Chapter 16
May 19, 778
Dan helped a pair of servants adjust the saddle of his black stallion. Dan had affectionately named him, Little Black. It had bugged everyone in the Silver Hills that Dan had named one of their prized stallions with such a… simple name. They took their horses seriously. A Silver Hills stallion was worth its weight in gold, and considering that a typical warhorse from the Silver Hills had several hands of height on breeds found outside their lands, that meant they were worth a lot. As a result the people of the Silver Hills took great care when naming their mounts. So they considered it an insult that Dan settled on the name Little Black. Only Crystal and his three personal knights had understood the reference and only Crystal had actually laughed. The knights had just shaken their heads and moved on. If everyone else had not understood the joke then it was not Dan’s problem. He had also left standing orders for everyone who understood to not explain the joke to anyone who did not. Dan found it highly amusing.
All around Dan other horses and their riders were making the same preparations. Each of the other horses were as large and well proportioned as Little Black. Actually Little Black was on the smaller, more docile end of the spectrum out of all the horses present. Dan was not a skilled rider compared to the men around him. The soldiers and knights of the Silver Hills grew up around horses and knew their business better than anyone in the world. Dan was a newcomer to their art. He was also missing a hand, which is why two of the younger stable boys had been assigned to help.
After a few more moments he knew they were ready. One of the boys placed a mounting block next to Little Black and Dan stepped up and swung an armored leg over the horse’s back. He straightened and looked around. The company was almost completely ready. Dan could see Heinry and a dozen of his warriors across the courtyard of Asten Castle. A dozen of Lord Asten’s warriors were also waiting. Dan and his personal retinue of three were ready. Lord Gerald, the court physician, was the last to be accompanying them. The old man was the last to climb into his saddle. His old frame did not move with the same grace of the younger men mounted all around him. He would be the one to set the pace of the trip. It would be a two day ride to their destination. A forested area to the northwest.
Dan looked up at the castle. It was squat, but solidly built. It lacked the high flying towers that the nations of the western part of the continent loved, preferring solid practicality over form. Dan sighed. He hoped he would be home soon. He did not want to be gone for more than a week at most. His eyes wandered to the window where his own chambers were. A pale face could be seen staring out of it. Crystal’s face was drawn and tired. As her eyes met his, she gave him a small smile and wave. Dan nodded and gave a small wave with his stump, his hand occupied with the reins.
Atmos, one of Dan’s three personal knights walked his horse up next to Dan’s. His polished plate armor was of a similar style to Dan’s, although it lacked the enchantments of Dan’s own. Atmos also carried a shield, as well as a lance, a spear and a longsword, in place of Dan’s own two longswords. The knight was armed in the traditional style of the Silver Hills. Behind him the other two knights of Dan’s personal retinue were waiting, similarly armed and armored. Each of their heater shields were painted with a black wolf on a white background. Each of them had fought alongside Dan in several skirmishes over the last three years, ever since they had met Dan that fateful day three years ago when they were the only ones to witness Dan’s triumph over the infamous black wolf. They knew the truth, of course. Dan would have been dead without the intervention of Hydrozeno, but in the end it had been determined that Hydrozeno’s actions should be kept quiet. So instead Dan had received all credit for the kill, much to his dismay.
Now he was a local hero. Dan Del Torre, one of the sole surviving knights that had protected the great El Torre Sorcierre, the tower of sorcerers located far to the west. He had been doomed to wander the world after the destruction of the tower. Then he had seen the great magical wolf suddenly appear and attack an outpost. He had then ridden to the aid of the outpost, rescuing Lord Asten’s only child and heir, the Lady Crystal, alone save for a single faithful friend who fell in battle. The locals still talked of the event and there was even a song about it.
It was not what had really happened of course, but people liked their heroic tales of monsters and maidens so Dan’s weak protestations had been dismissed as the humbleness of a man of honor and life went on. The wizard had become a knight. The non-existent horse of the tale was now Little Black, and all but one of Dan’s companions had been forgotten. Only Icepaw was remembered, his heroic sacrifice having bought time for Dan to strike the killing blow. Dan hated how the story had been so twisted but he contented himself knowing that Icepaw had gotten a monument built to him out of the deal.
Dan’s attention was ripped away from the painted image of the curse wolf as Atmos addressed him. Behind the knight Parthos, and Aradin waited at attention.
“I think we are all ready to go sir.”
Dan looked around and saw that the knight was correct. The company was ready. Dan took one last glance back at the window. Crystal was gone. She was probably back in bed. They had said their goodbyes this morning and she would be unlikely to come down to see him off. With a shake of the head Dan turned to face the company.
“Let us ride!”
The company sent up a loud cheer and moved out. Light reflection off the steel of armor and the tips of their lances. The riders of the Silver Hills were on the move.
* * *
They rode north for a day until they reached the Silver River. The people of the Silver Hills may spend weeks contemplating the names they would give their trusted mounts, but they were very fond of just naming the land around them by whatever landmark there was and adding silver to the beginning. Once they reached the river the company rode west for another day. Soon the smooth rolling hills began to change into a heavily wooded area and they approached the location the report had spoken of and so Dan was forced to consult with Heinry, who he had successfully avoided speaking unless necessary for the entirety of the trip.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
As the two young men rode side by side, Dan felt incredibly small. Heinry’s mount was a massive and beautiful beast even among the horses of the Silver Hills. Its coat was a perfect white and it stood a good hand and a half above any of the other horses of the company. Despite the intimidating sight of Heinry in his full regalia of ornate plate mounted atop the magnificent creature Dan spoke up.
