The party reached the road from Kanon to Valis two days later in the middle of the day. The highway was so steep that they had no choice but to take the mountain road.
At last, the party had reached the pass and was climbing down the other side. The road was rough, making walking difficult. It was so hot Slayn had lost even the energy to speak. The merciless summer sun beat down on them. From all around them, they could hear the high-pitched singing of cicadas.
“It’s going to get even hotter from here on out,” Slayn sighed, his face lost somewhere under his hood. He could barely summon the determination to keep walking in this heat.
“Yep, that’s what happens in the summer,” Wood grinned, glancing at Slayn from the corner of his eye.
“Wow, I had no idea,” said Slayn with annoyance.
“Ah,” said Deedlit, stopping all of a sudden. “I wonder if these are hoofprints. The road seems pretty broken up.” She knelt, checking the holes with one finger.
Parn stopped as well and watched her.
“Just as I thought, they’re hoofprints. It looks like quite a few horses rode through here. They came from Valis, so it’s possible that they’re part of Valis’ army.”
“Valis decided to stand and fight after all.” Eto nodded. “Not that I expected any differently, what with the enemy being the dark armies of Marmo.”
“Obviously. There’s no way King Fawn would let Beld’s atrocities go unpunished, not with the invincible Holy Knights at his back! Looks like Beld’s plans will fall to ruin,” said Parn happily.
Parn spoke as though it was already decided, but Slayn doubted that it would go that smoothly.
Slayn acknowledged the strength of Valis’ knights, but Marmo’s army counted many monsters of evil power. He especially feared the dark elves’ magic knights, whose power he had once had the displeasure to face. If Deedlit and Woodchuck had not been with him, Slayn would surely have been defeated. At that thought, a shiver ran down his spine, and in spite of the summer heat, he broke out in a cold sweat. His cotton underclothes clung unpleasantly to his skin.
This will be a long war, thought Slayn. He kept his thoughts to himself so as not to dampen the mood, but he was almost certain of his prediction.
The next day, their journey continued in much the same fashion. They left the hill road as the land flatted out, making walking easier. But they baked under the cloudless sky. Their order had not changed - Parn and Deedlit in front, followed by Ghim, then Wood and Eto, with Slayn in the rear. His breathing ragged, he was walking as fast as he could, in order not to hold the group back. As always, he carried his staff, and his face was hidden in his hood.
Before they realized it, they were surrounded by farmland. Perhaps they had even entered the realm of Valis. They even saw the occasional small house or large mansion, probably the residences of the local farmers and lords. But they stood empty. It seemed likely they had been evacuated in preparation for war.
“Yes, it looks like Valis is standing up to fight Marmo. Judging by the lack of soldiers, the front is probably farther to the east.”
“Would that mean Valis is winning?” Wood asked Eto.
“Yes, most likely,” Eto replied.
“Valis is winning for sure,” said Parn without bothering to turn his head.
That’s when they realized something was coming from ahead of them. The first to notice was Woodchuck.
“Something’s coming. Over there!” said Wood, narrowing his eyes and gazing into the distance.
The tension in the group instantly went up.
“Let’s just go on as if it’s nothing. If we do anything suspicious, they’ll notice.” Slayn’s voice came from behind them.
“True,” said Parn, narrowing his eyes to try to see the approaching group. They were kicking a lot of dust in the air. It looked like in addition to the horses, they had a wagon. It was hard to tell with the sunlight glaring in his eyes, but it looked like a merchant caravan. Or perhaps part of Valis’ supply train. The party moved forward at an even pace, trying to seem as calm as possible. But they found themselves walking silently. Anxious not to overlook anything, they were concentrated on observing the other group.
“Madame Karla, I see people ahead.” The nervous voice interrupted Karla’s concentration. She slowly pulled aside the shade covering the carriage’s window.
“What is it?”
One of the warriors guarding the carriage pulled his horse up alongside her.
“Yes, there is a group of several people approaching us on foot. They seemed to be armed, but one of them looks like a child.”
“A child? That’s odd. They must not be soldiers of Valis, then.”
“Probably not…”
“I see. Well, as long as they don’t make any false moves, let them be. But stay on your guard!”
As soon as she had given that order, Karla sat back in her seat. Only a little farther. With a sigh of relief, Karla turned to look at the young woman sitting next to her. The girl’s empty eyes stared blankly ahead. It was a soulless gaze. With a nod of satisfaction, Karla closed her eyes and thought of what she must do next.
“What do you think?” murmured Parn in Deedlit’s ear.
“I don’t know either, but they’re a strange lot. You could say the same thing about us, though.”
The little group of six really did seem like an odd combination. Parn smiled, but his smile soon vanished as he turned his attention to the oncoming group once again.
As the groups drew closer, both of them tensed more and more. Both of them were determined to figure the other group out. Both were prepared to strike at any moment, but the walkers stepped off the road to allow the other group to pass.
“It’s getting really hot out,” said Wood in greeting to the man at the head of the other group as he passed. Parn thought it might be too familiar of a greeting, but the other group seemed to relax.
“Must be hard traveling on foot, then,” replied the mountain man in a relaxed tone, a smile on his face.
“You got that right.” Wood replied once more, and then turned his gaze from the man. Please pass by quickly, he thought to himself.
The carriage passed by in a clatter of hooves.
Slayn nonchalantly glanced at the carriage. It was a very fine carriage, and he was dying of curiosity as to who might be riding in it. Squinting, he saw that there were two occupants, both women. Perhaps noticing what Slayn was doing, one of the horsemen pulled in front of the carriage, blocking Slayn’s view. Keeping an eye on Slayn, the man slowed down in order to stay between Slayn and a carriage until they were out of sight.
Looks like they don’t want us to know who’s in there. Thinking that strange, Slayn stopped and watched as the carriage pulled away.
“They scared me half to death!” Wood spit on the ground as the carriage pulled out of sight.
“What a weird bunch. Heading out towards the battlefield like that!” Parn seemed taken aback as he stepped back onto the road.
“It looked like there were two women in the carriage, but I couldn’t be sure.” Slayn was still looking in the direction of the carriage.
“Women? I should have looked too.” Joking, Wood seemed to be recovering from his fright. Deedlit, too, started walking again.
I wonder about the one who tried to stop me from seeing inside, though. Slayn cocked his head as he walked.
“Not again.” Just then, before they could say knife, Wood’s rough voice rang out.
“What happened?” Slayn had pulled as far back in his hood as he could, unable to hide from the sun, but he looked up reluctantly at the sound of Wood’s voice. He had meant to ask Wood a question, but as he looked up, he saw what Wood had meant.
Woodchuck was silently pointing down the road, where another cloud of dust filled the air. It was another mounted group, but to judge by the size of the cloud and the sound of the horses’ hooves, this one was moving at high speeds.
“Looks like knights of Valis this time,” said sharp-eyed Wood. “No one besides the knights of Valis would wear white armor and ride white horses like that.”
