Garinor decided he needed to look for the scepter after all. All the events happening around him culminated in finding the artifact. He knew he could not let it be, even with a beaten body and no protection. It didn’t matter either that there were hunters after him and perhaps also the king’s guard. He needed to find a way to put a stop to everything.
He teetered somewhat as he set out, but he was determined to make progress now. No one would be able to stop him from finding his way. The sky was bright and inviting and he accepted the sun’s warmth as support for the next leg of his journey.
The breakfast he had eaten in the castle was long past now and he wished he had a chance to eat something other than the few fruits and berries he found as he went. Still, it was all he had.
As time went on, the movement started to make him feel better. He had thought it would make him hurt, but he was a resilient boy and as his muscles and lungs stretched and expanded, they took on the life around him and made him stronger.
He continued in peace on his own, heading toward the mountains in the northeast, knowing that he would reach his destination without worry. The sun paced through the sky and started its descent behind him, causing his shadow to point the way.
He was not alone for the entire trek, however. As the afternoon wore on, the sound of horses echoed in the air. He looked around, but there wasn’t anything nearby he could use as cover; not a single tree or rock or dip in the grass to even remotely conceal him. And so he decided then to act as if he was in charge and that no one had the right to intercept him. He straightened his shoulders and his clothes, which had thankfully dried as he went.
Two horsemen padded up to meet him, stopping the horses and greeting the wandering boy. “Good tidings,” called one of them.
Garinor turned his head without stopping his stride and nodded his head in greeting.
“Are you in need of assistance?” said the horseman. “We would be more than happy to help.”
“Hear, hear,” said the other man, his mustache bobbing.
“Thank you, but I’ll manage on my own.”
The first horseman dismounted and gently placed his hand on Garinor’s shoulder. He otherwise kept his distance and Garinor did not feel threatened by him. He spoke in a low tone, though he hadn’t seen anyone else for miles and he would not have been heard in any event. “Listen, son, we know you have been pursued and hunted and nearly killed. We are on your side. Protectors. And we will take you any place you wish to go.”
Garinor wanted very much to be strong and to deny the man, to carry his mission out on his own and not to accept the words of this stranger. But he was tired and his body was still not in perfect condition. “I—” he started but then stopped, dropping his gaze to the grass for a moment before he could continue. “I am in search of a cave in the northeast.”
“We will escort you,” the man replied easily. “Ride behind my friend here and while you do, sip from the canteen and eat from the sack.” He motioned to these things, hanging from the horse’s saddle. “We will escort you with haste and you will find your cave in no time at all.” He helped Garinor up behind the other man and it wasn’t long before they set off.
He couldn’t help but wonder at his luck and so he asked the question that was foremost on his mind. “Were you out looking for me?”
The mustached man grunted and turned his head, easing up on the reins so as not to pull the horse aside. “After a fashion, yes. Not you in particular, but we have patrols out now for young men your age, to bring them to safety and out of danger.”
“But why?”
“We are aware of the plot against you. If not all the details, then enough to want to help and keep you safe. No decent man, woman, or child should have to spend any time looking over a shoulder wondering if each meal will be the last.”
This settled it for Garinor. He was already sharing the ride with them. Had they been under the prince’s employ, the man probably would not have bothered with such a proclamation. So it was that Garinor relaxed into the rhythmic movements of the horse, and he held tightly onto the rider with one hand and reached into the offered saddlebag for bread and water.
They made excellent time on horseback, stopping only twice to rest the horses and give them water. They passed the walls of Kallinoria and the sun dipped into the horizon. Garinor guessed they would reach the northern mountains before night was upon them in earnest.