Chapter 9: The Bridge

Katalin, Rollo and Kael waited in the sheltered glen atop the hill east of town, keeping half an eye on the darkening storms over the mountains. Kael's gaze snapped west as Garren and Wulfgar emerged from the trees below and began ascending the grassy slope.

Noting the unexpected figure with Katalin, the men halted sharply. Hands drifted toward sheathed weapons as they cautiously approached. Wulfgar gripped his axe handle tightly, keen gaze fixed on the stranger.

Katalin held up a hand to calm the approaching men. "Easy now."

"I would like you to meet Kael Riverstride," she said motioning towards the half-elf. "But don't worry, he is no longer tracking us for Tamas." Katalin paused for effect, "In fact, he is now working for us." She grinned and beckoned for the men to join them. "We need to discuss how we can best put his valuable skills to use."

Katalin went on to explain the circumstances of their meeting, reassuring Garren and Wulfgar not to worry about the unexpected presence of the tracker.

The tension soon lifted as greetings were exchanged between the men. But before they could discuss employing Kael, Rollo spoke up.

"What came of reporting Brom and the horse? Was there any trouble?"

Garren put up a staying hand. "There was no trouble. We can talk about that later." Next his gaze shifted to Kael, "You've been following us since the start and have more knowledge about what is happening with Tamas and his men. How do you see things?"

Kael rose with a flourish and paced as he spoke, heavy cloak billowing slightly. "If you can slip over the southern bridge your way to the border should be clear...barring patrols. If Katalin does not appear at the junction soon perchance they will spread their search further south. But by then you should be well away." He spun on a heel to regard them all.

"Three choices, three roads of aid I may offer in your service." he offered, keeping his voice low as he ticked off fingers theatrically.

"A herald ahead, warning of danger. Your rearguard warning against relentless pursuit." Then his final finger. "Or I return to the vipers' den itself, to glean whispers of plots that foul Lord Tamas has yet to hatch!" His eyes flashed at the thought.

Katalin grinned wryly. "Or... you could leave all this and track down two pigs wearing human skin that I want to find."

At that everyone turned to look curiously at Katalin. "It was just a suggestion," she said with a grin and a shrug.

Shaking his head Garren went back to the topic, "If it is truly clear to the south, scouting that way would be the least valuable use of your time." At that he paused for Katalin or Wulfgar to respond. Seeing nods of agreement, he continued, "But I have another idea. Scout the way behind. If you see pursuit, return and warn us. But barring that, find the caravan led by Veridus Suller..."

Hearing this Rollo again interrupted. "Should we be telling 'em about the caravan?"

Everyone looked at Rollo quizzically and Wulfgar asked, "What do you mean lad?"

Rollo looked around at the faces, "What if he's really workin' for Lord Tamas...I don't trust 'em."

Garren cocked his head, perplexed. "You serve Lord Tamas yourself, do you not? But you distrust Kael because he might still be his agent?"

Rollo shifted on his feet, abashed. He mumbled haltingly, "I mean...just cause we was after the girl, don't make him..." His voice trailed off, uncertainty written on his face.

Seeing Rollo's confusion, Garren rescued him from needing to explain himself. "In any case, the caravan should have left Stonehaven City yesterday or today coming south. Find it and speak with Veridus, tell him of our situation and bring word back of their location and what he has to say."

Garren glanced around at the others. "What do you all think?

Wulfgar nodded and agreed, "Aye, Veridus is a wise man. It would be good to hear his council."

Katalin smiled and with an exaggerated clap of her hands said, "I love this plan!"

Kael swept a gallant bow. "Then I shall seek this merchant train through hill and fen until success is met! Anon I shall return with news of their progress."

He turned to Katalin and bowed deeply again, this time pressing the back of her hand to his forehead in fealty. "Fare thee well for now, Lady of Mayfair Meadow! Our paths shall cross again soon."

Then addressing Rollo with a hand clapped on his shoulder, "Farewell, Rollo! May your thoughts race as swiftly as the feet of the fastest mermaid."

Rollo blinked in confusion. "But...do mermaids have feet?"

Kael let out a hearty laugh and strode swiftly off into the trees without looking back.

