Chapter 6
The strong young man breathed in the evening air. The sun setting behind the Gar Mountains cast a shadow over the land. He gazed at the darkened mountains to his right and paused to watch the sun finally disappear. Twilight settled over Eranithia. The chill air didn't seem to affect him. Seth had practically grown up in the Blood Mountains, which were colder than any other mountain in the small country, so the late autumn air wasn't anything he couldn't handle.
Seth came to small wooden house in the middle of a clearing. The smell of a fire beckoned him to enter. Dinner smelled like it was ready.
After sending the horse away, he walked up to the door and knocked three times, waited a few seconds, then knocked two more times. The door opened and there stood a kind, red-headed Elf.
"Welcome, Seth," he greeted Seth warmly.
"Thank you, Arland," Seth said as he stepped inside.
"Dinner is nearly ready. It should just be a few more minutes."
Seth set his travel pack on the floor next to the door. His belt, which held his sword, dagger and various other tools, he hung on a hook next to the door as well. His second sword was in a scabbard that strapped to his back. He hung it next to his belt.
Arland's home was small. You could see everything from the doorway. To the right was a single door, which was open. Seth saw Arland's narrow bed, much smaller than the one he had made for himself in the Blood Mountains. Cupboards stood to the right of the bedroom door. Inside he would find food, dishes and silverware. The rest of the walls were barren. In the center of the main room was a dining set for no more than four. To the left was the fireplace with a large black kettle hanging over the flames. Between two rocking chairs that faced the fire was a bear-skin rug, which was a gift given to him many years ago. Seth was unsure of what the story was behind it, but he was sure he would hear about it one day.
Seth took a seat at the table and rested his head in his hands. He'd ridden from his home in the Blood Mountains to Arland's home at the Ashenland border in only a day. But he had traveled without rest. He thanked Sol for those special horses he created; no other horse could possibly make that ride so quickly without rest.
He was drained of most of his energy, but he figured the sooner he was able to talk to the Ri, the sooner he'd be able to get his sister, Serina, back.
A bowl of a stew suddenly appeared in front of him. The smell of it reminded his stomach of how hungry he really was. It growled greedily for the sustenance.
"Thank you, Arland," he said and devoured the deer stew. Seth couldn't remember ever tasting anything more delicious. He didn't lift his head until every last drop of the juice was gone from the wooden bowl. Arland grinned back at him amused as he ate his own portion.
"Would you like more?" Arland offered.
Seth smiled and said, "You eat my friend. I can get it myself."
Arland continued eating as Seth went to the kettle and scooped more of the stew into his bowl.
"You made good time," Arland said when Seth had returned to eat his second helping.
Seth nodded with a mouth full of food. He swallowed and said, "I called one of the horses."
“That was wise. Walking, or even running may have taken too long.”
“I figured I'd wait a couple more days before leaving too. It probably gave Garandol and the twins a couple days head-start to get to Kushen.”
Arland gave a nod, agreeing with his decision to wait. They ate in silence for a few minutes, each having three servings a piece. After the meal Seth's limbs had never felt so heavy and he could barely keep his eyes open.
"You can have the bed," Arland said. "I have other things to do tonight before we leave in the morning."
"Thank you, Arland. You're too kind," Seth said gratefully, then rose from the table.
Arland smiled and took their dishes to the water basin against the adjacent wall from the cupboards. Seth walked into Arland's bedroom and collapsed onto the soft bed, laying on his back, his arms crossed behind his head and legs sprawled out. As he stared at the dark ceiling, the room grew darker until all light was consumed.
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"Seth," came a young girl's voice.
He opened his eyes. It was too bright to see, but he knew the voice. It was the voice of his sister, Serina.
"Serina? Where are you?" he asked as his eyes began to adjust to the light.
Her girlish giggle tickled his ear. He missed that laugh.
Seth turned around and there she stood wearing a white gown. Her dark hair stood out in great contrast to the white gown and her milky skin. She smiled at him lovingly, just like she used to when they were kids.
Seth looked around and noticed that they were standing at the top of the highest peak of the Gar Mountains. From there he could see all of Eranithia. From the Blood Mountains to the North, to Ashenland directly across to the East, The Stone Step Mountains in the South, and behind them to the South West was Kushen with its thick forests and great beaches.
"This is all ours, Seth," she said as if to remind him of something he had forgotten.
