The Stars of Areon (The Chronicles of Areon Book 1)

by Aaron J. Ethridge

  “We need to find a place that's dry enough to light a fire and sit down for a few minutes,” the knight stammered through slightly cyanotic lips.

  “I agree with you, lad,” the bard chuckled. “If you see a place, let us know.”

  The valiant Telian spent the remainder of the long wet day searching for some suitable place to stop and rest, but none presented itself. The wind whipped the rain around with such skill that not an inch of dry ground could be found under any of the many spreading trees they passed. The large rocks that occasionally stood along their path were equally covered with water on all sides and each seemed surrounded by its own little protective moat.

  Perhaps an hour before the sun sank below the horizon, the party once again found itself walking alongside a stone cliff. However, this one was of more diminutive proportions and was roughly fifteen feet from top to bottom. The drenched knight plodded along as close as he could to the natural wall, thankful for the fact that he was, at least partially, shielded from the renewed wind. Just before nightfall, the group found itself standing outside the mouth of a cave that nature herself had dug into the cliff.

  It was with thanks for answered prayers that Darian stared into the dark mouth of the cavern before him. Already, in his imagination, he stood beside a crackling fire, drying his clothes and eating something hot as the cave was filled with warmth and light. The idea took such a strong hold of his mind that, for a moment, he just stood there smiling. However, a sudden change in the wind whipped a torrent of ice cold rain against the cliff face and brought him quickly back to reality.

  “Well, let's get in,” he said, taking a step toward the cave mouth.

  “Hold on,” Erana replied, grabbing the young knight by the arm. “We don't know what's in there.”

  “At the moment, we're not,” Kilren said, taking a step closer himself. “That seems to be Darian's main concern.”

  “I suppose the embrace of a bear would warm you up,” Erana observed.

  This stopped the rogue in his tracks.

  “She's right, lad,” Ian nodded. “One of us should go take a look to see if it's safe.”

  “I'll go,” Erana volunteered, “After all, this is more my province.”

  Without another word, she strung her bow and ducked into the cave.

  “Do you need any light?” Kilren called in after her, but he was answered only by silence.

  With quiet patience, the remainder of the party waited for some sign that they could enter or that they should flee. Minutes passed in silence. Kilren was on the verge of going inside to make certain Erana was safe when her voice came echoing out of the cave.

  “Darian! I need you!” she exclaimed.

  Immediately, both the Telian and the rogue stepped boldly into the cavern and drawing their weapons. Their eyes met nothing more than darkness.

  “Where are you?” Kilren shouted.

  “I'm right here,” the shadows seemed to reply with the beautiful ranger's voice. “Darian, you won't need your sword.”

  Ian stepped in behind the pair and stared into the darkness.

  “Ah,” he said, moving further into the cavern. “It seems you've found a friend.”

  As he disappeared from view, a low growling filled the air.

  “Shhh,” Erana whispered. “He's injured and very frightened.”

  “Where are you?” the rogue asked again.

  “Straight in front of you!” Erana exclaimed. “Are you blind?”

  “In this light, they are, my dear,” Ian replied.

  The dwarvish bard sang part of a very merry tune, and light suddenly shot from a stone held aloft in his hand. He was perhaps fifty feet ahead of his companions and standing near Erana – who was kneeling beside a wolf of rather large proportions.

  “Please come help me, Darian,” the ranger implored the young knight. “His front leg is shattered.”

  Darian strode quickly to her side. As he did so, the wolf bared its teeth and tried to raise itself from the ground.

  “Shhh,” The elvish maiden whispered again, stroking the creature's thick fur. “He's a friend.”

  The Telian glanced down at the injured beast. Shattered was certainly the best way to describe the poor animal's leg. Still, he could heal it – provided his hand wasn't ripped apart in the attempt. He reached slowly toward the growling wolf and gently touched its injured leg. In an instant, the power of the Eilian restored both bone and flesh alike and the animal leapt to its feet. Erana restrained the struggling beast, speaking softly in its ear. The wolf's tense muscles slowly relaxed and it cautiously crept into the furthest reaches of the cavern. There, the ranger knelt beside it; gently stroking the creature until it laid its head in her lap and drifted quietly off to sleep.

