The Ruins on Stone Hill (Heroes of Ravenford Book 1)

by F. P. Spirit

  Elladan followed the path, a spring back in his step. It was far easier going now that he was out of the underbrush. Another hour passed and his resolve began to waver, when he caught sight of the trees parting ahead. With renewed vigor, Elladan sprinted forward until he reached the edge of the forest.

  He breathed a sigh of relief. I made it!

  The moon was out, casting a silvery sheen to the surrounding landscape. Ahead of him rose the shadow of a group of rolling hills. The road wound across a grassy slope all the way to the base of those hills. The edge of the forest continued to either side of him as far as the eye could see. Elladan paused, trying to decide what to do next.

  As he stood there, a sound reached his ears from the trail behind him. Still unnerved from the night’s events, he ducked back into the woods, burying himself in a deep wood thicket. He peeked out and waited. He watched with growing uneasiness as a line of wagons appeared on the trail. His gut twisted as he got a good look at the drivers.

  Orcs!

  These were the wagons from his caravan. One of them rode lopsided on a badly patched wheel. Elladan held his breath as they drove past. He continuing to watch as the orc caravan followed the path up to the hillside, till one by one, each wagon disappeared.

  Elladan’s curiosity got the better of him. He left the woods and crept through the grass, paralleling the dirt path. When he got within a hundred yards of the hillside, he saw a darker area illuminated by the moonlight.

  There’s a cave! That was where the wagons had disappeared to. Well, now he knew where the scoundrels’ hideout was. He would get back to civilization and report this and then return with an army.

  These bandits’ days are numbered. With that last thought, the young elf headed back toward the forest’s edge and then turned eastward.

  Perhaps an hour later, the weary bard still trekked eastward. His progress was slow as he sought camouflage from the woods. That second encounter with the orcs had spooked him, and he was not going to travel out in the open, even if it delayed his long journey. As he picked his way through the underbrush, he called up a mental image of a map of this area. If he kept moving east, the Bendenwoods would eventually end and he would find the road east toward Ravenford. It was probably still another day’s journey by foot, and he was already exhausted from having been up all night. Still, there was no hope for it. He had to let folks know what had happened out here.

  “Strange night for a stroll in the woods.”

  Elladan nearly jumped out of his skin. He froze in his tracks, glancing around furtively for the source of the voice. His eyes finally fixed on a dark figure standing off to his right, well hidden by the forest’s vegetation. Whoever this was, they spoke the common tongue. Also the frame was lean, not bulky like an orc. It was perhaps a bit taller than he—most likely a human.

  “Who…who are you?” he finally managed to say.

  The figure answered in a rather nonchalant tone, “Just a tracker. The more important question is, who are you, my friend?”

  Elladan was not fooled. That statement was deceptively mild. This human was obviously the suspicious type. He could respect that. Trust no one was one of his own mottos. Still, whoever this human was, he was certainly not in league with the bandits. Orcs considered humans food. If the man was indeed a tracker, then running into him was a stroke of luck. Elladan decided to confide in this shadowy figure, if only just a little.

  “I am a mere entertainer, separated from my caravan by chance misfortune.”

  The figure moved closer. “Separated from your caravan, you say?”

  Moonlight shone through the trees, illuminating the man. He was dark-haired with a slim face and a hawkish nose. He sported a mustache and a thin black beard. Elladan also noted a bow and quiver across the man’s back as well as a sword hanging at his belt. The man’s hand rested gently on the hilt.

  Elladan felt a bit more comfortable now that he could see the man’s face. “Indeed. We were attacked.”

  The man’s eyes narrowed. “Attacked? By whom?”

  “Orcs.”

  The man’s expression grew skeptical. “Orcs? But how could that be?”

  Elladan found his reaction strange. It was almost as if he already knew about the orcs, yet was surprised they had attacked his caravan.

  “Trust me, friend, we were all taken by surprise.”

