Darsidian Myths, A Promise Heard

Chapter 5

Jayden wasn't able to rest the next night either. Bardir kept marching them through Borderland the entire night. They had left the ridge behind and were now fleeing on level ground. They ran most of the way, only stopping once in a while to regain their breath. Whenever Bardir saw how tired they were he would tell them to press on, he told them they could rest safely only when they passed the wall. He promised they would make it to their destination sometime during the next evening.

That news, along with the thought of ogres chasing them, helped Jayden to keep going, but his need for sleep and food was starting to affect him. His body felt shocked and weary from overexerting itself. It was times like this he wished he wasn't so frail.

Bardir, on the other hand, wasn't the least bit tired. His resilience to exhaustion continued to impress Jayden the farther they traveled. Not once did the lunvarin show any signs of being fatigued.

With the moon out that night it wasn't as dark as it normally was. Besides the soft chirping of crickets, the songs of birds fading away, the night was quiet and peaceful.

"Wait," gasped Jayden as he stopped to rest.

Bardir stopped and looked back. "Come on, we can't stop now!"

"Have to...rest," Jayden managed to say between breaths.

Bardir grimaced. "Fine, but we shouldn't linger here longer than we have to."

Jayden was grateful for the chance to finally stop. He immediately slumped to the ground to rest, never in his entire life had he traveled so franticly.

"What are we going to do once we reach the wall?" Gareth managed to ask as he leaned against a tree.

"I'll go through the wall," said Bardir, "and have the wizard who controls the barrier dispel it. Then you two can pass through."

"Wizard?" asked Gareth. "Is he a lunvarin like you?"

"No, he's human. Have you heard of the name Eldred?"

Jayden knew the name well. He heard the name several times as a child when his father told him stories. Eldred was a famous wizard who was responsible for defeating another wizard called Sithos. Eldred was also the lord of the mercenary guild at the time. His name was loved and hated by the three kingdoms. Some people saw him as a hero while others saw him as a villain.

Sithos, the man Eldred defeated, had been a wizard who was once part of the Order of Insight, an order that was dedicated to the teachings of the Book of Insight.

The ancient book was supposedly created by the Great Eight, beings that were considered to be divine and all knowing. Inside the tome were countless teachings and guidelines on how to lead a peaceful life. The book was so old it was considered sacred and only the highest ranking officials in the Order of Insight were allowed to handle the ancient text.

A long time ago, before Jayden was born, Sithos broke away from the order to pursue his true ambitions; to rid the world of elves, dwarves, and any other race that wasn't human. It was all in the name of creating a more peaceful world. After executing the king at the time, Nicholas Varkin, and taking control of Vark, he almost succeeded in fulfilling his dream. Before he could execute his plans however, he was stopped. Eldred had intervened, resulting in the new king's death. After the battle, the lord of mercenaries had simply vanished.

"Is this the same Eldred who defeated Sithos?" asked Jayden.

"It is," answered Bardir.