Chapter 10: Rilyn's Visit

        The next morning when Caden woke up, he was feeling better. He didn't feel tired, and his body didn't ache anymore. When Sam came in with breakfast, he had already washed and gotten dressed. She smiled when she saw him up and moving. She set his breakfast down on the dresser and felt his forehead and cheeks.

        "You're fever finally broke," she said.

        "Yeah," Caden said. "I feel great."

        "I'll let people know that you're feeling better. I'm sure you'll have a couple of visitors today." Sam guided Caden back to bed. "But I want you to take it easy for at least one more day."

        Caden ate his food while Sam checked his bandages.

        Caden was feeling restless. He sat in bed and stared out the window. When he got tired of sitting, he stood up and walked circles around his room. He promised Sam that he'd stay in for one more day, but he was finally feeling better, and he was anxious to get out. He wanted to leave again and find some dragons, so he could help save Keilee. 

        He looked out past the buildings, trees, and bluffs. How close were the Dragon Knights to finding the Queen? With the church reporting attacks on temples, they'd know which way she went. Once they find her, how long will it take to kill her? Caden needed to talk to Sir Eric, find out how much time he has to join them.

        It was still before lunch time when Rilyn came to visit. He opened the door and saw Caden standing by the window. He knocked. Caden turned around and saw Rilyn standing in the door frame, holding the door.

        "Hey, Rilyn," Caden said. "Come in, have a seat."

        Rilyn closed the door. "Hi. I came to see how you were feeling."

        "Really good. How long have I been in here?"

        "About two weeks. We got you home, but you had a fever," said Rilyn. "I came by a couple of times, but you were asleep or delusional."

        "I guess that explains the weird dreams."

        "If we see Su again, I need to appologize to her." Rilyn sat down on the foot of Caden's bed. "She saved your life."

        "I know, Sam told me. What happened?"

        "After you fell, I managed to stop the last two before they could attack you further. We tried to stop the bleeding but the cuts were too deep. That's when Su showed up, she just came out of the woods. She knows a lot about healing and was able to bind your wounds. If she wasn't there, you would have bled out."

        "I need to thank her it seems."

        "You'll need to find her. She disappeared again."

        "What do you mean? She was here last night."

        "I haven't seen her since we returned to Erdon."

Chapter 9: The Road Home

        Caden and Rilyn settled their bill with the Blue Fox. True to her word, Cassy didn’t charge them for all the special food she was giving them. Caden wondered about how quickly the rumors had spread.
        Rilyn went back to the table and fetched Father Achilleos, who was finishing all of cold mugs of cinnamon tea. Caden went out the back to the courtyard where he saddled Starlight. He led the old girl out the courtyard gates.
        On the other side of the gate he saw the strange little rodent watching him. Caden stopped. The rodent stood up on it’s hind legs and twitched its nose. Caden tilted his head to the left. The rodent did the same. Caden smiled. He knelt down and stuck out his hand. The rodent ran up to him and scurried up his arm. Caden laughed as it’s little claws tickled his skin.
        Rilyn walked around to see what was taking Caden. He looked at the rodent. “That thing is going to give you a disease.”
        “You worry too much.” Caden took the rodent off of his shoulder and set it on Starlight’s saddle. “Look at it, it’s healthy.”
        Rilyn shook his head and walked away.
        They walked through the Market of Tinate and gathered supplies for the trip home. Caden took some money from Rilyn and bought ingredients to make a thank you gift for the mayor.
        Father Achilleos was an old man. He walked beside Caden and Rilyn for three hours, insisting that he was fine, but Caden saw him slowing down. They took more breaks to let him rest. Yet he refused the assistance of Starlight. Caden offered after every rest, but Father Achilleos always turned him down.
        Caden looked at Rilyn walking with his cane, and Father Achilleos leaning on the sacred staff of the Sages. He considered riding for a while, but felt guilty. Rilyn was still afraid of Starlight after the bite she gave him, but Caden couldn’t understand Father Achilleos’s reasons.
So they continued to walk, leading Starlight be the reigns. Caden thought about his father. He was going to be angry with Caden for taking the money and horse without asking. She didn’t even save them much time since there was always one person walking. At least the Mayor’s generosity kept him from spending any of his father’s money.
        As much as he regretted lying to his father, but would his father understand him leaving again? Would he agree to letting Caden leave Erdon and hunt down five dragons to prove that he was strong enough to join the quest for the Dragon Queen?
        They stopped to eat lunch next to a small brook. Caden watered the horse while Father Achilleos and Rilyn sat and talked under the shade of an old oak. Caden shivered, he felt a cold chill run up his spine. He looked around, but couldn’t see anything. He looked at the stone sword. He untied the straps holding it to the saddle and pulled it away. He lifted it in both hands then held it in one. It felt light. He walked up the bank to Rilyn.
        Rilyn was laughing at a joke Father Achilleos told him. He looked over at Caden coming back. He lifted an apple to give to Caden, then saw the stone sword. Rilyn dropped the fruit. He stood up and drew one of his swords.
        Father Achilleos looked at them. “What’s wrong?”
        “I don’t know,” Rilyn said, “and I can’t explain it. But if Caden can hold that sword, then something is wrong.”
        Caden stopped next to Rilyn. “See anything?”
        “No, you?”
        “Not yet, but I can feel it.”
        Father Achilleos watched them. He took out a small book, ink, and quill. He recorded what he saw in a simple black line sketch.
        Caden turned and pointed into the woods. A group of shadows got darker, turning almost pitchblack. Rilyn nodded. “Yeah, I see it.”

