Nimer stood in the bitter cold, the wolves staring him down intently, waiting for an answer. How was he to explain his mistake to them? He knew what he had done. He had used Canin to try to stop Ravathor's awakening and did not know where he was now that Ravathor had awakened. The wolves could sense that he had, and their faith in the Kingdom of Zaniah, and more so, would be ruined.
"He is at Qaspool in the Delvar keep. He is with the Darkwell heir who now walks the plane, awakened as Ravathor," Nimer admitted.
One of the lycans growled. "You let him awaken?! How could you?! You are Albranis, you are supposed to have killed the Darkwell heir when he was brought to you. Canin cast a memory spell on him to make it easy."
"Silence," Nimer hissed. "I value life and wanted to give him a second chance. I believed in Canin to stop the awakening before it happened, but that did not go according to plan."
The wolves stepped forward. "You better have good reasons for our alpha being in the Delvar Keep. Even more so, why did you allow Ravathor to awaken?"
Nimer felt cornered. He couldn't lie to the pack or cover up what he had done. He sighed, straightening his coat. "I traded him for a soul. I must put it to rest and pass it off to Taurion to take to the underworld where she can be at peace with death."
"He was traded for your selfish gain?" one of the wolves growled, baring his teeth. "You incompitent fool! How dare you put all the kingdoms in jeopardy just for your desires? You are not worthy of your title, and you are not worthy as a god!"
Nimer swallowed his words. The wolf spoke the truth. His own mistakes were thrown at him viciously, and he got defensive. "I have never wanted to be Albranis. This responsibility came to me, and I had never wished to take it after-"
"After what?" the wolves spat. "You cannot stand in our presence and convince us that you never wanted to be a god. A deal is made before you awaken with the said god. If you didn't want it, then why would you agree to take on that power in the first place? You must think of those who all serve the crown, yet you think of yourself," the wolves growled at him.
"I assume an apology for my actions will not be taken well at this point," Nimer said flatly. "Very well, I do not wish any ill will upon anyone. But I cannot take back the mistake I have made."
"Your decisions are your own, and you will pay for what you did. We will confide in Lucine and see what she wishes to do with your ignorant behavior. We can pull away from the Kingdom of Zaniah just as easily as we joined it centuries ago," the lycan huffed. He turned from Nimer with the other wolves walking with him. They merged back into the trees, leaving the guide to simmer.
Nimer turned to a nearby tree, kicking it harshly with his boot, the bark flying off its surface and falling to the snow below. This may have been the biggest mistake he could have made. Ravathor had awakened, Canin was in danger, and it was all his fault. Running away to the sea would only prolong the mistake, making it harder to recover. He had been so confident in his decisions, yet now, he could barely trust anyone, let alone himself. He returned to the campsite and lay down on his bedroll, unable to get sleep for the rest of the night.
Morning came, and the seven started on their way again. The trail ahead took them through the winding valley, where they cut through the peaks. Nimer knew the cliffs that walled the sea off from the mountain range. It took them three days and two nights by horseback to reach the Depths of Westwallow's shores below the cliffs. Peering over the side of the jagged rocks, they could see the massive waves crashing into the rocks like miniature storms colliding with the cliff face.
Riding along the cliff's edge, the group moved steadily toward the port city of Dijnor. Evening had come by the time they could see the small flickers of torchlight in the distance through the pine trees. The road became wider, allowing them to ride more freely as a group. They descended the hills with great effort until they reached sea level, where the road continued into the port city.
Dijnor had a tall thirty-foot wall that surrounded it like a fortress, running to the ports as the banks of the Westwallow, which extended for several miles. Ships of various sizes lined the ports, ready for exporting and importing goods into and out of the region of Astravalon, where they currently resided. From the other side of the Shatterspine Peaks, the forests of Sylvaris lay beyond the Depths of Westwallow, parting the peaks.
The air was thicker and more humid, making for a chillier, windier climate. The gusts that rolled off the Westwallow froze the faces of the traveling companions, and they ruffled through their bags for more layers of clothing to keep warm. Soon, they could see the large wooden gates of Dijnor and the guard towers that stood parallel to them.
"Pull up your hoods," Nimer warned Jex and Ray as they approached. He pulled up his hood over his black hair. He didn't know how far word had gotten, but playing it safe was better than getting caught.
Much to their disappointment, they were stopped at the gates with a loud "Halt!" from one of the guards at the guard tower. He disappeared from the window above and soon came from the small door at the base.
"What business do you have here?" the guard asked, walking toward them.
Kugruth spoke up so that Nimer didn't have to, a plan devised by Nimer to keep Jex, Ray, and himself hidden when entering cities.
"Jus passin through," the dwarf said before ruffling his beard and grunting like an old man. "Having troubles in Dijnor?"
"Unfortunately, yes," the guard's pitchy voice answered. It was petty theft. All bags and belongings must be searched before entering and leaving the city to ensure goods aren't being stolen."
"Petty theft? Oh dear…" Kat muttered.
After consenting to a search, the town guard looked through each bag, leaving not an item untouched. Jex held his breath when the guard searched his things, keeping his head low like he was supposed to, and Ray tugged on her hood when her bags were searched. Nimer kept silent, though his eyes did not leave the guard once while he rummaged through his bags.
When the search ended, the guard waved at the other tower guards. "Open the gates, they are clear!"
The group could hear an audible release of air from Jex's mouth when they entered the city, and the farm boy wavered in his saddle. "I was so nervous they would know," he said.
"I would suggest not holding your breath that long," Ray said with a slight giggle.
The streets were relatively busy for the cold evening. Carts of fish and baked goods were rolled around or guided by a pack animal. Middle-class city folk walked in pairs, threes, or even alone through the streets. Not many people were on horseback, so the group thought it best to dismount so as not to draw too much attention.
"We need to find an inn to stay at," Nimer said, immediately trying to make a plan for them to get some well-needed rest without camping in the wilderness.
A sudden rush of footsteps came from their right, and Jex wasn't paying attention when a small boy ran into him. He lost his footing and quickly caught the boy in his arms. The child looked up at him apologetically.
"Aye, sorry, mate," the boy laughed, then darted away.
Jex tilted his head in his direction, confused about what had just happened, but decided to shrug it off. "Strange kid," he said, his hand subconsciously settling on his belt. Instantly, he noticed something was missing from his belt loop. Jex patted himself down looking for it.
"What's wrong, Jex?" Ray asked.
"That kid! He stole my coin bag!" Jex suddenly let go of the reins of his horse and took off running after the small boy.
"Jex!" the rest of his companions called after him.
Jex's lungs burned from the cold as he ran. He ran straight into a cart, nearly knocking over all the apples inside. He had to turn to the side to make it through two people walking together and ran into others, pushing his way through the crowd, trying to catch up with the minor child. He saw the kid far out, looking over his shoulder at him while ducking into an alleyway.
Jex turned the corner sharply, running after him, seeing the small child merge with the bustle of townspeople. He got to the end of the alleyway and looked right, then left, just catching the kid ducking into another alley.
"Hey! Kid! I just want to talk!" Jex yelled, a few heads turning in his direction, curious about why he was crying out.
Jex reached the alleyway only to see the kid at the end, heading straight for the docks. "That kid is fast," he said, out of breath. Jex chased him out onto the docks as the kid flung himself off the end of a dock and jumped into the water below with a large splash.