Book+1


 * The first Chronicle in the story of Dryie Fivoulas... **


 * Dryie gasped in a last breath of anguish and defeat. The war plans were supposed to be so successful, the affluent kingdom of Ildumihr would fall at last. He himself was one of the generators of the mountain dwellers secret plot. The inhabitants who were so poorly treated in the mountains would have revenge on the rich people of Ildumihr, that they wanted more, much much more. Dryie again tried to lift himself off the ground of the battle field that had once been a peaceful meadow of harmony, but had turned into a war zone that left the field a bloody war struck mess. His eyes rolled back in his head like they had the first time that he tried to con himself into ignoring the horrible pain of the three arrows that protruded from his stomach. They had lost the war, and it had been his fault. The enemy had predicted his every move and countered them as if they were nothing; there was a snitch. He was responsible for the thousands of lives that his realms troops had lost. No. He wouldn’t let this happen it had taken years of planning and now it was gone. He must take part in rebuilding the destruction of his people he had created. If he could travel back to his home, whoever was left would spit at his feet and he would be banished. But he had to do something, he couldn’t just sit here and wait for the scavengers to rip him apart and take pieces of him to their young. As of the moment, his plans to revive himself would have to wait. He felt himself passing out once again. **


 * “Rouse yourself soldier!” **
 * Opening his eyes Dryie saw that a gruff looking man was shaking him, but the man was also peering toward the horizon where about two kilometres away, there was a lone rider on a black horse. Dryie slid open his eyes a little more. **
 * “Ahh, finally! I was afraid you’d passed into the void! The man said cheerily. Dryie had never seen the man before, he had a small amount of stubble on his chin and very fine traveling clothes. Dryie guessed that the man was from Ildumihr because of his clothes and he figured the man did not know who he was because if he did Dryie would have a few more arrows in his body than before. While he was thinking of arrows, he looked down expecting blood gushing from his chest, but instead he found himself unscathed and without a blemish. He was so surprised that he tried to talk but the man clapped his hand over Dryie’s mouth. **
 * “Nay, you best not try to talk right now, when I attended to your wounds I found that one of the arrows slightly pierced one of your vocal chords so you will not be able speak for a few more weeks at best.” Said the friendly man. **
 * Dryie nodded and looked back to the horizon. The rider was coming closer. **
 * “Now we best get moving because that man is from the kingdom, I’m a bit of an outlaw there. Stole a few things in me early days and I got better at it so I made it a career. And don’t get worried, I know who you are as well Mr.Dryie Fivoulas and the reason you are not dead right now is because of me, so let's start discussing things, I think you owe me a deed. **
 * Chapter 2 **


 * After a few hours of riding on the back of a horse that seemed more jouncy than it should, Dryie tried to protest to the man about their “deal” with a few strangled sounds from his throat. But the man only dismissed his pleas with a jolly wave of his hand saying, “Ahh, but you owe it to me, you will help clear the glorious name of Conic Felenor that belongs to I. **
 * He dares to hold I to his twisted will, when I achieve greatness and rise back to my people he will be crushed as if he were nothing but a mere bowman against my army.Thought Dryie. But his thought was false, he would actually need an army because the one he used to possess had roughly two members left that were not dead. **


 * At least I can approach him by his name now, well not yet, not until he heals me. If I could only speak, I would be able to escape him but he has already told me that he knows how to heal my wound so I will wait for the process to be complete. Wounds, THAT FOOL my vocal chords are not even near where those bolts hit, he slit the chords on purpose! Dryie gave Conic a nasty look while pointing toward his stomach. **
 * “Oh that!” Conic said cheerily. Well I knew you wouldn’t join me on this little trek if I didn’t give you a reason to so I had to apply something to the situation, that was my only choice. **


 * Even though Dryie was infuriated and had thoughts of bloody murder, he was slightly happy that he was traveling with a companion who had a slight idea of what they were doing. Maybe, just maybe, Conic would help him clear the name of Dryie Fivoulus as well. **


