He caught up to the wagon on the other side of the gate, where it had pulled over to allow a large man wearing a dark blue cloak to pass by. Instead of riding past them, he halted next to the group, looking the ladies up and down critically. He instantly dismissed Quartilla and Sam, but was unable to take his eyes off Ria.
“You have just been visiting my farm.” It was not a question. “Why?”
‘So much for pleasantries,’ Sam thought, but kept her mouth shut as Patrick explained that they were visitors and were seeking directions. The man did not look at him as he spoke, his stare remaining on Ria.
“Nothing in this country is free,” he stated. “Not even information. I am in need of a wife.” He pointed at Ria. “She will be my payment.”
Chapter 16
At the first opportunity, Brodin and his team headed north-west. As there were now so few of them, they abandoned sleeping rough, choosing instead to go from inn to inn, village to village, city to city until they reached their destination. It was no longer a pleasant journey. With the loss of their friends, the group found they had also lost their enthusiasm. Gone was the laughter, the light hearted teasing and interesting conversations round a camp fire. Talking of any sort became a rarity, with words spoken only when necessary.
The only exception to this was when Sam’s bat arrived one evening. The poor animal was almost completely exhausted when it landed on Dean’s shoulder and began talking to him. Its relief when he confirmed that it had indeed found the people it was looking for could be seen clearly on its furry face.
Once it had delivered its message, Dean retrieved some fruit from his backpack and fed it by hand until it had eaten its fill. It was too tired to fly away so remained on his arm until they reached a village. The only inn was small, but clean and had enough empty rooms to accommodate the travellers, so Dean tucked the bat under his cloak until he was safely in his room. He had specifically opted to take the loft room, despite the inn-keeper’s insistence that a room on the second floor would be much more comfortable, so that the bat would be able to sleep in the rafters for a few hours until it had regained enough energy to start its long journey home.
For once, the evening meal was not eaten in silence. Dean was happy to report that not only was everyone on the other team still alive, but they had successfully retrieved the royal seal. He related, almost word for word, everything the bat had told him. Both Seth and Dal were pleased to hear that Prince Manus was dead. From what they had seen and heard about him, the world was a better place now he was no longer in it. Tallon and Selene would almost certainly have a happier life without him around to interfere and cause trouble.
When Dean got to the part of the tale where the King was murdered, Dal almost cheered. Her celebration soured when she learned that it had been the man’s own young son who had done it, however.
“So where are they now?” Brodin asked. “Or should I say where were they when the bat last saw them?”
“They had left Kavern and were in Thauma.”
Cirren surprised them by laughing out loud. “Did you say Thauma?” Dean nodded. “I hope they keep the ladies hidden then, especially Ria.” He had to explain his comment as only Brodin had heard about the country’s unique laws. Dean was not happy when he heard that women could be forced to marry against their will. It took the two Princes a long time to convince him that Sam would be well looked after and that she would be out of the country long before he could ride in to rescue her. At first light he hunted among the local wildlife for an animal that could act as a messenger.
He was surprised to find the first willing creature was a fox. He was young and had never travelled far from his mother’s den. He had recently reached the age where he was allowed to leave and find a life for himself and relished the excuse to undertake such a long journey. Due to his youth, Dean was skeptical that he could be trusted to not get sidetracked, so he took him to his mother, who, though unhappy about her son having volunteered himself, assured Dean that the young fox could be trusted to do what he promised. Knowing the message to Sam was safely on its way did much to improve Dean’s mood and he was far less grumpy over breakfast than he had been the night before.
The following day, they arrived at the outskirts of the Annan forest. They would need to travel around it until they reached the mountain range that they hoped would be their destination. It was a tedious journey, with nothing out of the ordinary happening; they even managed to cross the border into Auxland without realising it. They were all pleased to finally see the edge of the range.
“Is that it?” Seth said with distain. “I would hardly call that a mountain range. It looks more like a collection of small hills to me.”
Brodin shrugged. “There are technical differences between a mountain and a hill, but I am sure you are not interested in hearing them.”
“Look at it this way,” Dean suggested. “The smaller it is, the less time it will take to search it.”
The light was beginning to fade, so they decided to camp for the night and head up the mountain at first light. With only five of them left, they had been reduced to only having one person at a time on guard each night. Even then, none of them were able to sleep all the way through. They swapped every few hours to reduce the risk of the guard falling asleep. So far nothing had disturbed them during the night, but they could not guarantee this would continue to be the case, so a guard would have to be posted just in case.
None of them slept well and everyone woke up stiff and irritable. Sometime during the night the wind had picked up. It had not been cold or particularly strong, but had disturbed them nonetheless.
“Did anyone hear that wailing during the night?” Dean asked during breakfast. He had lain awake for a long time, listening to it and hoping it was his imagination that it was getting closer. He was not sure if he was relieved or concerned to hear the others confirm that they too had heard it.
“It was really creepy,” Dal said, shivering. “It sounded like some sort of animal in distress. Could you understand it at all?”
