She awoke in a mental fog, wanting to stay in blissful sleep but a lurch and shift in position pulled her back to consciousness. She lay prone on a blanket which lay upon something hard. After a week of traveling with the caravan, she recognized one of the wagons from the group. She wanted to move, to sit up, but pain shot through her from a hundred different places. Eluthera opened her eyes a crack, and even the dim light from an overcast sky stung her vision.
"Do not move," the high pitched voice from before whispered, "You are badly wounded. We're taking you to the Keep where you can rest, receive healing."
Eluthera groaned and then rasped, "Thirsty." She saw a blur of movement from the side and someone brought a hollow reed to her lips. She sipped, and water flushed blood from her mouth and cooled her throat. She swallowed.
"Thank you," she said, "Where are we going?"
"The same place that the caravan would have stopped," the voice replied with a concerned tone, "There is a small castle outpost up on a hill nearby, and it includes a cadre of healers. You'll be safe there. A dozen of the keep's soldiers escort us, and they ran off the goblinoids."
Eluthera turned her face just a little so she could see her benefactor. If she relied only on her eyes, she might not have had a clue what she looked at, but the maiden used many senses; her acute smell, her special nature sense, her commune with simple spirits. The combination presented her with a creature she had heard of but had never encountered before. Her helper was essentially a partially humanoid rodent, akin to squirrels or ground hogs. The creature stood about 3 ½ foot tall, was covered with dark brown fur with white patches, and she did wear a skirt, thigh straps, and a belt that went around her waist and over one shoulder. The sickle hung across her back in a clever little harness and several additional pouches and clasps hung from the belts. The squirrel girl (Eluthera couldn't see that it was female, but she knew all the same) looked out at the line of trees for any sign of danger.
"I've never met an Aeralena before," the forest girl stated.
The other girl smiled, largish front incisors becoming visible, "I am Laur-Q, and I don't believe I've met one of your kind, either. Are you Dryad? I didn't know this forest had any, and you are not near any particular tree. You were using magic."
"You are close," Eluthera responded, her voice strengthening, "I am not a dryad and not tied to a tree, but I am a sister of the forest. Nature…flows through me, empowers me. I had noticed the traders becoming nervous about this region. Are the goblins a major problem?"
Laur-Q clucked her tongue and nodded, "They did not used to be such an issue. There were occasional attacks, but the humanoids were never very organized nor of large numbers. I wasn't here yet then, but many months ago the attacks became more frequent, much more planned out. There are the goblins and at least one, maybe two tribes of orcs in the area. We believe that the humanoids fighting each other helped keep their numbers within a fairly safe amount, but something has allowed the tribes to grow…or at least stop killing each other. We don't know for sure. The soldiers of the Keep have searched, but they are hampered by the lay of the land and usually only find abandoned campsites no longer in use."
"Is the keep in any danger," Eluthera pressed.
"You will see," Laur stated, "There is no way that any humanoid tribe, or even a small army, could breach the castle's defenses."
She could see it from quite a distance as the wagons approached. The castle, though small, stood atop a flat hill with sharp sides that fell over 120' from top to the ground below. Not really cliffs, but still very steep. A road ran up one side and circled to the castle gate which two towers flanked and protected. Arrow slits pierced each tower and protrusions at the top of each wall protected archers there as well. Any force attacking the place would have been forced to climb the steep hillside or charge up the road, and both methods left an assault force open to all kinds of weapons from the keep above. A relative few warriors, if trained right, could hold this fortress from many hundreds of attackers for a long time.
Eluthera looked back at Laur and asked, "You said you haven't been here long. What brings you to such an isolated place?"
"I birthed near the city of Smallport," Laur said easily, "I grew up wanting to explore, see what else is out there. I've wandered the area between here and my homeland wherever my legs carried me. I came to this place as you, wounded, though from a predator and not weapons. My curiosity about the place and the people grew as I recovered, so I decided to stay until my curiosity was satisfied. Amazingly, I've found employment, too. As the soldiers find difficulty with the terrain, my climbing and jumping abilities prove very useful to them. I can climb to the tops of almost any tree and examine the land, finding paths through the woods or signs of encampment. There is a bandit group that also works in this area and uses halflings for a similar purpose. I even help them fight when I have to, but I'm especially good at finding captured people or goods in an enemy camp or group while the fighting is going on. Humans are fascinating and fun to be around…they come in so many types!"
Eluthera silently agreed with that as the wagon began its climb up the road toward the castle gate. Two of the human horseman, armored knights ready for battle, rode ahead while signaling their compatriots on the wall, and as they rushed toward the gate someone waved back from a window and the drawbridge that spanned a steep, deep trench lowered to allow entrance. One of the two riders galloped into the keep while the other waited by the drawbridge. Momentarily the wagons entered the keep, passing a lifted, heavy portcullis and an inner gate that closed as soon as the last wagon and knights were past. Past the gate, the wagon veered softly left along the wall and then, turning right, drove down what would look like any village street in any human town, paved and even. Castle guards had cleared the street of traffic but people watched from the doors and windows of the buildings to each side of the street.
"It is a good thing it is not market day," Laur whispered gratefully.
"It looks like a village," Eluthera stated.
"In many ways it is, but a small village," Laur answered as the wagon passed stone homes and buildings, "I'm not sure how many people live within the walls, but it is mostly self-sufficient. There are a few farmers, hunters, and fishers that live off the lands near here, but there is no other settlement in the area. If it were not for the trade route, I'm not sure the outpost would really survive, but the road ensures many traders and journeymen stop as they travel."
Eluthera's energy waned suddenly, and she watched as the wagon wound through several streets, turning and winding inward. The wagons drew up in an open pavilion near another wall and much smaller gate, though a gate with its own defenses and defenders. To the right of the inner gate stood a stone, two-story structure painted a faded yellow and decorated far more than any other building the forest girl had seen here yet. A large double door gave access to the place, and a large fresco of a radiant sun was painted above the doors. Laur noted Elu's concerned expression.
"Chapel of Pelor," the Aeralena explained, "I don't know much about the religion, but most of the folk at the Keep at least respect those who worship here. The temple serves as a hospital for wounded. It sits close to the inner gates in case someone ever threatens to pierce the main gate, so that the wounded can be moved into the inner bailey within minutes."
Eluthera sighed and focused on her guiding spirit, which gave her only confident feelings about the place. She grunted loudly and clenched her teeth against the pain as two young robed humans gently lifted her and carried her into the sun temple.
