“What is your question for us then Half-Elf? If you think I will spill my guys at a whim, think again.” Kaleb stood defiant as the roots pulled his large body down.

“Why do you travel through this wood?”

“For the hunting and the ease of the road for our wagon.”

Jill-drath folded his arms and watched Gil-rith listen closely.

“You speak truth, and what is your quest?”

“Diplomatic mission to the Elves.”

Gil-rith listened again, “You speak with secrets!” he raised his staff and Flencer was pulled down into the ground with only his head protruding, like a ripe melon ready for picking.

“Bloody ‘ell, Kaleb! Stop testing it!”

Kaleb pulled his knee up and snapped some of the roots with imperious strength, he almost took a step before new roots caught his foot and yanked him down. “You torture a Paladin for information, you will be judged you filthy wretch!”

Gil-rith smiled and raised his staff, this time the gagged Irida was sucked down into the dirt. “You will speak to me with clarity, Paladin, or you and your party’s journey will end here.”

Kaleb’s struggles were rewarded with deeper thorns and his legs being pulled down further until he was waist-deep in the dirt, he caught himself with his hands so he would not be dragged deeper, his muscles straining but not faltering. “What must you know?”

The woods tell me the Dwarf keeps a deep secret, reveal it to me.

Kaleb looked at Flencer who nodded vigorously, if what Kaleb had been told was false then surely they’d be wrenched into the ground and buried alive, the trees would suck the juices of their bones. “He holds a seed, he returns, ah! He returns to a lover he failed to bond with, he seeks forgiveness from the Elves.”

Gil-rith laughed brashly and shook his head, “Mal-kir-la-Rul? Dramella-fin-lun-kir!”

Jill-drath nodded; “You should listen, at the very least, let the forest confirm this insanity is but a lie and be done with them.”

Gil-rith listened, his sour smile contorted into a sneer of disgust and then flattened into an unreadable glare. “He speaks truth.”

Kaleb nodded at Flencer, a portion of trust earned at a painful price nonetheless, even at the confirmation of Flencer’s honesty the roots did not loosen around the party, Kaleb still had managed to pull himself out of the hole that clawed at him with a macabre desire. “There, let us free!”

Gil-rith shook his head, “I do not believe for a second your sole purpose is to ferry this Dwarf to the Elves for a, quite frankly, troublesome union my dear, Paladin, tell me your quest.”

“The quest must remain a secret, You cannot take that truth from me, it is a crime beyond punishment!” Kaleb squirmed and pulled a foot free, raising concern in Jill-drath who raised his spear.

The onlookers gasped and murmured, no melody in their fear as they watched the large man fight back against the crushing, choking roots.

“Ah!” Morgan cried as he was pulled neck deep like Iridia and Flencer.

“Halt your struggles, Paladin, for even if you break free of these roots your friends will not.”

Kaleb closed his eyes, “Very well, I will tell you the truth of our quest, We seek the name of a demon that lays beneath these very lands and froths up into our cities, it bleeds corruption into the water and sews chaos into our tapestries.” He narrowed his eyes, “We carry a blade that its name must be sung into, so that it may be slain.” With a gasping breath, he fell to his hands.

Gil-rith listened to the forest and waved his staff and the chains that bound the party loosened and withered, freeing them all.

Iridia breathed freely and massaged her jaw, the holes in her lips healed rapidly and the pain faded.

Kaleb on the other hand vacillated between retribution through conviction or forgiveness through hope, his heart landed upon the former. With remarkable speed he leapt up and charged Gil-rith, a hand finding his throat as he rammed him into a tree, lifting him and squeezing. Gil-rith gasped for air, his staff fell to the ground and he kicked at Kaleb.

Arrows whistled through the air but clinked off his armour, Some sneaked through the gaps but they did not phase him, one struck the back of his head but failed to break through that hardened skull. “I will punish you, you will be judged you filthy, wretched…”

Jill-drath thrust his spear into Kaleb's side but it only seemed to enrage him further, he dropped the choking Gil-rith and kicked the staff away, Jill-drath felt the full force of a backhanded slap and fell to his knees.

Kaleb ripped the spear from his side and threw it away “Up you maggot, I’ll judge you all!” he dragged Gil-rith back to his feet. Arrows stopped now in fear of hitting their elder, the ones who held blades were in fear of the Paladin, they had heard stories of such men.

“Stop, please!” Iridia called.

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Kaleb paused and looked around the terrified faces of the village, These weren’t warriors, they were broken men and women, children cowering and crying, and the ones with weapons were beaten and tired. His breathing slowed and he released Gil-rith. “We are leaving.” he walked towards his party slowly, helping Morgan to his feet and checking him over. No one attempted to stop them with force or words, they just watched the party awkwardly gather their things.

Iridia, Flencer and Morgan were shocked at the demonstration, Kaleb was moments away from entering a righteous fury that would see an entire people destroyed, it would have been justified by his code.

“Stop.”

The party turned, Gil-rith had called them to halt, but no weapons were drawn and his face was not filled with rage or a lust for revenge, instead, it was a great sadness and sinking regret. “Paladin, Kaleb,” tears welled in his eyes, “I’m sorry, As I lay there, waiting for death the roots whispered to me the truth, the burden you carry must be impossible and I saw it in your eyes, I felt it in your fingers, I’m sorry…” he reached out, “I did you wrong, forgive me, or I fear this evil will take us all.”

