Elle's Journey (Book I, Foretold Trilogy)

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Qala stood with his cousin, Hina, at the edge of the road separating the Five Warring Kingdoms from the Great Expanse, the prairielands that stood between him and the East. He stared hard at the village ahead of them.

Hina voiced his concern. “It wasn’t there last night, when we lay down to sleep.”

“I know,” Qala said. “I had heard of some sort of magic in the lands beyond the borders of the Five Warring Kingdoms. Could this be it?”

“Either that, or we are all mad,” Hina replied. “Come. Let us see what the village tells us.”

Qala swirled his thick cloak over his shoulders, as much for comfort against the cool morning as to hide the weapons weighing down his body. His other two cousins stayed at their small camp, and he walked with Hina to the village.

The rolling hills that marked the boundaries of the Five Warring Kingdoms stopped at the flat plains he’d heard called the Great Expanse. He now saw why: there was nothing beyond the village except thigh-high grasses and the sky.

The village was bustling in the early morning, with a small line of travelers outside of a wide, flat dwelling that smelled of leather and dried meat. Qala studied the travelers, noting all traveled well-armed if not with an armed escort, a sign there was some sort of danger in the plains. Qala and Hina entered the merchant’s dwelling, ignoring the looks of those they passed.

Qala took in the merchant’s dress, unable to tell if he was a man of rank by his plain clothing. The man met his gaze, his sharp eyes lingering. He straightened to face them.

“I do not see many Westerners here.”

“We are passing through to the East,” Qala said.

“You come for a guide,” the man said with a nod. “There is but one Nuchan left to take you, but his price will be steep. By the fineness of your cloaks, you should be able to pay it.”

“We do not need a guide,” Qala replied. “We bring with us the best tracker in the West.”

“But he cannot track in the plains,” the merchant replied. He tossed two water bladders to his assistant, who darted out of the dwelling with them.

“He can track anywhere.”

The merchant frowned. “What is your destination, m’lord?”

“We go east,” Hina replied. “’Tis all you need know. We had heard the plains were magic, and this morn, we awoke to find the village where there was none before.”

“This is true. This is the way of the Great Expanse.”

“You mean to say the Expanse itself it magic?” Qala asked.

“I do, and ’tis why you need a guide. There are two large cities between here and the Eastern kingdoms: Iugustin and Merton. Aye, there are smaller villages, but these two are the only two that don’t move at the will of the plains.”

Qala was intrigued at the thought of tracking through a magic land that changed. It was a challenge he’d never faced in his home.

“How far is this Iugustin?” he asked.

“If you travel with a Nuchan, a day, maybe two. If you travel alone …” The merchant shrugged. “You may never reach it.”

“What are these Nuchans?” Hina asked.

“The oldest people, created before time. The magic of the Great Expanse does not affect them. They are treemen from the forests of the south. You will need him.”