Throughout the rest of the day, the riders fight off the cold as they steadily progress northwards. By the time night again falls there have been no sign of inns or anything else which would provide them some comfort through the cold of night.
Finding a place near a few lone trees on the plains, they make their camp. At least they’re fortunate enough to find enough wood for their campfire to last through the night. They again rotate the watch, the threat of the Empire still very real. With any luck, Orlander has remained back in Illion.
Another cold morning, even colder than the last has them shivering before the fire roars to life. They take just enough time to warm up and eat some of the rations acquired yesterday before they set off again.
The sky is a crystal blue without a hint of clouds. They ride for several hours before the sun has managed to warm the air enough so their breath no longer fogs. James is thankful for what warmth the sun gives them.
Trees begin to appear with more frequency and ahead it looks like the road enters a forest. Close to noon a town appears straddling the road ahead of them. As it turns out, it sits at a crossroads just within the forest.
“Let’s get something to eat and find out which way Ironhold lies,” James announces when the town first appears.
“I’m for that,” agrees Miko enthusiastically.
The town looks to be not very large, mainly servicing the traffic moving along the two roads which converge there. Off to one side sits a large sawmill with piles of stripped logs awaiting their turn.
“Be interesting to see how they do it here,” Dave says to his friend.
“Sure would,” agrees James.
They approach the town and find an inn sitting on the outskirts. Looking it over, James nods and says, “Let’s try this one. Looks clean.” Pulling up, they dismount and secure their horses to the rail out front and make their way inside.
Over to one side is a table large enough to accommodate them so they make their way over and take their seats. Shortly a serving girl comes over and takes their order. Instead of regular ale, James and the rest opt for mulled ale with a hint of spice to better warm themselves from the cold of the road.
“Wonder how far Ironhold is from here?” Miko asks.
“I don’t know,” replies James. Turning to the table next to them where a man and a woman are sitting, he says, “Excuse me.”
They both turn to look his way and the man asks, “Yes?”
“Do you know which road to take to reach Ironhold?” he asks.
“Ironhold?” the man asks surprised. He glances to the lady and then turns a serious look back to James. “Why would you want to go there? It’s said the place is haunted by spirits.”
“What?” asks Miko.
“That’s a bunch of hogwash,” Uther says. Jorry just snorts.
“What do you mean?” prompts James, trying to ignore the reaction of his comrades.
“I heard that some miners went up there in an attempt to reopen the mines and were never heard from again,” the woman says.
“Never?” asks Miko, fear creeping into his voice.
“Now don’t exaggerate dear,” the man chides her. “Most of them were found.” Turning his attention back to James and the others, he continues. “They disappeared for a time and all but two were found lost in the mountains. They claim a spirit came and took them away, leaving them lost in the woods. No mention was ever made of the fate of the remaining two.”
James glances back to the others and can see emotions ranging from the fear in Miko’s eyes to the disbelief in Uther’s. “Has anyone been up there lately?” he asks the man as he turns his attention back to the couple.
Shaking his head, the man replies, “Not that I’ve heard. None dare even go near there. Those that pass through do so quickly without stopping.”
“James,” Miko says, “maybe we shouldn’t go there.”
“Your friend is right,” the woman tells him. “It’s a bad place.”
“Be that as it may,” asserts James, “we need to get there.”
“Then take the north road out of town through the forest and it will lead you there,” explains the man. “The road continues past Ironhold to the northern kingdoms but no traveler dares to spend the night there. Those that have tell of strange sights and sounds.”
“We’ll keep that in mind, thank you,” replies James.
“Just be careful,” the woman says, concern in her voice.
“We will,” James assures her.
Turning back to the others he says, “Seems an interesting place.”
“Interesting?” asks Miko. “Cursed more like it.”
“Relax,” Uther says with confidence. “Most likely it’s simply the wind howling through the trees or something.”
“Sure,” adds Jorry. “There’s no such thing as spirits.”
Laughing, Jiron draws every eye to him as he says, “Well let me tell you about…” He then goes into the tale of complex in the swamps which everyone must have already heard a dozen times. He reminds them of the spirits of the dead which they encountered there. “So don’t go discounting tales of spirits so easily,” he concludes.
Uther and Jorry don’t look convinced. Sure, they’ve heard the story many times but never put much credence in it. After all, some of their tales are just as scary but truth be told, most of them are not altogether true.
“Do you still think it wise to go there?” Dave asks.
“Wise or not, that’s where the trail leads,” he replies.
Turning back to the couple he asks, “Pardon me, but do you know how far it is from here?”
Over his shoulder, the man says, “Couple days I think. Not for sure though, never had the occasion to travel there.”
“Thank you,” James says as he turns back to the others with a grin. “Not that much farther.”
“Great,” mumbles Miko next to him.
