by Allan Joyal
I looked back at the slope. The first thing I realized was that it had to be a quarter mile or more long. The cart Al was talking about was at the edge of the slope, about one hundred feet above us. From where we stood, I could barely make out what looked like a dozen dwarves lining up along the ridgeline.
Before I could say anything, I felt a tug on the leather vest I was wearing. I turned to look and found a dwarf standing there holding a bag. The contents jingled as he shook it.
"Your people aren't planning on staying and we might have trouble finding an inn if we arrive with you?" I guessed.
The dwarf nodded.
Heather clapped her hands. "Right, Ron we know the drill. Take the bag and we can get started. Once the dwarves arrive, you can thank Mertiln. They have done a lot for us."
I looked at the others. Steve nodded to me. "We can make it. The city is in sight."
Steve pointed off into the distance in the direction we had been travelling. It was a bit hard to see through the glare of the rising sun, but off in the distance I could see an unnatural rise in the terrain.
"Looks like about ten miles," I said. "Think we can make it by lunch?"
"If we don't, I'm buying," Steve said with a laugh.
Everyone started laughing at that. I realized that no one was carrying a weapon and looked around. "Dumb question, where are our weapons?" I asked.
"In the sleds," Steve said. "I collected them last night and put them there. Didn't seem like we needed them with so many dwarves around."
I nodded. "Fine, I'll collect it before we start moving. Single people pulling today. We still have to descend quite a bit so we shouldn't need multiple people. I'll take the lead sled."
"Ron! You need to be able to deal with problems," Lydia said.
"I doubt there are any bandits on this trail. That slope will keep most people from traveling this route. We were lucky to have so few injuries."
"Three dwarves broke legs," Esme said. "I set them already. They even had splint material packed."
"So they expected this," Lydia said. "But what about the carts? They could have been damaged."
I shrugged. "Not something we can fix," I said. "Meanwhile, Jeff probably wants to get someplace he isn't standing in snow, and Jennifer will want to rest, so the sooner we start walking, the sooner we arrive."
I turned and started walking over to the sled that Steve had just pulled off the ice. The other two sleds were lined up next to it.
Heather grabbed at my arm, but I ignored her as I reached the sled. My spear was sitting on the top of the bedding, held down by a loop of rope. I picked it up and headed to the harness. The modifications the dwarves had done made it look fragile, but it held as I slipped it over my shoulders.
The harness had expanded a bit. The dwarf that had been pulling it had a much larger chest than I did. Once I had put my arms through the straps, I tried to tighten it around my chest. The rest of the group seemed to be spreading out to my left. I could see Kariy and Aine hovering near Jennifer and offering her their support.
"She'll make it," Esme said from just behind my left shoulder. "She's tough. She also wants to impress you."
"Why me? I have a wife," I pointed out. "And I love her very much."
Heather nearly knocked me over as she hugged me. Esme just laughed. "Ron, everyone here respects you. Even Verval has started to come around. Your rescue of Jeff impressed him. We can't understand the dwarven language, but it was clear they expected you to fail. Instead you brought Jeff back alive. And now Verval happily pulls a sled."
Esme was pointing at the next sled. I looked back to see Corwar and Gertilla helping Verval get the harness tightened. Corwar had a hero-worshipping expression on his face.
"That will help," Heather said quietly. "Verval is a good man."
"Is the third sled ready to move?" I asked.
"Why Ron, are you in a hurry?" Heather asked me teasingly. "Why?"
I said nothing. Instead, I lunged my body forward. The loose harness dug into my shoulders for a moment, but then the pressure was relieved as the sled started moving forward with a groan.
Once the sled was moving, I found it was not difficult to move at a steady pace. Shaylin and Gertrilla ran ahead of me, playing with the puppies as we walked along a frozen creek bed.
The creek bed seemed to hug the right side of the valley. My path followed a wide area of loose rocks and snow. The rocks forced me to snake my way around barriers but I was able to keep moving steadily downward.
The sun kept rising, but as we continued to descend, the ridge to our right kept the path covered in shadow. The day slowly warmed.
I had been pulling the sled long enough that the shadows were starting to visibly shorten when Heather started to walk next to me on my left. She had a scowl on her face as she stared at the path ahead of us.
We had been walking without talking for only a few minutes when I saw another large boulder blocking the way forward. There was an opening to the left, so I used an elbow to nudge Heather. "I need to turn left to get around the boulder."
"Maybe I want you to run into it," Heather snarled. "You aren't allowing people to help you."
"Sometimes a smile helps," I replied keeping my voice serene. "I could ask one of the others to pull, but I also want to try to set an example for Jeff. If he sees me using my position to avoid work ... ."
Heather stumbled away from me. I was able to make the turn and start walking around the boulder. The area around it was muddy and slippery. I had to lean forward and strain against the harness to get enough purchase with my feet to keep moving forward. I glanced down to see trickles of melted snow running off the boulder.
Heather came around and looked at the situation. "Can I help?" she asked.
Just then my sliding left foot found a rock under the mud. I used this to brace my body as I dug in my right leg and tried again to move forward. This time I was able to step through the mud and start the sled moving again.
