The intense heat was causing Arturo to sweat profusely as he felt the drops trickling down his face. Fortunately, they were close to the Forest Dwellers' territory, which offered plenty of shade. Riding alongside him were Jen and Tarmon. Jen seemed unfazed by the heat, while Tarmon kept wiping his brow and complaining about it every few minutes.
The last few weeks of travel had been uneventful. Jen was more interested than scared of the Forest Dwellers. Tarmon had voiced his opinion many times that he thought meeting with them was a bad idea. Otherwise, that’s all there was: riding on horseback, eating, and sleeping.
That ended today. They stopped at the edge of the forest. “We’ve finally made it,” Arturo said, getting off his horse. He didn’t want to be on horseback in case things went wrong.
“I hope we don’t regret this,” Tarmon muttered.
“Don’t stress so much,” Jen patted Tarmon on the shoulder. “There’s nothing to fear.”
“So you say,” Tarmon said with a sigh.
“I’ve heard the Forest Dwellers are excellent warriors. I hope to spar with one,” Jen said.
That reminded Arturo of Jen when she was younger, always jumping at an opportunity to test herself. Perhaps the Whispering Mists hadn’t taken away Jen’s personality completely. It was still odd to him, traveling with his sister and not knowing her. She was so different, yet sometimes he would catch glimpses of the girl he knew.
“Just take it easy. The last thing we want is to fight,” Arturo said, walking into the forest, holding the reins of his horse.
“You’re lucky I’m here. I know a bit about the Forest Dwellers,” Jen said.
“Why didn’t you mention that before?” Arturo asked.
“Because you need to know now. The Forest Dwellers answer well to respect and dislike the political nature that our nations have. They also live on the ground and in the trees,” Jen said.
“Sounds like my kind of people,” Arturo said. He hated politics, and his time with the Crystal Syndicate had taught him more than he wanted to know about it.
“Living in the trees would be interesting. I wonder if any of them fall,” Tarmon said.
“What you need to know, is that there are seven chiefs. Not even the Whispering Mists knows much about them other than that there are always three men and women and an elder chief. My mentor told me to always be honest or the Forest Dwellers may react harshly if they find out you’re lying about something,” Jen said.
“We have nothing to hide,” Arturo said. He stopped when they reached a bridge across a raging river. Once they crossed this bridge, the Forest Dwellers would show themselves. He didn’t see anything but felt eyes watching him.
“There will be at least six people in the trees,” Jen whispered.
“Doesn’t matter, let’s go,” Arturo was the first to walk across the bridge. Jen and Tarmon weren’t far behind.
Arturo glanced at the trees, trying to find out where the Forest Dwellers were hiding. He was surprised nobody popped out once they crossed the bridge. Still, he kept walking. There was no point in stopping until someone met with them. Rustling in the trees caused him to turn just as three warriors landed behind them. More movement in front, and six more Forest Dwellers stood. In front was a woman with markings of a lizard.
“More outlanders? What is this madness?” the woman exclaimed.
“Others have entered?” Arturo asked.
“That is none of your concern,” the woman said. She looked over at Jen and her eyes widened slightly. “I did not expect to see someone from the Whispering Mists here. How is Modric doing?”
“He is doing well,” Jen said.
Arturo was surprised at the respect this woman was giving Jen. A moment ago, she looked ready to yell at them, now she appeared at ease.
“My name is Jen Pentori. This is my brother, Arturo, and a friend, Tarmon.”
“I see. My name is Telia of Clan Stedrosis. What is your business here?”
“I am here to see if any of your people would be interested in joining my army,” Arturo said.
Telia looked at him as if he were an idiot. “Army? Is there more of you?”
“No. I wanted to begin my search here. I plan on having warriors from all the nations fight the invaders,” Arturo said.
To his surprise, Telia said nothing and looked at him closely. “There is something familiar about you,” she finally said.
“I don’t know how. I’ve never met a Forest Dweller before.”
That got a booming laugh from Telia. “That is not what I meant. I’ll take you to our village. Our chiefs will want to hear of this.”
“The chiefs are already gathered?” Jen asked.
“Yes, now follow me. We’ll be walking for a while,” Telia said.
