Revelation: Son of Trojeim (Book 1)

Chapter 13 "Winding Roads and Snaking Rivers"

The vanguard readied their gear and checked their supplies while Father Hubert saw them off. From the events of the prior day, they had spent most of it working on calming the villagers, and setting up wards in case the sil'lis decided to head further west. Godric pushed aside his worry for Fredrik, but now that things had settled in Oak-tree, he planned to go back to the homestead.

Their goal was to track him down, and escort him to somewhere safe. He remembered that Fredrik was heading to Trojeim, but there was no telling where he was headed first. Despite this, he was more worried about the High Council catching wind of this development, and summoning Fredrik to Gierdëlien to become a weapon guided by their hand.

"Do you have all you need?" Father Hubert asked. His composure remained the same, after recovering from the shock of yesterday. His role was to make sure the village was safe, and that they could look to him for safety.

Godric tightened the belt securing the claymore to his back, "I believe so, Father. I must thank you for your assistance yesterday, and for the hospitality you showed us."

"Considering the circumstances, I didn't have much choice in the matter, but I am grateful for what you did as a preemptive move against the sil'lis. There's only one more thing I can ask of you and your friends."

They paused and looked up from their own gear. Father Hubert's composure faltered as he thought back to what he heard from Godric yesterday.

"Wherever Fredrik is, make sure to keep him safe, and tell him to come back to Oak-tree when he's done—both for me and for his friends here."

"We'll see what we can do, Father. If what I think is happening is happening, then it's likely that he won't be back for some time."

He bowed and took a deep breath in to calm his voice again, "I understand. If that is the case, then I will begin preparations to help those when the time comes."

They exited the monastery into the cool morning where the sun was only starting to peek over the horizon. Jewel looked to the paling dark blue sky before planning their approach back to the homestead's location while Rhino stroked the snouts of the derus to calm them.

"Take care, Godric. May Alberon be with you in the coming days."

Godric nodded and helped secure their bags to the sides of the derus. Saul appeared from behind Father Hubert, and waved to the vanguard as they got on the backs of the animals.

"Bring me back something, Godric. Preferably something expensive!"

Godric let out a light chuckle before signaling for them to leave Oak-tree. The derus trotted down the path and disappeared into the village. Father Hubert turned to Saul, and looked him over expecting him to still be sleeping.

"Are you sure that you're okay?"

Saul slapped Hubert's shoulder with a smile, "Djinn assured me that the poison is gone, and that Madeline should be congratulated on her skill with medicine. He wanted to make sure that nothing remained for my sake, but he didn't sense any traces of toxin. Besides, I'm feeling better than ever, but I think I'll stick around here and help out a bit."