His sleep was short. Too short to of much help. But something is better than nothing. Elyar grogilly packs his bedroll up and eats a hasty breakfast. Late lunch really. He figured it was mid afternoon by the way the sun looked. As his mind cleared he looked around for any signs of wolves or mist. He could not see either. But that did not help him much. He knew they were out there. He wasn’t sure why he felt that way. But he was not convinced the fight was over yet.
As usual, Frem motioned for them to begin. Every stepped into line like they had been that morning. Their pace was quick and unyielding.
He could tell that Frem was not keen on staying out in the wilderness longer than they needed to be.
Time passed just as slowly as before. His muscles ached. His feet were sore and Elyar was sure he had at least one blister starting to form. Probably more. At this point it was hard to tell what was general foot pain and what was blister pain. It all just hurt. To top it all off, his bag was getting heavier. He swore someone was putting rocks in it.
Late afternoon turned into evening. The small tree cover they had been following the last few hours broke into open plains. Elyar could not see a tree for miles. His heart sank a little. Perfect terrain for a wolf attack. That is if they were still there. His heart told him they were, but his mind was hopeful.
“There will be no cover from here until we reach Archmouth. There we will find shelter and food.” Said Frem. Elyar was not sure if he was explaining this for the good of the group or just him. It did not really matter either way.
“How long until we reach this Archmouth?” Elyar asked.
Resting his hand on his shoulder Frem said, “if we keep our current pace we will be there by tomorrow. Late morning at the latest.” He sque ezed his shoulder and then let go.
Elyar nodded and straightened his bag. He swore it had gotten even heavier. He heard a snicker behind him, but when he turned around Jerome and Ruzur were talking quietly pointing at something in the distance. Elyar turned back around and saw the group had started again.
He jumped back into position knowing it was going to be a long night.
He did not want to start behind.
As they walked into the plain the last of the sun began to vanish. He figured they had about thirty more minutes until night. Before they star ted he had seen a few grab their torches.
They descended a small hill into the plain. As Elyar surveyed his new surroundings he saw a few rocks popping up here and there, but not much else. The golden rays, now mixed with red and purple, made their last desperate dance across the world. The grass, which Elyar noticed was shorter than it was south of the forest, played with the light casting ligh ter and darker sections.
He stopped paying attention to his surroundings the longer they walked. As he thought, the sun set about thirty minutes after they walked. Soon after that Declan and Havol lit their torches. They would need them until the moon rose. Now under torchlight, they walked.
Nothing much happened the first few hours after the sun set. But then a howl broke the silence. Elyar’s head snapped in the direction of the sound. He could not see anything, but now he knew for sure they were still following.
“What kind of wolves stalk their prey this long?” Havol mumbled under his breath.
“I don’t know, but we barely escaped last time. Let’s try not to confront them again.” Frem responded. Elyar could hear the concern in his voice.
They picked up their pace. Everyone kept glancing toward the direction the sound came from. Elyar drew his sword out an inch or two a few times making sure it was ready if he needed it. They continued their brisk pace for another few hours before they heard another howl. This time it came from the opposite direction than before. And it was in front of them. Then came another howl closer and slightly behind them. Elyar realized they were surrounded.
“Weapons!” Frem quietly yelled as he drew his sword and readied his shield.
Elyar drew his sword and fitted his shield on as well. He was glad he had it this time. He looked behind him and saw Jerome had his sword and shield as well. Ruzur had his sword and axe ready.
“We run as one.” Frem then said.
Elyar was not expecting that command. They all started running as
one unit. He and Jerome took the left flank while Frem and Declan the right. Ruzur and Havol stayed in the middle. They ran slightly faster than their brisk walk, but it definitely was a difference. Elyar could hear the sound of rustling grass match their speed. He realized the wolves were keeping their distance. But maintaining that distance.
After an hour of running a howl sounded directly in front of them. Then one from the right. Then left. For some reason Elyar’s hair prickled
and he raised his shield and yelled, “shields!”
He felt a thud and scratching as the wolf lunged at his and its claws struck his shield. The force pushed him back some but Ruzur helped him quickly regain his stance. Now he could hear more wolves stalking just outside the firelight.
Why were they acting weird? Wolves don’t fight like this. Elyar thought as he peared into the blackness.
