Bjorn

Gallion and I were having a fresh meal in an ale house in some village we came across, unsure of what it was called, we just needed to stop for the night and refresh. Gallion told me the night we left Dechrau we were going to try for a city called Theramill. One of the oldest cities in the world, but not the most famous anyways. Gallion and I plan to open a new metal shop, and offer our skills to the people. 'A good way to start a new life', is how Gallion said it exacatly. "Gallion, Will we stay here for tonight only?" I ask as he mulled over a large chunk of grilled beef. "Tonight, I want to get to Theramill in good time. I am already sick of traveling." He muttered at me. Gallion always hated traveling, I knew that so I chuckled watching him in his miserable moment. "Laugh it up, boy. You will be old one day, and then it wont be so funny." He tossed a bone at me over the table. Swiping it onto the floor towards some tavern mutts shaking my head. "Maybe, but I plan on having many children one day who can take care of me, for now all you have is me so be nicer." I laughed.

After arranging for Gallion and I to have a room above the ale house for the night, complete with two beds, a wooden table with chairs, and a large window that faced the main road that led to the pub. I stood looking out of the window watching the village folk go about their business in the night, most of them drunk and some of them drunk and passed out. The village was larger then Dechrau, it was nice to see something new. I had only explored so much before I decided to join Gallion in the pub for some supper and drink, but there was not much I was interested in.

"Sleep, Bjorn. We will have a long journey tomorrow. If we can, we can stay the night at the dock and find a boat that will ferry us across to Theramill." Gallion told me as he slumped into his chosen bed for the night. I nodded, it was late and I was tired anyways. I was thinking of my mother. "Gallion. My mother. What did she look like?" I asked.Gallion breathed out heavily in thought, "She was pretty anyways, Yellow hair, blue eyes." He sat up and looked at me his eyebrows creased in thought. "Why would you not tell me this before? Gallion, if you knew my mother why hide it for so long?" I was not angry, I was simply curious. "I figured you would ask me when you needed to know, if that time ever came. I am sorry, Bjorn."I shook my head, "It's fine. I am not upset, just curious." I assured him. "Sleep." I said as I laid across the other bed. It didn't take long before I drifted into sleep myself wondering if Gallion was wrong, the woman in my dreams has long black hair and green eyes. She looked so much like me that I thought that it was my mother. Who was she then if not my mother?

"Aadi! Get up, Aadi! Get up! It's coming! Run!" The woman's voice screamed at me in my sleep. I sat up my entire body sweaty and hot. My breath rushing out of my like I was trying to survive. I couldn't remember why my mother was screaming at me. I stood up out of the bed and looked out the window again. It was early dawn with fog still crawling across the village ground. Closing my eyes I took a deep breath calming my nerves.

I shook Gallion awake so we could leave. "Come on then, Gallion. Time to leave." I walked out of the room leaving Gallion to wake himself from this point and get on his way. The pub quiet and mostly empty, my footsteps echoing as I thumped down the stairs to the main level. I was about to walk out of the main door when the ale wife called out to me, "Leaving early aren't you, love?" "You know what they say about the early bird." I said to her. She chuckled a little and then went to return to the kitchen then stopped and looked back at me. "Careful out there, strange talk as of late of things happening in the woods." She nodded at me and then continued on her way into he kitchen. "Yeah," was all I said as I turned and left the ale house. I could hear clunking on the stairway as I exited so I knew Gallion was coming up behind me.

I gave the wagon a look over to make sure it wasn't tampered with over night, mounted the horses and then paid the stable boy some silver for his services of guarding the wagon. Gallion came into the small stable and climbed onto the wagon without a word, I followed him up and he gave the horses a flick sending them forward into the early morning air. "Good morning, this." I said pointing to the sky. Gallion looked at me and laughed. "Oh yes. Got something you want to say, Bjorn?" He asked me. "Well, how do I know that my mother was really a heks? Did you see her use magic?" I questioned him. "Maybe I did. Maybe I just trust in the old gods, and that many things that people have forgotten, that shouldn't have been." Gallion said as he guided our horses to the edge of the village and back onto the road to the east. "How do I know I don't possess the same magic if I have never tried to use it?" I asked, I felt stupid immediately. Gallion laughed at me. He shrugged at me and said nothing. I figured that meant he didn't know and didn't want to say anything. "What's in Theramill? Have you been there before?" I asked him. "Lived there once. Might even have friends still in that area." He told me. "Friends? That's a strong word for you, Gallion." I said. He shot me a look from the side and gave me a shove, "Shut up, boy" he said laughing.

