His words had spoiled the good humour of the evening. People finished their meal in silence, there was no more of their good-natured laughing and joking. It was not long before most of them had drifted off to their tents.
Vangrith’s hospitality was still available, but there was little warmth in her manner now. She showed them a tent in which they could sleep and bade them good night.
The next morning the ground was frosty and so was Vangrith. She invited them to stay longer, but that was only a formality. It was plain she wanted them to leave. Most of her hostility was directed at Azkun, but Menish did not entirely escape. Northerners did not like to be rebuked, especially by someone they could not challenge to a duel. The King, of course, was immune from such challenges.
Beyond Gildenthal the trees grew more thickly and the country rose steeply. They caught glimpses of mountains in the distance when they crossed ridges but their road wound mostly along steep valleys. It was well into autumn now and the nights were very cold, but fortunately there was plenty of wood for their fires. Even so Menish’s leg began to ache again and he found himself tiring each day by mid-afternoon.
The road they had followed to Gildenthal had been no more than a beaten track and now it deteriorated further. Menish suspected it was frequented more by wild animals than by men. But Grath, who came from this region, led them on surely. He had been this way many times.
The hills on either side of them grew taller and steeper. The trees became sparse again as they gained height. Four days after they left Gildenthal they found themselves travelling between the snow capped peaks of the mountains of Ristalshuz. It was bitterly cold, even when the sun shone, and they found patches of snow in the valleys. The valleys themselves were formed of long, grey scree slopes that converged at their path. Hardy tussock and lichen grew among the rocks but little else. At Grath’s suggestion they had cut wood and carried it with them. But this had to be used sparingly. Menish could not keep his leg warm enough no matter what care he took of it and he began to wish he had listened to Adhara.
On the fifth day they crossed a saddle in the mountains and found themselves in a wide, valley with a shallow river winding through it. This was a place Menish remembered well. It was the site of the last battle with the men of Gashan, forty years ago. As he looked across it his memory peopled it with those who had fought and died here. He saw again the imperial armies drawn up along the near edge, the Anthorian contingent arrayed along one flank and his own small company at their edge, near the river. The river had saved his life and, in the process, had saved Anthor. But so many had died. The valley must be littered with old swords and armour.
There had been too many dead to dispose of fittingly. They had gathered up those they could and made a pyre of them, the remains of Telish IV and Kizish, Menish’s father, lying on top of the pyre. It had burned for two days, and when it had gone out they piled a great cairn of stones from the river over the charred remains.
He could see the grassy mound near the river and they rode towards it. It was covered with forty years of tussock growth but the outline was still clear, even if it now looked like an earth mound rather than a stone one. Menish had forgotten how large it was, so many had died, and it must have subsided over the years.
Would they, perhaps, have to build another mound soon? Would his own body lie on that mound? He turned to Azkun.
“Do you know what this is?”
“A hill, though an odd one. Was it made by men?”
“It was made by men, by men and of men. After the great battle we fought here with the men of Gashan we gathered up our dead and placed them here, though there were so many that we had to leave most where they fell.”
“How many died?” Azkun was pale.
“Nearly four thousand.”
“These men of Gashan killed so many?”
Menish nodded.
“I understand. It was like the fight with the pirates. You had to fight or you would die yourself. I see that, but it is appalling.”
On the other side of the wide valley floor they came to a stream which bubbled and gurgled across their path. They looked at it with amazement for it steamed. Grath leapt from his horse and plunged his hand into the water. He pulled it out quickly with a yelp.
“It's hot! Hot water flowing along the ground! I've heard of such things but I never believed them.”
“I, too, have heard of them,” said Menish. “This place is mentioned in the Gash-Tal, or some place like it.”
“It is indeed, Sire,” said Hrangil. “Gilish III found several of these streams. He also found something else here. Let's dismount and lead the horses through those trees.”
They did as Hrangil suggested and he led them up the stream for about ten minutes. The way was difficult for there was no path and trees and undergrowth had gathered about the stream. Presently they came to what Hrangil had been looking for, the source of the stream.
There were two pools at the base of an earthy bank. The first pool was rough and natural. They could see holes in its bed where clear water gushed out of the earth. A conduit joined this pool to a second pool. The second pool had been carefully faced with stone by human hands to form a wide, square bathing pool with steps leading from one corner. Another conduit allowed water to flow from the other side into the stream.
“It's just like a Relanese bath!” said Grath.
“Who else would have thought of such a thing?” said Althak.
“It's exactly what I need for my leg.”
Without further discussion they removed their clothing and entered the pool. At first it was too hot to bear but it soon became pleasant when they were warmed up. For Menish the pain in his leg became excruciatingly delightful then ebbed away entirely after a few minutes.
“Now what we need is some soap,” said Hrangil.
“While you're wishing,” laughed Grath, “how about some fresh food and a soft bed.”
“Gilish III went to a lot of trouble to build this,” said Althak. “I thought he came up here to fight Gashans.”
“The Gash-Tal says he found this place,” said Hrangil. “Not that he built it.”
