Torches lit up the guard post. Some looked like they had taken a hit, and others were still intact. The camp was a beacon that shined in the distance. Fires burned brightly throughout the sea of tents and barracks. The guard posts dotted along the border, at equal distances from each other. Some went so high up that one could bearly see to the top. As they approached on their horse, Dakran took the lead. The north was his motherland, the land that had given so much to protect, and by doing so, they saved others as well.
" Who goes there?" one of the guards shouted from the nearest guard post and pulled his bow and flaming arrow, pointing it in their general direction.
Dakran spurred his horse and galloped ahead. The flaming arrow whizzed past them and planted in the ground one smoot away from them.
" Put your arrow down, Caell!" Dakran shouted from a distance, and the arrow lowered down and spent.
" Dakran?" the guard shouted from his post and picked up the torch, and disappeared from the top of the post, appearing at the foot of it.
Dakran chuckled. He couldn't believe he was almost home. Just a few more days, he hadn't heard news from them in ages but then he left Beledren village, and they wouldn't know where to look for him. Haren was useless when it came to doing his part.
Dakran pulled the horse to a halt, jumped off and approached the guard with quick strides and hugged him so tight that he dropped the torch.
" I thought you died! At least that's what Haren told us!" Caell said, surprised to see him.
" I'm sure he did! It's good to be home!" he let go of Caell, patting him on the shoulder.
" We are heading to Gaerwen! What is happening? This is spreading. It has reached the Southlands!" Dakran said, pointing at the rolling dark clouds.
" The creatures, my Lord! A strange smog comes out of the lake whenever they cross to this side! Black clouds and this smog thing pours out of it for days on end," Caell informed and looked at the sky.
" Have they breached the border?" Dakran looked at him with a piercing gaze and waited for his answer.
Caell nodded " A few slipped through our fingers, heading in all directions! We have received reinforcements from Hessia. The commander is a woman. Can you believe that but she disappeared on the first day! She is nowhere to be found." he shrugged and picked up his torch off the ground.
Maya climbed off the horse and approached them with unsteady steps looking around, taking everything in.
Caell bowed " Good eve, milady!" he politely greeted, making Dakran chuckle.
" Be on your best behaviour, Caell!" Dakran patted him on the shoulder and pulled the red-haired woman into his arms, grinning ear to ear.
Caell brows raised and scrunched " I see that the Southlands has boded very well for you, Mylord!" he mumbled and looked in the distance seeing the others approach.
" I've brought some reinforcements of my own!" Dakran vaguely explained.
Caell craned his neck " Are we having beauty contests now?" he pouted and stepped past Dakran to greet the newcomers.
" Good eve, good sers and fair ladies!" Caell greeted, and Edýia lifted her head off Rom's shoulder and smiled.
" Home!" she breathed the words and looked at him with sparkling eyes.
Rom looked around. This place was darker than night itself. The only reason they could see anything was the torches peppered everywhere along the border.
Dakran followed Caell, halting his steps behind him " This the Mytrhrian Queen and her husband. " he pointed at the white-haired woman, standing tall and proud on her horse and the man next to her.
Caell bowed " Welcome!" he said, raising his head to look at them. "I will introduce you to the rest later " They are here to help. That's the most important thing!" Dakran patted him on the shoulder and tugged on his arm, waving the others to follow him.
Caell followed, and so did the others, slowly trotting behind him. He took a deep breath and released a sigh of relief. He was finally home.
" Where is Haren?" Dakran suddenly asked and looked over his shoulder.
" In the barracks! He said he is leaving on the morrow. He'd been saying that for three days now. Since we can't see the sun, we mark them on parchment!" Caell informed, and Dakran halted his steps, and he crashed into his back.
Dakran hummed and pulled on the horse reins " Figures! Still sulking like a child, by the looks of it! Tell him to come and find me if you see him!" he said in a serious tone, stopping and grabbing the red by the hand.
Caell grumbled, " Sire, he'd been drunk for three days. He didn't leave the barracks since he came!" he tattled, and Dakran cursed under his breath and took a deep breath in.
" We are leaving as soon as everyone gets some rest. We've been riding for almost a fortnight. He will come with us, even if I have to tie him to the horse and drag him home!" Dakran brooked as they entered the camp.
Tents spread as far as the eye could see, and torches and small fires outside the tents lit up the camp. Men in armour posted everywhere, standing on guard, ready for an attack. Maya shuddered and looked at Dakran. His life has been filled with this, every moment of his life unable to allow himself to be happy.
Caell pointed to one of the tents " This one is free for now. Nya is on guard. She won't need it for now!" he informed and looked at the others " Off your horses!" Caell barked. Politeness flew out the window.
" You'll have to share two tents between all of you!" Caell paused for a moment " Food is scarce, so small meals!" he continued walking and speaking " You can tie your horses outside the tents." he halted his steps in front of two large tents " For now you can use these, but you'll have to leave once the guards return from their patrol ." he finished speaking and went briskly.
Iris looked at Ian, who followed Caell with his eyesight " I wish I had kept the damn sword. He would have been the second on the list after the witch!" Ian quipped with a crooked smile, making Iris chuckle.
" You can't be serious!" she amusedly asked, and Ian's smile fell off his lips.
" If they are all like this, then yes!" his smile returned and he pushed Iris inside the tent