The Journey - Part 3

The faint rumble of horse hooves jolted Leiyu awake. He quickly sat up and ran to the window. Pulling back the curtain, he looked down the road and saw a cloud of dust with the silhouette of riders on horseback. He rushed over to the bed, where Prince Thallios was still curled up.

“Your Highness, wake up!” he whispered.

“Hm?” Prince Thallios murmurred, opening his eyes slowly.

“Your Highness, we must leave now! People are approaching!”

Prince Thallios’ eyes widened and he shot out of bed. He scrambled to put on his boots and gathered his belongings. Before they left the room, he put his hood back over his head.

They descended the stairs in a hurry. The innkeeper looked up from behind his desk.

“Good morning, did you have a good rest?” the innkeeper asked. “I can make a fresh breakfast for you.”

“Thank you for the offer, but we need to get going. We have a long journey ahead of us.” Leiyu said. He ran over to the desk and plopped down some gold coins.

The innkeeper grinned and pocketed the coins. “Thank you, good sir! Hope you enjoyed your stay!”

“Thanks!” Leiyu replied.

Leiyu and Prince Thallios went out the door. They untied their horses from the wooden post, mounted them, and rode off. When they reached a small hill, Leiyu led Bakhat up the slope of grass and rocks, with the prince and his horse following close behind. Once they reached the middle, Leiyu dismounted and went over to a ledge. The prince joined him shortly after.

The inn was now a good distance from them, appearing like a toy house next to a dirt ribbon. The horsemen surrounded the building like a swarm of ants.

“Are those the Southern Region soldiers?” Prince Thallios asked nervously.

“They could be,” Leiyu said. “Let me see if I can listen in.”

Prince Thallios raised his eyebrows. “You can hear from all the way up here?”

Leiyu smiled. “I have sharp hearing, and I can also have the wind assist me.” He focused his qi and directed a few small air currents towards the inn. He strained to make out the sounds.

***

The lead horseman dismounted his steed. He walked up to the inn and pounded on the door. “Open up!” he shouted in gruff Sargeshi.

The door creaked open a few inches. The innkeeper peered through the crack. When he saw the group of horsemen clad in full-body armor with chain mail covering most of their faces, he clutched the door. “Can I help you?”

“Any travelers passed by here since yesterday?” the horseman asked. “Anyone who looked like a noble?”

“Just two, but both were commoners. An Eastern, or maybe Northern, man and his local wife. Pretty wife, she was.” The horseman glared at him, and the innkeeper shrank back. “They left earlier,” the innkeeper said timidly.

“We’re searching the place,” the horseman said.

“There’s no one else here, I swear,” the innkeeper said. “Hardly anyone ever comes by.”

“Stand back or lose your life,” the horseman said, shoving the door. The innkeeper scurried inside.

A small group dismounted their steeds and entered the inn, while the remainder of the horsemen stood guard outside. Many minutes passed by. There were sounds of furniture being overturned and jars and plates being smashed. The small group finally emerged, carrying bundles of food. The innkeeper slowly peered out the door.

“All clear,” the lead horseman announced to everyone outside. He turned back to the innkeeper. “You were truthful and generous, so we’ll spare you for now.”

“W-who are you?” the innkeeper asked.

The lead horseman sneered as he mounted his steed. “Southern Region army. Your king is dead. This is our land now.”

The innkeeper dropped to his knees and trembled. The horsemen rode away down the dirt road, leaving a cloud in their wake.

***

Leiyu clutched the grass and exhaled.

“Did you hear everything?” Prince Thallios asked.

“Yes,” Leiyu replied. “They are Southern Region soldiers.”

“Oh no,” the prince said. “Is the innkeeper all right?”

“He’s still alive but shaken,” Leiyu said. He sighed. “We can’t go back to help him unfortunately, since that might put us in danger if more soldiers come. Also, he would find it strange if we returned after leaving so abruptly.”

“What did the soldiers say?”

Leiyu gave him a long hard look. “Are you sure you want to hear it?”

Prince Thallios’ face fell. “Is it…is it about my father?”

“I’m afraid so. The soldier did not mention any details but it sounds like His Majesty is no longer with us. He told the innkeeper that the land was theirs now.” He saw the prince’s eyes tear up. “I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

Prince Thallios shook his head and wiped away his tears. “What else did they say?”

“They were at the inn looking for nobles.”

“Nobles? Like myself?”

“I’m afraid so. We should not remain here. Although they’ve headed in the other direction, there might be other groups of soldiers looking for you. We’ll have to stay away from any other inns and just spend the nights in the forest.”

A gust of wind suddenly pushed against them, throwing Prince Thallios’ hood off his head. His untied hair flowed wildly around his face. Leiyu held his breath. There was a strange beauty to this chaos. He then felt self-conscious and turned to the side, clutching the grass again.

Prince Thallios shivered, and wrapped the cloak more tightly around himself. “All right, we’ll do that. Until we find the Sword of Ages.”

Leiyu got up and held his hand out. He helped the prince stand up. They went to their horses and mounted them. With some gentle nudging, the horses took off, galloping further into the wilderness.