“Finally,” Silax breathed from Keltin’s left. The same hungry look of crazed excitement filled Silax’ eyes just as it had in the desert when they discussed attacking another Cynmeren camp. Keltin thought to ask how Silax could be so excited by the prospect of another fight, but then again, he knew Silax viewed violence completely differently than he did. Where Keltin strived to avoid conflict and still complete his tasks, Silax seemed fueled by it, eager to wipe away the vileness of the Cynmeren at every opportunity.
Several tense minutes followed as the wind whistled through the rocks in the narrow fissure. No one spoke, no one moved. Keltin’s eyes watered from straining to see in the dark and from the cold wind blowing against them. His hand unconsciously took hold of the scrid spike at his waist as he prepared for the worst. Then, a dreadfully familiar yellow glow suddenly spilled onto the walls of the canyon ahead and a lone Cynmeren appeared. The creature crept forward as silently as any member of the Legion, but its movements appeared relaxed; if Keltin had thought it possible, he would have said the Cynmeren looked bored.
Turn back, Keltin pleaded as the scout grew closer. He was certain that the exact opposite thought pulsed inside Silax’ mind; one glance at the former Feller’s eager stare confirmed Keltin’s suspicions. The Cynmeren scout was within a hundred strides now, and Keltin watched as Craed and the other Legionnaires steadied their arrows.
“I fire first,” Craed whispered, and the others nodded in understanding. Still, the creature advanced.
Fifty strides, Keltin thought. He stared into the bulbous, glowing mass that marked the Cynmeren’s head and willed it to retreat into the night, but its path didn’t change. Thirty strides.
Suddenly, the wind shifted direction completely, carrying the two thin tendrils of smoke from the thuribles through the gap in the piles of stone. The Cynmeren stopped its approach at twenty strides and seemed confused at first, then it appeared to smell the air and grow tense. The creature backed away slowly, then spun and ran back towards the Cynmeren camp. A single bowstring hummed in the night, followed instantly by five more. The first arrow passed completely through the doomed creature’s head, spraying the horrid yellow glow onto the floor of the canyon. The remaining arrows struck the Cynmeren’s core in a tight grouping with terrifying accuracy. The beast was dead before it reached the ground.
“Tir, get the cart ready just in case,” Craed instructed as he slung the bow to his back. “Aemetta, you know your task.” She nodded in reply. The Legionnaires sprinted into the darkness past the fallen Cynmeren until they blended seamlessly into the shadows of the night.
“You three keep watch,” Tir commanded Aemetta, Keltin, and Silax, then the Vessel Guard hurried over to rouse the nysks. Minutes passed with painful slowness as Keltin waited for Craed and the others to return. The wind shifted again several times, until one gust carried with it the sounds of a battle in the distance. Tir walked away from the cart slowly as noises of the fight echoed eerily through the canyon. “Not good,” he said bluntly, producing two isen and rushing towards the gap in the rubble. “Stay here and be ready to leave without notice,” Tir shouted to the three newcomers, then he was gone.
Silax followed Tir for a few steps before reluctantly returning to stand with Keltin and Aemetta. “We should be out there too,” Silax complained.
“We’ll get our chance,” Aemetta reassured him. “For now, we wait.” Keltin agreed, although he was beginning to find the waiting more painful than many of the injuries he’d suffered in battle thus far. A faint glow appeared once again on the walls of the fissure, but this time its arrival was anything but silent. Metal struck metal and flesh alike, shouts and shrieks ended abruptly, and the sound of hundreds of footsteps thundered through the valley. “Both of you, come with me!” Aemetta shouted over the turmoil, motioning for Silax and Keltin to join her at the base of the rubble pile.
A thin space between two stones extended several strides into the pile, providing a concealed location that still offered a clear view of the nysk cart. The sound of the approaching battle was muted in the cramped confines of the alcove, but it was clearly getting closer. “They need our help!” Silax begged, edging towards the entrance.
