what was he to restore Keither to? A voice in his mind said he was also to destroy, but was destruction all bad? He would have to destroy the Iumenta to restore order, wouldn’t he? This was just another function of the Everser Vald. This was the risk that was taken; it would be up to Keither to decide the outcome. Either way, Legon would live with it and do his best for the boy or man, depending on what he decided.
Keither was now looking at Sara, and he could almost see the wheels turning in his head. He was standing on a path now, but which one was it? When Keither turned his attention back to Legon there was a look that could have been hate or determination, Legon wasn’t sure. With Keither they often came together. After his pronouncement, though, he knew it was the latter, and he smiled inwardly.
“Good, Keither, now sleep. Tomorrow we will reach the Precipice, if there is trouble you will be the lead rider so the rest of us may fight with magic.”
“What’s the Precipice? Sorry, I wasn’t listening to Arkin earlier.”
“It is the outpost for the Elves and Humans in this part of the land. It is said to be the only one for the humans. The rest of their lands are blocked by the Cornis mountain range to the northwest and then Elven lands to the east.”
“Is there no way by the sea? We’re close to that now, aren’t we?”
“Yes, I think we are, and the city that feeds and takes care of the Precipice is called Manton and it is a coastal city, but the Iumenta won’t do anything via the sea.”
“Why do you think that is?”
Legon thought this might be a good time to let Keither do what he was good at. Making a new life didn’t mean that he wasn’t to think any more.
“Well, why would you avoid attacking by sea if you were the Queen?”
He saw Keither thinking it over. “Well, the Queen has more resources, but…”
He would get it, Legon told himself, just give it time.
“But the humans have Elves for allies.”
“And why would that help?” Legon asked, knowing the answer.
“The Elven navy is unrivaled. It would be expensive and extremely difficult to do. You could harass them a bit, but a full-on attack would mean going head to head with an undefeated navy.”
This was true. Legon didn’t know much about his people’s military, but he did know the tales about their Navy. It was unsurpassed and to attack it was suicide. The Iumenta came from landlocked areas, whereas the Elves had an obsession with the sea, according to stories. Keither was right; it would be a bad idea to try and take Manton by sea, and by land you had to hit the Precipice. He wasn’t sure what advantage taking the city would hold anyway. It was at the edge of their territory and therefore not a hub for trade. He guessed that must be why it had never been attacked. There is a certain security in being an unimportant city, he thought; this was the case for Salmont as well.
“Very good, Keither.”
“Thanks, I really apprec-”
Legon held up his hand, stopping Keither.
“It’s time for you to lead, get up!”
He started rousing the others. The intruders were coming fast; they would be there within the hour. Everyone was moving slowly, not wanting to get up.
“We have company! We need to move now!”
With this they woke up and frantically began to gather their things. Within ten minutes they were on their way. Sasha had the network up and running and Legon was giving the horses just a little help. As the sun rose they saw a plume of dirt rising in the distance behind them. Their pursuers were gaining fast—too fast in fact. Then it hit him.
“Venefica! They’re helping the horses! Arkin, we need help.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Arkin responded.
Arkin needed to separate from the network to make his connection. One of the rules for connecting to the Precipice was to not have anyone else who wasn’t known and trusted with them. Legon looked back at the incoming force; there was no using the animals now. They were gaining fast, but he was hesitant to do too much with their horses. They could drop if more chemicals entered their blood stream, and he couldn’t work for them for long. As they closed in he saw around thirty or so men on horses. It was time