Haven Keep (Book 1)

by R. David Bell

  Very little snow fell during the night, but the wind had blown what was already on the ground into huge drifts that packed tightly against the rocks of the mountainside. If this snow decided to come down all at once it would mean their deaths. A small slide could easily become a large avalanche, crushing everything in its path. The sooner they reached more solid ground the better.

  Von followed Kaiden and they made a path toward some jagged rocks in the distance. The path took them out of the trees and onto the side of the mountain. It looked to be a safe passage through this pass and into the even taller mountains that lay behind.

  They traveled on a steep grade of ice and snow. Trudging through the snow was slow going, but the horses did not protest. They seemed to be happy to put distance between themselves and the camp. The horses were spooked just as bad or worse than Kaiden by what was lurking outside their camp the night before. Maybe they could outrun it during the day.

  The worst part of traveling in this snow was the obvious trail they left and their inability to cover their tracks. They needed to use speed to put distance between themselves and the Halfen. And whatever else was following. They had no hope of hiding what direction they traveled. The Halfen still outnumbered them, and they would not likely have the advantage of surprise again. If they were forced to fight they could become overwhelmed. No, their best bet was to run. Keep running. Put as much distance between themselves and their pursuers as possible.

  Kaiden kept a good pace. Moving laterally across the sheet of snow was easier than trying to navigate up or down. As long as that sheet did not decide to come sliding off the mountainside. They reached the jagged rocks sooner than Von expected. The snow was not as deep here and the horses footing more sure. This would be a good place for an ambush if the Halfen continued to follow. They could take cover in these rocks and pick the Halfen off with their bows as they struggled to cross the steep snow drifts. It would be a good plan if they did not have to worry about the vyr, or about getting to Haven Keep and back. No, they did not have time for an ambush. They needed to get off this mountain range as soon as possible, and that meant they needed to keep moving.

  The jagged rocks began to close in on either side. They passed through a crevice with sheer cliffs climbing up on both sides. Von felt closed in. Pinched off. There was only one way in and one way back. They could easily be trapped in this place.

  “Should we keep going?” Kaiden asked.

  “I don’t know. This could come out the other side and then again it might not.”

  “If we turn around we might find ourselves face to face with the Halfen.”

  “So we keep going?”

  “For now.”

  They pressed on and the crevice tightened. Von scraped his legs on both walls as his horse plodded along. They traveled half a league and the crevice began to open up, widening into a small clearing, almost large enough to be called a meadow. Snow covered trees dotted the opening and ran along a small dried brook that meandered through the middle of the clearing. Any water left in the brook was surely frozen. Von imagined it would fill quickly during the spring run off. The dried brook disappeared into the mountainside on the near end of the clearing. With the water gone for the winter it left a large opening in the rock. A cave that surely came out somewhere, otherwise the water would back up. Something about the cave made Von feel a little uneasy, reminded him of his dream for some reason.

  The trees obscured the rocky cliffs. There was no way of telling where the water originated without taking a closer look. The two men followed the brook bed further up the meadow. The further they followed it the less promising the outlook. The water had to come from somewhere during the melt off. Von realized the cliffs now surrounded them on all sides. Their only hope at continuing onward was to find another small opening at the far end, like the one they squeezed through to get here. There wasn’t one. At the opposite end was a frozen wall of ice. There was no way through. Von could see that in the spring this would be a good sized waterfall. They could try to scale it, but that would mean leaving the horses, and possibly the dogs. They could try the cave, but who knew where that dead ended, or became too narrow to pass. They would have to go back the way they had come.

  Going back meant losing half a day. Maybe more. It also meant the possibility of coming face to face with the Halfen in the narrow pass. That actually might be the best place to meet them. There would only be room for one or two of the Halfen to attack at once. Von was sure he could easily take them one at a time.

  “So we go back then.” Kaiden said.

  “I don’t think there is any other choice.”

  “We’ll have to keep our eyes and ears open. We don’t want to be taken by surprise.”

  Von agreed. They would need to be extra careful. The Halfen could easily lay a trap for them. They turned to go, but as they did Von found himself studying the mouth of the cave. Something was in there, he could feel it. Maybe more than one something. Watching, waiting. He shivered and not from the cold, then spurred his horse to a faster gait. It had to be his imagination.

  Soon they were in the crevice, backtracking the way they had come. Von again felt closed in. The walls rose so high he could only see a sliver of the sky. No direct sunlight made it to the trail they were following. The rocks were ice to the touch and the air felt the same to breathe. A wind began to stir. It whistled through the crags, calling to mind a lonely song. A song he’d carried inside himself for most of his life. The song would end soon. He promised himself that and unconsciously felt for the lock of Anora’s hair he kept in his pocket.

  Von lost himself in his thoughts. He tried to make sense of the dream from the night before. Corren claimed Von could learn to be a cleric. Von had no desire to, but if it meant making sense of his dreams it might be well worth it. If learning to be a cleric meant having more dreams, he was definitely not interested.

  The rock walls began to open up again, making it a little easier to breathe. The sun would be going down soon. Von and Kaiden needed to be away from this area before then. It would be too easy to get pinned between the Halfen and the vyr while in the crevasse. Not a situation Von wanted to find himself in.

