BLARJORD, DYRRHEIM - PRESENT DAY
Her guards trailed behind them, at a discrete distance. But Ross could clearly hear the 'clip clop' sound of their hoof-like feet on the rock surface, as the group walked down the long, cool corridor. Like the Great Hall they recently left, the entire space seemed to be hewn from inside a mountain. Ross thought it felt like a network of caves, one leading to the next. But instead of descending downward, deeper into the earth, as one would expect, he found himself trudging up an increasingly more steep incline. The walls of this cavern were lit by blazing torches protruding from the right-hand side of the passage. And hanging between them, were various animal skins and furs, many of which Ross couldn't identify. As he looked up, he noticed what appeared to be a wild boar skin, with the head still attached. But unlike boars he'd seen in picture books back home, the hair on this beast was a vibrant, cobalt blue, mottled with fuchsia. And the long, curved tusks, protruding from its mouth, gleamed a brilliant shade of gold.
Up ahead, Ross could see an opening coming into view, and what he thought might be a landing illuminated by natural daylight.
"You'll like this view," Valdis whispered as they stepped out of the dark tunnel and into the subdued light of an early Blarjord dusk. His great grandmother led Ross across an expansive stone balcony, where she came to a stop in front of a waist-high rock wall. The scene before him made Ross inhale sharply. They appeared to be hundreds of feet above a vast desert valley. The landscape was awash in subtle shades of orange, pink, gold, and deep violet as the last remnants of, what looked like, three separate suns sank below the distant horizon. Several plateaus and two distinct mountain ranges divided the expanse, and between them, twinkling lights from thousands...maybe millions...of small structures were visible.
Ross placed his hands on the rock wall's surface and gazed down, over the edge. Below them, he could see only the sheer, charcoal-gray face of what appeared to be a massive mountain. No plants were growing from the stone, and there was no apparent path to reach this height. He turned to look up, and discovered they were very close to the mountain's peak.
"What is this place?" Ross turned to ask Valdis.
She tipped her head, and Ross thought he spied the corners of her mouth turning up under the opaque black veil.
"Home." She stated. But when Ross rolled his eyes, she continued.
"Ok, its official name is Dod Festning, which in your language translates to Death Fortress. Our residents just call it Dod, for short."
Ross squinted and pressed his lips together. "So, where are you taking me?" He leaned back against the wall, glancing from his great grandmother, to the two muscled creatures behind her, and back again.
"To your room. You'll want to freshen up. You'll be staying awhile. But we'll talk about that over dinner." She put her hand up and blinked pointedly when Ross made a noise of complaint.
"Don't bother, Ross. You're here for the time being. There is more you need to know. And I'd rather discuss things over food and drink." She turned abruptly and began walking in the opposite direction. "Come," she said over her shoulder, "your suite is just around the corner. You'll have the best view in the place."
The two guards hung back, staring down at him, until he quickly moved to catch up with their leader, the men falling in behind him.
Ross strode along-side Valdis as they re-entered the edifice and strolled down another hallway like the first one. Abruptly, the woman came to a stop in front of a flat, gray, metal door. Waving her wrist across a panel in the wall and uttering a command, the door slid to the side.
"Here you are." Valdis announced, walking into the space.
The room was opulent in its darkness. Everything Ross could see was composed of ebony and gold. A massive, king-sized bed covered in thick animal furs, was the central focal point of the space. The headboard was crafted from ebony and there were creatures and emblems carved into its surface. Beyond the bed, was a wide-open, sliding-glass door leading out to, what appeared to be, the same view Ross had observed from the balcony before. Off to the right side of the room, an opening led to what looked like a bathing space with associated walk-in wardrobe.
"You'll want to wash and change clothes." Valdis walked to the space and indicated the clothing inside. "Appropriate attire in your size has been supplied for your convenience."
She walked to the wardrobe and waved her hand across its contents.
"Perhaps not your particular style..." she paused, looking Ross over from head to foot. "But I think you'll grow to prefer our clothing." She moved to the bathing space.
