Chapter Fourteen #3
Pel informed Tor that this had been attempted several times over the years, so this was actually quite plausible, if perhaps a little unusual to try it while Forex was also away.
The fact that guards were also instructed to patrol the river and the bridge from Bessar with increased frequency might be suggestive, but Bavil had apparently said it was a “precaution.”
He also took only a small contingent of guards with him, citing the tense relations between the two realms and not wanting to appear aggressive, so hopefully that thoroughly confused anyone who was trying to figure out what was going on.
He picked his three most trusted guards, and he told them it was urgent that they leave immediately in the hope that if he was wrong about his choices, they wouldn’t have time to alert anyone.
They were instructed to wear their helmets and be ready for anything, hopefully making Tor blend in. Beluna, Cavun, and Denil followed suit.
One day, Tor swore that the three of them were going to get to have their own lives again, and he’d definitely reward them if it were in his power to do so. For now, though, they were providing an invaluable service, and Denil hadn’t been willing to entertain the suggestion of staying behind.
“Is the United Realms safe if you fail?” he’d asked.
They’d exchanged glances.
“I’m coming,” he’d said in a tone that brooked no argument.
Although it felt like an eternity, they were actually away within a couple of hours. Pel had blithely taken both Extraordinary and Melody out of the stables, apparently assuring the stable hands that he’d promised Tor to take care of the horse in his absence.
Tor was delighted to mount Melody once they were far enough away from the castle not to be noticed. The stallion snorted at him and did a little dance all on his own.
Tor grinned and patted his neck.
“It’s nice to see you, too.”
He’d see if Melody’s happiness endured once he realized how much riding they’d be doing with comparatively few treats and nice stables.
“I hope that you’re ready for an adventure,” Tor told Melody. “We’re going to be pushing it.”
Tor desperately hoped they weren’t riding to their deaths—and that he hadn’t accidentally involved Pel’s entire family.
It felt a little ominous, but at the same time it filled him with a warm glow of hope and happiness that Pel and his siblings—and Cavun, Denil, and Beluna—had all been willing to come with Tor without question. He wasn’t in this alone.
It wasn’t even all about him and his family. If the peace of the United Realms was destabilized, that affected everyone. Tor hoped that most people recognized that. But how many people might Nostex and those like him have convinced that a new rule would be better?
Tor would readily admit that they weren’t perfect, but they’d maintained the peace for more than twenty-five years, and Tor and Bavil were determined to reopen the discussion of the exiles. They weren’t planning to murder anyone, either, so really, there was no comparison.
He hoped they were doing the right thing letting Gornexi know what was going on—or at least what they thought was going on. But they needed allies, and this affected everyone. It felt wrong to keep them in the dark. Bessar shared a large border with Filon.
They had to spend one night in Tond, not able to get across the border to Bessar because they’d left so late in the day.
Maybe they should have spent the night in comfortable beds in the castle, but Tor hadn’t been able to bear the idea of delaying.
It was a quiet, subdued evening because they were trying to pretend that Tor was a guard for the benefit of Bavil’s actual guards, and that threw the dynamic off entirely.
(Tor had to sneak into Pel’s tent after everyone went to sleep. Perhaps this allowed him to play the taciturn guard more easily, but he did not recommend it.)
Around mid-day the next day, they’d not only crossed over the Great River into Bessar but also over the River Wild.
This was the point at which Bavil, Larexa, and their guards could begin their cross-country journey to get to Zanay as quickly as possible, while Tor, Pel, and their friends would continue down the Great Road in the direction of Filon.
Bavil and Larexa and Pel all exchanged hugs, and Larexa especially looked like she wanted to fling herself at Tor, but she resisted.
They were still trying to maintain the ruse that Tor was just a guard, though Tor doubted Bavil’s guards were actually fooled.
But nothing confirmed for certain seemed better than nothing.
“Safe travels,” Bavil told his brother. “We’ll see you when you get back to Tond.”
“Safe travels,” Pel returned. “I hope you’re able to resolve things with Sovereign Gornexi.”
Tor desperately hoped they could convince Gornexi of what was going on. They had no hard evidence, and Tor was afraid that actual evidence would come too late. But they had to try.
If the worst happened, and Tor failed to save his family, at least some of the other rulers wouldn’t be completely taken by surprise.