A pair of Broken Spear warriors got up off the downed fighter.
"Thanks," said Ryder as he got back to his feet, "you really go the extra step to make a person feel welcome."
Giselle stepped right into his face. "So much for the plan."
Ryder dusted himself off. "We had no choice. They were going to find us, so we improvised."
"And where's Nazeem?"
Ryder spun around to look out on to the path leading away from the gate. "Hells. He's still out there."
Chapter 15
"We'll be riding out a communique for Baron Purdun to King Korox of Erlkazar," explained Captain Beetlestone. "The road will be treacherous, and we expect resistance either from the Awl-"
Liam squirmed a little when he said this.
"-or from another source."
"Sir?" One of the other soldiers stood up from his chair.
"Yes, Buckwald?" acknowledged Beetlestone.
"Another source?"
The captain took a deep breath, looking at each of the soldiers around the table. All of them belonged to the unit that reported directly to Beetlestone. He was going to be leading this mission, and none of the other troops in the baron's army would accompany them.
He nodded. "There have been an alarming number of scouting reports recently about an incursion of the walking dead in the region surrounding Duhlnarim, particularly in the areas near Dajaan and along Shalane Lake."
Though no one spoke, Liam could feel the room tense. They would no doubt be headed to Klarsamryn, the king's stronghold in Llorbauth. The road to the capital ran parallel to Shalane Lake almost the entire way.
"If there are no other questions," said Beetlestone, "then we will mount up and head out immediately." The captain placed his hands behind his back, waiting.
The room remained silent.
"Very well, then," he said. "To the stables."
The soldiers all stood and filed out of the briefing room. Outside, the sun was just coming up.
The stables had been a late addition to the north end of Zerith Hold. It was attached to a special holding cell used to deal with large groups of prisoners. The dungeon in the Hold wasn't very large, so long-term criminals were moved to other facilities. Or so Liam was told.
The stable boy brought the soldiers' horses into the courtyard. The young man approached Liam and handed him the reins of a beautiful brown mare.
"This one's yours," said the youth.
Liam took the reins. "Thank you." He'd never had a horse of his own. And this one was magnificent. Tall and lean, it was a young horse in its prime. It had been well cared for, and its eyes were bright and clear.
"Hello, there," he said, running his hand along the horse's mane.
The horse let out a whiny.
"Liam," shouted Captain Beetlestone.
Liam looked up from the horse to see that all the other soldiers were already mounted and ready to ride.
"Do you know how to ride, son?" asked the captain.
Liam placed his left foot in the stirrup and swung himself up onto the horse's back in a single fluid motion. Once he was situated, he turned and saluted the captain. "Yes, Captain."
Beetlestone smirked. "Very good." He turned his horse and headed toward the gate out of Zerith Hold. "Let's ride."
The gate opened, and the soldiers filed out of the courtyard. They fell into line, two abreast, and headed down the cobbled path, the horses' hooves clanking on the stone.
Liam rode beside a gray-haired man. Though he didn't appear to be too old, his skin was beginning to wrinkle on his forehead and below his eyes. He had an easy confidence about him that put Liam at ease. The man smiled when he saw Liam looking at him.
"The name's Knoblauch." The veteran soldier touched his helm in a familiar greeting, one Liam had seen other soldiers use with each other.
"Liam," he replied, repeating the gesture.
The older man nodded. "I know who you are."
Liam shrugged. He didn't know how the old man was going to react to him. Judging from the way Captain Phinneous had responded, he didn't want to make any assumptions. So he kept his mouth shut.
Knoblauch must have sensed Liam's reservations. "Don't worry," he said. "I hold no grudges."
"That's good to know," replied Liam.
"In fact," the veteran leaned in his saddle closer to Liam, lowering his voice, "Captain paired me with you as a precaution. Asked me to look after you, make sure none of the other men got any wrong ideas."
"Oh," said Liam, "aren't you the martyr."
"Well," said Knoblauch, sitting up as he rode, "if you're going to be like that about it."
Liam sighed. "I apologize. It's just that things have been pretty rough for me the past few months."
Knoblauch gave Liam a knowing nod. "I'll bet."
The two men rode on quietly into late morning. In the silence, Liam mulled over all the thoughts Knoblauch could be having about him. What if their roles were reversed?
"Hey, Knoblauch," Liam said after some time, "can I ask you a question?"
The veteran nodded. "Yeah."
"Did you ever fight the Crimson Awl?"
Knoblauch squirmed a bit in his saddle. Then he nodded. "Yes."
Liam felt a chill run down his spine and a knot formed in his stomach. He steeled himself then asked his next question. "Did you ever kill any?"
Knoblauch took a deep breath. "I already told you I don't hold grudges."
Liam shrugged. "Yeah, but maybe I do."
Knoblauch laughed. "All right. The answer is no. I never killed any of your 'Brothers' or 'Sisters.' " The veteran continued to chuckle to himself.
Liam nodded. He wasn't sure he believed the man, but he guessed it didn't matter. Would it make a difference in his situation if the guard next to him had killed members of the Awl? Probably not. And knowing for sure which of the soldiers around him had killed his friends and which hadn't would only serve to torture him more.
The same was likely true for many of these men. They surely had friends and comrades killed by the Awl. None of them would know if it had been by Liam's hand or some other. Liam looked around at the soldiers in his unit. If they got into a fight, would one of them turn on him?
Then he looked at Knoblauch. Guess the captain already thought of that.
Liam settled into his saddle. He wished Ryder were here.
Up ahead, the road took a turn to the east, and Shalane Lake came into view. It was a beautiful deep blue.
"There she is," said Knoblauch. "Big Blue."
"Big Blue?" asked Liam.
"You've never heard of Big Blue?"
Liam shrugged. "Should I have?"
The veteran looked at Liam with astonishment. "Then you don't know the tale of Ellhimar's Tower?"
Liam shook his head. "No."
A smile bloomed on Knoblauch's face, and he rubbed his hands together. "Well," he started, "lakes this far inland usually look green and less pristine than Shalane Lake. This one, however, is the sapphire blue of the tropical ocean."
Liam looked at the water. It was remarkably blue. He'd never seen the tropical ocean before, so he'd just take the veteran's word for it.
"As the story goes," continued Knoblauch, "there is a wizard who lives at the bottom of the lake."
"At the bottom?"
Knoblauch nodded, a knowing smile on his face. "At the bottom. Ellhimar's Tower is said to be surrounded by a protective magical bubble that keeps the water out and the air in."
"Sounds reasonable," said Liam, trying his best to keep a straight face.
"The brilliant blue of the water is a result of the magic that powers the wizard's enchantment." Knoblauch looked at Liam, who obviously wasn't buying the story. "You can ask Lord Purdun if you like. He studied with old Ellhimar before becoming baron."