Chapter Five
The next morning, the twenty seventh of Octarius, Keros busies himself with removing all traces of thier stay in the druids grove, once he is happy that it is as when they arrived he leaves a message of gratitude with one of the many woodland creatures that abound the grove, then with a sigh he hoists himself behind Merlynar as they continue North across the snow laden fields towards Halstran. As they wend their way through the chilled countryside, Keros & Merlynar fill the morning with thier ongoing debate concerning mans effect on nature.
As the afternoon rolls on the party come to a halt as across the fields they watch a detachment of Bretonian troops apparently conscripting any unfortunate Bretonian who is abroad this morning, assuming that they are safe for the moment Keros & Merlynar leave the others to watch & approach the troopers officer, greeting them civilly, the captain explains that there is great civil unrest across the land following the murder of Queen Gundren & that Baron Agruld, a loyal supporter of the dead Queen & Lord of Halstran, is doing his best to maintain the security of Halstran & the surrounding district, regrettably this means conscription, presently only of Bretonian nationals, thanking the captain for this information they return to the others & advise Gundren of her untimely death.
For the first time in several days Gundren seams somewhat relieved at the news of Agruld's support, describing him as a man of great sense whom she rewarded for many years of loyal service to the crown, further, Gundren is sure that there is a temple to Willowstar in Halstran itself, Merlynar, never having ventured this way before, is pleased with this news as it may be that they can gain aid much sooner than thought.
As night draws in, Veli's familiar alerts them to a shadow rapidly approaching, before it nears however the figure melts into the ground. Cautiously Keros follows the others they approach the area, weapons & spells at the ready. Nearing the spot where the figure disappeared from view, the ground is bare & free of snow, poking around in the soil Keros can find no trace of life, Veli & Pelmar scratch deeper & gradually uncover markings which as they are exposed reveal a five pointed star, Veli announces it has a necromantic resonance & destroys it. Whilst the others look on, Keros circles the area hoping to divine the path that leads to or from the pentacle, but with a shake of his head he turns away.
The following day dawns cool but bright & good progress is made across the frozen fields & farm tracks, several times they encounter hastily barricaded paths leading to various farmsteads & hamlets, presumably as a result of the slowly spreading news of civil strife. About mid day they come across a couple of smashed carts, it is clear that blood has recently been spilt however no bodies remain, searching for sign of what has occurred, both Pelmas & Veli point out markings gouged into the cart resembling a claw with three talons. Turning away from the wagons they are confronted by a lone archer some two hundred yards distant, Pelmas, spyglass awkwardly balanced in his one good hand, announces the fellow appears to be Bretonian but no more can he tell.
Watching him carefully the party move on however as they near the lone figure, he raises his bow & warns them to come no further,
"Hold your path good people, there is fever beyond, go around if you value your life for beyond is only a lingering death"
Questioning the man further they he tells his name is Caliliar & that he to is suffering the early effects of the disease, when asked about Armarsh or Yellow Lotus, he has heard of the drug but knows of no one who has taken it although he relates that the fever is preceded by a yellowing of the skin. Keros nervously edges forward with half an eye on the knocked, but lowered, arrow, protesting against Keros's approach Caliliar again warns them to go around the hamlet, bowing respectfully for his intrusion, Keros surreptitiously casts a spell to befriend Caliliar, despite its casting however, Caliliar still maintains they should come no further.
He does however tell them of a sorceress, Cobryllia, within the village who tends the suffering bringing them what comfort he can, prompted by thier questions he gradually tells the story of what has happened over recent months, the outbreak of the fever, the sorceress's arrival & the walking of the dead who have died of the fever. Regarding the carts Caliliar confesses that any & all who attempt to leave the plague village will be prevented from doing so, what ever the cost.
Slowly however, Keros's, Veli's & the others questions bring doubt to the face of Caliliar,
"Surely Cobryllia would not have done this to us, she has tried so hard to help the dying, why would anybody inflict this upon my people"
Before he can go further Veli draws herself up & commands Caliliar to forget this conversation, go back to his home & all mention of our passage.