“Knights of Valis?!” Parn, who was walking in front, yelled this. He squinted and followed them with his eyes, trying to make them out through the dust.
Holy knights… conflicted feelings warred within him. The white horses caught his eye as they approached. They were beautiful. The knights rode like a white wind.
As Parn hurriedly stepped out of the way, he couldn’t decide how he felt about them. Some of it might be anger, perhaps, but beneath it ran a foundation of pure admiration.
With what dreams did my father don this white armor? Parn looked down at the old, beat-up armor he wore. It was no longer white — gray would have been closer. The shining silver part of the chest was the proof of his father’s dishonor. He remembered the words of Mort, who ran the general store in Zaxon, and the anger and shame he had felt when he heard them again.
How am I any different from those knights? Parn felt a mix of sadness and jealousy at the thought that he wore the same kind of armor as they did. Parn was lost in his emotions, which grew stronger as the knights drew closer.
“What’s wrong?” Deedlit’s worried voice whispered in his left ear. Parn felt for a moment that her beautiful voice had saved him.
“It’s nothing, Deed.” Parn looked at Deedlit with affection and pulled himself straight. With this resolute posture, he turned to face the approaching knights.
The knights slowed down and pulled their horses to a stop just in front of Parn. Slayn and Eto respectfully lowered their heads before the knights, but Parn did not.
“Where did you lot come from?”
One of the knights stepped forward to interrogate them.
“We’re travelers who came here through Alania. We fled the war in Kanon to seek refuge here.” Slayn spoke with his head still bowed.
“Yes, that’s right,” Wood immediately seconded him.
“Hmm, you say you came running here from Kanon?” said the knight, unconvinced, and scrutinized the group. “I understand, but we can’t afford to trust you so easily. Pardon me.”
With these words, the knight started chanting in a low voice. Slayn recognized it as a prayer to Pharis.
As expected from a holy knight! thought Slayn with admiration. These knights were skilled not only with swords, but with the magic of Pharis. Deciding that no matter what kind of spell it was, the magic of Pharis was harmless, Slayn made no move to stop him. But next to him Eto gave a cry of surprise and lifted his head, giving the knight an affronted glare.
“How very rude of you, using magic. My name is Eto. I have been formally ordained as a priest in the temple of Pharis in Alan. I don’t care what your mission is, you have no sense, using holy magic because of baseless suspicion!”
“Ah, I apologize for my rudeness. I had no idea you were a priest of Pharis. But because we must hurry in these times of danger, we have turned to Pharis’ power. We have no further questions for you, and you are free to go on your way. Please forgive our impoliteness. Farewell.”
The knight kicked his horse to start moving again.
“Would the reason for your hurry be a group guarding a carriage, by any chance?” Lifting his head, Slayn called out to the knight.
“What!” The knight reined in his horse. The horse reared up, neighing in protest.
“Oh, we just passed a strange group with a carriage, and we thought it suspicious. Who were they?”
“Don’t ask too many questions. It’s a matter of state, so I ask that you not speak of it to others.”
This time the rider took off, not listening to Slayn’s pleas to wait. The other riders took off after him like white lightning, and the dust raised by their passage floated in the summer breeze.
“What in the world was that about?” Parn had watched the riders off, but as they vanished in the distance, he turned to Slayn, who had pulled up his dark blue hood again.
“I’m curious too. Both about those knights’ actions and the strange appearance of the group with the carriage.”
“I wonder if we should go have a look.”
“I can’t decide that on my own, but if you want my advice, we’d do best to stay out of it.” Slayn said vehemently. Not that he felt like his words would make a difference. Knowing Parn, he would reject them.
“I wonder. That knight said it was an affair of state. If that has something to do with the carriage, then…” Parn was lost in thought, his arms crossed.
“Well, if Parn’s thinking, that means it’s decided. We’re going to have to retrace our steps under this blazing sun.” Hoisting his luggage onto his back, Ghim turned and slowly started walking.
“Ugh, what a mess.” Woodchuck followed him, before looking back at Parn. “What are you doing? You know you’ll go even if we try to stop you. Don’t waste your time on thinking.”
“They’re right, you know,” said Deedlit, breaking into a half jog and stretching her hand out to Parn. “Let’s go. It’s not like you to worry.”
“Stop teasing,” Parn complained with a straight face, but his body automatically started moving. “I think and worry just as much as the next guy!”
“That’s the first I’ve heard of it!” Wood laughed loudly.
“We’d better hurry if we don’t want to lose sight of them,” said Slayn, his expression strained. It was beginning to look like a forced march.
“If only we had horses too.” Deedlit, at the head of the group, looked back as she said this. Her hair caught the sunlight, glowing with a rainbow of colors as it drifted gently through the air.
“What’s that sound?” Deedlit suddenly stopped and put both hands to her pointed ears.
“What’s wrong, Deed?” Parn looked around and checked that nothing had changed before asking.
“Shh! Quiet. I can hear a noise coming from over there. So don’t let your armor make any sound.”
Parn quickly came to a stop. He even held his breath, trying to make no sound whatsoever. The other four, walking behind them, stopped walking as soon as they noticed what was going on, doing their best not to distract Deedlit.
Elves were famous for their sharp ears. It was said that they could even hear the sounds tiny creatures made as they scurried over the leaves in the forest.
“Looks like I was right. They’re fighting. I can hear people screaming and metal hitting metal.”
“Those knights are fighting! We’ve got to hurry!” Hearing Deedlit’s words, Parn broke into a panicked run. “They must be fighting the group with the carriage. Even if they’re outnumbered, I doubt they would lose against mercenaries.”
“You can’t say that for sure. We’re still going to rush to their aid, right?”
“Of course.”
“Let’s hope we don’t get in their way.” Deedlit let out a sarcastic laugh and easily ran on ahead of Parn. Not only was she naturally quick on her feet, she was wearing lighter armor than Parn’s, so she could more than keep up with him.
Even though Parn was encumbered by his heavy armor, there was no way Wood or Slayn could overtake him. Even more so for Ghim, whose short legs gave him a serious handicap.
“Don’t just take off running like that!” cried Eto, out of breath.
“The Holy Knights are fighting!”
“I think we should go find out what’s going on,” said Slayn, panting.
Deedlit felt like she could run for hours, but the lead she had on the others had grown, so she waited for them to catch up, stretching her legs. She had run quite a distance, and she could hear the sounds of the fight much more clearly than before. If she squinted, she could just barely see several shadows moving along the highway.
“That must be it.” Deedlit stared at the shadows.
Just then, a red light flared up with a boom. The sound was as loud as an avalanche. Deedlit shrieked and covered her ears, her acute sense of hearing rendering the noise all the more painful.
“What’s this noise? And I saw a red light over there!” yelled Parn. He had caught up at last. He put his hand on Deedlit’s shoulder as she cowered and covered her ears. All the while, he gazed down the road, as though not wanting to miss anything.
