Fredrik sat up straight in his saddleand cocked his head slightly. “There is a wagon up ahead,” heannounced. “Let me do the talking. Maybe we can get something toeat.”
Niki perked up at the mention of foodand the two magicians rode steadily up to the wagon that wasstopped at the crossroads of two dirt trails. An old man and ayoung boy were sitting under a tree alongside the wagon having afood break and Niki’s eyes lit up when she read the sign on thecanvas of the wagon. It read, “Boris Khatama Merchant”.
Fredrik and Niki dismounted and Fredriktied the two horses to a low branch of a nearby tree. Slowly, theywalked over to the merchant. “Greetings, Merchant,” Fredrik said.“I see that you are having a meal break. I wonder if two hungrytravelers might join you?”
“If the two hungry travelersare peaceful and courteous, they are welcome to share what littlewe have,” greeted Boris. “How are you called?”
Fredrik thought quickly about how heshould respond. Finally he decided that he would be truthful, butvague. “I am Fredrik and my traveling companion is Niki. We arefrom the south and have been some time without properfood.”
Boris nodded as if he understood thenecessity of being vague these days. “I am Boris, the merchant, andI am traveling with my niece, Tanya. Welcome to our poortable.”
Fredrik looked around for the man’sniece and flushed when he realized that who he had taken for ayoung boy was the niece. He bowed slightly and held Niki’s hand asshe lowered herself to the ground. Fredrik quickly sat next to herand the niece rose and went to the wagon and came back with twoplates of bread and cheese and some dried beef. She returned amoment later with two glasses of wine. Niki sniffed the bread andcheese as if it might be moldy, which earned her a nasty glare fromTanya. Both men managed to miss the exchange and seemed to bemeasuring the other’s mettle.
Boris broke the silence first.“Collapse children, I suppose. You won’t want to be going west,then. There are several score of Dark Riders who are camped outabout two hours from here.”
Fredrik and Niki exchanged surprisedglances. “What makes you think we are Collapse children?” Nikiasked.
The old man’s eyes twinkled. “Youappear the right age,” Boris began. “You are obviously running fromsomeone and you just verified it by not denying it,” he chuckled.“Do not be afraid of me. I do not stomach the Dark Riders or theirkind very well and what you are and where you are going is none ofmy affair. At my age, all I have left is my curiosity. Which one ofyou is a Collapse child or are you both?”
“Both,” offered Fredrik. “Youhave a keen eye, Master Khatama, and a generous heart. Niki and Ido thank you for the food. I am afraid my funds are pitilesslypoor, but the few coins I have are yours for theasking.”
Boris waved his hands. “That is notnecessary, traveler. Your coins are better kept for your next meal.The road east goes to Toresh. Avoid that town, as it is a majorstaging point for the Dark Riders. I fear you must continue northand there is not much that way in terms of food unless you know howto live off the land. You strike me as city children and the nextfew days will be hard on you. I am sorry to say that we are eatingthe last of our food, so I can not fix you up something to takewith you.”
Niki suddenly felt ashamed at sniffingthe food now that she knew it was all they had left. She removedher cloak and laid it on the grass as she finished the last pieceof bread. She looked at the young girl who, dressed in brownleather shirt and pants with a brown leather cap that came down toher ears, very much resembled a boy. “Is there somewhere where Imight clean up a bit, Tanya?” she asked.
Tanya removed her hat and volumes oflong, flowing, golden hair fell down her back. “There is a streamjust beyond those trees,” she replied. “I will get towels and showyou the way.”
Niki stared at the girl’s beautifulhair and face and suddenly wondered how she could have mistaken herfor a boy. “Thank you, Tanya. I would like that.”
Fredrik and Boris talked aboutdifferent places they had been when the merchant said he washeading south and asked Fredrik how conditions were down there. “Iam glad that we have met,” Boris said. “I think I shall change myplans and not head south, after all. The picture you paint is notone that would be very lucrative for a merchant. Spare my oldbones, Fredrik, and get the bottle of wine at the rear of thewagon. I think we need another glass if we are to wait on thewomen.”
Fredrik chuckled and rose to get thebottle. When he returned, he found Boris fondling the cloak thatNiki had left on the grass. “A very interesting design,” Boriscommented, “but I fear that fire has marred its perfection. How didshe come by it?”
Fredrik looked at the merchantsuspiciously. “She likes it very much, Boris. Niki is sure that sheis destined to become a queen one day.”
Boris chuckled as he placed the cloakback where he had found it. “Who knows,” he said. “Perhaps she willbe. This is the last bottle of wine, as well. This trip has notbeen very prosperous.”
The old man’s casual attitude putFredrik back at ease and the girls soon returned from the stream.Fredrik and Niki mounted their horses and prepared to leave. “Willyou be heading north, as well, then?” Fredrik asked.
“I expect so,” Boris replied.“I am not much of a one for living off the land, though. I may headinto Toresh for supplies before I head north. Safe journey to youboth.”
Tanya turned and finished cleaning upafter the midday meal. “There were no Dark Riders west of here,”she stated. “Why did you lie to them?”
“There are many hazards inlife, Tanya,” Boris said softly. “Those two are not ready to facethem. Nobody is really ready to face them, but that group north ofhere is where they need to be, at least for now. It should prove tobe quite interesting.”
Tanya continued cleaning up and Borisrose to walk off the stiffness of sitting before he climbed up onthe wagon again. Boris walked around in circles and suddenly sawsomething that he had not seen in seventeen years. Through the graysky overhead, a small hole appeared and a sunbeam lanced down intothe intersection of the two roads. It disappeared as quickly as itcame and Boris walked over to the center of the intersection whereit struck. Looking down he found a small, flat rock. Burned intothe face of the rock was the following inscription:
From North and East and South andWest
The children gather towards unknown
The whole world’s saviors they areblest
The seeds of True Light now aresown
Shall Darkness win or Light prevail
The outcome’s not foretold or known
On brink of Fate’s fluttering sail
They’ll win and live or hear Death’smoan
Boris studied the inscription over andover and finally put the rock in his pouch and returned to thewagon. He climbed up onto the wagon just as Tanya finished andjoined him. He started the wagon rolling along the dusty trail andat the intersection he turned onto the trail to thenorth.
“I thought we were going intoToresh for food,” Tanya said
“There has been a change inplans,” Boris replied glumly. “The day you have prepared for isfast approaching. You must remember all that you have been taughtby the others and me. It is time that I sent you into the viper’sden.”
* * * *
Arik and Tedi were utilizing theirtracking skills to follow Garth’s path. The trail had becomeincreasingly hard to follow, but the boys were still managing totrack it correctly. “I heard Garth telling Kalina this morning thatour mysterious followers have not been around for over three daysnow,” Arik said softly.
“Maybe it was all in hisimagination,” retorted Tedi. “There might not have been anyone everfollowing us. I wonder why Garth never has us take turns on sentryduty? You would think that if he was really concerned aboutsomebody being out there, he would post a sentry allnight.”
“There are only three of us,”Arik reminded Tedi as he pointed to a leaf on the ground with afine layer of dust on it. “Not to mention that two of us can hardlykeep our eyes open through dinner.”