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“William,” Ellen cried in shock. “How dare you be so disrespectful.”
“Sorry ma’am,” Jem said to Liselle. “My brother did not mean to be so rude. He just gets rather excited sometimes.” He turned and glared at William. Jem, too, had recognised the name and, while William’s statement had been more or less correct, Jem had the decency to keep his thoughts to himself.
“It is alright,” Liselle assured him. “I am used to people making such comments.” The look on Torrick’s face suggested it was far from alright and that if William did not apologise Torrick would let his sword do his talking for him.
“Let me explain,” Liselle volunteered and proceeded to finish her story.
She was not, as William had put it, a whore, but was instead a pleasure slave. She did not talk about the atrocities she had endured, for which Ellen was grateful, but did explain how she had been bought and sold like an animal instead of a human and how she had been owned for as long as she could remember.
She spoke of being offered to her owner’s soldiers as a reward for good work and how Torrick, the first night he won the pleasure of her company, treated her as a lady should be treated, and how he continued to do so until she gave herself to him, not because she had to, but because she wanted to.
Slowly, despite the age gap, they fell in love. When she became pregnant, much to her surprise and pleasure, he immediately admitted paternity and she was released into his custody. They were married as soon as possible and lived for a while with his family on their farm, until he could not handle the domesticity any longer and they departed, looking for adventure and leaving their children in the capable hands of his mother.
All the time she spoke, Torrick held her hand supportively.
“And you decided that joining Tor on his quest was just the excitement you were looking for?” Patrick said sarcastically. While he appreciated Torrick coming to their assistance, it seemed a little too convenient that he came along just when he was needed. Patrick had lived long enough to cease believing in coincidences.
“I have been a soldier for a long time,” Torrick said calmly, not taking offence at Patrick’s tone. “Living on a farm was such a change of pace that I felt the urge to have a sword in my hand once more. I am sure you understand.”
If Patrick did, he did not admit it. While he had never served in an army, he was used to fighting and a sword was never far from his side.
“I can assure you,” Liselle took over when Patrick remained silent, “that we only found out about the quest a few days ago and it was not until yesterday that we heard rumours that Tor was here. While meeting up with you was planned, we had no idea it would happen today.”
She sounded so sincere that it was almost impossible to doubt her, but Patrick had learned the hard way that trust had to be earned and almost anyone would betray you. He decided to reserve judgement and keep his opinions to himself.
William took Tor aside, just out of hearing of the rest of the party. “If everything I have heard about Torrick’s talent is true, then he would be a real asset to have around, at least while we are still in this country. You have seen what he can do. He is a disciplined fighter who has honed his skills in combat. And he is a good tactician. You should seriously consider keeping him around.”
Tor had already come to the same conclusion, but it was good to have someone else say out loud what he was thinking.
The two men returned to where the others stood in quiet conversation. Talking ceased as they drew near and all eyes looked toward Tor, wondering what he would say.
The Prince did not prevaricate. “If you wish to travel with us for a while, we would be more than pleased to have your company.”
Liselle beamed, but Torrick showed no emotion as he thanked Tor and said he would be honoured to accompany him on his quest.
“Are you now wondering where we are headed?” Nosmas asked.
Torrick shook his head. “It is the journey that matters, not the destination. I will know where we are going once we get there.”
“I, on the other hand, am curious,” Liselle said.
“We will tell you everything while we eat,” Tor volunteered. He glanced at Seth, his eyes asking when the meat would be ready. Understanding the look, Seth prodded the boar. Clear juice leaked out, so he took a slice. It carved easily and when he placed it in his mouth it fell apart without him having to touch it with his teeth.
“Food is ready,” Seth announced. “Can someone please get some of the loaves out of the wagon and start slicing while I carve the pig.” A horrible thought suddenly occurred to him and he turned to the two new members. “I hope you eat meat.”
“Of course we do,” Liselle said, laughing lightly.
