The Naming

by Torsten Weitze

  The dwarf chuckled.

  ‘Did you see the look on his face when I presented him with the shield? I thought the eyes were going to pop out of his head.’

  Ahren agreed and the dwarf laughed heartily. Falk looked at the pair suspiciously, and Ahren quickly stifled his merriment.

  ‘Don’t be afraid of the old curmudgeon, he won’t bite you’, chuckled Trogadon.

  ‘It’s easy for you to say. He doesn’t make you climb up and down trees until you’re ready to collapse, just because you’ve annoyed him’, said Ahren quietly.

  The dwarf gave him a friendly slap on the back and Ahren stumbled forward, gasping for breath.

  ‘And now you know my story, there’s no need for you to stalk me as if I were a wounded Dark One’, he said frankly.

  ‘You’re so different to what I imagined. Pure dwarves are supposed to be grumpier than normal ones’, Ahren blurted out before he could stop himself. Trogadon’s disarming honesty was infectious and enormously liberating, so that the words came out as soon as they were thought of.

  The dwarf chuckled.

  ‘That’s true you know. Most of the Pure Ones are sour pusses. But they’ve all experienced what I have, but unlike me they haven’t found a useful way out. Centuries of unhappiness can put you into a very bad mood. I, on the other hand, swore that I would carry my joie de vivre around with me like a shield and free myself from the yoke of tradition. The fact that I was able to do that with our oldest tradition was an unexpected bonus.’

  He looked at Ahren mischievously.

  ‘But if you like I can be grumpy from time to time, if that’s what you’re missing.’

  The young man blushed and stammered an apology, but Trogadon stopped him with a casual wave of his hand, and grinned when Khara suddenly came up to him and gave him a warm hug.

  ‘You free you with own strength’, she said haltingly. ‘Me very happy you’.

  Surprised, Trogadon smiled at the girl and gently returned the hug. Ahren stood there and was annoyed, both at Khara’s poor choice of words and at the warm embrace she had given him.

  The two separated and there was a moment of understanding which even Ahren clearly recognised. Here were two individuals expressing their admiration for each other, both of whom had escaped from slavery, which had pressed them into terrible bondage for so long. Khara bowed, before running back to Jelninolan, and the scene was over.

  Finally they arrived at the entrance that would take them out of the kingdom of the dwarves and lead them into the wild mountains of Kelkor.

  Trogadon led them through a veritable labyrinth, and he seemed to enjoy explaining to them all the traps they passed by. It took them two days to make their way through the tangle of passages with its dead-ends, pitfalls, hidden spears and gullies. When they finally arrived at a smaller, and considerably less decorated version of the Trade Hall, Ahren decided to dig deeper.

  ‘Why is everything so different on this side of the mountain?’ He was looking anxiously at the eight fearsome-looking dwarf guards who were guarding the entrance and in a state of torpidity.

  ‘No outsider can enter the Silver Cliff through the land route’, Trogadon replied quietly. ‘Non-dwarves can’t get past the Little Trade Hall. Anyone who wants to reach the clans must go by sea. It’s a precautionary measure to stop anyone from getting the idea of exploring the route before returning later with an army.’

  He looked thoughtfully at the guards.

  ‘It’s better if we go. The guards that are situated here are generally of a ferocious disposition.’

  And so they quickly stepped out into the light and Ahren immediately became dizzy. For a start the light was particularly glaring following their extended stay in the caves of the dwarves, and apart from that, they now found themselves on a mountain path which wound its way at a great height along the side of a mountain range. As far as the eye could see, Ahren looked at jagged mountains, low-lying valleys, smooth plateaus and raging waterfalls. The whole landscape presented a primal wilderness, one which he had already sensed when he had seen it as they had sailed along the coastline. This impression was further strengthened by the heavy snow that covered everything.

  He looked over at Uldini with concern.

  ‘I thought we had more time, but it’s already winter. Are we too late?’ he asked ruefully.

  Uldini tried to play down the situation.

