Syman stuck his head out the cave entrance and peered at the sky and the ground. “It hasn’t rained for some time and doesn’t look like it will today,” he announced. I would like to make it to the city of Gatong today if we can, but I do not want to catch up to the raiders. Does anyone know the trails in this part of the forest? Perhaps there is another trail we can take, one that is less used.”
Everyone looked sheepish and shook their heads, but it was Lyra who spoke. I have never been farther than Tala, which is the village we visited last night. I know the main trail goes to Gatong, as does the road, but I have no knowledge of the other trails. I do know a bit about the geography though. The Altha River flows into Gatong and should be to our east. Maybe we should cross the road and try to find it. We could follow the bank into the city.”
“I have to believe that the road would be closely watched,” frowned Syman. “Even just crossing it would be a risk and we would not make Gatong before nightfall if it is any appreciable distance to the east. I would rather risk an unknown trail as long as it heads in the right direction.”
“But we might find the Imperial Guard on the road,” argued Walak. “Once we find them we will be safe.”
“The Imperial Guard has barracks in Gatong,” interjected Antello. “We can tell them about the attack when we get there. I think Syman is right. I will scout for another trail while the rest of you travel slowly down the main trail. You won’t catch up to them unless they stop, but be alert in case they turn around.”
When Syman nodded at the plan, Antello mounted his horse and rode off into the forest. Walak was torn between wanting to stay in the cave until the raiders went home and getting to Gatong so he tell the Imperial Guard about the attack. During his hesitation, Syman and Lyra mounted and set off down the trail. Walak hurried to catch up to them before they left him behind.
They rode slowly for over an hour with Syman in the lead before Antello returned and indicated that he had found another trail. The group left the main trail and followed Antello. Their cross-country journey was easy at first, but soon they were riding through scratchy bushes with thorns and barbs. The barbs reached out to snare their clothes and scratch their arms, but it was the noise of the journey that bothered them the most. If anyone were listening, the sounds of their journey would certainly be heard. Finally, they broke free of the bushes and found a narrow trail. Antello halted as he reached the trail and listened intently for any sounds that didn’t belong. Only the morning chirping of birds and the gurgle of a distant waterfall disturbed the woodlands and Antello led the small group southward in single file.
It was impossible to talk while riding single file and still remain quiet, so everyone was left to their own thoughts for the remainder of the morning. Lyra had a lot of questions without answers and thinking of them only frustrated her. Instead, she let her mind drift back to her magic lessons and started looking at what she had been taught in a different light. She had always hated the lessons because she saw no reason for the magic. Walak was right about one thing; the lessons were boring and useless. Still, she had never thought of being in her present position and now she started seeing uses for some of the spells that she thought were useless, like starting a fire without a tinderbox. That lesson had seemed pointless while living in a castle where the corridors were lined with burning torches.
She started looking at each spell in a new light. Fetching a small object could become handy if they were hiding and couldn’t move. Making a noise emanate from a distance could be a good distraction and sending a scent upon the wind could be used to lead tracking dogs astray. Smiling to herself, she began to find dozens of uses for the spells she had learned. Mentally, she cataloged each spell and thought of ways they could be utilized. Still she wished she had learned some offensive magic and her hand instinctively patted her saddle sack as she thought of the books she would read as soon as she got the chance.
Near high sun, Antello called a halt and they ate a small meal of dried meat and bread. No one spoke during the brief respite and soon they were back on the trail. An hour later, Antello slowed as the narrow trail rejoined the main trail. There were no recent tracks visible, which led Antello to believe that the raiders had not come this far and they proceeded down the main trail.
The afternoon’s travel was uneventful and as the sun approached a hand’s width from the horizon, the city of Gatong appeared through the trees. The area between the students and the city was all cultivated so the trail turned sharply at the edge of the forest and ran directly east towards the road. Antello stopped and Syman drew abreast of him as they scanned the open area together.
“I don’t see anyone who looks like a raider, but I am not fond of proceeding in the open,” Syman summarized. “Perhaps we are better off to spend the evening here and approach the city in darkness.”
“You can’t be serious,” cried Walak. “We spent all day riding in silence for fear of being discovered and right down there is the Imperial Guard. All we have to do is make a run for it. If anyone is watching for us, we will be inside the city before they know what is going on.”
“Let’s compromise,” offered Lyra. “Antello and Walak can ride in now and alert the Imperial Guard. Syman and I will follow as soon as we see you enter the city safely and try to book passage on a boat.”
“Don’t book any boat passage for me,” objected Walak. “I have no desire to go to Alamar. I am reporting the attack and asking for an escort home. You three can go off fighting raiders by yourself. I want no part of it. It was your father’s fault that the Academy was attacked in the first place. You will be lucky if you aren’t jailed for failing to report the attack.”
With the last words of Walak’s tirade, he charged down the trail towards the road and Syman nodded to Antello to follow him. “You don’t trust him either, do you?” Syman asked Lyra when they were alone.
“It is not that I distrust him,” Lyra replied after some hesitation, “it is just that I do not trust him. I wonder if his father might be behind the attack on the Academy.”
“And you do not find it strange that he was the only person from inside the castle who escaped unharmed?” Syman asked.
Lyra cocked her head and sent Syman a puzzling glance. “So that is why you were so interested in our conversation last night. I just assumed that his story was true. Walak has always been a cowardly obnoxious brat and I could picture him hiding in a closet so I gave it no thought.”
“He certainly has no love for Master Malafar or the Academy,” added Syman. “I don’t know what to think. I only urge caution in what we let him know.”
“Thanks for stopping the conversation last night,” nodded Lyra. “I wasn’t sure how to get out of telling him more, but I share your caution. Still, Walak does not have the courage to have remained at the Academy if he knew there was going to be an attack. He could not have had any advance notice of the attack, but that does not mean that his father didn’t order it. I am probably fishing in a wash tub, but his father is something I want to check out.”
“Well at least we shall be free of him now,” reflected Syman. “He just entered the city with Antello not far behind. Nobody gave them more than a cursory glance so I think we are safe to enter. Let’s ride casually and make a run for it only if we are threatened. No sense in giving people a memory of our passing.”
Lyra nodded in agreement as they started down the trail towards the road. The sun was just starting to set as they gained the road and traffic was almost nonexistent. Lyra let her eyes wander to the farms lining the road, their uniform rows of tilled earth reflecting a warm glow in the light of the setting sun. Half height painted fences lined the road with a scattering of gates for the access trails leading to the farmhouses. It was a pleasant view and prettier than Tala’s scattered farms. The walls to the city rose up before them and Lyra felt excitement run through her. She had only been to Gatong once before and that was so long ago that she had all but forgotten those childhood memories. She tried to anticipate what the hustle of city life must be like with people running every which way on shopping sprees or errands of some sort.