"Warn the others," I panted as I quick stepped to get out of the mud. "To go wide around this boulder and avoid the mud. Otherwise we'll need to get everyone muddy to get the sleds out."
"Need a break?" Heather asked as the sled finally exited the mud. The wheels found purchase on the icy snow. I stood up for a moment and watched the sled continue moving toward me for a second.
"Nope," I said. "But I'll wait here for the others. I thought they were right behind me."
Heather turned to look. "I'll get them," she said before starting to walk back around the boulder. She stayed well outside the mud puddle and I was happy to see that there was enough space for a sled in the dry area.
I had caught my breath and was starting to feel my second wind before Heather reappeared. She was walking with Kariy and Shaylin as they made their way around the mud to my sled. Kariy held up a canteen.
"Sorry," Heather said. "It turns out they paused to switch out who is pulling. Are you sure you don't want to give me a turn?"
"I'm good," I said. "We are moving downhill so I just have to make sure the sled keeps going the direction we want. I'm more worried about you, Jennifer and Jeff."
"Mostly Jennifer and Jeff, I imagine," Heather said with a laugh as Kariy handed me the canteen.
I took a deep drink from the canteen. It was filled with cold water that had just a bit of ice in it. Shaylin giggled as I looked at it. "We filled it with clean snow. Esme said it would be good."
"It is," I said to the young lady. "Thank you and thank Gertrilla and Corwar for me. Where are they?"
"Ger is helping Jennifer. Corwar is watching Jeff," Shaylin said with a snort. "Jeff is a jerk."
"Kariy?" I asked.
The woman shrugged as the next sled finally appeared from behind the boulder. Aine and Lydia were pulling it and giggling. I could see Hencktor walking alongside the sled and smiling.
"He needs to stop blaming people for his problems," Kariy said. "And he keeps complaining about his foot. Esme says it's just a brui
se and he should be fine."
"How much further, Ron?" Lydia called out.
"I think we've covered a third of the distance," I replied. "But it looks like the slope will start getting just a bit steeper, so it might be easier."
"Well, move so we don't have to stop," Aine ordered.
I turned and started walking again. "You heard her highness," I whispered to Heather and Kariy. The women giggled as the sled started moving.
The trail did become slightly steeper. By now, the sun was beating down on the caravan, and while the air was not warming much, what little snow could be found on the ground was melting, making footing treacherous. I had to carefully place my feet to avoid falling down. This became even more of an issue as the sled began speeding up over the slick ground. More than once, I had to reach back to prevent it from running over me as I struggled down the valley.
The mud and the slope sped up our journey and the sun was still far from directly overhead when the path flattened out and I could see the walls of the town less than a mile ahead. I slowed down as I walked several yards onto the open plain and then halted. Behind me, I could hear faint cheers as the rest of the group emerged from the valley.
I looked at the city. From the distance I could see that it was set up on a bluff above a river valley. From the looks of the valley, regular spring floods probably rose up to cover all the land below the bluff.
I could see a road that followed the river. It passed close to the walls of the city. The walls of the valley prevented me from seeing too far down it, but it appeared to be empty. I could see one fork in the road with a trail heading directly to a cliff face to our left.
"I don't see the other trading group the dwarves wanted to avoid," Steve said as he walked up to join me in looking at the town. "In fact, it looks almost too quiet."
There was a flash of light from the walls of the city as the sunlight reflected off some metal. We were able to faintly hear a cry of alarm.
A number of men started pouring from the gates to the city. They formed up into a block and waited there.
"We have a welcoming committee," I observed. "Steve, you and Lydia need to get everyone organized. Keep them close to the sleds and make sure no one is carrying a weapon."
"I should take the spear from you," Heather pointed out.
I handed the spear to her. She stepped back and started walking to the sled. As she did, I started checking the pouches on my belt. I had to check three before I found the road token we had been given outside of Linktrum. The ink was somewhat faded, but the symbols were still clear.
"We're set," Steve called out from behind me. "Al and Henck will keep Jeff from causing a problem."
I nodded and then stepped forward, pressing my chest against the harness. The sled resisted moving for a moment and then began to follow my footsteps. The ground between here and the road was a bit rough, but there were no large rocks. Behind me, I could hear grunts as the group got the other two sleds moving.
The squad of men watched us approach. I could see that they were wearing brown outfits. From the distance, it was hard to see what they were made of, but the men stood confidently. Several were leaning on spears they had thrust into the ground.
When I finally reached the road and turned toward the city, one of the guards reacted. He was wearing an outfit that had metal plates protecting his shoulders and a coppery helmet of some kind. He stepped out past the fork in the road and took several steps towards us.
The rest of his unit snapped to attention. The man stared directly at me and held one hand out, the palm facing me. "Halt and identify yourself!"
Chapter 26: Arriving at Purahomp
I took three steps closer and then stopped. The captain of the guard looked at me as I held up the road token in my right hand. "We are traders for Daytona Trade."
