The Great One, part 26

Our Rattragons padded over the springy brown earth, sniffing the air curiously. Ulonn Castle’s large outer wall, which encompassed its extensive grounds, grew nearer with every step. It was massive.1

“Kaiven doesn’t have a wall like this,” I said, a little intimidated.2

“No.” Jast sighed. “But perhaps it should. There is a small river that forms the border of the western grounds, but the rest… well, it’s bounded by forest. It’s no wonder the Wohden attacked so easily. The rock quarry is an entire length inside the tree line.”3

Airam’s grip tightened on Emeran’s reins. 4

“So, who are we talking to?” asked Lisper. “Do we just grab the old coot and leave?”5

Airam, Zela and I glared at him. “Cut it out,” I snapped.6

“No,” said Jast loudly. He was trying to cut off our fight before it began. “We need better and stronger weapons; also, our supplies will need replenishing. We will need Dowben, though. He is the most knowledgeable person we know when it comes to Wohden tactics.”7

“Will we need more Warriors, as well?” wondered Zela. “Two Warriors and two Vorn aren’t enough to take on a Wohden slaving party.”8

“We will request the help of two Warriors who specialize in stealth and tracking. In this instance, it will be best to avoid bloodshed; our captured Vorn are very young, and we mustn’t risk their lives trying to obliterate the Wohden forces.”9

Zela sniffed slightly, and Airam shot a glare at her. I got the feeling that there was something going on between these two that was beyond my understanding. It was clear that they didn’t like each other, but it wasn’t until this journey began that it had become apparent….10

Airam grumbled something under her breath, and Emeran, her Rattragon, snorted. She sounded as annoyed as her rider. Zela ignored the whole exchange and tightened her arms around my waist; I pretended not to notice, but it made me even more uncomfortable than I already was. 11

We arrived at the wall’s entrance. Jast stopped Ursa just beside it, knowing that there was a gate guard that would need identification.12

“Who comes to Ulonn Castle?” The gate guard was a withered man.13

“Warriors Jast and Lisper, Vorn Airam and Xen, and Healer Zela of Kaiven Castle,” he stated. “We have come for assistance and supplies.”14

“Assistance?” The withered man looked suspicious. “What kind of assistance?”15

“A training session of ours was attacked by a Wohden raid. Several Vorn were captured, and their Masters were killed. We require aid in tracking the raiders down.”16

The gate guard sighed. “All right, fine. You can enter.”17

The large metal gates screeched open, and our Rattragons leapt excitedly through it. Finally, we had arrived at Ulonn Castle.18

I felt a heavy weight in my chest. What would Dowben say about the news? How would he react?19

/*/*/*/*/*20

“Do you need help?” I stood there just in case she fell again. 21

Zela struggled off my green Rattragon, but didn’t look at me. “No, I’ve got it.”22

It didn’t look like it, but I wasn’t about to argue. I simply waited until she had dismounted safely before approaching Airam.23

“So… what now?” I asked, keeping my voice down. Zela, Lisper and Jast were occupied with the merchants camped in the castle marketplace. Ulonn was probably twice as large as Kaiven, and it was very apparent.24

Airam held out her hand, and Emeran touched it with her scaly nose. “Well, we should go find Dowben, obviously,” she told me. “I’ll ask Jast’s permission to search for him while he and Lisper find willing Warriors to accompany us. It will save time… which is something I fear Nolen doesn’t have.”25

She had trouble getting the last words out, and I could tell that she was in a lot of pain. Airam and I were very close to Nolen, him being her cousin and the closest thing I had to a best friend; knowing how barbaric the Wohden were didn’t make this any easier. Who knew what could have happened?26

I needed to comfort us both. “Hey,” I said softly, touching her arm, “we’ll find him. He’ll be fine. Nolen is a tough kid, and he’s probably irritating the Wohden to death as we speak. Most likely flipping over their mattresses.”27

Airam smiled a little at that. She knew that Nolen had pulled that prank on me before.28

“Let’s go find Dowben, hmm?” I pretended to think. “Now where could we possibly begin our search?”29

“The library.” Her answer was immediate; we both knew that Dowben, Kaiven Castle’s old librarian, would most likely be in the kind of place we expected him to be: anywhere with millions of musty, dusty, ancient books to pore over.30

I hadn’t been away from Kaiven since my arrival—my banishment—and would definitely have gotten lost if not for Airam.31

“So you’ve been here before?” I wondered as we passed merchant carts and trade shops, working our way up to the castle itself. Airam nodded in reply; rather than gazing around her with curiosity—like me—she focused on a single point. A way out of the marketplace.32

A burly man with a stack of weapons hitched on his shoulder thundered past me, grazing my shoulder. A train of smaller versions followed closely behind. The only female apprentice in the line, a girl of around fourteen or fifteen winters old, winked at me as she went by.33

Embarrassed, I decided to avoid eye contact with anyone but Airam.34

“When were you here last?” I was desperate for conversation. The near-silent ride to Ulonn had been extremely difficult for me, especially with Zela breathing down my neck. The loud mix of chatter in the marketplace seemed to make things even worse. I had never heard such an unceasing, droning noise.35

Airam glanced at me. “Before I became a Vorn, I did a lot of traveling,” she said evasively. I could tell that she was telling the bare minimum of information. “I… visited… Riff Castle, Linar Castle, Delmar Castle, and Ulonn. I didn’t see much of them until I got to Ulonn, though.”36

“Why not?” I just needed to keep her talking… about anything, if possible. I feared I would go insane from the noise around me.37

She hesitated. With a sigh, she mumbled—soft enough that I could barely hear her over the marketplace babble—“I was too badly injured to explore until that point.” I saw her fists clench; she bowed her head slightly; her walking slowed to a crawl.38

She was in pain. Something had happened to her long ago… and it had caused her immense pain.39

Her past was a dark, murky secret that she had told me she wasn’t ready to share. I could see that she was making an effort to slowly convey it to me, despite the obvious hurt it put her through. She was trying.40

And that touched me deeper than anything ever had before.41

I said nothing, simply taking the moment to gaze upon her. Airam’s red-gold hair was tied up in an intricate knot of braids—the same one she’d had when I first saw her; her eyes were downcast, shining in the morning sunlight; the scar on her cheek glowed silver against her fair skin.42

“Hey,” I whispered, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. At the touch, she looked up at me suddenly, eyes blazing. But she said nothing. “I’m sorry I’m being nosy. You don’t have to tell me.”43

The fire in her eyes was different from the one she had when she was angry. It was softer… warm, rather than scorching. Airam’s golden brown eyes stared into my grayish blue ones, and my heart started thudding against my chest again. 44

She looked away for a moment before she returned her gaze to me. “Thank you,” she murmured, placing her other hand over mine. “Truly.”45

Airam let go of my hand and resumed her quick pace, acting almost as though nothing had happened. I struggled to catch back up, but it was a half-hearted attempt, really; while I was behind her, it was so much easier to stare without getting caught….46