The Sword Saints

16. Demons in the Dark

(Shu)

"Fear the night and the cold and the darkness. Seek out the fire, seek out the light. It is good to be brave, but beware, for bravery can only achieve so much. Caution is needed. Beware, for evil lurks in every shadow and every crevice."

- The Book of Order: Ch. 10: verse 11-13.

The small mountain town of Rall's Ford loomed ahead of Shu and Asha, nestled into the side of the hundreds of mountains that made up the Red Peaks. There was nothing red about them, aside from the blood of the untold thousands that had died within them. It was a natural wall on the southern border of Anglova and many armies had met their doom trying to cross them.

The town itself was a quiet little place, an unremarkable mining town that barely pulled enough iron and copper out of the mountain to support itself. However, it was one of only a few towns that existed along the mountain and was the last stop before traversing the perilous peaks, if one were so inclined to do so.

Shu was still wondering why it was that they were crossing the mountains in the first place. The princess was heading to Daath. Surely, she would do the sensible thing to sail down the White River until she came to Queensport on the western coast and from there sail south down the coastline to Daath. Indeed, that would be what normal, sane individuals would do. Asha, it seemed, was anything but that.

It didn't help that Shu had a very strong fear of heights, something that he made sure to frequently share with Asha. As they crossed beneath the old wooden arch at the front of the town, he was sure to voice his opinion again.

"Remind me again as to why we're crossing the bloody Red Peaks and not enjoying a leisurely boat ride?" He worded it so that she wouldn't chastise him. He failed in that account as she snapped quickly.

"It's because I outrank you and my fear of water and drowning takes precedent over your childish fear of heights."

He could barely contain himself at her logic. "My childish fear... says the girl who doesn't know how to swim so she irrationally fears water because of it. Who doesn't know how to swim?"

Her head snapped in his direction, her eyes flaring. "People who don't live near water!"

She huffed at him and quickened her pace, which was saying something because Shu was already having difficulty staying with her. She walked faster than any human being he'd ever met and that was without the help of her speedy sword. She was right in a way, and he knew he wouldn't ever win an argument – he'd seen enough evidence to prove that was true – so he dropped it and followed her.

Rall's Ford was a rather bleak looking town in his opinion, though it looked not much different than the several other towns they'd passed through on their way. Shu supposed he was lucky to have grown up in such a fine a place as Sorenton. It seemed like a damn paradise compared to some of the other places they'd been.

The buildings here were made of pine wood and many of them were rather rundown and dilapidated. There were maybe a few more than a dozen buildings in total. The center of the town was just a small muddy clearing with an old stone well at its center. Honestly, Shu would have believed the town to be abandoned had he not seen the people; the miners pulling ore out of the mountain, the merchants selling their meager wares, the banging of a hammer on hot metal and anvil of the smithy. The town was alive, if just barely.

Asha again garnered a lot of attention, again because of her outfit. Like with the cold of Whitemarch, it was cold here and most people were bundled up. Shu was thoroughly warm with his sage tunic and brown fur overcoat. He was greatly appreciative of the red scarf that Misses Tara had given him back in Sorenton, which was now warmly wound around his neck.