NUIA part 1: Nuian (eng) [COMPLETED]

Chapter 3: Dewstone

The crashing sound of the hooves of the two galloping horses echoed down the path. On the ground, the marks of a wagon that had recently passed along the same road were clearly visible, apparently drawn by a single horse, larger and heavier than the two pursuing them. As they went on, the hills spread out and shrank into a green plain, with a few trees here and there. A few hours after leaving Windshade, the small group finally saw the Royster camp, their destination. Only composed of a few tents to house the soldiers on the spot and protected by a cladding made of wooden poles, the place did not look like much. William wondered what this camp was for, in the middle of nowhere. As far as he knew, there was only one village in this region, and many mines. Why set up a mini military camp?

The young Solzrean kept his questions to himself, however, and dismounted as he arrived, imitating Malphus' disciple he had left with. She walked straight up to a young woman in armour, and the two embraced as if they had not seen each other for a long time.

"What good wind brings you?" the sentry asked with a big smile on her face.

"Not much of a breeze, unfortunately" the apprentice mage lamented. "Did you receive my mail? Did you see a cart go by last night or early this morning carrying a large box that could be a coffin?"

"I was off duty, but a colleague of mine reported an hour or two ago that he saw a wagon and a carriage go by with about ten minutes between them. Apparently the carriage was really richly decorated, and pulled by two white horses."

"A carriage drawn by two horses?" repeated the young magician. "But the tracks we have followed so far only show the hooves of one draught horse..."

"The carriage came from Solzreed" interrupted another guard. "And the two horses were steeds, nothing like the draught that pulled the cart. From their build, I'd say they belong to one of the three great families of Marianople. No one else could acquire such steeds."

"Which way did the cart go?"

"To the desert. Just like the carriage, by the way."

"So that's where we're going too. Thank you for the information!"

William and the apprentice mage got back in the saddle and galloped south. At the first fork in the road, they saw new tracks; the claims of the Royster camp guards proved to be correct, a larger vehicle pulled by two lighter horses had indeed followed the same route as the wagon they had been following for several hours.

A few minutes later, a small river seemed to divide the area into two different worlds: on the left side, the ground was full of lush green grass, the other was only sand, and high, steep cliffs off to their right. William wondered how such a change in the landscape could be possible.

The young mage crossed the small bridge that spanned the watercourse and stepped ashore with a sigh.

"Obviously, the wind has blown the sand away and erased the tracks... it's impossible to know which way they went, the trail ends here..."

"I don't know if it's a mirage or not" William squinted, "but I think I see a coach over there. I'll go and have a look."

"Okay" the apprentice mage replied. "I'll keep going down the road, who knows, maybe I'll find some tracks further on. I'll send you an owl if I do."

"That's fine. I'll do the same if I find any clues."

The young woman then got back in the saddle and headed south. William, for his part, set off in the direction of the huge bright red carriage decorated with gold. Next to it, two beautiful white horses were drinking from a small waterhole, sweating in the sweltering desert heat. In front of the carriage, a woman in armour was grumbling as she paced. William stepped down and approached.