  With the cavern's single occupant under control, the rest of the party entered. Before long, a pile of soaking wet wood lay in the center of the rough stone floor. Ian stared at the flint and steel he had drawn from his bag. With a shake of his head, he turned to the sorceress.

  “Sarena, my dear,” he said, pointing at the would-be fire. “If you wouldn't mind?”

  “Certainly, master bard,” she replied with a smile, before bending over and gently blowing on the pile.

  The soaking wood burst into flames; causing light and warmth to suddenly fill the cavern. Darian immediately began removing his armor; trying his best to dry his clothes before the merry flames. Ian pulled a ball of twine from his bag along with a couple of steel pins. Moments later, a clothesline – hung with damp cloaks – was strung beside the fire. Once again, Ian produced his little pot and began preparing a soup that consisted of dried meat and whatever herbs remained from what Erana had collected earlier.

  As soon as the meal was ready, Kilren borrowed a bowl from Ian and filled it with the delicious smelling fare before heading into the recesses of the cave.

  “Here,” he said, offering the small bowl to the fair ranger.

  “Thank you!” she exclaimed, setting the steaming dish on the ground and awakening the sleeping animal.

  She pushed the bowl in his direction and, in seconds, it was empty.

  “That was actually meant for you,” the rogue explained, staring down at the giant wolf with a single raised eyebrow.

  “Well, he's far hungrier than I am,” she replied, smiling up at Kilren. “Either way, you have my thanks.”

  “Good boy,” Kilren said softly, reaching his hand slowly toward the giant animal's head.

  The wolf instantly jerked around and snapped at the rogue's outstretched hand. Had Kilren been a bit slower or the wolf a bit faster, the Telian would have had another patient to attend to. Kilren's dexterity, however, saved him once more. He slowly stepped away from the beast.

  “So, when are you going to send him back to the wild?” the rogue asked.

  “I don't know,” the ranger replied, working once again to calm the beast. “He still needs a bit of looking after. We'll see how he is in a week.”

  “A week?!” the rogue exclaimed.

  “At least,” Erana nodded.

  “Well...” Kilren began, attempting to take a seat beside the fair ranger.

  As soon as he did so, the wolf leapt to its feet. The rogue also sprang up; glaring at the furiously growling animal in silence.

  “You had better give us some space for a little while,” Erana said, turning her attention to the rogue. “He's still very frightened.”

  “He looks it,” Kilren replied, staring at the beast's bared teeth.

  “He'll get used to you in a day or two,” she smiled. “Just give him time to realize you're not a threat.”

  “What if I think he's a threat?” Kilren replied, turning to make his way back to the fire.

  “Perfect!” the bard said, carefully considering his hat. “I was afraid that, when I fell in the stream, some water might have gotten to it; but, no, it's fine. Of course, that's more than I can say for the rest of my attire. Ah well, it can't be helped. How is the beast?”

 
; “Vicious!” Kilren vented, sitting down beside his dwarvish friend.

  “Well, that's to be expected, I suppose,” the bard nodded.

  “She plans on keeping it with us,” the rogue said, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb.

  “I'm sure,” the bard replied with another nod.

  “What will we feed it?” Kilren asked, a rising inflection in his voice.

  “That's a fair question,” Ian replied, scratching his chin beneath his beard. “In truth, I wonder what we're to feed us as well. I should have taken more time with the fishing yesterday. I know generally where we are, but I'm not sure when we're going to be able to restock our supplies. We need to dig up some more food.”

  “I'm sure we can find something in the morning,” Darian optimistically observed.

  “Aye, I'm sure we can,” the bard agreed.

  As the rest of the party sat talking, Erana slowly moved toward them; the wolf following close at her heels.

  “Ian, if you would come with me for an hour or two, I could use your help,” she said, leading the beast around the fire and toward the mouth of the cavern.

