Ashes of the Fallen

The problem, was the trip had taken more than two hours and there was no end in sight. They were eager to show me this natural cave system that they had found, filled with creatures that weren't quite as natural.

Goblins, I thought.

That idea was wrong, though.

The creatures were hairy, rodent-like, and a bit smaller in stature than a goblin. They also didn't rely on melee weapons like the hourglass-eyed goblins, rather, they utilized magic. That was all the girls would tell me, which left a lot to the imagination.

Of course, I was curious.

When they asked me if I wanted to check it out, I couldn't refuse.

Well, after nearly two hours of walking, I was bored.

I had finished my journey from the south a few days back… and yet here I was, on another mini-journey out into the wilderness. Surrounded by trees as far as the eye could see, with a mountain range off in the distance that appeared to be the same size no matter how long we walked.

"Katherine," I bemoaned, while tilting my head towards her. "How far away is this place exactly… it doesn't seem like we'll be reaching the end of this creek anytime soon."

"We're almost halfway there," cut in Selene before Katherine could reply.

"Half," I said with a slight laugh. "Hah, you girls, why didn't you tell me how far we would be traveling before we set out… 'oh it's just a short walk,' you said."

"You're being rather incorrigible Sir Sigurd," replied Katherine with a nudge.

"Ah, you've finally dropped the 'master' act?" I asked with delight. "Now, drop the sir part next, and my spirits will undoubtedly rise! Progress, at last!"

"Humph, master is terribly impertinent today," she retorted as she sped up her walking pace to catch up to Selene, leaving me behind.

"You may turn back at any time," stated Selene somewhat coldly.

Yeah, right.

They had pulled me away from my duties for this plan of theirs.

My mood had soured, I merely wanted it to be over and done with as soon as possible now. I needed to gather more furs, as I had a scant amount of time left before the Longship would be finished, no more than two days really. As soon as that was done, my trade voyage to the eastern elven territories would begin.

I needed to prepare.

These devious women, luring me with vague descriptions of a dungeon and promises of a quick and fun trip into the forest… it was neither quick nor fun. If one wanted to waste a few hours with two attractive women in the middle of the forest, I would think, a walk by itself would be the last on the list.

Well, it was, what it was.

The sun was beginning to set in the distance, as the mountain range to the west of us created a low creeping shadow that seemed to fill in the void behind us. As we continued on our trek east, the shadow slowly caught up and then soon overshot our little expedition of three, as we found ourselves enveloped in the darkness of the night.

With hardly a moon to speak of, the night was unbearably dark.

Katherine had retreated to the safety of my arm as Selene, perhaps somewhat jealous, occupied the other. The three of us slowed our pace as we walked along the water's edge, following only the sounds of the creek. In the absence of light, the creek was our salvation, that which provided us the direction that we otherwise lacked.

Howls filled the air, of beasts both familiar and unfamiliar to my ears.

Loud, piercing cries of predators beyond the wolves and bears I was more accustomed to, breaking past the canopy of the forest as the occasional startled bird flew by. The sudden flap of wings in the night only served to spook us, as we continued on.

We were deep into the forest now, in a part I had never ventured to at any point before. The ladies had supposedly traversed this route recently, but to call it a path well-traveled would be foolishly misleading.

There was no doubt in my mind, that this part of the forest was different.

A rustle of leaves to the side had me raise an arm and open my palm with expectations of lightning and death soon to follow. Except, it was only a rabbit, nervous and agitated by our sudden presence it remained still for a moment, only to disappear through the bush whence it came. It scurried away, perhaps in fear of us but more likely due to the strange creatures that occupied the night… either way, it didn't really matter.

More howls followed, ones I couldn't place as the sounds of wolves and bears had long since vanished. A splash in the creek caused a nervous twitch in my neck as I turned to scan the water, eyes darting up and down, left and right, hoping to catch something. Only, to witness another splash and the glimmer of a fish's scales, as it broke the water's surface in some imagined attempt to feast.

No, I wasn't imagining anything.

These events were transpiring before our very eyes, unnerving us at every step.

No one dared to talk, afraid to give away our position.

What we were afraid of, was hard to say.