Chronicles of Ilandri - Volume 1

The Long Passage (Pt.4)

Whilst in the downs, their path had turned west and eventually they would have to cross the road. They could not venture too far south yet as the marshes of the Orin sat just south of the downs, blocking that path. By cutting west through the downs they had more days of harder travel, but a clear route south to Orseth once they were through. The archon of Dolmedder had given Nathaniel a highly detailed map of the region and it was helping Nathaniel guide his people. Eventually the inevitability of crossing the road came. He posted scouts to the north and south, then began to send his people to the other side in batches. That way they would be exposed for a shorter amount of time and would have warning of any approaching goblins. It was extremely tense but finally the last batch crossed the road with no mishaps.

Their pace through the downs was reduced to almost a third of what it had been over easier ground. They were not covering much ground each day and Nathaniel could see that Eira was finding it more and more difficult as the unborn child grew. During the route across the downs the scouts reported a pack of goblins and they were forced to divert to the north, elongating their path further. Despite their caution, the goblin pack still managed to pick up their scent forcing them to abandon their wagons and flee on foot into harsher terrain. More lives were lost in their flight as the goblins slowly whittled down their numbers and forced them further off the path to Orseth. Hope was beginning to drain away as the goblins hounded them further north, toward the river Hespar. Nathaniel took a risk and led his people into the Hespar marshes, in hope that the goblins would not follow and those that did would get lost in the maze of rivulets.

The scheme paid off and the goblins eventually gave up their pursuit, but they too were now lost in the marshes. The environment was much less hospitable, with boggy ground and thick reeds, which stood well above head height making it difficult to navigate. The paths were narrow and winding, some leading them to a dead end, forcing them to turn back to try and find another route. The water was dirty and not drinkable and they were plagued all day and night by mosquitos. Because they had abandoned the carts all they had was what could be carried by the horses. They had no shelter to sleep under should it rain, and they were forced to drastically ration their supplies.

After days trudging through the dirt and wet, his people were beginning to grow tired, dispirited and foot sore. The damp was taking its toll on everything and on top of sores and chafing, people were beginning to get sick. Nathaniel was severely regretting his decision as things had gone from bad to worse. He was doing his best to lead them out of the endless warren he had brought them to, by following the course of the river downstream, hoping to find the end of the marshes. As the sickness spread he grew more worried and was concerned about Eira, carrying their child. She would be getting close to giving birth soon and this was not the place he wanted to be when she did. After a few days more they spotted smoke rising into the sky ahead. The scouts went out and brought back reports of a small fisher village. It was a relief to hear that there were more people about and not goblins.

The fisher folk were quite welcoming and did all they could to accommodate the large party. The sick were tended to and the strong got to work helping where they could. Nathaniel could tell that something was not right with Eira. She did not appear to be sick like the others but she was also not herself. The very next day when they woke, it became clear that the baby was coming. The fishwives took her in and gave her a bed to give birth in. Nathaniel paced outside anxiously. He had overheard some of the other women folk saying it was too early for the child to come. Thoughts raced round his head and he was terrified that he might lose Eira and the child. Hours passed before one of the fishwives emerged to summon him inside. As he entered his anxiety melted when he saw Eira looking exhausted, holding their daughter against her chest. He fell to his knees beside the bed and embraced them both gently. Happiness and love filled his heart as knelt there with his family.