More than that, he had seen these groeliin heading down the slope. Were they readying an attack?
Endric shook his head. He wasn't Antrilii, and he didn't understand the nature of these creatures. Perhaps he was reading it wrong.
But he didn’t think so.
As much as he wanted to cross the mountains and return to the south, he worried that if he did nothing, the Antrilii would be in danger.
Even with the thought, he realized that was his arrogance speaking. The Antrilii had fought the groeliin for generations. They knew better than he how to protect themselves.
He would continue south, continue across the mountains, but as he did, as he encountered groeliin and was forced to attack, maybe he would come to a better understanding about what the Antrilii faced.
Wasn’t that understanding the reason he had come north in the first place?
15
It was nearly night when Endric encountered another group of groeliin. He’d not seen any more sign of them as he had wandered up the mountain. He moved quickly, trying to keep ahead of additional groeliin, pausing long enough to take drinks from a stream. His stomach grumbled at times, and he realized that he hadn't eaten in the last day or so. With the groeliin around, he wondered whether he would even see signs of any wildlife around him. If the squirrels and mice were smart enough, they would hide.
He was tired and ached, and he smelled nothing more than the stench of the chunk of the groeliin skin that he had cut free. That, combined with the stink from the laca fur, though fading, left him with an undercurrent of nausea as he made his way south, continuously forced to climb up the slope.
As the darkness began to set, and as shadows began to creep from the fading sun, smears of darkness meandered around the jagged end of the otherwise stark rock.
Endric scanned the landscape around him.
He saw nothing that would provide him any sort of shelter, nothing that would provide him the same protection that either the tree or the bend in the trail had provided for the first two attacks. This time, he would be out in the open, completely exposed. This time, Endric would not have the advantage of knowing how many groeliin he would face before the attack came.
He wished that his eyesight were better, thinking of the rumors of the Magi eyesight, and thinking of how beneficial that would be to possess. He was only a man, though one who was descended from the Antrilii, which meant that he had to suffer with the darkness.
The twisting shadows began to coalesce into the form of the creatures.
In the muted light, Endric strained against the darkness, struggling to see how many he would face. He had survived three and had struggled against five, lucky enough that the club that he'd taken to the back had struck in the thick laca hide, which had deflected most of the blow. He couldn't even tell if one of the spikes from the groeliin club had pierced his skin. Endric had been lucky, almost as if the gods were watching over him.
As the groeliin appeared, he counted five.
He readied his spear, remaining frozen in place, hoping they didn't notice him. Perhaps he could get the advantage, and they would not see him before they came close enough for him to attack. He had to pray that perhaps the laca fur might provide some concealment. Maybe they wouldn't notice him if he didn't move. Some predators required movement to be recognized.
As they neared, Endric realized they weren't aware of his presence.
They were moving up the slope and angling in a direction that meant they had come from below him but off the trail.
The groeliin found it easy to cross the rock, and he wondered if they used their claws to dig into it, to give them purchase where it would take him more time, and, with his makeshift boots, be practically impossible.
When they passed him, Endric decided to spring forward.
He jabbed with his spear, catching the first creature in the back, feeling no remorse for an attack in this way. There was nothing cowardly about destroying one of the groeliin from behind.
The others spun toward him, and this time they weren't limited by the trail.
The groeliin had always seemed mindless in their attacks, nothing more than an animalistic style of attack. This time they came around him, circling him, almost as if they coordinated it.
Endric kept track of where they stood, mentally following them as they surrounded him. Would he be able to withstand four converging on him at once?
Perhaps he should have allowed them to pass by. He could have followed them to their brood, or—maybe the better option—found a way to avoid them altogether.
He jabbed at the nearest groeliin with his spear. The creature shifted and grabbed the spear, pulling him forward, toward the creature.
That was new.
Endric swung the spiked club, catching the creature in the face.
His spear was released. Endric spun toward the nearest groeliin and smacked the next with the stolen club.
He ducked an attack and was forced to drop to the ground, rolling to the side as he brought his club up, using that to block one of the attacks.
He spun the spear, using it something like a staff and thinking briefly that Senda would be proud of the fact that he was using it in this way. He managed to connect with one of the groeliin, but two came toward him, one from each side. Endric could only attack one at a time. He spun, swinging the club, and hurled the spear.
It was a gamble, but one that he had to take, especially if he intended to survive this attack.
The spear connected with one and his club pierced the side of the next groeliin’s flank, and the creature pinned it with his arm.
Endric grabbed the club he had lashed to his side, the one that had saved him in the beginning. He swung this, connecting with the groeliin’s arm, and it freed the other club. Endric was able to swing around and cracked the creature on the head.
None of them moved.