“Fine, probably won’t even find us again anyway,” Rollo muttered under his breath.

Once Kael had disappeared amongst the trees, Garren turned back to the group. "Right. Now for what happened in town - we passed Brom's remains to allies. They'll report finding him, leaving no connection to us. Also, when Veridus arrives here they will give him word of our passing."

Katalin inhaled the crisp air with determination. Her gaze shifted to the south as she asked, "Will we have access to cross the main bridge?"

Wulfgar grimaced, shaking his head. "No. Lord Tamas has set a garrison. There are at least a dozen of his men questioning all who look to pass."

Katalin's face lit up with a sudden thought and she turned to the others, "You three can cross the bridge while I slip upstream far from their gaze and swim across."

Wulfgar looked askance at the notion. "You know swimming enough to cross a river?"

"Quite well! My father insisted my friends and I learn. Many summer days were spent swimming," she fondly recalled. "He even taught my mother." she smiled at the memory of how her once hesitant mother shed reservations to become the most avid swimmer of them all.

Garren eyed Rollo wryly. "Well guardsman, the men at the bridge may recognize you. Are you ready to swim across with Katalin?"

"Me? I...I can barely swim," an ashen faced Rollo stammered.

Seeing Rollo blanch, Garren retracted with a chuckle. "Relax Rollo. As it happens, no one will have to brave those freezing waters. My contacts in town told me of another way."

At that Rollo slumped in visible relief, a long sigh escaping his lips. The others traded grins at seeing him so dramatically distressed over the idea of swimming.

"There's a charcoal burner's bridge less than an hour's walk upstream," Garren explained. "They use it daily to bring loads to town by cart. But most people do not even think about it. The only thing on the other side is the small colliers' village."

"We'll want to be quick about it then," said Wulfgar glancing east at the dark clouds roiling in from the distant mountains. "I don't want to be caught out in the dark when the storm hits."

Garren scanned the skies and nodded. "I agree, we should hurry to the bridge and cross before the downpour. We can make shelter once we are across."

The group quickly gathered their belongings, motivated by the threat of incoming storms. They divvied up Charlie's items that had been carried by the horse among themselves, with Katalin taking on most of the extra weight, including securing the soldier's sword to her own backpack.

They set out at a brisk pace for the promised bridge, keeping the looming mass of storm clouds ever in their periphery. Their path took them winding upward along the sloping terrain, following the river's course as it narrowed and picked up speed. As they moved forward, an alarming sight appeared before them as soon as the bridge came into view spanning the deep ravine. It was nearly dark now, but the last rays of sunlight showed something clearly amiss.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

There was debris strewn dangerously across the span of the bridge - timbers, rope, and broken planks blocking much of the crossing. As they rushed the remaining distance to assess the damage, the situation became clear. In the center of the bridge, a support post on the upstream side had collapsed. As a result, one side of the bridge was dangerously tilted downwards towards the raging river below.

Near the collapse, a cart teetered at the fractured edge, precariously leaning toward the void where the decking had broken through. One of the cart's front wheels hung over nothingness, twisting a helpless ox still in harness and bellowing in distress. More alarmingly, the driver could be spotted clinging by his fingertips to an intact section of railing just shy of the collapse, one leg hooked on a trailing beam all that kept him from tumbling into the raging waters churning under the bridge. In the back of the cart, they spotted a young girl of no more than ten peering worriedly down at the imperiled driver.

The group stopped in their tracks, shocked by the scene before them. In that moment the storm came crashing down - rain mixed with stinging ice driven by powerful winds that set the bridge swaying wildly. Katalin reacted on instinct, immediately dropping her pack and hastening out onto the treacherous span heedless of the risks.

Wulfgar looked between Garren and the bridge, embarrassment showing through his fear. "You know I don't do heights well," he muttered, clearly ashamed at his own hesitation.

Rollo peered at the unfolding crisis on the bridge, then began hurriedly shrugging off his pack and fighting with the bindings still loosely tying his hands. "Help me loose here!" he urged. Without hesitation Wulfgar drew his knife and cut the leather strap around Rollo's wrists then he and Garren helped Rollo to drop his pack. Freed at last, Rollo raced out onto the bridge after Katalin.

