Votrex nodded. “Aye lad, we’ll walk it for a few hundred yards then return.
So they set off, the road was very overgrown, the main indicator that there was a road here at some point was the gap in the trees, the road was grassed over. As they walked the track, the greenery got denser, implying they were heading into the forest and away from the Great Divide. Satisfied that it was probably the right direction they turned back and retraced their steps back to the small-holding. Sure enough when the got back and Votrex lined off the new shadow point to his original mark it appeared they had been heading west
By the time they’d roused Vashni, who had exhausted herself again with her whispering, it was early afternoon. As it was time to leave, it was time to bury Elira. At Vashni’s instruction loose stones from one of the more tumble-down cottages was laid into a flat bed on which to place her. Brael bore her tearfully from the cottage which they had spent the night in, to the stones and placed her carefully down. She looked at peace now, but also strangely unbalanced, her missing limbs a stark reminder of the horrors in Beren’Gedt Holt. Vashni instructed them to pile stones over her now, which they began to do. As Brael worked he thought and stopped the others from piling the stones over her lifeless torso. “Wait, she was a warrior, she should be buried with a weapon.
Korhan shuffled awkwardly, only he and Vashni had managed to leave the Warren with a weapon, in Korhan’s case Harbinger and Vashni’s her rapier like blade. Brael sighed. “Do not worry Avil, I will give her my dagger, tis the least I can do.
Korhan rested a hand on Brael’s shoulder. “You gave her more than that Brael, you gave her hope, and you gave her the opportunity to strike back at her captors. She appreciated that I think.
Brael took his dagger out and placed it in her remaining hand, rigor mortis had started to set in, so her fingers were stiff, but he wrapped them around the handle as best he could, with the blade pointing upwards. She did not need to be armed to face the afterlife, there was no afterlife, but symbolically it seemed right. “You may be right Avil.
They continued piling the stones, until she was covered except her face. Brael stroked her hair a final time and muttered under his breath as a solitary tear landed on her face. “Farewell Elira, I am sorry for all that has befallen you.
With that he lifted the last stone into place covering her face forever. Vashni whispered to the stones, to start the gradual process of them forming into a seamless stone coffin. She added an instruction for an inscription to appear too. ‘Here lies Elira, warrior maiden of the gravian, she fought bravely and died well.’
It was simple but seemed just. It seemed the right message for her
The death toll of their adventure was rising, Silus, Harald, Tam Briarly and his wife, Callen and now Elira. Now they were back in the relative safety of the forest the grim truth was creeping back into their consciousness. In the Warren, it had been pushed to the back of their minds by the constant thoughts of self-preservation, and the nagging fear of being captured by the Verkreath. The toll of their adventure was greater than lives lost alone, having had to abandon their steeds in Strak, the bulk of their possessions in the Warren before they’d entered Beren’Gedt Holt and now even the majority of their weapons at the bottom of the well
The walk along the wooded, grassy track was taken with a heavy heart. Thoughts of the hardship they’d face and the deaths they’d witnessed were running through the heads of each of them. Aches and pains of their freshly healed wounds punctuated every step. They were tired, hungry, and thirsty, in pain and traumatized by their recent experience - but they were alive
Eventually, as predicted they reached the main road from Briem to Cormaroth, a wide, cobbled road that was generally in a reasonable state of repair. Looking over their shoulders back towards the abandoned smallholding it was difficult to even see where they’d come from
Korhan unslung harbinger from his back. “Wait here, we should mark the way. It may be that we wish to return to the well at some point.
Votrex nodded. “Aye lad, put a cross on that tree.
He approached a prominent tree and cut a large, neat cross into the bark with harbinger, then replaced his sword on his back. “Tis done, now, we need to head left if we are to make our way to Cormaroth. There should be coaches or carts travelling this road, hopefully we can hitch a ride.
Saul looked wistfully up the road to their right. “Shouldn’t Briem be in that direction? The Berger owes us a favour, we may be able to acquire some horses-
Vashni shook her head. “We don’t know how far Briem is, in that direction, or even for sure IF Briem is in that direction, let us head south. The sooner I get my pay and I can get clean and some fresh clothes the better.
There were murmurs of agreement and the band started trudging south along the road. They’d walked a torturous mile or so when a cart rumbled towards them over the brow of the hill behind them. It was a hay cart with a man who looked like a simple farmer at the reins. Saul stepped into the road and raised a hand, causing him to slow and stop. “Ho! Where are you headed traveller?
The farmer eyed him suspiciously. “To Dirsh, then on to Cairna.
Korhan stepped up. “You’ve just come from Briem? How far north is Briem from here?
“Hmmph, two days on horseback. If you’re looking to get to town it would be quicker to head across country to Trest, a day on horseback west of here?
The warriors shuddered softly and looked at each other. Saul smiled. “I’m afraid we need to get to Cormaroth as quickly as possible, I wonder, could we trouble you for a ride as far south as Cairna? I shall give you a silver piece for your trouble?
