The Towers
Copyright (C) 1997 by Charles Tryon
3: On The Road
The next morning, GreyEagle was awakened by the light of the sunrise as it chased away the shadows in the room. She sat up and tried to rub the sleep from her eyes. Eventually, she got out of the bed and went to the small mirror which hung on the wall over the wash basin. The water was cold on her face, but it worked to clear away the cobwebs in her still sleepy brain. She found her brush and began to work out the braid which she had neglected to take out the night before. It was then that she saw the end of the braid where she had hastily cut off the lock to give to Schimray, and the memory of the previous night came back in a rush. She frowned and continued to drag the brush through her hair. She had never let herself get close to a man before, but now she could not deny her feelings towards Schimray. Now that the light of day had brought back some semblance of balance to her emotions, she was angered that she had been so foolish. Still, she could feel her body tingle as she remembered Schimray's touch. She hastily braided her hair again and pulled it up into a knot at the back of her neck. When she came down from her room, she discovered that Schimray had already laid out a great feast for them and was sitting at the table waiting. Some in the group had already arrived, while others were still making their way down from their rooms, muttering bitterly about their heads and the evils of drink. Ormec was already there eating when she reached the table, shoveling food down just as fast as he could. She took a seat opposite from where Schimray was seated and ate quietly as the others arrived. While she ate, she watched Schimray, the turmoil of the previous night a distant, confused memory. She quickly averted her eyes whenever he looked at her. As they finished, and Ormec was stuffing the last of the fruit into his mouth, Schimray stood and handed sealed scroll tubes to both Sucaba and GreyEagle. "Do not open these until you are out of the city," he instructed them. GreyEagle accepted the tube with a puzzled look, and turned it over in her hands to examine it. She could not imagine what might be inside. She looked up and saw that Sucaba had already tucked his tube into a fold in his cloak. He was carefully watching her, and his look gave her a quick chill down her spine. She tucked the tube into a pocket on the inside of her cloak. "If you are done eating," Schimray said, nodding in the direction of the dwarf, "then we may meet outside at the stables." Ormec grabbed one last roll before he nodded that he was ready to go. GreyEagle excused herself to collect her things from her room. She carefully closed the door behind her and pulled out her armor. The smooth coldness of the dwarven plate mail was comforting as she ran her fingertips over it. She was not sure that she would need the armor for traveling, but she wanted to be sure the others realized that she was along for more than just the ride. She thought of Sucaba and how Schimray had appointed him as the leader of the group, a position which she guessed he would have taken even if Schimray had not done so. Now was the time to stand up to him. She would need all the help she could get. She strapped her short sword to her side and carefully drew it out. The blade was enchanted, and it glowed dimly now, even with the bright light of the morning streaming through the window. She had come upon the sword in another battle, and it had changed her forever. Even now, as she griped it, she could feel her senses sharpen. It was almost as if the sword itself sensed the slightest movement of an opponent, anticipating a lunge and striking first, even against those more powerful or better equipped. She suddenly remembered the others waiting for her and quickly returned her sword to its scabbard. She strapped on the light battle axe which she also carried and threw her shortbow and shield and over her shoulder. She paused a moment to look at herself in the mirror again. Something was still not right. On a whim, she let down her braid. She was proud of her long hair, and it gave her a sense of confidence. Black as night, even with the portion which she had just cut off the braid fell almost to her waist. She gathered her few remaining things, made one last check to see that she hadn't left anything behind, and walked downstairs to join the others. Once outside, Schimray led them to the stables where mounts had already been prepared. GreyEagle took in the sights and smells of the stables with great delight. They reminded her of growing up with animals always around her, but her heart sank as she saw two spare pack horses there with the