  They rode around the next bend and some large rocks came into view. The sight told Von they were finally out. Now hopefully they could get down and around the bluff without being seen. Or without the wind dumping half the snow on the mountain down on them.

  Kaiden dismounted and approached the rocks. He stayed hidden behind the rock formation and surveyed the mountainside. Von waited for him. No sense in both of them risking being seen.

  “It looks clear,” Kaiden announced, returning to his horse.

  Von followed him around the rocks and back down the mountain. Von looked up and could see that the trail they made earlier across the snow was still visible. It was a straight line from where they left the trees about half a league to the rocks. Anyone following would emerge out of those trees and see Kaiden and him descending the snow covered slope.

  The wind suddenly strengthened. Maybe that would help hide their tracks. Or maybe it was a sign something else was tracking them. Von wasn’t sure what to think of Kaiden’s explanation for the unusual wind, but Von now knew some things were real that he never believed possible just a few short weeks ago. His sword and dagger were proof of that. His dreams, and Corrin’s ability to look into them too.

  Night was coming soon. He didn’t want to sleep again, but did not think he could keep himself awake another night. He pushed himself to the limit in the forge, to where he finally collapsed with exhaustion. Kaiden had awakened him with that icy bucket of water and he really hadn’t had much rest since. Not any real rest. He longed for his bed. Maybe he could safely steal a few minutes of sleep.

  Only a few more spans and they would be safely back into the cover of the trees. The sun continued to dip below the horizon. A glowing orange ball sinking into the sea. Night would be on them soon. It would be safer to travel tonight than it w
as the night before. There were no clouds in the sky and the moon would be near full. The light of the moon and the stars would reflect off the snow and provide plenty of light to see by. If they could stay awake they could keep traveling, as long as they were careful not to overwork the horses. It would not be good to run them to death and be left without mounts.

  The trees were a welcome sight. Passing into them meant passing out of the sight of whoever might be following them. They also gave a little cover from the wind. Von wasn’t sure the cover was worth it. The wind made eerie sounds as it blew through the branches, a warning voice blowing through the trees. Von ignored it. It was just his imagination, nothing more.

  “I think we should rest here a little while,” he said. “We have good cover and we can see if anyone comes out of the trees on the other side of the mountain.”

  “Okay, but just long enough for dinner. Whatever time we gained last night we lost retracing our tracks.”

  Von nodded. He wanted to protest, but he knew that Kaiden was right. If they were not careful the Halfen could easily come upon them. Instead of protesting, Von reached into his saddle bag to grab some food. He made a meal of jerky, cheese, and bread. There was an old apple he fed to his horse, before strapping on a feed bag full of oats.

  Isk and Jen were happy to rest too. They gulped down the last of the half frozen mutton and seemed to be content to sit at Von’s feet. He picked a spot to sit where he could see up the mountain side and watch for any who might still be following them.

  Kaiden nearly collapsed down next to him. He looked nearly as exhausted as Von felt. Kaiden did not sleep at all the night before. They couldn’t go on like this. Von just sat there, weary, too tired to say anything. Kaiden probably felt the same way. The wind continued to build, making it even more difficult to rest.

  A cursory glance up the mountain revealed what Von did not want to see. The Halfen were emerging from the other side of the snow covered slope. They paused to study the trail that Kaiden and he had made across the snow towards the jagged rocks during the first part of the day. Then one of them pointed down the second trail in the snow, from the rocks to where Kaiden and he sat in the cover of the trees. A few moments later the Halfen started straight toward them.

  More men on horseback appeared out of the trees. He counted thirteen men and eight horses with empty saddles as well as two pack mules. If Tago was killed by the vyr, and seven more killed between Kaiden, the dogs and himself, that would explain the eight empty saddles. It would also make the original number of their party twenty-one.

  Von could tell Kaiden made the same assumption he did by what he muttered under his breath.

  “Those sons of goats.”

  Von thought he heard a few other choice words.

  Twenty-one. The traditional number sent to catch and bring back criminals. If they could not bring the criminals back then they were to kill them and bring back their heads.

  Von’s blood felt like it was going to boil. “We could end this now.” He went to retrieve his bow from his horse.

  “I don’t know,” Kaiden sounded apprehensive. “We could pick off a few, but if they get to us we will be seriously outnumbered.”

  “They are not going to get to us. The snow will bog them down.”

  “I only have seven arrows. How many do you have?”

  “Eight.”

  “That means we can only miss twice between the two of us. This wind is too strong to shoot accurately at this distance. If we wait until they are at point blank range to make sure we hit, we won’t have time to get off all our shots. We might be able to take out five or six. That will still leave seven or eight fighting men on horseback. The dogs won’t be much help with the men on horses and we won’t have the element of surprise like we did before.”

  Von knew Kaiden was probably right. He was sure he could take four by himself, but he did not want to leave Kaiden to be killed by the other three.

