The Gathering Dark

Chapter 3 - The Castle of Sand

Chapter 3 - The Castle of Sand

Dry mouthed and worn from trekking across the mountains, the small party of elves and the dwarven monk stopped to take in the desolate view of the fallen city. The endless wind soughed around the yellow sandstone, fine yellow dust flying in a stinging mist that scoured cliffs and walls alike.

There was no movement.

"Not exactly homely is it?" noted one of the elves with a grin. The wiry scout had led them unerringly to the city, one of the few of the Forest Elves ever to have journeyed to the near-forgotten human stronghold.

Dak dismounted from his mule and stood next to the scout, the rest of the party peering into the sand-laden gloom. "Any signs of life Mirn?"

"Nothing moving that I could see your religiousness, but there are some tracks here and there. Kobold, a few sand lizards, and maybe a skirrit."

"Skirrit?" The elf standing with Dulain said. "Haven't seen one of those things for years. I hope not to see another one either."

"Fear not brother," said Dulain with a smile. "I'm sure we'll get in, grab the dagger and get out again without any problems."

"I admire your optimism Dulain," said Dak, "but I'd have to say I agree with Edoran, a skirrit is not a creature I want to see up close and personal." He paused and punched the scout lightly on the shoulder. "And if you call me 'your religiousness' again elf, I shall feed you to the Kobold."

"Yes, your monkliness, understood." Mirn grinned at him and moved away a few steps out of the dwarf's reach. Dak rolled his eyes and moved on toward the city. "Come on, I need to find a Kobold to feed."

The party moved cautiously, all humour forgotten as Mirn ranged ahead to check the lie of the land. Dak led his mule, and the two brothers brought up the rear of the party, eyes scanning the ever-changing terrain. Just short of the arching stone ramp which led up into the city, Mirn stiffened and held up a fist to signal a halt, the two brothers positioning themselves to protect their rear. After a few silent seconds, Mirn relaxed and moved back to talk to Dak.

"There are signs of recent Kobold activity up ahead. I haven't seen any yet, but the tracks are less than twelve hours old. There's something else too, more of a feeling than any track or sign, but other things live here."

"Right. I'd suggest we get up inside the city, and find somewhere to bed down if we can. We're running out of time today."

"Agreed."

They made their way cautiously but quickly over the stone arch, aware of their vulnerability and exposure to hostile eyes. As they came in range of the first buildings, Mirn skittered ahead, melding into the shadows and disappearing into the ruins.

"We'll wait in the building over there," said Dak, pointing to what looked like an old barracks. "It looks in decent shape and strong enough."

~

An hour later, as the light was fading and Dulain was preparing some food over a small cooking fire, Mirn appeared and briefed them on what he had seen in his quick recce of the city. "There are Kobold tracks everywhere. The shifting sands and wind make them difficult to track, but there seems to be some sort of gathering going on, particularly in the central area where there's a massive coliseum. I have no idea what's going on, but I think the less time we spend in the city the better."

"Any signs of anything else?" Dak asked, sitting down, his eyes intent on the scout.

"Yes and no." Mirn looked confused for a moment and continued. "There are two distinct presences here, one alive, one more indistinct. I'm not sure how to describe it, but I think there may be something a little magical or dark going on. There's a building not far from here, a grand one full of statues and finery. There's something not right about the place, it gives me goosebumps. There are also signs something is living here, hiding in the shadows. Hiding well too. Whatever creatures live here are adept at avoiding the kobold. I do not like this place. I wish to see trees again."

Dulain rested a hand on the scout's shoulder. "We can all agree on that Mirn, but we must find the dagger, then we can move on. For now, let us rest as best we can. Tomorrow we start searching. I'll take the first watch, get some rest.

~

When they awoke there was a human girl sitting in the courtyard outside looking at the building.

"She just appeared!" said Edoran. "There was no noise, no disturbance, no movement. I looked and she wasn't there: I looked again and there she was."

Dak opened the sturdy oak door to the barracks and moved slowly into the dust-stained sunlight. He stopped some way from the girl and knelt down, bowing his head to the stone in greeting and resting with his hands on his thighs. The girl watched him, poised like a bird, her slender form clad in simple trews and a shirt, her feet bare. Ragged blonde hair was tied back in a rough ponytail and pale eyes looked out from a curiously blank face.

"Good morning," he said across the courtyard.

The girl stared at him for a moment and copied his bow, cocking her head to one side.

"Do you speak? Do you understand me?"

Dulain walked from the door and moved toward the girl with a bowl of food in his hands, his steps measured. As he approached, there was a whirl of movement and she was standing, a small crossbow pointed at his eyes. Dulain stopped, bowed - keeping his eyes on the unwavering point of the bolt as it tracked his head - and placed the bowl on the flagstones at his feet, adding a spoon. He smiled and stepped back, leaning against the wooden doorframe.

The girl walked forward and sank back to her knees. The crossbow disappeared with a fluid movement, the food was sniffed and the spoon raised. She tasted the porridge and moved it around her mouth, a thoughtful expression on her face. A few moments later Dulain smiled as she finished the bowl, her finger moving around the smooth wood to extract every morsel of food from the vessel. Once finished, she placed the bowl on the stones, inclined her head, rose smoothly to her feet, and flitted into the shadows of the city.

"Well that was interesting," said Dak standing up with a grunt. "Damn, I wish my knees were as good as hers. Did you see the way she moved?"

"I had no idea humans were so graceful," said Edoran moving from the shadows of the barracks.

"They're not, well not the few I've met." Mirn moved to stand by Dak. "Do you want me to follow her?"

"Aye, give it a minute or two, but I'll be surprised if you can track her. To have survived here she must be all but invisible to the kobold and that's virtually impossible."

"I thought the remaining humans were in the woods and valleys to the east of the Mist Forests," said Dulain. "And even then there're only a few thousand remaining, most in hamlets or villages."

"It would appear not." Dak finished massaging his knees. "Mirn. See if you can find her, but don't spend too much time. I think the rest of us need to go to the Great Hall you mentioned last night. It seems as logical a place to start at any. If there's magic going on, maybe I can divine its intent and form. I don't want to risk staying here any longer than necessary. If we can convince the girl to come with us, so be it, but we must try and stay clear of the Kobold. There is too much at stake."