Defenders of Kron Read online

  They stopped at the bank, Dan got down from his horse and signaled everybody to stay where they were, then he disappeared into the bushes.

  They heard Dan speaking loudly as if he was calling somebody from far away. Ony and Belster were sitting calmly as they knew what was going on, Bo was peeping in Dan’s direction from behind Ony’s shoulders. Aaron, Flynn and Billy were looking around to understand what Dan was doing. Before Aaron could ask Jane about Dan they all saw a tiny speck coming towards them from the other side of the river.

  Bo pointed towards the speck and asked “What is that?”

  Belster spoke in a heavy and annoyed voice “That’s our ride, how do you suppose we are to cross the river?"

  Bo hid behind Ony listening to angry Belster. The tiny speck began to take shape as it came towards them, it was a ferry boat. Dan came back and mounted his horse again.

  “We will cross the river in the boat with the horses; the horses tend to get scared in deep waters. Everybody should control their horses and keep them calm” said Dan and patted his horse.

  Aaron had never crossed a river before, neither did he know swimming very well. He wondered how so many people could cross the river with their horses. He looked nervously at Flynn. Flynn’s mouth was wide open, he let out a tiny shriek, the fear of deep water was clearly visible in his eyes. He gulped and looked at Aaron confused. Aaron nodded to assure everything will be fine.

  The boat came closer; Aaron had never seen such a magnificent boat before. It was huge, almost like a small ship. It was rowed by one man who had a large paddle in his hands. What looked like a speck a few moments before, was now a giant boat.

  The boat stopped near the shore, the ferry man saluted Dan and Dan saluted him back. Then he lowered a wooden platform that reached near the grounds where the horses were standing. One by one Dan, Ony and Belster got on the wooden platform with their horses; Billy and Jane did the same. Gathering all his courage Aaron followed them on his horse. They stood still on the boat sitting on their horses.

  Flynn looked at all of them, he didn't speak. He was not moving at all. Flynn’s horse looked more scared than him; it was making a low neighing sound.

  Aaron looked back as soon as he occupied his spot. He feared something had happened to Flynn. Belster was looking at Flynn angrily and Jane was concerned.

  “It’s ok Flynn, just come very slowly. There is nothing to be scared about. It’s easy” said Aaron trying to keep himself calm. But Flynn didn’t move, he was looking at the vast river and wasn't listening to Aaron.

  “Flynn” Dan said in a firm voice and Flynn’s attention broke, he looked at Dan.

  “Flynn, Just climb the boat slowly, it’s not very different from riding on the grounds. We are here for you if something goes wrong” said Dan in a more polite voice.

  The words of Dan seemed to have an effect on Flynn. He moved slowly on his horse and came near the wooden plank.

  “That’s it, now come here boy, I have saved a special spot for you” said Ony and Bo cheered “come come!”

  Flynn smiled slowly; carefully he climbed the boat and came next to Ony. He gave a breath of relief after getting on the boat. Ony patted him on the back as if he has achieved a great thing. Flynn smiled proudly.

  Aaron couldn’t believe how Dan and Ony‘s behavior has changed towards Flynn. They had accepted him as a part of their group. The thought gave Aaron much joy. He found Jane smiling and nodding at him, he returned the smile.

  The ferryman withdrew the wooden planks and started to row. Aaron noticed the ferryman, he was shabby. He had a long beard and long hair, his hair was untied and dirty. He wore an oversized coat and looked like he had no concerns with the world.

  The ferryman looked back at Aaron as he had sensed that Aaron was thinking about him. Aaron caught a glimpse of his broken tooth as he grinned at Aaron and continued rowing.

  Soon, they were on the river and the plants and trees were out of sight. Aaron spotted a few big fishes swimming in the water gleaming silver. Everyone was very still; a single jerky movement could scare the horses in the deep waters. Flynn was sitting tight on his horse next to Ony. Billy was next to Belster which Belster absolutely did not like. He wrinkled his nose in disgust as in he was standing next to something filthy.

  Aaron looked the other way. Jane seemed to be really calm and enjoying the water, given a change she would have gotten down from her horse and would have reached for the water lilies that showed up occasionally. But she sat on her horse and patted it to keep it calm.

  The ferry man looked at Aaron again while rowing and this time Aaron saw him wearing a gold chain and a thick gold bangle. The man gave Aaron an odd smile, once again.

  ‘Where did a ferryman get so much gold and if he has so much gold, then why is he still doing such a job?” Aaron thought to himself. He didn’t like the way the ferryman looked and grinned at him. This man never looked at others. It felt like he knew something about Aaron.

  Aaron wished he could ask the man why he is looking at him that way but with everybody around, he just kept his mouth shut.

  The wind on the river was really pleasant. The cold had dissolved now. It was just a breeze that everyone enjoyed. The boat shook a little every time the ferryman changed directions. The water was clean but the reflecting sun was making it impossible to look far into the water.

