Julia and her companions galloped into the forest of the west, the sun slowly rising behind them and bathing them in its red glow. Lukas reined in his steed, checking that his companions were safe and they were not being pursued. Once deep in the forest they would be safe. None but those who dwelt in the wood itself knew its hidden paths and trails. Outsiders would be lost within moments, enveloped in its green wilderness without any means of finding their bearings. In some parts of the forest the light of the sun never penetrated the dense canopy of leaves, and Lukas and his followers had made their base in the darkest and most impenetrable region. Here they would be well hidden.

As the rising sun was just beginning to burn the mist off the ground they entered the forest. Julia looked around her. She had been here before but she knew no landmarks to help her find her way. She was grateful for those riding with her, for she was not a strong rider and could not have directed her horse alone.

But the sure-footed horses seemed to know where they were going. They needed no guidance, and after an hour's ride they came to a halt in a clearing. Everyone dismounted, relieved to stretch their legs after the ride. Lukas gathered them together and pointed towards some logs piled at one edge of the open space.

"We will rest here for a few moments. The horses will no longer accompany us. They have done their job, and done it well." He bowed to the five horses, and they lowered their heads briefly in return before cantering off down a trail that Julia had failed to notice. 

She wanted to know where the horses were going—she had so many questions that she didn't really know where to begin. How had Helen and Alyce escaped the palace? Where was she being taken? But this, she suspected, was not the right time to ask questions. This was a time for action, not conversation.

Julia sat down on a log. 

A dark green tunic, just her size, was draped over its branches. She looked around and noticed that the others were already shedding their black robes and changing into the tunics. Camouflage. The robes were being buried in a shallow hole back in the trees: they would leave no evidence.

She changed quickly, discarding the heavy brocades of the castle, and turned to continue the journey. Lukas nodded approvingly and beckoned towards another trail leading from the clearing into the denser forest.

"This is the road down which we must travel. We are nearly at our journey's end, but we must be quiet. Noises travel, even in the forest. They say that the trees have ears, and no one can know that we have traveled this path. So keep quiet, and follow me."

The five travelers moved off down the trail, Lukas leading and his comrade bringing up the rear. It was not much further before they reached their destination. Julia had no doubt where it was. They were back at the secret garden she and Peter had discovered on their first day on Aedyn. But she tried hard not to think of Peter—it would only make her angry. And anyway, she was sure she would have enough to think about without worrying about his treachery.

The five travelers entered the garden. The monk Gaius rose to meet them, greeting Julia and embracing the four others. "You have done well," he said to them.

Gaius beckoned to them to join him at a table that had appeared near to the throne, covered with fresh bread and luscious fruits. He smiled at his visitors.

"We can talk safely now. We are too deep in the forest for any lackeys of the dark lords to find us. There are eagles posted throughout this region, and they will know what to do if strangers approach. We will have plenty of warning." He turned to Helen and Alyce, nodding at them. "It is many years since you have been in this garden, is it not?"

Alyce smiled up at Lukas. "Not since I was a child, and taken to serve in the castle," she said. "I never thought this day would come."

"We'll help the others escape soon," Lukas said gently, touching her arm. "We would have tonight, had we more horses…"

Helen was looking around, taking in the scene. "Gaius, it's ruined! What happened to the garden? To the fountain? To everything!"

The monk nodded, his expression grim.

"It is as you say. The garden mirrors the condition of Aedyn itself, and it is in a sad state of ruin and decay. But when Aedyn is renewed, this garden will once more become the place Marcus knew. Even the garden you remember cannot compare to that! And that day is to hand." 

His gaze shifted to Julia, who tried all of a sudden to look very small. "The fair strangers have come," he said softly, "and the Lord of Hosts will visit and restore his people. He has seen our suffering at the hands of our oppressors, and the time has come. He has raised up a deliverer who will break the power of the dark lords."

Julia blushed, not precisely sure what to say. How could she save anyone or anything? Peter always used to tease her for being clumsy and silly—and how could a girl of thirteen deliver a nation from such evil? But someone had to do it. Maybe she had yet to discover herself. It all seemed so—well, so improbable. But how could she walk away when the need was so great?

Gaius nodded at Julia, seeming to read her thoughts. "No one is ever ready for the world to turn upside down, dear one. And so we have brought you here to prepare yourself for what must come."

What must come…the man seemed to speak exclusively in riddles, Julia thought. In anyone else, this would have been intensely irritating. Gaius smiled at her and continued.

"You will go deep into the forest. During that time, you will discover whether you really are the deliverer that we have been awaiting. You will remain there for a time and then return here, to this garden. It is tomorrow that we mark the Great Remembrance."

"The Great…what?" repeated Julia. "Is that what you told me about before, when everyone comes to tell stories?"

Helen stepped forward. Her eyes were bright, and for the first time Julia caught a glimpse of the joyful young woman that, in a different time and place, she might have been. She spoke in a voice that was serene, and somehow far away.

"We came out of a distant land, Lady Julia, and were led over the seas to this island. It would be a new beginning for us as a people. We would be the good Lord's people in a good land. When our ancestors arrived in Aedyn, Marcus told them that they were to mark their safe arrival in the new paradise. Every year, the story of the journey across the sea to this island would be told again. 

We will never forget this moment in our history, nor the faithfulness of the One who brought us here. Marcus was the first to tell that story, in the Great Hall of the Citadel of the Lord of Hosts. It is a solemn reminder of our past. Our identity as a people is so closely intertwined with this event that we must never forget it. The dark lords think that they have suppressed this event by preventing it from happening in the castle—they know that the surest way to destroy a people is to erase the memory of their past. But this garden was built as a way of remembering the past and looking forward to the future." She smiled at the monk. "Gaius is our story keeper, the one who guards our history. We come and remember, and wait for the deliverer." And then, looking at Gaius, her eyes went dark. 

"Of course, there are not many who can come to remember. So many of the faithful are enslaved in the castle…" Her voice trailed off, and Gaius took up the story.

"We need you here for the Great Remembrance, Lady Julia. If you believe that the Lord of Hosts has called you to deliver us from the dark lords, then you will be acclaimed as our deliverer. And then you must find the answers to the great question of Aedyn. Only then can we hope to break free from the dark power of the lords."

Julia was absolutely baffled.

"Question? What—what question? I don't know this place well enough to…" Gaius hushed her.

"Julia, we need to know why Marcus' most trusted lords betrayed our paradise. We need to know how such evil could arise in this place. Unless we can find the root of the evil, we shall never be able to restore this paradise to what it was meant to be. We must destroy the source of this evil before it can contaminate others." He smiled at her expression—a look of intense concentration and utter confusion, and took her hands between his. "If you are indeed the deliverer, you will not struggle on your own. The Lord of Hosts will be with you. He will guide you and give you new power as you seek answers."

"I will do my best, Gaius."

"I know you will." He squeezed her hands as his eyes smiled at her. "You will leave this garden in two hours and go deeper into the forest, but now you must rest. You will need all your strength for what lies ahead."

Continue to Chapter Thirteen.