“I heard it too.” Slayn approached at last. “And I saw the light. Though it would be more accurate to call it a fire - make no mistake, those were magical flames.”
“Magic? But who cast it? The fighters escorting that carriage, or the knights of Valis?” asked Deedlit in Slayn’s direction, casually covering Parn’s hand on her shoulder with her own.
“There’s no way to know. All we know is that we didn’t cast it ourselves. That fire magic we just saw is considered taboo by the Academy of Sages. The masters only teach it to those they judge ready. I didn’t see any faces I knew from the Academy in either group, though it’s possible they were using a disguise. And mages dislike carrying swords as a rule. Though I don’t know whether that goes for Wagnard of Marmo as well.”
“Was it him? Was he riding in the carriage?” said Parn, excited.
“There were just two women in that carriage. Is Wagnard a woman?” Wood spread his hands and shrugged.
“Wait, it seems like the battle is over. I can’t hear fighting anymore.” Deedlit stood, still holding Parn’s hand.
“What? Then who won?”
“Don’t ask stupid questions. There’s no way to know just from the sound. But if you hold on a second, I’ll ask the wind.”
“Wind? Sylph, you mean? In that case, I’ll use my far-seeing spell. That’s the surest method.”
“If you know that kind of useful magic, you should have used it from the beginning, instead of trying to make yourself look good now,” said Wood with annoyance.
“You said it,” Ghim voiced his agreement with Wood’s complaints.
“I can’t afford to use magic in minor matters,” said Slayn. He slowed his breathing and began to chant in the ancient tongue.
Slayn softly chanted his spell. Far-seeing spells magnified the user’s vision several times beyond what would normally be possible for a human. The only problem was that such magics were tricky, requiring many adjustments to see the right place. Slayn looked up in the air, repeatedly opening and closing his eyes as he adjusted his vision to see down the road.
“It’s awful!” blurted out Slayn when at last he could clearly make out the desired location.
The scene Slayn looked upon was something out of hell. The ground was stained black, and in that blackness lay many, many burnt corpses. A white smoke rose from the charred remains, and the unpleasant odor of burning flesh filled the air.
Slayn turned his gaze, looking towards the carriage. On the carriage stood a woman in a purple dress. It seemed she was giving orders to the nearby men, hurriedly turning in one direction and the other, and rapidly gesturing with her hands.
That woman may have cast the spell, thought Slayn. She wore an old kingdom artifact, a circlet, across her brow, and bore a number of roughly-made rings on her fingers — surely not for decoration. Of course, the staff in her right hand was not a sage’s staff, but it was made of fine oak, and there were ancient runes carved into its surface, though Slayn could not tell which.
“Well, how it is?” asked Parn.
Thinking that if he looked away, it would be difficult to find the spot again, Slayn kept his eyes on the woman as he answered.
“It was magic. Looks like all of the knights of Valis have been defeated. I can see four of the carriage’s guards, and one woman. She has a pretty face, but she is definitely a mage. But what terrible power, to destroy the knights of Valis with a single fire spell.”
Parn could not believe Slayn’s words. “There’s no way,” said Parn in a strangled voice.
“But it’s the truth,” was Slayn’s cold reply.
Once he had surveyed the situation around the carriage, Slayn focused his attention on the woman giving orders. She looked a little younger than Slayn. Of course, any mage, and especially a sorceress, might disguise her appearance, but her movements betrayed a youthful energy. Even with an illusion, disguising ones’ movements was difficult, so it was just possible she might be as young as she appeared. In any case, she was a mage of great and terrible power. But Slayn had never heard of such a powerful witch. Yet… he had seen her before, and recently.
Slayn stared at the sorceress, probing his memory.
“I’ve got it!” yelled Slayn when at last he remembered. “The woman I’m looking at right now is the one from the portrait in the old house in Alan. Between her purple clothing and that circlet, there’s no mistaking it. Her name was Karla, if I recall correctly. Ghim, you remember, right? You were fascinated by that painting.”
“…no idea. I don’t recall such a picture. And I can’t very well confirm it, because I can’t see what you see. Let’s just get moving. She’s our enemy, right? We should capture her before she can get away.” Ghim moved a bit ahead and unslung his battle axe from his back.
“That’s right! They’re working for Marmo, and snuck into Valis for some reason. If the holy knights were chasing them, that surely means they were up to no good.” Blurting this out, Parn broke into a run.
“What’s the idea, just rushing in carelessly like that? Do you plan to fight them? Drop it! We’re no match for them. Don’t forget that they wiped out five holy knights.”
“But…” Parn turned his head, preparing a retort. But seeing Slayn’s unusually stern expression, he was unable to continue.
“If you want to throw your lives away I won’t stop you. But dying needlessly is not courage. What’s important now is surviving and pursuing our goals. I advise you to hold out for now and wait for your chance.”
“And if we can’t find that chance, we’ll just watch them run away?” The reply came not from Parn, but from Ghim. He slowly approached Slayn, and his quiet but powerful words made the mage tremble.
“Of course not. I’m just saying that now is not the time. But why are you, of all people, so worked up about this? I find that strange, though not if it was coming from Parn.” Slayn wavered at this counterargument coming from such an unexpected source.
“I… I have my reasons,” said Ghim in a subdued voice, then he turned and ran down the road. Parn gave Slayn an apologetic glance and ran after him, Deedlit and Eto following in his wake.
“Seems you’re unpopular, mage. But you’re right. Let’s follow them slowly, from a distance,” whispered Woodchuck, who had quietly approached from behind, shadow-like. His voice sounded to Slayn like the murmurs of his own inner demons.
“That- that’s no good!” Slayn took off running without turning back. He felt like if he turned, he’d be caught by his own shadow.
“I won’t make the same mistake twice!” Pressing his lips together so tightly that they turned white, Slayn gripped his staff. He threw back the hood that limited his vision, exposing his face to the summer sun. The sun, sinking towards the horizon, burned into his eyes, and the heat soaked into his skin. Narrowing his eyes against the light, Slayn ignored the heat and ran hard after Parn and the others, trying to catch up.
What a bunch of happy fools, thought Wood, starting into a slow run some distance behind them.
Whether by good fortune or ill luck, Slayn’s fears were not realized. By the time the group reached the scene, the carriage had vanished.
Ghim pleaded for them to continue the chase, but Parn was unable to ignore the wreckage without doing something. Besides, following the carriage on foot would be quite difficult.
When Slayn argued that their enemies would probably camp once it grew dark, Ghim at last gave in.
Seems they’re set on fighting that group whatever happens, thought Slayn with resignation. He decided then to use magic for destructive purposes. He, too, knew how to cast fire spells.
Parn was speechless as he gazed upon the horrors that remained after the battle. Deedlit cowered behind Parn as though hiding from the sight, only her face visible. The hands that rested on Parn’s epaulet trembled slightly. Frowning, she muttered a prayer in the elven tongue.
