Eliona's War 2: Veiled Healer

Chapter 38

The road narrowed into a path, and it wound in and out of trees, seemingly without direction, before it skirted around a low hill that pushed up the trees. It must have created a gap in the overhead canopy, for light shone through and brightened the area around the hill.

"Here we are," Maun said.

Severance looked around, more than a little baffled. Weren't they in the middle of a forest? There was nothing else in sight.

Maun didn't appear concerned by this. He kept walking down the path, which took a sharp turn towards the hill. Following his example, Severance followed.

Once he reached the sudden turn in the path, however, he began to understand. Someone had dug out a narrow tunnel through the hillside. Roughly seven feet tall and three feet wide, it allowed a single person to comfortably walk through. It was through this short tunnel that the path led.

Daylight lit the other side, showing how multiple tree roots lined the tunnel walls, holding the earth at bay. Fresh wounds on these roots gave away that they were regularly trimmed back to keep them from growing into the tunnel itself.

Severance followed Maun through this space, slightly curious despite the knot in his throat and the tightness in his chest. And then they came out the other end and all his questions vanished like smoke in the wind.

The inside of the hill had been hollowed out to create a valley. From the far side of this little valley, the ground rose into a great, gently sloping hill. It had been cleared of any trees, with only grass and a dark, almost black wildflower permitted to grow. In the absence of trees, the sun reached down to bathe the entire area in its soft, warm light.

But Severance hardly noticed these things. His attention was grabbed by the black steles planted into the slope. Placed in seven straight rows, they covered the entire slope of the hill. There had to be close to a hundred, if not more. It looked like an eerie graveyard, but with giant looming tombstones.

He stared at them for a bit, then dropped his gaze to the little valley before him. The entire clan was here, standing motionlessly in solemn silence. A few turned to acknowledge Maun and Severance's arrival, but not a single word was said.

It was unsettling, and Severance had the sudden urge to run back out through the tunnel. What was this place? Why was everyone here? He didn't like it.

As if sensing his thoughts, Maun stepped close and laid a hand lightly on Severance's back. Leaning in, he spoke very softly so that only Severance could hear.

"This is the Memorial Ground of our Clan. It is a place of remembrance, of silent reflection. The stones you see hold the names of those we've lost. Our entire lineage is recorded here, going right back to the origin of each Branch family." Maun pointed to one of the steles at the front, right at the bottom of the hill. It was around this one that most of the Clan clustered.

"That is the newest stone of my Branch," Maun went on. "As Rasin is one of mine, I'll engrave his name myself."

From this distance, Severance could see that most of the stele's face was bare. A few names had been written on its surface near the top, but he couldn't read them. Behind this stele stretched a long row of many, many others, going all the way to the top of the hill.

Just how many names were written in this place?

He reached out instinctively to find Vast's soft head. His fingers brushed against a velvety ear, which twitched beneath his touch. With a soft whuff, Vast leaned his weight gently against Severance.

"It's our custom for every clan member to bear witness," Maun gently patted his back. "And you are a member of this clan, Sev. Rasin would have wanted you to be here."