The Healer and the General

Part 30: Epilogue

Through sands and rains, Nathan Convinge rode toward the capital. Through mountains, forests, and dunes, he never stopped for more than a couple of hours. Past hundreds of small villages and towns, he kept going, to the King. His king. The information Nathan held was so much more important than the losing battle his fellow generals were fighting. Because if Demetria Sudica was on the north's side, well let's just say that the clans gathered had no chance.

She'd been missing for years, along with her mother. Nathan knew for sure of who she was, because of her curved ears paired with powerful magic. It was a safety measure put in by his King when the girl was born. All witches have pointed ears, because their fae heritage is dominant, but not Demetria. The king gave her curved ears, because if she ever went missing and showed people her magic, word of a 'human' with abilities would spread quickly. It was genius, but it also helped Demetria hide from the King. He felt slightly guilty for leaving his own men there to die, but the King needed to know the information he carried.

Nathan's horse was just about run into the ground, and it's surprising that its heart didn't explode. He'd been going for about two days with little to no stops. But the hardest part was yet to come. You see, to get to the capital by land, you must go through the southern sand dunes, and then, what most people called, the perilous peaks. There were maze-like secret passages to get through the mountains, but no shortcuts when it came to the desert. The only other way to the capital was by sea, and even then there were many dangers.

So Nathan kept going, and when he reached the dunes, he didn't even hesitate to enter. The southern sands went for as long as the human eye could see. But those with the enhanced sight of a fae could make out the mountains on the other side. They were so tall that snow graced their peaks, even though they were on the southern part of the continent, which never got any kind of cold weather. It would take a few days to get across.

Sand blew into Nathan's eyes, his horse's, and just about everywhere else. Luckily no sandstorms came towards them, which helped speed their pace. The general passed dune after dune, and eventually came up to the ruins that informed him that he was half way there. History was littered with the ruins of empires that believed they were eternal, and so was the desert.

The sun warmed stones were once a very tall tower, maybe a beacon to those traveling through. It could've also been a kind of check point, where there would be some food and water. Or maybe it was a lone guard tower, to watch for enemies on the horizon. Nobody would ever know. Now it was just hollow bones of the structure it was, with big sections of stone strewn about. It offered only an escape from the wind, nothing more.

Nathan granted his stallion a night's rest since he'd been working so hard. The two lay under the stars that night. In the desert everything was so much clearer, especially the sky. Nathan could make out the constellation, Helia Cobalt, which burned a startling deep blue that stuck out amongst the many other stars. It was that star which lead to the southern capital, to home. Not that anyone knew it except people from the capital itself. An hour before the sun rose, they were off.

A day later, they reached the mountains. With the peaks going far past the clouds, nobody had ever reached the top, not that many had tried. There were numerous tunnels going through and under the mountain to the capital, Bryola, but only some actually got you there. All soldiers know the path, but to the northerners it remains a secret.

There were two main tunnels, both big enough for horses, and only one was the correct one. The first tunnel was inscribed The path to Bryola is not easy, while the second was inscribed Beware, for heaven's gate is guarded well. It was the second tunnel that would actually lead you to the capital. There were thousands of smaller tunnels carved into the mountain, some brought you to your destination, while others didn't.