Free The Hekamon by Leo T Aire Page A

Eagle Standard
would be disastrous, yet he was now desperately searching for it
through the back woods of the northern foothills. Chasing after
someone trying alight with them to who knows where.
    Not only were the gauntlets a rare and valuable relic,
they also carried important symbolic meaning for Coralainians. Could
the tradesman know their true value? Was he aware of what they were?
Or that they had been stolen? If he did, it might explain the man's
eagerness to avoid being found in possession of them, and the fact
that he was running meant he must know.
    Decarius made his way through the trees, pushing aside
some of the lower branches as he went, trying to find an unhindered
path. The embankment he was traveling along started to level out,
and at the same time, brought him closer to the road. While the
small stream that ran alongside, picked up a different undulation and
bent to the right, disappearing into a culvert in the hillside.
    He stopped and listened. There wasn't much to hear and
there was no sign of the man he was after.
    The small amount of
information he had about the merchant came from Gregario, who had
more knowledge of the highway's trading posts than he. Apparently the
man's name was Tansley and he specialized in the procurement and sale
of surplus military goods.
    The man's enthusiasm for adding to his
extensive collection meant he didn't ask questions and would buy
anything for the right price. His trading post had seemed a logical
place for anyone looking to offload the gauntlets, but if the man had
even the faintest inkling of what they were, persuading him to give
them up again might not be so easy.
    Decarius had to try and anticipate where Tansley might
have fled to after leaving his hut. Searching for him randomly was
not going to work.
    From this point there were two directions he could have
gone. To the right, a path ran up and around the hillside and into
the glades to the east, it was the same route he and his two
companions had arrived by a short time earlier.
    It lead into an area
familiar to trappers and woodsmen, not a bad place for someone who
knew the terrain to escape into. He imagined that the merchants here
did know those glades well, they practically lived among them as it
was.
    The other way was for the man to travel down the Regis
Highway. Decarius knew it lead to Tivitay, had a turning to Demedelei
town and another to Serfacre. Would Tansley seek refuge in town or
forest?
    Suddenly, and out of the silence of the forest, came the
sound of a branch breaking from the among the trees not far ahead of
him. It was followed by the sound of birds taking to the wing.
    Within
seconds he saw two large wood-pigeons, visible through the branches,
flying from directly ahead. The pigeons must have seen him too, as
they immediately veered eastwards, between two hills and into the
glades beyond.
    He was now sure he had his answer. The merchant was
traveling alongside the highway in the direction of Tivitay.
    Decarius
set off again, keeping a fast pace but taking up a stealthier running
style. It might help if he could approach Tansley unseen and unheard.
    Somehow he was going have to determine if the Plautius Gauntlets were
indeed in his possession. There were various ways it could be done,
but the method that most readily came to mind drew on his military
training. If he chose that option, it would not be subtle. But the
question of what he would do with Tansley, was moot until he found
him.
    As Decarius continued alongside the road, the trees
started to thin a little and he worked his way up the hillside to get
a clearer view. As he rounded the next hill, he suddenly had a much
better view down a long stretch of the highway and several things
caught his attention.
    There were people visible, just a quarter of a
mile further down and near a junction that lead to Demedelei Town.
But it was the man nearest to him that interested him the most. He
was wearing a blue hooded jacket and was carrying a