The earth had been blackened by fire. On that blackened earth lay seven bodies. Five of them wore the armor of knights of Valis.
Eto had bent down and was checking each of the bodies for signs of life. His normally pleasant face wavered between anger and pity.
All the knights of Valis had been burned by the intense flames and had stopped breathing. It must have been a terrible heat. Their skin had puffed up, and on touch, bits of blackened skin would pull away, revealing the livid flesh underneath. Of course such a sight would plant the seed of anger in Eto’s heart. We must rain the judgment of Pharis on those monsters’ heads! Eto screamed in his heart of hearts.
When he touched the body of the last knight and realized it was still warm, Eto’s anger cooled for a moment. When he looked closer, he could see that the man’s chest still rose and fell. “This man is still alive!”
At Eto’s yell, the other five adventurers ran to him, surrounding him.
“If he’s still breathing, I may be able to do something for him with my power.” As he said this, Eto met Parn’s eyes with worry, sending him a sign.
Parn nodded. “Give them some room. This is Eto’s job.”
Deedlit seemed displeased, but she agreed to pull back when Slayn explained, “Eto uses the magic of Pharis.”
“Let’s bury the bodies of the dead knights. We can’t very well leave them like this.”
Ghim nodded silently at Parn’s words and pulled down his battleaxe. One side bore a blade, but the other was sharp as well, like a pick. He raised the axe in the air, aiming the pick at the ground, and brought it down. He buried the pick in the ground, breaking the earth into smaller chunks. Parn picked up a piece of wood and used it to clear the loose dirt out of the way. In this manner, they dug a small hole and slowly enlarged it.
Slayn sat down on the ground, facing away from the road so as not to look at the aftermath of the battle, and stared blankly at the peaceful fields that stretched out before him. A few questions swirled in his mind. The first concerned the identity of the sorceress, the second, Ghim’s behavior. Ghim had definitely stared at the portrait in the old house in Alania. Forgetting something he had stared at so intently seemed quite improbable. And Ghim, who was usually so unconcerned with everything was now acting as though this was his personal mission and putting himself in the vanguard. But what reason had he to follow the servants of Marmo? Slayn had no idea. And when he thought about it, it was also strange that a subterranean dwarf, who delighted only in the works of his own hands, would leave on a journey in the first place. When he first came to my house, he was searching for something. It was either the clue to some riddle, or perhaps a map of all of Lodoss.
Ghim set out on on this journey with some purpose in mind. And now, might it be that he’s scented the trail?
His face frozen in a severe expression, Slayn quietly observed Ghim swinging his axe.
The melodic chant of Eto’s spell seemed to stretch on forever. Meanwhile, Ghim and Parn dug a grave for each of the fallen knights, with Deedlit’s assistance. They placed one corpse in each grave, covered them with dirt, and thrust each knight’s sword point-first into the ground, to serve as grave-markers. A short distance away, they did the same for the fighters who had guarded the carriage. As they carried out this grim task, the sun dipped slowly beneath the horizon, and the blue faded from the sky.
“Looks like that mage didn’t care if her spell killed her own men,” said Parn with disgust.
“That’s where you’re wrong. I checked the bodies too, and it would seem these fighters died from sword wounds, so I would guess that she worked her magic after her men had been cut down by the knights of Valis. Plus, the side of their bodies that was facing the ground isn’t burnt.”
“Even if they were already dead, I can’t forgive her using magic on her allies.”
“Above all else, magic is not meant to be used in service of destruction. But what do we do next?” Slayn asked Parn.
“We keep going, of course.” Parn said this as though it was a foregone conclusion. Next to him, Ghim grunted his assent.
“You’re serious, aren’t you?” asked Slayn in a low voice. “You’ve witnessed the power of our enemies, who can defeat this many knights with a single spell. I hate to ask this, but do you really think we can win?”
“I do not,” moaned Parn, seeming pained. “But we can’t afford to let them do as they please!”
“Even if we beat them, who’s going to give us a reward?” Wood asked Parn in a bored tone. “I don’t like working for free.”
“The reward comes from your own heart!”
From behind them, they heard Eto’s reply. Wood turned to look at Eto. He seemed exhausted, the drain of using his magic showing. But his efforts had not been in vain. Behind him, the knight stood under his own power, though with visible difficulty. Parn’s face shone with joy.
“And there will also be a reward from the King of Valis,” said the knight quietly.
“Will you tell us the reason?” Parn asked the knight.
The knight nodded silently, then began to speak.
“I am a member of Valis’ royal guard, and I was assigned to Princess Fianna’s escort.”
“Princess Fianna! You mean the Crown Princess of Valis?” shouted Parn in surprise. Deedlit kept her mouth closed, but seemed very intrigued.
“The very same. As the only daughter of King Fahn, her highness Princess Fianna is Crown Princess of Valis. After the start of the current conflict, the princess desired to visit the front lines and encourage the troops. Of course, the king, as well as everyone else in the castle, was opposed from the start. But somehow, the princess managed to slip out of the castle.”
“And so you and your companions were sent out as a search party?” asked Deedlit once the knight had stopped for breath.
“Exactly. It would seem that the princess was aided by a merchant. The merchant in question was a shady character, so we followed her. We finally caught up with the merchant’s caravan and tried to get the princess back, but the result was the pitiful sight you see before you. We defeated some of the guards and thought to pull the princess from the carriage, but a woman came out of it instead. The woman chanted some strange words and an inferno exploded around us, knocking us from our horses. It felt like my whole body was burning, and in that moment of defeat I passed out.”
“You were serious about the reward, I hope?” asked Wood, peering at the knight’s face.
“Of course. If you’re able to recover the princess safe and sound, I can promise there will be a reward. You will probably be able to name your price.”
“I’ll just have to trust that,” said Wood, and turned to pick up his luggage. Looks like I’ve become a fool as well.
“I’m in your debt,” said the knight, thanking the whole group. Then he looked up, and with pursed lips, stared down the darkened road in the direction the caravan had taken. His eyes blazed with anger, as though he could see the woman who had taken the lives of his companions.
The anger that caught flame in Parn’s heart at that unattainable enemy was the same.
Deedlit watched them, confused. Why did Parn share this anger, which was not his own? Why would he risk his life in such a cause?
Thinking that though she herself would be fine, Parn and the others would have trouble walking in the dark, Deedlit started chanting the words to summon the spirits of light, will-o’-wisp.
“Ô shining spirits who dwell in the light, gather and reveal your form to me!” In response to Deedlit’s spell, a small, bouncing light appeared letting off a dim light as it floated in the air. The light gradually grew brighter.
Next to her, Slayn created a magic light at the end of his staff. Lit by these twin glows, the party finally left the smell of charred meat behind, setting off down the road towards Kanon with apprehension.