He heard an arrow whistle into the darkness and then a wolf made a cry. He quickly looked behind and saw the Frem had swapped his weapons and was holding his bow. He saw him knock another arrow and wait for a target. Elyar turned back to his side and waited.
Nothing happened for a few minutes. Then Elyar saw it, the headl ess wolf.
What in Theos name is that?
Then, if a headless wolf was not weird enough, it suddenly shivered and fell to the ground. It convulsed for a moment and then was consu med by fire which quickly caught the grass on fire as well.
“Fire!” Elyar and Jerome yelled simultaniously. “The grass is on fire!” Jerome yelled again.
The fire did not seem to bother the wolves. But now Elyar could see what was happening. There were about ten wolves in front of them. He was not sure how many were on the other side. But beside the wolves Elyar saw something else. They were the size of Koraxians, but with strange colored skin. He thought some looked red while others looked green. He was not sure if it was paint and he did not really care at the moment.
“Jerome, what are those?” Elyar asked.
“What are what?” Jerome asked slightly confused.
“Those!” Elyar yelled, pointing at the new green and red things with the wolves.
“I…I have no idea.” Jerome said. Elyar glanced over and saw his friend’s face go a little white.
Elyar nudged him a bit and said, “if we die, we die like the legends of old. But no one will know we have died though.”
Jerome laughed a little at that. “I will make a great song about us
and force it into a bard’s dreams or something.”
They chuckled as they watched. Slowly they started walking north. More shuffle than a walk. But the fire was burning through the grass, though not at a raging speed. For some reason the wolves and, whatever they were, still had not attacked.
Elyar was getting more frustrated by the minute. After what felt like an eternity of shuffling, Elyar breathed on his sword and weaved the fire into life. As the power started leaching out of him he saw movement from the enemy.
Where they finally attacking?
They were. He saw a wolf and a red person start to charge. A howl sounded and chaos broke. Every wolf attacked as did the five or so red and green people.
They stopped and Elyar prepared for a fight. Fear gripped his heart, but he felt more courageous standing with the Hunters. Each man wo uld die for the other. A worthy way to pass into the afterlife.
As the red person in front of him got close enough for Elyar to make out details he realized he was not human. He had red skin with rippling muscles, small bumps popping randomly out of his body, and long black hair. It carried a greatsword in both hands while screaming a war cry. Elyar’s heart sank as he saw this large creature flying at him.
Elyar made a short prayer to Theos and then did something stupid. He stepped out from the group and rolled toward the wolf. He judged the distance correct and as he came out of his roll he drove his sword into the heart of the beast. It immeditely fell. Unfortunately on top of
Elyar. The red creature lost its consentration for a brief moment as it watched its comrad fall, for Elyar was sure they were somehow allies. Elyar pulled himself out from under the dead beast’s body and saw Jerome stab the red creature, killing it. He did not have much time to think before he saw more creatures and wolves attack.
A green creature charged Elyar swinging two clubs with spikes. The creature swung both over its head, one after the other in a windmill formation. Elyar evaded by spinning around the strikes, moving closer to the being. His sword, glowing hot white, easily separated the creature into two green parts. As his torso separated from his legs Elyar glared at two wolves. They were starting to move toward him.
Without warning Jerome came screaming up from behind Elyar and charged the wolves. The firelight gleaming off his sword and shield. Not wanting to be shown up by his friend, or allowing him to die, Elyar charged right behind him. The wolves jumped, lunging one at each man.
Elyar and Jerome performed the same maneuver in mirror image. As Elyar sidestepped to his left spinning his body to swing his sword into the beast, he saw Jerome doing a similar pattern. Together they quickly slew both of their wolves. Elyar did not like the grassland being on fire. But he did appreciate the light it provided.
With their immediate foes slain, Elyar and Jerome glanced to see how their friends were doing. Havol had a small pile of dead wolves surrounding him. He was dealing with another one, though it looked like he was winning. Frem and Declan were both engaged fighting off a few of the red and green creatures while Ruzur was on the offensive attacking two of his own.
Elyar looked at Jerome and said, “left or right?”
A large grin spread over Jerome’s face as he said, “…left.”