  ‘In Kelkor it snows for half the year. But you’re right, we’re running out of time. It’s less than a moon to the winter solstice. We need to hurry, not least because we have no pack horses or riding animals and the terrain is difficult.’

  Falk rubbed his beard and looked thoughtfully at the Arch Wizard, who was still talking.

  ‘The first thing we need to do is find someone from the Wild Folk. A fay would be best, they’re the most cheerful. A satyr would suffice too but I’m not sure if his magic would suffice to answer our question. As a last resort, a goblin could help us.’

  Although Ahren was shivering in the cold mountain air, Uldini didn’t seem to be cold in his thin robe. He looked over at the ageless figure enviously, who was just pointing down at a nearby valley.

  ‘We should climb down. It’s reasonably sheltered from the wind and I sense powerful magic. If all goes well, we’ll strike it lucky, before we have to deal with a griffin, a rock partridge or a belligerent giant.’

  Falk nodded and his eyes glazed over.

  ‘Selsena is very near, I can sense her already. Not near enough for a message, but she should be able to sense where we’re heading for.’

  He turned to face the others.

  ‘Before we head downwards, everybody should dress as warmly as possible. It’s better if you wear your clothes rather than carry them on your back.’

  Everyone heeded Falk’s advice and to Ahren’s surprise, the old man changed too. Finally they were all ready, and the old Forest Guardian, was standing before him in his leather armour and wearing the fur cape he had made from the skin of the Fog Cat he had killed many years before in the Eastern Forest.

  Falk noticed Ahren looking at him and approached the young man.

  ‘I’m a Guardian of the Forest and that’s what I’ll always be. Being a Paladin is my destiny, but Forest Guardian is my vocation. And how am I supposed to climb properly and go on reconnaissance missions if I’m wearing my Paladin gear? You and I have a few tiring days ahead of us. We’re going to have to run ahead all the time and explore the area, keeping an eye out for any dangers. Half of the creatures in Kelkor have highly magical natures, they would sense Jelninolan or Uldini if they tried using their clairvoyance. And anyway, we don’t want to have any Dark Ones on our tracks now that we’re outside of the mountains again. So we’re going to have to protect ourselves the old-fashioned way.’

  Even if Ahren was cold and a little anxious, he still gave an inner leap for joy at Falk’s words. The thought of traversing the wilderness with the old man again evoked a feeling of homeland and familiarity, which he had so painfully missed over the previous few weeks.

  He nodded eagerly, while still trying not to appear too enthusiastic. He wanted Falk to know that his apprentice was taking his imminent responsibilities seriously. The old Forest Guardian seemed content, and the two marched wordlessly ahead of their companions and into the wilderness where they were soon to be swallowed by blankets of snow.

  The following two days were cold but clear. A blue sky accompanied the two Forest Guardians and Ahren enjoyed every second of their strenuous excursions. Whenever it was possible, Falk would quiz him on animals, plants, the weather and the wilderness in general. He was generally happy with his apprentice’s answers and in return the young man learned much about the peculiarities of the mountains.

  ‘Be under no illusion. Learning about an area can take your whole life. I am only a semi-informed guest here. But for the moment, you’ll have to make do with the most important facts and figures’, said the old man on one occasion, before they set of
f again.

  They encountered the six-footed track of a Storm Mammoth, and Falk showed Ahren an abandoned Griffin nest. The apprentice looked at the nest, four paces in diameter, in disbelief. It had been built from a combination of twigs and mighty branches and the speckled shells of the recently hatched chicks looked so iridescently beautiful in the noon-day sun that Ahren reached out to touch them. But his master held him back.

  ‘The smell of the eggs sticks to you easily and lasts for weeks. You wouldn’t like a scornful Griffin mother coming after you because you smell of her chicks now, would you?’

  Ahren pulled his hand back at lightning speed and they had continued their march. The majestic beauty of the landscape was breath-taking and Ahren felt better than he had done in a long time.