The party reached the road from Kanon to Valis two days later in the middle of the day. The highway was so steep that they had no choice but to take the mountain road.
At last, the party had reached the pass and was climbing down the other side. The road was rough, making walking difficult. It was so hot Slayn had lost even the energy to speak. The merciless summer sun beat down on them. From all around them, they could hear the high-pitched singing of cicadas.
“It’s going to get even hotter from here on out,” Slayn sighed, his face lost somewhere under his hood. He could barely summon the determination to keep walking in this heat.
“Yep, that’s what happens in the summer,” Wood grinned, glancing at Slayn from the corner of his eye.
“Wow, I had no idea,” said Slayn with annoyance.
“Ah,” said Deedlit, stopping all of a sudden. “I wonder if these are hoofprints. The road seems pretty broken up.” She knelt, checking the holes with one finger.
Parn stopped as well and watched her.
“Just as I thought, they’re hoofprints. It looks like quite a few horses rode through here. They came from Valis, so it’s possible that they’re part of Valis’ army.”
“Valis decided to stand and fight after all.” Eto nodded. “Not that I expected any differently, what with the enemy being the dark armies of Marmo.”
“Obviously. There’s no way King Fawn would let Beld’s atrocities go unpunished, not with the invincible Holy Knights at his back! Looks like Beld’s plans will fall to ruin,” said Parn happily.
Parn spoke as though it was already decided, but Slayn doubted that it would go that smoothly.
Slayn acknowledged the strength of Valis’ knights, but Marmo’s army counted many monsters of evil power. He especially feared the dark elves’ magic knights, whose power he had once had the displeasure to face. If Deedlit and Woodchuck had not been with him, Slayn would surely have been defeated. At that thought, a shiver ran down his spine, and in spite of the summer heat, he broke out in a cold sweat. His cotton underclothes clung unpleasantly to his skin.
This will be a long war, thought Slayn. He kept his thoughts to himself so as not to dampen the mood, but he was almost certain of his prediction.
The next day, their journey continued in much the same fashion. They left the hill road as the land flatted out, making walking easier. But they baked under the cloudless sky. Their order had not changed - Parn and Deedlit in front, followed by Ghim, then Wood and Eto, with Slayn in the rear. His breathing ragged, he was walking as fast as he could, in order not to hold the group back. As always, he carried his staff, and his face was hidden in his hood.
Before they realized it, they were surrounded by farmland. Perhaps they had even entered the realm of Valis. They even saw the occasional small house or large mansion, probably the residences of the local farmers and lords. But they stood empty. It seemed likely they had been evacuated in preparation for war.
“Yes, it looks like Valis is standing up to fight Marmo. Judging by the lack of soldiers, the front is probably farther to the east.”
“Would that mean Valis is winning?” Wood asked Eto.
“Yes, most likely,” Eto replied.
“Valis is winning for sure,” said Parn without bothering to turn his head.
That’s when they realized something was coming from ahead of them. The first to notice was Woodchuck.
“Something’s coming. Over there!” said Wood, narrowing his eyes and gazing into the distance.
The tension in the group instantly went up.
“Let’s just go on as if it’s nothing. If we do anything suspicious, they’ll notice.” Slayn’s voice came from behind them.
“True,” said Parn, narrowing his eyes to try to see the approaching group. They were kicking a lot of dust in the air. It looked like in addition to the horses, they had a wagon. It was hard to tell with the sunlight glaring in his eyes, but it looked like a merchant caravan. Or perhaps part of Valis’ supply train. The party moved forward at an even pace, trying to seem as calm as possible. But they found themselves walking silently. Anxious not to overlook anything, they were concentrated on observing the other group.
“Madame Karla, I see people ahead.” The nervous voice interrupted Karla’s concentration. She slowly pulled aside the shade covering the carriage’s window.
“What is it?”
One of the warriors guarding the carriage pulled his horse up alongside her.
“Yes, there is a group of several people approaching us on foot. They seemed to be armed, but one of them looks like a child.”
“A child? That’s odd. They must not be soldiers of Valis, then.”
“Probably not…”
“I see. Well, as long as they don’t make any false moves, let them be. But stay on your guard!”
As soon as she had given that order, Karla sat back in her seat. Only a little farther. With a sigh of relief, Karla turned to look at the young woman sitting next to her. The girl’s empty eyes stared blankly ahead. It was a soulless gaze. With a nod of satisfaction, Karla closed her eyes and thought of what she must do next.
“What do you think?” murmured Parn in Deedlit’s ear.
“I don’t know either, but they’re a strange lot. You could say the same thing about us, though.”
The little group of six really did seem like an odd combination. Parn smiled, but his smile soon vanished as he turned his attention to the oncoming group once again.
As the groups drew closer, both of them tensed more and more. Both of them were determined to figure the other group out. Both were prepared to strike at any moment, but the walkers stepped off the road to allow the other group to pass.
“It’s getting really hot out,” said Wood in greeting to the man at the head of the other group as he passed. Parn thought it might be too familiar of a greeting, but the other group seemed to relax.
“Must be hard traveling on foot, then,” replied the mountain man in a relaxed tone, a smile on his face.
“You got that right.” Wood replied once more, and then turned his gaze from the man. Please pass by quickly, he thought to himself.
The carriage passed by in a clatter of hooves.
Slayn nonchalantly glanced at the carriage. It was a very fine carriage, and he was dying of curiosity as to who might be riding in it. Squinting, he saw that there were two occupants, both women. Perhaps noticing what Slayn was doing, one of the horsemen pulled in front of the carriage, blocking Slayn’s view. Keeping an eye on Slayn, the man slowed down in order to stay between Slayn and a carriage until they were out of sight.
Looks like they don’t want us to know who’s in there. Thinking that strange, Slayn stopped and watched as the carriage pulled away.
“They scared me half to death!” Wood spit on the ground as the carriage pulled out of sight.
“What a weird bunch. Heading out towards the battlefield like that!” Parn seemed taken aback as he stepped back onto the road.
“It looked like there were two women in the carriage, but I couldn’t be sure.” Slayn was still looking in the direction of the carriage.
“Women? I should have looked too.” Joking, Wood seemed to be recovering from his fright. Deedlit, too, started walking again.
I wonder about the one who tried to stop me from seeing inside, though. Slayn cocked his head as he walked.
“Not again.” Just then, before they could say knife, Wood’s rough voice rang out.
“What happened?” Slayn had pulled as far back in his hood as he could, unable to hide from the sun, but he looked up reluctantly at the sound of Wood’s voice. He had meant to ask Wood a question, but as he looked up, he saw what Wood had meant.
Woodchuck was silently pointing down the road, where another cloud of dust filled the air. It was another mounted group, but to judge by the size of the cloud and the sound of the horses’ hooves, this one was moving at high speeds.
“Looks like knights of Valis this time,” said sharp-eyed Wood. “No one besides the knights of Valis would wear white armor and ride white horses like that.”