“So who built it? No one lives here.”
“What's that?” asked Menish, pointing to one of the stones that faced the pool. It was a large slab that supported the conduit from the upper pool. There was something carved on it.
“It's very worn with age,” said Grath who was closest to it. “Not much to make out. It looks like an axe I think, although there's this… oh, it could be a double headed axe.”
“A double headed axe?” asked Hrangil. “Why would anyone carve that? Are you sure?”
“No, I'm not. But that's the best I can make of it.”
“Let me look.” Hrangil peered at it. “It could be anything. It might even be a sword.”
“I've seen a double headed axe carved in stone before somewhere,” said Althak, “but I don't remember where. Somewhere in the north I think. Perhaps my folk came here.”
“Or the folk who built this also visited the Vorthenki coasts,” said Grath. “Perhaps the Monnar built it. It's said they sometimes built in stone.”
“Crude carving on stones they found in place,” said Hrangil. “Nothing like this.”
They emerged refreshed from their bath but, although it was not time to look for a camp site, they decided to spend the night here. It was a pleasant place with plenty of wood, and a taste of luxury, after travelling so long, was not to be wasted. They bathed again after the evening meal and yet again when they rose in the morning. Menish’s leg felt much better for the treatment and he was ready to set off again, though with some reluctance.
Not far past the stream the valley opened out even wider and they found themselves standing on the shores of a huge lake. It was so big that they could only just see the other side of it, and it was much longer than it was broad. They were near one end of it, the other end was lost in the distance. This was the legendary Lake Kel, or Bekel as some c
alled it. There were few people who had seen it with their own eyes. The Gash-Tal told of its vastness, like a sea yet with fresh water. It was said to be the home of strange monsters and they trod warily along its shores.
The road ended at the lake shore. There were the remains of a stone pier but it was buckled and broken with age, possibly by the shaking of the earth. Hrangil said that it had been whole in the time of Gilish III and they had used it to launch barges across the lake. But Menish had no intention of building a barge and sailing across on it, even though there were a number of good-sized trees here. It would take too long and, besides, all except Althak and Azkun hated sailing.
The alternative was to go around the lake. The near end was not far and the shores of the lake were sandy beaches. They spent two pleasant, though cold, days making their way west. Here there was plenty of wood and fresh water. Althak caught some fish but no one else wanted any. Three times they found warm streams running into the lake but there were no more pools to bathe in.
On the third day the lake edge became rocky and more difficult to get the horses across. They had to resort to leading them for much of the time. The weather also turned against them. Up until now it had been cold but dry, now an icy wind blew down from the mountains and grey snow clouds swirled across the sky. The next day the snow fell, dusting everything with white and making their way even more difficult. They found the end of the lake, a deep gorge was sliced into the mountains and a river plunged from it into the lake. It was swift, cold and deep.
The horses were uncooperative about crossing it but they forced them through. On the other side they had to stop and build a large fire, for they were in danger of freezing to death. The snow grew thicker that night, swirling about them and building up drifts in the hollows.
The other side of the lake made Menish wonder if building a barge might not have been a better idea. The country was much steeper. The mountainsides plunged directly down into the lake leaving only thin stretches of broken rock beneath the cliffs. Many times they had to swim the horses across channels. It was hard on the beasts, and hard on the men. The water was cold and the weather was bleak. The snow still fell heavily. But, when Menish looked out over the water he decided that this was still the better choice. The cliffs sheltered them from the worst of the wind but out on the lake they would have no such protection. There the waves were whipped up by the wind and Menish doubted if they could have built anything that would stand such rough weather.
They pressed on miserably, sometimes hoping for another hot stream, but mostly just trying to get this leg of the journey over with. Once they found the road again, for there was said to be a pier on the other side of the lake, the way would be easier. But this part was sapping their strength. Even Althak looked pale and grim, and Menish had never seen him tire before.
When, at last, they found the road they almost missed it in the snow. The pier was broken like the one on the other side and, covered with snow, it was hard to distinguish from the surrounding rocks. The road led up into a valley but it, too, was white with snow. It was only that Althak noticed an upright stone a short distance up the valley and went to look at it. He came back shouting with joy.
“We've found it! This is the place!”
“What's the stone?”
“It's a stone like the Kruzan, it guards the road I suppose. But this is the road. You can see the line of it down to the water. That must be the pier, there.” He pointed and they went to see. Sure enough, there was the pier with a hard, stone way leading from it towards the standing stone. It was not like the track they had been following on the other side of the lake. This road was more like the ones in Relanor.
To celebrate finding it at last they decided to camp that night near the pier. They made a huge fire and gathered closely around it. The weather was still cold but it did not snow that night.
Sometime during the night they were wakened by a strange noise.
“Wolves!” said Grath.
“Not wolves I've heard before,” said Althak. “They sound more like hounds.”
“What's the difference?”
“Wolves howl, hounds bark. That's a bark.”
“Wolves bark as well,” said Hrangil, drawing his sword.
“They don't bark when they're near prey,” said Althak.