Chapter 8: The Road Home

        Caden rode Starlight. Rilyn walked on the left side. They crossed the hills and valleys as they returned to Tinate. They travelled an extra half day out of their way to avoid going through Sharsden a second time. The small rodent rode on Caden's shoulders. He fed it small bites of bread.

        "You shouldn't feed that," Rilyn said. "It is a wild animal."

        "It's okay, it's okay," Caden said waving his hand at Rilyn. "It's tame. A merchant probably carried it from the other side of the Yongsan Mountains before it escaped it's cage." Caden petted the furry creature.

        "You're a strange person."

        "How so?"

        "You trust everybody," Rilyn said. "I don't know anyone who would go out of their way to defend someone who is accused to be a witch."

        "Maybe more people should," Caden said. "How many innocent people may have suffered for a false accusation?"

        Rilyn sighed. "I suppose." He walked next to Caden in silence. "You're a good person," whispered Rilyn. "I'd hate to see what you'd become if you actually join the Dragon Knights."

        Caden didn't hear Rilyn, he just continued to look forward and ride back to Tinate.

        When Caden and Rilyn reached Tinate, they traveled straight to the temple. Caden tied up Starlight in the temple mall. The small rodent jumped off of Caden's shoulder. Caden watched it run under a building into a sewer drain.

        "I guess our friend isn't much of a temple patron," said Caden.

        Rilyn sighed and shook his head. They walked over to the temple doors and Caden pulled. The door was locked. Caden furrowed his brow and pulled again.

        "That's odd," Caden said.

        "What?"

        "The temple doors shouldn't be locked."

        "Tinate is a bigger place then Erdon. Maybe it's normal here."

        "No," Caden said. "The book of the 3rd Sage, Chapter 18, verse 26. 'The doors of the sanctuary shall never be sealed, so that none are denied salvation.' It's a cardinal rule of the order."

        "You have the sacred texts memorized?" asked Rilyn.

        "Not all of them."

        "Come on," Rilyn said. He grabbed Caden's shirt. "I'm hungry, and I want something other then stew bread." Rilyn dragged Caden to Starlight. "We'll get a room at the Blue Fox and come back in the morning."

        "That's okay." Caden said. He continued to look back at the Temple. "We're out of Stew Bread anyway."

        Caden and Rilyn sat in the common room of the Blue Fox. Caden stirred and nibbled at the stew. He looked across the table at Rilyn. Rilyn had already eaten two bowls and was attacking his third with a dinner roll smothered in butter.

        "I thought you were sick of Stew and Bread?" Caden asked.

        "No," Rilyn said. He held up his spoon. "I'm sick of Stew Bread. This stuff is much better."

        "It's the same stuff, just the bread is a lower quality."

        "Wrong, this stuff is warm." Rilyn went back to eating.

        Caden picked up his mug. He frowned at the pungent smell of the brown stout, but at least it was better then the shine. He took a swig of the bitter drink, and watched Rilyn finish another mug. He drank like Sir Eric did.

         A man from the other side of the common room stood up and walked over. He was a stout and overweight man. His large stomach strained the stitches on his stained cream shirt. He didn't so much walk, as he waddled over to Caden.

        "You're Caden of Erdon," he said, "aren't you?"

        "Yes," Caden answered. "How did you know?"

        "I come here a lot. I saw you last time you passed through and overheard you talking about the Dragon Knights." He pulled up his drooping pants and stratched his shaggy beard. "So how did that go?"

