regard.”
The leader spoke briefly to one of the men, who promptly found his horse and galloped off. Very little was said as they waited, and the men seemed reluctant to become too unguarded around Rowan after having seen his skill with the sword. Following a lengthy delay, the sound of two galloping horses filtered through the woods and then burst into the open. One of the men jumped from his horse the instant he saw Mariah.
“Julian!” Mariah exclaimed as they embraced.
At that, the leader of the men guarding them relaxed and ordered all to return to their lookouts.
Mariah and her brother stepped back and held each other’s arms for a moment, joy filling their eyes.
“Is father …?” Mariah seemed hesitant to finish her question.
“Father is fine, Mariah,” Julian said with a wide grin. “He is meeting with the leaders of another encampment but should be back tonight.”
Mariah took a deep, satisfied breath.
Julian quickly scanned his surroundings, his eyes coming to rest on Rowan.
“Where is Palson?” he asked.
Mariah’s joyful countenance immediately vanished.
“Sister, what has happened?”
“He … he died, Julian.”
Julian was speechless for a moment, and then took Mariah into his arms once more. “I’m so sorry, and we left you alone. How long ago?”
“Just two months after you and Father left.”
“That long ago? Why didn’t you come for us?”
“It’s a long story, best left for both you and Father to hear together.” Mariah turned to Rowan. “Julian this is Sir Rowan of Laos. He … helped me find you.”
Julian looked up at Rowan and nodded. “I am grateful to you, sir.”
Rowan nodded in return. Obviously Mariah wasn’t ready to tell Julian everything quite yet.
“He is a friend of Sir Aldwyn,” Mariah told her brother. “Do you know of him?”
“If you’re a friend of Sir Aldwyn, then you’re a friend of mine,” Julian said. “I can take you to him.”
“I’d be grateful,” Rowan said with a nod.
Julian turned back to Mariah. “It is so good to see you, sister. Come, I have much to show you.”
Julian led Mariah and Rowan back through the trees. “We must be extremely careful these days,” he said. “Our pass code was compromised a few months ago.”
They traveled across the plateau and through a large wooded area. Then they crested a knoll that opened up to a shallow valley. Rowan and Mariah stood dumbfounded as they beheld a settlement that was as large as a city.
“The Resolutes,” Julian said, staring out over the valley. “At least,
one
of our encampments. We call it Eagle’s Nest.”
The settlement flowed up and down the valley for miles, with tents and other temporary structures mixed in with more permanent buildings and huts. Sections of rock wall offered some measure of cover on one side. Higher up, where the valley met the steeper slopes of the mountain, the dwellings meshed right into naturally formed caves. The melting snows formed a river that meandered down through the middle of the settlement and disappeared far down the valley.
“So many,” Mariah said softly.
“Yes,” Julian said. “There are more than fourteen thousand of us at last count, and we continue to grow. There are more encampments inother parts of the Boundary Mountains as well, but we are the largest as far as we know.”
Rowan just shook his head, hardly believing what he was seeing. What was happening to cause such a thing?
“Are they all Knights of the Prince?” Rowan asked.
“Mostly, but not all,” Julian replied. “All who oppose the oppression of our freedom to follow the Prince, or any other order for that matter, are welcome.”
“Aren’t you concerned about being discovered?” he asked. “Why aren’t there more men on guard?”
Julian smiled. “On our journey here we passed more than two hundred armed men. You just didn’t see them. There are fifty men just behind those rock walls who would have been mounted and upon us in a
The leader spoke briefly to one of the men, who promptly found his horse and galloped off. Very little was said as they waited, and the men seemed reluctant to become too unguarded around Rowan after having seen his skill with the sword. Following a lengthy delay, the sound of two galloping horses filtered through the woods and then burst into the open. One of the men jumped from his horse the instant he saw Mariah.
“Julian!” Mariah exclaimed as they embraced.
At that, the leader of the men guarding them relaxed and ordered all to return to their lookouts.
Mariah and her brother stepped back and held each other’s arms for a moment, joy filling their eyes.
“Is father …?” Mariah seemed hesitant to finish her question.
“Father is fine, Mariah,” Julian said with a wide grin. “He is meeting with the leaders of another encampment but should be back tonight.”
Mariah took a deep, satisfied breath.
Julian quickly scanned his surroundings, his eyes coming to rest on Rowan.
“Where is Palson?” he asked.
Mariah’s joyful countenance immediately vanished.
“Sister, what has happened?”
“He … he died, Julian.”
Julian was speechless for a moment, and then took Mariah into his arms once more. “I’m so sorry, and we left you alone. How long ago?”
“Just two months after you and Father left.”
“That long ago? Why didn’t you come for us?”
“It’s a long story, best left for both you and Father to hear together.” Mariah turned to Rowan. “Julian this is Sir Rowan of Laos. He … helped me find you.”
Julian looked up at Rowan and nodded. “I am grateful to you, sir.”
Rowan nodded in return. Obviously Mariah wasn’t ready to tell Julian everything quite yet.
“He is a friend of Sir Aldwyn,” Mariah told her brother. “Do you know of him?”
“If you’re a friend of Sir Aldwyn, then you’re a friend of mine,” Julian said. “I can take you to him.”
“I’d be grateful,” Rowan said with a nod.
Julian turned back to Mariah. “It is so good to see you, sister. Come, I have much to show you.”
Julian led Mariah and Rowan back through the trees. “We must be extremely careful these days,” he said. “Our pass code was compromised a few months ago.”
They traveled across the plateau and through a large wooded area. Then they crested a knoll that opened up to a shallow valley. Rowan and Mariah stood dumbfounded as they beheld a settlement that was as large as a city.
“The Resolutes,” Julian said, staring out over the valley. “At least,
one
of our encampments. We call it Eagle’s Nest.”
The settlement flowed up and down the valley for miles, with tents and other temporary structures mixed in with more permanent buildings and huts. Sections of rock wall offered some measure of cover on one side. Higher up, where the valley met the steeper slopes of the mountain, the dwellings meshed right into naturally formed caves. The melting snows formed a river that meandered down through the middle of the settlement and disappeared far down the valley.
“So many,” Mariah said softly.
“Yes,” Julian said. “There are more than fourteen thousand of us at last count, and we continue to grow. There are more encampments inother parts of the Boundary Mountains as well, but we are the largest as far as we know.”
Rowan just shook his head, hardly believing what he was seeing. What was happening to cause such a thing?
“Are they all Knights of the Prince?” Rowan asked.
“Mostly, but not all,” Julian replied. “All who oppose the oppression of our freedom to follow the Prince, or any other order for that matter, are welcome.”
“Aren’t you concerned about being discovered?” he asked. “Why aren’t there more men on guard?”
Julian smiled. “On our journey here we passed more than two hundred armed men. You just didn’t see them. There are fifty men just behind those rock walls who would have been mounted and upon us in a
Similar Books
