Although Galdrac would have liked a few soldiers and maybe an arcanist or two, he knew one druid was all he really needed and had to settle for as much. Balin told him that he would have the druid ready and waiting within in the hour and that they could leave the city via the escape tunnels which the dwarfs had built underneath Durn Raldun. Apparently beneath their very feet was a labyrinth of such passageways leading out to various parts of the countryside beyond.
After regathering his things and stocking up on supplies, Galdrac with Leyna’s staff strapped to his back and his own held tightly in hand strolled over to where he was supposed to meet the dwarf druid. Awaiting him was a much younger person than he thought, and was already thinking him a waste of time before he had even had a chance to speak. Nevertheless, Galdrac greeted the dwarf with a handshake and introduced himself accordingly.
“My name is Mazen. Pleased to make your acquaintance Galdrac,” the dwarf replied far more politely than most of his race appeared to be.
“I believe you want to head through the south tunnel,” the dwarf said leading the way down a set of what Galdrac thought endless stone steps. “I need to track an elven lady, and it is imperative I do so quickly.”
“We’ll find her don’t you worry about that,” came a rather dismissive sounding reply. Galdrac thought if this dwarf was thinking their task was an easy one, then he would soon be in for a huge surprise.
The tunnels were unsurprisingly dark, and Galdrac was impressed, just a little, as the dwarf druid managed to produce a small glow on the end of his short-staff to light the way for them. As good as the dwarfs were in building and engineering such things, Galdrac did wish they would take other races into consideration when undertaking such projects. While the tunnels were indeed well made, with bricked walls and a curved stone ceiling, he did wish they would make the damn things a little taller. As it was, he was constantly having to duck just ever so slightly to avoid the top of his head scraping on the roof. Fortunately, the tunnel journey was not a particularly long one, although the hike up the next set of stone steps more than compensated for that.
Mazen appeared to be, at least at first, understanding as Galdrac struggled with the relentless climb, pausing every now and then for him to catch up. When eventually they reached level ground he decided it was time for a break, if only to enable him to catch his breath. “I’m not as young you,” he said using his staff to prop himself up, breathing heavily.
“Not to worry Galdrac we’re almost there,” Mazen said stepping over and patting him on the back. Galdrac just rolled his eyes ever so slightly thinking this was going to be a difficult trip. Having to rely on a druid was one thing, having one that was a disrespectful youth was another.
After the steps, they arrived at a large metal gate that was clearly designed not to be accessed quickly. Fortunately, Balin had seen fit to give Mazen a large key which the druid produced from within his tunic hanging on a leather cord draped around his neck. Several minutes had passed before they were actually able to move on again. Not only did they have to unlock four locks on this gate, but the same again on two other such gates that barred their way a little further along.
Eventually, Mazen pointed them towards another set of steps that led up to a doorway, which in turn finally saw them leaving the dimness of the tunnels and into the welcoming, if chilly, outside. The sun was already nearing its zenith, and Galdrac felt annoyed he had wasted half a day already, and not yet even started his search for Leyna.
They had barely travelled a few minutes when Galdrac was forced to stop again, as Mazen needed to call for the animal linked to him. Fortunately, within a few moments, he spotted a grey shape bounding up towards them. “It’s a dog!” Galdrac said sarcastically.
“It’s a hound,” The dwarf replied.
“Whatever! Looks like a scrawny mutt to me. Is it going to be able to track the scent from this?” Galdrac said pointing to Leyna’s staff strapped to his back. Mazen looked a little offended by the remark, but Galdrac did not care.
Hoping enough of Leyna’s scent was still on the staff, the mage was forced to wait again as the animal appeared to take forever in sniffing the stick, then the air, then the stick again, all the time being commanded by the dwarf druid as to what it was they were searching for. After rolling his eyes back and mumbling something about druids being a complete waste of time, Galdrac was caught a little flat-footed as the hound suddenly darted off towards the trees. “Come on Galdrac, he’s got something. Keep up!” Mazen shouted already running after his hound.
Galdrac grumbled again, as he set off at a quick walking pace, and while that was reasonably fast, he had no intention of running, not at his age. The hound apparently called Madra, looked as if it needed a hair cut, as its scruffy grey coat hung from its body. Both hound and dwarf were forced to stop and wait as Galdrac reiterated his stance about not running; they may be in a hurry but as he advised them, slow and steady was good enough.
Madra weaved between trees, across babbling streams and frost covered fields, stopping every now and then to sniff the air as if just checking the direction he needed to go. The sun was getting low in the sky by the time the hound finally came to a stop and let out a loud bark. Mazen turned to Galdrac, “Over there!” he said pointing to a large fortified looking building.
“You sure?”
“This is where the scent leads to,” Mazen said showing a little annoyance at the mage doubting him again.