        "Better then expected," Caden answered. Caden looked across the table at Rilyn and raised an eyebrow.

        Rilyn shrugged and shook his head.

        "That's great," he said. "Next time you're in Tinate, stop by and tell me more about your journeys." The man shook Caden's hand and waddled out the door.

        Caden waved Cassy over to their table. "Who was that?" Caden asked.

        Cassy looked out the window and saw the man leaving the Courtyard gate. "I don't know. I've never seen him before."

        Caden looked at Rilyn.

        Rilyn passed a bush axe to Caden under the table. "Sleep lightly tonight."

        Rilyn stayed in the common room for an hour after Caden left to sleep. She slipped into the room, being careful with the door. She closed it slowly and put the latch down. She walked over to Caden's bed and checked on him. He was sound asleep, the brush axe had fallen on the floor and was stuck in the boards. She smiled. She took off her hat and cloak, freeing her long fiery red hair. She unhooked her swords and set them at the foot of her bed. She took an ivory comb and worked it through her hair. She looked at Caden's sleeping form and smiled. She climbed into the opposite bed and went to sleep.

Chapter 7: Dragon Knights

        Rilyn walked behind Caden and Su. She seemed normal. Her hair was the same dark brown most people had in this country. She was about a head shorter then Caden. Rilyn guessed she was around 15 harvests. Which was the oddest thing about her, traveling alone so young.

        Caden wasn't saying much, but she was talking on and on. Nothing unusual either, just meaningless chatter. Rilyn couldn't understand why she hated her so much. Watching her pick wildflowers, making Caden laugh. Rilyn didn't want Su to be a witch. She just wanted a reason to get rid of her. Rilyn watched as Caden and Su talked. How she made him smile, made him laugh. Caden was talking about what happened. Rilyn gribbed her swords, imagining Su without a head.

        "... and that's when the Dragon Queen took Keilee. Now I'm on a quest to save her."

        "Wow," said Su. "When I asked why you needed the Dragon Knights, I didn't expect all that."

        "I figure it's what they're best at, right?"

        "I don't know." Su rubbed the back of her head. "I mean, I didn't even think Dragon's existed."

        "Of course they exist," Caden said. "Didn't you listen to all the stories when you went to temple?"

        "To tell you the truth," Su said. "My family didn't go to temple all that often."

        Caden looked at Su. She looked up at him. He blushed. She laughed.

        "Why?" Rilyn asked. "Too sacred for your family traditions?"

        Caden looked at Rilyn, his brow tight, his mouth frowning, and his eyes looked dark. Was she bewitching him? Clouding his mind?

        Su looked back over her shoulder. "What? I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were in this conversation." She sneered at Rilyn and ran ahead. She ran up the hill, and climbed onto one of the jagged outcroppings of rock. "Hey Caden," she called. "Come here and look at this."

       Caden looked at Rilyn again. Then he ran up the hill to join her. Starlight snorted and trotted behind him. Even the horse hates me, thought Rilyn.

        Caden let go of Starlight's reigns so he could climb up the rock after Su. She pointed out into the distance. "Look," she said. "You can see the Dragon Knight training camp from here." Caden looked out. 

        On top of another hill, about two hours away, Caden could see a green wall. "Still pretty far."

        "Well, I showed you the way."

        Caden looked at Su. "Are you leaving?"

        "I only said I would show you the way," Su said. "I don't want to go there."

        "Okay, well..." Caden looked at Rilyn drudging up the hill. "Thanks for your help."

        Su touched Caden's cheek. "Tell you what," she said. "I'll wait here for you. If you want me to continue traveling with you, come back for me."

        Caden jumped down off of the rock. Rilyn made it up the hill. Caden mounted Starlight. Rilyn looked up at Su sitting on the rock. "She's not coming," Caden said. He reached out to Rilyn. "Come on, if we both ride, we can get there sooner."

        Starlight looked at Rilyn and snorted. "Can you carry us both?" Rilyn asked. Starlight pawed at the ground, snorted, and shook her head. Rilyn looked at Caden. "Was that a yes?"

        "No," Caden said. "That was a, 'I can't talk, I'm just a horse.' Now hurry up."

        Rilyn and Caden road up to the camp wall. As they got closer, they could see the wall was a fathom tall rose bush. It was thick too, Caden looked at it, and couldn't see through. The branches seemed to twine together tighter and tighter farther in. They rode around the camp till they reached the gate. It was a large stone and wood door, with two Dragon Knights standing guard in front. They wore metal breastplates, except the left shoulder pieces were made from wood and leather. Their left ears and eyes were missing, replaced by jagged scars.

