After contacting Lenamare and getting some information on the state of affairs, he and Lenamare had been able to work out a plan to get the children to Freehold. Trisfelt had felt just too uncomfortable with his memories of Freehold to risk taking the children on what was essentially a blind jump. If it had just been himself, he wouldn’t have minded. For one thing, jumping by oneself was a lot easier and safer than taking a group of people.
Thus it was they’d found themselves on the road to Freehold. Trisfelt had purchased a new wagon and supplies for the four of them and they’d set off. Last night they’d spent the night in Hoggensforth. Today, they were on the road to Yorkton, which would eventually lead them to Freehold. As they’d left town this morning, Trisfelt had noticed a fairly sizable encampment of armed men. Not quite as large as Exador’s army, but this group appeared to be all cavalry. A very large cavalry, by most standards, Trisfelt thought. He hadn’t recognized the insignia on the surcoats at first, but eventually he’d been able to dig something up from his memory.
If he was not mistaken, these individuals were the elite soldiers of the god Tiernon. They called themselves the Rod of Tiernon, hence the rod over the starburst of Tiernon. Actually, the Rod weren’t particularly common on this continent anymore. At least not for the last few hundred years. Trisfelt, having just escaped one small war, was extremely nervous about what these fellows were up to. He hadn’t stopped to ask though.
A short while ago, they’d stopped and had some lunch, the children, as children do, wanting to know how much longer would it be. Trisfelt smiled, remembering his own childhood. He also worried because while these children, for the moment, could be children, his fourth charge, Rupert, had been left behind. He really feared for the child’s safety. Lenamare had informed him that while Jehenna,
Trisfelt worried. Jenn was a good girl, and would be a fine wizard someday; surely she’d take care of Rupert, if she could. That was what he was worried about, he didn’t have much more confidence in Jenn being OK then he did of Rupert. Jenn had been his favorite student; they seemed to share a similar sense of humor, and fondness, or lack thereof, for the headmasters. Unfortunately there wasn’t much he could do. As a Thaumaturgist, making one end of a Telemirror was about as much sorcery as he could manage. Finding lost people was out of the question.
Suddenly there came the sound of a large number of horses behind him on the road. Trisfelt looked behind him to find the Rod of Tiernon rapidly approaching in a cloud of dust. He pulled the wagon to the side to let the soldiers pass. The long column, four abreast, quickly reached his position and continued in smart order. As the column moved on, Trisfelt glanced up in surprise to see a rider, wearing an incredible amount of armor, flying overhead on a winged horse.
Trisfelt shook his head to try to clear it. The knight, for there was no mistaking the man’s calling, was more than a little bit awe-inspiring. The children had stopped their game to watch the soldiers and were gazing upward with open-mouthed stares at the flying knight. Flying horses were extremely rare; Trisfelt had never even seen one with his own eyes before. He found it amazing such a creature could even fly, given the aerodynamics of horses. Further, not only did this one fly, it flew with a man in full plate armor on its back. As if that weren’t enough, the steed was wearing full battle armor and regalia as well.
Talk about legends coming to life! This fellow was straight out of some storybook. Trisfelt was a highly experienced wizard; even so, this fellow impressed the Abyss out of him. As he shook his head in wonder, the knight flew overhead, looking down at the wagon and waving congenially to the children. Awed that such a glorious presence would deign to notice them, the children waved shyly back. Trisfelt had to stop himself from waving as well.
As the knight flew on, and the army rode past, Trisfelt followed both with his eyes. Suddenly he was brought up short by the snorting of a horse nearby. He turned his head to see a young soldier, dressed in a very clean and bright uniform nodding respectfully towards him. “Excuse me sir?” The young man asked politely.
Trisfelt was again taken by surprise. At the moment, Trisfelt looked nothing like the Master Wizard he was, yet still the soldier was being courteous and respectful. This seemed extremely strange for soldiers, at least the ones that Trisfelt was familiar with. “Yes, Rod member?” Trisfelt answered.
