Rylen walked out of the trees about a quarter mile away from one of the roads that led into Edge. The sky was overcast and likely would be for the rest of winter. He guessed it was a little past midday.

He’d been traveling alongside the valley road instead of on it. He’d chosen to do so after he’d seen that group of priests ride by again.

It had made him feel uneasy, like he was being watched. He remembered how he’d been found by that one priest who’d tried to convince him to return. He didn’t think they would force him to come back, but he still didn’t feel comfortable. So, he started walking in the cover next to the road to be extra safe. The last thing he needed was one of those villagers getting wind of where he was.

His suspicions had been confirmed when riders had started stopping travelers and inspecting their faces. To his surprise, he recognized them as some of the craftsmen he had grown up with. He didn’t think they had cared enough about him to come looking for him.

Of course, that didn’t mean he was willing to come out and reveal himself. For all he knew, there was a bounty on his head they wanted to cash in on, although he didn’t really think they were that kind of men. So, he watched them warily until they went on their way up the valley toward Edge.

When he himself had almost reached Edge, a convoy of knights and carriages had come from down the valley. He watched as it made its way along the road. There was a commotion near the entry to the town. There was a wide swath of paved ground there, and it looked like guardsmen were forcing travelers to pack up and move off it. The convoy circled around in the now-open space, and knights dismounted and began making camp.

Rylen thought this was a little odd, but he continued his walk toward the city across the field anyway. He’d been expecting them to continue along one of the roads that curved around the city to the palaces. Surely with that many knights, they were escorting a prince or something. He shrugged it off and focused on what he was about to do next.

The town of Edge wasn’t walled. It really didn’t even have a keep, either. The walls surrounding the temple were the closest thing to defenses, but those were mostly decorative. Edge was so far within Gwyan it was pointless to build walls. Its only real threat was dragons, and there honestly wasn’t much defense against those except ballistae. Stone towers were scattered about the town with heavy ballistae on top, and that was about it.

Thus, there were only a few guardsmen stationed at all the streets that led out of Edge to discourage criminals and the like. The houses on the edges of town, especially those on the west side, were clumped together. Most of them had two doors, one on either side.

For some reason, he felt himself grow ashamed as he approached the town. He didn’t want anyone to see him, and not only because he was Eran. He pushed the feeling away only to have it be replaced by nervousness. He walked up to the door of one of the dwellings and tried it. It opened and he walked in, making sure his hood was pulled about his face. A woman sewing in her chair saw him enter.

“You! What are you doing in here?”

“Just using your doors, ma’am,” Rylen said and walked out the opposite door.

“Don’t come back!” she yelled, and he heard the locks being engaged behind him. His nervousness was quickly replaced by elation; he smiled and pranced away.

His first order of business would be to find a hidey-hole. It would have to be out of the wind and have something serving as a roof. He also needed to get more food before he left again.

There were too many people on the west side of town. On the east side, there would be more places he could hide, but there were also more guards because of the nobles. Perhaps somewhere in between? The temple? He recalled how Leyla and Kassim were always able to sneak up on him and decided against that idea. He’d thought about hiding up in the cave he used to explore when he was a kid, but that would mean he’d have to travel out each time he wanted to go to town. He wanted to waste as little time as possible. He was stumped.

There was one last place he could try: he just hoped it was still there. However, before that, he needed to eat.

He zigzagged through town, using only the smallest side streets and secret routes that those who grew up in the town knew about.

It took him the better part of half an hour, but he made it to the fairgrounds next to the cliff.

The crowds were fairly heavy, but he used that to his advantage to snitch food along the way.

A piece of bread here, a piece of meat there, and maybe a vegetable or two, and he had a full meal. He wished he could get some of the cooked pastries, but perhaps that was too much to ask.

Now that he had all the time in the world to waste, he enjoyed many of the sights he rarely got to see when tending to the inn.

There were all kinds of exotic wares he’d never seen before. A Shabakian had set up shop and was selling strange spices said to have mystical powers. There were men who swallowed blades and some who blew fire. Others danced or sang or even told stories. The storytellers were Rylen’s favorite, but he’d seldom been able to listen in on them. Hyrestl didn’t afford much time for the festival, and stories took time to tell. Often, Rylen was lucky to hear one full story, if not a new one at that.

