Five months had passed since Alistar had discovered the cave hidden within the forests to the south of Distan, during which time he had successfully spoken to the madman trapped within about the plan that they had agreed upon on the night that he had been gifted so much gold. It had taken two months of persistent visits before the man had managed to regain his sanity again in Alistar’s presence, at which point they were able to come to the same agreement as they had before. Thankfully, he had retained his sanity long enough to teach Alistar the spells that he had mentioned earlier, which had worked perfectly once they had been mastered to an extent.
During this timeframe, Alistar had been forced to kill several sizeable predators that had either stalked or attacked him on his way to the hidden location or on the subsequent return trips, which had toughened his nerves to the extent that he no longer hesitated when taking the lives of other animals.
These days, he visited the cave once every two weeks, always bringing along enough food and water to last the man until his next visit. Each time, he would activate the mind cleansing spell as soon as he entered the cave, returning the man’s sanity to him before triggering the memory preservation spell, which functioned exactly as described. Like this, the two were able to keep in constant communication with one another, though their designs had come to a standstill despite this fact.
Alistar still hadn’t managed to convert his newfound fortune into golden lucets, which was a pivotal point in their plan if they were to have any hope of proceeding forward. At times he was tempted to show his precious crystal to the man and ask if they could simply rely on the massive amounts of masked energy that were contained within it, but even an exquisite-class magic crystal wouldn’t have enough energy to break the curses in question. According to the man, they required at least five hundred high-class crystals, which were evidently much more expensive in the modern day than they had been in the past. Even if he were to convert all 852 golden crowns into golden lucets, he would only be able to purchase a fraction of the necessary number. Because of this, Alistar had formed a habit of accompanying Zech, Jaden and Helen on their weekly excursions, usually in the company of Corrie and some of their other friends.
Thanks to their desperate desire to raise funds, the group was able to increase their frontiersmen ranking by three stars in just half a year, meaning that they were due for a new badge in the not too distant future. It was a shame that Alistar was only fourteen, as every time they completed a hunt he was the only one that didn’t receive any sort of benefits from the guild. Even Corrie had signed up and registered with the team that his friends were slowly forming, which had simply been called Team Dozen despite the fact that it currently had only four members.
Today was a beautiful summer’s day characterized by periodic breezes, sporadic, lazy clouds, and heavy, humid air. As had been the case over the past several months, Alistar’s mind was filled with thoughts pertaining to his lack of funds, as well as the secret conspiring between him and the madman along with the ever-growing urgency of his plan to rescue Kaila. She would be around sixteen at this point, which meant that every day that she survived in those mines would likely provoke new terrors and tragedies from guards and fellow slaves alike. Just the thought of what she might be going through was enough to fill Alistar with endless anxiety and anger, to the extent that on some days it was very difficult to control the impulse to set off for Melsian regardless of his current capabilities. It was only through exercising deep, stoic patience that he was able to calm his restless nerves and stay his hand, a process that lately had involved mounting his palfrey, Star, and entertaining long rides in the fields of Caedmon’s estate.
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Today was no different, though this time around Stason had insisted on joining him. Currently they were proceeding along the fringes of the surrounding forests at a lazy trot, enjoying the slight shade offered by the bordering trees. Like Star, the palfrey that Stason had selected for the day was also a brilliant shade of white, the stable master having not wanted to take a black stallion out in the current heat.
“What’s on your mind, Alistar?” said Stason, wiping a streak of sweat from his brow beneath a head of damp brown hair. “You’ve been awful quiet all throughout today’s ride.”
“Just thinking about my future, I suppose.”
“As someone twice your age, let me tell you that such things will always be present on the mind. Even now I worry about what sort of girl Patricia and I will raise Lauren to be.”
Alistar couldn’t help but laugh. “I’d think a good girl, to be sure. Take it from me, there’s no better place in this kingdom to grow up in than here in Distan.”
“Aye, we’re quite lucky in this regard. Still, she’s barely a year old and I already find myself suspicious of boys that don’t even exist. Being a father is quite a confusing thing.”
The sincerity in the man’s voice was quite amusing, since Alistar found such worries to be outlandish at best.
“I just worry about losing all of this,” admitted Alistar, who removed his light, airy tunic in an effort to stave off the heat. “Five years ago, I’d never have imagined that life could be so…easy going. So peaceful. And yet now that all of my friends are reaching adulthood one after the other, I can’t help but worry that before I know it we’ll all go our own separate ways.”
“Such is life, Alistar. But you know…true friends are forever close, no matter what distance lies between them. Take Jin for instance; he, your uncle and Alder were the best of friends in their boyhood, but after they graduated from the collegia—after he and Alder graduated, anyhow—Jin found employment with your uncle Antoine, and occasionally your Uncle Daniel. It wasn’t until he came here that they were able to see him again.” Staring out at the verdant fields and the distant gardens that bordered the estate’s western wing, a grateful smile formed on the young man’s face. “Despite all those years apart, not a single thing had changed between the three of them, nor had he acted any different towards me.”
“You knew him when you were younger?”
“Aye, we all spent our youngest years together in Cedor before your grandfather sent Caedmon off to the arcannia in Valay. Alder and Jin went along with him, but as the youngest of the four and the one with the most common background, I had no choice but to stay behind and take up an apprenticeship with a local stable master. When Caedmon was removed from the arcannia and appointed as the lord of this county, I hurried here as quickly as possible and I’ve been here ever since.”
But what if I never see my friends again? What if once I set off for Crystellum, I never see you, Patricia, Madeline, Uncle and the others for the rest of my days? Though he wanted to ask such things, he knew that he couldn’t share his true thoughts on the matter.
He considered Stason’s words in silence, eventually speaking up with a frown. “One of the last things my mother said to me was that not all goodbyes last forever. That was just before I left the mines, never to see her again.”
“She wasn’t wrong, Alistar. She likely knew that that specific goodbye would be permanent, but I guarantee you that she didn’t want you to think that all goodbyes were so. Trust in your mother’s judgement; she was a very smart woman and also wise beyond her years.”
Alistar put on a half-hearted smile. “I suppose you’re right, Stason. Thank you for encouraging me. Lucian knows I needed it.”
“We all need encouragement every now and then. Anyhow, why don’t we have a little race back to the stables?”
Gripping the reins tightly with his sweaty hands, Alistar agreed and waited for Stason to commit to a countdown.
A short while later as Alistar set about watering down the horses, the stable master gave him an appreciative clap on the shoulder and said, “I’ve never been bested in a race before, but I think that might change in a couple of years.”