As they walked, Arturo wondered who else had come here. By the way Telia reacted, someone else had beaten them here. Was it the invaders hoping to secure an alliance? Or a group of travelers? How many people visited the Forest Dwellers? All these questions came and went as he remained silent.
“I wasn’t expecting the chiefs to be gathered,” Jen whispered.
“What does that mean?” Tarmon asked.
“Not sure,” Jen said with a shrug. “I suppose we’ll find out soon enough.”
Hopefully. Arturo looked at the sixteen guards accompanying them. A couple of them shot odd looks at him, then whispered to one another. Perhaps they were curious if he was the one who killed a legend or the fifty-man slayer. This was the rare time he hoped the Forest Dwellers knew about his exploits. Surely that reputation would help recruitment efforts.
Other than whispers among each other, the Forest Dwellers showed no desire to speak as they walked. Jen said that was normal; even when Modric himself entered these lands, they treated all outlanders the same. Arturo was grateful to know that. Five hours passed, and they arrived at the village. A couple of guards were standing at the gates.
“More outlanders?” one of the guards said.
“Unrelated,” was all Telia said.
Arturo followed Telia inside the village and watched in awe as he saw people on top of the tree lines. It was like a second level, with bridges and solid structures. Jen hadn’t exaggerated when she said these people lived in the trees as well as the ground.
“How long until we can speak with the chiefs?” Jen asked.
“A day or more,” Telia said. “You will be given quarters. If you are looking for some of us to join your army, you’ll want to speak with my people.”
“Where will we be staying?” Tarmon asked.
Telia pointed up. “An escort will be here shortly. You may come down as you please.”
“Thank you, we’ll make good use of our time,” Jen said.
Something caught his eye, and Arturo turned in time to see someone walking around. He looked like a noble, but he didn’t get a good view.
“That looked like King Talon,” Jen said.
“What? He wouldn’t be here, not without an army at least,” Tarmon said.
“I’m just saying, that’s who it looked like,” Jen said.
“I think you’re seeing things,” Arturo said.
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Jen rolled her eyes. “Whatever, let’s talk to some of the locals. This is a good chance to learn more about the Forest Dwellers.”
“Good idea. I was about to say the same thing myself,” Arturo said with a sly grin. He saw Jen roll her eyes again. Tarmon sighed, clearly unhappy being here.
Once they were escorted to their rooms, Arturo, Jen, and Tarmon began talking to the locals. The first thing Arturo noticed was how polite they were. Despite being foreigners, they were treated kindly. A young adult gave them some fish. A few asked about his sword, and he got more questions than Jen or Tarmon. None of them asked about his exploits. More were curious about his size and large sword. Three kids asked if they could lift the weapon and failed when Arturo handed it over.
Everything was going differently than he had expected. Arturo expected the Forest Dwellers to be harsher, yet they were no different than any other nation. Different customs, but what nation didn’t have its customs? The only difference between the five nations and the Forest Dwellers was that the Forest Dwellers shut themselves off, wanting to keep to themselves. They were also some of the only people who didn’t praise Tarmella in any way. He didn’t know if the Forest Dwellers believed in any god.
Arturo wondered why the other nations called the Forest Dwellers savages when they didn’t act like it. He knew it could be ignorance on his part as he didn’t know much about the history between the Forest Dwellers and the other nations. He hoped creating an army from all of Aidris would allow the nations to unite or at least treat each other better than they do now.
Jen asked a few Forest Dwellers about the other outlander and was told nothing. Whoever was here must be important, though Arturo didn’t believe it could be King Talon. It made no sense; how could he have traveled this far without anybody knowing about it? No king would come here without an army, and he saw no royal guards. Jen didn’t believe it was Talon either, but the question lingered in his mind.
Night fell, and they returned to their little cabin. Arturo was slightly unsettled by how high they were. The upper structures were solid, and there was no concern of falling, yet he didn’t like being this high. A fall would likely be fatal.
“You know, that was a lot nicer than I expected,” Tarmon said.
“What was?” Arturo asked.
“The people here. I’ve always been told how savage everyone here was, and I don’t see it.”
“Perhaps you should learn not to judge someone before meeting them,” Jen said. “It’s a problem every nation has. Judging one another instead of learning about each other. The world would be a better place if we tried to understand things we are unsure of.”