“What would the best method of scouring the area be?”
Heinry rolled his eyes.
“I believe we should start by finding the place where the most recent attack occurred and split into two groups.”
Dan raised an eyebrow at that.
“Doesn’t that seem a little, I don’t know, dangerous?”
Heinry smirked.
“Naturally, but this whole expedition is potentially dangerous. We are hunting an unknown creature that could potentially have the capability to kill us all if we are all together or not. If we split into two we can cover more ground and present more appealing targets to whatever is hunting in these woods. Besides, moving around in these woods with too large a party will likely restrict our ability to move quickly.”
Dan nodded thoughtfully. The plan had merit. Heinry was arrogant but he was right. Mounted as they were it was likely that even if one group or the other was attacked, they could escape with little difficulty. Dan silently debated the pros and cons of the plan. The river was loud as they made their way up its banks, the horses’ hooves crunching in the small smooth river stones. Once they had to pause and go around a large, abandoned fishing boat. It had been there for some time and its single small mast was gone. The name painted on the side having peeled away except for a few letters. ‘X’ and ‘TE’.
Finally Dan nodded his agreement.
“How should we split our forces?”
Heinry looked around studying the area, then spoke.
“You take your men and Lord Asten’s men and start riding west towards the mountains. THe report indicated the trail led towards them and it makes sense that a monster is most likely to make its home in the mountains. The site where the woodcutters were attacked is about another mile north of here. I will take my men and Lord Gerald and move in a parallel direction to yours. That way we cover more ground while remaining close enough to hear a fight if one should break out.”
Dan nodded and turned his mount.
“Then we will head out. If we don’t find the monster before nightfall we will sound a horn and you can find us so we can set up camp.”
Heinry grunted his acknowledgement and spurred his white horse onward his arms signally to those behind. His men and Lord Gerald followed him further up the river. Dan waved his own signals and his own group broke from the river and broke into a light trot, heading deeper into the woods. A minute later Atmos rode up beside Dan he was tense.
“So what kind of creature do you think this is sir? Another one of those things that we fought back when we first met?”
Dan sighed and shrugged. The men had been briefed and were clearly nervous.
“I sincerely hope not and honestly I don’t think so.”
Atmos and the other warriors within earshot seemed to relax slightly.
“What makes you say that sir?”
Dan took a moment to gather his thoughts before responding.”
“A few things. First, there were survivors. The black wolf we fought didn’t strike me as the type of creature that would leave anything it could kill alive. It was smart and fast. Second, this creature’s shape is humanoid. The wolf we fought could alter its body but it didn’t ever drop the wolf shape even if there might have been a better form. While this one could simply be different I lean towards it not being the same. And lastly, you know what never mind.”
Atmos blinked.
“You know you can tell us sir. We may not be as smart as you but maybe we can help make sense of your reasoning.”
Dan smiled wryly.
“The last reason is just that I don’t want it to be.”
That drew several chuckles and Aradin let out a guffaw.
“I can agree with that reasoning sir. That wolf is something I could do without. Especially since none of my weapons are gifted like all of yours.”
Dan looked around. This group of warriors was definitely different. Weapons were the most common of gifts to receive, but they were still only a fraction of the variety of items that one could receive. For almost every member of a company of their size to have a gifted weapon was unheard of. These were the best of the best that Lord Asten had at his command, but even they might not be enough if they had to face another creature like the black wolf. Dan turned his attention back to his surroundings at the sobering thought and immediately pulled Little Black to a halt.
His mana sight skill was suddenly working overtime. He looked around, worry seeping into every inch of his body. Everywhere he looked now was covered in a translucent black haze. It did not obscure his vision. It was more like looking through a pane of tinted glass that sorcerers had used for experiments with light spells back at El Torre Sorcierre, only it swirled and eddied in places. Mana could be denser in some places than others but it was typically reflective of the environment. Fire mana would congregate around volcanoes, nature mana in forest and such, but the mana concentrated here was different. Dan could not tell exactly what kind it was but he suspected it was a darker mana than should be present in such a vibrant forest. Necrotic or shadow mana perhaps. It was hard to tell. Whatever was causing this was powerful. It also convinced Dan that this was almost certainly not a creature like the black wolf. He did not remember seeing any mana around it.
“Sound the horn. I found a trail.”
Parthos nodded and lifted a horn to his lips. The sound rang out across the woods and the birds fell silent. Dan had the group pick up the pace. Several minutes later Heinry and his group fell into step. The noble eyed Dan suspiciously.
“You found something?”
“Yes.”
“You are absolutely sure.”
Dan turned to face Heinry who blinked at the cold steel behind Dan’s gaze.
“Absolutely.”
Heinry nodded and followed without another word.
Three hours later they had climbed a short ways up the mountain slope and found the mouth of the cave. Black mana poured out of the cavity. Whatever they were hunting was inside that cave.