So now he spent a while listening to the storyteller off to the side. He didn’t want the man to see his face and start telling tales of the war with Ara-Era and how Gwyan had won. The fellow was telling the tale of a hero who once braved the icy mountains to mine gold from the bones of an ancient giant. The man was chased by wolves and nearly drowned, but he escaped by burning the forest behind him. Though he didn’t have much of the gold left at the end of the story, he still did his best to pay back those who had helped him with his journey. His kindness and integrity were eventually rewarded.

Despite himself knowing it was just a story, Rylen found himself encouraged. Of course he was doing the right thing by returning to Edge.

The man moved on to other tales, many that Rylen hadn’t heard before, much to his delight. Men fell from the sky like stars and became great heroes and villains. Pirates commandeered ships along the Arnaw and won gold and notoriety. Mighty battles were fought, and good men slain, but the hero always prevailed if they were Gwyanian or Shabakian. The man finished up about an hour later, and Rylen quickly dropped a hard in the man’s box and moved on.

After standing still for so long, he realized just how tired he’d become. It was time to find that hideaway.

He headed off back through the press of people in town toward the north. He admired the cultivated gardens of the nobles and their beautiful palaces. However, he was keen to keep his eyes out for guardsmen, who he avoided.

Eventually, he made it to a part of the town that butted against the walls of the temple on its most northern point. The hill here was rocky and craggy, but people had still clumped their houses together where they could.

He had always liked exploring the passages between the short cliffs and the house walls when he was a kid. Leyla had often joined him too. Together they had found a series of these corridors that actually led to a crevice in the rock, which someone had built their house over. Houses had been built near it as well, creating a nice little shelter hemmed in on all sides.

Rylen imagined the kids in the area knew its location as well, but if it was only kids he had to deal with he’d be okay. As long as they could keep their blabby mouths shut.

He glanced around him, and finding there wasn’t anyone near, he clambered over some boulders and rocks before he found the entrance to the passages as they had called them. It was simply the back end of a house that abutted a rock face nearby. He remembered them being a little wider, though.

He took off his pack and carried it with one hand as he scooted sideways. The passage grew wider, and now two boulders stood in the way of his progress.

He clambered up between them to a rocky slope otherwise inaccessible. The other parts of the hill were too steep. He climbed up this until he could walk under the supporting beams of a house above him.

On the other side of this was a deep cut in the hill caused by a dry, gravelly rivulet that ran from the top. He followed this until he came to another small cliff. He followed alongside this until he found a crevice in the rock. He entered sideways and ignored the other small cracks that branched off from here. Above him he could see planks that someone had laid down to prevent people from falling in. The crevice widened to where it could fit his shoulders but lowered to where he had to duck slightly.

The passage ended where a house was built astride the crevice and two other houses had been built directly in front of it. Only a sliver of light of the sky above could be seen between the rock and the house’s wall. It was also fortunate that the wall had a stone chimney so he could keep warm.

Someone gasped from one of the shadows, and Rylen jumped, almost hitting his head on the house supports above. The figure moved out of the shadow, and Rylen’s heart almost stopped. The sliver of light shone on coppery-blond hair and a freckled face.

“Rylen?” said a nasally voice, followed by a sniffle.

***

Kassim and Adilah walked in silence with their hoods obscuring their faces. They were free to do as they wished, but that didn’t mean Harbiya wouldn’t send someone to watch them. It was late afternoon now, and any light they had would be gone in a few hours. They had to take action somehow.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

After leaving Harbiya’s presence, they had traveled back to the temple through a roundabout way. There they had secretly met with their priests and learned of the death of Juman and another man. Adilah informed her husband of Harbiya’s attempt to capture their daughter, and it was decided the man had been one of Harbiya’s own. However, none of the priests knew of Leyla’s whereabouts. But even in the temple, Kassim and Adilah felt uneasy. With Harbiya setting them free, they could make no assumptions about the privacy of their talks.

Adilah wanted to tell Kassim of her suspicion that the dark presence was connected to Rylen, but that would risk exposing his true nature. Anything they said would be scrutinized for double meanings as well. It just wasn’t worth the risk.

If it wasn’t for the dark presence, she would have been able to monitor the locations of all the Kamwa that had been watching her and Kassim. But no, the presence blocked out her senses like a fog over the city. At most, she could feel what people were carrying directly around her and the faint glow of the amassed wealth on the east side of the hill. They could both sense where the dark presence was. Of that Adilah was sure; however, she wasn’t sure if Kassim had made the connection about Rylen.