“Knights of Valis?!” Parn, who was walking in front, yelled this. He squinted and followed them with his eyes, trying to make them out through the dust.
Holy knights… conflicted feelings warred within him. The white horses caught his eye as they approached. They were beautiful. The knights rode like a white wind.
As Parn hurriedly stepped out of the way, he couldn’t decide how he felt about them. Some of it might be anger, perhaps, but beneath it ran a foundation of pure admiration.
With what dreams did my father don this white armor? Parn looked down at the old, beat-up armor he wore. It was no longer white — gray would have been closer. The shining silver part of the chest was the proof of his father’s dishonor. He remembered the words of Mort, who ran the general store in Zaxon, and the anger and shame he had felt when he heard them again.
How am I any different from those knights? Parn felt a mix of sadness and jealousy at the thought that he wore the same kind of armor as they did. Parn was lost in his emotions, which grew stronger as the knights drew closer.
“What’s wrong?” Deedlit’s worried voice whispered in his left ear. Parn felt for a moment that her beautiful voice had saved him.
“It’s nothing, Deed.” Parn looked at Deedlit with affection and pulled himself straight. With this resolute posture, he turned to face the approaching knights.
The knights slowed down and pulled their horses to a stop just in front of Parn. Slayn and Eto respectfully lowered their heads before the knights, but Parn did not.
“Where did you lot come from?”
One of the knights stepped forward to interrogate them.
“We’re travelers who came here through Alania. We fled the war in Kanon to seek refuge here.” Slayn spoke with his head still bowed.
“Yes, that’s right,” Wood immediately seconded him.
“Hmm, you say you came running here from Kanon?” said the knight, unconvinced, and scrutinized the group. “I understand, but we can’t afford to trust you so easily. Pardon me.”
With these words, the knight started chanting in a low voice. Slayn recognized it as a prayer to Pharis.
As expected from a holy knight! thought Slayn with admiration. These knights were skilled not only with swords, but with the magic of Pharis. Deciding that no matter what kind of spell it was, the magic of Pharis was harmless, Slayn made no move to stop him. But next to him Eto gave a cry of surprise and lifted his head, giving the knight an affronted glare.
“How very rude of you, using magic. My name is Eto. I have been formally ordained as a priest in the temple of Pharis in Alan. I don’t care what your mission is, you have no sense, using holy magic because of baseless suspicion!”
“Ah, I apologize for my rudeness. I had no idea you were a priest of Pharis. But because we must hurry in these times of danger, we have turned to Pharis’ power. We have no further questions for you, and you are free to go on your way. Please forgive our impoliteness. Farewell.”
The knight kicked his horse to start moving again.
“Would the reason for your hurry be a group guarding a carriage, by any chance?” Lifting his head, Slayn called out to the knight.
“What!” The knight reined in his horse. The horse reared up, neighing in protest.
“Oh, we just passed a strange group with a carriage, and we thought it suspicious. Who were they?”
“Don’t ask too many questions. It’s a matter of state, so I ask that you not speak of it to others.”
This time the rider took off, not listening to Slayn’s pleas to wait. The other riders took off after him like white lightning, and the dust raised by their passage floated in the summer breeze.
“What in the world was that about?” Parn had watched the riders off, but as they vanished in the distance, he turned to Slayn, who had pulled up his dark blue hood again.
“I’m curious too. Both about those knights’ actions and the strange appearance of the group with the carriage.”
“I wonder if we should go have a look.”
“I can’t decide that on my own, but if you want my advice, we’d do best to stay out of it.” Slayn said vehemently. Not that he felt like his words would make a difference. Knowing Parn, he would reject them.
“I wonder. That knight said it was an affair of state. If that has something to do with the carriage, then…” Parn was lost in thought, his arms crossed.
“Well, if Parn’s thinking, that means it’s decided. We’re going to have to retrace our steps under this blazing sun.” Hoisting his luggage onto his back, Ghim turned and slowly started walking.
“Ugh, what a mess.” Woodchuck followed him, before looking back at Parn. “What are you doing? You know you’ll go even if we try to stop you. Don’t waste your time on thinking.”
“They’re right, you know,” said Deedlit, breaking into a half jog and stretching her hand out to Parn. “Let’s go. It’s not like you to worry.”
“Stop teasing,” Parn complained with a straight face, but his body automatically started moving. “I think and worry just as much as the next guy!”
“That’s the first I’ve heard of it!” Wood laughed loudly.
“We’d better hurry if we don’t want to lose sight of them,” said Slayn, his expression strained. It was beginning to look like a forced march.
“If only we had horses too.” Deedlit, at the head of the group, looked back as she said this. Her hair caught the sunlight, glowing with a rainbow of colors as it drifted gently through the air.
“What’s that sound?” Deedlit suddenly stopped and put both hands to her pointed ears.
“What’s wrong, Deed?” Parn looked around and checked that nothing had changed before asking.
“Shh! Quiet. I can hear a noise coming from over there. So don’t let your armor make any sound.”
Parn quickly came to a stop. He even held his breath, trying to make no sound whatsoever. The other four, walking behind them, stopped walking as soon as they noticed what was going on, doing their best not to distract Deedlit.
Elves were famous for their sharp ears. It was said that they could even hear the sounds tiny creatures made as they scurried over the leaves in the forest.
“Looks like I was right. They’re fighting. I can hear people screaming and metal hitting metal.”
“Those knights are fighting! We’ve got to hurry!” Hearing Deedlit’s words, Parn broke into a panicked run. “They must be fighting the group with the carriage. Even if they’re outnumbered, I doubt they would lose against mercenaries.”
“You can’t say that for sure. We’re still going to rush to their aid, right?”
“Of course.”
“Let’s hope we don’t get in their way.” Deedlit let out a sarcastic laugh and easily ran on ahead of Parn. Not only was she naturally quick on her feet, she was wearing lighter armor than Parn’s, so she could more than keep up with him.
Even though Parn was encumbered by his heavy armor, there was no way Wood or Slayn could overtake him. Even more so for Ghim, whose short legs gave him a serious handicap.
“Don’t just take off running like that!” cried Eto, out of breath.
“The Holy Knights are fighting!”
“I think we should go find out what’s going on,” said Slayn, panting.
Deedlit felt like she could run for hours, but the lead she had on the others had grown, so she waited for them to catch up, stretching her legs. She had run quite a distance, and she could hear the sounds of the fight much more clearly than before. If she squinted, she could just barely see several shadows moving along the highway.
“That must be it.” Deedlit stared at the shadows.
Just then, a red light flared up with a boom. The sound was as loud as an avalanche. Deedlit shrieked and covered her ears, her acute sense of hearing rendering the noise all the more painful.
“What’s this noise? And I saw a red light over there!” yelled Parn. He had caught up at last. He put his hand on Deedlit’s shoulder as she cowered and covered her ears. All the while, he gazed down the road, as though not wanting to miss anything.