  “Certainly, my dear, anything you need,” the bard replied, grabbing his cloak from the line.

  “Do you need me?” Kilren asked.

  “Not for this,” the ranger shook her head. “I'm afraid it'll be too dark for you.”

  The elvish maiden stepped into the darkness outside, followed quickly by the dwarf.

  “Figures...” the rogue said, shaking his head and stretching himself out beside the fire.

  It was less than an hour before the dwarf strode back into the light filled cavern; a deer draped across his shoulders.

  “It looks like the food problems are taken care of,” Ian said, laying the dead animal on the floor.

  “Excellent!” Tealor replied, rubbing his hands together. “I love fresh venison!”

  “Where's Erana?” Kilren asked with a note of concern in his voice.

  “Here,” she answered, stepping into the light and leading the wolf past the sprawling party members.

  Within minutes, the game was cleaned and steaming hunks of meat were roasting around the fire. It was a very welcome addition to the soup they had consumed just an hour before and there was more than enough for all to eat their fill – including the starving wolf.

  “So,” Tealor began as he finished his first hunk of roasted meat, “this should keep us well fed between here and Olinnor. From there, we'll be able to pick up a few more supplies. Then, we'll head through the mountains and straight on to Andor's fortress. Even taking such a roundabout way, we should be able to reach it in four or five days.”

  “Do you think it'll be wise to go into the village?” Ian asked, glancing over at his companion.

  “I don't see why not,” the warrior replied.

  “I think, my love, that Ian is afraid we may put the wolves back on our scent,” Sarena observed. “I feel inclined to agree with him.”

  Tealor sat in silence for more than a minute.

  “I do take your point,” he replied slowly, “but, honestly, I don't think we have a choice. The village lies in a valley right in the middle of the trail I intend to take. We could go around it, but it would take us days.”

  “Ah,” Ian said, filling his pipe, “I see. Well, could we skirt around it?”

  “Possibly,” the warrior replied, shaking his head. “But, we'll almost certainly be seen. I think we'll be far less conspicuous if we just pass right through. They may not have even heard that Galrin's looking for us. Really, come to that, they don't have any great love for Valrak in the first place. There's a good chance that, even if they knew, they wouldn't put him back on our trail.”

  “All things considered, it's probably worth the risk,” the bard conceded. “But, I don't think we should stay there any longer than we have to.”

  “No, I agree,” Tealor replied, “We'll set up camp early tomorrow and head into the village the following morning. We can pick up supplies and be on our way before most of the populace is even awake.”

  “Aye, that's the thing to do,” Ian nodded. “Well, after I finish this pipe, I'm off to sleep – at least, if you don't mind taking the first watch?”

  “Not at all,” Tealor replied with a smile. “It's my turn anyway.”

  Chapter 10: Righteous Wrath

  As the hours of the night passed away, so did the storm. The first light of dawn revealed a blue and cloudless sky. Most of the little band lay sprawled around the last lingering embers of the dying fire. Erana and Kilren, however, were not amongst their friends. The elvish maiden slept wirh her head beside that of the massive wolf she had befriended in the furthest recesses of the cavern. The rogue sat at its very mouth surveying the new day; a broad smile on his face.

  He took one last look at the beautiful scene and one last breath of the fragrant morning air before heading back into the cavern to begin the job of waking his sleeping companions. In just a few minutes, their breakfast was ended and their journey resumed. The party left their shelter to be greeted by a world freshly washed by the storm. The air itself seemed clearer and more alive than usual. The scent of pine, never completely absent from the region, filled the cool air and gave one the impression that mother nature was now both bathed and perfumed.

  A morning that began as cool, but not cold, quickly passed into an afternoon that was warm, but not hot. Kilren decided to desert his normal post and take up his position near Darian and Gwendolyn. It was obvious that Erana didn't need his company for the time being. She was far too busy caring for her new canine companion. Also, the beast had made it more than clear that his company wasn't welcome.

  “He won't let me near her,” Kilren complained, renewing the main theme of his day's conversation.

