelo counted about thirty riders. All were armed with swords, bows and daggers. Some still carried an axe across their backs. Their dusty clothes revealed they had been in the saddle for some time.

Yelo watched as Kevra took one look at their faces and cried out in fright. Apparently, she had just realized she had made a mistake. A big one! And, it seemed, it would be her last. These were no mere travelers, but bandits.

The riders reined in their horses.

“Who do we have here? A pretty wench and two jumping jacks?”

The men laughed. Their voices sounded rough. One of the riders dismounted and came up to Kevra. Just as he stretched out his hand to reach for her, Nepet picked up his axe and stood protectively in front of the princess. But the next moment another rider spurred his horse, drew his sword and plunged his blade through Nepet’s chest. This happened so quickly Nepet did not even get to lift his axe. Only a blink of an eye later, Nepet sank to the ground, dead. Kevra cried out in horror. She was about to bend down to Nepet when the rider jerked on the reins and the animal climbed up. At the last moment, the general was able to yank Kevra back from the swooping hooves. Then he raised his hands.

“Gentlemen, I’m sure we can come to some sort of agreement,” he said quickly. Yelo couldn’t believe after what had just happened to Nepet, he still thought he could somehow talk his way out of it! “Surely there is some way we can go our way unmolested. We have–”

One of the men struck him on the back of the head with the flat of his sword, knocking him unconscious. Kevra, standing next to him, was frozen in shock. Yelo fervently hoped it would stay that way. If her temper got the better of her and she reached for her sword, they would kill her easily. Yelo was sure of that.

“What are we going to do with her? Do we take her with us?” asked the rider who had struck Heiwa.

The man who was apparently leading the word was thinking.

“The girl looks like she comes from good stock. Surely, we could get a nice ransom for her. On the other hand, if we sold her as a slave, the earnings would probably be just as good with that pretty face. And we wouldn’t have any trouble with the relatives. I say we take her with us. They’ll join our little herd. And you leave me the little one alone! I want to taste her first, do you understand me?”

The others murmured their agreement, but some with a little regret.

They lifted the still unconscious Heiwa onto one of the horses and tied him tightly. Kevra’s hands were tied together in front of her stomach, and she had to take a seat in the saddle in front of one of the men, who was clearly enjoying his task. He tied her tightly to him with another rope so she would not slip down, but he would have his hands free. A couple of the men rummaged through the belongings and bags, taking what they thought was usable. They were especially pleased with the general’s bulging purse. Then they took the reins of the horses and mounted their own. They didn’t seem to notice there were four horses and only three riders.

They probably assumed they had used one of the horses as a pack animal. Then they rode off, leaving the dead body of Nepet behind.