their general direction, but they showed no obvious sign of being unduly concerned.
The Taskans presence at Brandralen was a widely known fact by all the people of Rhuaddan. Their cruel deeds and ferocious raids had gained them a terrifying reputation, so Verastus was not surprised at all to see them. Neither was he overly concerned. He knew that they were short-sighted creatures and would probably not raise the alarm. As he looked more closely however, he spotted a few smaller shapes in the corner towers, and on one of them, they began to move swiftly. Then, he thought he saw one of the smaller beings pointing in their direction, as his colleagues rushed to join him. The Taskans on the ramparts below then began moving rapidly, running to the corner tower, and he knew for certain that they’d been spotted.
Taskan warriors were awesome fighting machines, but they were well aware of their main weakness. To compensate for their poor eyesight, they often travelled in the company of other mercenaries who possessed excellent vision. On this occasion, the garrison at Brandralen had been strengthened with a force of twenty Pralon, taken from the army of the south, in which several thousand served. The Pralon were another warrior tribe from the plains of Eratur on Mynae, one of many warring factions who shared a turbulent history with the Thargws. Pralon warriors were fast, slender creatures who could outrun all of their known enemies or prey. They ate nothing but meat, preferably raw, but sometimes cooked, and they hated eating any food that they hadn’t killed first. They were of a strange but fearsome appearance, their large, square jaw and chiselled facial features were covered in a tan-coloured, short fur that adorned their entire body. Each of them had small, white patterned streaks running up their noses which went through into their foreheads and long pointed ears, each pattern being unique to its owner and their main point of recognition for one another. Their noses were small and cat-like, their eyes wide and narrow, with black pupils set against a bright yellow surround, and their mouths were large but once again narrow, containing a vicious array of teeth, small razor-like ones at each side, large jagged incisors at the front, with four large penetrative fangs, each protruding menacingly from their mouths like a warning to all to keep clear.
The Pralon were known to use a variety of small, handheld weapons. But their weapon of choice, carried by all in a small scabbard dangling from a hip belt, was a serrated sword known as aKarait, which was just bigger than a dagger. Pralon warriors were not all out killing machines like the Thargws. They couldn’t match their compatriots for aggression or strength. But they were swift, cunning and possessed excellent eyesight and hearing. They could see further than even the Thargws, and the Pralon lookouts on the tower walls at Brandralen fortress, now had a clear view of the three travellers crossing the fields ahead of them. Even from such a distance, they easily spotted the strange attire of two of the horsemen and realised immediately that something was amiss, and needed investigating. They shouted to their Taskan allies to call out the guard and a great, shrill of a horn sounded loudly from within the fort.
“Oh sh...!” began Ben, as he heard the sound and realised that the whole garrison had been warned of their presence.
“Come on!” interrupted Jake loudly. “Now would be a good time to run! Head for the mountains, Verastus! Follow us!” he shouted, as he kicked his horse hard and they galloped away.
Verastus’ horse reared upwards violently as the heel of the Falorian’s foot dug deep into its side. Then it bolted and chased after the boys.
Chapter 38
Nightfall 18th August – The Search for Tien
Jake Ben and Verastus galloped away from the fortress at Brandralen as fast as they possibly could. As daylight faded, they were still pushing their exhausted horses extremely hard, until finally they approached the base of the Phelanagarth Mountains. They dismounted and stared up at the high, daunting rockface that towered above them. Verastus glanced anxiously behind to search for any sign of pursuit from the direction of the fortress.
“Srr, there does not appear to be anyone following us as yet, Jake. But you can be sure that they will come. Taskans are vile, loathsome creatures, you do not want to meet them in battle. They are faster than they appear to be and their