Elyar reached out with his shield prompting Jerome to tap his shield against Elyar’s. The sound of soft steel signeled their attack. Jerome ran off toward the left to help Havol, Frem, and Declan, while Elyar ran off to help Ruzur. He glanced around making sure he was not missing any wolves or creatures as he quickly approached Ruzur. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a red creature jumped up. It was the largest one he had seen and it carried two large two-headed axes.
Elyar came to a quick stop and prepared himself. But it did not attack. The creature looked at him and spoke.
“Why fight, Gleamer, we come take you to master.”
“Why would I want to come with you? I don’t know what you are?”
Elyar responded through clenched teeth. He did not know what the crea ture meant, but he did not like what he heard.”
An evil chuckle came from the creature. “We serve same master. You,
I. The Raven King calls.” It gestured for him to follow.
“I serve no one but my father and the emperor. I do not know who this ‘Raven King’ is.” Elyar spat back at the creature. His voice remained confident, but fear was starting to dawn at the mention of the Raven King. Was this the same “king” who threatened his family in his nightm are?
The creature smiled in front of him and then everything went black.
Elyar awoke with searing pain in the back of his head. He clenched his eyes enduring the pain, but he could not move. He faded back into black.
When he awoke again his head only aches. He moved his hand to where the pain was and felt a piece of clothes. Slowly, he opened his eyes. When his vision adjusted to the sunlight he was sitting in a small camp in a cluster of trees. Jerome was making soup in a black pot while the rest of the group quietly talked on the other side.
He pushed himself up a little, wincing at some of his injuries. More painful patches appeared once he tried to move.
“Steady. Don’t move to much.” Jerome chided.
Once he spoke the others came and sat back down at the fire. Jerome quickly moved over and placed a hand on Elyar’s shoulder preve nting him from rising.
“Where are we?” Elyar asked slumping back down.
“We are on the outskirts of Archmouth.” Frem responded with a half smile.
“Ok…how did we get here?” Elyar asked slowly fighting a short wave of pain.
“To answer that question, we should first retell the end of the fight.” Havol chuckled.
Havol then went into his tale, “there we were. Surrounded by those creatures and the wolves. Jerome came crashing in and help us slay the beasts before us. Together we fought mightily!” Havol was really enjoy ing his moment. Elyar couldn’t help smiling.
“As we turned to fight any more of the evil things we heard a yelp.
We looked to see if anyone had been slain. Lo and behold, two green creatures were carrying something, or someone away. We ran toward them while Frem knocked an arrow. He quickly killed both of the…things. when we arrived, there you were. Head bleeding and unconscious. The battle was over so we quickly fashioned a gurney and finished our journey.” Havol concluded with a satisfied smile.
Elyar sat in silence for a moment. So they knocked me out and tried to take me to him, huh? Why? As his thoughts raced between the fight and his multiple dreams a heavy spirit descended upon him. He did not know what it all meant, but he did not like it.
“But there is some good news.” Jerome said abruptly.
The others had started getting ready to leave now that Elyar was awake.
“What’s that?” Re groaned as he tried lifting himself up again.
Jerome placed one hand under his shoulder to help him get up.
“We searched the Archmouth and the village next while you were reating.” Elyar’s breathing increased as his body protested the exertion. Once he was standing he took in a deep breath and motioned for Jerome to continue.
Smiling, he obliged Elyar, “we found someone the locals think can help. They claim he is a cooky fool, but they say he knows the mountain passes and can lead us to the other side.” Jerome’s face looked concerned as he mentioned the last part.
Elyar looked at him for a moment waiting for him to explain his concern. But Jerome kept his silence.
Jerome handed Elyar his pack which Elyar took and tried to lift. It was twice as heavy as before. He opened the top pouch to make sure his stuff was still there. His mouth dropped. There, nestled together like bird eggs, lay nearly half a dozen smooth stones. Elyar glared up at Jerome. Suddenly Jerome was looking all around him trying to conceal his misch ievous grin. Farther away elyar heard the laughter of Ruzur.
“Did you two do this?” At the question they both broke out laughing. Ruzur bent over he was laughing so hard.
Elyar shook his head as he slowly removed the stones. His muscles were starting to cooperate, but it was the slight light headedness he had to watch out for.
As the laughter died Elyar finally asked “What is it?” “What is what?” Jerome replied situating his pack.
“You had a look. What was that look.”