His breathing came out slowly. In the remaining light, Endric looked for the brands on the arms. They were the same as the others. At least he knew he still faced a single brood. He kept track in his mind, counting how many he had encountered. The longer he went, the greater the likelihood that he might actually survive attacking a single brood became.
Would Nessa and Isabel even allow him to return? When they believe him if he came back to the Antrilii, demanding answers about his people and claiming that he had destroyed an entire brood?
First, he would have to do it.
Then he would worry about the proof.
Endric continued forward. It was time for him to sleep, but he would need to find a safe place to do so. He did not intend to rest near the groeliin, not wanting to sleep where the stench of their bodies remained.
It was now nearly completely dark, which would make finding a safe place to sleep difficult at best. Only a thin trail of light remained, a soft glow that seemed to come from the stars overhead, mixing with the moonlight that bled through overhead clouds.
How would he know if groeliin appeared? He realized that he wouldn't.
He debated heading back down the slope. He knew there was a cave, but it would take half the night or more to return to. No, he needed to continue onward. He needed to climb.
Endric offered a quick prayer to the nameless gods, hoping that they would listen and that they would grant him safety.
It had to be near midnight when Endric finally found a shelf of rock that he could use to protect himself. He ducked underneath it to remain hidden. He hoped that if he did and remained motionless, if the groeliin were to come upon him, they would simply pass him by.
He rested, but like most nights since traveling into the mountains, it was a practically restless sleep. Now that he was beginning to have some success against the groeliin, he had allowed himself to think that he might survive this, and he began to think that perhaps—if he were lucky—he might be able to make it to the south. All he would need to do was move beyond the brood of groeliin.
In his mind, that continued to be th
e goal. Not destroying an entire brood, as was the penance, but simply survival. If he survived, if he could reach the southlands, he would take that as a victory. He wouldn't hesitate to return to his father and to the Denraen. He would have considered that he had learned enough of the Antrilii and that he had learned enough of the groeliin. He would remain ever thankful for their presence here, and thankful for their role—and their vows—but wanted nothing more to do with the people.
When morning came, Endric blinked against the rising daylight. He wasted no time getting himself up and continuing along the path as it wound through the mountain. As he did, he realized he should be surprised by the fact that there was such a pathway here, but it was less that there was a distinctive trail and more that there was simply an easier way to climb.
The higher he went, the more he was forced to climb up and over rocks. The trail became less obvious, forcing him to climb more often. At times, patches of snow slowed him. He paused at every stream, drinking thirstily, and never came across any additional creatures, nothing that would give him hope that he wouldn't see the groeliin.
As the day passed, he began to relax. There had been no further evidence of the groeliin. No further evidence of their passing and nothing that placed him in danger.
As night fell, he found a small cluster of rocks and crouched behind it, using them as a way to protect himself. He hid there, tucked among them, thinking that he could pass the night quietly.
He started to settle in and didn't fight sleep as he had before, drifting into darkness when a sound startled him.
Endric jerked awake and cracked his head on the nearest rock.
As he rubbed his head, feeling foolish, the sound came again.
It was a soft sort of whine, not a howl, and not the sound that one of the laca would make. He'd seen no evidence of them the higher he climbed, anyway. They preferred the plains, though Endric wondered why they had wandered into the mountains when he’d come across them.
Endric sat motionless, listening.
The sound came again.
This time, Endric was aware that it was not that far from him. Close enough that he felt compelled to investigate. If he remained here by the rocks, he doubted he would sleep much with that sound occurring. More than that, he wanted to know what it was. It was the first evidence of other life besides himself that he'd see in the last few days, ever since he had begun seeing the groeliin.
He moved slowly, gripping the spear, keeping the club in his other hand.
He paused, listening. The sound came again.
It was up the slope, but off the trail he had been following.
Endric frowned. Did he risk himself in the night and brave climbing the rocks?
It was dark, but not nearly as brutally dark as the night before. It was more of a cloudless night, and starlight created a soft glow he could follow. It glinted off the snow and made him fear that sections would be slick, possibly too slick to navigate safely.
The whine came again.
Endric felt his heart race. A strange sort of energy worked through him, almost a thrill. He felt compelled, drawn forward.
He started up the rock. The steepness of the slope forced him to tie his spear to his back and forced him to trap the club to his side as well. Endric didn't like that he was forced to, but each time he heard the soft whining, he felt a renewed sense of urgency and felt that he needed to keep climbing.
The rock was steep here. He found handholds in it, enough that he could continue to climb. Places that he thought were slick with ice turned out only to be wet. Surprisingly, the laca skin boots gave him more traction than he expected. Thankfully, he didn't scrape his feet, and he managed to continue making his way up the rock.
The whining he heard came every so often, punctuating the night. And each time he heard the sound, he felt even more compelled to hurry forward.