While they ate, Ellen told them the first clue then Tor and Bellak explained how they had solved it.
“Mount Unjar is not going to be easy to cross,” Torrick observed. “Is there no way around it?”
It was Jem who responded. “No easy way, no. It will be quicker to climb it about half way and go around it clockwise. A roadway has been cut into the rock, just about wide enough to accommodate our wagon.”
“It is the bridge that we should worry about,” his brother took over. “It is quite old. We can avoid it by going along the higher pass, but it will take a lot longer and the wagon might not make it.”
“How much of a hurry are we in?” Patrick asked Tor. “Do you have any idea if any of your brothers are on their way here yet?”
Tor shook his head. “No. All I know is that I was not the first to leave, but I have no idea where anyone else is headed. Brodin knows to come here, but had to make a detour on the way.”
“Then I suggest we try the fastest route,” Bellak said. “This will be a very short quest for us all if we are the last ones to arrive at the first destination.”
“We could always turn back if the bridge looks too dangerous,” Nosmas added.
Nobody disagreed, so with a firm destination in mind, it was a cheerful group that headed off down the road the next morning.
It was Marie who first reacted when Mount Unjar came into sight. “Is that it?” she asked derisively. “It looks so small.”
Jem winked at her. “Wait until you get closer.”
Time passed as they travelled and the sun began to set. A suitable place to camp was found and a meal prepared. With two extra bodies, it meant one extra set to be on guard so the time each pair needed to remain awake reduced.
The night went by without any interruptions and they were soon on the road again. Ellen had spent some time with Hurst, giving him a thorough examination and declaring him fit and well.
As the morning passed, the mountain seemed to grow, rising out of the earth and reaching for the sun. Everyone was thinking the same thing, waiting for someone else to voice it. It was Vicky who obliged. “There is no way we are going to be able to climb that thing.”
“Do not worry,” William reassured her. “We only have to go part of the way and the road up is not too steep.”
Vicky continued to look upward, her face filled with consternation. Despite William’s words, she saw the mountain as an unscalable barrier instead of just an obstacle to be traversed.
Still unsure that they would make it to the other side, she instructed her horse to start moving forward once more and continued to follow her husband and son as they approached the mountain.
The sun was well past its zenith by the time they reached the foot of the mountain, leaving the group with a decision to make. Stopping where they were for the night would cost them a few hours travel, but spending a night on the mountain could be dangerous.
In the end Tor did not bother to consult with anyone, making the decision for them.
“I am not prepared to risk anyone’s life by attempting to find somewhere to spend the night up there. We need to traverse the base to find a suitable campsite.”
Tor took Ellen and Seth with him in one direction and instructed Patrick, Nosmas and Torrick to search the other way, leaving Jem and William in charge of protecting the others.
Everyone knew what they were looking for. Not only did they have to find suitable ground to sleep on, where they could safely light a fire, they also needed to be close to a water supply. The horses were in need of fresh water, as were the humans. Clean liquid would be needed for cooking, as well as for washing themselves and their dishes.
It did not take long for Patrick and company to find an ideal spot and he sent Torrick galloping back with the good news. He called out to his wife as he rode past, informing her that she should tell everyone to start heading in the direction that he had just come from, then continued on to find Tor; there was no point in the other three continuing with their search if a good location had already been found.
Once everyone had joined Patrick and Nosmas, Tor grabbed both men and they went hunting. While they had plenty of dried beef, some fresh meat would be welcome that evening.
Seth left the ladies to organise vegetables and went to check the horses. Torrick volunteered to assist him and between them they inspected all of the hooves and legs, looking for stones and any signs of lameness. Seth had been taught to do this by the royal stable master from a young age so he knew what he was doing. He watched Torrick carefully and was impressed with his technique and thoroughness. He felt no need to double check what he was doing and the job was completed in half the time.
Before returning to the others, Seth told Torrick of his observations and formally welcomed him to the team. They shook hands and both felt this was the beginning of a new friendship, not just an acquaintance.