“They need us to survive,” Aemetta replied sternly. “This isn’t a time to die bravely—that serves no real purpose. This is a time to vanish, watch, and wait.” Silax sat down, but he still appeared ready to leap up at a moment’s notice to join the fight. The glow in the canyon grew brighter, until suddenly a figure rushed past their hiding place and ran to the nysk cart.
“That’s Craed!” Silax hissed as the man stepped up to the guiding posts. Blood poured down the Legionnaire’s face from a deep wound in his forehead, but otherwise he seemed intact. He was also alone.
“Aemetta, we need to go….” Keltin whispered as the nysks lurched forward. Craed spun the cart back towards the mouth of the canyon. “He’s leaving us!” Keltin stood, but Aemetta pulled him back to the ground.
“Wait,” was all she said. An instant later, scores of Cynmeren surged past the small alcove as they pursued Craed. This was not just a Hunting Watch, Keltin realized, this was a force that rivaled the size of the group that had attacked Dism Slyde. As the creatures advanced, several of them spotted the two thuribles and ripped them out of the ground with a series of triumphant clicks and howls. The smoke blocks were dumped into the sand and crushed until not even embers remained. Then the Cynmeren were gone, their terrifying glow fading as they followed Craed into the night.
Keltin stared into the empty canyon, stunned to the point of denial. “Craed’s leading them away so Tir and the others can come back,” Keltin tried to convince himself.
“Craed’s running in terror,” Silax muttered, “and everyone else is already dead. We’re alone.”
“No!” Keltin shouted.
“Quiet,” Aemetta cautioned him. “We don’t know if any more of those things are nearby.” Keltin continued to fume, but he did so silently; Aemetta sighed as she watched his anger fester. “It’s difficult to accept, but Silax is likely correct about Tir and the Legionnaires. I believe Craed has a plan, however, not that he is simply running away.”
“There’s no plan,” Silax spat. “Craed probably thought we were hiding in the lower level of the cart when he escaped. There is no way for him to get back here now with that many Cynmeren in the way.”
“We just need to wait,” Aemetta repeated.
“We can’t wait long. All the supplies were in the cart,” Keltin pointed out quietly. There was silence in the crevice as they each thought through the situation.
“We stay here the night, then continue east in the morning,” Silax said at last.
“We have no idea what’s waiting for us to the east!” Keltin protested.
“Yes, we do,” Silax replied, his eyes flashing with determination in the dim light. “Cynmere. Somewhere farther east, Cynmere is waiting.”
“Even if we find it, what good will that do if we can’t make it back to Dism Slyde?” Aemetta asked.
“The Venerates will show us the way,” Silax declared with confidence. “Besides, we know there’s nowhere behind us with safe water, so the only choice we have is to push forward.”
“They’re coming back!” Keltin snapped under his breath.
“I pray that you’re right. So, we wait for them here tonight, but if there’s no sign of Craed or Tir or any of the others by morning, we move on,” Silax said. The calmness in his voice was infuriating; Keltin struggled to keep from shouting as he stared across the narrow crevice at the Feller’s dark form. A hand gently took hold of Keltin’s arm before he could speak.
“We have no supplies, Keltin—you said that yourself. What else can we do?” Aemetta whispered. Keltin had no response, instead shrugging her hand away a moment later and crawling to the front of the recess.
Sitting alone in the darkness, Keltin’s stomach grumbled from neglect. Since he’d slept for most of the day, he had been planning to eat se
veral small meals throughout the night to stay awake. He removed a pouch from one of his pockets and took out a single piece of whiteroot. He lowered his veil and brought the chunk of whiteroot close to his mouth, then stopped. Feeling how light the pouch already was, Keltin decided to break the tiny bit of food in half. Some meal, he thought bitterly, savoring every instant until his mouth was empty again. He lifted his veil and scanned the canyon beyond, expecting Tir or Craed or one of the Legionnaires to appear at any instant, but as the night wore on, Keltin’s hope and consciousness both faded until nothing was left of either.
---
Memories of forgotten screams echoed in Keltin’s mind as he bolted awake. The screams were his own, he knew that much, but he couldn’t remember what had caused them or when they had happened. An image of one of the Venerates lingered in his thoughts, but when Keltin tried to remember more, his head seared with pain.
