Trik - Betrayal in Rule

In the morning, two horses were made ready in the courtyard of the Baron’s castle. Each was laden with provisions for a week. Trik stood in the courtyard, wearing a black cloak and riding pants and a wide-brimmed hat. At his side was strapped a scabbard with his sword. Durben joined him there, a young man of seventeen with shaggy blond hair and pale gray eyes.

“I’m nervous,” said Durben.

“There is no need to worry,” said Trik.

“I have never been to Rule,” said Durben. “It is far. The people are different.”

Trik tightened the straps of his saddle and re-buckled them. The horse lowered its head and relaxed its ears. Trik climbed onto the horse and steadied himself. “You’re a man now,” said Trik. “It’s time to let go of childish fears.”

Durben mounted his horse and took the reins in his hands. “Don’t you fear anything?” he asked.

Trik looked out at the gate and the grassy hills before them and the sun rising in the clear morning sky. “At my age,” he said, “I fear only boredom.” He tapped the flanks of his horse with his heels and rode forward.

Durben slapped his reins and rode after Trik. When he had caught up with Trik, he faced him. “What is Rule like?” he asked.

“Haven’t you paid attention in your studies?” asked Trik.

“Yes,” he said, “but the instructors are boring. They never tell me the truth.”

“The truth,” said Trik, rolling his eyes. “Rule is a big city, much larger than Linden and your father’s castle. There are many people from all over the Empire in Rule.”

Durben raised an eyebrow at Trik. “Are there any more like you in Rule?” he asked.

“No,” said Trik.

They rode under the portcullis and out past the drawbridge. Trik looked out at the horizon before them. The wind rushed over the heather of the hills, making the long grass ripple likes waves on a sea. A dirt road stretched out past the castle and disappeared over a hill.

“Not so much as one,” said Durben.

“Not in all the Empire,” said Trik.