“Aye, I can take you down to Cairna, it’s over a day to Dirsh though, and I have some affairs to attend to in Dirsh, as long as you don’t mind stopping for a bit on the way.
Brael stepped towards the cart, opening his mouth to speak, causing the man to gasp and almost whip his reins. “That suits us, we need to replenish our supplies anyway.
“Gravian!
Votrex stepped forward. “Aye, if you ever wanted to spend some time with the ‘magical races’ then today is your lucky day traveller.
Vashni, the hood on her cloak down, displaying her long pointed ears walked forwards next. “Indeed it is.
The man was stunned, frozen to the spot. He’d met the odd dwarf in Cormaroth and on his travels, but ferrying a dwarf and elf and a dark elf in his cart was something he hadn’t envisaged doing. In the dim light of the late afternoon he’d not noticed their races initially. Still a silver coin was a silver coin. “Well? Climb aboard then.
Saul smiled. “Thank you.
As he spoke the warriors were hauling themselves up onto the cart. It was carrying bales of hay and some farming tools, but there was plenty of room for them at the back. They lined the cart, backs up against the sides. There was enough loose hay for it to make a fairly comfortable seat
As the cart rumbled down the road, jogging its weary passengers back and forth, the sun was getting ready to set. Clearly they’d be on the road all night. It didn’t matter, thoughts were a mixture of weariness and sadness at comrades lost, and horror at what they’d witnessed and survived. Korhan was thinking about Harald more than any, he had not been troubled so by Haralds death back at Thrax’s lair. He’d felt Harald had earned his place in Kirkfell, but what if Brael was right, that there was no Kirkfell? It was a deeply saddening thought. The only solace he could find in it was that Harald wouldn’t be around, to know that he was not around, so the sadness in death was exclusively borne by those who were left behind to grieve
Votrex, was still haunted by the horrors of Beren’Gedt Holt, the tanned dwarf hides over the dwelling entrance where they had found Elira, the Verkreath’s ‘living larder’ full of dwarves, staring mournfully out of their prison cells at their ransacked home. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, desperately hoping to return to Beren’Gedt Holt with the means of repelling the Verkreath and freeing the victims of the Verk
reath’s ‘living larder’, re-taking the Holt for dwarves
Vashni, for her part was simply glad to be above ground again, and she felt glad to have found companionship in a form. Yes it was born out of shared hardships, but for the first time since she’d fled Eldenizar, she felt that she was with people who cared about her welfare. Despite herself, she decided she cared about their welfare too; her barriers and defences that prevented people from getting to know her had now been lowered to the members of their group. She decided, as soon as the sun was up again, she would have to continue training her Ri§ine again. During their flight from Thrax’s lair there had not really been the opportunity, she would have to make up for lost time from tomorrow onwards
Saul was thinking about the heart stones, the Empress, Callen, ‘The Truth’. His thoughts were a mess, he had so much to think about, and he did not believe he could sleep despite his tiredness. The fact was, having set out to slay the dragon; they had succeeded, but were returning with news of two major threats to the Empire, the Servant of the Flame and the Verkreath. Empress Jade would likely not be pleased; he only hoped she did not decide to ‘shoot the messenger’
Brael rested his back against the side of the cart, and felt it bump him forwards and back as the road undulated and the wheels of the cart bounced of the cobbles of the road. He could think of one thing - Elira. Who had she been? What had her life been like before the fall of society, before the revelation of ‘the truth’? He ached, to have known her, to have been able to save her or better still to have prevented her from undergoing the terrible fate that had befallen her. He knew it was irrational, he’d not known her, she should have meant nothing to him, and she’d hated him. However to Brael, Elira represented all of gravian society. As the Verkreath had destroyed her, they had destroyed Durth Orza and possibly all of the gravian cities in the underdeep. He consciously, methodically set himself two tasks, firstly to regain access to magic, somehow. Secondly to kill all the Verkreath in Torea, to wipe them out to the last one, it seemed harsh, but no creatures so cruel and evil should be allowed to live, as it stood he could see no argument for allowing the Verkreath race to flourish. He smiled softly to himself, his eyes closed, his heart full of sadness for Elira, thinking,’yes, the Verkreath must die.’
- To be continued...
Korhan son of Brian, Vashni, Votrex Vaughn Gorthok of Durgheim Holt, Brael Truthseeker of House Krazic and Saul Karza, emissary of the empress will return in Deathsworn Arc 3 : The Temple of the Mad God.
In ‘The Temple of the Mad God’ the companions finally make it back to Cormaroth to receive their reward. Whilst there, they learn more about the entwined histories of Saul Karza and Empress Jade. After recovering from their ordeals, Votrex manages to convince the companions to accompany him to Durgheim Holt to test ‘Thrax’ word of unlocking and finally recover his ancestral home. There in they find the temple of the mad god and what they find there will change their destinies forever.
Deathsworn Arc: 02 - The Verkreath Horror Page 19