Lugor surged to the front of the group causing a ripple of surprise to pass through everyone as he whisked by. Soon he veered left and came to asudden halt before crossing back over the trail, closely observing the ground in front of his horse's hooves. The pathway had been shrinking for some time until eventually only two horses could travel side-by-side between the trees.
“Cap’n! These tracks’r old. Real old! I think we lost ‘em.” Lugor turned toward the path ahead, leaned far to one side and then sat straight up in a rigid posture. He cautiously pushed farther ahead before pausing to shout back over his shoulder, “I see something!”
Elana took off at a brisk trot to catch up with him. As the group followed her lead, a few riders fanned out wide and started weaving through trees to check for potential dangers previously unseen. After several minutes of careful maneuvering, the whole troop broke through the edge of the forest at nearly the same time. Nothing but wide-open terrain stood in front of them as far as the eye could see.
A vast body of water appeared in the distance just below Rasmont Range. The view was magnificent. Millions of tall, narrow pine trees all the way to the snowy peaks above painted the landscape a vast swath of green that contrasted exquisitely against the bluish-gray backdrop of massive granite and limestone crags all the way up the mountainside.
“We've reached Tearshed!” cried Lugor.
The large lake in front of them narrowed abruptly at one end, eventually flowing into an odd phenomenon of a river that snaked its way through a long, narrow canyon where it continued along the mountain’s edge for miles. Eventually it disappeared underground through a large crevice for several miles more before finally dumping into the ocean right next to Port Blefcynn. Many adventurers had died trying to find a quick way to the port along that treacherous river.
Kalos remembered hearing about how explorers from the Wise King’s Commission discovered it. Storytellers referred to it as a place where the ancient general’s tears were swallowed-up by Montdeofol, the ancient demon lord said to rule part of the underworld from deep below Rasmont Range.
According to the story, one of the nobles left the main group and brought two servants along to scout for signs of rare gems and gold. While they men forged ahead, breaking stones and gathering samples, Montdeofol grew angry over their presence and shook one of the pillars under Rasmont Range, causing a landslide of rock and ice big enough to make the ground rumble as it came crashing down on top of them. Several others from the King’s Commission rushed to help, but they were also swallowed up by the river, never to be seen again. It was commonly believed that all the victims were delivered straight to Montdeofol himself to receive their eternal punishment for tampering with his riches.
“No signs anyone's been'ere lately, Cap’n!” Lugor shouted over his shoulder while standing up in his saddle for a better view.
Elana turned her high-strung mount sideways to see the group a little better. “I’m sorry, gentlemen. Our hunt stops here. I know we were all lookin’ forward to the reward, and we may yet be able to catch them if we double back, but for now, we’ve reached the end of our chase.”
She became visibly annoyed when several men grumbed in frustration over the news. No one was happy with the facts, but everyone recognized that there was no logical alternative after following a cold, dead trail for too long.
“I would’ve been happy to skewer'em for what they did, even if there was no treasure to be had in the end. Sadly, it looks like we’ll not even be gettin’ that privilege anytime soon.”
Elana ignored the whispering as she turned to face her second-in-command, “Alright Mr. Lugor, it’s been a long day, find us a good spot to rest. We’ll crack open the rum, gather some fish, and enjoy a pleasant night despite’t all.”
The men’s voices rose all in unison with a hearty “Aye aye!”
After making camp, the crewman began volunteering right away for various tasks that needed to be completed before the merriment could begin. Doogin, Avestus, and Kalos sat quietly atop their horses while Elana’s crew immediately started preparing for the festivities ahead.
Avestus watched as Lugor started pulling packs from various packs that clanked and clattered when they hit the ground. Upon unrolling the first one to reveal what was inside, many small utensils and an assortment of knick-knacks fell to the ground at his feet.
“I’m going to search for wood,” Avestus stated as he turned back toward Folmsae.
“I’ll join ya,” Doogin announced. He spared one last glance at Kalos while Avestus rode toward the forest at a brisk trot, “Careful, lad. Rum’s given its fair share’o fun to sailors and travelers, alike, but it’s given more’n its fair share’o trouble’n strife to’m, too!”
As Doogin disappeared into the forest, Kalos heard someone ride up to his rear. Soft-spoken words immediately drew his attention from behind, “They’ll be a’right. Could ya help me with somethin’ instead?”
Kalos turned to see Elana proudly sitting atop her high-strung steed, staring expectantly at him.
Kalos swallowed before nodding and following her back toward the camp on horseback, where others were already setting up rickety-looking, but sturdy cooking structures, gathering horses, and organizing various supplies for later.
Despite Doogin’s warnings earlier that day about watching her too closely, he couldn’t help but stare as her body rocked with the rhythm of the horse’s gait in front of him. Her muscles contracted and expanded in numerous alluring ways as she maintained perfect posture in the saddle.
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Kalos realized Elana had been watching him out of the corner of her eye when they came to a halt in the middle of camp. He quickly looked to the lake to try and cover his mishap.
Rather than words of rebuke, Elana offered a simple request, “Think you could gather a large passel’o fish to feed all of us?”
“She’s a fine lake. I think she’ll treat us well, tonight.” He tried to adopt a stoic, wise visage as he gazed out over the water. Sure he’d always been good at fishing, but it wasn’t something he had done in a while.
“I bet so,” Elana chimed. It was the first time she had shown her warm side to him over the past couple of days.
Elana dismounted, but Kalos turned toward the lake and nudged his horse onward, determined not to let her down. He tried to focus on listening to her voice for as long as possible as she started dispensing orders to her crew at the campsite.