others, already heavily loaded with provisions. She estimated that it was nearly a two month's supply as she looked them over. It looked like it was going to be a long trip, and she still had no idea what it was going to be like traveling with this group. She looked over at Schimray as he spoke quietly with Sucaba. With only the one evening to get to know him, she was now about to leave on a journey which looked like it would be at least a month or two. It didn't seem fair to have to leave so quickly, but they had a task before them. It was probably just as well, she thought with a sigh. It would give her time to regain control of her emotions. She went from one horse to the next, rubbing their coats and scratching them behind the ears, speaking softly to them. She dug into a pocket and produced some tidbits which she had saved from breakfast and the horses munched happily. The animals gave her a sense of security - their motives were simple and easy to understand, unlike her human companions. The mages, even Schimray, were shrouded in mystery. She still had yet to hear a single syllable from the one mage, and she was not sure she even wanted to know what was going through Sucaba's mind. Finally, she selected one mount, somewhat smaller than the others, but alert and spunky, and fastened her things behind the saddle. Conrad quickly chose the largest horse he could find there. He was wearing the same strange leather armor from the night before, with possibly even more gadgets stuck in the countless small pockets covering his arms and legs, but now over his chest was a sleeveless shirt of chain mail. With some difficulty, the short gnome climbed up on the broad back of the mare and stowed his pack behind the saddle. He then carefully placed his crossbow in front of him. He still looked unstable in the saddle, and had a little difficulty controlling the horse, but it didn't seem like he was going to fall off right away. "Are you alright up there?" GreyEagle asked. "Hey," he said, patting the animal's back, "up here on this nice girl's back it almost feels like a floor!" "It looks like we have quite a journey ahead of us," GreyEagle warned the gnome. Conrad looked dubious. "Well, in that case, I'll be grateful for the mount. I'd rather she did the walking than me." After everyone had selected a mount, Schimray handed each of them a small pouch. "This is a down payment of fifty platinum pieces," he explained. "You will receive the rest of the 500 when you return." GreyEagle opened the pouch briefly to glance at it's contents, and then shoved it into her pack. "As you begin, you should head east a few miles and then stop. From there, you may open the scroll tubes for further instructions." Schimray turned once again to GreyEagle and pressed a second pouch into her hand. "`Till we meet again, my beauty," he whispered into her ear. GreyEagle took the pouch and gave Schimray a warm, if slightly confused smile. "Thank you," she said, blushing, and held it close to her. Sucaba had a disgusted look on his face as he watched the two of them, but he made no comment. She turned from the others and went off a little way to open the pouch in private. Inside, she found an amulet, made of what appeared to be pure platinum, and fitted to be worn around the neck. A symbol of life, made of what she thought might be diamonds, had been worked into the face of the amulet. On the back was an inscription:
NHYRE SUMME TAYYA CONLTH ZZED YZGATT
She could not understand the words, but they seemed to be in an older language, perhaps an old elven tongue. Also, folded neatly in the pouch with the amulet was a note: Greyeagle my beauty,
The time I have spent with you has meant a great deal to me. I will dream of you! On a more serious note, I have given a copy of the map to both you and Sucaba so that if one is destroyed you will still be able to find the tower. At this point you must turn north and head past Castle Craig, through Gnoll Pass. There you will leave the road to travel through the Stonelands. When you reach Anauroch, The Great Desert and the Desertsmouth Mountains your journey becomes more difficult. Your must tread a path between these two past the Lost Vale. North of that close to the desert's edge you will find the first tower. The amulet contained in the pouch will protect you against undead creatures. Dark creatures are known for having undead minions. It will also provide some small protection against the demon itself. Simply hold it up and proclaim "By the power within, I command you to be gone." It will not always work, but it should help. Also, the amulet will glow when within twenty feet of any undead. Wear my amulet in good health, my beauty.