“Perhaps we can continue this discussion some other time,” interrupted Menish. “There's something out there and it may like man flesh.”
“I'll go and look,” said Althak. “I know it's not a wolf.”
The sky had cleared during the night and the moon was one day past full. Althak climbed out of his blankets and walked off into the darkness. The glow of the fire reflected off the jewelled belt Menish had given him for a time, then he disappeared from view. They waited, listening.
A few moments later he returned with a broad grin on his face.
“Wolves indeed! Come and see these ‘wolves’ of yours, Grath.”
They all followed him down to the lake shore. Before they reached it he bade them walk quietly and they crept across the snow to the edge of the lake. The barking sound came from the rocks near the pier.
“There, see? On that big rock. You can see him in the moonlight.”
On one of the large rocks lay a rounded shape with a tiny head. From it came the barking sound.
“What is it?” asked Azkun.
“It's not a wolf,” said Grath. “It doesn't look dangerous.”
“It's a seal,” said Althak. “It's harmless. They can bite you if you're not careful, but they can't move quickly on land.”
“Is it a fish that lives on land then?”
“I think so. It breeds on land and hunts in the water. It has fins rather than legs so it must be a fish. I've seen them on the Vorthenki coasts. They hunt them there for meat and their skins are warm to wear.” He grinned. “You'd not like the meat I think.”
So Menish forbade them to kill this one and they returned to their camp. For the rest of the night the seal serenaded them.
The next day the road, once they knew it was there, was not difficult to follow and it was wide and flat. It led them up through the valley and through a deep gorge. There was snow everywhere until they crossed a pass that led them steeply downwards. Late in the afternoon they found themselves standing on high mountain ramparts.
This side of the mountains swept up abruptly from a vast, green plain that stretched away as far as they could see. The country was perfectly flat and densely forested. Just as they had at the lake shore the mountains here plunged down in high cliffs to the plains with no foothills to break them. This time, however, they had a road to travel on. It led them down the cliffs in long zigzags that took them all the following day to negotiate.
At last they had reached the land of Gashan.
Chapter 24: The Forest
Gashan reeked of foulness and evil. The forest they had seen from the mountains turned out to be a stinking marsh covered with twisted trees. It was much warmer now that they were away from the mountains, but that only contributed to the smell of the place. To Azkun it seemed alive with malice and, although Tenari was left in Meyathal, he felt as if the Monnar were watching him again.
The road they followed formed a stone causeway that led them safely across the marsh of the forest floor. It was just as well, for the marsh looked treacherous, and was certainly pathless but for the way they travelled. At times it gurgled and bubbled, emitting sickening odours. They all wondered privately if this was caused by the monsters that were reputed to infest these lands. Grath suggested that the causeway, solid though it seemed, might be actually floating on the marsh and that their own passage was the cause of the disturbance in the swamp.
Nevertheless they were uneasy. The gurgling of the marsh, rustlings in the trees, and distant animal cries seemed to be disturbances in a deep, watchful silence. As if something brooded in the mud beside the causeway, something hungry for man flesh. Even the trees, twisted, misshapen things hung with moss, l
eered claw-like over the road, threatening them.
But the road was firm and solid, leading them safely above the mire. It was Althak who asked who had actually built it.
“No one knows,” replied Hrangil. “When Gilish III chased the Gashans back into their own land he found this road here. He also found the city of the Gashans that he called Gashir. He didn't think that the Gashans could have built either the road or the city.”
“Perhaps it was the Monnar,” said Grath.
Hrangil looked at him with scorn. “As if the Monnar could do such a work as this!”
“Were they not, then, worthy foes of Gilish?” asked Menish, a trace of sarcasm in his voice.
“In matters of war they were mighty foes. But all their arts and power were directed at making war, not building.”
“Why it is so warm here?” asked Althak peering up at the angle of the sun. “We must be further north than Deenar, I think, and it would have snow by now.”
“We had snow back in the mountains,” said Grath. “But I don't know, this is strange country to me. Though the trees are similar enough.”
Once the brooding watchfulness of the forest embraced them they spoke as little as possible. Only Althak ignored the silence. Several times he lifted their spirits with the song of the foolish farmer he had sung the day they had found Azkun. Menish was grateful for it. It was one of the many times he wondered what he would do without Althak.
As they travelled Azkun noticed things in the trees. Colourful coils of moving rope twined in and out of some of the branches. They reminded him of dragons, but he could not say why. He was given a better opportunity to inspect one of them when Grath’s horse, which was leading, suddenly shied. Grath swore and his horse backed into Menish’s as he brought it under control.
“What is it?”
“Damn snake.”
Grath threw his reins to Menish and dismounted, drawing his sword.
“Wait!” Azkun leapt down from his horse and ran forward. There it was, a red and gold coil lying on the road, sliding over and over itself. A tiny head with two gleaming eyes and a flickering tongue rose from the coil and hissed at them. It had no wings and no legs and the colours, though bright, were wrong, but it was like a tiny dragon. Perhaps it was a young dragon. He did not know if dragons had young or not.
Summon Your Dragons Page 30
