Spears of Redriver

Part Forty-Seven - The Dead Tower

Carthus, Tassos, and Enlief, rode for hours before they stopped just to let their horses rest. No one talked, and the tension among them grew with each hour, they all knew how dangerous it was. When they rode, eyes were fixed east into the valley, and when they stopped to rest, all watched the horizon wearily. The dead were not the only threat now as the Blue Army might have been looking for them if they got Farg to talk, and there was always that chance that the assassins from the city were still on their trail. They rode in silence for the entire day, finally stopping at the sight of the tower, resting atop a cliff just across a broad ravine.

"That is it?" Tassos asked, his horse stirred under him with unease.

"Yes, seems so," Enlief replied, looking around with a brief grin, "unless you see another tower?"

"This is not the time; we need to focus" Carthus ordered.

"Of course" Enlief nodded and his grin faded.

"We need to get closer and avoid going in...Kithar told me that there is a cave entrance if we scale the cliff at the base of the tower," Carthus pointed across the ravine.

"Well, let's get a move on," Enlief agreed, and Tassos nodded quietly.

The young Maad warrior reined his horse ahead, guiding it onward around the ravine, and the others followed once again. They kept a slow pace now, afraid to kick up dust and alert any watchful eyes. The sky was beginning to grow dark by the time they got around the gorge and closer to the tower, but it did not stop them. Instead, the three dismounted and proceeded on foot. As they drew closer, Carthus jumped as a roar erupted from within the tower, a brilliant orange light illuminating the interior and bursting from the windows and broken doorway.

"What was that?" Enlief whispered worriedly, ducking down.

"Fire?" Tassos replied.

"Inside the tower?" Enlief asked.

"Must be another ward...the Blue Army put fire wards around the valley to prevent the dead from leaving," Carthus replied.

"The tower is off limits then..." Tassos shook his head.

"We have to get to the cliff and climb down to the cave" the Maad pointed ahead, where the land suddenly tore down into a drop.

"That one walked right into it!" a laughing voice followed the roar from the tower.

"There is someone there!" Enlief whispered. They stopped in their tracks, eyes fixed on the doorway of the ruined stone spire.

"Damn it," Carthus mumbled to himself. A shadow of a person appeared in the doorway and shrank, becoming more defined as the figure itself stepped through into the night air.

"Who goes there?" the dwarf shouted into the night with a startle. He reached for the ax hanging on his belt, glaring right at Cathus and the Spears.

"Stand down men," Carthus whispered, stepping forward, "what is this place?" He called to the dwarf, who pulled his ax from the circlet on his belt.

"You are not supposed to be here! Turn back and leave...this is Blue Army territory!" the guard shouted, "Inarus, out here quick!"

"Listen, we are just travelers who seem to have lost our way in the plains...if you could just direct us" Enlief began slowly, but the dwarf waved the ax.

"Aye! No...get out of here, now!" the guard raised his voice again, "I see those colors...Spears of Redriver!"

"We are on the same side, man" Carthus began.

"NO! I said to leave," the dwarf stepped forward with the ax raised overhead, ready to throw it.

"Here!" Tassos suddenly shouted, unsheathing his sword and throwing it in one motion. The blade flew straight like a spear to its target, and the dwarf fell with a grunt and a thud.

"Faelin!" another voice called as a second figure drew closer to the doorway, casting its shadow through. As the second dwarf appeared in sight, halberd in both hands, Tassos charged forward. Enlief was with him, but Carthus remained by the horses. He watched as the two neared the dwarf and he swung the halberd at the Nord. Enlief deflected it with his hand ax before driving the blade of his sword through the guard.

"I could have done it," Tassos said to the Nord.

"Yeah, barehanded?" Enlief asked, "he would have skewered you."

"We didn't have to kill them!" Carthus called to his men, still in disbelief at how quickly it got out of hand.

"It had to be done, he was going to throw the ax at you," Tassos said.

"Make sure there are no more!" the Maad shouted angrily.

"It seems quiet in there now" Enlief wiped his blade clean before sheathing it.

"Hide their bodies, I will look for the cave entrance," Carthus said, and for a moment, his gaze went up the length of the tower to where the spire sat broken. It looked like something had crashed into it years before, and stones littered the dirt to one side. Its hollow windows revealed only darkness within, and now it sat still like an old decaying skeleton overlooking the dead valley.