"I know," he said feeling guilty.
"You can overthrow our uncle," she encouraged him sweetly.
"I know," he admitted. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he knew it all the same.
Seth frowned as he stared at the castle near the Great Waterfall that fed the King's Marshes.
"What troubles you, brother?" she asked, her voice thick with concern.
Seth turned towards her, tears filling his eyes. "I don't know if I can do this."
"You just told me you know you can," she said as she touched his face lightly.
He took her hand in his and said, "I know I can with you."
"I know you can for me," she said reassuringly.
Serina took Seth's other hand in hers as she said, "All you have to do is get into the castle. You know how to do that. You know the castle better than Arnath. You found passages not even Dad knew about. You know that once you're inside you can get to me and leave. I'm locked in the dungeons. Where else would Arnath hide me? He's not a very creative man you know."
"He's arrogant enough to keep you somewhere obvious like that. But he has powers too, Serina. How can I stop him if he can just take my strength as his own?"
"With me. I can stop him from using that power."
"Can you?"
"Have you stopped trusting me after all this time?" she asked as her eyes bore into his, searching for the trust he seemed to have forgotten.
The look on her face struck his heart like a dozen arrows. His eyes closed and the tears he had been holding back fell down his cheeks, "Forgive me, Serina. I will come for you."
"I know you will. Now, wake up. You must go with Arland into Ashenland now."
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Drenched with sweat from his head down to his chest when he woke, the air that struck his face as he sat up was cooling. Looking around he saw he was still in Arland's bed. The smell of breakfast poured in through the open door. The short conversation with his sister lasted hours when it had felt like minutes.
The clothes he had traveled in stuck to his sweat-drenched body. If he was to present himself to the Ri, he would need to change into more appropriate attire. He changed into a fresh set of similar clothes he'd slept in. The Ri would understand him arriving in travel clothes.
After he washed his face in the basin, Arland served him breakfast.
"Thank you, Arland."
Arland bowed his head respectfully. It seemed, to Seth, that he was already treating him as the king of Eranithia, just like Garandol. He found it frustrating, but he did his best to ignore it.
"Did you sleep well?" Arland asked as he sat across from Seth to eat.
"I did, thank you for giving up your bed."
"It's nothing," Arland said. "Did you dream?"
Seth jerked his head up from his plate and looked at Arland.
"I heard you speaking in your sleep. I thought something was wrong so I went to check on you. I apologize if I crossed some kind of bounds."
"No, it's fine, Arland. I met Serina in my sleep last night like Mark has so many times. Only, she wasn't bound to a tree like Mark had seen her. She looked healthy. She was keeping her true state from me.”
Seth was frustrated about his sister keeping things from him. He didn't understand why she would.
"She knows you well.”
"Of course she does, but what do you mean?"
Arland took a bite of egg and swallowed. "If you had seen her in her true state you would forgo meeting with the Ri. She knows how important it is to get the Elf and Centaur support before you even try to rescue her. You may not need help to rescue her, but you need their support to begin the campaign against Arnath."
Seth stopped eating; Arland was right. If he'd seen how she really looked he would ruin everything by rescuing her first. He needed to meet with the Ri first. Of course it didn't stop him from allowing his anger towards his uncle to grow. He wondered how a man could do something like this to his own blood. Killing his brother and sister-in-law, then kidnapping his niece, and finally pinning it all on his nephew. Only someone who followed Turmna could have done something so evil.
"She does know me well. More so, she knows the situation well. We can't waste time getting to the Golden City," Seth said, then quickly finished his breakfast so he could get ready to leave sooner.
Once all was cleaned up and a small amount of food was packed in case it took them more than a day, Seth and Arland left for the Golden City: Cathair Aureus, as called by the Elves.
Arland lived less than a hundred yards from the border of Eranithia and Ashenland, so it wasn't long before they were no longer in Eranithia and entering Ashenland.
They crossed the border in silence. Seth and Arland searched the trees expecting a guard to stop them, but no one seemed to be near. Seth thought it was strange that there were no Elves to greet them at the border. But since they had walked so far past the border, he figured it was safe, so he walked on as if nothing was wrong.
Suddenly Arland grabbed his arm, stopping him from walking any further. Frowning, he looked at Arland's hand that gripped his bicep, then to the Elf's eyes. He put a finger to his lips, then let go and began removing his weapons, laying them on the ground at his feet. Seth followed his lead and together they stepped back five paces from their weapons with their hands raised.