When Katalin reached the cart, the man clinging below the collapsed section shouted for Katalin to get the ox moving to pull the wagon across. But seeing the young girl peering fearfully from inside, Katalin ignored the yelling and went to the cart's side to lift her out. Just as Katalin reached for the girl, she ducked down briefly before popping back up clutching a large stuffed sack.

As Katalin carried the girl away, the man's fury exploded when he saw she had ignored his demand to move the wagon. He hurled insults and berated her as an idiot, still insisting she follow his orders and save the cart.

Carrying both the girl and her sack, Katalin passed Rollo heading out as she made her way cautiously back across the groaning, wind-lashed bridge.

When her feet touched solid ground, Katalin tried to pass the girl over to Garren. As the girl clung desperately to her neck by one arm, Katalin murmured gentle words of comfort until her grip finally relaxed. Only then could she pry the small, sodden arm free and pass the shaking child and her cargo into Garren’s care.

As soon as the girl was safe, Katalin turned back towards the danger on the bridge. But it was too late - disaster had already begun to unfold.

Katalin saw that Rollo was focused on freeing the ox from its harness rather than helping the man from where he was hanging. She attempted to shout a warning for him to stop but her words were lost in the howling wind. She headed back out onto the broken expanse but had only gone a few steps when Rollo finished cutting through the straps. Freed at last, the terrified beast bolted for the far side. Without the animal's weight holding it in place, the entire cart suddenly tilted precariously over the shattered edge. For an agonizing moment the wagon teetered, then disappeared into the frothing currents below, collapsing more of the bridge, and taking both Rollo and the driver with it.

Stunned by the tragedy unfolding before her, Katalin moved as quickly as she could to where the bridge now abruptly ended. Peering desperately into the dark roiling waters, amid the wind, the rain, and the chaos, she thought she could barely make out an aura near a remaining bridge support downstream.

She raced back to the muddy road and began hurriedly stripping off layers of soaked, heavy clothing - first her cloak, then her boots, outer tunic and her woolen sweater. Garren and Wulfgar watched, bewildered by her actions after what had just unfolded. But focused on the desperate task she now faced, Katalin paid them no mind.

The last act before turning back toward the water was removing her treasured hammer from where it hung on her belt. She hesitated for a moment before carefully placing it on the ground, torn between holding onto it and letting it go. Standing, she met Garren's stunned eyes, before giving a resigned smile and shrug. She then sprinted to the where the bridge ended and dove into the raging currents. It was a beautiful dive that would have made mama proud. And when she plunged into the water, for a fleeting moment she thought she had died. She expected it to be cold, but it was colder than anything she had ever imagined. Pushing herself back up to the surface she took a deep, bracing breath then swam fiercely toward where she believed she had glimpsed the aura.

Battling the rapid current, Katalin swam toward the faint aura coming into view near what remained of the bridge supports. There she found Rollo clinging desperately to an exposed beam. Now that she was near, she was surprised to see another aura hidden on the other side of the post. Rollo was holding on with one arm and with the other he was gripping tightly to the unmoving driver.

Despite everything, Rollo managed a manic grin seeing Katalin reach them. Still, behind the relief she glimpsed undisguised terror in his eyes at the harrowing ordeal. Gripping Rollo firmly the way Henrik had taught, she turned them about and began pulling both men downstream toward the nearest shore, drawing on all her strength.

Reaching land at last, she dragged both prone forms free of the raging waters onto the rocky bank. Coughing violently as he expelled river water, Rollo collapsed to hands and knees. Seeing that Rollo seemed alright, Katalin turned to the driver checking for signs of life. To her relief, he was still breathing, but unconscious. She quickly flipped him onto his stomach and lightly smacked his back in an attempt to revive him further.

Grabbing Rollo's shoulder to get his attention, she pointed urgently at the driver's limp form. "Watch him!" she yelled over the storm's fury.

Finding a steep, muddy slope angling up the side of the ravine, Katalin raced up the incline, nearly losing her footing multiple times on the slick grass and wet stones. Reaching the top, she ran back out onto the remnants of the bridge through the continuing downpour. Squinting against the wind and rain, she could just make out Garren's form already making his way gingerly out onto the ruined bridge. He appeared to have left the girl behind in Wulfgar's care on solid ground.