 * As the Sun was sinking below the horizon like a orange watery ball, Conic and Dryie pulled their horses to the side of the thin overgrown trail on which they had been traveling for a few hours and unpacked their bedding which was nothing more than a few bland blankets that Conic had brought with him. The layer of trees was dense, they could only see about twenty feet or less through them from the enclosed camp of the traveling duo. **
 * “I don’t like this clearing,” said Conic. “It was the only one we saw for miles and it already has a small demolished tent stuck in the ground, it just doesn’t seem quiet and friendly as it should.” **
 * Dryie, the man who could speak no more, nodded his head rapidly in agreement. **
 * “Let us go, we can stay in an inn once we reach Thruicia, it will be more safe than here,” Conic said nervously while his eyes quickly rotated and looked at the surrounding trees that whispered as if they were trying to transmit a message to Conic and Dryie. **
 * “Take this weapon,” said Conic tossing a gleaming sword toward Dryie. He accepted it gratefully, and jammed it into his belt just after testing it by swinging it into a nearby sapling that was instantly sliced in a sappy mess with a clean wave of Dryie’s bronze sword. Dryie nodded his head in approval of his weapon and with a tremendous leap landed on top of the brown morgan horse that he had been riding all day. **
 * “I see you’re up and ready to go!” Said Conic gayly. “We best get a move on!” He said as he started to saddle his horse. Suddenly as Conic was just about to mount his white stallion, a sound of a horse trotting came from the bend in the road. **
 * “Get down,” Conic whispered to Dryie as he dismounted his horse and walked to the road. Dryie glanced at Conic in horror as the black horse that Dryie had seen miles away rounded the bend. Scrambling into the bush he saw the man from the kingdom grip the hilt of his sword that as of the moment remained in his brown leather belt. Watching with terror Dryie saw more saddled men ride around the bend and surround Conic so that he could no longer be seen by Dryie. One of the more feeble and unstable men began to read criminal charges that were pinned against Conic. The man concluded with reading one final sentence that said this: Conic Felenor, because of the many murders and robberies that you have committed I, King Charles, deem you to a hanging for your nefarious crimes against the kingdom of Ildumihr and its surrounding realms of royal tyrant. **
 * Dryie was amazed, his comrade had committed all of those crimes without capture, and now that he was on the run with Dryie he couldn’t keep them from harm! Nay, there must have been something else, a snitch must have had knowledge of their route and was trying to get them caught. Dryie had to find out who would do such a thing. But at the time, there were more pressing matters; Conic was being taken hostage as Dryie sat motionless and helpless in the bush. **
 * “HALT!” Bellowed the solder that was riding the black horse. “There is a second horse next to the prisoner’s. Search the area and the surrounding thicket! There was another individual in this man’s party; find him NOW!” **
 * “Yes chief Byriron,” all of the other troops saluted. **


 * As the soldiers scoured the forest in search of Conic’s companion, Dryie crawled out from beneath the bush and dove for cover behind a tree. The only people still guarding Conic were the leader with the black horse, and the man who had read the criminal charges against Conic. Peeking out from the tree, Dryie saw his comrade cast a nervous look around the trees that was not out of concern for Dryie’s well being, but more because Dryie would be the only one who knew where Conic was located and that would make him the only one who could come to his rescue. Then, returning his glance to the soldiers who were coming nearer every second, Dryie started to scheme mentally. Starring up up to the canopy of branches above him, he saw moonlight sparkle in between the gaps of the leaves and dance about gracefully. He prayed to the moon god Atratarko that he was about to do something less bezerk than it sounded. **
 * With his heart pounding his chest like it wanted to break out, Dryie charged the two soldiers in black robes with his sword fully extended. The riders howled when then felt the wrath of Dryie Fivoulas and his blade, but once he was finished, they would never howl again. Unfortunately they would never do anything again because the two ‘soldiers’, if you were trying to be respectful, were only a gruesome heap of bloody bones and sliced flesh. **


 * “I thank ye with me life,” Conic said breathlessly. “Let us go now.” He said while saddling his horse. And off they rode with the North star above them to Ildumihr. **


 * As the two men dressed in black rode their horses into town, the taller of the two named Dryie thought back to the time four years ago he and his companion Conic had been caught by soldiers from the kingdom, and how Dryie had fought them, and killed them. So much had changed. They had been trying to redeem themselves, and now, they were plotting with various merchants and criminals to steal some of the massive royal treasury of Albaskatar that now belonged to Ildumihr. He had also regained the use of his vocal chords of which he now used often. Dryie had to accomplish this plot, he had failed his people in the war and now he would not fail his only friend. The plan he had made had taken almost all of the time that he had possessed since he rescued Conic from the soldiers. He and Conic, along with all of the other people that were helping them would strike the castle tonight at midnight, it was their only chance before king Charles used most of his riches to pay off his debt to Dashuke. Dashuke was the neighboring kingdom and every single person that lived there was a rich arrogant overloader who laughed at Ildumihr and the mountain region that Dryie had once belonged to. Dryie nodded to Conic who then veered his hose to the left side, creating a well sized gap between him and Dryie. Conic then proceed to a iron ring on the wall of an inn where all of their business partners were lurking. Dryie began his role in the plan by riding his horse to main street and hitching it to a pole where he dismounted and walked toward the castle. **


 * To Be Continued **