The Quest Begins
In spite of the danger they faced, the company was in high spirits as they loaded theraft and prepared to cross the river. Ben had chosen this spot because the river was shallow here. The current was swift, but they knew that by hard poling off the bottom they would cross quickly without drifting too far downstream. In the other side there was a sand spit with many large rocks bordering it. It was an ideal place to land and conceal the raft for the future. On the other side what little plant life there was left was sickly and deformed. This was evidence of evil of Garth, which he intended to extend to Sunholm and all free lands. The Creator has placed some of His goodness in all of His Creation. Garth had a deadly hatred of anything wholesome. The trees that had once graced this land were lifeless skeletons now. There was a constant odor of rot and decay. Jon asked, “Does it always smell this bad here?“Ben replied, “Get used to it, Jon. It will only get worse from now on.” All of the animals that once lived here were long dead except for a few skittering lizards and the insects on which they fed. Just to see one of those lizards was welcome sight, testifying to the tenacity of life. Once the raft was unloaded and concealed, Gento said, “We are entering a country of rolling hills now. Our best course is a little south of east, keeping to the low places.” Larn said, “In the late afternoon we must watch for a place to hide. These dead trees offer little hope. Watch for piles of rock or other natural places where we can spend the night. I have little hope that we can travel far without encountering the enemy, but we can only deal with that when it happens. For now quiet and alert walking is the way.” Ben added, “Keep your bows strung and arrows notched. We may see Garth’s creatures at any moment.”So the real journey began. Until now it had lived in the companies imagination, but now it was a reality. Larn and Jon rehearsed in their minds the wisdom shared by Ben and Gento two nights before. Somehow they were comforted by Gento’s statement that he would be praying as they went, as they would also. It was not long before the saw evidence of the enemy. Two sets of tracks crossed the gully they traveled. They were somewhat human in shape, but longer and with marks of claws at the toes. They were fresh and testified to the wisdom of hiding away from the river the night before. Generally, it was known that these creatures traveled the higher ground in order to see more of the country around them. Their night vision was superior to human, but they shunned bright sunlight. The sight of those tracks reminded the company of the slim chance they had of remaining undetected. Their own tracks could be seen and easily followed, so it was necessary to watch the back trail as well as ahead. Clouds were forming in the west, promising rainy weather, which could help the enemy, as they would be more active when there was no bright sunshine. All day they walked, nervous and alert for any movement around them. Even Jon, who was by nature boisterous, was subdued. Late in the afternoon, Larn, who was in the lead, stopped and pointed to the side. A short way down a deep gully was a number of dead trees with large boulders scattered amongst them. We would do well to stop here for the night.” After a quick meal of travel rations, the company settled themselves in the nooks and crannies of the rocks to wait out the night. And a miserable night it was. About midnight it began to rain heavily and it was cold. Larn thought, “A blessing in disguise. This rain will erase the tracks we left today.” In the morning, in spite of the desolation of their surroundings, the world seemed a little fresher. The rain had scoured some of the odor of rot and decay from the air. They began their days journey with Larn in the lead, Jon following him and then Gento, already busy with his maps. Ben followed in the rear, keeping constant watch all around them. Around noon they stopped to rest and refresh their energies with travel rations. Gento was scanning the horizon and studying his maps. “We are going to have to cross some of these hills now. These gullies are leading too far north for our purpose. I suggest we go to the top of this hill and carefully have a look around. When they reached the top, it was clear that the next gully went in the wrong direction also. Gento decided to cross it and climb the next hill. As they neared the top, Larn, who was in the lead suddenly crouched down and motioned the others to do the same.He had seen movement on the other side... Four figures! Motioning the others to do the same, he notched an arrow and when they were ready, he stood up and fired his arrow. There was a loud scream and when the others reached the top they were astounded to see one of the servants