A King's War

Chapter 4

VER

I had only ever left the Kingdom of Ralorn once in my life. And that was the day it fell. The day my parents were slaughtered, my home was ripped away from me, and the day I became one of the hunted. Like an animal. During that time, I’d had no choice but to endure what The Outskirts had to offer. Aila, Galen, Ilrune, and I had kept to ourselves and kept our weapons ready. For at night, it was the dark hunters that would kill you, but during the day, it was anyone else. Criminals ran rampant and unchecked throughout The Outskirts, preying on the weak. If they felt you had valuables, they’d strike. And valuables out in The Outskirts did not mean jewels or coins, it meant food, weapons, or anything else that could be used for survival.

Luckily, we had only been out there for a few days before Tephysea found us and smuggled us back into the kingdom and to her house. Still, those few days were not anything I liked to think back on. None of us had slept at night for fear of the dark hunters and we barely moved during the day to avoid bringing attention to ourselves.

There weren’t many towns in The Outskirts, but the town of Lost I’d heard of. I had my suspicions as to how to it got its name, though I couldn’t confirm it. It was the town closest to the Red Forest. The forest that divided many of the kingdoms from each other and held Valveronia at its center.

The Outskirts alone were bad enough to travel through, especially after dark. The towns still functioning in The Outskirts could probably be considered worse than The Outskirts themselves. People there could not be trusted. I doubted Lost was any exception. Why Tephysea had thought that this Raven person would help us, I did not know, but I trusted her judgment. Of course, should this, Raven, choose not to help us, we’d make do on our own.

Galen had watched and reported when they had moved Ilrune, which had, unfortunately, been that very night. We hadn’t been able to follow because had been closed immediately after the blue tunics had taken Ilrune through. So, we’d had no choice but to set out at first light.

We set out as soon as the sun rose and the gates of Ralorn opened. It would take us until midday to reach Lost if we didn’t run into any trouble. We knew there was no chance of getting to Ilrune while he was in Ralorn as Zatir was personally watching over him until he had been taken from the kingdom, and it would be impossible to actually get to him if he made it Valveronia, so our only chance was to catch up with to him was when they were in the Red Forest just outside Valveronia. Although, they already had a good lead on us, and unlike us, the blue tunics knew where they were going. It would be very difficult for us to catch up and if we didn’t get to them before they’d taken Ilrune into Valveronia, he’d be lost forever.

We didn’t stop nor slow in our journey to the town of Lost, making it there just after midday.

“Charming,” Aila said as she studied the town with a sour look on her face.

Metal bars and wooden beams barricaded the windows. Steel doors were at every entrance. Wooden fences were broken and in ruins. Several of the buildings were crumbling messes of what they use to be. There were no signs on any of the buildings, the streets were dry dirt, with people kicking up dust every time they walked through it. The town was a wasteland and it was easy to see why people had come to call it Lost. And the people living in it didn’t appear to be any better.

Their skin was tanned and worn, bleeding, and scabbed over. Their clothes were in tatters and filthy, covered in dirt and mud. They watched as we began to walk through the town. Watched us with a hunger in their eyes and scorn on their faces. I placed my hand on my sword and noticed Aila and Galen had done the same. The people there looked like they were starving, suffering, and would do just about anything for some reprieve. We were strangers here, and it was entirely like they’d try and take what we had. My hand on my sword tightened and I also found myself grasping at my bow wrapped around my torso.

“Keep your eyes open,” I told them.

“How exactly are we going to find this inn?” Galen asked me as his eyes scanned over the buildings surrounding us.

“We could ask someone,” Aila suggested.

I watched as a woman brandished a knife at a man, then two men begin fighting in the middle of the street. “I’m not sure that would be the best course of action,” I muttered.

“Well,” Galen replied. “The alternative is throwing open doors until we find the right one.”

Aila rolled her eyes. “Do explain how that won’t go wrong.”

I looked from building to building and then stopped when I caught sight of something. A bird was carved above the door of one of the buildings. A raven. I nodded toward it. “Let’s try there,” I said.

I pulled open the door with some effort and scanned the room before me. There were several tables and chairs spread out across the large room, a staircase to one side likely leading up to rooms available to travelers, and a large counter in the back with a door behind it, likely leading to a kitchen of sorts. A large burly man was behind the counter, wiping it down. His clothes were worn, but not nearly so much so as the people we’d seen outside. His face was weathered, his black hair and beard speckled with grey, his expression was harsh, and he looked like he could snap anyone of us in two if he felt like it.