Kalos steadily used all of the skills he’d earned by fishing the many ponds and streams around Ark to his advantage. After only a couple of hours, when the sun was starting to set, he counted enough silver-colored Mountfish to feed the entire group. With rainbow-colored bellies and a delicious, flaky texture, they were easily his favorite fish to eat.
Avestus and Doogin eventually returned around dusk dragging two trees behind them. Each one had been lashed to the other in the form of a short, stubby sled that was now loaded with several pieces of dry wood that would last the whole night through. They quickly made a bonfire before stacking the rest of the wood in a large pile several paces away.
The horses had been hobbled in place with thin straps of leather so they wouldn’t be able to move unless panicking, unlike the night before, when they couldn’t so much as shift their hooves without stumbling when the dragon attacked their camp. These straps would snap long before the horses would fall, allowing them to flee from harm if necessary.
During the time it took for Elana’s men to finish organizing the supplies and securing the horses, after the bonfire had been lit, several rolls of bedding were places at random across the soft, grassy meadow. Eventually, everyone would stumble off to bed after consuming as much rum, fish, and sweets they could manage to enjoy a full night's sleep.
#
Kalos finally made it all the way back to the campsite with his catch and immediately started preparing them for dinner. Much of the crew had already started drinking for the night.
As he continued getting the fish ready for dinner, he started glancing around with curiosity at the multitude of bottles full of random liquids strewn about all around the camp. At least a dozen had been grouped near the wood pile where they could be easily retrieved by whoever wanted one.
“Say, das a nice catsh, friend!” Avestus complimented from several paces away. “Letsh get em cooked!” Clearly he’d already claimed a bottle or two for himself as he stumbled over to help cook everything.
Doogin sat quietly near a small fire by his bed, watching the sun set with a tranquil expression. He had a small, well-crafted, bone-colored cup full of amber liquid in his hand, from which he would take a long, slow sip every-so-often. He was clearly savoring the flavor rather than trying to gulp down as much as he could like several of the others seemed to be doing. He noticed Kalos stand up after cleaning the fish and beckoned him over.
“Aye, lad, fancy a sit for a bit?” The man grabbed his sword and moved it over, clearing a place right next to him. “Don’t forget yer horn!”
Kalos removed the bedding from his horse’s haunches and carried it over to Doogin’s spot before effortlessly rolling it open in one, easy motion.
“Grimm teach ya dat ole soldier’s trick?” Doogin grinned as Kalos calmly sat down on top of his freshly-unrolled bed. He leaned back slowly, finally giving his sore muscles a break after all of the fishing and cleaning he had accomplished.
“Yeah, during our first hunting trip together…” Kalos suddenly didn’t feel like talking as he closed his eyes to help settle his nerves after being reminded about such a fond memory from a time when life seemed so much simpler.
They sat silently by the fire for some time before turning to watch as Avestus nearly fell over when he finally started trying to cook some of the fish. He managed to lose two Mountfish filets in as many seconds in the embers before Lugor materialized from the group and asked him to get more firewood, instead. Apparently the first mate had decided to prepare everyone’s meals when he saw how bad Avestus was at it. Soon, he was carefully propping the fish over the fire for optimal roasting.
As he walked away from the fire, Avestus started grumbling about how far away the woodpile was even though it was only a few paces in total.
Kalos watched Lugor scoop a bottle of rum from the ground and rubbed a little liquid into the filets. After that, he pulled a leather pouch from his belt and began sprinkling a special concoction of spices over them which immediately sent a waft of delicious scents into the air, causing Kalos' stomach to growl.
After watching Lugor cook for several minutes, Kalos slowly looked toward the shadows of the forest in the distance, silently praying for Grimm to walk out and join them at any moment like nothing ever happened. It didn’t take long for his older, wiser companion to speak up.
“Don’t worry, lad. Dat man’s got more lives’n a pack’o cats, and twice da luck!” Doogin wasn’t the easiest person to talk to simply for his paritcularly thick accent, but he always seemed to know exactly what needed to be said when it mattered most.
Kalos tilted his head toward the stars and took a long, slow breath. The cool night air mixed with the warmth of the fire and the smell of freshly caught dinner somehow steadied his heart, if only a little. He had spent many nights like this with Grimm. It almost felt like he was right there with them, somewhere in the group.
“I feel like you’re talking about someone I’ve never even really met, though.” Kalos shook his head, suddenly feeling a wave of sadness wash over him again while the blacksmith carefully poured rum into another cup that he had retrieved from somewhere in his pack, and filled it almost to the brim. Kalos peered inside a few seconds before unintentionally starting to mimic Doogin’s slow, meditative sips.
“Thanks, really. I didn’t think to bring a cup with me this time...” Kalos sniffled though he couldn’t tell whether it was from the cold or becaue his emotions were slowly beginning to seep through.
The old fellow barely nodded in response as some important thought seemed to strike his consciousness before he spoke, “Yer father was a good’n righteous man. He made Grimm promise that you’d be raised right and not be burdened with destiny before yer time.”
Doogin stared as the men on the other side of the bonfire started getting louder and louder in direct proportion to the volume of drinks they had consumed as he continued speaking, “He trusted yer da, Grimm, with preparin’you fer hard days ahead. It’ll be a time when Ceirlan loses its way and the people are faint from suffering. He knew he’d be killed and youd’ave to bring back the old ways for the good o’the people. He was very wise, indeed.”
Whether it was fear or pure obstinance that prevented Kalos from asking any questions up to that point, he couldn’t tell, but he knew he could no longer ignore the truth.
“Who was my father, Doogin?”
?2024, K. M. Plum, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