of Garth and two men racing up the hill toward them. Another creature was down in the gully with Larn’s arrow protruding from his chest. Screaming in rage, the other monster prepared to hurl his axe as he charged up the hill. Ben and Jon fired quickly and the other monster and one man went down. The fourth man was on them. Gento did not have his bow ready, but he drew his sword and when the man came at him swinging an axe, Gento ducked under the blow and hit the man in the lower back. He went down on his face screaming. Larn stepped up, now holding his sword. He glanced at Ben, who nodded and then without a word, Larn stepped up and ran his sword through the man’s heart. Ben said, “That was hard, Larn, but you are right. We can’t leave anyone alive here. We don’t have a shovel, but let’s use our cooking utensils and cover them with sand. Maybe they won’t be found. We are lucky we saw them before they saw us. Surely there is a mystery here, but we don’t have time to solve it now.” Larn said, “I never thought to see men traveling with Garth’s servants. How can this be? Gento, which way now?”“I think it best to travel this hilltop at least for a short way. Maybe we will find another gully leading in the right direction.” After covering the dead with sand, the company began to follow the top of the hill, carefully watching all around. Gento was right. Soon they found a gully leading in exactly the right direction. After several hours of travel in this gully, Jon remarked, “Does the air seem a little cleaner to you now? I swear I am smelling growing things.” Gento replied, “Your sense of smell is far better than mine, Jon. My nose has inhaled too much campfire smoke over the years. Now let’s just follow Jon’s nose. Surely we are nearing one of Bernings campsites.” Coming around a bend to the south, they saw an amazing sight. Growing trees! After the desolation of the last two days, it was like a sudden miracle appearing. The tension and fear of the day slipped away as they neared the place. Here was a remnant of the world the Creator intended before Garth’s evil arose. Coming to the edge of the trees, Larn said, “We need to explore this place somewhat before deciding where to camp. At least we don’t need to fear Garth’s creatures here. They will not enter, but those men we saw are a different matter. If there are more of those traitors around they may attack us and Berning’s ban will not keep them out. Suddenly there was a bird calling. Walking in that direction, Ben called to the others, “There is a spring here. This is sure to be the place. Tonight we can have a fire and prepare a real meal.”The company went about setting up camp and preparing a meal. After they had eaten and cleaned the utensils, they lounged around the fire and discussed their plans. Larn was sure they were missed at Sunholm by now and some would guess where they had gone. He said, “It would interest me greatly to know the reactions of various people once they understand our purpose in leaving. I am certain that there are spies of Garth in Sunholm.” Ben said, “Of all the beings made by the Creator, only man has such a great capacity for evil. The servants of Garth are only emanations of his own evil heart and as such have no choices. Mindless ferocity against all living things is all they know. Garth himself is a Created being and is capable of great evil combined with great intelligence. In all the world there is nothing worse than a being made by the Creator who goes bad.” “You echo my own thoughts, Ben,” said the Prince. “I fear for all our loved ones at home. As yet Garth is unaware of us in his lands, but when he finds out, as he surely will. what will he do to those we love? Will he use those traitors he has hired to exact vengeance? Well, tonight we can do nothing but pray. Tomorrow will bring it’s own trouble. For tonight we will rest and be prepared for what may come. Because of the men we saw today, we must stand watch through the night. There may be more such around us. We will stand two hour watches and I will take the first while you sleep. Ben, I will wake you in about three hours.” Larn walked into the darkness to make a patrol of the perimeter of their camp. The night was quiet and peaceful. It seemed hard to believe that they were in the only safe place for many miles around . There was enough moonlight to make visibility good. For Larn it was a time to meditate on his plans, and express gratitude to the Creator for bringing them safely this far. Jon was awakened very early by what he though must be a dream. Were those faint voices in the distance? Scanning the sky he realized it was almost daylight. Suddenly he heard it again and there was no doubt. Voices; getting closer. Waking the others, they seized their weapons and faded into the trees. Then they could see figures