  The man stepped closer, gazing at him with keen eyes. Elladan also observed his hand had dropped away from his sword hilt. “Tell me, when did this attack happen?”

  “Just after sunset. The caravan was running late, and we hadn’t quite made it out of the woods yet.”

  “Just after sunset,” the man repeated slowly. “How many of them were there?”

  “I’m not sure…” Elladan thought back to the assault and tried to count the attackers in his mind. “Probably about seven or eight.”

  The man stepped back, his face taking on a resolute expression. “We have to warn the others.”

  “Others?”

  “The group I’m traveling with,” the man clarified. “Follow me, and I’ll explain along the way.” He turned around and headed toward the edge of the woods.

  Elladan hesitated for a split second, then took off after the man. “Wait!” he called in a semi-hushed voice. “What’s your name?”

  “Brundon,” the man replied softly, not slowing down in the slightest.

  The sun had just crested over the horizon when Brundon led Elladan up the slope toward the hillside. The tracker was very agile, and the exhausted bard struggled to keep up with him, but somehow managed. In the early morning light, he could clearly see the chain of rolling hills rising up in front of them.

  Those are definitely the Vogels, Elladan thought. He was not sure why the tracker was leading him this way, but he decided not to question the man. It was then Elladan spotted the cave mouth looming up ahead of them. That was the tracker’s destination. Elladan breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, a place to hide out in this accursed wilderness, even if it was a dank cave.

  As they drew up toward the cave’s entrance, Brundon stopped and scanned the countryside around them. Elladan followed his gaze, his eyes stopping as they fell on what appeared to be a body. The young elf’s eyes narrowed. It was a body—a rather huge body in fact. He immediately recognized it—the green mottled skin and huge flat face were a dead giveaway; that was a troll!

  Brundon followed his gaze. “Cave troll. We had a run in with it last night.”

  Elladan’s eyes grew wide. “You took down a cave troll?”

  Brundon snorted. “Not alone, I assure you. No, we are traveling with some rather impressive folks.”

  Elladan could only nod his agreement. Cave trolls were nasty creatures. It would require a considerable amount of power to take one down. Brundon shook him out of his musings.

  “Shall we?” The tracker turned toward the cave’s mouth and motioned him to follow. The entrance to the cave was dark, though he could see a dim light farther in the back. They had not taken two steps inside when a large figure loomed in front of them. Elladan was momentarily startled, but then the figure stepped into the light of the morning sun.

  Elladan raised an eyebrow. It was a woman, a tall human woman. A warrior in fact, outfitted in full plate armor with a longsword strapped to her side. She was easily a head taller than Elladan, her shoulders broader than his. Her hair was a dirty blonde, braided on both sides and down the center in a warrior-like fashion. She gave him a steely-eyed stare, a thin smirk across her lips.

  “Picking up strays, I see.”

  Brundon’s response was equally laced with sarcasm. “Very funny, love. Actually, I found him wandering in the woods. Says his caravan was attacked by orcs.”

  Her expression swiftly changed, replaced with a look of surprise. “How can that be? I thought w
e had driven them off.”

  “Obviously there’s more of them.”

  “More of whom?” came another voice from inside the cave.

  Elladan peered around the warrior and saw a tall, thin form outlined in the dim light. He squinted, trying to make out the stranger’s features in the darkness. He found he could not, but the figure swiftly stepped into the morning light. Elladan had to do a double take.

  It’s an elf! The lithe form and the pointed ears were unmistakable. The chances of running into another elf so far from home… The bard stopped in mid-thought. There was something off about this elf. For one, he was way too tall. Elladan was one of the tallest elves back home, but this elf was a good head taller than he. What’s more, he had pale blonde hair. No elf he had ever met had hair that color.

  What kind of elf… It hit him. This was a Galinthral elf, one of the subjects of the great elven king, Galinthrae. But that was impossible! The Galinthral had disappeared with the legendary city of Cairthrellon over five hundred years ago. Since then, many had searched the Ruanaiaith where Cairthrellon was purported to have been. None had ever found it. Many searchers had not returned at all. Still, standing here in front of him was clearly a Galinthral elf. There was no mistaking it.