  The river widened and opened into a much larger river and all Aaron could see was water from horizon to horizon. There was no sign of any other life nearby. He could hear a few birds chirping at a distance, but now the sound of flowing water had taken over all the other little sounds. He could only hear a stream falling nearby the river. The water lilies have disappeared and the boat was in the middle of the river now.

  Nobody spoke but an eerie feeling crept over Aaron. It was a very different experience he was having in the open waters.

  “What if the boat tumbles?” he thought for a second and shook off that thought. The vastness of water seemed to have no effect on the ferry man. He was rowing happily and soon he started to sing a strange song. Aaron thought he had heard this song long ago but couldn’t remember where. After the man finished his song he looked at Aaron again and smiled.

  Aaron had serious doubts that something was up. Either the ferry man wanted to talk to him or he was just teasing him. He tried to look calm. Nobody else paid any attention to the ferry man. The journey on the river seemed long but finally Aaron saw the other side of the bank. The trees and bushes began to appear again and the white water lilies came in view, slowly the boat was coming towards the muddy river bank. When they were almost near the bank, the ferry man spoke for the first time. His voice cracked “Will you be needing my services again on the way back?”

  “I don’t think so Gandok” said Dan “We might not come the same way."

  The boat arrived at the bank “So this is it then, take care of the younglings” said Gandok. Then he turned to Aaron “Follow your heart, your destiny is where your heart is” Gandok said and grinned.

  Then he lowered the wooden plank again and Dan climbed down. After him everyone came down one by one. Flynn was not afraid to come down but the relief on his face was quite visible after he reached the grounds.

  Aaron was much surprised to have heard such words from a ferry man; he stared at the man for some time. Gandok stood there looking back.

  “What do you mean?” Aaron asked getting down from his horse.

  “You know what I mean, it’s only your free will that nobody can take from you. You can do anything only if you believe that you can” Gandok said.

  Dan interrupted before Gandok could say anything more.

  “Here is your money Gandok, now be on your way and don’t bother the kid” he threw a bag of money filled with silver coins to Gandok and asked everyone to follow him into the forest.

  Aaron wanted to stay, to ask Gandok what was he trying to say and why he spoke to him. Did he know that he was the boy Zorath was looking to kill before
he could reach the object that will destroy him?

  But the ferryman was quite intimidated. He left immediately. He was gone and then Aaron turned back and rode with the rest of them

  They were riding slow with Dan leading them.

  “The Lurgs of Kora could be anywhere; we are very close to the Blue Mountains. I want everybody to be very alert; you should report to me if you see or hear anything suspicious" said Dan.

  Everybody went on stealthily. Jane whispered something in her horse’s ears and then no sound of it hooves could he heard. Jane touched all the horses one by one and the sounds of their hooves disappeared too.

  “How are you doing this?” Aaron asked Jane when she came to his horse.

  “It a special magic. It’s so that the Lurgs do not hear us approach. The horses do not leave any trails either” she smiled looking down the muddy path. There was not a single sign that the party had travelled on those grounds.

  “But this magic does not last long, let’s hope we reach Blue Mountains before the magic wears out” said Jane and rode towards Dan.

  She spoke to Dan and then Dan signaled everybody to hurry up.

  Aaron didn’t know what Jane had done to the horses but he felt like he was flying. The horse was gliding smoothly on the grounds. Everything was silent and Dan was frantically searching for the sign of Lurgs.

  They reached the foot of the Blue Mountain and stopped.

  “What if the Lurgs left for Arktor, how would we know?” Aaron said in a hushed tone.

  “That is possible, but we have to find them soon or Alfadon could be in great danger” said Dan almost out of breath.

  “We should split up and look for them. We will meet here in about an hour” said Belster, and Dan nodded.

  Dan and Belster went south. Ony and Billy went west and Aaron, Jane and Flynn towards the east. Their horses were still moving flawlessly.

  Chapter 3

  Search for the Lurgs

  Within minutes, Aaron, Flynn and Jane were separated from the others and were alone in the forest that surrounded the Blue Mountains. Jane was still going at a flying speed, Aaron and Flynn had real difficulty catching up with her.

  “Why does she have to be so fast all the time?” Flynn grunted, which Aaron ignored.

  “Jane, wait” said Aaron in a loud whisper. The forest was so silent that Jane could hear him crystal clear.

  She looked back and pulled the rein of her horse.

  “What? Did you see something?" Jane said as soon as Aaron and Flynn came near her.

  “No I didn’t see any Lurgs but I need to speak to you” Aaron said stopping next to Jane.

  “I really meant to ask you what happened back there” Aaron started to say but Flynn cut him off.

  “We are not supposed to talk here, if the Lurgs hear us, they will attack. We have strict orders” said Flynn which was quite unusual of him.

  Aaron narrowed his eyes at Flynn for a moment.

  “Since when are you concerned about orders?”

