The Persecuted

Chapter 14

The foot of the mountain was home to a small village, though calling it an outpost might have been more accurate. There was a shop selling all sorts of supplies that miners coming down from their claims were likely to buy. There was an inn to accommodate any new arrivals, miners looking to spend the winter in more comfort, and to offer drinks to those looking to get drunk. There were a few more buildings for residents who made their living seeing to what ever craft was needed to keep a town like it running. Blacksmith, carpenter, at least those two signs were visible as the group rolled through the muddy street that cut through the huddle of buildings.

The decision had been made not to stop there and when Adan saw some of the figures lounging by the tavern he had to agree it had been a wise choice. He couldn't help but fear some of the types were the kind that would follow them and cut their throat in the night to steal what ever valuable they could find.

His expression grew grimmer when he saw the symbol of the Church peeking behind the buildings. Even a remote outpost could not escape their influence. Adan would have wagered a good sum of gold that the temple had been built right after the first building had had its foundations laid.

Looking at the mountain it was hard to believe there was a path there that could allow wagons to go through, but Kal had assured there was one and that they had travelled through it plenty of times. He admitted it could be tricky at times and once you got past the tree line there were parts where they'd need to push to help the horses drag all the weight up the slope.

In any case, it was the only path left open to them.

“This'll be rough,” said Jonas from next to him and peered up at the mountains. You could see snow capping the peaks. It wouldn't be long before the white blanket spread down and covered everything.

“Yeah,” said Adan. He had spent his life in the lowlands; the open fields, the thick forests, the gentle hills. The sheer hostility of the mountain before him had him wanting to turn back and find an easier route.

“If the Church finds us up there, there's nowhere to run,” said Jonas.

“Good thing we haven't seen any sign of a chase,” said Adan.

They had been careful to keep an eye out. Someone would find the dead inquisitors eventually. The horses would wander into some village or be found by travellers. That would get the investigation going since no one would dare to do anything with Church branded animals besides returning them to the nearest temple.

“At least it's not raining. We'd never get up that road,” said Jonas.

Adan had to agree as the road started to climb up the slope and the small town was left behind. The hard stone would be slippery when wet and the horses would easily lose their footing on it. Now, it was dry and there was plenty of grip so the horses wouldn't slip. What was most surprising was just how wide the path leading up was. There was room enough to walk around the wagons on either side and there were hardly any big holes in which a wheel could get stuck or worse yet, break.

Tess led the way, walking her horse, not taking any risk of falling. Lars and Bigs walked on either side of the wagons to ensure the wheels didn't go over the edge in the sometimes tight turns. The higher they got the harsher the drop became and it wasn't long before it became one that could kill.

Adan was amazed the road stayed as good as it did. It was like it had been purpose built instead of forming naturally. He knew there were old roads going across the country so it was entirely possible some old empire had carved the face of the mountain in an effort to reach something valuable to them.

Looking past Jonas he could see the few buildings of the town. More worryingly, he saw the column of riders arriving. Even from the distance he could tell it wasn't a small group. Perhaps fifty men in all.