The Last Weaver

Part 9: Pastries and Weapons

The servants lead us to the Royal Pantry, which was in a room sealed by a small but thick metal door. One of the servants produced a key ring, found a shiny elongated key, and unlocked the door. The other opened the door. He gestured for us to enter.

I walked in before Coren. The inside smelled of fresh made bread. There were racks and racks of fresh fruit, just waiting to be eaten. Fresh bread sat in many pantries on the walls. There was a furnace at the back of the room, and a chef baking bread.

Coren went over to the racks of fruit, and started stuffing them into a leather bag. I went to the bread and grabbed some of the fresh rolls and loafs. They were still warm, and I could feel the melting butter spread on the top.

"The bread will stay good for weeks. They are made with a special blend of certain wheat, but that is a secret. We only let very inportant people use the breads, because the wheat is rare." One of the servants told us.

"Thank you, greatly. The journey would have otherwise been nigh impossible." I said, bowing slightly. The servant beamed.

After we had stuffed our pockets with food, the servants took us to the High Dining Hall, where we ate amazing food with the King. He told us wonderful tales of knights and dragons and magic. At the end, the King gave Coren a wonderful longsword. The blade was a dark red with swirling black lines, almost like smoke.

Then the King turned to me, and handed me a small black stone. "Milo, this is the greatest gift I can give to anyone on the planet. You are our last hope, because Shadow is indeed back. My messengers have heard word of an assasin, killing every army officer and media lord. He is crippiling the nations, and will strike when we are dissorganized and confused. You and Coren are the only ones who can save us. Guard this with your life." At the end of his sentence I bowed deeply. Whatever rock he gave me must be pretty special.

I put the rock into the pocket of my cloak. Coren strapped his sword to his belt, and the King bode us goodnight. The two servants arrived with perfect timing, and they showed us to our rooms.

Coren was in the room next to mine. They were located in a long corridor, lit with torches on the walls. The entire corridor itself was a short walk away from the Dining Hall. The inside of my room was lit by a massive chandalier made from deer bones.

The floor was covered by a hand-sown carpet made of red silk. There was a large bed in the corner, and a lamp next to it. There was a chest with a lock at the floor of the bed, and a huge shelf on the wall with the door.

I instantly walked to the chest and opened. Seeing that it was empty, I dropped my sword, belt, and cloak into it. I pulled out my rock and threw it on the bed. I took off my boots and socks and lay them strewn on the floor.

After a while there came a knock at my door. I had been relaxing on my bed, reading a spellbook. The stone was in my pocket. At the sound of the knock, I stood up and opened the door. Coren stood there, and I gestured for him to enter. He sat in a chair by the bed, and I flopped on to the bed.

"Milo, I hope you have your energy up because we will leave now. I left a note in my room to explain why we left in the night."

I studied his face for a second, then said, "Why must we leave now? The King was going to provide us with an escort! We would be protected for as far as we walked."

Coren sighed, then replied, "I understand that, but you must realize that the cultists will still be lurking in the woods. They want to kill you, and they wont stop until they do." I was surprised at his last statement. I wondered why an entire cult would want a teenage boy.

Coren must have read my mind. "The Blade wouldn't risk such a huge attack on a city. The cult may be large, but the last thing they want is a fully fledged war. Haven't you wondered why Shadow would have chosen to kill your mentor? He knows who you are, Milo, and he recognizes the threat you pose to him. He will stop at nothing to kill you." My face went blank.

Coren continued on. "The cult will be in the forest, and they will be waiting for us. We can slip past their defenses at midnight."

"Wait, so why are we leaving though. From the beginning it seemed like the King wanted me to leave, and you did too." I asked.

"We originally were going to stay here, in Ryngag, but that changed when the Blade attacked. And..." He hesitated. "My plan is now to train you on the way to The Lands of Morgan. Once past the Lands of Morgan, we will continue on to the Wilds."

I gaped at him. The Lands of Morgan were rumored to be reined by giants and dragons, and the Wilds were vast forests filled with beasts. "Why in a million centuries would we ever step two leagues away from the Wilds, not to mention the Lands of Morgan?"

He looked hard into my eyes, then replied, "I think you know the answer to that. Why hasn't anyone ever found Shadow's lair? Because no one would dare venture into the wilds. And so, why would we two magicians be traveling into the most dangerous place known to mankind?"

I shook my head. "No. No. It cant be done."

"It must be done."

"Fine. But if we die, Its your fault."