`Till we meet again. Forever yours, Schimray GreyEagle placed the amulet around her neck and tucked it inside her tunic. She replaced the note in the pouch, and put it in a safe place in her pack. Returning to the group, she saw Sucaba standing with his dragon. It was not very large, but it had already attracted a great deal of attention from the town's folk. Most people were giving it a wide berth, but she could see a number of children peaking around corners to get a look at the strange beast. She looked at the dragon hesitantly, feeling like one of the small children, wanting to look closer, but at the same time, afraid. It held both a vicious ugliness and at the same time, a strange beauty. "Is it intelligent like us?" she asked Sucaba. "Can it speak to you?" "Of course I'm intelligent," the dragon snapped at her, making her jump back. "Where do you get off called me an `it'?" GreyEagle had not expected the dragon itself to respond, and she caught her breath. "This is my valiant steed," Sucaba said as he quickly silenced the beast with a fierce stare. "A fine black dragon it is. It has chosen a life in my service." He abruptly turned his back to her and did not appear to be inclined to talk further about the subject. GreyEagle was still looking at the dragon when Schimray lightly touched her shoulder. "A word with you before you leave?" GreyEagle nodded and he lead her off a short distance from the others. "Be careful to keep the amulet hidden from the others until you need to use it," he warned her in a low voice once they were out of earshot. "I fear that one of the others might try to steal it from you. However, while you may hide it for now, for it to work it must be visible to the undead." GreyEagle looked into his eyes uncertainly, and then back at the others still milling around by the horses. Schimray briefly touched his hand to her cheek, and then turned and hurried off to speak with Ormec. In a short time, they were ready to leave. Sucaba paced impatiently as the last minute details were set in place. Finally, he could stand the wait no longer. "We will meet on the road outside of town," he commanded. "I will fly ahead and meet you there." With that, he vaulted onto the back of his dragon. "Let us begin our travel," he said, and with a rush of wings and dust, the two took to the air. GreyEagle looked back only once as they left, as they went around a small bend in the road, to see if Schimray was still there. She wondered how long it would be before she saw him again, or if he would still be interested in her when she returned. Her time with him had been such a short, intense flash, like the sun glancing off a freshly polished mirror, its brilliance blinding for a moment, and then before you had a chance to shield your eyes, gone. She reached up to feel the amulet through the fabric of her tunic and it gave her some consolation. GreyEagle turned her thoughts to the task which she now faced. On the one hand it seemed like a simple enough quest - locate a tower and map it out, removing any occupants who might have taken up residence there in the many years since the original owners had abandoned it. The others were assuming that any creatures which might be in the towers would be evil, and easy enough to overpower, an assumption which she was not sure she agreed with. She wondered too what sorts of treasures they might find there. It had been many, perhaps even thousands of years since the mages had disappeared, and she wondered what might possibly still remain in the towers, untouched by the countless scavengers which roamed the barren wastes which formed the ocean upon which the small pockets of civilization existed like isolated islands. Too, treasure did not interest her that much. She had enough to live comfortably, as long as she was careful. The others in the group were clearly more interested in gold and jewels and magic than she was. On the other hand, there was a dark shadow which surrounded everything which had happened since last night. The secrecy of the whole affair, the silence of the one mage, and the sinister chuckle of the other. The sudden change in attitude of Schimray, and her total loss of control the night before. And at the center of it all, a dark and sinister creature who's touch she could feel on her life even now. It knew nothing of her yet, but even now it exerted an influence on her existence. Why was she on this quest, she asked herself again. If not for treasure or fame, then what? The ordinary people - those who could not defend themselves, who suffered at the hands of the powerful around them. It was for them that she fought. Schimray had scorned such people and the maiden in her attempts to better their lot. GreyEagle had come to understand somewhat the sorrows that Schimray had suffered at the hands of these people, but it burned her heart to see the deep bitterness he still held there. The others there seemed to have little care for them either, though Ormec seemed to have more of a concern than the others, when