The captain lowered his hand. Four guards rushed forward and formed a wall, blocking progress on the road. "I have not heard of such a trade group."
"We were founded only a few days before the snow flew," I said. "I have a properly authorized token."
The captain signaled one of the guards, who was part of the barrier. The guard carefully approached me. I was a bit nervous as the man kept the point of his spear aimed at my chest, but he raised it above his head once he was within arm's length. He held out his left hand and I carefully put the token in his palm.
The guard quickly retreated, pausing long enough to pass the token to the captain and then returning to his place in the formation. The captain held the token up and carefully scanned it.
"Linktrum?" he asked. "How did you get here so quickly?"
"We walked," I said. "We did take a short break in the Wizard's City when the storms first struck the lands."
The captain looked right at me and then turned to his right. I could see him gazing at the cliff just a short distance away. There was a narrow road winding its way up the cliff. From where we were standing, I could just barely make out a cave opening. It was probably four hundred feet above us.
The captain turned to look at me. He seemed to take a closer look at my vest. "That looks dwarven made," he said accusingly.
"It was a gift from Clan Skyve," I said. "We had an opportunity to do them a favor when we visited Linktrum."
The captain looked surprised. "You helped a dwarf clan?" he asked.
I pretended to be bored. "Well, we had information that they found valuable. You know how it is for people involved in trading; you can never have too many people who owe you favors."
The man looked puzzled by this. He then looked over my shoulder at the rest of the group. "Do you have any weapons?"
"We set them in the sleds to prevent any misunderstandings," I replied carefully. "I have a spear. We also have several axes and hammers. I'm pretty sure we have two crossbows sitting on the third sled where they could be brought out quickly. But we prefer to avoid fights. Fights might mean injuries which would slow us down in our travels and we can't trade while marching down a road."
The captain paused. He looked a bit more seriously at me and then again looked over my shoulder. "What goods are you carrying? Are you here to trade?"
"Actually, our mission isn't to actively trade. The principals for our group have decided they want to explore new opportunities. We are supposed to travel far to the east and open up a new outpost," I replied.
"In the east? Near the elves?" the captain asked incredulously.
"Beyond them actually," I replied. "The lands there were once rich and the harvests bountiful. Daytona Trade believes there is profit in setting up an outpost there."
"Your funeral," the captain said. "So why are you at Purahomp then?"
"The deep snow in the north meant that travel would have been impossible until spring. We have a long distance to travel before we can found the outpost and would rather not be traveling next winter, so we chose to travel now. We were offered guidance to the south where we were told there would be less snow. Our hope is we can get to Saraloncto before summer begins," I replied.
The captain glared at me. "You and your friends won't survive. No one survives east of the Elfwall."
"I believe that it is our choice to go there," I said. "With one exception, everyone in our group is fully aware of the risks we are taking. Now, is there any reason to keep us from entering Purahomp? We'd like to take a couple of days to rest and acquire some additional carts or wagons."
The captain looked at me. "What's in your sleds? Other than the weapons you aren't holding?"
"Seeds and tools that we want to help establish the outpost. Our gear for when we don't make it to a city and have to camp along the road. Travel rations for everyone," I replied.
The captain raised his free hand and rubbed his chin. Finally he held the road token out, returning it to me. "Enter the gates and turn to your left immediately. The caravanserai has no one occupying it so you can leave your sleds there. The city fathers guarantee that there will be no theft."
"Do you
recommend any place for us to stay?" I asked.
"The Tailless Weasel!" one of the guards behind the captain shouted. "They will treat you well there."
The captain frowned, but did not contradict his man. I nodded. "Is it near the caravanserai?"
"Across the main street right next to the guard house for the main gates," the same guard called out.
The captain stepped aside. I offered him a nod and then started walking forward, leaning into the harness until the sled began to follow me.
The city guards parted, two moving left and two moving right, leaving the road open. Several of them had smirks on their faces as I passed. I heard one whisper something to his partner, but could not make out the comment. Ahead, the second squad guarding the gate also moved, this time the entire squad moved to my left, leaving the roadway clear.
I pulled the sled through the gates and then looked to my left. An obese man in rather gaudy robes stood in front of a large gate. He had a frown on his face as I approached.
"You are traders?" he asked.
I held up the road token. "Your captain confirmed our token," I said. "We represent Daytona Trade."
"Never heard of them," the man said. "Why should I allow you into the caravanserai? You could be bandits looking for ways to get into the vaults."
"We are here to trade," I said. "As you will discover if you allow us to store our sleds for a couple of days."
The man looked at me. "What are you trading?" he asked.
"We have coin. We are working to supply a new trading outpost. Right now our main objectives will be some better carts, some draft animals and then tools or seeds for farms. We might also look at animals, but only if we can work out how to herd them," I replied as Heather walked up to join us.
The man in front of the caravanserai bristled. "I won't open up these gates if you are bringing whores into my city!"
I tensed, expecting Heather to attack the man, but she merely put a hand on my shoulder. "Ron, the wives would like to know if you plan on purchasing any cloth. Aine was saying she could sew some more outfits for us."
"Wives?" the man sputtered.
