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By Brian Flood
Chapter 9 - Calm Before the Storm
Along the Uldoon Trail
Within the Reaching Woods, The Sunset Vale
Mid-Day, 23rd Day of Eleint, Year of the Tankard (1370 DR)
“At
last,” Kjira cries out. “Trees! I can see some trees! Much
better than this bland old wide-open terrain we've been traveling through.”
Her
cheer is diminished somewhat when she notices the dark clouds billowing in from
the north. “Sheesh,” she sighs.
“When it rains, it pours around this place.”
As
the party stops to take its afternoon rest, Kjira rummages around in one of the
wicker baskets that hang somewhat lopsided from either side of Bartholomule.
Eventually she raises her head back up, a bundle of cloth in one hand.
Closer inspection reveals it to be oilcloth, which she proceeds to wrap
around her head and shoulders.
During
the break Alani, whilst munching on a piece of preserved meat, watches Kjira
thoughtfully. “Not too much of
the wine, mage,” she says cheerfully. “I've
heard that spell casting under the influence will just get us all roasted.”
“But
waht 'bout da grup fireballz spell,” Kjira says, slurring her words
deliberately whilst grinning at Alani.
Alani
calls out to Tomar, “Hey, there's rain coming, merchant.
Just how waterproof is the packing for your merchandise?”
Turning to Darius, she says to Darius in a softer voice, “We may need to find shelter and wait out the rain, otherwise our employer will find that his precious books waterlogged and useless. Do you want to scout into the forest for some decent cover?”
Zell
approaches Alani and rests her hand on her shoulder, “ ‘Would be fruitless
to scout out a forest we may have no knowledge of the area.
If cover we seek, then the trees it shall be. It may not be much, but it is somewhat sheltered, a little.
If we are to travel through this” -- she motions her hands towards the
tree line -- “forest, we need to travel tighter and closer to the caravan as
possible. Also, since Darius has
the ability to shapeshift into his wolf form, maybe he and Soft Fang should
flank us on the sides. None the less, scouting would prove valuable at this moment.
Darius, Soft Fang, Cyzicus, and I should scout the area whilst everyone
stays here and keeps a clean ear out for anything unusual, unless anyone else
objects or has any better ideas.”
“I
think we need not worry about that,” Kjira says to Darius and Alani. “We walked through rain and mud most of yesterday and our
merchant companion here wasn't too concerned.
They are either wrapped and protected well, or sopping wet as it is.”
Kjira
glances over at Tomar, wondering which it will turn out to be...
The merchant puts down the block of cheese and the paring knife that has been using to eat and speaks up to answer. “Do not worry yourself with the rain’s threat to my wares, Miss Kjira. I assure you that this oiled canvas” – he gestures at the tarp that is pulled tight in a ‘U’ shape over the wagon – “will protect the cargo of the wagon from most elements and it may even provide a small defense against fire. I thank you, however, for your concern. It makes me feel somewhat safer to know that you are concerned about the welfare of my cargo AND myself.”
Glancing at the clouds on the horizon, Tomar pauses and frowns as he thinks to himself. Then, he says, “I should think that we can make a little more distance today – we still have half a day’s travel left to us. The forest may slow movement a tad, but the trail should make our navigation relatively easy. Branches and other materials for shelters will also be more plentiful in the forest. When you all are finished, I suggest we try to put a few more miles behind us before we stop to seek shelter.” The merchant sits back and resumes carving small pieces of cheese off of the block and popping them into his mouth.
Kjira
watches the already rotund merchant stuff his face with cheese as he
nonchalantly orders the party around. Mindful
of the fact that he is indeed her employer, she still finds herself disgusted at
the condition the man has allowed himself to fall to.
“Perhaps
you are right, sir Tomar,” she says after her finishes.
“Let us break for a few minutes to eat our lunches and then we can
continue on through the forest.”
“Miss
Kjira wasn't the one who first raised the issue of the rain getting into your
precious books, 'big cheese’,” Alani growls at Tomar, sharing Kjira's
disgust at the sight of the merchant stuffing his face.