he wasn't preoccupied with dreaming of rubies. They arrived at the rendezvous point a few miles from town, and found Sucaba and mount already there waiting for them. He smiled wryly at GreyEagle as he saw her ride up and again she returned his stare coldly. He rose to his feet and put away the dragon sculpture which he had been working on. "I have opened the tube given to me by Schimray and have found a map within," he said, holding up the map. GreyEagle quickly pulled out the scroll tube which she had received from Schimray and cracked the seal. She pulled out the paper rolled inside and found that it too was a map, much like the one Sucaba was holding. "At this point we must turn north along Calantar's Way," Sucaba continued. "Once we have gone through Gnoll Pass, we leave the road and head north through the Stonelands. From there, we travel between the edge of the desert and the mountains until we pass the Lost Vale. We will find the tower there, close to the desert's edge." Sucaba returned the map to the scroll tube and tucked it into a pocked on the inside of his robe. He wandered over to his mount and mumbled an incantation. Suddenly, both he and the dragon vanished from sight. GreyEagle caught her breath as she stared at the spot where they had been, but she could see nothing. There were some muffled grunts of exclamation from Conrad and Ormec, but Trouble began to laugh. Suddenly, Sucaba's voice seemed to float to them out of the thin air. "I am still here," he told them with a chuckle. "I will go a short distance ahead of the group on my mount. Invisibly, I will scout and report any dangers as I see them. If I am unable to warn you in person, I will create a bright light in the sky. This signal will mean to hold your position and prepare for the worst. Who will watch for this signal?" GreyEagle waited for a moment to see if anyone else would volunteer. She did not want to stick out any more than she had to - it was already bad enough being the only woman there - but when no one else moved, she raised a shy hand. "I will watch, Sucaba. Can you tell me what to look for?" "My warning will be a ball of bright light in the sky. It cannot be missed." GreyEagle rolled her eyes. That depends on whether I'm in the middle of fighting off a hoard of orcs, she thought. "I will locate the light above the danger I have detected." Sucaba continued. "If what I detect does not immediately endanger the mission, I will come back and report in person so as to not alert the foe." "So then, who is leading here?" Conrad asked. "If you have the map way up there, it won't do us much good." "GreyEagle also has a map, I suspect," Sucaba answered. GreyEagle nodded. "The way is simple enough for any fool to follow. Come! We waste time here. Let us proceed at once." They mounted up and prepared to leave. As GreyEagle was preparing to pull herself up into the saddle, Sucaba's voice suddenly came from a spot close by her ear, making her flinch. "I have seen the apprehension in your eyes in regards to the dark creature which Schimray spoke of," the voice whispered. "We must be successful in slaying it. We must not fail. It would not be befitting of a fighter like yourself to be beaten by such an ill guided thing." "Would I had your confidence," she whispered back. "You say something?" Conrad asked. "Nothing. I was only speaking to myself," GreyEagle shot back as she lifted herself into the saddle. "Let us be off." Sucaba's voice made her shiver. She had known of other mages who had used spells of invisibility, but she had never liked it. Now it only added to her distrust of Sucaba. As she was still thinking, the sound of wings beating the air and a shower of dust and small stones told her that Sucaba and his mount had taken off. GreyEagle urged her horse to the front of the line as they turned to the North. As they rode, GreyEagle pulled out her scroll case and opened it to check the map. Since Sucaba and his copy of the map were flying around high above and ahead of them, it would be up to her and the map that she had to keep the rest of them on track. He was right though that the road, at least this part of it, was well marked, though they did not meet with many others going in either direction. The sky was clear and the day was warm and pleasant as they rode. They reached the pass by the end of the first day and made camp in the shadow of the mountains there. The provisions were generous and well thought out, and they cooked a hot meal before turning in for the night. GreyEagle and Trouble took the second watch that night. During the quiet hours, when she thought Trouble wasn't looking, GreyEagle pulled out the amulet which Schimray had given her. She could not read the inscription on the back, but she studied it intensely and tried to form the sounds of the words in her mind. She did not dare to say them out loud, not knowing what might happen. After a while, she replaced the amulet under her tunic and laid back to look up into the night sky. They had let the fire die