        Caden dismounted and approached the Knights. They drew their swords. "Halt," they said. "Come no closer to this holy land."

        "We come to seek the aide of the Dragon Knights," Caden said.

        The guard on the right sheathed his sword. "Fear not," he said. "The Dragon Knights protect all the citizens of this Kingdom. Return home, for you are safe."

        "But I have urgent news," said Caden. "A general was in my town recently. He came here with three recruits from Erdon."

        "It is an honor to serve the Dragon Knights," he said. "I hope you're not here to ask for their return."

        "No, I'm here to ask the general for many more knights to return and protect us from a great evil."

        "Then tell me what you wish to say, and I shall convey the message."

        "No, I will only talk with the general," Caden said. "He must here this from me."

        The two Knights looked at each other. The one on the left whistled. A falcon flew down and landed on the wooden shoulder guard. It sat there for a minute before it took off. "The general will be coming shortly," he said.

        Caden and Rilyn sat and waited. Starlight grazed. Caden kept staring at the horrible scars they had. He wondered how they lost their left ears and eyes. The scars were similar, so it looked like it happened in the same way.

        The gate opened and the general stepped out. He looked at Caden and smiled. "Long way from home," he said. "Aren't you boy."

        Caden stood up. "I want you to know," he said. "I learned my lesson from our last meeting, and everything I say is the truth."

Chapter 7: New Path

        Caden and Rilyn walked up a hill. They exited Sharsden on the opposite road that they came in on. Neither talked on the hike up the steep hill. At the top, they stopped next to the lone tree and looked back at the town. A few people stood at the edge of town and stared back up at them.

        "Makes you wonder," Rilyn said. "Doesn't it?"

        "What?"

        "What the Dragon Knights have done to that town to make them react like that."

        "No, it doesn't," Caden said. "It's clear that the man has corrupted the town."

        "What man?"

        "The man with the dark shroud," said Caden. "I don't know what it means, but I know he caused this."

        "Sucks doesn't it?" said a voice from the tree.

        Rilyn and Caden looked up. The young woman from Tinate sat on a branch. She wore brown boots with a short dark green dress. 

        "What does?" Rilyn asked. He dropped his hands under his cloak and grabbed the handle of his curved swords.

        "Getting chased out of town for something you didn't do." She jumped out of the tree and landed in front of Rilyn. She stuck out her hand. "Hi, I'm Suzidan."

        "Hey Su," Caden said. "What are you doing out here?"

        Su spun around on her toe. She faced Caden. "Hi Cady. I followed you. Thought maybe you could use my help."

        "And what makes you think you can help us?" asked Rilyn.

        "Well, let's see." She placed a finger on her lips. "Caden saved my life, so I guess I owe him the same." She tapped her mouth. "What else, oh that's right! I know where the Dragon Knight training camp is."

        "Will you show us?" asked Caden.

        "Of course I will." Su kicked the tree. It shook and a bag fell out of the branches. She caught it and slipped the strap over her shoulders. "Shall we go then?" She walked away from the town as leaves from the tree drifted down around her.

        Caden followed. Rilyn grabbed his elbow, stopping him. "This is too convient," he said. "I don't trust her."

        Caden shook his arm free. "Will you relax," Caden said. "She's not a witch. Trust me on this."

        "Not unless you can tell me what happened in that tower."

        Caden dropped his head. "It's complicated." He clicked his tongue and pulled Starlight by the reigns. He walked after Su.

Chapter 6: Departure

        Caden saddled and groomed Starlight while Rilyn settled with the Barkeep. Rilyn walked outside.

        "Are you ready?" Caden asked. "We've wasted two nights here, and we're no closer to finding the Dragon Knights, or getting them to save Keilee."

        "You were the one who spent the night with a witch."

        "She's not a witch," Caden said. "I'm certain of that now."

        "Then why did the towns people attack her?"

        "She was found with the witch."

        "And what would they have been doing together?"

        "I don't know."

        "I'm not from around here," Rilyn said. "But our cultures do agree on one thing. Thou shall not suffer a witch to live."

        "She wasn't a witch."

        "But if she had dealings with one, maybe she's on the journey to become one."

        Caden looked away. He led Starlight out the courtyard gate. Rilyn followed. Cassy came out the front door to the Tavern. She ran up to Caden and handed him a loaf of bread.