“I don’t disagree, but can you tell me you haven’t judged anyone?” Tarmon asked.
Jen held his gaze and bit her lip. “Of course, I’m not proud of it.”
“It’s a flaw we all share,” Tarmon said.
Jen simply nodded and looked around. The room had no beds. There were three slight cushions on the ground with thin blankets. Despite the night, it was still warm. Arturo wasn’t sure he wanted a blanket at all. “What are the odds the chiefs agree to give us some of their warriors?”
Jen looked up thoughtfully, her finger tapping her chin. “It’s hard to say. As far as I know, the Forest Dwellers have never had a proposal like this. There’s so little we know.”
“I think they’ll go for it,” Tarmon said.
“We can only hope so,” Jen said. She took off the double-swords strapped to her back and placed them next to her bed. “I think we should get some sleep. We’ll get the answer tomorrow.”
Arturo watched her climb into bed. Sleep did sound good. He unhooked his sword and put it next to his bed and climbed into it. He heard Tarmon doing the same thing and quickly fell asleep.
They were woken early when Telia entered their tent. “The chiefs will see you now,” she said.
“Aren’t you supposed to be watching the bridge?” Tarmon asked.
“Not today.”
Arturo got up and stifled a yawn. The sun was barely starting to rise. “We’ll be out in five minutes,” he said.
Telia didn’t say anything and walked out. Arturo heard her stop not far from the entrance. He put on his Verian armor and hooked his sword on his back. Jen put her weapons on her back, and Tarmon got dressed. Arturo wondered if the timing of the meeting was meant to throw them off since they weren’t expecting to meet so early.
Stifling another yawn, Arturo and the others walked out of the tent, and Telia led them to a circular plank. Once everyone was on, one of the Forest Dwellers cranked a wheel, and they were lowered to the ground. Telia’s foot was tapping the ground impatiently.
“Have somewhere else to go?” Tarmon asked.
“Something like that,” Telia said and stepped off the wood.
Arturo was surprised at the lack of guards this time. The Forest Dwellers must trust us if they only left us with Telia. He looked at the back of Telia’s blonde hair, wondering what was going on in her mind.
There were people everywhere, and Arturo saw a few warriors fighting one another in the middle of a street, which was blocked off by some onlookers. Both wore markings on their left arms of a deer. What were they fighting about?
He was about to ask when Telia stopped in front of a giant hut. “The chiefs are in here,” she said and motioned for them to enter.
Arturo walked in with Jen and Tarmon right behind him. There were seven chairs, with four being empty. Three chiefs, two women, and a man. Was it a good or bad thing to not have all the chiefs there?
“Welcome, outlanders,” the woman with the markings of a wolf said. “My name is Natlonia of Clan Wafralion.”
“And I am Selene of Clan Stedrosis.”
“My name is Morvius of Clan Solonkai.”
Arturo took a mental note. Selene had the markings of a lizard, and Morvius had a snake. He waited, guessing the chiefs didn’t want him to speak yet.
“What are your names?” Natlonia asked. Her red hair was flowing down to her lower back, and she eyed each of them curiously, only giving a slight nod of respect toward Jen.
“My name is Arturo Pentori. This is my sister, Jen Pentori, and my friend, Tarmon Mayhee.”
“Do you always speak for your companions?” Morvius asked, his head resting on his right hand. He looked bored—that couldn’t be a good sign.
“No,” Jen said before Arturo could say anything. “We can speak for ourselves.”
“That’s good. Perhaps Arturo can let you answer next time,” Morvius said.
“Very well,” Natlonia interrupted, shooting Morvius an annoyed look. “What do you wish to speak with us about?”
Did Telia not tell them? Or is this some kind of test? Arturo thought furiously. Well, he didn’t see what he could be tested on. “I am creating my own group of warriors. I want to get fighters from every nation, including yours, to show not only the invaders but all of Aidris that we can work together. I would like your people to be the first to join.”
The three chiefs looked at him. Arturo couldn’t tell how they reacted. There wasn’t so much as a smile or any sort of emotion to give away how they felt. He waited for what felt like an eternity but couldn’t have been more than a few seconds.
“What makes you think any of my people would want to join?” Selene asked.