Still reeling from the terror of his fading dreams, Keltin glanced around the recess and found Silax and Aemetta asleep against the walls. Outside, the valley was just as empty as it was the night before, much to Keltin’s disappointment. Where previous mornings had begun with a hearty laugh from Tir and grumbles from Craed, now there was only silence in their absence. Keltin crawled closer to the entrance, then glanced back as he heard Aemetta stir.
“Well?” she asked, still struggling through the remnants of sleep. Keltin shook his head in reply. “Then we move on,” Aemetta murmured sadly. She nudged Silax awake and the three of them crept out of the rubble pile. Straining to see in the morning sunlight, Keltin stared in awe at the thousands of footprints left in the sand from where the Cynmeren had passed in the night. With his isen drawn, Silax immediately walked over to the gap in the two piles of stone and started in the direction of the Cynmeren camp.
“That’s not the way, Silax,” Aemetta said firmly, and the Feller paused. His eyes were wild with thoughts of vengeance, but he reluctantly nodded and put away the isen. With Aemetta leading the way, they carefully moved west from one stone pillar to the next, always checking for signs of the Cynmeren before advancing. When they safely reached the mouth of the canyon, Aemetta frowned as she looked down at the sand. Keltin followed her gaze and understood the source of her confusion—the Cynmeren footprints expanded across the sand in all directions, completely obscuring the path Craed had taken in the cart.
“This way,” Silax called, already racing up one of the nearby hills to gain a better view of what lay to the east. Keltin and Aemetta followed a moment later, neither wanting to lose track of Silax for fear of what he might try to do without them. The hill was steep and rocky, but that didn’t seem to have any effect on Silax as he neared the crest.
“Get down!” Aemetta called after him. Silax turned back, confused and eager to keep climbing. “Before you reach the top, get onto your belly. If you stay standing, the enemy will be able to see you for ten thousand strides in any direction.” Silax nodded in understanding and hunched low to the sand. Keltin and Aemetta caught up to him quickly, then the three of them crawled together to the top of the hill.
A gust of wind that rivaled those of the night before slammed against Keltin’s face, flinging bits of sand into his eyes as he tried to study the landscape to the east. Rows of hills rose up in undulating waves to the north and south, their height steadily increasing the farther east he looked. Many hills were divided by sharp fissures like the one Keltin had stayed in the night before, whereas others merged into long chains of joined peaks. Beyond the hills, mountains higher than anything Keltin had ever seen soared into a bank of dark clouds along the eastern horizon. There’s the storm behind all this wind, he realized.
“That’s it,” Silax breathed, his eyes wide as he lowered his veil and fixated on a group of mountains to the southeast.
“What?” Keltin and Aemetta asked in unison.
“Those mountains—they mark the way to Cynmere!” Silax said excitedly as a grin crept onto his face.
“How can you be sure of that?” Keltin asked.
“You wouldn’t understand,” Silax replied with an irritated frown.
“We need you to help us understand if you expect us to believe you,” Aemetta urged him.
Silax closed his eyes for an instant before he answered. “The Venerates sent me a vision in the night,” he said quietly. Keltin and Aemetta glanced at each other uncertainly.
“What sort of vision?” Aemetta asked slowly.
“The sort of vision that showed me those mountains in the distance—those exact mountains,” Silax replied, his fervor growing stronger with every word. “The sort of vision that showed me a lake surrounded by Cynmeren filth on all sides, just waiting to be cleansed. The sort of vision that showed me everything—their structures, their weapons, their bodies—all turned to ash by the fires of purification that we will bring to them. We are on the right path. Now let’s go!” he shouted as he began climbing down the far side of the hill.
“Slow down, Silax. That’s another day’s journey at least, and we still have no supplies,” Aemetta pointed out.
Silax faltered for an instant as he seemed to be searching for something, then he turned back with a confident smile. “We’ll find water on the other side of that hill,” he said proudly, pointing at one of the larger mounds to the southeast and continuing his descent in that direction.