  The words of the ferry man echoed in his head again

  “Flynn, I really need to talk to Jane, you go ahead and search the rest of the forest. We will be here for a while!”

  Aaron didn’t even wait for Flynn’s approval. He was already busy talking to Jane, Jane listened to him curiously.

  Flynn turned back fuming and rode further into the jungle. There was nothing that Aaron did not discuss with him first but now all he wanted was to talk to Jane. He flared his nostrils and looked around in the forest.

  “Who was the ferry man?” asked Aaron “Does he know about me?"

  “Know about you? What you mean? I don’t know the ferry man. I guess Dan must have travelled with him a few times. But why are you asking” said Jane casually.

  “Didn’t you hear all the things he said, like he knew something about me” Aaron was restless.

  “Hey, calm down. He looked like a half mad man to me. He might be saying weird things anyways. Don’t take what he said very seriously” said Jane.

  “But why did he speak only to me Jane, I felt like I have seen him before somewhere but I don’t remember where. And the tune he was humming, I’ve heard that somewhere before too” said Aaron trying to remember that tune again.

  “Why are you so worried? What could he know about you anyways?” said Jane, almost laughing.

  “Nothing… I guess” said Aaron looking the other way.

  Jane stopped teasing him and looked seriously at him.

  “Aaron, is there something you are not telling me?" She said raising her eyebrows.

  Aaron looked straight into her blue eyes. He knew he could trust her.

  “Jane, there is something I need to tell you” Aaron hesitated for a moment.

  “What?” Jane lifted an eyebrow.

  “Mm… I am the boy in the prophecy” Aaron said slowly.

  “I know that your mother believed that, but we have no proof” Jane said.

  “No Jane. I know it’s me. Zorath told me” whispered Aaron.

  Jane couldn't believe her ears for some time, she looked scared and confused at the same time. Beads of sweat were visible on her forehead.

  “Don’t’ say that name here Aaron. If any of his helpers hear it, they will be here in no time. What are you saying?” she lowered her voice “You spoke to the Dark Lord himself? That is impossible”

  “Yes, back at the witch valley, when we went to the underground market. He came in disguise and told me that he will kill me” he said.

  “Oh my god, did you tell anyone yet? Aaron this is very serious” said Jane panicking. She was clearly not ready for this.

  “No, only Flynn knows. I was afraid that if I tell anyone, I will get into more trouble” said Aaron, not knowing if he did the right thing.

  “Oh God, we have to tell Alfadon, all these days we thought it was an imagination of your mother, but now, this changes everything. Aaron you shouldn’t be here, you have to be protected” said Jane “If the Dark Lord is after someone, nothing will stop him from getting to that person”

  “No Jane, I cannot just hide. And promise me that you will never tell anybody. I do not want to be kept safe. I have to find the things in the riddle. That’s the only way to kill the Dark Lord forever”

  He continued while Jane sat there in a dilemma “My mother could see the future, she knew that the Dark Lord will come back soon and that’s why she wrote me this letter and asked me to solve the riddle as soon as possible. I am the only one who can kill Zorath, Jane” Aaron said.

  “Please do not take that name here Aaron” whispered Jane.

  Aaron carefully took the old letter out of his bag and gave it to Jane. She looked at it and then opened it slowly to read.

  “The riddle is not complete? You have to go to the temple of Orim to find the rest of the riddle? But Aaron that’s inside the Dark Kingdom, it’s very dangerous” Jane’s eyes were filled with concern.

  “Yes Jane. I have to if all this has to end, there is no other way” said Aaron.

  “Your sword is the first thing that you are supposed to find in the riddle Aaron” suddenly Jane’s tone changed to a happy one.

  “Yes, we have found it Jane” Aaron said as he pulled the sword of heavens out of his belt and held it in front of him.

  “It makes sense now. Why your mother made a Sicil pendent for you and why she was trying to hide you. This is why Mordok came to her, to know where you are. He did call you the boy. I remember. This is what your mother gave her life for, to save you” Jane’s voice died away as she said that. She looked at Aaron cautiously.

  Aaron’s eyes filled with tears as he continued to look at the sword.

  “Oh Aaron. I am sorry, I didn’t mean to make you upset” apologized Jane.

  “No Jane, you are right. My mother has given her life to keep me safe. She had sacrificed herself so that I can do what I am destined to do. Kill the Dark Lord” Aaron clutched onto the Sicil pendent lightly.

  Flynn retur
ned and was murmuring something to himself. He finally stopped near Aaron and Jane.

  “I am never going into the forest all alone, do you know everything looks the same and it’s so hard to find your way back?” he said, his face turned red.

  In a moment he realized that Aaron had tears in his eyes as Aaron turned away and kept the sword back in his belt.

  “What’s going on here?’ Flynn asked in much gentle voice now.

  “Aaron, are you alright?”

  “I am fine Flynn. Did you find the Lurgs or any tracks of them?” said Aaron in a heavy voice to make everything seem normal.