Omensent: Wrath of a Dragon God (43 page)

"It was a large man in armor
, escorting a woman with her child." Michail answered, leading one of the horses from its stall. "I was a little surprised that they would need a guide, but the man insisted that they needed someone to guide them through the area." He shrugged. "I guess I can understand their fear. They were heading into Teirsia, and that would make anyone nervous."

"
Did they continue along the trade road?"

The
blond haired boy shook his head. "They said they wanted to avoid unwanted attention. I had Udo show them another path that parallels the trade road for a dozen leagues or so, and is far less patrolled than the trade road. Not many people know about it, other than the locals who live in the area."

"Can you
tell us where to find this path?" Damion asked, unable to keep his interest from his voice.

Michail
stared at Damion with shrewd eyes. "You're chasing after those people, aren't you?"

The huge warrior nodded. "They abducted our daughter, and we're trying to get her back."

"I had the feeling that they were up to no good." The boy frowned. "Honest folk don't go out of their way to remain unseen." He looked to Damion and nodded. "I'll show you how to find the trail they took." He looked at Damion with a serious expression. "Is there any chance that Udo will return?" He asked in a tone that revealed he already knew the answer.

Damion sighed
, then shook his head sadly.

"Ah, poor Udo." A look of painful remorse crossed the boy's face. "I knew I shouldn't have sent him with those people."

"Don't worry," Raven assured the boy gently. "We will make those monsters pay for what they have done."

Michail
merely sighed regretfully, and returned to readying their horses.

Before they set off, the b
oy gave them detailed directions to the trail that Leia and her abductors took to avoid detection, then bid them a sad farewell, and returned to his chores in the livery.

"Poor boy." Raven said in a heartbreaking tone. "
He's had such a hard life."

"It could be worse." Sly disagreed. "Most boys in his position end up
becoming beggars or thieves. Michail has his livery. As long as he keeps his nose to the grindstone, he and his mother should do well for themselves."

They
set off back the direction that they came the previous evening, passing the same group of Aliono soldiers who were still lounging against the stone building, then followed the road for nearly a mile until they reached a slight bend.

"There's the path." Jarom pointed out the faint game trail partially concealed by a large grove of ferns.

"It's not surprising we missed it when passing." Jacom commented with a frown. He pointed to the faint outline of a footprint in the soft soil of the path. "Someone passed this way recently. It seems our young friend spoke the truth."

"Let's get moving."
Damion nudged Storm with his heel, and led the great beast along the scarcely visible trail that led into Teirsia.

The overgrown path proved to be far more difficult to navigate th
an the trade road, slowing their progress considerably. They pressed on, however, moving as quickly as they could without endangering the horses, keeping their eyes open for side paths that Leia's abductors may have used to throw them off the trail.

It was early evening when Damion finally called for them to halt in a small clearing that was bordered by a narrow stream.

"Someone camped out here recently." Sly pointed out the remnants of a small campfire. He slipped down from his saddle and examined the ashes closely. "It's no more than a few hours old." He scanned the soft earth carefully. "It looks like two horses and two adults," He pointed to a footprint near the edge of the stream. "and there was a child with them." He turned and gave the others a tight grin. "I think it's safe to say they were here less than twenty four hours ago."

"We're gaining on them then.
" Damarius groaned as he slid down from his horse. "If we're lucky, we may catch up with them in the next day or so."

"Are there any cities between us and the highland temples?" Damion asked the twins
, staring at the child's footprint with sad eyes.

"The
only major city in Teirsia is Teir." Jacom answered with a frown.

"I
t's about forty leagues to the northeast." Jarom added wearing an identical frown. "We will have to pass through it on our way to the highlands. It would take far too long to bypass, and the witch will surely cut through the city in the hopes that we lose her trail, or are delayed by the Teirsians."

"What should we expect in Teir?" Sly asked, pulling himself back up into his saddle.

The twins both frowned and shook their heads.

"It's hard to say." Jacom told him. "The Teirsians aren't the most welcoming of people, but they still have a fairly large commerce system in place. Merchants from all over travel
there to sell their weapons and armor."

