The sun was barely past the horizon when Eda left her room. Soft beams of light lit the way towards the stairs and the sound of birds seemed to call to her to leave.
“A bit early, isn’t it?” Aidan raised an eyebrow at her daughter. “Sneaking out?”
“No,” Eda grunted. “I told mother I would be going to the lake to fish. You were sealed off in your study.”
“Now I understand the spear,” Aidan laughed. “So how did things go yesterday? Did Warwick have any requests of me. I told you to to tell him of my willingness to be his quelethas.”
“He didn’t take the sword, father,” Eda blushed, still thinking the word meant father-in-law. “He just bought a normal sword – leaving enough gold for a hammer and a pair of boots. I helped him with his armor. It seemed adequate.”
Aidan paused, surprised that the boy refused the sword. “But…”
“Oh!” Eda interrupted. “He told me to ask you about the rifts - when they first appeared, their locations, and the time between their appearances.”
“Did he happen to say why?” Aidan stared at her daughter thoughtfully. While the appearance of the rifts weren’t exactly a secret – words from up high suggested a bit of discretion when discussing them to prevent unrest. The kingdom already had its researchers and scholars trying to make sense of the phenomena,
“You know Warwick,” Eda shrugged. “His head is full of numbers and things. The rifts just probably caught his attention.”
“Tell him to –”
“Can’t! Already going. I’m late as it is.” Eda waved as she flew down the stairs and headed for the door.
She saw Warwick already waiting at the end of the pathway to their house. They agreed to meet early, and for him to wait for him there and not come knocking.
“You brought spears,” Eda greeted, casually raising her own, “and you’re wearing your scales.”
“Well,” Warwick smiled. “We ARE going on an adventure – and I’d rather not leave them unguarded at home.”
“Like anyone would want to steal from you,” Eda teased her friend. She understood Warwick’s attachment to the armor. He put so much effort into it – that, and a lot of rivets.
“And they’re not spears.”
Eda paused to take another look at what she thought were spears, noticing their lack of points and the slightness to their girth. “What are those?”
“You’ll see when we get there,” Warwick smiled. “It’s a long walk.”
“We’re walking? To the lake?!?” Eda blurted in surprise and a bit of outrage.
“You need to build some strength. You won’t be riding carriages once you’re unchained.” Warwick explained. “We can ride on the way back.”
“Hmph,” Eda stormed off towards the direction of the lake, not waiting for her companion.
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The walk to Karthin Lake took two hours on foot. A dedicated carriage would cut the time by an hour and a wagon by half that.
The two conversed about their plans – mostly about their chosen destinations. Most of the unchained would head towards the big cities, especially the ones with skills and trades. Valmont to the east, Stormward to the west, and the kingdom’s capital of Primus to the north.
Aspiring adventurers would head to the frontiers of the south – Weisler, Telvete, and Ironrock – or sign up as soldiers in some noble’s army.
They planned to head south as well – not to the frontiers but to the city of Whitespire. The city was a center for magic and trade, and it stood close to the Burning Forest. Seeing as the two of them had prior experience hunting in a forest, it seemed like a suitable place to start.
“How much longer?” Eda groaned. The butt of her spear rhythmically struck the ground, serving as a walking stick as they traveled.
“We’ll see the lake when we pass the rise. We’ll stop at Bevell to rest before heading out.”
Eda’s steps quickened in relief. The endless stretch of grass, road, and sky made her think they were going nowhere. A town was a welcome respite to their two hours of walking.
Once they reached the top of the rise, Eda saw the immensity of the lake. It stretched up to the horizon, making the town of Bevell seem tiny in comparison.
“There’s a city under that lake,” Warwick nudged her. “An ancient dragon flooded the valley, sending everyone to their doom.”
“I know the story,” Eda remained staring at the lake.
In her father’s tales, the dragon lived in the mountains. Its magic froze the land, turning it into a place of ice and snow. The elves who lived in the land fought against the dragon for more than a century – until the rise of an elven princess.
