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A New Transport
The following days went by without further interruptions, the Grinhak Thealdi had killed, having had no company as it seemed. Nevertheless, they never lowered their guard and although they were exhausted, the memories of their encounter kept them focused and on the ready. When they finally reached the Bythorre, a mighty river winding down its path from the Thari Cees, through the lands of Bemlyr K’haa and Lapragth before it reached the shores of the Great Sea, Thealdi stopped to make camp even though it was just after midday. Puzzled, Lendear waited impatiently for Thealdi to erect their protective sphere so he could inquire about the unexpected halt. As soon as Thealdi was finished with the preparations, he addressed Lendear:
“Quite unusual to make camp in the middle of the day, isn’t it? Well, the reason is quite simple. We will be travelling most of the rest on the river. I expect a vessel fairly soon, for I have made many preparations before I left Bemlyr K’haa. You will now understand the great pressure and our speedy travel for it was vital that we arrive here on time. The winds are with us, so we should be able to reach our destination within a weeks time. A bit of rowing will be called for nevertheless, but the muscles we need for that task have had a good rest during our ride.”
Sniggering he looked at Lendear who wouldn’t share this little joke, for he was so exhausted that it took him great efforts to feed himself, let alone taking care of the horses as he was assigned to do. Thealdi of course noticed this and set off to tend the horses himself after he tossed Lendear the flask which contained another probe of the brew that would help Lendear to endure his pain. As soon as the mixture did its task, Lendear fell asleep. Strange dreams of foreign places and horrible creatures haunted him.
He found himself in a forest, it was dark and cold. The wind was blowing, rattling at the trees and he could hear leaves braking, leaves rustling as something was approaching him with great speed. Horrified he attempted to turn and run, but he couldn’t move. As much as he tried, his legs wouldn’t obey him and he was forced to face whatever creature was heading straight toward him. Before he could even let out a scream, his head was filled with the most terrible sound and immediately he realized that it was a Grinhak that made its advance. He had no time to react and the instant he saw the outlines of this nightmare, it was already over him, driving its fangs in Lendears neck.
Screaming, he woke, bathed in cold sweat, breathing hard, still horrified, his heart hammering in his chest. Alarmed, Thealdi ran over and was relieved as the comprehension hit that the boy must have had a bad dream. Gently he stroke the boys forehead, soothing him. It took Lendear a good while to relax, but he didn’t mind Thealdis intimate gesture. It seemed natural to him, and he wished that it would never stop. This is what it must feel like, having a father who would be there in times of trouble, protecting you, comforting you. In that moment, a band was created between the two travellers that would alter their relationship and shift it to heights, naturally reserved to blood relatives.
After this little unhappy episode with the comforting end, Lendear began to see everything in a different light. He had experienced the dangers first hand, but he had also learned that his companion was more than his would-be teacher and protector. Apart from his mother he had no living relatives, but after what he had felt with Thealdi, he was certain that this was no longer the case. Unconsciously had had started to adopt the old man as a replacement for the father he never had.
Still lost in his thoughts he jumped as Thealdi suddenly stiffened and getting up started to look down the Bythorre. He followed the old mans gaze and sure enough, in the vast distance the bright red sail of a vessel could barely be made out. They both sprang to action, collecting their belongings and storing them on the brown mares back. The fire was extinguished and covered with sand as they always did in the attempt to leave as little tracks as possible. Eagerly they awaited the approach of the new transport. Lendear was looking forward to a few days of rest, not knowing what the upcoming trip had in store for him. He wasn’t pleased about the prospect of having to use the rudders for the additional speed, but thought to himself that the ship must be staffed and there wouldn’t be much opportunity for him to jump in for he was no match in strength for any adult.
“Greetings, Master To!”, bellowed Grimmy Tha, the captain of the Red Dragon after the ship was anchored.
“And a good day to you, Captain”, replied Thealdi who had some troubles directing the horses to the gangplank, wide eyes accompanied by nervous snorts making it plain that they had no intention to board the vessel. But being quite experienced with these beasts, Thealdi managed to convince them. Lendear only watched with awe at the skills of the old man with the horses and followed them aboard the Red Dragon.
The ship was indeed fully staffed, and watching the men getting busy to leave the shore, Lendear realized that these men were not mere sailors but being heavily armoured they surly had their experiences as warriors. He dared not speak to Thealdi for he couldn’t judge the risks of either revealing their plans or being detected by the enemy. As often, the old man seemed to sense Lendears thoughts and said:
“Among other advantages, this method of travel will grant us the freedom of open talk. For one thing, the Grinhaks are, lets say, not compatible with water and dare not get close to it. Another aspect that guarantees our safeness lies in these fine men. They are Gemlats like me and they will protect us boundless. They would give their lives without hesitation if need be, but that we shall avoid, right?”.
He blinked at Lendear who felt quite relieved at these revelations.
“I sure hope so, Master To”, he replied, returning the blink and smiled. For the first time since they had left Gheenteld, he truly relaxed.
“And Master To”, Lendear started to like the title, “will it be all right if I get to rest for a while?”.
Grinning at the boy, obviously amused, Thealdi nodded and made himself comfortable to do likewise.
The wind was indeed with them and they made good speed. The men nevertheless went to the rudders and produced an additional boost with their rapid strokes.
In the late afternoon hours, Thealdi awoke and scanned the vicinity in the attempt to estimate their current location. Pleased, he decided to wake the boy. He was happy with the performance, young Lendear had shown so far, and he had even observed his feelings shift towards the boy. In the first hours of their encounter, the predominant feeling was pity, mixed with doubts about the boys capabilities. Soon he had realized though that Lendear was indeed special beyond the given extra talents of a messenger and the affection for the boy had developed into a bond of love.
“Lendear, time to wake up”, he said aloud. The boy opened his eyes and smiled. He felt a lot better now and eagerly got up for he knew that now finally the time had come for him find some answers in areas where Thealdi had so far not ventured during their nightly talks. After they had shared a brief meal, Lendear spoke:
“Why do we have to go to Bemlyr K’haa? Couldn’t we just do the training in Gheenteld?” Thealdi didn’t answer immediately, but reached for one of the stars, dismounted it from the belt and turned it in his hands.
“Well, there are many reasons, but this one is an obvious example. As I said, if your training in the usage of the stars is finished, you shall receive a set. They are made in Bemlyr K’haa and individually branded with the wearers identity. You were able to hold it, but you couldn’t have thrown it for it only obeys to my command. When you will be given your set, these stars can only be put to use by your own hand.
Of course there are many other lessons to be learned which require the proper environment, you will see in due time. I said that I would be your teacher, but there are certain areas in the education of a messenger that I cannot instruct you in, so you will be spending some time with others.”
Nodding and briefly letting this sink in, Lendear shot the next question.
“You said, the Grinhaks couldn’t be hurt by means of normal weapons, but you cut its throat with your sword nevertheless!”
“Oh, yes – the sword. I couldn’t have killed it just with the sword, I had to use the stars to weaken it before I could attempt to get at it with the sword. An ordinary sword wouldn’t have done any harm, but this sword too is more of the unusual kind. Like the stars it was forged by the High Archmages and magically enhanced. It is a very special and precious weapon indeed. Since the early times it was passed from generation to generation, I received it from my father on his death bed.”
Thealdi fell silent, his mind wandering, dwelling on the memories of his fathers last moments. Lendear understood and refrained from further inquiries, but instead let his mind wander to his mother. He had no fear for her, knowing about her skills but he missed her dearly as this was the first time ever that he had spent more than a day without her company.