The Faithful Ones

Part 2- Chapter 20

The Faithful Ones looked down the mountain, to the south where Westheath lay, then the north where Northesa stretched out in their path.
"There," Bouniek pointed to a town just north-west of them, a little way from the base of the mountains. "I know a woman there, and she will let us stay in her home for a few nights." They started their descent, and the next day they came to a valley that became uneven grassland. After almost all them had tripped or stumbled at least once on the unfamiliar and more rocky terrain, the group slowed and went more carefully. It occurred to Raine that the mountains were not so much a border but dwarvern territory, for even though the Caverns were commonly the dwarvern kingdom in themselves, they were its capital. Bouniek and Amedël had told them that there were a few other clans living in other parts of the mountains, in smaller cave systems. Besides, the dwarves didn't keep entirely to their underground halls, since the hunters and gathers had to find and provide enough for several clans.

It took the Faithful Ones another two days to reach the town Bouniek had pointed out. Some of the people recognised Bouniek and Amedël, and some stopped to watch the group pass.
"Come play with me, Amedël!" called a little girl.
"Not right now, Lily. Maybe later," Amedël replied.
"Why not?"
"I have to talk to your mother. Do you want to take us to your home?" Lily nodded eagerly, taking the dwarf's hand and practically pulled her along.
"Amedël, Bouniek, what are you doing here?" asked a woman who must have been Lily's mother.
"Travelling, although that is not all. How are you, Tania?" Bouniek answered.
"We're doing fine, but Lily has missed you. How are you?"
"We're well, thank you," replied Amedël, "May we stay at your house while we're here?"
"I'll find room. Come in, come in!" Tania nodded.

Lily helped her mother bring food to the table as the Faithful Ones introduced themselves.
"What brings you here?"
"We heard whispers, told to us by traders, of a wish to rebel," said Rain. Tania sighed, setting a jug on the table, and looked at each of them.
"We are too afraid, and you look too young -- if I may say so -- so there is little but fragile wishing. Most believe it is too hard."
"But the Raging Wolf keeps you here. Surely you want freedom."
"The Raging Wolf knows some dark thing that lets him bind us to Northesa, some kind of black magic," Tania said quietly, filling her voice with hate and fear. Mel gasped and growled.
"How did he come to know this magic? It is not easily found without knowledge given to him that should never be shared." she asked, but Tania didn't know.

Mel told a story over dinner -- after explaining Jes to Tania.
"The Creator's people became slaves, and male children had to be thrown into the river. One mother didn't do this, instead raising her child until she could no longer hide him, then sending him down the river in a basket. One of the king's daughter's found him, and raised him as her own. The boy became a man, and he didn't know that he was not a prince as he had been told. One day he saw someone beating one of the Creator's people, and he killed them, hiding the body. The next day two of the Creator's people were fighting and when the man stopped them they asked if he would kill them like he had the other man. He became scared and fled the city.

"He sat by a well, and the seven daughters of the priest of that region came to water their animals. Some other shepherds tried to chase them away but the man stopped them, and then watered the daughters' animals. He agreed to stay with the priest, and he married one of his daughters. As he was looking after the sheep and goats, he came across a burning bush that didn't burn up. The Creator spoke to him saying 'I have heard my people cry out. I will bring them to a good land. Now go the king and lead my people out f this country'. The man asked what to say if they asked what the Creator's Name was, and the Creator said 'I Am'. The Creator gave the man power, and sent him back.

"The man said to the king 'let my people go', but the king refused and punished the slaves, and the man turned his staff into a snake. Still the king would not let the people go, so the man struck the river with his staff and the Creator turned all the water to blood. Again he went to the king, and again he refused, and each time The Creator sent a different plague upon the land but protected His own people. He sent frogs, gnats, flies, sickness on the animals, boils, hail, locusts, and darkness. Still the king would not let the Creator's people go, so the Creator declared that He would kill every firstborn son. The Creator's people were told to smear lamb's blood on their door-frames, prepare a meal, and ready themselves to leave. They did so, cooking the lambs and making a sort of flat bread. At midnight, every firstborn in a house without blood over the door-frame died. In every household someone was dead.

"The king called the man to him and told him 'take your people and go!' So they went, travelling to the sea, and when they were gone the king changed his mind and sent his soldiers after them. The Creator's people were scared, but the Creator told the man to lift up his staff, and He parted the sea so His people could walk through on dry land. So they went, and the king's soldiers started chasing them, but as soon as the Creator's people were across the sea filled the gap again and the soldiers were drowned."

"Well that Creator is certainly powerful." Tania got up and stacked the dishes on the kitchen bench then came and sat back down. "How do you plan to set us free?"
"I will go and convince the Raging Wolf to undo his dark spell. Whoever will stand for their freedom must do so. The Raging Wolf must know that the Northesians won't stay under his spell willingly any longer, and they will be free. This will help to weaken his resolve. We'll welcome anyone who joins us, even if they're renegade soldiers, regardless of if they are spies or not, because we need the Raging Wolf to know we're coming. My Faithful Ones and I will return to the Dwarvern Caverns to ask their king for some armour and weapons, but the Northesians must also forge or find their own as well. In the mean-time, you must spread the word across all Northesa," answered Mel, and everyone nodded solemnly.

"Come everyone, come gather hear hear me; I have great and wonderful news!" shouted Tania, she and the Faithful Ones standing in the town square.
"What's going on?" asked someone as people came to see.
"Here stands those who would lead us into battle for our freedom from the Raging Wolf! If you will join us, come with a weapon, and we will travel to the castle in Belfaiten and be free." The crowd roared and cheered.

The next day, the Faithful Ones packed themselves up, having decided to return to the Caverns they bade Tania and the town well in their preparations, promised to return as soon as they could, and thanked her for letting them stay with her. She in turn thanked them for all they'd said and done, and wished them safe travel and the dwarves easy forging. Then they left, back across the Northern Ranges.

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