Chapter 11: Mountains And Sheep
A flock of ducks flew high above, their familiar V-shape formation pointing to the north like an arrowhead etched onto the overcast sky as they returned after their winter sojourn in warmer climates. Even though she was several hundred feet underneath them, Alena thought she heard the distant sounds of their relentless quacking. She followed their flight with her gaze, watching them eventually disappear over the ridge of one of the many rolling mountains that made up the lower parts of the Santeem Mid-Range.
An ironic smile came to her face. Not even two weeks ago, she was flying with such a flock, only to be denied access into the mountains by her limited imagination. And, during that time, she thought she would never be able to cross the boundary within her mind. Well, the time of fantasizing was finally at an end and the open country was hers to explore.
In hindsight, though, Alena began to wonder what her fuss had been all about.
In all honesty, she had no idea what to expect when Brey told them they were going to be going through the mountains as the next stage of her personal quest. She had always believed the Santeem Mid-Range would be full of high jagged peaks, crisp glacial valleys, and dark, mysterious forests to explore. Rather, she found the mountains to be nothing more than a seemingly endless realm of one grassy hill after another. She had not been travelling through them for even two full days yet and already was bored of walking.
Also, not once had she anticipated these high altitudes would be so rigorous when subjected to them for any extended length of time. The colder climate, thinning air, and consistent incline all began to take its toll on her early. The cloak Brey had provided her did very little to contain much warmth, especially during the night when the temperature would drop savagely below freezing.
Thinking of her companions, Alena turned her head to see how they were faring. Cristo seemed to be doing just as well as she, perhaps a little better. The bodyguard, after all, had been trained by some of the finest soldiers in Santeem to be her chaperon. While he was a slow learner, five years of basic cardiovascular exercises were paying off. There were only two reasons why he was lagging behind the princess, and both of them had to do with Brey.
The first was per the old tutor's instructions. He wanted Alena to lead them through the Old Merchant Road so she could hone her navigation skills. At first it was not too difficult as the road was not hard to spot in the lower altitudes. However, harsher climates and years of general neglect had eroded the road almost entirely away in higher altitudes, causing the princess to stray off course much too often.
The second reason was so Cristo could tend to Brey, who was having a difficult time climbing the mountains. In the past, the old tutor tried to hide his age by joining Alena in general outings around the castle. Unfortunately, he was still an old man whose bones could not adapt to harsh climates as quickly as his younger companions. He would often begin to lag behind, his breathing becoming very shallow and leaning much more on his walking staff. While Cristo's healing magic could erase some traces of pain the old tutor suffered, he could do nothing to erase the age that had caused it in the first place. And Brey, the fussy old man he was, would always decline Cristo's offer to help his condition, claiming he should not waste his healing magic on him needlessly. However, they all knew the real reason for each declination: Brey did not want to be treated as extra baggage.
As she turned her attention back to the scant traces of the old mountain road, Alena shook her head. Surely Brey had known the mountain climate would impede on his frail condition. Yet, he made a big deal about leaving right away, right in the middle of the night at that. He had not given a solid reason for his actions but he seemed very apprehensive about the situation and avoided any arguing. So, crawling out of bed, she followed her tutor's orders and they began their sojourn into the mountains north of Surene.
That had been a day ago, and, while Brey's frenzy in leaving quickly had boosted her adrenaline that night, she had the opportunity to think about his actions as they traveled. Could it be they had been discovered? Alena did not think so, as her tutor had assured her he had several plans he could enact should such an event occur, and running from Surene to the mountains had not been one of them.
He had asked her where she would like to go if given the opportunity, and she had responded by saying she wanted to come to these mountains. Was this his strange way of making her dreams come true? Again, she decided it was not the case. While her skills had developed in Surene, she knew Brey felt she could still use more practice hunting kaskos hoppers. She had, after all, just recently got a feel for using the whip coiled on her belt but had not yet mastered its technique in battle.
No, Brey would have stayed in Surene so she could master her new weapon before venturing further into the world. He would not have left the city unless he had absolutely no choice but to. She decided it would be worth her while to ask her tutor some of these questions plaguing her mind when they rested next.
Her wish came true prematurely, though, as she then heard Cristo calling, "Princess! Brey says we should bed down for the night!"
Alena turned around and saw her companions were far behind her, apparently either having stopped for some time or lagging too far. Probably the latter, she though bitterly. The princess knew Brey too well by now. He was too proud to admit he was tiring on their journey, so he made an excuse they should set up for the night. Despite the sun being obscured by a thick blanket of gray clouds, Alena guessed they probably had at least a few hours of daylight left. Sighing, she walked back to meet up with her companions.
Once she met up with them, the princess moved over to her old tutor. He was resting on a rock by the road and breathing heavily. "Are you feeling all right, Brey?" she asked, more to prove her theory than out of concern.
He looked up at her, any sign of fatigue disappearing. "Of course I am," he said resolutely, his beady eyes narrowing in irritation. Alena nodded, satisfied.
