Free Siege At The Settlements (Book 6) by Craig Halloran Page B

mountains,” Nath said.
    “You can’t hide in plain view either,” Bayzog responded.
    “Well that’s what we have you for. Certainly you can hide us?”
    “Well, I suppose—”
    “It’s a joke, Bayzog,” Nath said. “Stop riding so close to Brenwar.”
    Bayzog showed him an unhappy look. “I don’t think we need to make haste to get there.”
    “Well, I’m excited to go somewhere different. And I don’t like looking back.”
    Bayzog rode closer along his side. “What do you mean?”
    “This is difficult. We are leaving so many opportunities behind. The people. Who will protect the people?” Nath said.
    “Thanks to you and our efforts as well, more people are starting to take better care of themselves.” Bayzog poked him in the shoulder with his staff. “You can’t protect them all. But you can give them courage. And this isn’t all about them, Nath. What about the dragons. How shall we liberate them?”
    Nath nodded. All his life, he’d dedicated himself to protecting the dragons. Lately, he’d been more focused on saving people. But there were more people than dragons. And the dragons were really well hidden. He hadn’t even seen a good one since he’d woken up from his last hibernation. He hoped they were at Dragon Home. A pit formed in his stomach.
    Nath forced a smile.
    “Are you truly worried about galloping in the open, Bayzog, or is this about something else? After all, I thought I was leading.”
    “I just fear the skies have eyes.”
    “The forest has even more.”
    Bayzog nodded. He seemed content. Perhaps he just wanted to make conversation.
    Nath continued. “If we’re in no rush, maybe we should go to Quintuklen. I’d like to see Sasha.”
    Bayzog’s hand went to an amulet that was hidden under his robes. Nath had seen him use it to communicate with Sasha several times before. He knew that Bayzog could hear her voice, but didn’t know if he could see her too. Nath wished he could see her. There was nothing better than her company. It would warm a day like this.
    “Don’t tempt me, Nath. And don’t tempt yourself. You are leading, after all.”
    “Well, we’ll see this through first. And we’ll reward ourselves with a trip to see Sasha.”
    The tight-lipped wizard showed all his teeth with his smile.
    “Easy,” Nath said, blocking his eyes with his hand, “You’ll blind me. I hope our enemies didn’t see that smile.”
    “I hope they did. The sooner we deal with them, the sooner I can see Sasha.” Bayzog dug his heels into his mount. The horse reared up. “Onward.”
    They galloped through the plains, staying just outside the edges of the forests and the mountains. Nalzambor was a vast world and it wasn’t uncommon for Nath to travel sight unseen for days. Their enemies, though great in number, couldn’t control everything. What they could control were the places where most of the people were gathered. The largest cities had fallen victim to that already. At least that was what Nath had been told. No one wanted him to get too close to those cities. Those places tended to get him into trouble, and he could admit to that now.
    Narnum and Quintuklen were lost. The dwarves in Morgdon held their own and the Elves in Elome battled with the orcs from Thraag daily to maintain their foothold. The people of the world went about their daily lives the best they could. Some fought for good. Others were recruited by evil. Families were split and divided. Seeing the change in people left Nath’s heart heavy. So much had changed in such a little time. He was astounded by it all.
    They galloped until the first light of the moon, slowed, and then trotted in the shadows of the mountains.
    “Jordak’s Crossing nears,” Bayzog said to Nath. He sounded concerned.
    “Since when did you become such a world traveler?”
    “It’s been twenty-five years, remember?”
    Nath felt a little small for a moment. The Bayzog he’d known had spent all of his time inside the walls of his