The hunters returned, dragging a deer behind them. Ellen caught sight of it and used language none of them had ever heard her use before.
“I am not dealing with that,” she said defiantly.
Tor grinned at her. “Do not worry. We did not expect you to. Between us we can get it dissected and roasted. All we ask is that you make something delicious to go with it.”
True to their word, the three men cut up the carcass, wrapping parts of it in thick leaves they picked up on their way back to the campsite and placing it in the fire which Vicky and Bellak had built. The rest they covered with a spare blanket and Nosmas put a combination of cooling and protection spells on it.
The meal that evening was very tasty and Liselle could not stop complimenting Ellen. She was happy to admit that cooking was not one of her talents and she had had to put up with her husband’s attempts since leaving his family’s farm.
They had stopped their journey earlier than usual, but everyone was still tired and bedded down as soon as the sun had set, leaving only the first people on guard duty awake.
Despite a mountain looming over them, everyone slept well and were eager to get moving when they awoke. Breakfast was a rushed affair and they resumed their journey early enough to make up a fair amount of the time they had lost by stopping early.
To begin with the road up the mountain was not too steep and their pace was not reduced noticeably, but before midday it changed and soon Seth had to call out to Tor.
“The donkey is not going to able to pull the wagon up this slope,” he informed him. “We need to swap it for one of the stronger horses.”
Torrick overheard and volunteered his warhorse. It was by far the biggest and strongest of the equine animals and was the best choice to take over from the struggling donkey.
The swap was made and they began moving once more, though the pace did not increase greatly.
Time passed and Tor began to worry that they would not be off the mountain before nightfall. He voiced his concerns and Jem assured him that would not be a problem.
They soon came to a fork in the road, one way leading higher up, the other starting to head downward, and Tor gave the command to follow the downward slope.
Now that they were no longer having to pull the wagon upward, they attached the donkey once more and its steady, sedate pace prevented the wagon from rolling down at an uncontrolled speed.
Mid-afternoon they came to a halt. They had worked their way around a good portion of the mountain and hoped they were nearing the end, only to discover that it was actually two separate peaks, the first, larger one hiding its smaller brother. Instead of the road leading down one side then up the other, it crossed the gap via a wooden bridge.
Despite being warned about it, nobody had really expected to see it and now that it was in front of them they were unsure whether to cross it or not.
It looked old, worryingly old, and it appeared too narrow to accommodate the wagon.
“What do you think?” Tor asked Patrick, knowing that of all of his companions, Patrick would be the one most likely to cross.
Without hesitation he dismounted and stepped onto the rickety bridge, which creaked as it took his weight.
He started to slowly cross, his speed increasing with his confidence. The wood groaned and the bridge swayed, but Patrick made it across without any mishaps, then ran back to collect his horse. When horse and rider were both safely on the other side, Tor signalled that others should start to cross.
The wagon was sent across first, with a nervous looking Seth at the front, and it took a lot of encouraging and cajoling to persuade the donkey pulling it to step onto the wood.
It tentatively touched it with its hooves and brayed in concern and it took Patrick’s horse calling to it to finally get it to move forward.
The bridge must have been stronger than it looked because the fully loaded wagon crossed it with ease.
All of the horses were sent over next, urged on by their kin, then it was the human’s turn. In pairs, they slowly walked along the wooden beams, checking the sturdiness of each plank before putting their weight on it. Most were across before Nosmas stepped forward, guiding Hurst.
They were half way along it when disaster struck. Hurst took a step forward before Nosmas had checked that it was safe to do so. The wood beneath his feet gave way and his legs went through the bridge. His body dropped down, crashing into the plank in front, shattering it.
Vicky, who was yet to cross, screamed as Hurst fell from view. Nosmas reacted quickly, diving after him while praying the rest of the bridge would hold his weight.
He slammed down onto the wood, knocking the breath from his lungs, and thrust his arm downward. Thankfully Hurst had raised his arms above his head, whether from hope of rescue or instinct did not matter, and Nosmas felt his hand close around the old man’s arm.