        "Come back again," she said. "Ok?"

        Caden nodded.

        Rilyn led Caden to the east gate. Identical to the first, except the vertical sign read, "出口 東Tinate."

        "Father Achilleos said the Dragon Knights went west," Rilyn said. "They have a training camp they bring new recruits to."

        "Don't you find it odd that they didn't know about the draft here."

        "From what I've heard of the Dragon Knights, it doesn't surprise me."

        "You're right," Caden said. "A city this size, they must get enough volunteers that they don't need a draft."

        "Yeah," Rilyn said. He walked past Caden. "That's what I meant."

        They walked in silence for the rest of the morning. By noon, they exited the forest and no longer had the canopy protecting them from the hot mid-day sun. Caden mounted Starlight, and rode her while eating lunch. He gave Rilyn a spicy stew bread, and ate the last sour seaweed. He looked in his knapsack. He had two honey stews left, four spicy stews, and the loaf Cassy gave him. Cassy's bread was a simple soft wheat dinner loaf. Dinner loafs don't last as long as the stew bread. It would only be good for today, they'd need to eat it for dinner. But that meant finding something more for dinner.

        "Can you hunt or fish or anything?" Caden asked.

        "I can hunt," said Rilyn, "But not in the way that you're thinking."

        "I think we should have picked up some more food before we left."

        "That reminds me." Rilyn stopped and turned around. "I promised Father Achilleos that we would return after you finished your errand with the Dragon Knights."

        "Why?"

        "I told him what I knew about the Dragon Queen. He said that he wanted to hear the story from you since you were there."

        Caden pulled on Starlights reigns and stopped. He dismounted and put his hand on the ties for the stone sword. Rilyn turned around and looked ahead. A lone traveler walked down the road towards them. He wore simple brown jodhpurs and a white tunic. A black leather satchel hung across his chest from his left shoulder.

        "I don't see any weapons," Rilyn said. "Feeling a bit paranoid."

        "Just cautious."

        "Then use this." Rilyn passed him a brush axe from under his cloak.

        Maybe Rilyn is right, thought Caden. He looked at the man. He didn't have the dark shroud, but neither did the bandits. He didn't have any weapons, but that itself is strange to travel without protection. The highways aren't that safe. Caden stepped away from the stone sword, and put the brush axe into his knapsack. He kept his hand inside the bag on the handle.

        The man stopped ten paces away. He looked at Rilyn and Caden. They looked at him. "Hail and well met, travellers."

        "Good day, sir."

        "I'm Ramone, a simple traveling merchant," said Ramone. "May I ask your names?"

        "A merchant?" asked Caden. "Convenient, since I was just thinking about needing to buy food."

        "Not convenient, my boy. Providence." Ramone opened his satchel and took out a red cloth.

        "For a merchant," said Rilyn, "you're traveling without much to sell."

        Ramone took off his satchel and dropped it next to the road. "If you take your hands off of your weapons, I'll show you."

        Caden looked at Rilyn. What do you think? 

        Rilyn looked at Caden. He doesn't look dangerous. 

        Caden took his hand out of his knapsack. He left the brush axe inside. Rilyn moved his hands out from under his cloak.

        "Talking with your eyes," said Ramone. "You must be long time travel companions." Ramone unfolded the cloth. It was thirty hands wide by 45 hands long. He whipped the cloth into the air. It floated down. As it came down, the center was supported by something that wasn't there. The edges dropped down till they touched the road. It looked like the cloth was covering a stack of boxes. Ramone grabbed the cloth and pulled it off. Underneath was several crates. He rolled up the cloth and set it down in the grass.

        "How did you?" Rilyn asked.

        "That wasn't wizardry or witchcraft," Caden said.

        "You're right, but I can't answer your question, because I don't know. It's just a very useful tool I picked up in my travels." Ramone grabbed a pry-bar that was lying on one of the crates. "Hard to get robbed when they can't find your wares."

        That night, Caden and Rilyn camped just off of the highway. The highway crossed a river. They got water and Caden built a fire on a large flat rock protruding out into the water. They sat around the fire and roasted fish. Ramone even gave them a good deal on preserves for the bread.

        "Rilyn, you've travelled more then I," Caden said. "Have you ever seen a magic that could create something from nothing?"

        "No, but perhaps I haven't traveled as much as you think I have." Rilyn stuffed the last of the bread into his mouth, and stood up. "Finish eating. You still need more practice with your swords."