Disarray

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

It was an hour or so before sunrise when they left. The sky was a pale shade of blue and yellow, and hardly provided enough light to see. Queen Arilia bade them farewell as she had promised, and several other elves came to wish them well as they left.

          Three hundred elven soldiers accompanied them, including Telvor, Rylan, Aden, and Malifar. Jalmar would have come as well, but he was to begin training sessions for future soldiers of Islea tomorrow, so he was unable.

           It was nearly midday now, and since they had been riding without breaking since before sunrise, they stopped for a while to rest and eat.

          “I am rather getting used to this,” Rylan stated, dismounting his horse. He stumbled forward awkwardly, trying his best to walk with his stiffened legs.

          “Riding a horse for long periods of time, or walking?” Aden laughed.

          Rylan chuckled wryly and rolled his shoulders. He stretched a bit more, and hurried off to help prepare dinner. Most of the soldiers were tending to the horses and refilling waterskins, so they could use his aid to help set out the food.

An hour later, the elves had fed and watered both themselves and the horses, mounted their steeds, and continued riding. They did not stop until dusk, and by the time the blessed sun had finally set, they were all quite eager to dismount their steeds. The moment Telvor found a suitable spot to camp, all three hundred soldiers nearly leaped from their horses. They likely would have, but their cramped legs did not permit such movement.

          “Three more days of this, and then four more after we’ve completed our quest.” Rylan stated with a groan. “I know all this is to save our realm, but I do wish we could do it without the eight days of constant riding.”

          “As do I…” Aden concurred. “If only the dragons were still around.”

          “As if the noble race of the dragons would fly legions of soldiers across the land because they were too indolent to travel on horseback.” He laughed.

          “Well, perhaps you. After all, you are the savoir of Ubaria.”

          “Even if a dragon magically appeared to grasp me by his talons and carry me to Wanoro Stelia, I do not think I would have the bravery to allow him to. I’ve no desire to take flight that high above the ground, much less take flight at all.”

          “I do not see how you are still terrified of heights,” Aden shook his head uncomprehendingly. “You are fine as long as you don’t fall. Even if you do fall, it is a quick death, I’ve heard. However, the six hours you have to wait before you can be healed are not pleasant.”

          “How consoling…” Rylan stated.

          Aden shrugged.

The seemingly endless days of riding soon ended, and they had finally reached Wanoro Stelia. They made camp almost a mile away from the city, behind a large cluster of rocks.

          The city was beautiful, and was quite large. It was nearly half the size of Islea, but looked almost as large, for there were no trees to conceal its immensity. Hundreds of gray and brown structures were built along the roads of the city, and in the center of it all, a massive white tower stood, gazing over the city from above. On either side of the highest peak, two shorter towers rested by the tallest one, both of them just as perfect and strong as their father.