Chapter 38: A Ravine

The wagon been rolling along the smooth Imperial highway for anther two hours by the time that Alcar and his companion left behind them the last of the settlements protected by Katresburg.

After that point, the fine paved Imperial road continued much as before, but the surroundings soon changed. Now, to their left, lay a deep valley, full of twisted trees with black boughs. Only a scattering of leaves remained on the branches. Crows circled, cawing loudly, and then landed. To the left was a long, sloping hillside marked with boulders and clumps of thorn bushes, eventually terminating at grim red sandstone cliffs.

No settlements could be seen. Alcar knew that they were in the borderlands between two Imperial provinces, now – still very much a settled part of the Empire, but sparsely inhabited, and rarely visited by ordinary folks from the provinces.

Alcar know, however, that the area where Katresburg was located had historically been the frontier territory of the Kingdom of Dathmir, in the time that the state had still been an independent kingdom. That meant that their current surroundings, wild as they looked, had lain comfortably within the borders of that state.

Today, Katresburg and its surrounds formed the eastern reaches of the much newer province of Kamarok. The province was bounded by the Ironrock Mountains to the north and the Great Swamp to the south. It also stretched westward all the way to the coast, where its scattering of coastal towns included the provincial capital, Sefindarg City. The Varian Empire was in charge of both the Kamarok and Dathmir provinces, and much more besides.

Imperial control brought certain advantages, Alcar knew; the might of the Imperial Army discouraged the bandits and the hordes of orcs and ogres which had previously held sway in borderlands such as this. The monsters had been pushed back, and – usually – remained out of sight. At least by daylight hours.

All the same, much of the Empire still resembled the city states from which it was composed. The areas near the great cities were settled, with thriving agriculture, culture, and a benign feel to the countryside. Travellers were safe. The borderland areas, however, were lawless, wild, and underpopulated. Potentially great places for adventure – if you could survive long enough.

And so, they travelled on through the wilderness. Olynka now had her bow in hand, and arrow at the ready, and Kora had placed her twin swords on the driver’s seat beside her. But while both of them were keeping a close eye on the terrain on either side, so far nothing had attempted to waylay them.

So far...

Alcar looked up at Kora, who had taken sole responsibility for driving the wagon so far. He nudged Olynka’s elbow, and then nodded at the young woman from the farm. “Hey – do you think Kora might join us for more than just this leg of the journey? She seems smart and capable, and we could sure do with a swordswoman in our party.”

“I’d love that,” said Olynka, gazing at Kora as she spoke. “I’ve only met her twice, but...” She cleared her throat. “Well, it would be cool. She’s amazing.”

Alcar nodded. “Well, then. Let’s speak to her about it when we arrive, okay?”

“Agreed.”

“How far is it to Gilmour Village?” asked Etienne, looking over at the pair of them from where he was seated on a low chest in the corner of the wagon.

Alcar shrugged. “How would I know, man? Don’t you have the map?”

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“Ha!” Etienne pulled the scrap of parchment from the pocket of his tunic, and held it up, turning it over to show one side and then the other. “Call this a map? It shows part of the Trollbone Hills, and very little else. It doesn’t show the village, and it certainly doesn’t show Katresburg.”

Olynka leaned closer, looking down at it, and then pointed. “That box indicates the scale, though, right?”

“Yeah, I saw that,” Etienne replied, placing the scrap down onto the gently vibrating floor of the wagon, and pointing with a stubby finger. “I’ve seen this kind of thing before. Part is missing, but I’m guessing that each of the dark blocks represent a mile. That at least suggests that the entrance to the valley with the caves is around a half mile wide, and it rapidly gets narrower as you go in.”

Alcar nodded; he had no experience with maps, and was happy for others to do the work of interpreting them. Leppie looked interested, but also remained silent.

“That sounds right,” said Olynka. “And it would mean that the section of trail that’s visible here is at least five miles long. We just don’t know how long it is from there back to the village.”

“Assuming that it’s even the same trail,” said Alcar, stroking Brutus’s head as he spoke. The dog had sat up and was looking around; Alcar felt that they would need to take a break soon, and give him a chance to run around.

“I think it is the same trail, though, man,” replied Etienne. “And I was thinking – if we can find a better map, a proper one, we can compare it with this one to fill in the gaps in our knowledge. And to get a better estimate of the distance we’ll have to travel. But if not, well...” He shrugged. “I guess we could ask some of the local villagers for directions.”

“Zaxon knows this area,” said Leppie suddenly.

Alcar looked around at the healer. “What?”

“Zaxon – you know the worker on Kora’s farm.”

“The good-looking one?” said Etienne with a grin.

She nodded eagerly. “He and his companion travelled from far to the north as they came from their homeland. In fact, he told me that he had to travel through a lot of hills when he first came to Kamarok province. He must have gone this way.”

“Most likely, yes,” said Olynka. “So, did you ask him for any tips about making it through the Trollbone Hills alive?”

She shook her head. “We didn’t really get onto the details. But he has some great stories. He’s so funny.”

“Right,” said Etienne, sounding skeptical. “I’m sure glad I missed that.”

“Hey!” Leppie glared at the halfling, reaching for her dagger.

“Woah!” shouted Alcar, holding up his hands. “Come on, team! Time for a break, no?”

***

With the wagon pulled up onto a flat area of the hillside to the side of the trail, the adventurers got out. There were still cliffs to the left, much closer now. Ahead, the valley was narrowing as the road began to descend towards a vast plain in the distance – the heart of Dathmir province. A small river led from the mouth of the valley and wound its way down towards the plain, and it was possible to make out where it joined with another, much larger river – the River Clud. This would eventually run into the Great Swamp, far to the south-west.

“Damn, I need a piss,” said Etienne. “Everyone close their eyes.” He began to unbutton his breeches as he walked away.

Brutus, meanwhile, was already spraying a nearby bush with urine, but soon he returned to Alcar’s side with an expectant “Woof!”

“I’ll get you something to eat, boy,” murmured Alcar, as the others moved off around the area to each find somewhere private to attend to their bodily functions. Only Kora stayed close, rubbing down the pair of horses with a woollen towel, and speaking to them in a gentle voice.

Placing down his staff, Alcar now lifted the lid of the low wooden chest inside the wagon, into which Kora and her family had packed food for the journey, and which had doubled as a seat for Etienne. “Damn, I’ve been looking forward to relaxing with a bite to eat,” he murmured, pulling a roasted chicken leg clear from a waxed wrapping. “And there’s even a nice meaty bone for you, Brute. I won’t ask what animal it came from.”

Brutus pounced enthusiastically on the bone when Alcar threw it down to the grass, after which Alcar leaned back on the wagon, chewing at the drumstick. Kora came over to his side, one sword in her hand, and then helped herself to a hunk of bread that had already had a slice of firm yellow cheese thrust into it. “This is good stuff after a long time on the road,” she said, with her mouth already full.

“Hmm...” Alcar munched with satisfaction on the sweet, tender meat, gazing up towards the nearby cliffs.

That was when he became aware that Brutus was looking up from his bone and growling. At the same moment, Alcar heard the sound of running feet coming from the road below – a direction in which none of his companions had gone.