  A less sophisticated elf might have been rendered speechless, but not Elladan. He was a consummate performer and not easily rattled. After only a momentary pause, he executed a deep bow and introduced himself.

  “Elladan, of the House of Narmolanya. Elen sila lumenn omentilmo,” he added in formal elvish. In the common tongue, that roughly translated to a star shall shine on the hour of our meeting. It seemed rather appropriate, given the circumstances.

  The corners of the other elf’s lips upturned slightly. He bowed in turn. “Glolindir Arshatheriat of the House of Eodin. Saesa omentien lle,” which meant a pleasure meeting you.

  Brundon cleared his throat. “Ahem. Wizard Glolindir, our new friend Elladan here seems to have had a run in with more orcs last night.”

  “More orcs?” said a high-pitched voice from inside the cave.

  Three more figures appeared behind Glolindir, two rather small, but the third taller than all of them. They stepped into the light and Elladan saw that the smaller figures were a gnome and a halfling.

  The former wore white cleric robes with the symbol of a diamond across the chest. Copper hair tumbled over his face but did not completely cover his pointed gnomish ears. His expression was grim, his eyes intense as he regarded Elladan. The latter, in stark contrast, was dressed almost completely in black with the exception of the green cloak wrapped around his shoulders. He had a knife strapped to his leg and a pouched belt around his waist. He was rather lean, his thin face topped with jet black hair pulled back tight into a pony tail. The halfling also eyed Elladan intently, a clear expression of distrust on his face.

  A tall figure loomed behind the duo, capturing Elladan’s attention. It was probably the largest man he had ever seen—broad shouldered, but not stocky, garbed in red leather armor from the neck down to his thighs and from his knees down. His youthful face was rather handsome, framed with a shock of tousled brown hair. The young man regarded Elladan rather pleasantly.

  Brundon pointed at the gnome, then the halfling and ended with the tall man. “Elladan, this is Aksel, Seth, and Lloyd. Everyone, this is Elladan.”

  The gnome, Aksel, replied with a very formal, “Welcome, good traveler.”

  The halfling, Seth, just nodded and continued to eye him with suspicion.

  Lloyd stepped past Glolindir and extended his hand, a smile on his youthful face. “Pleased to meet you.”

  Elladan grasped the young man’s hand and immediately regretted it. His grip was like iron! “Likewise,” Elladan managed. The big man released his hand, and Elladan pulled it back, rubbing it to try and get the feeling back in it.

  “So what was this about more orcs?” The gnome spoke with authority.

  Elladan immediately recognized that tone. Aksel was the leader of this group. That was surprising. He would have thought that Lloyd or possibly Glolindir would be the head of this strange little group. “It is a rather long story, and I’ve been on my feet all night. You wouldn’t have some refreshments for a weary traveler?”

  “Of course,” Aksel responded with a polite nod. “Please join us.” He ushered Elladan inside the cave. The others made room for him to pass, though the halfling continued to eye him with suspicion.

  The cave was rather deep. Elladan guessed it went back about thirty yards before ending in a blank wall. The last ten yards opened up into a wide area with a fire pit and a well near the back wall. There was a small fire going in the pit, a number of blankets scattered around it in a circle. A ring of stones encircled the entire area. Aksel provided Elladan with a canteen of water, and the bard quenched his thirst. Everyone gathered around and grabbed a seat, except for the tall woman warrior. She remained guard by the cave entrance.

  Elladan then relayed the story of the ill-fated caravan. As the tale unfolded, he kept a sharp eye on his audience. Their expressions were grim. Aksel in particular was mortified by the massacre. Elladan expected that reaction from a cleric, but he was surprised to see a trace of moisture in Lloyd’s eyes as well. Everyone showed deep concern and sympathy except for Seth. The halfling was quite difficult to read, his face a stony mask as he listened to the account.