Dean shook his head. “No. It was just wailing. I’m not even convinced it was actually an animal.”
“Hawk did warn us about this,” Cirren reminded them.
“I know you probably do not want to hear this, but if by some miracle the wailing starts again this morning, we are going to have to head towards it,” Brodin informed them. They all suspected that this would be the case, but were not happy that their fears had been confirmed.
They broke camp and remounted their horses, heading towards the mountain. As they approached, they realised it was bigger than it first seemed. The path they were following soon became steep and it was not long before they had to walk the horses. The day was warm and sunny, with a cooling breeze. The path they were following ran alongside a small, but fast flowing stream and they stopped regularly to water the horses and themselves. The sun was at its highest point when the breeze began to increase in strength, slowly at first so it was not noticed for a while. After a short amount of time, however, it started to impede their progress and they found themselves fighting against the wind. The howling they had heard the previous night began once more, spooking the horses.
“We have to do something about the horses,” Dean called out, having to shout above the noise of the wind. “They are telling me they don’t like the sounds they are hearing and are unhappy about going any further.”
Brodin could sympathise with them. Though he knew the howling had to be caused by the wind, it was still unnerving him, sending chills down his spine each time it sounded. “We will have to find somewhere sheltered where we can leave them. Keep your eyes open for a suitable place.”
They continued upward until the stream meandered to the right, round a large overhang. They knew they needed to go over the top, but it was too steep for the horses to attempt. Brodin and Cirren climbed up, instructing the other three to remain where they were. Seth and Dal wandered under the overhang while Dean spoke softly
to the horses, attempting to calm them down. The way in front was blocked by rock, making it look almost like a room with two walls missing.
“Bring the horses round here,” Seth called to Dean. “It is completely sheltered from the wind and is spacious enough for them to remain here comfortably until we return.”
Dean did as requested and was pleased to announce that the horses were more than happy with their resting place. The area was warm, quiet and close to water. They did not have to venture far to find fresh grass, so they would be content to remain there for a few days.
Cirren jumped down from the overhang, nearly landing on Seth. “Sorry,” he said. “I guess I should have looked before leaping.” Seth bit back his reply when he saw the look on Dal’s face. She knew exactly what he was about to say and was not happy when he used that sort of language.
“There is a great view from up top,” Cirren continued, “but we cannot see anything that looks like a cave. It is also very exposed. If this wind gets any worse we will have to consider finding shelter.”
“We are leaving the horses here,” Dean informed him. “But there is not enough room for us to crowd in here as well for any length of time. We should continue on unless it is too dangerous.”
“I will let Brodin know,” Cirren said and headed back up.
Dean turned to Seth and Dal. “Coming?”
Seth looked at Dal and they both shrugged. It was not like they had a lot of choice.
As the climb upwards became steeper, dark clouds began to appear in the distance. “Is there going to be a storm?” Brodin asked Seth. While Brodin had been learning court etiquette, his brother, Tor, had been spending his time with the rangers, woodsmen and elves, learning survival techniques. For the umpteenth time since starting on the quest, Brodin cursed himself for not realising how important the lessons Tor had learnt really were. He looked at Seth. The man was still very young, but Brodin knew Tor had been teaching him all he knew for a long time. It was times like these that made him realise how lucky he was to have the young man with him.
Seth looked towards the clouds and sniffed the air. “Yes,” he confirmed. “But not for a while. It looks like it may even miss this side of the mountain completely. We should start to look for shelter as we climb though.”
Unfortunately, a short while later, the wind changed direction and picked up speed. The temperature cooled significantly and rain began to fall. The five weary travellers were soon drenched and visibility was greatly reduced. The rocks became slippery and they all started to lose their footing. Seth took Dal’s hand, offering what support he could. Progress slowed dramatically as they carefully placed one foot in front of the other, each time testing the leading foot would not slip before placing their full weight on it. The only good thing about the wind changing direction was that the howling had stopped.
Dal slipped once more and Seth caught her just before she hit the ground. “This is becoming too dangerous,” he shouted. “We have to get out of this before one of us falls and breaks a leg. Or something worse.”
“I know,” Brodin called back. “You are the expert. Find us some shelter.”
“What do you think I have been trying to do?” Seth mumbled under his breath as he handed Dal over to Dean. He started to move to the front of the group, but Dean called him back.
“Hold on a minute. I have an idea.” He had spotted movement to his left and thought it had been a small deer. He called out and was pleased to see the animal approach him. It stopped before it was within an arm’s reach, making him struggle to be heard above the roaring wind. The animal, however, heard enough to know what was being asked of it and bleated a reply.
“Tell Brodin and Cirren to come back here,” Dean instructed Seth. “The deer knows of a cave we can shelter in and has agreed to guide us.”
The cave was not far away, but the entrance was completely hidden by the surrounding rocks; the humans would not have been able to find it on their own. Once inside, Seth searched through his backpack for his flint and some dry wood and soon had a small fire going. Thunder echoed around the mountain and lightening lit up the sky. The deer had followed them into the cave and looked longingly at the fire. Dean noticed and invited the animal to stay with them until the storm had passed. It nervously agreed and settled down next to the fire, close enough for the heat to dry its fur, but not so close it became uncomfortable.