Turning aside the hamlet is left to its fate however Veli, looking to the skies, tells that her familiar has flown over the hamlet & through its eyes she has seen this sorceress in deep discussion with another who fits the description of the woman Keros encountered in the stables several nights earlier, looking at each other apprehensively they bring the horses to canter & move on as quickly as possible.
Several hours later the horses are slowed to a walk as they search for a sheltered area in which to camp for the night, other than the occasional tree & hedge, the waist high grass is unbroken in all directions.
Later, as they make preparations for the night Veli suddenly clutches at her side, Keros watches as she drags the crow skull wand from her garments, Veli muttering to herself gestures towards the sky . . . . when nothing happens Keros dismisses her actions & ponders what delights lie in store for this evenings meal. Opening his pack Keros discovers a purse, a purse which several days earlier was stolen after Lung attacked him, weighing the purse in his hand he guesses that it feels about the same weight as before, but not having counted the coins he can't say for sure.
"I see our thief has returned what was stolen"
Of the comments offered regarding its apparent return, Pelangor's repeated,
"It must have been there all the time" rings most hollow.
Shaking his head in disgust Keros suddenly realises that something else is missing, there is a complete absence of bird song, for that matter he realises that there is no noise of any wildlife at all, before however this can be brought to the attention of his companions, a shout from one of the others alerts him to the fact that all is not well, Veli is calling to her familiar to return immediately but of most concern is something, as yet unseen, pushing through the tall grass, glancing at each other, all, apart from Veli who has disappeared from view, scramble into the lower branches of the closest tree.
Perched on a branch Keros raises his arms & points towards the swaying grass, immediately, a pale blue nimbus surrounds whatever is moving through the grass highlighting its progress. Around him Keros can hear the others preparing & casting various enchantments as he himself invokes the the power of the storm clouds above to rain lighting down onto whatever approaches, realising that this will take time, Keros prepares to call upon the lower bows of the tree to bind whatever comes.
Out of the grass a head appears, a figure rises until it is fully seven feet tall, from its forehead two horns curl about its face, lifting its head all can see its glowing blood red eyes, sniffing the air it raises its massive arms bellowing in some dark tongue, from below him Keros hears Merlynar loose his bow at the foul creature only to see it pluck the shaft out of the air before it strikes.
Grinning it draws two curved blackened blades & springs towards the tree.
Releasing his will the the trees limbs clutch at the demon, for surely that's what it must be, only for Keros to see them slide of its hide.
The demon lunges repeatedly at Keros, Merlynar, Gundred & Pelangor, fortunately however, the castings of Pelmas & Merlynar deflect the deadly looking blades.
As the beast rants below, Keros watches as Pelangor throws a drawn blade at the monster below, again it shows incredible speed, dropping its own dagger & snatching the thrown blade before it strikes only to stick it into the tree & catch its own blade before it hits the floor.
"I will shake you down & gut you" screamed the demon, & then pointing into the tree "Kill them, kill them all"
Abandoning any thought of leaving his perch to confront the demon Keros is struck by the demons words, turning he appalled to see something from a nightmare squatting above himself & Pelangor, hoping the beaked & clawed creature is sufficiently entertained by Pelangor, Keros raises his arm & points with the finger bearing the Illyanas's Bane, unsure what Illyanas's Bane exactly is, his demands that it slay the conjured beast are ignored.
Glancing below Keros looks on in horror as Merlynar drops from the tree to assist Veli in her fight with the demon, Keros is even more appalled however when Pelangor slides from his perch to aid Merlynar.
Intending to jump rather than be alone with this thing in the tree it moves to strike at Keros however before either it or Keros can react the monster suddenly finds itself encased in a vast sticky web, armed pinned to its sides it can only watch as Keros turns, grins & lays about it with his staff.
Doing his best to batter the creature to death before it can escape Keros's eye is caught as the one armed Pelmas swoops like an eagle, well, an eagle with one wing thinks Keros, from above & impales the abomination on his dagger before swinging away.
