A Light in the Darkness Book: The Moonlight Murderer

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Mountain Beetle Prairie

The events at Stone Hedge had left the members of Drake's group somewhat shaken. Thankfully, the Inquisitors helped clean up the mess and Festus had earned some praise for slaying a group of vampires, with a small amount of help. As they loaded up the cart to head south Caeli and Avis bid them farewell. They promised to speak more upon the return to capital and Festus agree to stop and check on Stone Hedge on the return trip. He gave a polite bow to the townsfolk as he and Festus climbed onto their carriage and the journey continued.

They been gifted some bread, salted lamb and cheese by the good people of Stone Hedge and the surrounding villages for their role in ending the scourge which had plagued their region. Festus accepted their offerings in good spirits, but he almost surely would've preferred alcohol. Their was a shade of unease among their company. They were more on edge and alert as they departed town.

For his part, Drake couldn't stop wondering about the vampire pyromancer. His mentor told him it was best to forget it and let the Inquisitors handle the situation, but somewhere inside him the cold feeling remained. Greta had been keeping quiet about the whole thing as well. Having been her first time in battle, it had taken its toll on her. Zak had been around a long time and Lars was in the war, so both had seen plenty conflict in their time. Festus didn't want to talk about it and Oberon as per usual, didn't seem to care.

Aside from their increased anxiety the final leg to the Mountain Beetle Prairie was generally uneventful. Their horses were more chipper as mountain paths gave way to stone roads and even river crossings. It took about another day and a half to reach a small town edging the former battlefield. During that time, Festus took the opportunity to lecture him on recklessness and provide further meditation exercises. When they did get to their last stop, he was set up with a small firepit had to keep lighting and it snuffing out. Next, he practice catching and tossing back fireballs that his mentor randomly decided to chuck at him.

That final night before Festus took him to examine the battlefield, Drake could barely walk. Mercifully, there was actual a bed for him to sleep. The site they were going to visit was on a large plateau near the southern border of the Empire, so it had great strategic and cultural importance. Because of this, the town of Fortsmith's main feature was an outpost for the Imperial Legion. It was a large two-story building of redwood and brick, dominating the square to the otherwise small community. The crimson phoenix banner of the Cevarian Empire hung proudly over the front door. It was built to house at least a hundred soldiers but rarely at capacity.

These days it mainly housed legionnaires transferring from different assignments, a small honor guard for a war memorial up on the plateau, and the odd group of travelers such as themselves. It was a warm and welcoming dwelling, mainly filled with soldiers and a few Flame Weavers. Also, to Festus's joy, there was plenty of booze. He was drinking the evening away in the main hall with some of the other elders, while Drake got cleaned up in their room.

Festus had insisted they share a room again, though at least he got his own bed this time. He'd still have to deal with the old man's snoring though, and the smell. He got on a fresh robe and opened the door to head down for dinner. As he stepped into the hallway, he ran into Greta. She was dressed in a white wool shirt and brown slacks. Her hair was knotted up and wet like, she'd just been washing as well.

"You alright?" he asked. "Been a long trip."

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said quietly. "We should get some food."

He awkwardly gestured her down the hall and they walked downstairs to where the others had already gathered. The main hall had a tiled black and white stones for a floor, the walls were a dusty brick. It few cobwebs hung and there were spots on the ceiling but was otherwise well organized with several round wooden tables spread about. There was a small bar on the other end of the room with a door behind to what was probably the kitchen. There was a large granite fireplace on the backwall with a few comfortable looking chairs. They found a table where Oberon was already relaxed into a slouched position.