“I heard it too.” Slayn approached at last. “And I saw the light. Though it would be more accurate to call it a fire - make no mistake, those were magical flames.”
“Magic? But who cast it? The fighters escorting that carriage, or the knights of Valis?” asked Deedlit in Slayn’s direction, casually covering Parn’s hand on her shoulder with her own.
“There’s no way to know. All we know is that we didn’t cast it ourselves. That fire magic we just saw is considered taboo by the Academy of Sages. The masters only teach it to those they judge ready. I didn’t see any faces I knew from the Academy in either group, though it’s possible they were using a disguise. And mages dislike carrying swords as a rule. Though I don’t know whether that goes for Wagnard of Marmo as well.”
“Was it him? Was he riding in the carriage?” said Parn, excited.
“There were just two women in that carriage. Is Wagnard a woman?” Wood spread his hands and shrugged.
“Wait, it seems like the battle is over. I can’t hear fighting anymore.” Deedlit stood, still holding Parn’s hand.
“What? Then who won?”
“Don’t ask stupid questions. There’s no way to know just from the sound. But if you hold on a second, I’ll ask the wind.”
“Wind? Sylph, you mean? In that case, I’ll use my far-seeing spell. That’s the surest method.”
“If you know that kind of useful magic, you should have used it from the beginning, instead of trying to make yourself look good now,” said Wood with annoyance.
“You said it,” Ghim voiced his agreement with Wood’s complaints.
“I can’t afford to use magic in minor matters,” said Slayn. He slowed his breathing and began to chant in the ancient tongue.
Slayn softly chanted his spell. Far-seeing spells magnified the user’s vision several times beyond what would normally be possible for a human. The only problem was that such magics were tricky, requiring many adjustments to see the right place. Slayn looked up in the air, repeatedly opening and closing his eyes as he adjusted his vision to see down the road.
“It’s awful!” blurted out Slayn when at last he could clearly make out the desired location.
The scene Slayn looked upon was something out of hell. The ground was stained black, and in that blackness lay many, many burnt corpses. A white smoke rose from the charred remains, and the unpleasant odor of burning flesh filled the air.
Slayn turned his gaze, looking towards the carriage. On the carriage stood a woman in a purple dress. It seemed she was giving orders to the nearby men, hurriedly turning in one direction and the other, and rapidly gesturing with her hands.
That woman may have cast the spell, thought Slayn. She wore an old kingdom artifact, a circlet, across her brow, and bore a number of roughly-made rings on her fingers — surely not for decoration. Of course, the staff in her right hand was not a sage’s staff, but it was made of fine oak, and there were ancient runes carved into its surface, though Slayn could not tell which.
“Well, how it is?” asked Parn.
Thinking that if he looked away, it would be difficult to find the spot again, Slayn kept his eyes on the woman as he answered.
“It was magic. Looks like all of the knights of Valis have been defeated. I can see four of the carriage’s guards, and one woman. She has a pretty face, but she is definitely a mage. But what terrible power, to destroy the knights of Valis with a single fire spell.”
Parn could not believe Slayn’s words. “There’s no way,” said Parn in a strangled voice.
“But it’s the truth,” was Slayn’s cold reply.
Once he had surveyed the situation around the carriage, Slayn focused his attention on the woman giving orders. She looked a little younger than Slayn. Of course, any mage, and especially a sorceress, might disguise her appearance, but her movements betrayed a youthful energy. Even with an illusion, disguising ones’ movements was difficult, so it was just possible she might be as young as she appeared. In any case, she was a mage of great and terrible power. But Slayn had never heard of such a powerful witch. Yet… he had seen her before, and recently.
Slayn stared at the sorceress, probing his memory.
“I’ve got it!” yelled Slayn when at last he remembered. “The woman I’m looking at right now is the one from the portrait in the old house in Alan. Between her purple clothing and that circlet, there’s no mistaking it. Her name was Karla, if I recall correctly. Ghim, you remember, right? You were fascinated by that painting.”
“…no idea. I don’t recall such a picture. And I can’t very well confirm it, because I can’t see what you see. Let’s just get moving. She’s our enemy, right? We should capture her before she can get away.” Ghim moved a bit ahead and unslung his battle axe from his back.
“That’s right! They’re working for Marmo, and snuck into Valis for some reason. If the holy knights were chasing them, that surely means they were up to no good.” Blurting this out, Parn broke into a run.
“What’s the idea, just rushing in carelessly like that? Do you plan to fight them? Drop it! We’re no match for them. Don’t forget that they wiped out five holy knights.”
“But…” Parn turned his head, preparing a retort. But seeing Slayn’s unusually stern expression, he was unable to continue.
“If you want to throw your lives away I won’t stop you. But dying needlessly is not courage. What’s important now is surviving and pursuing our goals. I advise you to hold out for now and wait for your chance.”
“And if we can’t find that chance, we’ll just watch them run away?” The reply came not from Parn, but from Ghim. He slowly approached Slayn, and his quiet but powerful words made the mage tremble.
“Of course not. I’m just saying that now is not the time. But why are you, of all people, so worked up about this? I find that strange, though not if it was coming from Parn.” Slayn wavered at this counterargument coming from such an unexpected source.
“I… I have my reasons,” said Ghim in a subdued voice, then he turned and ran down the road. Parn gave Slayn an apologetic glance and ran after him, Deedlit and Eto following in his wake.
“Seems you’re unpopular, mage. But you’re right. Let’s follow them slowly, from a distance,” whispered Woodchuck, who had quietly approached from behind, shadow-like. His voice sounded to Slayn like the murmurs of his own inner demons.
“That- that’s no good!” Slayn took off running without turning back. He felt like if he turned, he’d be caught by his own shadow.
“I won’t make the same mistake twice!” Pressing his lips together so tightly that they turned white, Slayn gripped his staff. He threw back the hood that limited his vision, exposing his face to the summer sun. The sun, sinking towards the horizon, burned into his eyes, and the heat soaked into his skin. Narrowing his eyes against the light, Slayn ignored the heat and ran hard after Parn and the others, trying to catch up.
What a bunch of happy fools, thought Wood, starting into a slow run some distance behind them.
Whether by good fortune or ill luck, Slayn’s fears were not realized. By the time the group reached the scene, the carriage had vanished.
Ghim pleaded for them to continue the chase, but Parn was unable to ignore the wreckage without doing something. Besides, following the carriage on foot would be quite difficult.
When Slayn argued that their enemies would probably camp once it grew dark, Ghim at last gave in.
Seems they’re set on fighting that group whatever happens, thought Slayn with resignation. He decided then to use magic for destructive purposes. He, too, knew how to cast fire spells.
Parn was speechless as he gazed upon the horrors that remained after the battle. Deedlit cowered behind Parn as though hiding from the sight, only her face visible. The hands that rested on Parn’s epaulet trembled slightly. Frowning, she muttered a prayer in the elven tongue.