With the princess leading their forces, the elves fought with renewed fervor. They used cunning, skill, and magic to waylay the dragon – not letting it rest or leave its icy lair.
When they finally won, the dragon’s death undid its magic. The ice-capped peaks melted, sending waves of snow and water crashing down the valley.
The city below was devastated by the rushing waters – and the only survivors were the soldiers within the dragon’s lair. It took another two centuries before people came back to the lake.
“Is that an island?” Warwick raised a hand to shield his eyes from the glare of the sun. “Hey, Eda - there’s a small island in that lake.” Judging by their height and distance, he estimated that the island was twice as far as their walk from Greenhaven
Eda looked thoughtful. The small island was a remnant of the vanished elven kingdom – a desperate attempt at survival that ended in tragedy.
“Let’s head to town,” she urged. “My feet are sore and I’m famished enough to eat three meals.”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
The two walked to Bevell, their thoughts filled with different stories of a sunken city’s tragedy. They asked around for a proper tavern and people pointed them to the Fallow Cornfield. It was a small tavern with only a few people. The owner used to be a farmer who sold his land and built the tavern.
“Wha' wauld yau two be havin?” a man in an apron spoke to them as they sat at a table.
“What do you have, mister?” Eda answered, quite amused at the man’s thick accent.
“Haim no mister,” the man replied. “Averywon' calls me Farmer Reid or just' Reid is fin'. Thar'’s smoked traut', grilled herring, and lam stew. Bread, beans, or potatoes com' frei with tha meals.”
“I’ll have the trout with potatoes,” Eda smiled and gestured to Warwick to follow.
“I’ll have the stew with bread,” he turned to the tavern’s owner with a coin. “Will this be enough?”
Reed took the coin and smiled. “Yer short' two silvers, but' I’ll giv' yau a discaunt' being cityfolk an all. Yau two er' for fishin?”
“Yes,” Eda smiled, forcing herself not to giggle.
Warwick glared at her for a moment before turning to Reed. “Are there interesting tales in Bevell? We’re adventurers seeking the strange and mysterious.”
“Well, thar'’s stories of the lak' takin a few kids ev'ry year. Not' residents – bu' vistors lik' yau two.” Reed answered with a concerned look on his face. “Then thar’s the fishfolk. They trad' with a few villagers west' of her'. I av' an inkling they’re somewhat' responsibl' for the vanished kids. Ther's also talk abaut' cryin saunds near the island the past' two weiks. Fishermen are scurred to go anywher' near ther'.”
“We’ll be looking out for the fishfolk,” Warwick assured the man, though his words hid a different motivation. The fishfolk was the main reason he chose to bring Eda to the lake. He also wanted to give her a day to get her mind off hunting trolls to test her spells and equipment.
The two ate their meals in relative silence, aside from Eda’s sharp remarks about Warwick’s food choices. They left the tavern soon after finishing their meals – but not before Eda discreetly left a silver on the table.
“The man was funny,” Eda laughed, “trying to scare us with tales of missing kids, ghosts, and fishfolk.”
“I believe him,” Warwick replied. “Not about fishfolk taking children – but everything else seems true.”
Eda stared at him in disbelief.
“I talk to people in the city. Some of them have seen or heard things in their trips to the lake.”
“Do you think they have any relations to the residents of the sunken city? The fishfolk?” she asked.
“Not a thing,” Warwick answered. “The fishfolk are fairly new to the lake. I read a book that said they only appeared around 50 years ago.”
“You read books?” Eda teased. “Don’t you have enough in that head of yours?”
Warwick smirked at her and turned to the west. “We should get to the lake’s edge in a few minutes. Hopefully we’ll get to see some of them.”
After another 10 minutes of walking, they arrived at the shore. There were a few children on the water, trying to catch fish with their hands, a man was eyeing the water with a thin spear, and another man was carrying a basket like contraption filled with fish.
“This looks like a good spot,” Warwick declared. He placed his pack on the ground, taking out the two poles and reaching in for a roll of string and a pair of hooks.