Chapter Twenty Six
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Leaving the crossroads behind, they take the northern road through the forest where they’re told Ironhold will be found. Dave and Miko are dead set against going but follow along as they have no choice since they’re unwilling to abandon James.
Following the road through the trees affords them some protection against the bite of the wind. The further north they travel the denser the trees lining the road become and the thicker the canopy of leaves above them.
Their horses’ hooves crunch with every step as they ride through the layers of dead leaves the coming of fall has deposited upon the road. A few lone travelers are encountered coming from the north but none are talkative and keep to themselves.
By the end of the day they’re still within the forest. When the light begins to fade they find a clearing alongside the road and make camp. At least this night the trees will keep the elements at bay and hopefully James won’t freeze again.
Once camp has been set up, James says, “Get a fire going, I’ll go find us some food.”
“Can I come?” Dave asks.
Nodding, James gives him a grin and says, “Sure.” Miko comes along as well. As he enters the forest, he bends over and picks up several stones which will do nicely. Putting all but one in his pocket, he keeps the other one available in his hand.
“Are you going to kill something?” Dave asks.
“Shhh!” James says to his friend. Then he nods and whispers, “Yeah.”
“I thought you wouldn’t ever kill anything?” he asks.
Shrugging, he replies, “Back home I never would. Here it’s a matter of survival. Now be quiet and keep your eyes open.”
They slowly creep their way further between the trees until Miko lays his hand on James’ shoulder to get his attention. Pointing off to the right, he directs his gaze to a small animal sitting upon a fallen tree.
“Right,” breathes James. Cocking his arm back, he lets loose the magic and throws the stone. It flies through the air and strikes the creature in the head knocking
it off the tree.
“You got it!” exclaims Dave as he breaks into a run toward the fallen animal. James and Miko follow.
They find the animal with half its head blown away. “Gross,” Dave says as he bends over and picks it up by its tail. Blood drips from the opening.
“Take it back to camp,” James tells him. “I’ll try to get another before it gets too dark.”
“Alright,” he says and heads back to camp.
Shortly after Dave leaves, James bags another animal. He and Miko then return to camp where the animals are dressed for the fire.
The night passes quickly and in the morning they have a quick breakfast, finishing off the remnants of the roasted animals of the night before. Once done, they mount up and return to the road and continue north.
All day long, the forest alongside the road remains constant. An hour or so after noon, they begin to notice the odor of wood smoke in the air. Shortly after that a cluster of buildings appears along the road out of the forest ahead of them.
“Wish we could’ve stayed there last night,” complains Dave.
“Would have been nice,” replies James. The others just give Dave an annoyed glance.
The village ahead of them doesn’t have all that much going for it, a few main buildings such as an inn and a chandler’s shop and not much else. Scattered amidst the surrounding forest, houses can be seen here and there.
One man is leaving the inn and James rides near and asks, “How much further is Ironhold?”
The man pauses and glances up at him. “About a day and a half,” he replies. “When you reach the foothills you’ll know you’re close.”
“Thank you,” James says and then continues on through. Glancing back, he sees the man hasn’t moved from his spot, merely standing there and staring at them leaving. The way he’s acting gives him the creeps.
Jiron notices him as well and says, “Wonder what that’s all about?”
Shrugging, James says, “Maybe he just wants to remember the fools going to Ironhold.”
Laughing, Jiron nods his head. Jorry and Uther join in.
“What’s so funny?” Miko asks.
“Nothing,” replies James and breaks into a chuckle as well.
They pass through the village and return to the forest. The rest of the day is pretty much as it has been and they finally make camp as the light begins to fade.
James again takes Dave out into the forest and they manage to bag a large animal similar to a deer back home. It’s too encumbering for one to carry so together they bring it back to camp.
Along with the roasted meat from this kill, they also finish the rest of the bread and some of the cheese they had bought from the farmer earlier. Seeing their dwindling supply of food, James wishes he had thought to buy several more day’s worth in that small village they passed through earlier.
What can’t be helped must be endured. Through the night, they keep the fire going and the one on watch continues roasting the meat so they can take most of it with them when they leave.
Early the next morning they break camp and return to the road. “We should be there before night, I think,” James announces.
“I can hardly wait,” moans Dave.
“Cheer up,” his friend tells him. “Doubt if anything will give us trouble there.”
“You know,” Dave says as they ride along, “in the horror movies back home, the person who always says things like that is usually the first to die.”
“So?” asks James. “Those were just movies.”
“I just think you should approach this with a little more gravity than what you are,” he says.
“Don’t think that just because I am not visibly worried that I am carefree,” James tells him. “On the contrary, I’m not. The tales concern me and I intend to use extreme caution and vigilance while there.”
“I hope so,” says Dave.
They ride throughout the day and sometime after lunch the forest begins to thin out and the terrain turns into rolling hills. “Must be getting close,” says James.
Not long after the hills appear they come to a junction. Either they can continue straight or take the road to the left. James continues on straight and from the rear he hears Qyrll say, “We should take the road to the left.”