Why would he feel that way? Was it simply curiosity? Was it the fact that he didn't recognize the sound? Was it a concern for a possibly wounded animal?
No, not concerned. If there was some animal wounded, he could end its suffering, and he could use the meat. It had been two days since he'd last eaten.
He reached a flat shelf, the rock sloping back down at the far side. When the whine came again, he recognized that it came from below him.
Endric began to descend. He moved carefully, but the nature of the slope gave him a little easier time. He pulled the club free from the straps along his side. A few trees grew along the rock here, and he grabbed branches, using those to help him down.
On the side of the slope, there was a wider path. It seemed to head in the same direction he had been going. The whining came from further along that path.
Endric made his way carefully, padding along on soft, silent feet.
Then in the distance, he saw the source.
Endric froze.
There was a creature with a collar of some sort bound around its neck, trapping it to a nearby boulder. From where he stood, he didn't recognize the creature, though it wasn’t large, probably no older than a cub. The collar told him someone had been here, but who?
As he remained hidden, the creature barked a few times in his direction.
Endric frowned. There was something in that sound that was familiar.
A sharper howl rang out. This time from down the slope of the mountain.
Endric recognized the sound: merahl.
He swiveled his head back, looking at the cub. Could this be a merahl cub?
Why would it be bound and trapped to the rock? Who would do such a thing?
Not the Antrilii. They revered the merahl.
He hadn't seen signs of anyone else, but someone—something—must have tied it here.
Endric remained motionless. He had to understand what it was that he had come upon. As he stood there, he saw a strange flicker of movement.
In the darkness, it was difficult to tell. It seemed as if it was barely more than a shifting shadow. Endric had learned to trust himself the last few days when he saw those signs of movement.
Groeliin.
Could those creatures be responsible for trapping the merahl here?
That involved a greater level of planning than he would have attributed to them. But if they collared a merahl, he had to wonder at the reason.
The howl of the other merahl—the adult—came closer. It was answered by another. There were several, and they were all around him—coming for the cub.
A trap. That had to be the reason for the groeliin using the merahl cub.
Could they really have enough insight to plan for an attack like that?
The thought sent chills through him. Was it possible that they were more intelligent than he realized?
Another merahl howl rang out. This one was distinct from the other two.
Could it be that there were three converging on him?
If so, it was possible that it meant Antrilii were with them.
If that were the case, why would the groeliin set a trap?
No, Endric didn't think that was the case at all. Something else was taking place.
Could the groeliin be trying to hunt the merahl? Did they attempt to draw them here?
The merahl cub whined again and barked in his direction.
Endric swore under his breath. He couldn't simply remain here, doing nothing.
How many groeliin could there be?
There would have to be enough to pose a threat to multiple merahl. Endric had seen the merahl hunting and realized that they were capable of withstanding several groeliin attacks.
Did that mean ten? A dozen? More?
Was there a way he could turn this against the groeliin?
The merahl cub whined again.
It was answered by the howl from the adult.
Endric waited, knowing that he would have to time anything just right. He had to help. The merahl hunted the groeliin, and Endric knew that was valuable. He couldn't allow the merahl to be destroyed, not if th
ey were more capable than even he at defeating the groeliin.
As the distant sound of the merahl echoed again, Endric stepped forward.
Shadows started to turn toward him.
As they did, Endric made out several different shapes of groeliin. He counted them and shivered.
Not ten. Not a dozen. There had to be two dozen.
He would fight, and he would have to hope the merahl near him arrived in time to offer some assistance. If they didn’t… he couldn’t think like that.
Endric charged forward, spear and club in hand.
16
He was met by three groeliin immediately.
In the distance, he heard the steady call of the merahl as they came. He wondered if they would be fast enough to even help. Would he die trying to protect this cub?
Perhaps.
And, he surprised himself with the realization, it might even be worth it. There were many times in the last few months when he had risked himself, many times when he had very nearly died, that had come for less than good reason. This one, if he were to help the merahl, creatures that actively hunted the groeliin, would be valuable.
Endric let out a loud cry.
With it, he swung the club, smashing it into the skull of the nearest groeliin. It crumpled, dropping to the ground soundlessly. He spun, swinging his club around, sending it into the next groeliin. Like the first, it fell, creating something of a barrier to the other groeliin attacking.
One of the creatures approached, and he jabbed with his spear. It caught the groeliin in the gut. Endric allowed himself that moment of triumph, but it was only a moment. His movements were too slow. He could tell they were too slow. They felt jerky, as the last few days had worn on him.
Endric screamed again. He wouldn't last long with such stiffness to his movements. Somehow, he had to manage to make it long enough for the merahl to appear. Three merahl could assist him.
Soldier Sworn (The Teralin Sword Book 3) Page 11