The Keeper of the Stones

Chapter 33



15th/16th August – The Journeys to Soreen Village



The freed prisoners and slaves desperately wanted to rest. Most of them were completely exhausted, but everyone knew that their lives now depended on moving quickly away from Vantrax and his soldiers, and hopefully linking up with the rebel army at Soreen. They knew that the Northern Army of King Vantrax had just fought a major battle at Erriard forest to the north, but they had no idea how long that battle had lasted, the outcome, or how many of his forces the evil King had actually committed to battle. They had to assume that Vantrax had soldiers combing the countryside looking for them, and everyone knew that the penalty for escape in Vantrax’ Rhuaddan, was severe.

Queen Bressial and Lord Castrad had urged their group on as fast as they’d dared and by nightfall they had reached the trail that led through the P’tan Mountains. They’d made painfully slow progress from then on though, as the darkness and difficult terrain meant that the prisoners had to hold hands and walk in single file through the narrow pass, for fear of losing any of their number in the darkness, or over the edge of the nearby cliffs. They stopped for a brief rest almost hourly due to the arduous climb, though they all knew that they could hardly afford to do so, and by daybreak the weary column was through the mountains. Castrad breathed a huge sigh of relief as he gazed across the open fields and meadows below him. He could see no sign of the enemy, nor any evidence of pursuit. The exquisite countryside was scarred here and there by burnt-out or crumbling ruins, the scars of a war-ravaged land.

“Look cousin! There is the village of Lirtast. It is but a small dot on the horizon now, but by nightfall we shall be there. I am sure we will be able to find a real bed for you at last.” he said happily, turning to the Queen and pointing at a small spec in the distance.

Bressial laughed. “We are fine, Castrad. You do not need to worry yourself so. These long years of captivity have humbled my soul, a barn and some straw for a bed would seem like luxuries to me now. Craas, it is not pleasing to see how this landscape has changed. It pains mine eyes to see it. The war has wounded this beautiful land and it saddens me greatly. Look... Over there to the west is Estillar Castle, or what is left of it. We visited that place regularly once, my family and I. Long ago, in another lifetime. As a child I wandered its grounds. I was so happy there, when Vechtar reigned, and peace was taken for granted. They were good days my friend, we never knew how lucky we were, did we?” she asked sadly.

“You shall know peace again, cousin. I swear it!” replied Castrad earnestly. “You will know happier times. We all shall!”

Bressial looked him straight in the eye. She wore a faint look of surprise on her face. “Do you know, Castrad? I think, for the first time in years, I actually find myself daring to believe you. This boy, Jake, there is something about him. I cannot explain. They say he is ‘The Keeper’ I know, but... He is so young? It is strange to me how... Well, I do not know him. We have met only briefly, and yet… I know that I would follow him anywhereThat is not as it should be, Castrad. Is it? We are royalty.” she said, as if trying to reconcile her feelings.

“Yes cousin, I know exactly what you mean.” replied the warrior. “I too have had my doubts about these boys and what they can do. I share your concerns and...”

“No, Castrad!” interrupted the Queen. “You miss my point entirely. After all that has happened, all that I have been told has happened whilst I have been chained, after all the upheaval, the thing I find hardest to understand above all else, is that, I have no doubt. Not a single one! I should have. But I do not feel it. I know that it is I who should be leading this army, or Artrex at least. And yet we are both content to follow... A boy. Ra! These are strange times indeed, cousin. I only hope that this ‘boy’ justifies our faith in him!”

Castrad nodded his head in complete agreement. “Yes cousin, so do I.” he answered. “So do I.”

* * *



Onall and his group moved quickly away from the burning mine at Berok and climbed the Rednaw pass that led through the southernmost mountains of the P’tan range. Their journey was hampered only by the slowest of the freed slaves, who were finding it hard to maintain the pace set by the soldiers and their healthier counterparts at the head of the column. Onall had proven to be a fine leader and an inspired choice by Princess Zephany. He had displayed courage and discipline when leading the mine raid, as well as an ability to act on his own initiative. He’d maintained a sharp lookout for enemy soldiers throughout the journey, but once again he was pleasantly surprised to see none and they marched through the night with few stops to rest. By morning, they were through the pass and within sight of Soreen, though it was further away in the distance than it had at first appeared to be from their lofty position on the mountainside. Onall allowed his group the luxury of an extended rest, realising that they had only a short distance to their destination compared to the other groups, and confident of arriving well before evening.

Verastus didn’t have such an easy journey. In the raid at Dingarth mine his men had freed over twelve hundred slaves, almost all of whom had wanted to join the Rebellion, including some slaves who were badly beaten and injured. Verastus had placed the worst of the wounded on his soldier’s horses. They were doubled up in most cases, but still their progress had been slow. He was helped though by the shorter and less arduous route he took through the JH’Terin hills, which drastically reduced the time taken for the journey and enabled him to be within sight of Soreen by daybreak.

They had just sighted the village in the distance when the lead elements of the group spotted a patrol of six Nadjan horsesoldiers, riding to the fortress at Heron Getracht from the walled city of Tregustliat. Luckily, Verastus’ soldiers spotted the patrol first and warned him before the enemy knew they were there.

He immediately ordered all of his soldiers to lie down and remain out of sight. The warriors in the lead column pulled the slaves off their horses and lay their mounts skilfully on the ground. They threw themselves across their horses’ necks to prevent them from standing up and gently stroked their heads to keep them quiet. Verastus silently ordered ten of his men to make ready. When the enemy patrol was at its closest point, they all rose swiftly up on their horses and galloped away antly ntercept them, Verastus having decided that their probable heading would put them on a collision course with Jake and his group.