  “Then we better get moving,” Von sighed. “We don’t want them gaining any more ground on us.” Von could see the Halfen were less than half a league away now. The closer they came to this spot the more likely it was one of them would spot Kaiden or him. He made ready his saddle bags and mounted his horse. Kaiden was right there with him.

  A sudden gust of wind rushed down the mountain. A micro burst that whipped the fresh powdered snow down upon the Halfen. Trees bent to touch the ground. The blowing snow made it difficult to see, but Von spotted something moving in the tree line. Something enormous. Half ape, half bear.

  “What is that?” Von asked, not expecting Kaiden to provide an answer.

  “A vyr!” It came out almost a hiss. “Run Von! Run!”

  Kaiden followed his own advice and took off at a gallop.

  Von sat in his saddle, watching. The vyr stood at the tree line watching the Halfen, like a snowcat studying its prey. The Halfen did not look back. If they did they would have been staring into the face of a nightmare. The vyr’s gaze changed. It stared straight to the trees Von and Kaiden were using for cover. Even at that distance Von swore he saw it smile. It then turned to look at the jagged rock formation up the mountain. Von turned to look too, following the gaze of the beast. He stared in horror. Three more hideous creatures. Creatures that matched the first, creatures that should not exist.

  Von almost fell out of his saddle as his horse leaped into a sprint. He did not notice Kaiden coming back for him. Kaiden held tightly to Von’s reigns, jerking the horse forward. He dug his heels in hard, spurring his own mount into a gallop. All Von’s effort went into staying in his saddle. After the initial jerk he regained his balance. He twisted in his saddle, trying to look back. He thought he saw the first vyr laughing. What kind of animal laughed like that? It was a walking ghost story. Vyrs were not supposed to be real.

  Kaiden sped through the trees like a mad man. He only released Von’s reigns when he knew Von was not going to try to make him stop. Von did his best to keep up, chasing hard after Kaiden. Isk and Jen followed closely behind, their massive paws acting as snow shoes. At least Von didn’t have to worry about them. The horses were another story. This kind of pace through this terrain was going to break a leg on one of the horses, or even worse, Kaiden or he could be thrown to their death.

  “Kaiden, we have to slow down,” Von called. The icy wind bit at his exposed skin and drowned out his voice. “This isn’t safe!”

  Kaiden didn’t slow. Von spurred his horse harder. He needed to catch Kaiden. He ducked and dodged low lying limbs, urging his horse on. Still Kaiden remained ahead. The tree limbs scraped at Von’s face and arms. He did his best to dodge the thicker branches. Keeping low to the horses neck he raced forward. Kaiden darted to the right around a large tree. Von took the low side, around the left. The men emerged on the opposite side of the tree side by side, both in full gallop. Von reached for Kaidens’s reigns. His hand caught only air. His momentum carried him sideways nearly out of his saddle. He caught hold of his pommel, narrowly preventing him from falling to the forest floor. His horse never missed a step, matching Kaiden’s hazardous speed. He gripped his reigns, steadied himself, then pulled his body back upright. This was madness. They would escape the Halfen and the vyr only to kill themselves in this death race. He maneuvered closer to Kaiden. This time his hand caught hold of the leather reigns. He jerked hard. The horses reared, nearly throwing their riders, then came to a halt. The mounts breathed heavily and danced sideways, anxious to be moving again. Von held the reigns tight.

  “What are you doing?” Kaiden tried to pull his horse’s reigns out of Von’s hands. “We have to get out of here.”

  “I know,” Von tried to sound as level headed as he could. “But this is going to kill us.”

  Kaiden took a deep breath. “Okay, but we have to keep moving. We can’t stop.”

  “I’m not arguing with that. Let’s just do it without breaking someone’s neck.” Von tossed the reigns back to Kaiden. “Let’s go.”

  Von took
the lead this time, keeping a good pace, but still slower than a trot. He hoped his friend could keep his head. If they were unable to continue to think rationally they could easily lose their lives. Kaiden normally saw reason very easily. He just needed a little help right now. Maybe he needed time to come to grips with what occurred on the hunting expedition. Von would watch him close, keep him safe until he regained his composer.

  It was getting darker, the wind was still howling, spinning the snow into cyclones, and the ground was not exactly level. Von was not about to let his fears force him to travel faster. Kaiden would just have to be satisfied that they were still moving. They wove through the trees and around the dark rock formations that dotted the Iron mountains. The snow piled high in drifts, sometimes covering the trees, burying and bending them under enormous amounts of weight. These mountains bent or broke many unwary travelers. Von couldn’t let that happen now, not since finally being made free, not since hearing of Oded’s and Tostig’s survival, not since his triumph in the forge. His hand went to his sword, then to Anora’s lock of hair.

  The night was split with screams. Unnatural screams, echoing the horror of Von’s worst nightmares. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to move a little faster.

  “Should we go back?” Kaiden asked.

  “What do you mean? What for?” Von didn’t know where Kaiden had regained his courage from.

  “I know they are Halfen, but no one deserves to die that way.”

  “If anyone deserves to die that way, they do.” The Halfen were traitors. They deserved to be put on pikes. Von would see to it that they all were, every last one of them. “They deserve it, Kaiden. They deserve it!”