down as the moon was approaching full and lit up the area around them. Trouble was not inclined to talk, so she sat and listened to the sounds of the night around her. This close to the road, she suspected that things would be fairly calm, but they would soon be heading off into wilder areas, into the Goblin Marches, and they would have to be wary. The path here was not steep, but the mountains rose steeply to both sides along pass, and would have given excellent cover for an ambush. She jumped at a sound behind her, only to see a small fox checking out their encampment. She was tired, and glad to be able to go back to sleep once her and Trouble's guard shift was over. They awoke and broke camp early the next morning. Sucaba was impatient to get moving, so they ate lightly for breakfast. They rode quietly, each absorbed in his own thoughts. They soon left the pass, and as the road continued off to the north east, they left it to head across country, north towards the mountains and the great desert. They spent the next night much as they had the last. In the morning, Sucaba wanted to move on quickly again, but Ormec would have nothing of it, insisting that they take the time to prepare a decent meal. The towers had been abandoned for hundreds or thousands of years likely he reasoned, and another couple of hours was not going to make a great deal of difference. Sucaba would have argued the point, but Conrad joined in on Ormec's side, and the mage finally threw up his hands. The silent one seemed happy enough as he busied himself around the fire. He was an excellent cook and seemed to enjoy being around the cook fire. Though Sucaba continued to sulk, the others enjoyed the hot breakfast before heading out across the Stonelands. Sucaba did a great deal of scouting ahead on his dragon as they traveled the third day, but they ran into nothing unusual. The forests of the pass had given away to a barren and rocky grassland, and the weather had already grown warmer as they approached the desert. Here and there a scruffy tree grew, and they welcomed the scarce shade as the sun reached its peak at noon. They could already see the hills marking the beginning of the Desertsmouth Mountains. To the northwest they could see a golden shimmering that could only be Anauroch, the Great Desert. The waves of heat danced over the golden sands as they made camp at twilight, promising that the next day's ride will be even warmer. With the setting of the sun however, it cooled off enough that sleep was still comfortable. GreyEagle found that she needed to pull her cloak tightly around her during her watch though as the air took on a chill as the hours approached dawn. She was glad when her watch was over and she could wrap herself in her blankets. An hour before dawn, the peace and quiet was rudely interrupted by a shout from Sucaba immediately followed by a chorus of blood-curdling war cries. "Kobolds, kobolds!" Sucaba shouted. "Wake up!" As GreyEagle threw off her blankets and scrambled to get up, she could see short creatures charging in from three directions. They stood only about waist high and had dark, rusty brown scaly hides, red glowing eyes, two small white horns, and rat like tails. Though Conrad had been awake and watching, he taken completely off guard as the creatures swarmed into the campsite. A shower of spears and javelins rained upon them. Conrad managed to dodge a flurry of spears as they came flying at him, but he failed to elude one and gave a sharp cry of pain as it planted itself deeply in his shoulder. Like the others, GreyEagle had taken the precaution of leaving on her leather armor as she slept, mindful of the dangers of traveling in the wilderness. Now, as she stumbled to wakefulness, trying desperately to shake the sleep from her head, she grabbed her shortsword which she had carefully placed at her side before going to sleep. The campfire had almost died out by this time, and the first red tinges of dawn were starting to nibble at the edges of the darkness in the East, but there wasn't enough light for GreyEagle's still sleepy eyes to pick out much detail. She rose to her knees and yanked the shortsword from it's sheath. At that instant, she felt the sword's power flowing through her arm. Suddenly, everything seemed clearer as the brilliant light of the blade broke upon the darkness around her. A shower of spears rained down upon her and she threw herself to the ground and rolled to try to avoid them. As she came to a stop, she saw that one was still flying straight at her, and before she could move, it struck her squarely in the chest. However, rather than the searing pain that she expected, the spear bounced harmlessly from her chest. Stunned, she looked at her chest where the spear had hit, but the kobolds were still coming at her and she had no time to ponder. She scrambled to her feet and planted herself for their attack. The silent one had also been hit by a spear, but his didn't bounce off. Barely to his feet as the alarm was raised, he stumbled