A vicious and ferocious fight ensued. The Nadjan horsesoldiers were excellent warriors and riders, they were all eventually caught and killed, but Verastus lost three of his men in the fight as well as two injured.

* * *



Jake and Zephany had the furthest to travel. They were both expecting tough journeys, particularly Zephany who now had a seriously depleted force given the casualties sustained on the raid at Periknar and who knew that she had to cross the Ilan River at some point to reach the village. They’d both expected to run into enemy patrols, but again both had been delighted to find that the countryside was surprisingly devoid of enemy activity and their journeys so far had been largely incident free. Zephany had another stroke of good fortune when one of her soldiers, who’d been sent ahead to scout for a suitable place to cross the River Ilan, reported that he’d found a narrow ford which was more or less in the direction of their march. Her force of thirteen hundred had been able to wade and swim across the river with the aid of ropes tied to trees and the delay to their journey had been minimal as a consequence, although the freezing waters had caused them concern and the constant movement of the forced march was now proving the only way to keep warm.

By mid morning on the 16th, Jake and his huge group of two thousand five hundred weary souls had reached the Rednaw Pass. They were setting a good pace and he hoped that with luck they would reach Soreen by nightfall. Zephany was just short of the JH’terin hills. Her depleted, cold and tired force was struggling to maintain the pace she wanted to set. Some of them were falling behind and she had to keep stopping the column to allow them to catch up. She was desperately praying that they wouldn’t meet any of the enemy in their current state as they were clearly in no shape for a fight. She also believed that if they did not, they stood a good chance of reaching Soreen sometime during the night.

Five groups of fugitives and runaways. All of them converging on a small, unknown village in the centre of a war-torn land. Thousands of desperate people hoping to be united with a King, and an army, whose fate at the battle of Erriard Forest they had no way of knowing. Nobody knew for sure if Artrex’ army would be there. Or in what numbers. They didn’t even know for certain if the army still existed. Or if their King was still alive. As Jake pondered the situation he shook his head in disbelief.

‘This is ludicrous!’ he thought, ‘it’s not real. It can’t be. It’s a nightmare. But then, my whole life has been turned upside down in the last few days. The ridiculous is beginning to become common place. Anarchy, it seems, is to be expected from now on? No, this ain’t no dream. It’s real. I’ve got to deal with it, and have a little faith in myself. Or more accurately, in the boy I’ve become since finding the stones. And I have to have faith in Ben.’

The fifteen year old schoolboy he sat by in class and ‘whopped’ at snooker and just about every other sport or game they played, had just entered into his thoughts like a shooting star, lifting his spirits instantly.

‘Huh! Whatever else happens to me, no matter how desperate the situation, whatever it takes, I know that Ben will never let me down. Well now, ain’t that strangOf all the mighty warriors in this world, it’s Ben who inspires me most? I’m glad he doesn’t know it! He’d be hell to live with. Christ, he’s got no special powers, he has no abilities beyond that of any schoolboy. He’s in a strange world, and facing dangers and threats he could never have dreamed of in his wildest nightmares. I know he’s scared, I’ve seen it in his face several times since finding the box. And yet, he’s followed me everywhere. Without a second thought. Without question, hesitation or condition. He’s stood by me through everything.’ All of his questions and doubts disappeared.

‘No,’ he thought confidently, ‘Ben will be there. He won’t let me down.’

* * *



King Artrex, Ben and the rest of the Rebel Army survivors left the wounded behind with the inhabitants of the camp in the T’Nesc Moorlands and set out for the village of Soreen at daybreak. They travelled south, through the mist and swamp on another winding, narrow path, until they reached the open meadows that lay beyond the moors. The wide expanses before them brought with them the immediate danger of being seen, but Ben was happy to gaze upon open fields once more. He’d felt a little claustrophobic in the moorlands, as if the mists were caging him in somehow, and he definitely didn’t want to go back. The hot sun on his back warmed his spirits as well as his body.

Only around six thousand soldiers now travelled south with Artrex, the remainder of his army were recovering from wounds in T’Nesc, or lay dead where they fell in Erriard forest, the Northern Army having taken no prisoners in the battle. They continued south for some distance once they left the moors to avoid the chance of encountering any pursuing army from the north. The King was unsure of the whereabouts of the Dzorag hunters who’d come so close to catching him, but he assumed that they were unlikely to travel too far south and leave themselves in danger of being cut off from Vantrax and his Northern Army.

The rebels rode very close to the Siltash Mountains to avoid being seen by the garrison at Miniesk Castle, a force which was loyal to Vantrax. They crossed the Ipson River at Kraal bridge just west of the vast walled city of Arralfleon. They were inevitably seen by civilians and soldiers alike as they moved into the Rhuaddan heartland and Artrex had to accept that news of his travels would reach his brother quickly. He couldn’t hope to hide such a large force in the populated areas and it stiffened his resolve to push on as fast as they could to Soreen, hoping to arrive there in plenty of time to receive the prisoners released at Heron Getracht and prepare them for an almost immediate departure on their long journey south. He knew only too well that the whole Northern Army would probably not be far behind!

By mid afternoon they had reached the village of Firath and they stopped to water their horses. Several of the villagers decided there and then to join the King’s cause, inspired by seeing him in person and by meeting his strangely dressed companion of whom the soldiers told wondrous tales, particularly concerning his friend and the return of the long lost stones.

In the early hours of the evening, after a largely uneventful journey, they approached Soreen village. Ben was longing to see Jake again. He was hoping that his friend would be there to greet him, and he was praying that he was safe.