CRYSTALLUM LOST DREAMS | Fantasy Novel |

Chapter 4 - Part 3

He continued through the forest in the direction of Lud, but the sound of multiple Cec systems interrupted his path. "More soldiers."

From afar, the lights of numerous trucks filled the night. On the northbound road, platoons of soldiers marched towards the city. Camiel climbed a tree to observe their advance better: they were patrols of Kharzanians in battle gear, some of them wearing armor that sparkled in the darkness like restless fireflies.

Lud was as light as a feather, and would suffer the wrath of a storm.

He ran towards the walls, torn between the urgency and the need to hide the sword. A farm. Hanging clothes. They were not perfect cover, but it was better than nothing. He tore a sheet and wrapped the weapon. He started running even faster.

He entered the street of the inn where he was staying; with the deserted streets, he no longer intended to waste time. He pushed open the door and saw many citizens, knights of Lamia and merchants enjoying the evening rest in front of a collection of empty takards and drooling mouths.

He approached the counter, and the innkeeper nodded in agreement. "I have some news," he whispered. "It seems that some local boys, a few days ago, sold a large piece of Seorite not officialy to that man over there. The one at the end of the room." The innkeeper's cheeks turned red. He pointed to a merchant that Camiel had glimpsed several times during his patrols of the city, and who was now gorging himself on a plate of potatoes and beans. The Hozman took a handful of coins out of his pocket and left them on the counter under the innkeeper's incredulous eyes.

He grabbed a beer from a tipsy customer's table and headed towards his target. "Um...can I buy you a drink?" he asked. He smiled and placed the small gift on the table. He couldn't leave anything to chance. "I heard you paid a lot of money for a big stone," he blurted out.

The man looked Camiel up and down. "Trouble?"

"No, no trouble. I just want to buy one too. The guy I talked to didn't leave me any contact information and disappeared," he lied.

"Well, you need to look for Allet's son. They're outside the city, on the northeast trail, beyond the gate," the man grunted.

The warrior startled. Allet? The same one he had just spoken to a little while ago? "Can you repeat the name? I think I've heard it before."

"Hey, are you kidding me? Everyone in the city knows Ludvig Allet and his son Aran. It was just less than a week ago...I remember it exactly because the day after we found out about the Great Jalme and many of us stopped our travels out of superstition." The merchant resumed eating, washing down the meal with the beer he had just received.

"Thank you, good man," said Camiel, still doubtful. He got up and walked briskly towards the stairs that led to his lodgings.

What did the Allet family have to do with all of this? He didn't know what to do. He paced back and forth in the room looking for a solution. He couldn't find the right connection between a secret Seorite sale and the incredible energy he had sensed. The possibilities raced through his mind. Was Ludvig Allet lying or trying to arm mercenaries behind his own city's back? He had no way of finding out now; he had to solve a more urgent problem.

As he struggled with doubts, he heard the rumble coming from the streets. The screeching of Kharzanian trucks filled every nook and cranny.

"They jumped their timeline," he said. He moved the curtain to observe the entrance of the building. The screams coming from the houses were just the beginning. The roar of objects breaking on the ground floor. Screams, thuds, and running footsteps. They had entered, and must have caused a commotion.