If that was the case, the guardsmen would be able to find Rylen with her help. It would be their only chance to go with the royal knights of the convoy. Otherwise, Harbiya might be able to snatch the young man right out from under them.

It had been a few hours since priest and priestess had been walking around the city trying to lose any tail they had. They had gone around the temple, checking up on the proceedings for the festival, then ducked out through a secret way.

They mingled with the crowds and changed their clothes, then stopped at a tavern and got some food and observed the people who came in and out. Then they had picked the lock on one of the secured back rooms and jumped out the window into the alley. After meandering around the festival grounds for some time, they were back to weaving in and out of side streets. They had done the best they could; now it was time for her to act.

Adilah looked up at Kassim and tugged on his hand. Follow me she was saying.

He squeezed back and she started leading the way, though it certainly didn’t look like that. From anyone else’s point of view, it looked like they were simply wandering hand-in-hand. Indeed, Adilah took them in sometimes random directions. If it was Harbiya himself who was following them, it would at least annoy him. Eventually, she led Kassim to the smithy and knocked on the door.

Jak’s jaw dropped when he recognized them, and he quickly ushered them in. His eyes scoured the foot traffic outside before shutting the door. He turned and hissed at them.

“What are you two doing here? Last I knew you were snagged off by the Kamwa to shadow the convoy. Am I right?”

Adilah nodded.

“Really, what are you doing?”

“Follow me,” Adilah said. “You and your men. The convoy too.”

Jak hesitated.

“Trust her.” Kassim’s eyes were hard as flint.

Jak looked at his friends. They were being followed. Or they greatly feared they were. They weren’t taking this risk without good reason. He took a breath.

“Okay, then. Are we being discreet?”

Adilah shook her head.

Jak worked with Adilah and Kassim because the king had commanded it. However, it didn’t mean he had to like working with them. They had been Kamwa before. For all he knew, they were being used or blackmailed. However, they had proved themselves reliable in the past.

Jak deliberated. His men hadn’t found Rylen yet, though, and the convoy was waiting. His options were getting more and more risky.

He held out his hands in surrender. “Okay.” He went to the door and opened it.

Hammer and nail, he whispered to the wind.

The wind caught it and happily spread it out over the town in a matter of minutes. Some places took longer, however, as the words got caught in nasty little eddies.

Together they waited nervously as one by one, Jak’s men returned to the smithy. Each was shocked to find Kassim and Adilah there, but they kept quiet. They knew something was up. Something big.

Whispering on the wind could only be heard by those who knew the skill. But then again, anyone who had the skill could hear what the wind repeated. Jak had essentially notified every experienced Kamwa in the city that something was happening.

“Where’s…” Kassim let the sentence trail off. The less knowledge they gave out to whoever was close by the better. Hyrestl was directly related to Rylen. It wouldn’t do to let the enemy make connections.

“He’s the most…knowledgeable out of any of us,” Jak said. “He doesn’t know how to whisper, though. He’s out searching. We won’t be able to make contact with him until he returns.”

The priest nodded.

“Follow me,” Adilah said and led the men out.

***

Adilah led them out of the city to where the convoy was waiting.

The soldiers were climbing into the carriages as they approached. The entire convoy had been readied to go. The captain took notice as Adilah and the rest approached and turned his horse toward them.

When they had come close enough, he bent down and whispered. “What in the king’s name is happening, Jak?”

“You’ll have to trust us, sir. We need you and your men to follow Adilah, here. We believe we’re being watched as well.”

The captain scoured the area around them. “If you’re being followed, it’s by someone far beyond my own capabilities.” He turned back to his men. “Form up! We leave now!”

He pointed at Adilah. “Get on one of our spare horses.” Indicating the others, he said, “Those of you who can fit in the carriages should ride in them. The rest of you will have to walk with the troops.”

They complied. Adilah jumped on a horse, and the captain and his lieutenant rode on either side of her with a crier out front. They entered the city. While they were forced to take the crowded main streets, no one blocked their way. All it took was one glance at the formidable plate armor of the mounted knights, and people scrambled aside.

When the convoy was about to come to an intersection, Adilah would call out the direction. All the while she fidgeted. Her every sense was trying to find who was following them, but to no avail.

She felt herself pale as a thought crossed her mind. Perhaps it was Harbiya himself? She remembered how he had shown them how he could vanish, even to their own eyes.

Her heart beat rapidly in her chest. So many thoughts were running through her mind. She was sure Harbiya hadn’t found Leyla. If he had, he would have used her while he still had her parents. Adilah knew she would have told Harbiya everything if he’d captured her daughter.