back from the advancing kobolds. He spun toward what was left of the campfire and in its light the reason for his sudden clumsiness could be seen - the shaft of a spear protruding from his thigh. He angrily wrestled with it, and with a grimace of pain on his face, pulled it out. Still, not a sound escaped his lips. He retreated towards the campfire, ignoring the kobolds behind him, and stumbled past GreyEagle and Ormec to relative safety on the other side of them. Having expended their javelins, the kobolds pulled out wicked looking short swords and spiked clubs. Sucaba was already waving his arms and chanting an incantation as they began their charge, and to GreyEagle's surprise, the five kobolds headed directly towards her sank to the ground. A second later Sucaba's black dragon popped into sight and charged towards the four kobolds headed towards the silent one and Ormec. As soon as the remaining kobolds saw the dragon headed towards them, they turned around and fled as fast as their short legs would carry them, screaming in fear and panic. Sucaba called for Horton, and leaping on the dragon's back, took off after them. With some difficulty, Ormec found his horse and managed to mount it. Still wearing his leather armor and carrying only his battle axe and shield, he took off after Sucaba and the kobolds. Leaning on his staff, the silent one lowered himself to the ground and bound his wound, constantly turning his head to watch for any new threat. After a few nervous moments, GreyEagle decided that there were no more kobolds coming. She went over to Conrad to see if she could help him. While she was helping him bind his wound, Trouble walked over to the sleeping kobolds and slit the throats of four of them. He left the last one alive and bound it hand and foot. Searching through their pockets, he found nothing but a few copper and silver coins. The silent one hobbled over to help, and GreyEagle could hear an occasional grunt or yipe from where the two of them were questioning the last kobold, but she could not see what was going on. When she was done with Conrad, she went over to see and found that the fifth kobold was now dead. Seeing the strange glint in Trouble's eye, she suppressed a shiver. She remembered the warning in Schimray's note. Satisfied that everyone's wounds had been properly taken care of, GreyEagle turned away from the others and sat down a little way from the fire to gather her wits. Once again, she checked herself over, still befuddled by the spear which had bounced off her chest. She strapped her shortsword to her side, and hung her shield over her shoulder. Facing away from the others, she pulled out the amulet to see if it had been what had deflected the blow, but it showed no sign of being struck. She looked again at the leather armor she was wearing. It looked the same as it had before. She could find no rivets or other metal fixtures which could have turned the point of the spear. It didn't make any sense, she thought as she tucked the amulet back under her tunic and got up to join the others. Sucaba and Horton returned after a short time, both with smug grins on their faces. Briefly scanning the party, Sucaba seemed satisfied and sat near his dragon. He grinned knowingly at Trouble as he saw their handiwork with the Kobolds. "Do you think that we should dispose of the bodies to get them out of seeing and smelling range?" GreyEagle asked, wrinkling her nose at the stench. "I am not sure if we should just leave them or bury them. We are not exactly on a well traveled path, but there is no use leaving rotting flesh lying around, especially if we have to stay here any longer." "Burial of these vermin is a waste of my time," sneered Sucaba. "Let them be consumed by the buzzards. We should be on our way shortly." GreyEagle frowned, but Sucaba and the others didn't seem inclined to move. She shrugged. "Then perhaps we could talk about our route?" she continued. "Have you gained any information on our route as you have flown over it? I would like to know what to expect." "I have no time to converse about the map either," he said, pulling out a large tome from a pack on the ground near his dragon. "I must study." He quickly became immersed in his study, and GreyEagle figured that she would get no more out of him. They still had an hour before daybreak, but GreyEagle was too wide awake to go back to sleep. Since no one seemed in a great hurry to do anything, and it seemed pointless to try and fix a meal while it was still dark, she decided to sit and watch the sun rise. She stooped to her pack and pulled out the map, thinking that it would be a good thing to look at, as well as a good excuse to get some time to herself to sit and think. She went off a stone's throw from camp and sat by a small stream which flowed by there. Already, an occasional bird was greeting the gathering dawn. Looking at the map, and remembering the increasing heat as they were coming closer to the great desert, she started to think about the water situation. As they