The
elf then addresses Darius “If it's to be the forest, I'm leaving right now to
take point.....sir,” she says with a cheeky grin.
“Aye,
Alani,” Darius responds. “You
and Zell take the right point, and Soft Fang and I will take the left. An ambush in this kind of
terrain won't be too far from the road,
so be extra careful,” the druid replies, still blushing at being put in
charge.
Darius then turns and begins a spell-casting ritual, concentrating upwind (north). After a few minutes, he finishes with a disappointed look on his face. “There is no game nearby – at least, none upwind of us. We should get moving soon.”
Alani
nods to Zell to accompany her and moves off quickly to take the right point
position 40meters from the party's main body.
Zell
nods back, “Be cautious friend Alani. The
forest holds more secrets than any of
us may come to know. Be sure to keep your hands rested upon what may save your
life.” The suggestion can mean
only one thing, the weapons at hand that are being carried.
The
remainder of the party reforms – this time with Zell added to the forward
scouts – and begins moving.
Once
the party is moving again and into the forest, Kjira keeps an eye out for fallen
branches and twigs along the side of the road.
She picks up any she finds and puts them on the back of Bartholomule as
best she can. It is obvious she
intends to avoid cooking over animal dung if it can at all be avoided.
Dolak
alternates riding and walking for most of the day.
As the forest of death looms nearer, he switches to walking completely.
Looking at Kjira, he says, “You'll not be glad of the vermin we’re
like as not to meet in them woods. On
the other hand,” he grins, “there is alot less chance of us having to use
mule dung fer the fire.”
Lucas
rides along after the mid-day lunch break in silence mostly, occasionally
looking about the procession as if scanning for an adversary.
As
the party reaches the woods, Dolak unslings his battle-axe and carries it in his
left hand, using the right hand to lead the pony.
The
afternoon proceeds without any significant encounters.
The Uldoon Trail soon enters the Reaching Wood and the party walks along,
glancing nervously at the lightly wooded hardwood trees. After a few hours of moving through the forest, Tomar calls a
halt to the party.
“It
will be dark in a few hours, let us find a spot to camp for the evening,” the
bookdealer says. Glancing up, he
frowns at the boughs and leaves that prevent him from seeing the sky above.
Lucas
turns to the others, “We must make sure we get higher ground if these clouds
unload on us. I will see what I can find.”
With that said, Lucas slips from his mount and dismisses it.
The party watches, amazed as the horse that Lucas was just riding for the
last few hours disappears into a mist which blows away into thin air in a few
seconds. Lucas walks a few paces
from the others and starts to concentrate, apparently staring into the sky.
Darius
and the other scouts return to the party. Then,
the druid repeats the spell-casting ritual that you saw at the noon break, once
again facing the north.
Darius
finishes his concentration period in a few minutes.
“There are two things tell you,” the druid says.
“First, there is game nearby – something the size of a deer, or
similar. Whatever it is, it is to
the north of the trail and not far away. Second, I sense that the clouds we saw earlier will bring us
a violent storm – both rain and lightning.
By my estimate, it should hit us around midnight.”
After
a few additional minutes, Lucas turns to the others.
“There is a small clearing to the south – it is not far from the
trail. I was unable to locate a
water source; however, judging from what Darius said, there should be plenty of
water soon.”
Darius
nods at the mage’s report. “Soft
Fang and I will investigate the clearing,” he says.
Darius
and Soft-Fang walk into the woods heading south and return shortly thereafter.
“The mage is correct,” the druid says.
“There is a small clearing about fifteen or twenty yards from here to
the south. It is about twenty feet
wide or so and is surrounded by trees – it should provide a location for a
campfire as well as material for shelters.
There is also sufficient room between the trees to maneuver the animals
and their cargo to the campsite.”
The content of The Sunset Vale Saga are the property and copyright of Brian Flood, and are not to be published or redistributed without permission.