Dean did not like the way Seth was smiling at it. “Do not even think about it,” he warned.
“What?” Seth asked with feigned innocence.
“The deer was our guide and is now our guest. It will not be our supper.”
“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Seth replied indignantly, as he slid his knife back into his bag.
The storm showed no sign of abating so, once they were dry, the humans began to inspect the cave. It was large, much larger than they had been expecting, and there were signs that it had been occupied in the not too distant past. Towards the back Cirren found the remains of a campfire and a collection of small bones beside it suggested an animal had been caught and roasted.
The fire produced enough light that they could see most of the cave, but the far end remained dark and unexplored. Brodin produced a torch and lit it from the fire before walking past the remains. Holding it high above his head so it illuminated as large an area as possible, he inspected the back wall.
“There is some sort of tunnel back here,” he called out, his voice echoing around the cave, waking the deer, who had just drifted off. “I am going to take a look. Anyone care to join me?”
There were no volunteers so, ducking his head, Brodin entered alone. His torch only lit a few steps in front of him so he had no way of knowing if the tunnel was long or twisting. Looking behind, he could still see the faint glow of the fire, but after a few more steps that disappeared and there was nothing but blackness in either direction. Praying that the tunnel did not split into two, he continued onwards.
It was not long before it twisted to the right. As soon as Brodin had turned the corner, he could see a glow up ahead and breathed a sigh of relief. Darkness did not bother him, but for some reason being alone in the tunnel made him anxious. He stepped out into another cave and gasped in wonder. He had been expecting to walk out into the storm, assuming the glow was caused by lightning, but he could not have been more mistaken. The walls of the cave he found himself in were completely covered with gems, each emitting a faint light. Looking up, he saw the ceiling was also filled with gemstones. He was so transfixed by the beauty of the scene before him that he did not see a creature slithering up beside him until it hissed in his ear.
“Are you the blind man who can read?” Brodin was so surprised he dropped the torch he was holding and it extinguished as soon as it hit the ground, causing the light in the cave to diminish. Brodin did not notice as he slowly turned his head towards the sound. He gulped when he found himself looking into the black soulless eyes of a snake.
“Did you just speak?” he stammered, unable to believe he was talking to a reptile.
“Do you see anyone else here?” it asked in a rasping voice. Brodin shook his head. “Then it must have been me.”
Brodin stared at it, momentarily lost for words. It was pure black, its scales shining in the glow from the gemstones, its forked tongue flicking in and out of its mouth as it spoke. It was the longest snake he had ever seen. Though its head was level with his, only half of its body was reared up, the rest was laying along the ground.
When Brodin did not respond, it continued. “I will ask again. Are you the blind man who can read?”
It took Brodin a moment to realise the significance of the question. “No,” he replied. “But he is with me.”
“Then you are not welcome here. Leave now. Only the blind man is permitted in my chamber.” It lowered itself to the ground and began to slither away.
“Wait,” Brodin called out. “Is this the Grundle’s lair?” The snake ignored him. “Great,” he
mumbled to himself, then his eyes fell on his torch, lying lifeless on the ground. He looked at the dark tunnel through which he had entered the cave. “Frack,” he swore. He had no way of relighting the torch. He stood in the tunnel entrance and called out as loudly as he could. His words echoed all around the cavern, but he could not tell how far they penetrated down the tunnel. He listened carefully, but could only hear his words calling back to him. He waited a few moments, but could still hear nothing that suggested his companions had heard him. It had been a long shot anyway. Not only would he need to call out loud enough for his words to reach the other end of the tunnel and the echoes not distort what he had shouted, but at least one of his friends would also need to be close to the other end of the tunnel.
He looked down at the torch once more and kicked it in frustration, swearing when he hurt his toe. Limping slightly, he moved back into the tunnel, his arms stretched out in front of him so he could feel his way. Saying a silent prayer of thanks that, apart from the final twist to the right, it had been fairly straight, he edged slowly forwards.
His hands were covered with small cuts and scrapes from the rough walls of the tunnel by the time he emerged from the darkness. Seth and Dal were there, torches in hand. “What took you so long?’ Seth asked as Brodin emerged. “We were just about to send out a search party.”
“I need Dean,” Brodin said, ignoring the question. “There is another cave at the end of the tunnel and it is covered in glowing gems.”
Dean, having heard his name, approached. “Need me for something?” he asked casually.
“Yes. I think we have found the Grundle’s lair. We need you to go and find a gem.” Dean didn’t like the way Brodin was smiling at him.
“Okay,” he said tentatively. He took the torch that Seth offered him and stepped into the tunnel.
“Did I mention that there is a big black snake that wants to talk to you?” Brodin called after him. In the darkness he saw Dean stop momentarily, shake his head, then continue moving.
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