The Hunter:Sun Warrior Chronicles Book 1

Chapter 11:Chase

Juralen, Lumaira and Talaeos parked their speeders at the Urazal land port. Kortea, Jukira, Ernea, Laita and Caelorn were waiting for them.

"You are here at last. Good. Come, we have to talk" said Kortea. They nodded and the 8 of them made their way to an inn. They rented a room and settled in.

"Haarzen and Casar are traveling far north. They bypassed each village and city. We tried to track them down, but they managed to escape. Something important must be there, for them to forgo their usual activities. We must find out what it is, and report what we learn to the Keltorea Council and the Elders" said Kortea.

"I agree. Whatever it is, it could be a serious threat to us. This could be our only chance to stop it" said Talaeos. "This could be a bait. There is more to this than just them traveling north. We have to strengthen our western and southern borders. To the East, we have the Kyrama Chain, and marshes, as well as swaths of fiery land. And Zyrion Forest extends there as well. We are safe from that direction. But to the West, South and North, we have nothing. Only Raevel, Hellion and Daarven, along with a few smaller cities. Our armies are scattered all over Keltorea. We have to direct our battalions there" said Lumaira.

"Not to mention, our order is too centered in Vanraael and Felluria. You barely repelled the Orathark attack. Most other cities don't have the luxury of even a single Sun Warrior protecting them. And Xular, the only Ring Wielder still alive is tucked away in Suran, of all places, too old to participate in defense, if it comes to it. We have to spread out more, to ensure that none of our cities get absolutely wiped by more oratharks, or other creatures. And, the fact that they attacked at all, when they usually stay away from large cities, makes this situation even more suspicious. They wouldn't have attacked of their own accord. Something, or someone, is guiding them. The attack came from the North, right?" said Juralen, and Jukira nodded. "Indeed, it has."

"Then we can assume that something to the far North directed them, and, very likely, is directing Haarzen and Casar. Besides, our Western and Southern borders haven't been very quiet either. We can not focus only on Haarzen. It is important, that much I agree with, but, potentially, something more severe may come from either South or West. We have to alert Ilantra and the other Elders, along with the Keltorea Council" Juralen continued.

"We have to move now, then. We can not afford to wait any longer" said Kortea.

...

They passed Daarven, leaving the capital city far behind them.

They sped on, following Haarzen and Casar's path. For two weeks, they rode past the unchanging, snow and ice covered landscape.

At last, after two more days, the flat Roveskal Plains started changing. They rode around forests and hills, and soon, they reached an enormous drop.

They jumped out of their speeders, and came over to the edge. The drop looked to be over 400 feet long. "We can not use our speeders any longer. We shall have to go on foot" said Juralen. "Not now. We will worry about descending tomorrow. For now, we need to recover our strength" said Kortea. "I will gather some firewood" said Talaeos. "I am going with you" Lumaira added. "Just don't get lost, you two" Jukira said. "They won't don't worry. I am more concerned about something else" Juralen said. "Oh, cut it. We won't take too long" said Talaeos.

He and Lumaira rode off, while everyone else tried to stay warm.

The two got back half an hour later, each with a stack of firewood. Juralen and Jukira made a fire, and set meat cooking. When it was ready, they seasoned it with Talinor leaves and golden berries, washing it down with water.

When they were done, they relaxed by the fire, channeling light, to help keep warm.

"I'll take the first watch" said Juralen. The others slowly drifted off to sleep.

Juralen shifted, and channeled light, clearing his eyes. Nothing was amiss. The local night birds sang in the distant forest. Everything was peaceful.

Suddenly, the snow rustled. He saw three pairs of yellow eyes looking at him hungrily. The animal approached, growling softly. Juralen knew it wouldn't be satisfied by a piece of meat. If a liavor approached, it meant that it was very hungry. More pairs of eyes appeared. Juralen backed to the fire, and reached out to the others. They woke, and the Sun Warriors drew their weapons. They stood around the fire.

"Should I screech?" asked Caelorn. "Not too loud" Jukira said.

Caelorn screeched, and the liavors shrieked, many of them collapsing. Then, Lumaira released another sonic blast, killing more of the creatures. Ernea and Laita reached out with their minds, taking out even more of them. The rest retreated, leaving them alone.

"That was a close one. Thank you" said Juralen.

"We can't stay here. Let's go" said Talaeos.

"We have to figure out how to get to the ground safely. Neither of us can manipulate earth or water" said Caelorn. "With enough time, we could try and melt this into a slope, and slide down on skis. But that would take too long. By that time, we would have lost their trail" said Lumaira. "Or maybe use your sonic blasts" Jukira added. "No. Too dangerous. Our only real solution is to use telekinesis" said Kortea. "I, Juralen, Ernea, Caelorn, Laita and Talaeos can use ours to take everyone down safely enough."

"And once we get down, we still have a long distance between us and them" said Talaeos. "There are herds of snow bison scattered here. If we can get them to carry us, we will catch up to Haarzen quickly. Then we kill them, and go back home" said Jukira.

...