  ‘According to the priests, Kelkor is the first land the gods created and peopled. That’s why it feels so primordial. Nowhere else has so many creatures. Grief Winds, Golems, Fays, Goblins, whatever. Kelkor is dangerous and unpredictable, but that’s why there are so few Dark Ones in this country. They’d become prey before they knew it’, said Falk one evening, as they were sitting around the camp-fire.

  Ahren absorbed every last piece of information that came from the old Forest Guardian and asked many questions about the creatures that lived here. It seemed to Ahren that with every question Falk answered of his eager student, the old man was becoming more and more like the contented man who two years ago had taken on a shy village youngster as his apprentice.

  ‘I know what you’re up to’, whispered Jelninolan to Ahren on the third evening as she was setting up camp. The young man was about to protest his innocence but then thought the better of it. The elf was very experienced when it came to feelings and knew him too well at this point for lying to be of any benefit at all. And so he decided on an impassive look and remained silent. If she had anything else to say, then no doubt she would.

  Jelninolan started lighting the campfire and smiled good-naturedly.

  ‘You’re improving slowly. When we met first you were always instinctively apologising.’

  She spent a few moments giving the little fire some fuel until the fire was burning steadily.

  ‘I welcome what you’re doing for Falk. It’s important for him to remember what he has achieved in his life as Falk the Forest Guardian. Your master has almost found the balance between what he has to be and what he wants to be. You, Trogadon, Uldini and I are all part of his centuries of development. He has to learn, just as I do, that the way to his goal is to combine both parts of his life and not to ignore one of them.’

  Ahren had watched her carefully during her little lecture and noticed the subtle changes hinted at in Jelninolan’s own person. Her facial features had become softer and rounder and her eyes were not quite as hard as they had been over the previous weeks. The young man could see that the priestess had managed to amalgamate her two identities, the carer and the warrior. Ahren believed that Khara had provided the impetus for this amalgamation. The warrior in Jelninolan admired and fostered the girl’s expertise, and yet there was also no doubt that the one-time slave was in urgent need of a mother-figure. Without her knowing it, Khara had somehow managed to bring both aspects of Jelninolan closer together and they were now one harmonious whole. He was amazed at the emotional depth and the strangeness of the elf’s being and he looked doubtfully over at Falk. There was no doubt it would take longer for his master to achieve his balance.

  She laughed when she saw the expression on his face.

  ‘Give him time and just be his apprentice. He doesn’t need any more from you, and by the THREE, you certainly need a master.’

  Then she ruffled his hair and turned to Khara again, leaving Ahren looking more than a little miffed.

  Chapter 21

  20 days to the winter solstice

  That night Selsena found her way to their camp. Falk had announced that she would be there the following morning, but the Titejunanwa had travelled on after dusk so that she could be at the old man’s side again. As she galloped joyfully, whinnying and with her hooves flashing, up to the weak embers of the dying campfire, there was almost a disaster.

  Trogadon reacted with lightning speed to what he thought was a sudden attack of an unknown creature. The dwarf had been in a state of torpor and therefore wasn’t lying on the ground like the others and so he raised his hammer and raced towards the Elfish warhorse.

  ‘Trogadon, no!’ roared Falk and quickly climbed out from under his blanket.

  The dwarf paused as he was about to strike and Selsena pranced lithely to the side, lowering her head in a threatening posture. Then the two eyed each other suspiciously. Trogadon still had his hammer ready, raised over his right shoulder and ready to strike, and Selsena was ready to charge forward, her horn and the two wooden blades aimed directly at the dwarf’s chest.

  ‘Selsena, may I introduce you to Trogadon? I’ve often told you about each other’, gasped Falk breathlessly, his arms raised in a placatory gesture as he ran between the two opponents.

  The rest of the group gasped, still half-asleep, at the confusing picture before them. Selsena was the first to raise her head, and she sent out a wave of happiness at her reunion with the others, so that all the others had to smile. Except for the dwarf, who remained unmoved and ready for action.

  Falk cleared his throat. ‘He can’t hear you, old girl. Dwarves are more or less immune to empathetic or thought magic. They’re much too stubborn and set in their ways.’ And he gave Trogadon a severe look until the dwarf at last lowered his weapon.