  “So you said,” Darian sighed, having heard the details several times already.

  “He snapped at me again first thing this morning!” the rogue exclaimed.

  “I know it,” the young Telian nodded.

  “He had already eaten half that deer she killed for him,” Kilren continued, throwing his hands in the air. “You'd think he'd have had enough meat without trying to rip bits off me.”

  “You'd think so,” the knight replied, once again nodding his head.

  “Why don't you try feeding him something?” Gwendolyn suggested for the third time that day.

  “I don't know...” the rogue replied, shaking his head. “I don't really want him associating me with food.”

  At this, the knight laughed loudly.

  “Honestly, she ought to let the thing go,” the rogue said vehemently, looking back over his shoulder at the fair elf and the large wolf at her side. “It belongs in the wild!”

  “Well, that's not likely to happen,” Darian replied. “At least, not for a while. You know she wants to make sure he can take care of himself – and maybe even introduce him into another pack – before she 'throws him to the wolves', as it were.”

  Kilren glared at the knight in silence for a moment.

  “Very witty,” he said with a hint of disdain. “Anyway, this is ridiculous. What are we going to do with him when we come to the next village? No inn keeper in all of Areon is going to let her bring that animal into his establishment.”

  “That's a good point,” the knight admitted, casting his own glance back at the unique pair.

  “I'm sure she'll sleep wherever he has to sleep,” Gwendolyn observed. “If they won't let him inside, she'll sleep out in the woods.”

  “That's just silly,” Kilren retorted. “He doesn't need her to babysit him and she certainly doesn't need to be sleeping out in the wilds alone.”

  “Well, if she has to, I'll stay with her, so she won't be alone,” the young maiden replied firmly.

  “I think we all would,” Darian asserted. “Not that she would really need us to. Either way, Kilren, the animal is here to stay for the moment. The only thing you can do is try to befriend him.”

  “I guess y
ou're right,” the rogue moaned, dropping his head as he spoke.

  Having said this, he lessened his pace and pulled a chunk of cooked meat from his pack. As Erana and the wolf drew near, he held out the roasted venison, hoping to encourage the beast to take it. He was met with deep growls and bared teeth. Once again, the animal snapped at his outstretched hand.

  “Just leave him alone for a while,” Erana said, wrapping her arms around the agitated animal.

  “No, he needs to get to know me,” Kilren replied.

  “He will in time,” she smiled. “He's just scared of you.”

  “Why would he be?” he asked. “I haven't touched him!”

  “Well, then, maybe he thinks you're afraid of him,” she speculated.

  “Well, if he does, he's...” Kilren began, reaching out toward the beast.

  Once again, the animal lashed out at the young rogue and, once again, he avoided its flashing teeth. This time, however, he accidentally dropped his offering of food at the ferocious animal's feet. The wolf showed no signs that he had seen it and stood just as he had before; teeth bared and growling loudly.

  “...wrong,” the rogue continued, completing his sentence after a moment's silence.

  “Honestly, Kilren,” Erana said, shaking her head. “Just give him a few days.”

  “Alright, fine,” the rogue replied through his teeth, stepping away from the snarling beast.

  As soon as he did so, the wolf lowered his head and quickly devoured the piece of meat that lay on the ground before him.

  “Figures...” Kilren said, shaking his head.

  Just a few hours after the young rogue's failed attempt to befriend the giant wolf, the little band stopped for the night. The sun was still in the sky and, had the party had any desire, they could have continued marching for quite a while. However, Tealor wanted to pick up supplies in the village of Olinnor, which lay just ahead, and felt it would be best to pass through during the early hours of the morning.

  The spot on which they decided to camp was fairly level considering they were already in the lower regions of the mountains. The area was covered with a natural carpet of soft green grass, offering the companions the promise of a good night's sleep. Before the sun was completely behind the mountains, the party was gathered around a crackling fire. Shortly after the blaze was lit, the scent of cooking food filled the air and soon the well-fed band lay stretched upon the ground waiting for sleep to overtake them.