About twenty feet separated the two on each side of where the bridge had completely disappeared, leaving churning waters and darkness below. The remaining sections of bridge creaked and swayed perilously under the onslaught of the storm.

Attempting to communicate the situation to Garren across the void, Katalin shouted that she had managed to rescue Rollo and the driver from the river. Though the words were broken and scattered by the gale surrounding them, she saw Garren nod sharply in understanding, relief washing over his features.

Further yelling herself hoarse, Katalin signaled her intent for Garren to go back to town to find safety and wait out the tempest. In the morning he could return via the main bridge to join them on her side of the river. Though the plan reached Garren in fragments between gusts of wind, he waved his comprehension and started to turn back before Katalin hollered for him to come back. When she had his attention again she cupped her hands to her mouth and yelled as loud as she could for him to get her hammer. Nodding, Garren placed a fist over his heart and with his other hand, pointed two fingers to the sky. Finally, he carefully retreated back from the shattered span towards Wulfgar and the huddled girl.

Seeing Garren begin his careful way back, Katalin retreated from the ruined span herself, buffeted by rain and wind all the way. Making it back to solid ground, she looked around to take stock of her position. There was no sign of the ox amidst the rain and darkness. But she did see a wide well maintained road running into the forest before her. She grinned, pleased for some reason at the straightness of the road. Catching herself she wondered if she was becoming delirious. Damn, she was cold. She paused, gazing at the road and tried to recall something that felt crucial. The village of charcoal burners! It couldn't be far into the forest. That must have been where the doomed wagon was headed.

Scrambling back down the steep and slippery slope to where she had left Rollo, Katalin found him sitting beside the driver who was now on his hands and knees gagging up water. Getting her first clear look at the man, she saw he was physically imposing - at once thick and broad with muscle under his thoroughly soaked woolen clothes. Long, matted hair clung to his face, obscuring his features. His leather boots had seen many miles, while his cloak, which might have offered some warmth, appeared lost to the river's fury during their desperate ordeal.

Once she had Rollo back on his feet, together they lifted the hulking, groggy driver upright as well. The man towered over them by at least a head even when slumped, though for now he seemed largely unaware of anything happening around him. Quickly examining the man Katalin found a large lump on the back of his head probably put there by the cart when it fell. Katalin feared yet another person near her had suffered a brain injury. She wondered if maybe it was a curse to go along with her blessing, then decided that yes, she was definitely losing her mind to the cold.

Supporting the giant between them with his heavy arms draped over their shoulders, Katalin and Rollo carefully made their way down stream until they located a gentler slope leading back up to the top of the ravine. Slowly they were able to half push and pull the shambling driver up to level ground.

They turned toward the bridge and made their way back to the road, then followed it until they entered the relative shelter of dense woods. Cut off from the raging wind and sleet, the diminishing cacophony finally allowed normal speech.

Katalin shot Rollo an exasperated look. "Idiot! What possessed you to cut the ox free?"

He shrugged, embarrassed and answered through chattering teeth. "T-This guy! He w-w-was yelling to g-get the wagon. W-w-wouldn't t-take my hand. C-cart was st-stuck so fr-fr-freed the ox."

Katalin just shook her head as they continued down the road. A few paces later, Rollo gripped her arm where they crossed behind the drivers back. "Th-Thank y-you," he said, sounding as sincere as anyone she had ever heard. After another step he stammered, "J-J-Just s-s-so c-c-cold." With a shiver, he managed to add, "Ar-are y-y-you c-c-cold t-t-too?"

Again Katalin just shook her head and answered, "Idiot." But this time it was said with a smile.

They trudged on with the driver until a clearing appeared ahead through the trees. Emerging into the small charcoal burner village and back into the full force of the storm, Katalin noted the smattering of ramshackle wooden structures along with strange domed ovens, some giving off thin trails of smoke into the rain. Katalin spotted smoke wafting from the nearest shack's chimney, she thought that was good but at this point she wasn't sure why. Leading the two men with her, they angled toward its entrance.