He tied one end of the string to the slender part of the pole, cut it to a certain length, tied a hook at the other end, and then did the same to the other pole.
“We’re supposed to catch fish with those?” Eda asked, still holding her fishing spear.
Warwick shrugged, “Your choice. There’s two fishing poles so you can use want if you want.”
Eda stared at her spear then to the strange thin poles. She grabbed one of them from Warwick, giving him her spear in turn. “Show me,” she demanded.
Warwick scanned the shore in search of an ideal location. He spotted a group of rocks that led to a bigger one in the deeper part of the lake.
“There,” he pointed. “That’s a good place to fish.”
The two carefully traversed the stones. Warwick took the lead and aided Eda’s steps. She mumbled something about mages and dignity – and that getting drenched in a lake was unacceptable.
Warwick took out a strips of meat from his pack, put them on the hooks, and taught Eda how to cast the line. He reminded her that it might take a bit of time for fish to bite, as he relaxed and stared at the water.
“Oh, I think I got a fish,” Eda cried excitedly. Her line was taut and there was a bit of pull on her pole.
“Just pull in the fish,” Warwick coached. “Once it’s near you just pull on the line and grab it.”
Eda easily caught her first fish. She was eager to try again – and after baiting her hook, she cast her line once more.
Warwick pulled up his line to check the bait and found it was there. He cast it again in another direction – hoping to finally catch a fish.
Fishing took longer than he remembered. There were no fancy lures or rods to buy – nor were there monsters that would suddenly appear from the shallow depths of a river or lake. It was still as relaxing as ever – a respite from the constant battles of everyday life.
“I got one again!”
Warwick grit his teeth. The fishing gods were not with him today.
They fished for a couple of hours before calling it a day. It was almost midday, and the heat of the sun was beginning to get uncomfortable. Eda managed to bring in four while Warwick only caught one – a fact that she drilled into her friend a few times too many.
The two moved to a shady part part of the shore where Warwick gutted, scaled, and filleted the fish while Eda started a fire. They placed stones over the fire and placed the salted and sliced fish over it.
Eda was quite satisfied with the meal. She finished a whole trout and decided to have the rest cooked when she got home. Warwick seemed distracted as his eyes kept to the water even as he ate.
They sat in silence as they listened to the lapping of the waves, staring at far-away mountains and the azure sky. Eda stared at the lake, wondering about the elven city underneath it when a strange figure broke from the water.
She turned to Warwick, tugging at his arm and pointing at the creature “A fishman!” Two of the same creatures followed the first. They were clad in hide and carried spears, though the latter was unarmed.
Warwick gestured to Eda to stay calm. He stood up and casually walked towards the fishfolk.
“Greetings, travelers,” he waved. “Where might you all be heading?”
The two armed fishfolk grunted, but the one on point bared its teeth in an eerie imitation of a smile. “We are headed to the western market to trade,” it answered with perfect diction. “Are you perhaps interested in trading?”
Eda made her way to Warwick and stood behind him. She was quite surprised at the fishfolk’s words, expecting more garbled language – if they could speak at all.
<
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The two bodyguards tensed as they heard Warwick speak. They held their spears closer with their tips slightly lower to the ground – but a wave from their leader put them at ease.
<
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An elbow to the side made him remember that he wasn’t alone. “Shale said they were here to trade in the market. The two spearmen only speak elvish – and one of them said you smelled like a burned tree.”
“Pardon young lady, that was not what was said,” Shale protested. “My people are sensitive to fire magic, and one of my guards merely pointed out that you were a fire mage.”
Eda glared at Warwick before turning to Shale. “Please forgive this idiot,” she grinned while elbowing Warwick again on his side. “He likes to show off from time to time, but he’s a good person.”
“Is there a particular reason you wanted to meet with us?” Shale asked.
<< we arre adventurers >> Warwick replied in Nur, smiling at Shale’s guards. <
“Well, there is the island and its strange guardian,” Shale answered in the kingdom’s tongue for Eda to understand. “We can take you there after our trip to market. But I caution you – explore the island, but do not awaken the one within.”