Chapter Chapter Six

My hood is down so my face is recognizable. I hear several of the old folks gasp while we race through the town. Gstalt’s little secret may not be kept for much longer. If those two boys have any sense, they’d hide. “Go track Gstalt.” I tell Ambra after we’ve parted from the city.

I need to find a Wind God. Not many know how to find them these days, likely from the work of Gstalt. You’d think it’d be on the highest mountain, but it’s not. They’re actually in the windy plains. They have the greatest impact there. Some reside other places, but the closest to where my mother died is the Windy Plains. It’s a six-day journey so I’m going to have to get more to eat. Likely some weapons as well. I’m sure Gstalt will be able to spot my magic from leagues away. Whoever he is using to track me is insanely good as well.

After my food runs out on day three, I head into a city. It’s not a town or village since there appears to be at least five hundred people living here. They all have different colored hair, most of them dyed. The popular appears to be blue and purple. At least my hair fits in here. Once I enter the city I get off of Liza and walk her through the street. It appears this is normal since several people are doing it. Most towns, unless you’re passing through, have you tie up your horse to reduce chances of stepping in animal waste.

I’m not sure what this city is. Judging by the laid brick and carefully cut exterior, I’d say it’s less than three decades old. If this city is fairly new, I’m less likely to be recognized. I’m just glad I seem to be blending in just fine. This city must have sworn some sort of loyalty to Gstalt though. Posters of him are plastered everywhere.

I slowly walk through the street, eying vendor carts. They’re nearly empty as the most common place to buy your food is inside a building. Well that puts a damper on theft, so looks like I’m buying. I’m fine with this, since I’ve stolen a tidy little sum over the amount of time I’ve been alive.

I enter in a store that has a counter all the way in the back, with herbs and bottles line behind it. There are fruits, breads, and everything else in little tidy boxes on the inside. The prices are down right robbery, but I’m not going to complain. I really can’t draw any more attention to myself. I’m getting looks just for keeping my hood on.

I pick up some salted pork, cheese, bread, and some apples. I take it over to the clerk and smile. “How much?”

The pudgy little man grins at me. “No charge for a kiss.”

I roll my eyes. “How much?”

He grimaces but looks at my choices. “Five silvers.”

I hand him the coin and thank him. After leaving the store I put my food in my pack and head to the weaponsmith. I haven’t hand fought in years so I’m a little hesitant on what to buy. I buy some lockpicks incase I’m captured by magic protected locks. I also grab several little thin slit silver knives, and some straps to place them on me. Carefully, I select a hunting bow. This should make my hunts a little easier. The man charges me eighteen gold and nods as I leave.

Right as I make it outside, I hear trumpets sounding. People immediately turn and head to the town square. I load Liza up with my purchases as I watch. Soldiers start to run down the street, forcing me to duck back inside the shop.

“Back so soon?” The gruff man asks as I press against the wall.

I smile at the soot-soaked man. He’s not unpleasant to look at. His hair is a dark brown and curly. He has golden set eyes, which makes me believe he has power inside of him. He has surprisingly full lips and is about half a foot taller than me. “Just trying to escape a crowd. I hate them, which is why I travel. What is going on?”

The man glances outside his shop. “Looks like they’re looking for someone.” He points to the knife I have on my hip. “What are you doing with those anyway? Can you fight?”

I shake my head. “Not as well as I used to. My partner did all the fighting for me.”

He raises his eyebrow. “What happened to him?”

I answer without hesitation. “He died.”

“Looks like he couldn’t fight very well.” He huffs as he returns to his work. “What do you do for work? Most people can’t usually afford the haul you just bought.”

I smile, well aware I must get going. “I’m a traveler actually. My partner and I sell furs for money. We usually don’t need to buy much, so we have a lot saved up. I must get going though if I’m to reach my destination before nightfall.”

“You better head to the town square. People will be suspicious if you leave during one of our town representatives’ speeches.” He goes back to work while I watch him in surprise. A little old woman walks into the store, prompting my need to flee.

As I step outside, I can hear someone shouting. “The woman is presumed to be highly dangerous. Report only. Do not alert her that you are suspicious. His lordship requests that she be kept alive and unharmed. She is very important to him.” Uh-oh, Gstalt’s getting the towns involved.

“Oi, what does she look like? Does she even have a name?” A man yells in the crowd.

“That is none of your concern. If you see a traveler that is female alert the guards immediately. We will assess if she is the correct woman or not.”

Well it’s my time to go. I swing up onto Liza, my hood falling off in the process. The weaponsmith steps out of the building with the little old lady on his arm, both looking at the crowd and then me. I tell Liza to go, racing through the town undetected due to the distraction.

The next morning I’m dead tired. I haven’t been able to sleep much, just to keep my edge over Gstalt. I swear this man must be tracking me, but I have no idea how. There has been a few rainstorms that are supposed to be washing my tracks away. He has to be using magical trackers, but I’ve been careful not to leave anything of mine behind. Plus, most of the things I have are stolen, so it shouldn’t count. Should it?

I get off Liza when we hit a small lake. I need to bathe, and she needs a break. The plains are just one day away. Not stopping at night to rest helped shave off a couple of days. I haven’t seen anyone for days. I’m sure Gstalt is trying to place a traveling ban for now. It doesn’t make sense though, considering most of his citizens travel from city to city to trade. If he wants his precious tax paid he should probably lift it.