After a few hours of travel, Gallion decided he needed to relieve himself. As he did his business by a tree, I filled out water skins from the stream, "Plenty of fish coming down this stream, I'm going to get a few for a meal while we are here." I said to him. The stream was shallow and thin enough that I tossed my dagger into the water a few times and brought up enough fish for now and later. I was please with my catch. Gallion by this time was already preparing a fire. I was scanning the tree line, taking in the sights when I thought I spotted something in the deeper trees away from the stream. Must have been an animal I thought to myself because it was gone immediately, I tossed a couple of fish onto the hot coals, "Sleeping?" I said as I kicked Gallions foot. He grunted at me, he had laid down waiting for the coals to heat up and fish to cook. "Mmm, let me rest and we will leave after we eat." He grumbled out.

I did, I turned the fish as needed and ate one while I cooked the others. I was listening to the stream dribble over the rocks and the occasional fish jumping when I heard the sound of horses and wagons coming down the road. I wasn't surprised by this as the road we were traveling is stretched between two villages. At first there was a few men and horses, then there a couple of wagons followed by a large amount of people walking, larger then I thought it was going to be. They all passed without incident however, which was good. I was curious why such a large group would be around here though. I kicked Gallions foot. "Oi, wake up." I said to him. He grumbled something, "Get up, Gallion. Let's go. A large band of people just went by and now we will have to travel behind them." I complained. He sat up and rubbed his hairy face. "Where's my fish then?" He asked me. I motioned towards a large stone I had cleaned and rested the cooked fish on to cool before I wrapped it for travel. "Good enough." Gallion said pulling bits off of a fish, swallowing it down without further complaint. Fresh fish was never something to complain about. "Now that you have rested, can we leave?" I asked. Gallion stood and started to stomp out the fire. "Let's go then," He said.

After mounting the horses and climbing aboard the wagon once again we set off towards the east. The group of people were no where in sight and that for me was a good thing. Avoiding larger groups like that was how we were able to avoid trouble as well. I mentioned the group to Gallion again, but all I got in response was a shoulder shrug. I took that as a hint that he didn't want to talk and was probably still tired from his nap. I was thinking to myself about what Theramill would be like, I had heard stories about some of the cities in the world. Theramill was among those, and as it was fairly close to Dechrau then the others, it was the city people chose to talk about. People say its temple holds secrets of the past, and that when you enter the city you are met by trees that were woven into the walls by magic before faded.

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"Gallion, Theramill... Some people talk about it like it was the city of the Heks? And why do we call them that even? Seems so lowborn." I said. He laughed, "Yeah, I only know that Theramill...What is that there?" He was looking hard at the trees that were just ahead of us. I stared at the trees waiting for see what he was looking at, only nothing was there. "What are you talking about?" I asked him. He pulled the reins bringing the horses to a halt, and waited for a moment. Then we saw it. A black figure moved away from a tree trunk and slinked deeper into the trees away from us. "I think I saw that before, when we were at the stream." I told him, a chill setting over me. "What the hell is it?" I asked. "We aren't sticking around to find out" He snapped the reins sending the horses forward in a quick pace. Passing by the set of trees that we seen the figure at, there was nothing.

Gallion knew something, I was sure of that. Why he wasn't telling me was what had me curious. "Gallion, why did you want to leave anyways? Why couldn't we have stayed in Dechrau?" He looked at me and sighed, "Why ask me now, days after we have left?" "Curiosity." I said shrugging my shoulders. "After Dara's parents, the pig attacks. Where did you go that night?" I asked him hoping he was going to give me an answer."Bjorn, there is more going on in the world then people pay any attention to." He said to me staring straight ahead. After a moment he looked at me and was about to say something, then stopped. He glanced to the side of me and snapped the reins to speed the horses once again. "We will get to Theramill in a few days, things will be explained more there. I give you my word on that, Bjorn." "Whats in Theramill anyways, more secrets?" I asked. "Not so much secret as change." He said to me and smiled.

The path we were traveling was well traveled, the road beaten down by horses and wagons that have come through. We came across a few small groups of people, a few times we traded furs, spices, and even ore and weapons to those going by. Gallion knew how to make his way in the world, and had talked people into trading for items they didn't want or need, for items he didn't wan't but knew he could get better later for it. I was always amazed that people gave him what he wanted when he was the merchant. I chuckled to myself as he was trading off the bag of apples he had only taken down the road hours earlier to a man for a package of fresh salted pork. Apples for pork. Gallion looked at me curious as to why I was so amused by, I just shrugged and shook my head and waited to get on our way again.

