Dark Queen: The Cybelline Prophecies

Chapter 15

There was very few travelers on the road, as the morning misty rain threatened to turn into a full thunderstorm every so often.

Two figures, one man with a golden beard and wild hair that made him seem more like a lion and a young, slender boy with short hair and bright eyes that seemed to miss nothing, walked briskly down the long road.

Jinon glanced down at the youth at his side. They had been traveling hard for ten days, laying down to rest for two hours a night before continuing their relentless pace. Even the most hardened soldiers would have broken down by now.

Cybelline looked up and cracked a smile, "If you're wondering when I'm going to collapse, don't hold your breathe."

Jinon snorted, "That tongue of your is going to get you in trouble someday."

The girl shrugged, "I don't mind a little bit of trouble every now and then."

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" A voice roared behind them, Jinon turned and cursed. They jumped off the road just in time as three cloaked figures on horses flew past them, the mud from the horse hooves flying everywhere.

A piece of mud flew at Cyebelline's face, without thinking, she deflected it with her cloak and flung it at the back of one of the figures.

The hood flew off and revealed the head of a tall boy. He turned towards the direction of the hit.

Hair like snow framed a face that would have been perfect had it not been the thick, black blindfold that covered his eyes. He opened his mouth but one of the other men jammed the hood back on. They continued their hard ride with another backwards glance.

"Novirians..." Jinon frowned, "Why are they here?"

"Who?" Cybelline asked. Jinon raised his eye, "Largest of the three Kingdoms. Rich in Dwarven Mines, the Border Kingdom of the Darklands."

Jinon shrugged, "Well, not our problem." 

Cybelline looked down the road at the three black cloaked figures and followed at a much slower pace.

The two finally arrived at the foot of the tall, grey mountains dusted with snow. Cybelline whistled, she had scaled Everest a few times but these were even taller.

"Afraid?" Jinon asked as stopped.

"Of what? A pile of rocks?" Cybelline wanted to know and pushed up towards the steep path.

Jinon grinned, she reminded him of a few good Lady Generals that he had once fought with.

Three days later, as they began the final descent of the mountains they met the Novirians again. Except this time they were no longer in a hurry.

Jinon had led them to a little path from the main roads. It was the entrance to a short cut, he had told her. They were walking towards it, and Cybelline was busy shaking the ice out of her cloak and hair when Jinon pulled her behind a rock.

She looked up to see him hold a finger to his lips. Quietly, she scanned the land.

A hundred feet away, one of the three riders they had seen a few days ago was on the ground, dead.  Not much farther away the other man was arguing hotly with the youth with the blindfold.

"We have to go, lord. We need to get to the capital." They heard the taller, older man say, "You know what will happen if we don't get you the---"

The boy put a hand up, "Captain, this was a suicide mission already. She bought Sheprin's loyalty. Who knows how many more assassins we'll meet. You've been poisoned and injured.  If I can't confirm the kind of poison that you have in your body, it'll kill you by nightfall."