She dearly hoped Leyla was still safe.

Why had he let them loose, then? What was it that he was planning? She could only think he knew they would lead the convoy to Rylen and therefore lead him as well. It was a high-stakes gamble on his part. Neither he nor the convoy would know until the actual moment Rylen was revealed.

In that moment, she was sure all hell would break loose.

For now, though, everything seemed to be peaceful. The convoy proceeded slowly toward the north end of town where she could sense the dark presence was concentrated. Because the convoy had to keep to the larger roads, her options for approaching the area were limited. She did her best to keep their enemies from guessing but was sure she couldn’t hide the general direction from them.

Banners and streamers in the rich colors of a morning sky decorated every house and building. The Gwyanian flag flew on every corner, its fiery orange and yellow sun standing out on a background of sky blue.

Seldom was there a person in the crowd who wasn’t wearing a colorful robe. The murmur and noise of the throng was intermixed with laughter and singing. Festivalgoers carried hot drinks and delectable food. Store vendors called out their wares to the passersby.

All the while, the convoy’s crier called out ahead of them, “Make way on order of the king! Make way! Make way on order of the king!” He didn’t wait for those who failed to comply. More than one person was shoved out of the way by the draft horse’s bulk and squeezed against the crowd.

By necessity, Adilah and her escort had to follow close behind. Behind them were four more guardsmen. Together, they formed a wedge that forced its way through the crowd.

She looked around. They were perhaps only halfway to their destination. The sun was dipping behind the mountains, and the valley and town was shrouded in shadow.

A stiff chill wind kicked up, and the banners, streamers, and flags fluttered and flapped. Whispered words were carried upon it.

Iron and stone.

Adilah looked alarmingly at the captain.

“We go, now!” he commanded.

“Keep going!” Adilah yelled to the crier.

“Break through!” the captain ordered.

The crier pulled on his reins, forcing his horse to rear and neigh.

“Make way! Make way!” the man bellowed.

He caught the crowd’s attention as those closest to him yelled in alarm and scurried away. He kicked his horse into a trot and unslung a horn from the saddle. He put it to his lips and gave a mighty blast. The sound reverberated through the air as the crowd jostled to clear the road. He kept blowing his horn, and others in the convoy blew theirs as well, creating an urgent swell of notes.

The soldiers and knights drew their swords. The looks of alarm in the crowd turned to fright, and some of them began to run. They didn’t know what was happening, but they weren’t about to stick around to find out.

“Fire!” someone yelled.

“Fire! Fire!”

Black plumes of smoke began rising from all over the city. Orange tongues of flame licked the sky above the rooftops. Glass shattered.

“No!” Adilah’s heart thumped in her chest. Where was Leyla? Where was she? She concentrated as hard as she could, trying to find the pendant Leyla sometimes wore or her brooch or hairpin. The dark cloud suppressed her every effort.

More plumes began rising into the sky by the minute. People ran about, some to fetch water pails, others to escape the city. The crowd ignored the crier now and pressed in on the convoy from every direction.

“Stay together!” the captain bellowed. “Stay together! Press forward!”

They pressed forward against the crowd. A horse stepped on someone’s foot, and they screamed in pain. The flames were reaching higher into the sky.

“Turn left here!” Adilah shouted.

Someone tried climbing a carriage to escape the pressing crowd, and a boot kicked him squarely in the face.

They passed a burning building; the flames had already spread to the houses around it. In fact, one of the homes was burning from the inside out. A fire had been set within it.

“There!” a guardsman shouted from atop one of the carriages even as he loosed an arrow.

Adilah spun around in time to see the telltale signs of a Kamwa’s shadow as he retreated from the edge of a roof.

One of the guardsmen cried out in pain, an arrow protruding from a gap in his left arm’s armor.

Up ahead, the crowd was thinning and the crier took the chance to gallop ahead, blowing his horn over and over.

The convoy picked up its pace. Smoke veiled the fading light of the evening’s overcast sky. They passed by a daisy chain of people passing water buckets and splashing it on a burning home.

The fires crackled and snapped, sparks spun upward amid the smoke like fireflies. Adilah could feel their intense heat through her robe, and sweat broke out on her forehead.

The wheels of the carriages clattered and rumbled. The drivers pushed their four-horse teams to pull their heavy loads faster as the crowds cleared.

The lieutenant riding alongside Adilah fell wordlessly out of his saddle.