  The miniature warrior had a truculent look on his face.

  ‘You say that as if it’s something bad.’

  He looked at Selsena and then said airily, ‘I apologise, Selsena. He always only used to talk about you when he was drunk and that’s why I thought, if truth be told, you were just a figment of his imagination. There were plenty of braggers among the mercenaries.’

  The Titejunanwa whinnied cheerfully and the others laughed in relief when they sensed Selsena’s happiness.

  Falk scratched his beard indignantly.

  ‘We should all go back to sleep now. Tomorrow is going to be a very testing day. We’ve arrived at the bottom of the valley and we have to keep our eyes peeled for signs of life that might lead us to the Wild Folk.’ With that, the old Forest Guardian lay down again and the others followed suit.

  Ahren looked at Falk for a while and could see that his master was having a silent conversation with Selsena and was smiling. Satisfied, the apprentice curled up under his blanket and fell asleep.

  The following morning the snow came down heavily, reducing their visibility to less than ten paces. It was true that Uldini could strengthen the fire with his magic but it wasn’t much protection against the wind and the snow, as their resting place was relatively exposed. There was nothing for it but to travel onwards.

  Now Falk and Ahren had two tasks they had to complete. Either they had to find the Wild Folk or a secure encampment which could offer the travelling party better protection. It was a pretty critical situation and so with a heavy heart Falk decided to let Ahren go on by himself, with the strict proviso that the apprentice turn back should there be any sign of danger.

  Ahren was delighted at the faith the old man had put in him, however reluctantly. And so the apprentice and Culhen stalked through the snow-covered wilderness, eyes concentrated on every bush and every crevice in the rocks. The wolf had his nose in the air and he sniffed curiously whenever Ahren stood under the shelter of a tree.

  Time passed, and only when the late afternoon sun was struggling to break through a thick cover of cloud did Ahren find success. At the bottom of the face of the mountain, which they had been descending for the last few days along a narrow path, was a cave which seemed large enough to provide a refuge for all the travelling party. It was true that there was a musky scent within, but it seemed that its occupants had moved on, or fallen victim to some of the hostile wildlife in the area, for
it was empty and the scent was old.

  Ahren excitedly took note of the spot and they made their way back, taking care to remember points along the way so that he could find the place quickly again.

  It had been agreed that the others would go in a south-westerly direction until the Forest Guardians had returned, and just as it was getting dark Ahren reached his companions, who were warming themselves around a small fire they had lit behind a jagged rock.

  They greeted him with questioning and hopeful looks as he squeezed in between them and warmed his numb hands at the fire. Their relief when he silently nodded was tangible, and Ahren was filled with pride.

  ‘There’s a really cosy cave about seven furlongs from here. Uldini will have to light us, but it’s worth taking the risk. As soon as Falk is back, we can go.’

  ‘I am back’, a voice said above him, and Ahren instinctively looked up. His master was sitting in one of the nearby trees and had been keeping watch. He had hidden himself up the trunk, squeezed in among the branches. Now he slowly lowered himself and stood among the others.

  ‘Good work, boy. I had no luck looking for a place for us to rest and I wasn’t really happy about us lighting a fire in so open a place. But if you hadn’t been successful then this spot would have had to do’, he said in a low voice. ‘Uldini, create only as much light as enables us to barely see, and keep it low to the ground. Ahren, quench the fire and with as little smoke as possible. Jelninolan, Selsena sense for living beings in the surroundings but do it as gently as possible. We need to know if anything is approaching us, even if it does increase our risk of being discovered. Khara and Trogadon, you secure the flanks. Ahren leads, I’ll stay at the rear and keep our backs free. And the wolf keeps his nose to the wind’, commanded the Forest Guardian in hushed tones.

  In no time at all they were on their way, and Ahren had his hands full, trying to make out the route to their place of refuge in the dim light. Uldini kept the light extremely small, and on more than one occasion Ahren had to ask him to float it over to a particular rock or tree so he could make out if they were still going in the right direction.