High in the Grey Tower

Chapter Two

The morning mist slowly evaporated as the Sun climbed high in the sky. The knights rode steadily towards the South East of the country. Ruth drank in the scenery of lush green forests that surrounded Anatol and tried to suppress the sigh that was bubbling up to his lips.

The Below was an area unexplored to many inhabitants of Wedon as it lay below the Lexos Mountains, which were famously infested with dragons and the like. Only stories were told about the harsh, uninhabitable wastelands. Monsters unlike anything imaginable and residents almost akin to monsters themselves. Ruth pursed his lips at the thought. Going to such a dangerous place was reckless, even for Riftan. However, it was Ruth that stuck the idea in the Commander's head with his big mouth.

The expedition would take months, but would've taken even longer if they had brought more knights. The gamble that the fearless Rossem Uigru would triumph over monsters unseen by anyone was a large one, but one that Riftan was apparently willing to make. Ruth would never voice such concerns, but rallied heavily to meet reinforcements as they approached the mountain range before they left. He smiled bitterly, knowing Riftan would deny such help until the very end.

"This will be disastrous if we manage to recruit her, you know," a sour voice spat out in Ruth's direction. Collin Agress towered over Ruth when on foot, much less on horseback. The bitter man flipped his dirty blond hair out of his eyes and squinted at the wizard. "Will having two defectors from the Wizard Tower bode well for the Lord?"

"If one was fine enough, there might as well be two of us," Ruth retorted, disinterested. Agress bit his tongue, sensing Ruth would be no fun to poke at today. Internally though, Ruth bitterly agreed with the knight's sentiment. Ruth's presence in Anatol was simply due to Riftan's stubborn indignation, but Ruth felt that the Lord didn't understand the gravity of the situation. Surely bringing that person back to Anatol would cause some sort of retaliation from Nornui. If he was a traitor, then she would be...

The rhythmic pounding of horseshoes on the ground lulled Ruth's mind with monotony and soon enough it was time to stop and rest for lunch. The knights passed a large, clean lake and quickly dismounted from their horses, promptly leading them to drink. Ruth unwrapped an apple from his sack and bit into the sweet fruit. He truly wanted to savor the greenery before it disappeared when they reached the desert.

Ruth stooped on a rock and finished his apple, lazily watching the horses graze on the supple grass and take long drinks of water from the lake. His face contorted when he pondered how they would travel the desert without their horses. It would be impossible to have enough water for the knights and the horses alike, so they would have to be dropped at a stable somewhere and exchanged for camels.

How bothersome.

Tossing aside the apple core at the cue of Riftan's piercing orders, Ruth mounted his horse once again. Stretching his neck and his stiff fingers, they continued to trod on. Usually, the knights were talkative, trying to pass the time by telling stories or poking fun at each other, but this time was different. The atmosphere was as if they were marching to a war -- that they didn't know existed. Riftan's murky gaze was enough to send a shiver down the spine of even Ruth.

The knights marched on.

•••

After their long day of traveling nonstop, the horses seemed to be showing signs of exhaustion and much to Riftan's displeasure, they were forced to dismount and rest for the night. The knights shuffled about, half pitching tents at lightning speed and the other half competently lighting a large bonfire made of sticks collected from the surrounding area. Before long, there was a proper campsite and the wizard slumped his shoulders with a yawn.

Wizards weren't built for such expeditions.

Riftan scanned the surroundings with his onyx eyes and took the last bowl of stew from the pot atop the campfire. When it seemed all was well, Ruth studied the Lord devour his meal. Riftan's jaw was so tense Ruth smirked, thinking he would bite his tongue if he continued to eat so tensely. Suddenly, Riftan's black eyes darted in Ruth's direction and he averted his gaze to his own bowl of stew, still smirking.

"Ruth, I caught word of something I think might interest you." Riftan approached the wizard from the hall outside the library with a scroll in hand.

"Hm?" Ruth mused and turned his gaze towards the knight."

'The Desert Wind'. Do you know her?" Ruth felt his muscled tense.

"Can't say that sounds particularly familiar, my Lord."

"They say Fei Hong has been spotted in the Below, Ruth."

That name rang like thunder in his ears. Ruth shook his head into his bowl of stew and tried to shake the feeling of a tight grip on his shoulder. He shuddered at the thought of having to face her again. In such a situation as this.

"Ruth," Riftan's voice echoed in Ruth's empty mind. "Please, a word quickly before you retire." Ruth stood obediently, casually turning towards Riftan.

"If my Lord insists." Sensing the wizard's mocking tone, Riftan wordlessly led Ruth to his tent, opening the flap for the wizard to enter after him. A map was splayed on the floor, marked up in Riftan's crude handwriting. Riftan had marked their path as clearly as possible through the uncharted territory. In fact, the map didn't even reach far enough into their final destination, so their path ominously led off the ends of the map as if they were walking off the face of the Earth.

"What service can I provide you with, my Lord?"

"I need to know what kind of danger we'll be in, Ruth," Riftan said sternly. The knight's tone was deep, but soft, as if trying to scold a child. "I need to know what kind of person we're going to be dealing with here."

Ruth bit his cheek unconsciously as if trying to sink into his memories to remember. His hand landed on his temple and his eyes squeezed shut, trying to remember, but at the same time hoping he wouldn't. After making a good show of his efforts, his gaze met Riftan's. The wizard's shoulders stiffened as he responded, "She is a good wizard."

"I know that. Otherwise we wouldn't be pursuing her."

"That's all I can tell you of her character, my Lord."

Riftan looked dissatisfied with Ruth's answer and asked gloomily, "You spent so many years together and yet you look as if you have amnesia. You really can't speak to someone's character who you knew and studied alongside for years?"

Of course Ruth could. She was stubborn and indignant like Riftan. In fact, she was the spitting image of the Commander in front of him. Right down to the pitch black hair and onyx eyes. Stubborn, thick skulled, coarse, and inexplicably gifted. Ruth shook his head at the sentiment. What a ridiculous thing to explain to someone.

"She is talented, but she's a refugee. She's living in exile. I have no way to speak to her character at this time."

"Cut the bullshit!" Ruth was drawn aback at Riftan's stern cry. However, unwilling to back down, Ruth stood in silence looking at him. "Anatol is at stake. The peace between the Seven Kingdoms is at stake. And you can't remember a thing about your friend from the Wizard Tower? Not one single thing?"

Again, biting his cheek, Ruth let out a deep sigh in resignation. Naturally, it would be difficult for Riftan to accept Ruth's feigned ignorance. Clicking his tongue, Ruth conceded.

"As you wish. I'll tell you about my dear friend Fei."