Arturo had thought about this long and hard and was prepared. He reached his hand back, unhooked his giant sword, and rested the tip on the ground in front of him. These people respected strength. Jen told him that, and talking to the people last night had helped him make up his mind on how to approach this question.
“I am the killer of the legend Ribalt and the fifty-man slayer. I am a warrior and lead by example. I would hope that is what your people would want when joining an army,” Arturo said. He hated bragging about his accomplishments, yet it was necessary. He saw Jen arch her right eyebrow at him. Was she impressed or annoyed that he spoke of his accomplishments? It was always hard to tell with her.
“Interesting,” Morvius said, his eyes glued to the sword. “Even I have heard of your feats.”
“Yes, if there was an outlander who could get some interest, this would be one,” Selene agreed.
Natlonia didn’t look as impressed. “While admirable, you would need to demonstrate that you are the warrior you claim to be. Would you object to proving your boast?”
“I never back down from a challenge,” Arturo said.
That got laughs from the three chiefs. “That is what I like to hear,” Natlonia said.
“Leave us then, but don’t stray far. We should have your opponent ready in a few hours,” Selene said.
“I look forward to fighting them,” Arturo said and placed the sword back on his back. He turned and walked off, not missing the sigh from his sister. She may know a lot more than him, but she didn’t understand why he had to prove himself. If he denied Natlonia’s request, he had no doubt in his mind he would have no chance of getting the support of the Forest Dwellers.
Swirling his cup, Talon let out a sigh of relief. Things were going well. He had met with the chiefs several times over the past couple of days. In his private rooms were Arthur and Peitar. Both had relaxed considerably since first arriving. He had been here for four days—a day longer than he was supposed to be. An easy enough thing to explain to the council when he returned. Not that Rickard would be happy about his delay.
“The meetings have gone well,” Talon said, not hiding his smile. He took a drink of what the people here called Dalmite. A tasty beverage, though drinking too much would knock a person out. It was far stronger than wine or ale.
“I take it the Forest Dwellers will fight with us then?” Peitar asked. His finished glass remained next to him, and he refused to take another. A few of the Forest Dwellers had gotten him very drunk with the Dalmite, and they still laughed when around him as he couldn’t remember what had happened.
“Yes. That gives us a big boost when the invaders attack,” Talon said and drained his cup. That was all he was going to drink, especially since he was feeling some of the effects already.
“Did you hear about the three foreigners?” Arthur asked. He refused to take a sip of Dalmite the entire trip, preferring to stick with water and remain sober. He took his job as Talon's bodyguard seriously.
“Yes. The chiefs told me and respected my wishes to remain hidden. However, the chiefs wouldn’t tell me what the three foreigners wanted either,” Talon said.
“I heard one of them is going to fight a few Forest Dwellers. Supposedly this foreigner is very strong,” Peitar said.
“Sounds like a good fight. Do you know when it will happen?” Arthur asked.
“It doesn’t matter,” Talon cut in before Peitar could respond. “We’re about to leave.”
“What about the deal? It sounded like the details weren’t fully fleshed out,” Peitar asked.
“Since the Forest Dwellers have their power users, they will send someone to iron out the rest of the details. Besides, the council is probably freaking out that I am a day late. What did you both learn while we were here?” Talon said.
“I’ve found respect for these people. I can’t believe I was scared of them,” Arthur said with a chuckle. “Strong, yet honorable. I don’t see them as the savages we’ve been told.”
“Good,” Talon said. That was a relief; perhaps this alliance would go better than he thought. “It’s time for us to go then. The horses have been moved towards the bridge. I’m going to portal us there, and then we’ll portal close to Carhan.”
“Understood,” Arthur said.
Talon summoned the power and created a portal. They stepped through. He was surprised not to see any of the Forest Dwellers. The horses were tied to trees, and he shrugged his shoulders. These people were weird at times, but he couldn’t complain. Once the three were on their horses, Talon opened another portal, roughly two hours away from Carhan.
The air made him shiver the moment he stepped through the portal. It wasn’t as warm here, and he had forgotten about that. Taking a deep breath, he urged his horse forward. Being away for four days had been good, but now he had problems to deal with. He needed to think about how to deal with the three mages roaming about the capital and see how his power users were doing. He thought about that the entire ride back to the capital.