  When Elladan finished, Aksel let out a deep sigh. “You have my deepest sympathies; that should not have happened.”

  “If it actually did,” Seth said, his tone skeptical.

  Elladan could not help smiling. Here was someone as cynical as he. Elladan admired that trait in others. “I do not blame you, friend. You do not know me. It is usually my own policy to trust no one, but these are unusual circumstances. And it is times like these that force us to look beyond our normal distrust of one another and band together to face a common foe.”

  Elladan paused briefly, gauging his audience once more. He definitely had their attention. His voice rose in force as he continued to speak. “These orcs killed everyone in my caravan and made off with their wagons. They must be hunted down and made to pay for their crimes!”

  Lloyd jumped up from his seat and cried, “I vow to you that these orcs will pay.”

  “Shhhh,” Seth hissed. “Why don’t you just warn them we’re coming?”

  Lloyd’s hand went to the back of his head. “Sorry,” he said in a soft voice.

  Elladan was puzzled by the halfling’s reaction. “What do you mean?”

  Aksel looked from Seth to Lloyd and let out a sigh. He then turned back to Elladan and explained further. “Yesterday, we caught a group of orcs laying in ambush along the road. We let one escape and followed it back to this cave. It never came back out, so it must have gone down there.” He nudged his head toward the well at the back of the cave.

  “It most likely is connected to the orc’s lair. So it would be best to refrain from loud noises,” Glolindir said.

  Elladan nodded. “That makes sense.”

  He was rather impressed with this group. It was a sound strategy, following the orc back to its hideout.

  Glolindir addressed him once more, “Your story is quite plausible. The orc we were chasing made it up to the cave just around sunset. Assuming the well leads to their lair, he could have easily alerted the bandits in time to gather a second party. They could have rushed back down to the road in time to ambush your caravan. Especially if you were running late, as you said.”

  Aksel cleared his throat. “Well, I for one am interested in this other cave you mentioned.” He turned toward Brundon. “Would you mind checking it out?”

  “Sure,” Brundon agreed. “Right after a bit of breakfast.”

  Elladan’s stomach chose that moment to growl. He put his hand over his abdomen and smiled wanly.

&nbs
p; Lloyd let out a short laugh. “I think you’re not the only one who’s hungry.”

  Aksel peered around the group. “Very good then. Elladan, would you care to join us for breakfast? When we are done, we can discuss our next steps.”

  Elladan bowed to the little cleric. “I would be most delighted. In fact, if you don’t mind, I could prepare a little something for you.”

  Seth stared at him skeptically. “Are you any good?”

  “Even if he is mediocre, I’ll take his cooking over yours,” Glolindir needled the halfling.

  “At least I don’t burn everything in sight,” Seth retorted.

  Glolindir grimaced.

  Aksel spun toward Seth. “I thought we agreed we weren’t going to mention that anymore.”

  Seth folded his arms in front of him and shrugged. “He started it.”

  Elladan was sure he missed something in that exchange. Ah well, it can’t possibly be that important.

  He had lost his own cooking gear in his rush to escape the massacre, but these folks had more than enough for him to borrow. As he prepared breakfast, Elladan peered around at this strange group he had happened upon. He had never heard of such a mixture of the races coming together like this. It was almost like an omen.

  Elladan, Elladan, he admonished himself, I think you’ve been listening to too many of your own stories. The bard smiled and hummed a little tune as he bent over the cooking fire.

  Down the Well

  You know, you should never turn your back on a wizard

  As Elladan prepared breakfast, Glo thought about the events of the previous evening. While Aksel healed Lloyd, Seth had gone to investigate the troll’s cave. When Seth returned, he reported that the cavern was empty. There was no sign of the orc priest that they had followed there. When Aksel suggested they camp in the troll’s cave, everyone balked. Trolls ate everything and anything. Worse, they left the carcasses lying around, and according to Seth, this troll cave was no exception. Aksel argued that it was far safer than camping out in the open. In the end, the gnome won out.