“So you forgave her?” Annice asked.
“Naw, not really.” Wilhelm began.
“More like I just realized what I was too dumb to realize when we was together,
Mareen is only focused on the goal, getting the job done, and not with what it
may cost folk. Once I got that in my head, bein around her was a little easier.”
“Right.” Annice said, reaching for
her underclothes, testing them for moisture. They had dried, so she began to
put them on. Wilhelm did the same. Soon he was in trouser and shirt, and her
robe once again draped over her shoulders. “So these ogres, then…” She began.
“They’re trouble?”
“To say the absolute least.” He was
pushing his head through the neck hole of his shirt.
“So what’s the plan of attack
then?” She was looking over the map now, eyes peering over the valley path.
“Not to attack, mostly.” Wilhelm
responded, joining her at the map. He pointed to the large series of hills to
either side of the path. “The ogres ain’t friendly to each other so mostly keep
themselves spread out along here, keepin to the crevasses between hills. The
plan is to get through fast as we can. We’ll be forced to make camp at least
once in the valley, we do so without tents or fire, and we sleep in our
equipment. We get lucky, very lucky, and not a one of them sees us and we go on
our way without getting our heads crushed with a tree trunk.”
“Uh. Yeah.” Annice said, eyes
trailing from one end of the path to the other… It seemed a long ways.
“If you don’t think you’re up to
it.” Wilhelm started.
“I didn’t say that!” She retorted,
eyes snapping to the man.
“I ain’t judging you, Annie. Hells
I don’t think I am up for this. But this is the only way to cut time off the
journey.
Annice stood up, and paced away
from the map, Wilhelm didn’t follow. The half-elf clenched her hands into fist
over and over again, taking calming breaths to try and settle her churning
stomach. The bandits were bad, very bad. She had in the back of her mind what
she might expect on this journey and it had already paled in comparison. She
eventually turned back and stalked up to Wilhelm, crossing her hands over her
chest to keep them from visibly shaking.
“If we take the long route, what
happens?” She asked.
“We get there on day seven, three
days later than when Mareen expects us at our earliest and a day late to when
she wants us there at the latest. We have less time to find Rikkard, less time
to make friends with him, and chance not being taken to their gathering.” He
laid it out for her, she needed to make this decision and he wasn’t going to
press her into it.
“And if all that happens… people
die?” She asked, brow furrowing.
“Likely they will.” He stated.
“But if we arrive late we could
still do all that, right? If we were late we won’t nessisarily miss Rikkon.”
She bit her lip, there was a sour taste in the back of her throat. Wilhelm
nodded.
“Yes, absolutely, we don’t know
when the gatherin may be so it could be even if we was late we’d have plenty of
time.” He looked at her, trying to keep his face as neutral as possible.
“But if we’re late, there’s a
chance, even if it is small,” Annice swallowed. “That people will die?”
“Yes.” Wilhelm said, nodding again.
“A chance, that’s all.”
“Then we go the quicker way.”
Annice’s heart fluttere das she said it, and the half-elf woman felt suddenly
light headed. But her resolve boldened and she kept herself on her feet. She
meant it, and Wilhelm could tell that just looking at her. A soft smiled krept
across his face and he stood, placing a hand on her shoulder.
“You’re a brave woman, Annie.” He
said, giving her a small squeeze. “Ain’t many who ride out of the Sapphire Cove
and not three days later declare their intent to face off against ogres.” He
took a breath. “To be honest I’m sure I ain’t one of em.” He cracked a smile,
and Annice softened.
“Nonsense, you’re plenty brave
Wilhelm, we both know that. Tis the fool who does not fear death.” Annice
stated, placing her hand on his.
“Been called that once or twice.
Alright come on then, we still got a ways to go before we reach the valley
path.” He stated, turning from her and heading to round up the horses. Annice
stood for a moment, rubbing her hands and arms together and truly wishing that
the sense of foreboding that lay over her like a wet blanket would pass. When
after a long moment it did not, she resigned herself and followed behind
Wilhelm.
The rest of the days travel was a
quiet affair, the two of them unable to bring forth much mirth with the
knowledge of what they were riding into in the back of their minds. Because of
this Annice missed out on the amazing sights she would have likely awed at. A
great vista of open field and grasslands stretched out as far as the eye could
see, with distant forests barely visible in the farground. The grasses swayed
in waved like water in the wind, and the sky was crystal blue that rivaled the
ocean. Large clouds of purest white that streaked across the sky like great
vessels of the gods. It was breathtaking, but Annice could enjoy none of it,
all she knew was that there was one mar in the landscape, a sloping elevation
in the distance, a valley and series of hills they were fast approaching. Each
clop of her horse brought them nearer and brought more bile to the back of the
Cleric’s pallet. After hours of travel they came across a sign, the scratchy
large font of it making her feel no better.
GO BACK
ROAD LOST
“Welcome to the Lost Road.” Wilhelm
said as they came to the base of two large sloping hills that streaked up into
the sky, casting a shadow over the two travelers. Before them was a barricade
of spiked wooden posts lashed in metal bars, the last warding to those who may
stumble onto to this path… It didn’t look very hard to bypass. “I’m only lookin
to spend one night in there, so we camp here on the outside.”
“The ogres don’t come out this
far?” Annice turned her gaze away from the barricade, back to Wilhelm.
“Not normally, no. They know the
folk of this land gave up on the valley, got no reason to come out of it now.
We’ll be fine here, but we won’t be cookin nothin tonighy, hard tac and jerky.
Just to be safe.” He slipped off of Ale and lead the beast to a nearby lone
birch tree to lash to.
“And no… bandits?” She asked,
glancing up to the hills now.
“Oh hells no, naw no bandit is
gonna come near this place. Bandits only go after folk they think they got
advantage on. Ain’t really no way to take advantage on an ogre. This will
likely be our safest night of the trip to be honest.” Wilhelm let out a soft
chuckle.
“Surely then I will sleep soundly.”
Annice said, assuming even the beastly critters that crawled in the grass
around her could feel the sarcasm.
Within the hour the tents and fire
were set up for the two, though on the other side of the hill so that the fire
would only casy light away from the valley. The two sat in silence as they ate.
Annice’s mood for the day had left her exhausted and she was certain she was
walking into her certain death on the morn… What good would that do for Syrene?
She sighed and once again pondered if she had made a mistake and had lost the
Goddess’ favor. The Half-Elf was just starting to get in on a truly grand round
of self lothing when her attention was drawn to Wilhelm. The man was staring
off into the distance, eyes unfocused, and he started doing something
bewildering, something that caught Annice completely off guard. He began to
sing.
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