Jerome paused again. “The locals told us something else. I don’t know if it is an old wives tale or the beginning of something dark. They said that a dark presence has descended upon the far side of the
mountain. It has slowly made its way through the pass into our realm.”
“Did they say what kind of darkness?” Elyar asked thinking about what the creature from the night before said.
“They said something about dark things rising from the ground. But when we asked they would not speak its name. They said it was bad luck to speak into existence.”
Elyar remained silent. He was too lost in his thoughts to respond. Jerome obliged his silence and they joined the rest of the group. Everyone was standing beside a large tree. Frem informed them that they were going to find this guide. It was about half a days walk from Archmouth. Elyar was not excited about more walking.
At least there was one positive to being knocked out. Less walking. He chuckled to himself.
Then they began walking. Elyar’s head still spun a little. They had to walk a little slower than Frem desired, but Elyar was grateful. He started to notice walking helped his head. After an hour or so the dizines was nearly gone and his strength began to come back. He informed Jerome, who walked ahead of him, who passed the information on to Frem.
Once Frem was sure Elyar could handle it, they increased their speed.
Elyar was getting used to long days of travel. He was learning how
to enter his travel state of mind. The place he would go that allowed him to watch his surroundings while simultaneously recede into the depths of his mind. It was a space between life and death. At least that is how it felt.
The midday sun was beginning its decline when they arrived at the man’s house. It was more of a shake upon better observance. Elyar walked up to it and saw a thatched roof and mud thatched siding. Everything looked like it had been found right here on the mountain. There was a small window, or more hole in the thatching. Through it Elyar could see some wooden furniture and light dancing from a fire. It looked cozy if not very comfortable.
Frem walked through the last of the sparece forest they had been walking through and approached the door. He had to open a small gate that led into a herb garden. A few flowers also appeared amongst the other medicinal plants. He walked along a stone path up to the door. Elyar and the other men waited at the gate. Everyone but Declan. The large man followed his leader into the lion’s den. Crazy man’s hovel to be more accurate.
Frem knocked on the door giving it a few loud tap, tap, taps. Then they waited. After a few minutes what sounded like an old man shuffled to the door and opened it.
“’Ello! Who be out mi dor?” Came a feeble voice from a feebler body. Elyar looked at Jerome with concern. The others looked a little con cerned as well.
If this is our guide, we are in trouble.
Frem responded, “we are travelers wanting a guide through the mountains. Is there another in your house? We were told someone could assist us who lived here.”
With the news the elderly man visibly brightened up. “No, no. No on else live her. Just mi an mi cat, Rattle.” He pointed inside his house. Elyar assumed toward a cat.
The old man continued, “I don hav rum to huss yee all, but I’ll step ootsid to chat.”
Without a hitch in his step, the man walked briskly through the door and past Frem and Declan. He jumped over a small rock like a little kid and approached his gate. Elyar stepped aside along with the others allowing the man to open and pass through his gate. Elyar stared at the transformed man. He still looked elderly, but no longer did he look feeble. Elyar’s mind whirled as he tried to figure out what just happened.
“I be te only gud in des parts. When did ye want te lef?” The man looked expectantly at the group.
Frem finally stepped back away from the door and walked toward
the group. As he did so he said, “we are waiting for the rest of our group. They will be here in three days. Whether they arrive or not, we will leave then.”
“Gut, gut. That gev mi tim to mak sm preparations. The nam is Tem be de wa.”
Frem reached out to shake the man’s hand. Tem looked at it for a moment then extended his wrong hand and gave it a weird shake. He then began walking toward the forest. Before he got more than a couple of steps Elyar stepped in line with him to ask him a qustion.
“May I ask you something, Master Tem?”
“Master Tem? I lik te sound of tat? He chuckled. Then he looked at
Elyar with a raised brow.
“Have you heard any of the rumors about a dark presence in the area?”
“Aye, I hav herd tem. What do ye wat te kno?”
Trying really hard to understand Tem, Elyar nodded slowly with each word. Then after a moment to process he asked, “Do you think they are real? You live the closest to the pass. What have you seen up here?
A smile appeared on Tem’s face. Not a kind, happy smile, but more of a meniacle smirk. “Oh de be tru, young lort, te be tru.” He patted Elyar on the shoulder and then skip walked away.
Elyar was not sure which unerved him more. The answer to his question, how Tem knew he was a lord, or the man skipping away.