moving. Larn could not tell how many there were. Then he noticed that one of the men wore a long feather trailing from his cap. No servant of Garth ever wore such. It was the distinguishing mark of the men of the Southern Kingdom. Larn immediately stepped into the open and said, “Who goes there?” A sudden silence fell as the men considered this. Then out of the trees stepped a large man with a sword in his hand. “I am Carl, and we are men of the Southern Kingdom. Who are you?” “We are from Sunholm. Well met, Carl. Bring your men into our camp. We have much to talk about. With me are three friends. How many in your group?” “We number eight, all of us subjects of King Jamy. Yesterday we saw the movement of figures on the horizon and thought it best to conceal ourselves for the night rather than be seen by Garth’s servants. Early this morning the wind changed and we caught the wholesome odor of this place and came to investigate. I admit you caught me unawares. I wouldn’t have expected other free men to be here. What brings you to this desolate land? “I am Larn, son of Gil, King of Sunholm. We seek the Shrine of Berning.” Pointing, he said, “ This is Jon, a loyal subject and Gento the Royal Cartographer. It was due to his knowledge that we found this place. Ben stepped from the trees. “And I am Ben, scout and soldier of the Kingdom of Sunholm. It must have been our company you saw yesterday. We had encountered two of Garth’s servants traveling with two men, which was a sight I never thought to see. All four now lie dead and covered with sand. Have you any knowledge of free men in the service of Garth?” Carl responded by throwing his hat in the air with a loud whoop. Obviously he was pleased at the destruction of some of Garth’s Army. Then he calmed himself and said, Yes, unfortunately it is true. I have heard of you. They say you are the only man except Berning to stand in the presence of Garth and live to tell of it.” A young man in Carl’s company spoke. “My name is Rufus, son of Deeg, late Royal Cartographer of the Southern Kingdom. My Father died some months ago. While I do not posses his vast knowledge, I have served all my life as his apprentice and as such it was decided that I must accompany Carl on this mission. The fame of Gento is known the world over. With Carl’s permission, I would like to compare notes with Gento.” “Of course. Sir Gento, don’t be misled by the youthfulness of Rufus. His help has been valuable to us.” Gento and Rufus withdrew to the edge of the camp and were soon immersed in maps and notes. Carl said, “There are rumors of great rewards in power and wealth offered by Garth to men who will serve him. Unfortunately there are always a few who would sell their very souls for wealth and power. I am happy to hear that there are now two less of that stripe. Part of our purpose here is to seek out the place that Garth has set up to have his servants meet these men and seal their bargain. Our purpose is to destroy this place and anyone there and thus discourage others from accepting Garth’s offer.” “We also seek the Shrine of Berning. Most of us believe it will be found at the very headwaters of the Bream river. Far up the river at it’s source. Deeg knew of an area of great beauty and fertility. It seems a logical place for Berning to hide his treasure.” “I am also convinced that even right in the Capitol City there are traitors who have sold themselves to Garth. I have some ideas as to who they are, but suspicion alone is not enough to denounce any man on such a serious charge. My hope is that in time they will be revealed and you can be sure that their punishment will be swift and sure.” Larn replied, “I agree completely. I am sure there are spies of Garth in Sunholm also. We have decided that there is nothing we can do about that now, except to pray. The task at hand demands all of our strength and will.” “Yes,” replied Carl, “Faith must carry us until we have completed the job. I find great anger in myself when I think about those traitors. I hope that anger can be expressed when we meet those men. Their death will be well deserved. I have chosen this company carefully. Garth will discover that he faces deadly enemies. Ben, even in the Southern Kingdom your name is known. I could almost wish you were going with us, but that is not to be.” Now Ben remembered the meaningless and empty life he had left behind and tears of gratitude almost started. After a quiet day of conversation the two companies retired to sleep with two always on guard. At first light the two groups parted. Carl to the north and Larn and his friends to the east. “May the Creator be with you,” said Larn. Carl replied, “And with you. May we meet again in a land free of the curse of Garth.” Now the men of Sunholm left the sanctuary of Berning's campsite and walked into great danger.