The sky was getting darker and I was tired. "Gallion, lets stop, I'm tired and could use some sleep." I complained. "Yeah, that's fine, I need the rest anyways. We will get farther tomorrow, there wont be so many people on the path the closer we are to the forest of Gorffennol. People don't like going by there." He told me. "Why are we then?" I asked. "Quicker, and I want to make a stop there." He said as he chewed on a chunk of salted pork. "Here is as good as any." He started to pull the wagon off the path into a carved out part of the forest, obviously used by others who traveled here before as a camp. "I'll start a fire." I said as I jumped off the wagon bench. I started picking up smaller sticks and tossing them into a pile. Gallion was releasing the horses when I last looked. Walking into the forest and collecting some larger pieces of wood I could hear smaller animals running through the grass and bushes. To the side of me, a larger russelling sound made me look over to assure I wasn't about to come face to face with a larger animal. I dropped the few logs I had and pulled my bow from my back and readied an arrow. Scanning the dark trees for any threats, I stopped, quietly listening. Again to the side of me a sound in the bushes, I turned pointing my arrow straight at the sound and took a step forward. A fat rabbit hopped out of the bush and started for the next bush. "Damn, could have had that for dinner." I said to myself lowering the arrow. That's when a woman stepped out from the trees. I pulled my arrow up again pointing it at her throat. "Not another step." I said in a rush. She stopped and raised her arms from beneath her dark cloak. "I am not an enemy, Bjorn.""How do know me?" I asked her irritated. "I know much, I have come to find you." She told me, still hidden by the shadows. I could tell she was rather short, but was wearing some kind of leather armor anyways. The hilt of a sword peaked out from under her dark cloak. So she was armed, I held my arrow aimed for her throat."Why are you following us?" I asked her, "It was you by the stream, was it not?" I demanded."Yes, it was me. I wanted to make sure I had the right man." She said her arms still raised. " Will you allow me to join you at your fire, we can then talk in peace." She asked me. I nodded my head towards Gallion, "Shall we?"

We walked back to Gallion in silence, her in front of me leading the way. As we came back into the camp from the trees, Gallion spotted us and let out a loud sigh. "Oh no, I thought we had lost your interest a long way back." He said, not at all shocked to see me exit the forest with a random woman. "You know her?" I asked him. "Not her specifically, but her kind." He said waving his hand in front of him. "Her kind?" I was curious. "He means, Dryadalis." She said and she removed her hood revealing two long, pointed ears, decorated with silver coverings that stretched from the tips and down the back of them to her lobes. Her hair was a darker blond and pulled back into many different braids that lined her head. Her eyes were larger then my own, and round. Bright blue and intense. She was beautiful. I caught myself staring at her and turned away to look at Gallion. "What's a Dryadalis?" I asked stupidly. Gallion laughed as did the woman. "I am. Maybe you prefer Elf?" She laughed. "As diminishing that word is."I didn't know what to say so I started to build the fire. Gallion was laying a large fur down to sit and lay on, the woman taking a seat on the fur beside him. "Alright, out with it then, what are you here for? To come so far from your forest to find us? Why?" Gallion asked her. "What do we call you?" "My name is Pepper. I have come for your help." She told Gallion. "My help?" He asked shocked followed by a full belly laugh. "It has been a long time since the people of the Dryadalis has asked me for anything." he said to Pepper. "Regardless, this is why I have come to find you. My ranger has asked me to seek you out and bring you to the city.""To Theramill?" I asked. She shook her head, "No, not to the stolen city, to Cinneadh. The city of Dryadalis.""Nah, I wont be going back there. My last visit was enough for me for a life time." Gallion said."Your last visit is something we wont speak about. And, I am here for Bjorn. Not you, Gallion. If you chose to come with us, is up to you." She said. "Me? What on earth do you want from me? Gallion is the metal working master. Not me." I laughed. "We have a problem that we need the awakened to help us with."

"He doesn't have powers, he's not awakened, not like his mother." Gallion said. Pepper looked at Gallion questioning the truth in what he told her. "How could he not? What about his sister?" She asked. "My what?" I interrupted. "Dead. Her fathers farm destroyed by a slaver." Gallion said. He looked at me ashamed, "I tried to find her when I took in Bjorn. I traveled to his farm, he was there dead, his wife and child burned in the cabin." He said to Pepper, but was looking at me.

I looked at Gallion shocked. My what? Why would he never mention this before? My fathers farm? "Gallion." I wasn't sure what I wanted to say. "Why would you not have told me this?" I asked him. "What? That you had a father and sister who were killed and burned?" He sighed. "Bjorn, you are like a son to me, I didn't want to bring you more grief in your life." He shrugged. "I am sorry, son." I wasn't angry. I did not know my birth parents. I didn't say anything, I wanted to walk away. I walked to the path and started back down the way we came. Pepper had come after me and put her hand on my shoulder. Her touch was light and careful. "Bjorn, wait." She stepped in front of me. "Will you come to Cinneadh with me? Maybe you are not awakened, but we can still use help." She asked me. "Help with what, Pepper?" "I'm afraid for that answer you will have to come to Cinneadh with me. For now, I can tell you evil has returned here. The awakened are needed once again."