Knowing that it would soon be getting dark, and with the temperatures already dropping further than was comfortable, Galdrac had a decision to make. Either they tried to gain access to the building now not knowing what lay within or they found shelter somewhere else and reviewed the situation in the morning. After giving it several minutes thought, weighing up the pro’s and cons of both, he decided that rushing in unprepared was surely a good way to die, not something he planned on doing just yet.
After discussing his plans with Mazen, the young dwarf appeared somewhat disappointed they were waiting around, particularly since he had found the scent trail so quickly and efficiently; something he had not even been thanked for. Nevertheless, he did not argue and suggested what looked like a disused farmhouse about half a mile off to their left, situated near one of the stream’s they had crossed.
Galdrac nodded that was probably for the best, and although knowing they would not be able to have a fire to warm themselves, they would at least be out of the chilly winds that were biting through him. The farmhouse appeared to have been lived in quite recently, but the signs of dried blood still on the wooden floor indicated whoever that had been had not met with a happy ending.
Apart from some of the furniture being turned up on its side, further indication that a struggle had taken place here, the house was in good condition. Cups and plates still stood neatly along a shelf, and there was even food still left in the small dark pantry, and while some of it was not edible, there were several sealed jars that probably were, although Galdrac had already decided he would stick with the food he was carrying in his pack. The linen on the beds still looked clean, and the drawers in the bedroom still contained freshly laundered clothes, neatly folded away.
While Galdrac thought they would probably be safe, he asked Mazen to have the hound remain with them, utilising the animal’s better senses and hopefully forewarning them should anything untoward decide to make an appearance. If Leyna was being held in the fortified building just half-a-mile away then there it was quite likely that there would be dozens of balgraf in the area. Moreover, if it had been Abalyon responsible for her kidnapping, then there was always a chance they might well bump into him as well, something Galdrac wanted to avoid if at all possible.
After eating a supper of cheese, ham and bread, followed by an apple, Galdrac settled down to rest. Wrapping a blanket he had found in the bedroom, he found comfort in one of the cushioned chairs in the main living area of the house. The beds may have been relatively clean, but the thought of sleeping i
n one who’s owners had just become deceased did not seem right, even for him.
He closed his eyes, letting his thoughts wander. Finley, he assumed must be close to the dragons by now, if not already there, and he wondered how the lad was getting on. He thought back to the boy he had first met in the forests of the human lands, thinking the lad a complete imbecile. Little did he know back then, that the same foolish boy, naive to the ways of the world, would turn out to be the most powerful sorcerer he had ever known. While the kid still had much to learn, even now Galdrac had seen enough to recognise greatness when he saw it.
Everything Meldra had predicted thus far seemed to have come to fruition, although a heads-up about Leyna getting taken might have been helpful. The fight against the darkness was gathering pace, and the stakes seemingly getting higher. Having fought various variations of balgraf since he had been a young mage, the sudden leap in their evolution had him worried. Had Meldra not convinced him that Finley was the one to save them, he would have seriously been thinking this was the time the darkness would succeed. However, so long as that young boy existed and continued to show new skills he felt there was a chance that this could also be the time where they might vanquish the forces of Abalyon forever.
Chapter 18.
Akeev had gathered his belongings that morning and took the risky move out into the barren wasteland. This was not the land of his ancestors known simply as ‘The Wastes’ these were slightly different. While the landscape was still bereft of much of anything, here and there small signs of life still scraped an existence if you knew where to look.
The young troll was unsure exactly where he was, nor was he certain as to why the taint of the darkness had not affected this area as severely as the lands further south. Even the ruins that lay here about appeared not as old as those he had discovered in The Wastes, indicating that this area had sustained life in more recent times; although from what he had found, still some considerable number of years ago.
Having taken as much water as he could carry, he knew he would have to use it sparingly, as would the food he had caught around the coast and now carried in his bag. With his new sword hanging at his waist on one side and his magic stick hanging from the other, Akeev felt surprisingly optimistic about life despite wandering the tainted lands of the darkness. Since his run-in with the beast that had chased him to the edge of the sea, but had managed to dispatch with his magic stick, he had not seen anything else thus far that had threatened his life.
He had spotted one or two of the flying beasts off in the far distance, but aside from those he had remained anonymous to the world. With no idea where he was going or to what purpose, Akeev kind of just strolled, letting his legs carry him forever onwards. While always on the look out for old settlements, an area where he knew he would likely find drinkable water he felt he just needed to keep moving inland.
As to why he felt compelled to wander across the one place that his people had avoided since nearly becoming extinct all those years ago, he had no idea. The previous night had again seen the strange images in his mind, and he was now convinced there must be a deeper meaning to them. The same orc and strange looking four legged animal were both in his dreams once more, and although this may have just been coincidence, Akeev did not think so. This theory was backed up when he noticed the orc was now in new surroundings, and no longer walking amongst the lush grasses of a distant land, but in a landscape which appeared very similar to his own. So convinced was he that this orc was heading his way, he had now started looking out for him, just in case he happened to stroll into view.