He gripped tightly, not caring that he was probably hurting him, and with all of his strength he pulled upward, dragging Hurst through the hole in the bridge and onto the solid wood behind him. Both men collapsed onto their backs, panting hard.
“I did not realise you weighed so much,” Nosmas gasped, then started to laugh.
Vicky and Bellak ran over, the former throwing her arms around her son while the latter checked that Hurst was alright.
“Why did you not use a spell?” the wizard enquired once he was sure that Hurst was suffering from nothing more than cuts and bruises.
“I did not think of it,” Nosmas admitted. “It happened too fast.”
Hurst was still too shaken to speak, but grabbed his rescuer’s hand, shaking it firmly to show his gratitude. Nosmas did not flinch or try to withdraw his hand.
Both men were helped to their feet and, with Vicky holding on to Hurst, whose legs were shaking so much they barely held his weight, they slowly made their way across the bridge to the safety of the other side where their friends were anxiously waiting.
Tor slapped Nosmas on the back. “That was a close one,” he stated.
Nosmas stared at him, as though he could not believe he had just made such an obvious statement. “Next time we go the long way round.”
Despite his protests, Ellen insisted on giving Hurst a thorough examination. Declaring him to be fit, other than suffering from shock, she had Torrick place him in the front of the wagon next to Seth.
It was a much subdued group that continued their journey around the mountain. While they had all been aware that the quest might be dangerous, they had put it to the back of their minds. Now it was very much in the forefront.
The sun was still in the sky when they descended into the foothills, but Tor called an early halt to their travels. The area they found themselves in was not ideal for camping, but was adequate so nobody protested.
There was not much talking that evening and, except for those who volunteered to take first watch, everyone fell asleep quickly.
It was an unpleasant night for Hurst. Every time he closed his eyes he felt, once again, the sensation of falling and sleep brought vivid nightmares that left him sweating and shaking whenever he woke. By the time the sun rose he was more tired than he had been the night before.
When Ellen suggested that he spend another day riding in the wagon instead of the back of his horse, he did not argue.
Following William’s instructions, they continued north, working their way around the base of the mountain.
It did not take them long to find what they were seeking. They rounded a bend and, far ahead, they could see the sun glistening off water.
“Lake Endoric,” Jem announced, pointing toward the blue liquid in the distance.
“How long will it take us to get there?” Tor enquired.
Jem looked up into the sky before answering. “We will not arrive this side of nightfall.”
Jem’s words proved to be correct and the group settled down for another night under the stars. Their food supply was running low so three parties set out, one to forage for greenery, another to find fresh water and the third to go hunting.
The hunters returned first and set about defeathering the multitude of large birds they had shot from the sky. The smell of roasting flesh welcomed back those who returned carrying containers filled with water, making their stomachs grumble.
The horses were released and sent in the direction of the stream Torrick had found; they would return before sunrise. Ellen checked Hurst once more. She was concerned that he had travelled the entire day in the wagon. He was a proud old man, frequently insisting that he could ride a horse as well as any youngster, despite his lack of sight, and today was the first day he had not kicked up a fuss when asked if he would prefer to be in the wagon.
He assured her that he was tired, nothing more, but she could see that his near-death experience had shaken him up more than he was prepared to admit.
Ellen voiced her concerns to Tor, wondering if they should consider leaving Hurst at the next populated place they came to, at least until he had chance to recover.
Tor regretfully declined her suggestion. Hurst was the only reason they were where they were and without him there was no point in continuing. While he was worried about his friend, he knew that Hurst would be the first one arguing against being given time to rest and fully put behind him his horrific experience if it meant putting a halt to the quest for a while.
Ellen was not the only one to have noticed a change in Hurst and despite only knowing him for a relatively short while, Jem took it upon himself to take the elderly man away for a quiet word.
