Staying along the coast also allowed Brianna an easier way to find them once she had information to report. Zollin couldn’t keep himself from worrying about her. Her powers were amazing and her pride would do all in their power to protect her, he knew, but she had gone toward the Grand City and the Torr, the one place he would have like to keep her from. He still had no idea what to expect from Offendorl and the Torr. He didn’t know if there were other wizards there, or if the place was empty. It made sense to assume that Offendorl was there-he had fled south and Brianna had followed the big black dragon-which she claimed he was able to control-almost to Osla. All the evidence suggested Offendorl was going back to the Tower, which meant he would be more dangerous than before.
And Zollin wasn’t sure what to expect from the witch that had cast a spell on Mansel and his father. They both assumed that Prince Wilam was still with her, and now she too had an army, if the rumors were true. Just surviving this crazy quest was probably more than Zollin could hope for.
The next day they finally came to sizable village. There was a good-sized harbor, although Zollin doubted that large trading vessels used the port. There were over a dozen fishing boats, and the market was busy when they arrived. They decided to stay, rest a little, and re-provision. They ate boiled seafood along with spicy cornbread that was fried. There was also fresh fruit, cheese, steamed vegetables, and ale. They settled into a two-story inn that overlooked the ocean. Zollin made sure that Nycoll had a room with large windows that faced the sea.
She retreated to the room while Zollin and Mansel shopped for more supplies.
“Should I be buying enough for you?” Zollin asked as he haggled with the smoked fish vendor.
Mansel looked down. “I don’t know,” he said.
“I think you should stay,” Zollin said. “Give her some time to decide what she wants. You said she would never leave her cottage, but it’s gone now. So maybe you go north together. Find a new place to live, or maybe go back to Tranaugh Shire, introduce her to your parents.”
“I don’t want to scare her away,” Mansel joked. “Besides, I wouldn’t feel right leaving you when you’re still in danger.”
“It’s okay, Mansel, really.”
Zollin bought fish, but just enough for himself and Eustice. When he made his order, Mansel didn’t object. They bought more bread, cheese, fruit, and vegetables. There was no beef or mutton in the village, not even pork-only fish. Once they had enough supplies they looked in on the horses and then returned to the inn. There was a bard at the inn that night, and they ate a hearty supper of thick, spicy stew. Zollin drank wine and watched as Mansel showed incredible self-control with the ale. They listened as the bard sang songs of battle and of love. Zollin even dropped a gold coin into the bard’s upturned hat. Then they turned in for the night.
The next morning, Zollin sent Eustice to prepare their horses. They were taking three, and leaving Mansel with the rest. They saw their friend at breakfast, looking haggard. It was obvious he hadn’t slept.
“Is Nycoll okay?” Zollin asked.
“She’s fine,” Mansel said.
“Well, you look terrible and you didn’t even drink too much,” Zollin joked.
“I’m staying,” Mansel said, his voice distressed. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Zollin said. “You’re doing the right thing. What are your plans?”
“We don’t have any, at least not yet. I told her I was staying and she’s happy, but we haven’t talked about what we’re going to do next.”
“Well, if you leave here, let the innkeeper know where you’re headed. If things work out, I’ll be back this way.”
“If you need me, for anything at all-” Mansel began.
“I know,” Zollin said, smiling. “Stop feeling guilty. I’m happy for you, and so is Eustice.” The mute servant gave Mansel a big smile and thumbs up gesture.
“See? Now, go take care of Nycoll. You deserve some happiness.”
Mansel saw them out after they had eaten.
Zollin felt a hollowness as he climbed up into his saddle. He had spent years as a young boy resenting Mansel. When Quinn had taken the big warrior on as an apprentice Zollin had been humiliated. When Mansel had outperformed Zollin at every task, he had felt worthless. And Mansel, the youngest of a large family, had done nothing to make Zollin feel any better. In fact, he had taunted Zollin, always making sure Quinn’s son knew that Mansel was the better carpenter.
But when Zollin had been forced to flee their small village, Mansel had come too, abandoning his own family to take the sword in Zollin’s defense. Mansel may have come for Quinn, but he’d become an outstanding swordsman, saving Zollin’s life on more than one occasion. He’d fought the Skellmarians in Brighton’s Gate, stood with Zollin against the King’s Army in the Great Valley, fought with Zollin in Orrock to first save Brianna and then later to help save the kingdom. In the midst of all the fighting and struggle, Mansel had been there for Zollin.
Now, as he looked back and saw his friend waving from the yard in front of the inn, he realized their lives were diverging, going in opposite directions. Zollin had never thought about how leaving Mansel would feel, but there was an emptiness as he rode away without his friend. He knew the big warrior was doing the right thing, but somehow, going on without him felt wrong at the same time. Zollin looked back one last time, but Mansel had gone back inside and Zollin wondered if he would ever see the big warrior again.
Chapter 21
Brianna and her pride had just taken flight shortly after sundown. They were being cautious, waiting until the sun was fully down before taking to the skies and then finding a place to take cover an hour or so before dawn. They had nearly caught up with the army on their first night, and now they could see King Zorlan’s force spread out below them. The fires from their camp winked and glistened in the darkness. Brianna and the dragons could see the men moving around or curled next to their fires. It was a warm night and very few of the soldiers had bothered setting up tents, preferring to sleep out in the open.
They saw Prince Wilam’s army across the valley. Brianna didn’t know much about war or battle. She had heard stories, of course-mostly songs by traveling bards-but she was able to count the numbers of men far below. It didn’t seem as if they had met in battle, since she saw no wounded or slain, or large areas where healers seemed to be working. She had gotten as much information as possible and was about to return to Zollin when an image flashed into her mind.
Brianna couldn’t hear the magical voice calling to her pride, but the dragons did. They were almost like eager puppies, anxious to run to whoever would give them attention. Brianna thought of Zollin and pushed the thought out toward her pride.
Selix, on whom Brianna was riding, seemed to be the least affected by the magical voice, but the others seemed convinced they should seek it out. They sent her images of a kindly, older wizard calling out to them. Brianna had no idea how they came up with the images-Zollin was the only wizard they had ever seen, and yet they all sent back mental pictures of a kindly looking man with a long beard and a pointy hat.
She sent them images of dragons in chains, and of Bartoom. They sent back images of dragons fighting and killing the slave masters. She sighed, wishing they could understand the danger, but the truth was she couldn’t be sure what the danger was. All she knew was that Bartoom had heard a voice too, right before Offendorl had enslaved the massive, black dragon. Still, the dragons were insistent, and so she allowed them to go. She wasn’t their master, only a member of the pride. In most cases they followed her lead, but she refused to force them to do her bidding. She had seen the pain and loathing in Bartoom’s eyes. The big, black dragon had no choice but to obey, and that fact filled the beast with hate. She would not be the source of such anguish for any dragon.