“Indeed,” Edyl replied calmly, “That is true. I don't know much about it at all, I admit, but word in the taverns and in the seaports is abuzz with talk of this other Oracle. Some curious folk notice our flight to Ceadlund and hear about this pretender to the Holy Throne, and feel something big is about to happen. Some folk fear the Sovereign, and begin to lose faith in the Oracle that works so closely with his Highness.”
“Why, that's blasphemy!” cried Aelwys, cheeks burning. She had never heard such talk back in Hammon, and she was ashamed to hear it here.
“That's exactly why the soldier-priests aren't keen to let anyone who isn't Wygar by birth to leave for Ceadlund,” said Edyl.
“Surely they can't think that Mother and I—”
“They do, Aelwys,” came Mother's voice from the bed. She was now sitting up, looking regal as ever, and listening intently to their conversation, “They do.”
“But why?” She asked, flustered.
“There is much you need to know,” said Mother, “But now is not the time. All will be explained when we arrive in Ceadlund. Until then, know that our lives were in danger in Hammon. We didn't flee to defy the Oracle, you understand?”
“I do,” she replied.
“Good,” said Mother, “Now you should have some of last night's cider and something to eat.”
After Aelwys had a cup of the now-tepid cider, though no less delicious, and a few pieces of bread before her, she ventured to ask what had become of the others who had been inside the night before.
“Some have gone on to Llynceth,” said Edyl, “And others are foraging for berries and herbs. I should advise you to do the same,” he added, “For the forest at the foot of the mountains is rich in fruits these days, as no one dares venture there any more. It's much safer during the day. Other food will be hard to come by on the road, except for the last safehouse before Llynceth.”
“How many hours of sunlight have we got left?” asked Mother.
“Perhaps four or five,” guessed Edyl.
“Then I'll go and gather berries,” Mother said, as she hopped out of her bed and picked up her bag.
“I'll go, too,” said Aelwys, but Mother shook her head.
“No,” she said, “You stay here. The soldier-priests are looking for two false Wygar women traveling together. I'll be back within an hour or so.” Mother pulled the cloak over her shoulders and drew the hood over her head, and set out.
The afternoon passed without incident, and at Edyl's encouragement, Aelwys joined Collin, one of the younger Wygar boys, and they set about to patrol the immediate area. She stepped out to view their surroundings in the light of day, and was surprised at how pleasant it all seemed. The horrors of the night prior seemed little more than nightmares in the wake of the sunlight which poured down on them between the sparse clouds that thinly veiled the sky. The barnacled wreck lay half-decayed along the foot of a small cliff, draped in patches of moss which hung like tattered banners. Clusters of tall pines hid it from view of the main road, though there was an old trail that veered off the road and wound its way to the wreck, and Aelwys could only assume that this was the trail they had taken the night before. Beyond the path the rocky earth fell away, and beyond the edge of the chasm, the crashing waves heralded the sea that lay below. Behind, the road negotiated between the pine forest that crowned the inland hills and the ever-sheerer cliff that held the ocean at bay, up to the stone bridge where the first hidebehind appeared. Ahead, the road forked around either side of a jagged stone hill, which thrust heavenward like a great thumb; to the left it veered through a denser cluster of pines, and to the right it wove along the cliff. Several other hills were visible behind the first, and it was seemed that the two roads might not meet again for some distance.
Young Collin explained excitedly to Aelwys that the left road was old and neglected, and the hamlet that lay that way was full of peculiar people who did not trade much or even speak to many outsiders. The Wygars had some doings with them from time to time, but their lot preferred to remain locked inside their great stone walls amongst the hills, especially in recent times.
“How did the ship ground herself all the way up here?” Aelwys asked Collin, who seemed to take great pride in his familiarity with the lore of the haunted cliffs.
“Dear lass,” said he, “Have you not heard the stories of the war between the two Sovereigns?” The manner in which he spoke was almost comical, as though he were a charming lord and she were a fluttering admirer.
“I cannot say I have,” she confessed, suppressing a smile, “Was it long ago?”
“Very,” the boy answered gleefully, “So very long ago! A great long time ago, there came an armada from across the sea, led by a man who dared call himself King of this land!”
“The audacity!” she laughed. His eyes were wide and his face grew grim.
“Aye, that's what it was! Audacity. So the battle began! We Wygars were better-liked back then, and we also fought! The Sovereign used our learnings of alchemy to fight the Usurper and his ilk! In that day, when we Wygars were respected by other folk, we held libraries and even a university where the arts of alchemy were taught and cherished. Some great work of alchemy was used to scatter the Usurper's armada! Some vessels sank to the bosom of the ocean, others disappeared altogether, and this vessel – she was tossed like a child's toy to her sandy grave upon this very land.”
Collin fell silent and watched her anxiously with a broad grin on his face, as if awaiting applause. Aelwys sat agape, both amazed by the story and by the uncannily impressive language that issued from the boy's mouth.
“How do you know all of this?” she asked.
“My father taught me!” he said excitedly. “We learn the stories of our fathers exactly as our fathers tell them! I learned almost every word of that one. I couldn't remember some of the words, but I tried to make up some new ones. Did you like it?”
“Very much,” said Aelwys honestly, “Your people have incredible stories!”
“Most other folk don't think so,” he replied, “But I'm quite happy that you do! Wait.”
They paused. They could hear a new sound above the steady rhythm of the sea pounding herself against the stony cliff, though the sound was very unclear. Still the sun shown through the clouds, and the afternoon appeared peaceful, yet as the sound grew clearer, a great chill seized Aelwys' spine. Heavy hoofbeats. Both she and Collin stared down the road toward Hammon, and saw in the distance a great plume of dust announcing the approach of many riders.
