***
The Cavalli rested just south of the Caves of the Veneficas. The three-day journey through the desert had exhausted both them and their horses and, in addition, had nearly depleted their morale - for the trek so far had only raised more questions about the Giants than actually answered them. Severus reclined against one of the large black rocks that had begun to pepper the landscape around them and pondered all that they had seen so far upon their journey.
The first day in the desert wasteland had started out rather tame and as they rode, they were pleased to see that the other side of the desert appeared just a few meters away over the horizon. Soon, though, with every step they took that lead them nowhere closer, the Cavalli realized that what they were seeing was just the Sun God playing tricks upon their minds. Disappointed, their previous songs of merriment and tales of past triumphs fell silent.
As they rode through the arid land and looked out over the rolling dunes that surrounded them, Severus couldn't believe that what he saw had ever been lush with vegetation, despite the fact that he had witnessed it for himself just decades previous. But now as he gazed upon it, the ground was bare and cracked and the wind swirled bits of sand up into their eyes and as night fell, the temperature became almost unbearably cold as they struggled to sleep.
Then, as they set out for the next day already fatigued from lack of sleep, Severus soon became convinced that they were lost as hours had passed by with nothing but the same monotonous sand dunes to mark the landscape. But as the sun sunk into the afternoon sky, they caught sight of something faintly off in the distance. It looked like ragged strips of scarlet material blowing in the winds but it wasn't until they were nearly upon it that they could see that it was the remains of several tent-like structures, which had been strung together to form a kind of makeshift city. Bones, bleached by the sun, and turned over pots littered the area around it, leading them to believe that it had been abandoned very recently.
The Cavalli dismounted and began inspecting it, hoping to find any left over water to quench their thirst or food to sate their hunger. Disappointingly, the best they could find was a crude well that brought up dirty water and for food, they discovered all that was left were rotten carcasses of unknown origins littered about the place.
All was not lost, though, as the entire camp was surrounded by large hoof prints that continued on into the north. Severus was pleased to at last have a trail to follow and used his sword to sift through the remains of a few of the campfires they had come across, "So, this is where the Giants have been all these years."
Tacitus shook his head, "No, I-I don't think they have. Because if so, then why would I have found one of their camps in our forest?"
Severus nodded, "Then what are your thoughts on this, Brother?"
Tacitus felt a rush of appreciation for being asked and gave his most honest answer, "I think they've been secretly scattered throughout the entire Eastern Shore all these years, in their original limited packs. I think this is where they have all recently converged and that's why there's a massive set of prints leading north."
"But why?" asked Decimus.
"That much, I don't know but we have to figure it out."
They mounted up and rode for another day, still following the mish-mash of prints that continued to lead them inexplicably northwards. As the journey went on, they became increasingly desperate and drank the dirty water they had gathered from the Giant's camp and ate whatever scorpions or lizards they could find. Their new diet had ill effects, including vomiting, which left most of the warriors dehydrated
But after surviving another harsh night, the exhausted Cavalli eventually emerged from the Unclaimed Desert and onto the Eastern Shore. In contrast to the sands they had left behind, the green coastal grass grew tall and blew in the cool wind that had come off of the waves that crashed loudly beside them. While they still lacked water, the stronger of the Cavalli set about capturing fish to eat in order to restore their strength.
Resting against the rock, Severus agonized over their fate. The Giants' prints and camp litter continued upon the shore road but he didn't know for how long and he wasn't sure they were safe being out in the open as they were. Plus, they would have to pass the Cave of the Veneficas soon and in all honesty he wasn't sure if they would interfere with his party or not. There wasn't necessarily any bad blood between the veneficas and the Cavalli but they often worked for the Empire and that could prove disastrous for Severus and his warriors.
"So, what do we do?" Tacitus inquired as he approached, having done his best to tend to the ill members of their party.
Severus sighed and stood, "We keep going. We now know that the Giants are here in Lycania, but we don't know exactly where nor do we know why?"
"Well, the trail looks as if it goes on for thousands of meters along the shore path. Do you think they could possibly be heading to Odalia?"
"Doubtful but I can't say for sure. Why would they?" He shook his head again, "I don't entirely understand it." He then looked at his brother and sought his advice again, "Tell me your thoughts, Tacitus. What have you been thinking?"
Tacitus heart thrilled again, "Well, I-I say we go to Odalia but we stay off the main path and instead go westwards through the hills."
Severus looked surprised, "Oh? That's an interesting path to take. Why would you do this?"
"It makes sense, if you think about it." He reached into the bag that he had slung across his chest and pulled out the map. He showed Severus as he pointed to the area towards Lycania's middle, "I think they're going to Odalia, Severus. There's no other reason to be here. This road is not a trade route. It wasn't even that often traveled when these were Cavalli lands.
"The main problem is that we don't know their current location and if we stay on this path, we could be walking straight into their camp and not even know it. But if we take the hills, we can spy on Odalia from a safe distance and give some of the more ill of our party time to rest. Plus, we can fill our bags with fresh water from the stream that's near there as well as find wild game to fill up on for the journey back home."
The Giant-Killer mulled over Tacitus' plan for a moment before eventually nodding, "Alright, that's what we'll do, then and if the Giants have any plans in Odalia, I guess we'll know soon enough what they are. Good work, Brother."
A Sword Of Wrath, Book I: Blood And Dust Page 33