“I will only forgive you if you forgive me,” Kaleb bowed his head low, “Something burns at the heart and it makes me hate.”

“The secret will remain safe in these woods, I ask, stay for a while, eat…”

Jill-drath frowned, “Elder, this man tried to kill you,”

“He is a man of conviction, Jill-drath, I took from him which he was forbidden to give, but now we all share the burden and we must lighten that load or we will all suffer.”

Kaleb looked at Morgan, “These are your people, Morgan, I’ll let you decide this one.”

Morgan looked around, a little shocked that he was given the duty of deciding the party's next move. Many things ran through his head, he had questions, desires and fears both for his people and his party, Iridia especially. “I believe that Gin-rith is sincere, this quest is a heavy burden to carry…” he cleared his throat and looked at Iridia who offered him an encouraging nod. “We should lighten our load, This forest is deadly and Gin-rith and his people–my people–could help us.”

Kaleb raised his chin at Morgan’s reasoning, in the end, he had the ultimate say so, but he nodded and respected the choice. He owed Morgan a lot for his resistance to torture and his service for the last three years, he understood Morgan in a new light, not that of a helper boy anymore.

Flencer patted Morgan on the back. “It’s a good decision, lad, forgiveness is good and we need to rest, we haven’t even a wagon to move our goods or a way safe through these woods, plus I am very hungry.”

Kaleb nodded, “We shouldn’t twiddle our thumbs too long, lest your seed wither and our lands shatter.”

Irida looked over the village and then to Gil-rith and Jill-drath; “We accept your hospitality if you’d still have us.”

“We will.” Gil-rith bowed his head, and Jill-drath stormed off and out of sight.

***

They sat around a circle table that had been erected beside the well, many people fluttered around bringing food and ale, The party sat uncomfortably for they were being served by a people that now held fear in their hearts for them, They pattered about quietly not singing or making eye contact, especially with Kaleb.

Flencer had at least gotten a little chatty with a couple of the Half-Elves who brought him ale, “So this is sap ale, aye?” The woman nodded with a pleasant smile, nervousness in her eyes. “Alright.” he drank the whole mug in a swift gulp then stuck his tongue out in distaste. “Ah, that’s foul!”

“We have water.”

“No, I’ll take another ale.” He chuckled and the Half-Elf smiled back.

Kaleb told the tale of Morgan’s bravery and more villagers stopped to listen, Morgan of course didn’t know what to say or do, he hadn’t had a story of bravery spoken about him before. It drew the attention of a maiden who perched beside him, she stroked his back and nodded along with the story, gasping at the gruesome details.

Iridia watched Morgan and frowned when the lady sat to pour attentions upon him.

“Your ears, Morgan,” The lady sang sadly, “What cruelty is this? Do let me tend to them for you, whoever attempted to clean them before does not have the dexterity for such a task.”

Iridia sipped her horrid ale to hide the glare that she had been casting in their direction, more irritated that Morgan hadn’t once looked back at her.

Kaleb was busy speaking to the Elder in his candid way after the tale of the Necromancer was told, he wasn’t much happy to be sat amongst the villagers and eating their food, it irritated him that they danced around him so delicately as if he would harm them, they had a point but he felt his outburst was well reasoned.

“You said you had evidence, Kaleb, did you fetch something from the Necromancer?”

Kaleb sipped his sale, the taste not inviting a mouthful, he cleared his throat. “I bring items that I found within his den.”

“Why do you carry such trinkets?” said Gin-rith, the table had hushed now, though the maiden that tended to Morgan's ears giggled and whispered playfully, making Morgan blush harder.

“We do not know this demon's name, I am gathering evidence that the Elves might use it to determine this.”

Gin-rith nodded; “A good plan, Necromancers are men that have made deals with demons, they are vile creatures, perhaps you could show me these trinkets?”

Kaleb finished a mouthful and nodded. “I will show you them, perhaps you can glean information for them.” He headed to the magic chest that he had transferred the items to, he had to think of the name he had given them for he knew not what they were. He returned with two items, one was a crystal vial shaped like a star, however, the lid had an odd filter that twisted up and was stained with a deep red, and the other was the obsidian dagger.

Gin-rith carefully inspected the items, offering up glances to the village and his party, “If I had seen this vial I would have killed you on the spot with those roots, such is the fear causes.” He shook his head slowly, “I can tell you some things, one of them isn’t the Demon’s name I am sorry to say.”

Kaleb pursed his lips, “I’d much like to know.”

“The dagger is known as a black blade, when you cut with it you infect the blood, it becomes a poison, horrid thing indeed, Be careful with it. These blades I know can only be crafted with demon words.”

“How do you know this?” Kaleb took the blade from him and turned it in his hand.

“We once held a Necromancer in the roots of truth, however, he gave us some details but was hard to unpick, he died, or so we thought.”

Kaleb folded his arms and glanced at Flencer who was on his third ale.

“The second thing, well, Iridia my dear, I am sorry to say that you did not kill the Necromancer.”

Her eyes widened as if accused of a lie and was about to be placed on trial.