entered the hills at the edge of the desert, it might be difficult to find good water supplies, forcing them to cut in farther towards the mountains and making for more difficult travel. The higher they were in the mountains, the more likely they would be to come under attacks just as they had experienced this morning. She would have to make an opportunity to talk to Sucaba about the situation. Putting down the map, she once again pulled out the amulet to examine it. She could still find no marks on it to show that it might have been what stopped the spear, nor could she find any marks on her chest. It was as though some invisible force had stopped the spear from physically touching her. Her thoughts turned to Schimray, and she wondered if he might have been somehow responsible. Could he have done something that she didn't know about that night she had been with him? She murmured a thanks to him and replaced the amulet. As she was sitting there deep in her thoughts, she heard the call of a raven to her left in the trees. She looked up and saw the bird skipping from one branch to another until it was only a few yards away. It stopped there and cocked its head to one side, appearing to watch her. At first, she was amused. She had always loved to watch the birds, especially the eagles as they soared high above, riding the currents of air, and had often wished she could fly with them. Ravens too had fascinated her, though in a different way. They had always seemed dark and mysterious, with their midnight black feathers, and their intelligence. As the raven continued to approached though, her amusement melted into wonder. She had never been so close to one before. She crept closer to it, digging something out of her pocket, not sure if ravens would be interested in the same sorts of teats that the horses had liked. She held it out to the raven and spoke softly to it, admiring its beauty and strength. She wanted to get closer, but was afraid of scaring it away. She was almost close enough to reach out and stroke its feathers. Then something deep within her trembled, as if she felt that she knew the raven, or that it knew her. Her body tingled, though she didn't know why. She waited a moment to see what it would do with the food she was holding out to it. The raven cocked its head but didn't approach any closer. It stared at her a moment longer, and then with an explosion of feathers, it took flight. GreyEagle was not sure, but she thought that it looked like it had waved its wing at her. She sat down again and watched it as it flew off into the gathering daylight. As the sun slowly pulled itself over the eastern horizon, it washed away some of the worry and uncertainty of the night. The sky gradually turned from the blackness of the night to the deep violet and pink of daybreak, to the brilliant blue of dawn, and her spirits lifted. She let its rays wash over her face, the warmth of it filling her again with hope as it had done so often before. Laying back, she listened to the animals as they too greeted the dawn. Hearing noises from the camp, GreyEagle remembered the others, and he reluctantly got up, leaving her moment of quiet to join them. At least now she felt ready to go on. In camp, the others were stirring from their slumber or thoughts. The silent one stood over the fire which he had already built up again, showing no sign of the discomfort from his leg wound as he helped with the preparations for breakfast. GreyEagle continued to watch him, trying not to stare as he worked around the fire. She understood him no better now than the first time she had seen him at the inn. She had still never heard him utter a single word. She was not sure if he could not speak, or if he just never found it necessary. During the discussions which they occasionally had, he would listen, but never offer any opinions one way or the other. She was confused too by his choice of weapons. He carried a longsword, and she had seen a half dozen or so daggers which he had strapped to various places on his person, but it was always the quarterstaff which he had with him whenever he was on guard duty. Horton and Sucaba still had matching smug smiles and even Trouble seemed pleased with the nights work. Ormec was disgruntled that his battle axe hadn't been able to draw blood but consoled himself with the thought that there must be more of the little dog creatures out there. "We should be careful to fill our water bottles at every opportunity," GreyEagle said. "There is a stream here, so I will fill them now." "Your concern about water is a real one," Sucaba agreed, thinking about it. "I will be on the lookout for water sources from the air as we travel, so we should be able to keep our containers filled." After breakfast, they mounted up. "If you are still concerned about discussing the map," Sucaba said to GreyEagle, "there will be time for that as we travel." He waved his hands, muttered the now familiar syllables, and he and his dragon once again disappeared.
Next...
7 April, 1998