"We have come in peace!" Arland called out. "We have no quarrel with you, good Elves."
Six Elves stepped out from surrounding trees, each with arrows trained on their chests. Seth stared at the Elf straight in front of him. Part of his long brown hair was pulled back into a pony tail while the rest fell freely past his shoulders, his pointed features seemed to increase his sternness. His thin eyebrows pointed down to make a V in the center of his face. Brown eyes searched Seth for any extra weapons. When he seemed satisfied he spoke to them.
"State your business in Ashenland." His voice wasn't deep but it was strong and authoritative.
"My name is Arland-”
“Not you Wood Elf!” The Elf barked at him.
Seth felt his anger begin to boil. Arland was no longer a Wood Elf. He had heard the stories of how Arland had helped Eranithia. He loved Sol and laid down his own life so many times to protect Seth's home.
“How dare you speak to him that way!” Seth growled at the lead Elf guard.
The Elf stared back at Seth angrily. He wasn't about to apologize for what he had said to Arland.
“I demand you apologize immediately.”
“Who are you to give me orders?”
“My name is Seth, Damien's son, the true king of Eranithia. This Elf is my travel companion and friend. You have insulted him.”
“But he is a Wood Elf.”
“He hasn't been a Wood Elf for many years. Notice how dark his hair is. Sol changed him and ordered that he have a home near the border of Eranithia and Ashenland, to show that he was a friend to both countries.”
He stared back at Seth for a long time, unsure of what to believe. Then whistled sharply and a seventh Elf stepped out from behind a tree. Seth could see that he was unarmed. He was much smaller and younger than the rest but Seth also knew that didn't mean he was less powerful. The young Elf's long blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail like the rest of the Elves. His unusually light brown eyes seem to search Seth, so Seth instinctively blocked his mind from the Elf.
The lead Elf whispered something to the young Elf then the young Elf ran away.
"If you are who you say you are, then you will let us bind you until our runner returns with word from the Ri," the lead Elf said. Seth thought he sounded like he would enjoy killing them if he was allowed to.
Seth nodded and the lead Elf nodded to two of the guards and they approached Seth and Arland. They bound their hands behind their backs and forced them to sit. Then with a longer rope they tied them together around their torsos.
Many minutes passed as the six Guards of the Woods watched them suspiciously. They stood together in pairs whispering and scowling at them. Seth ignored their quiet comments. His sensitive ears could hear every word.
The lead Elf knelt in front of Seth staring straight into his eyes, hoping to catch him in a lie.
He asked, "Tell me again, what is your business here?"
Seth's piercing eyes glared at the Elf questioning him.
"My name is Seth, Damien's son. I am here to seek audience with the Ri, Efreal, to ask his support in taking back Eranithia as the rightful king."
A wide grin spread across the Elf's face. "And what makes you think the Elves would support a murderer."
Seth grinned and said, "So you believe the lies my uncle has fed the world? That I murdered my parents and my sister?"
"Well, you did run away and hide for ten years," the Elf pointed out to him.
"I had an entire nation after me because they fell for a lie,” Seth defended him self calmly. “I don't think even you would have done anything less than hide."
The Elf shrugged and said, "Perhaps you should have given yourself up to the people and let them decide for themselves. What kind of murderer would give himself up?"
"If I were a murderer, I would have been a stupid one. Staying anywhere near Eranithia would have been the end of me. I am innocent, therefore, I stayed as close as I possibly could until the right time.”
"Perhaps they would have learned that it was a lie if you had been willing to give up your life for the truth you knew."
Seth clenched his jaw closed. He'd had enough of this Elf's opinions, so he looked away to hide his anger.
"Silence eh? Maybe you are a murderer then."
Seth turned his head back to the Elf slowly and stared straight into his eyes maliciously. He wanted nothing more than to break the ropes that currently bound him. He had strength and speed, but to break two sets of rope before the Elf had an arrow through his chest was impossible, even for him. His jaw clamped tight and his eyes squinting slightly, Seth stared angrily at the Elf.
Seth spoke deliberately, saying, "I...did...not...kill...my...family."
The Elf knelt down with a sly grin as he said, "We'll see soon enough."
"Read my mind and see for yourself."
"The Runner is our only Reader."
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