Coming to a stop just past the left hand road, he turns his head back and asks, “Why?”
“We’ve been gradually turning to the east,” he explains. Pointing to the road branching to the left he says, “That one leads almost due north.”
“Are you sure?” Dave asks.
“Absolutely,” the Parvati replies.
“I think he’s right,” adds Jorry. Uther nods agreement.
Taking a moment, James looks around and notices the way the shadows are falling and begins nodding his head. “I think you’re right,” he agrees. “This way it is.” Turning his horse around, he returns to the other road and they begin following it.
They’re soon to realize this is the right way to go, the trees continue to thin and they catch glimpses through the trees of the mountains ahead of them to the north. Nestled somewhere within them lies the old town of Ironhold.
As they continue through the hills, the trees thin but don’t disappear altogether. Steadily, the hills become steeper and the road meanders first one way then the other in an attempt to follow the gentlest way.
Two hours after they left the other road, the hills open into a sort of plateau before the road reenters the mountains further ahead. A caravan is camped off to one side, other travelers are scattered throughout the area.
“Wonder what this is all about?” asks Jiron.
“I don’t know,” James replies. Giving the area a better scrutiny, he notices many spots which are currently unoccupied which once had been used. Sites of old campfires are seen throughout the plateau area.
Moving along, they come to three men sitting next to a wagon having what looks like stew. They look up as James approaches. “Excuse me,” he says to them. “I was wondering why everyone is camped here? I mean it isn’t that late.”
“Don’t want to take the chance of being in Ironhold when night falls,” one of the men tells him. “Most travelers who come this way stop here and continue on through in the morning.”
“One time,” another man adds, “we were coming through Ironhold and our wagon wheel broke. It was just about sunset and by the time we got it repaired, the sun had dropped below the horizon.” One of the other men nods his head in affirmation to what he’s saying.
“Before we could get all the way through a white shape appeared atop one of the old buildings and began wailing.” His eyes widen at the memory as he continues, “The sound seemed as if it was going right through you. We whipped our horse and got out of there fast. We’ll never take the chance of being caught in Ironhold when the sun goes down again.”
“Thanks,” James says.
Nodding, the men return to their meal.
Glancing back to the others, he can see fear and doubt creep into their eyes, even Uther’s. “Better find a spot and we’ll enter Ironhold in the morning,” he says.
“Might not be a bad idea,” agrees Jiron.
“Think it was a banshee?” asks Dave as they head over to an unoccupied spot near an old campfire ring.
“Who knows?” responds James. “Just don’t let your imagination get the best of you.”
“I’ll try not to,” he says.
They get the horses settled in and set about gathering enough wood to last the night. “I think we should still maintain a watch here,” he tells them once the fire is going and they’re having their dinner. “Don’t necessarily trust everyone here.”
“I agree,” Miko says.
Several more groups of travelers appear from the road to the south and join with the others in waiting for the coming of dawn. Not one person enters the pass at the other end.
Sleep doesn’t come easy for any of them that night. Thoughts of what they may encounter the nex
t day run through their mind. During their turn at watch, each tends to pace nervously in an attempt to work out their anxiety before returning to their blankets when their turn is over and trying to go to sleep.
Another crystal blue day dawns, cold and freezing. They gather around the fire to dispel the chill which has crept into their bones through the night. The plateau is a bustle of activity as the various groups of travelers get underway.
James is in no hurry to be the first, rather he just as soon wait and be the last to leave. They have breakfast while they wait for the last few to get underway. When at last everyone has either left or is in the process of heading for the pass, James decides it’s time to go.
Mounting, they ride at a leisurely pace as they allow those few still moving toward the pass a chance to enter it first. The wagons and caravan move slowly, causing James and the rest to proceed at a pace more sluggish than he would like. But if he wishes to be the last into Ironhold then he must endure it.
“What are you planning to do there?” Jiron asks him.
“Not sure,” he says. “There has to be a reason Ellinwyrd told me to come here.”
“Are you even positive this is the Ironhold he is mentioning?” Uther asks. “It’s possible there could be another.”
“He’s right!” perks up Miko. “Maybe we should go and find out.”
Shaking his head, James dashes his hopes by saying, “No. This is the right one. I know it.”
They finally crest a hill and below them they see Ironhold, or rather what’s left of it. It looks to have once been a sizable town with many buildings. All of which now stand in ill repair, some even having collapsed.
“Oh man,” he hears Miko say from beside him when he sees the dilapidated buildings.
“Looks like a ghost town,” Dave says.
“It does, doesn’t it?” comments James.
“A ghost town?” asks a shaky Miko.
Glancing over to him, James says, “It just means a town where no one is living. There are a lot of them where I come from and not one of them have actual ghosts. So relax.”
The Star of Morcyth: The Morcyth Saga Book Five Page 33