After I have bathed, I get dressed in black leggings and a corset like shirt. It has purple around this middle and white on top. Hopefully, I won’t get a ton of horsehair on this. Then again, I don’t think I’ll be able to avoid that since I’ll be on a horse. Ambra is resting on Liza so she must be dead tired as well.

“Come on beautiful.” I say gently as I stroke a resting Liza. I pull on her reins as we get moving. I bite some bread while we walk. The forest is quiet, but not quite enough to alarm me. I’m so tired that my feet are just begging to sleep. I wish I could. Maybe I will when it gets dark tonight. Sunset is only a few hours away. I need to get as much space from Gstalt as I can. I hate the man, and he’s reminding me more and more each day as to why.

A couple of hours later Ambra takes off, spooking Liza in the process. She reels onto her hind legs as she squeals. I hold onto Liza and soothe her until she’s calm, being careful this time. I wonder what’s gotten into Ambra. She usually likes to warn Liza before she bolts. Liza is a very skittish horse, so it’s very easy to spook her. This is where I wish I could talk to animals.

I hear a man yelling behind me as Ambra screeches. I turn Liza around and head towards the yelling. After five or so minutes I see Ambra diving at a man repeatedly. The man is crouched low and is covering his head. I see evidence that he has a horse, but it looks like Ambra spooked him. Well hawkravens are pretty terrifying.

“Ambra!” I yell as I try to call her back. Ambra turns around and flies at me. I put my arm out, allowing her to land on it.

The man looks up, causing me to widen my eyes in surprise. It’s the weaponsmith I bought my weapons from. “Are you alright?” I ask as I walk over to him.

After I’ve helped him up, he looks me over. “Why did your bird attack me?”

I look at Ambra, who looks away. “I’m not sure. She’s very protective. I’m still getting used to her. She belonged to a friend.”

“Well control it better.” He snaps. Ambra snaps back at him, causing the man to yelp.

“She likely thought you are trying to harm me.” I say as I stroke her, calming her. “The roads are rough these days. I haven’t run into any nice travelers lately.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it. The king has put up a warning to travelers. He warns them that they’ll be searched at every town, city, and village. They’re also going to place up roadblocks. I’m surprised that you’re not on a road yourself.”

I shrug. “I hunt for my living. Game tends to stay away from trafficked areas.”

He looks me over. “You’re the girl they’re looking for, aren’t you?”

Ambra growls while I look at him. I really do not sense any danger from him. “I am. My name is Callia.”

The man balks as he pales. “What…What are you doing here? Alive no less.”

I sigh. “Gstalt performed a reanimation spell. I’m currently trying to solve the question as to why he did it. I’m also trying to run from the man. I swear I cannot even sleep he’s so close. Now, are you trying to collect some reward; or do you want something?”

The man rubs the back of his head. “The reward is tempting. He’s offering 10,000 gold pieces for your capture.”

I nearly choke on my tongue. “Are you serious? The man must be losing his edge.” I cock my head. “So…you’re after the reward and my capture?”

He shakes his head. “Gods no.” He holds out his hand. “My name is Garth. Garth of Ridgewood, of the Ellian bloodline.”

Shock rakes through me. “You’re Lee’s boy.” Anger starts to rise as my brain follows the math. “Your grandfather betrayed me.”

Garth holds up his hands. “Whoa now, hold it. He didn’t betray you. My grandmother talked about that day relentlessly. She always knew you’d return. My grandfather even told me the story days before he passed.”

“If he didn’t betray me, how did I die?” I demand. “Why did I die?”

Garth looks me over. “He failed Callia. He was in the process of finishing the attack. He was over halfway done when someone stabbed him from behind. He barely just survived and that was from the help of a very powerful healer. When he came to, he tried to find your body. He knew he failed you and knew he’d live with that guilt for the rest of his life. He found your body and buried it where Gstalt would never be able to find as a small penance.”

My eyes widen as part of what Gstalt said makes sense. My body has been rotting away in the ground, feeding the earth. It’s been keeping Lee’s and my spell active all these years. That’s why it’s still draining him. “That explains some things. Who stabbed your grandfather?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t know. He only saw the back of his head. He’s taller than Gstalt and had a shaved head. The man was wearing dark boots, black pants, and a white bloodied shirt. My grandfather ran while he still had the chance. A healer found him and saved him. The healer was my grandmother.”

“Is Lee still alive?” I demand.

He shakes his head. “No ma’am. Gstalt killed my father and grandfather a few months ago. My Grandmother is the only one alive.”

I swear. “I’ve got to go.”

Garth grabs my hand. “Let me come. My grandparents talked about you so much that I have to help. My grandmother was even the one to send me after you. She recognized you in the village. I need to clear my family’s shame. Please Callia!”

“I’ve got a very tight schedule to keep. I cannot look after you.” I say sternly. I’m still upset and angry at what happened. If I could kill Gstalt I would. I still might. Who is this guy helping him? Likely the same man that I saw when I recreated my reanimation. Gstalt still has enough power to fuel his eternal youth, which means he’s likely fueling the other man’s as well.

“I know that. Look, I can help. My parents kept my power hidden from our city. I can disable spells or transfer them. There is a tracking spell on you right now. It’s how I found you. Let me come and I’ll disable it.” He snaps his fingers as his eyes glow. There is a green line following me.

I groan. “Fine.” I swing onto Liza as Ambra takes off. “We better move.”

There goes letting me rest at night. Garth runs to catch his horse, after he disables the little trail. Once he joins me with a multi-colored horse we start moving. If it gets Gstalt off my trail, then I’ll let the dark lord himself follow me.