After stopping very briefly to take on a little of his food and water, Akeev spotted another ruined settlement just a few miles further on. Although not huge, it looked like it might suffice for his needs, and could be somewhere he could settle down for the night.
Akeev stopped suddenly as he heard a sound. He listened carefully moving his head just slightly trying to judge from which direction it had come from. He turned his gaze slightly right, to an area of that he had assumed was just thorny shrubs. However, now he was a little closer he realised his mistake and quickly crouched down to avoid the risk of being seen.
Feeling his heart pumping harder, he looked about for somewhere to hide, although the ruins off in the distance seemed to be the only logical place. Currently in the middle of nowhere, only keeping low would give him a chance to remain unseen, as he spotted the first of the strange creatures, similar to the one that had given chase to him. Now he was looking properly he could see there were much more, stretching further than he had first envisaged, and knew even with his magic stick to aid him this was not a place he wanted be.
Killing one beast was scary enough, and even then that had been by more luck than judgement. Having dozens pursue him was not a thought he relished and so decided to slowly creep towards the abandoned settlement, keeping his head as low as possibly and his movements slow and steady so not to attract unwanted attention.
Although progress was painfully slow and trying to move while crouched was not easy, he managed to manoeuvre himself away from the area, all the time heading towards the cover of the ruins. In the distance, he heard several more sounds and turned to look back at where he had seen the beasts, thankful though that none appeared to be heading his way.
Once amongst the rubble and remaining upright walls of the settlement, he finally felt safe enough to stand upright, or at least as much as a troll normally did. His first task he knew was to find water and this he had learned meant searching the ruins for areas that rainwater might get caught. Being as most of the larger settlements appeared to have statues with stone troughs around which collected what he was after, keeping him stocked with drinkable water was not as difficult as he thought it might have been. However, the smaller ruins were a different story, and as he was currently discovering with the current set, there was no such area for him to restock.
While this was not an immediate problem so long as he was careful, it was something he knew needed to remain a priority. Finding no water today would mean he would have to find it tomorrow or risk dehydration and possibly even death. Likewise, food would have to be rationed further, as he had yet to find anything edible since moving inland. While with careful rationing, he still had a few days worth in his bag this was another problem he would soon need to address.
Finding two walls that still stood at a right angle to each other, and thinking it was as good a place as he was going to find, he settled down to make up his small camp. Having spotted the beasts just a few miles away, he discounted the use of a fire for the night knowing it would only give his position away. Fortunately, some of the food he had in his bag had already been cooked, something he had thought of a few days ago when stocking up. This mainly consisted of crab meat wrapped in seaweed to help keep it fresh, and something he knew would prolong the food for a few days longer than it would usually last.
After eating, Akeev’s attention was drawn to several dark shapes flying northeastwards in the darkening sky. These he had seen before on several occasions and always appeared to be travelling from the same direction. He was beginning to think that the area where he had first caught sight of them emerging from the strange pods was perhaps some kind of breeding ground, although not a place he would wish to see again.
As the temperature dropped a few degrees, Akeev was starting to feel the difference between here and his home islands. There it was usually warm, although very wet, yet the further north he seemed to travel the colder he thought it was getting, as to why that should be he did not know. Without a fire to keep him warm, he curled up tucking his arms around his long thin legs gazing up at the night sky.
Aside from a few clouds, it was as clear as he had seen, lit up by the plethora of twinkling stars and the nearly full moon. However, every now and then he spotted more dark shapes silhouetted overhead, another sign that the forces of darkness were on the move. Although his geography of the mainland was outdated at best, he had been taught
that elven lands fronted the human ones further east. He wondered if that is where these flying beasts were heading, and if so were they perhaps joining a long-running battle.
For all he knew, the war against the darkness might still be going on and that the further inland he got the more chance he might stumble upon some battlefield. While this particular thought did not sit well, he had also gotten to thinking that perhaps there may still be other trolls. Maybe some had escaped into the lands owned by the other races and started other communities like the ones on the islands; a thought he felt quite excited about.
Chapter 19.
Carison was undoubtedly the largest and most populated city in the known world. The capital of the human controlled lands, it was home to King Willem and the other members of the royal family, who all resided in the Palace situated at its heart.
With thick, tall walls and no less than twenty-six towers, it dominated the landscape for miles around, overlooking the dozens of smaller towns and villages that had sprung up around it. Accessed by two large main gates, one north, one south, and home to the principal garrison of the human army, it was generally considered a safe place to reside. Like many of the larger populated areas, it was not without its darker side, and Carison was no different. Despite the best efforts of the city’s guard the criminals still existed, their network running much deeper than just the streets.
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