"
Teirsia has the largest standing army in the world," Jarom explained. "Every male from the age of six is enlisted and trained as a soldier. It takes a lot of equipment to arm them all, so they were forced to create a huge market to accommodate all of the merchants and armorers who set up shop to hawk their wares."

Damarius nodded. "Their demand for weapons
inadvertently turned the market in Teir into one of the largest in the world. The city is enormous, stretching for miles, and almost half of that is devoted solely to the markets."

"
Who rules the Teirsians?" Raven asked curiously.

"Their king." The
old wizard answered with a frown. "He is a fearsome warrior who rules over his people with an iron fist."

"Teirsians only respect those who have proven th
eir worth and prowess as a warrior." Jarom told them in a scholarly tone.

"Their
most fearsome warrior is king." Jacom continued in the exact same scholarly tone. "Every year they hold a huge tournament pitting the best warriors in the country against one another. The fiercest warrior is always elevated to king."

"Who is king now?" Raven inquired, her expression worried.

"King Mika the Cruel." The twins answered in grim voices. "He has been their king for over twenty years now. They say he has never been defeated in battle."

"Sounds like a pleasant fellow." Sly grunted
sardonically.

Damion glanced at the setting sun.
"Let's get moving. We can still get a few more miles behind us before we stop for the night."

************

"The horse has died," Boris reported in an emotionless tone. "and the other won't make it much farther without rest."

"How much further is it until we reach Teir?" The witch hissed
, staring angrily at the beast which had collapsed beneath her.

"At least twenty more leagues, Mistress."

The dark haired young woman snarled. "We need to reach the city. Once we are within its walls, it should be an easy thing to disappear within its depths."

"We're going to
stop in Teir?" Boris asked in surprise.

"The Dragon Lord is far too close for comfort. I don't wish to lead them directly to our temples, and
need to distract them so we can escape. We will be safe once we reach the highlands. The temples are virtually impossible to locate by an outsider. Once they loose our trail in the city, they'll spend the next ten years wandering aimlessly through the highlands, hopelessly lost."

"How are we going to distract
them from our trail?"

The young woman shook her head. "Set up camp for the night, and start a fire. Once the child is busy eating, I'll attempt to commune with the elder spirits for guidance." She gave the little girl a look of disgust.

The child stared back at her with contempt, flexing her tiny little fingers as if girl wished nothing more than to wrap them around her throat and choke the life from her captor.

She idly noticed the elaborate dragon pendant that dangled from the young child's neck,
and the strange shifting gem that looked much like the eye of a dragon. Yet another reminder of the man who had been hounding their every step.

They had been running for weeks now
in a desperate attempt to put some distance between themselves and their pursuers, but it seemed no mattered how hard they tried, the Dragon Lord and his companions somehow managed to continue to close the distance.

She leaned wearily against a nearby rock formation and closed her eyes. Weeks of little sleep, in combination with the nearly overpowering need to feed
, was making her weak.

"As soon as I have fed the child, I'll go off in search of the closest farm." Boris murmured,
glancing up from the fire he had just built. "You need to feed, and we'll need new horses."

The young woman didn't answer.

The enormous man stared at his mistress for several long moments, his expression emotionless, then he returned to preparing a meal for himself and the young girl.

Once the girl was busy devouring the crude meal he prepared, the young woman disappeared into the darkness to attempt to commune with the spirits.
When she returned, she was so weak she could hardly stand. "The spirits have advised me of what our next move should be," She mumbled weakly. "but first I need to feed."

Boris quickly led her towards the warmth of their tiny fire, then hurried off into the darkness in search of the closest village or farm. He returned an hour or so later, winded and out of breath. "There is a secluded farm less than two miles from here where you can feed, Mistress." He reported, immediately setting about breaking down their camp. "There are only four of them, but they should be enough to help you regain your
strength. They also have the supplies and fresh horses that we will need to continue." He helped the young woman woman up into the saddle, then lifted the child into his arms, ignoring her cries of protest, and led the way into the darkness.

Chapter 16

"There appears to be an abandoned farm just to the west of here."
Snowfeather told Damion as he swooped down from the darkness above.
"It should be a suitable place to stop for the evening."