The earth had been blackened by fire. On that blackened earth lay seven bodies. Five of them wore the armor of knights of Valis.
Eto had bent down and was checking each of the bodies for signs of life. His normally pleasant face wavered between anger and pity.
All the knights of Valis had been burned by the intense flames and had stopped breathing. It must have been a terrible heat. Their skin had puffed up, and on touch, bits of blackened skin would pull away, revealing the livid flesh underneath. Of course such a sight would plant the seed of anger in Eto’s heart. We must rain the judgment of Pharis on those monsters’ heads! Eto screamed in his heart of hearts.
When he touched the body of the last knight and realized it was still warm, Eto’s anger cooled for a moment. When he looked closer, he could see that the man’s chest still rose and fell. “This man is still alive!”
At Eto’s yell, the other five adventurers ran to him, surrounding him.
“If he’s still breathing, I may be able to do something for him with my power.” As he said this, Eto met Parn’s eyes with worry, sending him a sign.
Parn nodded. “Give them some room. This is Eto’s job.”
Deedlit seemed displeased, but she agreed to pull back when Slayn explained, “Eto uses the magic of Pharis.”
“Let’s bury the bodies of the dead knights. We can’t very well leave them like this.”
Ghim nodded silently at Parn’s words and pulled down his battleaxe. One side bore a blade, but the other was sharp as well, like a pick. He raised the axe in the air, aiming the pick at the ground, and brought it down. He buried the pick in the ground, breaking the earth into smaller chunks. Parn picked up a piece of wood and used it to clear the loose dirt out of the way. In this manner, they dug a small hole and slowly enlarged it.
Slayn sat down on the ground, facing away from the road so as not to look at the aftermath of the battle, and stared blankly at the peaceful fields that stretched out before him. A few questions swirled in his mind. The first concerned the identity of the sorceress, the second, Ghim’s behavior. Ghim had definitely stared at the portrait in the old house in Alania. Forgetting something he had stared at so intently seemed quite improbable. And Ghim, who was usually so unconcerned with everything was now acting as though this was his personal mission and putting himself in the vanguard. But what reason had he to follow the servants of Marmo? Slayn had no idea. And when he thought about it, it was also strange that a subterranean dwarf, who delighted only in the works of his own hands, would leave on a journey in the first place. When he first came to my house, he was searching for something. It was either the clue to some riddle, or perhaps a map of all of Lodoss.
Ghim set out on on this journey with some purpose in mind. And now, might it be that he’s scented the trail?
His face frozen in a severe expression, Slayn quietly observed Ghim swinging his axe.
The melodic chant of Eto’s spell seemed to stretch on forever. Meanwhile, Ghim and Parn dug a grave for each of the fallen knights, with Deedlit’s assistance. They placed one corpse in each grave, covered them with dirt, and thrust each knight’s sword point-first into the ground, to serve as grave-markers. A short distance away, they did the same for the fighters who had guarded the carriage. As they carried out this grim task, the sun dipped slowly beneath the horizon, and the blue faded from the sky.
“Looks like that mage didn’t care if her spell killed her own men,” said Parn with disgust.
“That’s where you’re wrong. I checked the bodies too, and it would seem these fighters died from sword wounds, so I would guess that she worked her magic after her men had been cut down by the knights of Valis. Plus, the side of their bodies that was facing the ground isn’t burnt.”
“Even if they were already dead, I can’t forgive her using magic on her allies.”
“Above all else, magic is not meant to be used in service of destruction. But what do we do next?” Slayn asked Parn.
“We keep going, of course.” Parn said this as though it was a foregone conclusion. Next to him, Ghim grunted his assent.
“You’re serious, aren’t you?” asked Slayn in a low voice. “You’ve witnessed the power of our enemies, who can defeat this many knights with a single spell. I hate to ask this, but do you really think we can win?”
“I do not,” moaned Parn, seeming pained. “But we can’t afford to let them do as they please!”
“Even if we beat them, who’s going to give us a reward?” Wood asked Parn in a bored tone. “I don’t like working for free.”
“The reward comes from your own heart!”
From behind them, they heard Eto’s reply. Wood turned to look at Eto. He seemed exhausted, the drain of using his magic showing. But his efforts had not been in vain. Behind him, the knight stood under his own power, though with visible difficulty. Parn’s face shone with joy.
“And there will also be a reward from the King of Valis,” said the knight quietly.
“Will you tell us the reason?” Parn asked the knight.
The knight nodded silently, then began to speak.
“I am a member of Valis’ royal guard, and I was assigned to Princess Fianna’s escort.”
“Princess Fianna! You mean the Crown Princess of Valis?” shouted Parn in surprise. Deedlit kept her mouth closed, but seemed very intrigued.
“The very same. As the only daughter of King Fahn, her highness Princess Fianna is Crown Princess of Valis. After the start of the current conflict, the princess desired to visit the front lines and encourage the troops. Of course, the king, as well as everyone else in the castle, was opposed from the start. But somehow, the princess managed to slip out of the castle.”
“And so you and your companions were sent out as a search party?” asked Deedlit once the knight had stopped for breath.
“Exactly. It would seem that the princess was aided by a merchant. The merchant in question was a shady character, so we followed her. We finally caught up with the merchant’s caravan and tried to get the princess back, but the result was the pitiful sight you see before you. We defeated some of the guards and thought to pull the princess from the carriage, but a woman came out of it instead. The woman chanted some strange words and an inferno exploded around us, knocking us from our horses. It felt like my whole body was burning, and in that moment of defeat I passed out.”
“You were serious about the reward, I hope?” asked Wood, peering at the knight’s face.
“Of course. If you’re able to recover the princess safe and sound, I can promise there will be a reward. You will probably be able to name your price.”
“I’ll just have to trust that,” said Wood, and turned to pick up his luggage. Looks like I’ve become a fool as well.
“I’m in your debt,” said the knight, thanking the whole group. Then he looked up, and with pursed lips, stared down the darkened road in the direction the caravan had taken. His eyes blazed with anger, as though he could see the woman who had taken the lives of his companions.
The anger that caught flame in Parn’s heart at that unattainable enemy was the same.
Deedlit watched them, confused. Why did Parn share this anger, which was not his own? Why would he risk his life in such a cause?
Thinking that though she herself would be fine, Parn and the others would have trouble walking in the dark, Deedlit started chanting the words to summon the spirits of light, will-o’-wisp.
“Ô shining spirits who dwell in the light, gather and reveal your form to me!” In response to Deedlit’s spell, a small, bouncing light appeared letting off a dim light as it floated in the air. The light gradually grew brighter.
Next to her, Slayn created a magic light at the end of his staff. Lit by these twin glows, the party finally left the smell of charred meat behind, setting off down the road towards Kanon with apprehension.