"Tub or shower, whatever your mood. Everything you need or desire will be supplied by the use of this band." She lifted a rubber-looking wrist band from a basket on the side counter and handed it to him. "Make sure you wear this at all times. It has been calibrated to meet your every need throughout your stay; entry to your rooms, temperature controls...environmental as well as water...food preferences, clothing, and other needs." She handed him the band and he stretched it over his right-hand wrist.
"Dinner is in an hour. Frode here will let you know when it's time to leave." Valdis turned to one of her two muscled guards, and the male dipped his head in response.
"Throughout my stay?" Ross's eyes flew open wide and he pressed his lips together into a tight line. "I'm not...staying...here. I want to go home." Ross jutted his chin out at the woman.
"There will be plenty of time to discuss your questions, Ross. For now," she moved toward the exit, "get cleaned up, and try to relax."
Valdis turned and strode from the room without another word. Her guards followed her, leaving Ross standing, mouth hanging open, in the middle of the large room.
"Errr!" He made his hands into fists and shook them in the air on both sides of his head. Spinning in a circle, he stopped and glared at his surroundings. Lifting his hand to his upper lip, he drummed his fingertips there, eyes shifting from side to side. Then, stomping across the room, he forcefully slid the glass door open, and walked out onto the balcony. Inhaling deeply, he squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath. Exhaling slowly, he opened his eyes and gazed at the landscape before him.
Think of this as a vacation. He thought to himself.
You're on a trip to a far away, exotic destination. Try to enjoy the experience.
He rolled his eyes and shook his head back and forth again, before turning and re-entering his room.
I mean, what's the worst that could happen?
He remembered that emaciated young man in the Great Hall with those festering wounds on his wrist and a cold chill ran down his spine.
Ya, well, she IS my great grandmother...
He strolled to the bathroom.
And she DID say she can use my services...whatever THAT means. So, I think, hopefully, I'm safe, for now.
He entered the walk-in closet and saw that it was filled with carved leather vests, black and gray tunics, leggings, and brown, knee-high leather boots.
Great. Just great.
Gazing down to his scruffy-looking gray socks, he bent over and pulled them off his blistered feet.
Anything's better than these mangy old things. He murmured, pulling open several drawers to find them filled with a variety of socks and underwear. Grabbing a pair of each, he walked to the tub and scrunched his nose at the sight. No knobs. No faucet. Just a small, stainless-steel panel where both would normally be located. Noticing the band around his wrist, he turned his arm over and passed it across the plate. But when nothing happened, he remembered Valdis had spoken a command at the doorway, to gain access to the room. He tried again, but this time, while waving his hand, he asked aloud "Warm bath?" Immediately, the tub filled with water. Poking his fingers into the liquid, he shook his head, and passed his wrist over the metal plate once more. "Warmer." He said, then touching the water's surface again, he smiled.
"Hmmm! I kind of like this feature!"
After a nice, long soak and a change of clothes, Ross was just pulling on his second boot when he heard a knock on the entry door. Glancing in the mirror and shoving a hand through his damp locks, he exited the bathing chamber, and moved toward the door.
"Come in," he said. And the panel slid open to reveal Frode, Valdis's guard from earlier.
"I'm here to accompany you to the dining hall," he grunted. The male's expression was solemn, with no indication of a smile anywhere on his grizzled and tattood face.
"Fine." Ross briefly glanced around his suite, then turned and followed the warrior out and into the dark, rocky corridor. The two were coming around a bend, where the hallway appeared to be opening up, when several enormous, green-skinned creatures burst into the space in front of them. These massive males were covered in thick black leather and each carried a threatening-looking weapon in their hands. Loud roars erupted from their tusked mouths and immediately, Ross fell back, even further. He cowered behind Frode, as the guard assumed a defensive posture, withdrawing a huge, double-edged ax from its holster in the middle of his back.
"Get back to your room, NOW!" Frode yelled at Ross over his shoulder as he lunged into the gang of attackers.
Ross spun around, and began running in the opposite direction, when several more gigantic, muscle-bound males entered the corridor in front of him, blocking his path. And Ross realized, too late, that he had no means of escape.
"Grab him!" The largest of them commanded, and at once, the gang of orcs surrounded Ross, hefting him into the air, and roughly hauled him away.