Galen turned to me. “After you, your Majesty.”

I narrowed my eyes at him before walking across the room to the counter. The man looked up when he noticed he was being watched.

“Can’t say I’ve seen many elves this far from Ralorn,” He said as he continued with his tasks. “What can I get the lot of you?”

“We’re looking for someone called Raven,” I said and he raised his eyebrows. “I was told you knew where to find her.”

He studied us silently for a long while before shaking his head. “No, I can’t tell you where to find her. Mostly cause I don’t know where she goes but stick around long enough and she should show up.”

“Should?” Aila asked.

The man shrugged. “Well she was supposed to be here yesterday,” He said. He shrugged again. “Anyone else and I’d tell you they were dead but with Raven, she was likely just delayed.”

“And what if she wasn’t delayed?” Aila continued.

He shrugged once more. “Then you’re going to be waiting a long time.”

We all shared a look with each other. Aila shook her head. “Let’s just go, this is a waste of time.”

“I agree,” Galen said as he eyed the man.

I turned back to the man. “How often does she frequent this establishment?” I asked him

“Not often,” He replied.

Galen looked at him in disbelief. “Then how do you know she’ll be here?”

“I asked her to pick up some herbs for me,” He said. “stuff not normally found around here. Said she’d be back in three days. Today’s the fourth, stands to reason she’d be back today.”

“Unless she was killed,” Aila muttered.

“There is always that possibility,” He said. “but I’d give her a few more days before jumping to that conclusion. Can I get you anything while you wait? Some drinks? Food? Maybe a room or two?”

“What makes you think we’re going to wait?” I asked him.

“If you’re asking for Raven, then you want a guide,” He responded. “And she’s not just any guide.”

“What do you mean?” Galen said.

“She only guides people through the Red Forest. Nowhere else. You might think you could go on your own, but Raven knows that forest like the back of her hand. You won’t last a day without her help. No one ever does. The only people that ever come out of the forest, are the ones she guides out.” He nodded to himself. “You’ll wait for her. I’ll get you some food while you wait.”

We shared another look with each other. “Thank you,” I finally said and he nodded again. “I didn’t get your name,” I told him.

“Hendin,” He replied.

I bowed my head to him briefly. “Thank you,” I repeated.

He pushed open the door behind him and called something out to people in the kitchen before turning back to us. His gaze then drifted to the inn’s door as someone pulled it open. “You’re in luck,” He said as he pointed to the door. “there she is now.”

I turned to the door and watched it shut behind a cloaked figure. It was impossible to tell whether or not the person was a girl or boy, but Hendin seemed confident that this was Raven. I could make nothing out from the dark and dirty cloak that wrapped around her completely. It nearly touched the floor, the edges caked in mud and frayed. A pair of boots was the only other thing distinguishable from under the cloak, and they were too caked in mud to make out what color they’d been before.

She finally reached up and pushed off her hood, her cloaking spreading open as she did so to reveal a tunic and trousers covered in dirt same as her mud-caked boots and cloak. She looked toward Hendin with a frown on her face before taking in the rest of the room, her eyes landing on the three of us. She took a long moment to study us before turning back to Hendin and making her way toward him when he waved her over.

As she came closer, I noticed she had a dagger strapped to her belt, a sack tied to her hip, gloves on her hands, and a strange-looking horn hanging from her belt on her side. She rummaged around in the sack as she walked forward, pulling something out and placing it on the counter in front of Hendin.

I studied her as she did so. Her black hair was pulled out of her face and hidden beneath the cloak she wore, the skin of her face and neck-which appeared to be the only skin left uncovered-was obscured by layers of dirt and dust.

“This is the girl that’s supposed to be helping us?” Galen questioned me.

I watched as she continued to interact with Hendin. “Apparently so,” I replied. I turned back to face Galen and Aila.

“She doesn’t look like much,” Aila said.

I shrugged even though I agreed. She had one weapon and it was not even a very good one. A dagger was not the weapon you wanted to have in a fight.

“No one crosses through the Red Forest to the west,” I heard her say. “only to the east. Where is it exactly that they’re looking to go?”

“Valveronia,” I spoke up without thinking.

She turned to look at me and I was startled by her eyes, which were a striking shade of blue like the depths of the Vast Lake.

For a moment it felt like I had a weight on my tongue preventing me from speaking. I took a breath and then said, “I was told you could take us to Valveronia.”