Having battered the bound creature to death Keros looks down to see Pelangor & then Merlynar slice into the demons torso before it melts with a scream into the dead soil upon which it stood.
As all stare at the spot where the demon so recently stood Keros looks around to release the pent up force of his earlier preparations to discharge the pent up force of the gathered storm clouds above, he is startled however when he sees a woman, the woman, sat astride her horse some quarter of a mile away, unhesitatingly he points towards her & calls upon storm to do its worst. With a ear shattering blast lightning rains down upon her from the heavens blasting both her & her steed asunder, as calm settles all can see her ladyship lying trapped beneath her dead horse.
Breaking into run Keros finds himself not only out distancing the still airborne Pelmas but also the horse of Merlynar,
"so this is how a girdle of speed works then" murmurs Keros,
Nearing the struggling woman, Keros is overtaken by a hurtling ball of fire from somewhere above, which cremates the already expired horse & goes someway to ensuring that whilst still alive the trapped rider is very unwell, reaching the scene well before the others Keros unhesitatingly raises his staff & smashes it down across her skull, the splitting of which reverberates across the fields.
As Merlynar arrives & dismounts he passes comment about the morals in slaughtering the defenceless woman, turning to Merlynar, Keros tells him,
"I'm sorry my friend but a coward has no time for mercy, no time at all, besides just how far were we going to run from this woman's pursuit, is she not the one that Gundren keeps calling Miralis Runesabre, daughter of Illeum Runesabre"
Some distance from the charred corpse all can see the feared golden katana which Runesabre's daughter had carried, the dire reputation of this infamous blade, as well as its former wielder, had even got as far as the gardens in which Keros had laboured. In fear as well as wonder of this formidable weapon it is agreed that it must kept away from those that follow, but unsure as to just what they should do with it they secure the blade in Veli's pack for future consideration.
Looking at the corpse all can feel a growing sense of urgency to thier flight, up until now Illeum had sought Veli for reasons unknown, now it would be for the slaughter of his daughter, fearing the worst & wanting to remove as much of the evidence of her death as they can, Pelmas again raises fire & the flames are fed until no more than ashes remain of both Miralis & her horse, gathering the ashes Merlynar seals them in rock & casts an enchantment to disguise thier presence from others, once this task is completed the party put as many miles as they can before nightfall between them & the scene of Miralis's demise.
After their evenings repast, Merlynar moves aside to a shallow pool near their camp, returning some time later he says that he has grave news,
"I have scryed for news of events in Halstran, whilst I have seen the efforts of Baron Agruld to control the people of Halstran my gaze was repeatedly drawn to that of a man overcome with grief, behind him lurked two shadows, demonic guardians, ready to do his every bidding, alas I can only assume that this is Runesabre & he morns the loss of his daughter, I fear we are in great peril"
Terrified by what Merlynar has seen, Keros's first, second & only thoughts are for his own skin, but knowing in his heart that it can only be a matter of time before Runesabre catches them up, Keros reluctantly accepts his fate, that of a dead man walking.
Realising that they can no longer look for sanctuary in Halstran a decision is made to turn back towards & try thier look in the mountains in an attempt to reach the coast, turning West they soon find themselves in the steeply climbing foothills & by nightfall all about is covered in a ever thickening blanket of snow.
After a cold night they begin to climb one of the many snow laden passes, gradually the horses grind to a halt & eventually set free to return to the lower, & warmer, foothills. Pausing often Keros trudges on at the rear of the group fervently wishing that Illeum would show some consideration & hurry up & catch them so that he would have to climb no further.
Pelmas, struggling himself, agrees that they cannot continue like this & near drains in himself in casting a spell of flight upon all of the party, whilst the duration of this spell is only for an hour or so, it does allow them to make good progress without any effort although when they eventually stop Pelmas almost instantly falls into a deep sleep.
As they huddle together for warmth Keros has an idea, collecting various metallic items from his companions he casts a number of spells on the objects causing them to heat rapidly such that they are far to hot to hold, as they slowly cool however they do bring some comfort to the party.