“If there’s water, there could be another Cynmeren camp down there, too,” Aemetta cautioned.
“Of course, there could be, but there’s not,” Silax answered with certainty. “Besides, it would likely be a small camp, and we’ve handled small Cynmeren camps before without issue, haven’t we?” He smiled darkly at Aemetta before continuing down the hillside.
“That’s the same sort of reasoning Craed used last night,” Aemetta muttered just loud enough for Keltin to hear. Whether she agreed with Silax’ logic or not, it was clear he wasn’t going to stop moving east anytime soon. Keltin and Aemetta followed at a short distance, scanning every rock and recess for signs of a hidden enemy.
As they walked along the dusty floor of the valley, Keltin noticed the same striations along the faces of the stones that were present in the canyon where his group had camped the night before. Craed said there was water here at some point—maybe he was right. Keltin thought hopefully. Maybe Silax knows what he’s talking about… He glanced at the Feller, who was whispering something to himself as his eyes darted around the valley. ...And maybe the Venerates will plow the fields next season, Keltin added sarcastically.
By the time they at last reached the base of Silax’ chosen hill, Keltin was all but laughing openly at images in his mind of the Venerates toiling in the mud, harvesting crops, and sweating in the sun. Then all thoughts of humor vanished in an instant as Keltin stared in disbelief at what was waiting on the far side of the hill. There, in the shadow cast by the morning sun, was a dazzling patch of green foliage that surrounded a small pond. Clusters of wist reeds towered on all sides, and a layer of moss clung to every rock within three strides of the pool.
“Do you believe me now?” Silax shouted happily.
“Quiet!” Aemetta hissed. “It’s impressive, but there could still be Cynmeren nearby.” Silax waved his hand at her dismissively and marched proudly towards his discovery. He removed his water pouch, finished what little remained of its contents, then knelt down beside the pond and dunked the pouch beneath the surface. Keltin’s earlier desire to laugh returned, but it was fueled this time by renewed hope and an appreciation for the absurdity of Silax’ newfound gift.
When Keltin reached the water’s edge, Silax was already finished filling his water pouch. Keltin stooped down to gladly copy the action as he marveled at how clear and clean the pond looked. He closed his eyes, giving thanks to the Venerates for this miracle, and listened gratefully as water bubbled into his pouch. A new noise joined the bubbling—it reminded Keltin of the sucking sound a boot made when it was lifted from a drenched field of mud. He opened his eyes and looked d
own just as a tiny swirling abyss opened up beneath his water pouch. From the mud around this strange hole, four yellow tendrils writhed frantically towards his arms.
Before Keltin knew what was happening, Aemetta’s hands took hold of his shirt and pulled him back sharply away from the small pool. From the void in the mud, a creature emerged that Keltin had never seen in person, but based on the descriptions he’d heard, he knew exactly what it was. “Haugaeldr!” he whispered. Aemetta’s left hand immediately covered his mouth through the veil to silence him as she tugged him farther away from the shoreline. Keltin looked back at her, seeking answers, but the terror he found in her eyes was the only answer he needed.
Keltin and Aemetta crept slowly away from the tainted water, both of them watching every move the haugaeldr made as its tendrils and two branch-like appendages searched for anything living. Then, from just over Keltin’s left shoulder, Silax appeared with his isen already speeding towards the creature’s grotesque body. In one swing, the haugaeldr was cleaved into two lifeless halves that sank to the bottom of the pool. Silax sneered victoriously at the remains.
“Idiot!” Aemetta hissed. “Get back!” Before she could finish speaking, the surface of the pond boiled with movement as hundreds of haugaeldr emerged from their muddy lairs. In seconds, a glowing mass of tentacles and pitcher-shaped bodies swarmed the carcass of the dead haugaeldr, churning the pristine waters into a froth of mud and carnage as they fed on the fallen. Keltin watched in horrified fascination as he backed away until he realized the dead haugaeldr had been completely consumed. With their food source gone, now the creatures were searching again for anything that moved or made a sound.
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