“Have you ever tried your ability on a horse?” he asked Hurst, who was warming his feet by the fire.
“No,” he replied. “I have never thought of it.”
“Would you mind giving it a try? I cannot find anything wrong with my horse, but something did not feel quite right while I rode today.”
Not suspecting that Jem had an ulterior motive, Hurst was more than happy to help out. Jem led him away from the campsite, following the trail the horses had taken. They walked in silence for a while, both enjoying the feel of the setting sun on their skin.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Jem finally asked.
“There is nothing to talk about.” Jem grimaced. It was the answer he had been expecting.
“In that case, I will talk while you listen. A few years ago I thought I was going to die and it is a feeling I will never forget.”
“You were a soldier,” Hurst reminded him. “You faced death every day.”
“This was different.”
They had reached the river where the horses were drinking and grazing on grass and reeds, but instead of searching for his mount, Jem sat down on the bank, staring across the water without really seeing it. His mind had gone back to the worst moment of his life and, momentarily, nothing else existed.
He felt Hurst settle down beside him and the touch of his hands on his arm brought him back to the present.
“The company I was a member of had been told to scout around near a deserted village, close to where I grew up. Nobody could explain why, but one night every living person left the village and were never seen again. The local lord was informed and sent a contingent of armed men to investigate.
“I got careless. The village well had run dry many years before, so a new one was built. The old one was covered over but as time passed the wood began to rot. Those who lived there knew to avoid that particular area, but I stupidly stepped onto the wooden covering, placing my full weight on it without testing it first. I fell straight through, landing hard on the ground, breaking my leg.
“I screamed and screamed, but nobody heard me. I called for help, the sound of my voice echoing up the well shaft, but to no avail. Nobody was close enough to hear me. Darkness fell and I knew I was truly alone. And then the noises started. At first I thought it was members of my company, returning to find me, but the sounds I was hearing were not voices; they were more like the moaning of someone who has been in pain for so long they have become almost used to it. Then the sounds grew louder and higher pitched, until eventually they became screams. There I was, trapped at the bottom of a well shaft, unable to move, and something inhuman was coming to get me. I truly believed that I would never see another sunrise.”
Jem went quiet, waiting for Hurst to tell him he was a fool, but the old man remained silent.
“To this day, I do not know if the pain in my leg caused me to faint and everything I heard was just a bad dream, but I still feel as though I spent all of that night with my ears covered, trying to stop the noises reaching my ear drums, all the while waiting for death to find me.”
“How did you survive?” Hurst finally asked.
“The next morning my brother and a few friends returned, determined to find me. With rope and a lot of effort they managed to pull me out of the well shaft, splinted my leg with a branch and got me back to where the other soldiers were camped. I never mentioned the terror I felt during that night, not even to William. You are the first person I have ever been this open with. I hope my words have not been wasted.”
Hurst thought for a while, then nodded his head. “You are trying to tell me that you understand how I feel, and if I want to talk about it, you are happy to listen.”
“Something like that.”
Hurst reached out his hand and felt along Jem’s arm until he reached his shoulder, which he squeezed in a friendly manner. “Thank you for your honesty, but I am alright. It will take me a while to get over what happened, but I will not let it prevent me from doing all I can to help Tor.”
He looked around him, almost as if he was looking for something. “Now are we going to find this horse of yours or not?”
Jem smiled. His words had not had the effect he had been hoping for, but they had not been a waste of time. He helped Hurst to regain his feet and the two men returned to the campsite, where food was almost ready to be served.
The next day they set off early and it was only a few hours later that Patrick, who was leading, unexpectedly pulled to a complete stop. Usually a very eloquent man, words completely failed him. “Wow,” was all he could think of to say.
In front of him, as far as the eye could see, was an ocean of tents. The mobile homes, made from cloth laid over a wooden frame and held down by large rocks, were of differing sizes and more colours than Patrick had ever seen in one place.
“What is it?” Hurst whispered to Seth.
“I think we have found the seekers of truth.”