Konrad whistled long and loud and the sound bounced through the valley beneath the Long Hill. He kept walking, pretending not to see the flashes of movement in the deep undergrowth around him. Spirit had obviously been enjoying her new powers, trying to keep an eye on her was like trying to track a whisper of smoke in a storm.

He stopped to drink from his canteen and spotted a subtle change in the shade of a tree. Sure enough a grey snout peeked cautiously out into the sunlight.

He waited until she was in striking distance and then leapt towards her with a yell, barely missing her as she darted away barking.

“I nearly had you.”

She quickly returned to him, jumping up and licking his face.

“It’s good to see you too. A lot’s happened, but we’re finally going.”

In reply Spirit took her place next to him and he rested his hand on her back as he had always done.

The Long Hill was one of the highest in the area and from its summit Konrad tracked the river Fallow flowing through the valley. From here, Fallow Vale Town and the Clod village were small clusters of buildings on the river bank, with the citizens road and the Clods road connecting them. Konrad knew he needed thirty gold to pay back the Clod’s in the village, but how much would it take to pay all of their debts? He wasn’t good with numbers but if his debt was fifty, then he would need a hundred times that.

“We need to find a lot of gold Spirit.”

The shrine stood locked and quiet. It would be five years before the fire was re-lit and the young people from the valleys would track up here again. He waited outside and it didn’t take long until they were met with the delighted barks of two other dogs who came flying across the grass. Shambling along after them was the old herder Erwan, his stick firmly in hand and and group of scraggly sheep behind him.

“You didn’t have to send that old fluffer Dun up here to tell me what to do,” he grumbled.

“I didn’t send anyone, I didn’t know it was happening.”

“Be that as may, we had a deal and I expect you to keep it.”

“That’s why I’m here, what is it that you want?”

Erwan beckoned to Konrad to follow him and they walked along the ridge of the long hill. The path was narrow and Konrad nearly slipped several times while Erwan shambled along like a goat on a mountainside.

They arrived at a large tree that was hanging on grimly to the top of the hill. It’s thick roots twisting into the earth. Around it’s base Konrad saw a small fire pit and a very worn bed roll.

“It ain’t much, but it’s home. Tea?”

The small kettle was put on the fire and the silence extended as the dogs barked and chased each other.

“You know your brother used to come up here?”

“Really?”

“He liked working with the animals, said that he liked the herding life.”

“That’s not what I heard. Everyone says he was a born fighter, strong and smart. They said the Duke would have recruited him if the Father didn’t.”

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“Bulltosh,” Erwan said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “He hated fighting, never liked hurting people.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Konrad asked, taking the battered tin mug of tea Erwan handed him.

“I trusted your brother that’s why, so I’m going to trust you.”

He took a sip of his tea and gazed out towards the East.

“You know well enough the history of the Clods?”

“We came from the east, after the dwarves forced us out.”

“That’s a simple way of looking at it, but near enough. We were all sorry looking, just trying to find a place where no-one would try to kill us.”

“We took the land price offered by the Duke of Tajar, then Daniel Reed brought it from him,” Konrad finished the tale. He had never thought of Erwan as a Clod, he didn’t work a parcel of land, unless the Long Hill was somehow his. “Is that what you did?”

“No, this flock and this here hill are bought and paid for. My da put the coin in the hand of the old Duke himself.”

“How did you—?”

“I’m getting to that, save your breath to cool yer tea. Most of you have forgotten what we had, only old codgers like me and Dun left now and he was just a baby when we ran. Our city was called Elu, blessed of the East.”

“What happened to it?” Konrad breathed.

“Nobody knows,” he shrugged. “One day we were happy, the next the dwarves were climbing over the walls, burning everything. Our champions fought back as best they could, but it was clear we were no match for them. We weren’t fighters, we were farmers. Our god was Cloda and she was kind, peaceful.”

Konrads head was spinning. The tale of champions and gods of a lost city was too fantastical to believe. He studied the old herder carefully. How long had he been up here alone? Perhaps the isolation had gotten to him.

“Don’t you look sidewards at me boy. I know what I know even if I wasn’t much bigger than you. My da had money, gold. He bought this here flock and the herding rights to this here hill. The rest is the rest.”

“Cloda was our god, what happened to her?”

“Gone. Didn’t speak to no-one after that, not even the priests. Old Jack Lyme was the last of them. He passed long before you came along.”

“Is that what you want me to do, find out what happened?”

Erwan tossed out the dregs of his tea. “I would have asked your brother, but cause he was champion o the Father they took him straight from the shrine as soon as he was chose. You’re closer to the gods than anyone, figured you’d be the best suited for the job.”

He got up slowly and shambled over to the tree, reaching his arm into a hole in the trunk right up to his shoulder.

“This is all that’s left. Jack gave it to me. Might be of some use to you to figure out what happened.”

The box was small and tattered and inside was a fine ring of silver with a small white stone set into it. The stone was worn with age, but the faint engraving of a woman’s face was still visible.

* * *

The days work was done and a large group was back outside the tavern. Cups of ale were being passed around and the atmosphere was festive.

“Champion!” Jasper cried when he spotted him entering the square and the call was taken up all around.

Gerrard sat high on the seat of his wagon looking around with a superior expression on his face. Dun had organised for him to take Konrad on to Tajar and for Gerrard there was no mission more important.

“Out the way, let him through,” Gerrard cried.

The crowd parted and Hera, Luca, Alice and Dun stood by the wagon waiting for him.

Hera pulled him in tight and held him, she was crying freely but not like she had cried for Otto, this time the tears of pride and happiness outweighed the sadness.

“You come back soon Konrad. Wear your cloak as winter will come quick down on the plains. We’re so proud of you.”

Luca’s embrace was crushing and almost broke Konrads resolve to not cry himself.

“Do what’s right Kon, it’s never harder’n that,” he said, releasing him and giving him a small purse with some coins in it.

Alice beamed at him but he saw the sadness she was trying to cover. “Who’s going to make me laugh now Kon? I got this for you.”

She pressed something into his hand, it was a small smooth river stone with a hole through the center.

“Is this a magical item?” He asked with a wry smile.

Alice nodded solemnly. “It’s the stone of gravity detection.”

“How does it work?”

“You throw it, if it hits the ground, there’s gravity,” Alice said. Her lip trembled and she couldn’t hold back the tears any more. She hugged him and told him to come back soon.

Finally Dun shook his hand warmly. “The pride of the Clods lad. We’ll be celebrating this one for years to come. You’re going to do great things, I know it.”

Dun gave him a coil of his best and lightest rope and he stowed it carefully in his bundle.

There would always be more to say, but when Spirit jumped onto the back of the wagon he knew it was time to leave. The sun’s glow was a memory on the horizon and Gerrard flicked the reins so that his old horse, Bess pulled the wagon slowly out of the village of the Clods in Fallow Vale.