She turned to Cristo and asked, "Do you think you can keep the fire going tonight? I have no intention of freezing like the night before." Cristo frowned but nodded. "Good," the princess said. "Go get some firewood, then."
The bodyguard looked at her for a moment, somewhat startled by the sudden directness of her order. He could not remember her ordering him or Brey in such a manner since he arrived at Surene. In fact, he could not remember Alena even ordering anyone back at the castle in such a manner either. The princess was always known to give out lazy commands, usually for a servant to fetch some food or clothes. The assertiveness in Alena's tone of voice was something different than what he would have expected from her. Still, an order was an order, and Cristo set out over the sparse landscape in search of any wood the grassy mountains could offer.
Alena smiled as she watched Cristo disappear over the rolling hills. For some reason, it felt good to give a direct order like that. It made her certain she had control over her actions instead of someone else leading her by the hand. Lately, with so many people trying to control her, whether it be her father condemning her to remain at the castle, or Brey taking her under his arm for instructive lessons, such a feeling was very rare.
Brey smiled as well when he saw the princess beaming. He recognized the growth in her maturity, even though it was nothing more significant than telling her bodyguard to go fetch firewood. It really was not a large order, as Cristo would have done it one way or the other. However, the fact Alena was showing assertive signs of leadership with her direct approach to the command pleased him. They would need someone to take charge of future situations if they were to remain on the road together and Brey could not see it being him.
Although he had been teaching the princess several things while they were in Surene, the old tutor did not find himself to be much of a leader; rather, more of an instigator. And Cristo could never be much of a leader as his whole life was dedicated to devotion, whether as a Zenithist or his duty as Alena's personal bodyguard.
As well, with the knowledge of Flail probably on their trail, Brey found his capacity for deductive thinking in any given situation was slowly becoming weakened. Just upon hearing from Cristo the mercenary was in Surene caused the old tutor to panic and have them leave right away. Was that any sign of a true leader?
He knew he was falling right into Flail's mind game too. It was one of the most notorious in the world, which was what made the mercenary so reputed even out of Santeem. Yet, Brey found he could do nothing but fall into his mind game, to keep running like a victim pursued by wolves. He truly did fear a confrontation with the mercenary, even with his magic supporting him.
The longer he put off the inevitable, the happier Brey would remain.
"...And then," Cristo read aloud, "the Master, in all His might, said unto Merik, 'Thou shall have my Divine protection, noble man of Gottside.' He performed His great magic and Master Dragon gave unto noble Merik the power of Protection. Merik, in many ways, gave thanks to the Master, who is all knowing and, in His infinite wisdom-"
"And so on, and so on," Brey interrupted half-heartedly, flinging an arm up in boredom. Cristo flashed the old man an annoyed glance but let it drop when he heard Alena's giggling from the other side of the fire.
"...in His infinite wisdom," Cristo continued, keeping an eye on Brey, "knew Merik of Gottside was a fair man to be granted this truly unique gift. Thus was Merik of Gottside the first to be granted a few of the powers of the Zenithians, as reward for Man's devotion to the Zenithian ways." Cristo then finished the passage and closed his Text, closing his eyes as well as if taking in some sort of unseen, mystical power as he did so.
The party was quiet for a moment, the crackling fire creating the only sound in the misty, mountain air. Alena stilly sat, mesmerized by the tale. Brey slightly fidgeted, obviously bored by Cristo's reading. And Cristo remained unmoving, only his hand gently caressing the thick pocketbook in his lap.
Finally, Alena broke the silence by saying, "That...was a really neat story." Both Cristo and Brey looked at the princess with shocked, wide-open eyes, each for different reasons.
"Did you really like it?" asked the bodyguard, his voice full of hope.
"I can't believe you actually believed in it!" the old tutor said disdainfully almost immediately after.
"Hold it! Hold it!" Alena quickly said, bringing both hands up in front of her. "I merely said that I liked it. That doesn't mean that I believe in it, or that I'm suddenly converted, or anything. I just said I liked it, that's all."
Both men slowly leaned back on their respective rocks, silent for the moment. However, the silence did not last long as Brey leaned forward in Cristo's direction and gave him a smug grin. "I knew your little plan wouldn't work."
Cristo's eyes widened in horror and quickly said, "Whatever makes you think it was my intention?"
"Oh, come on, my dear cleric," Brey said with a sly smile. "Why would you suddenly volunteer to read out an excerpt from your Text? Not for my pleasure, surely, as we all know I am 'Damned to Vah-Kirgol.' And the Princess is far too old to have bedtime stories read to her." Cristo frowned again but this time did not say anything. "I knew it," Brey smugly smiled.
Alena, however, had enough of the old man's pestering. She threw Brey an irritated glare and asked, "How can you go on like that?"
Brey gave her a devilish grin. "Because it's fun," he simply stated.
Alena narrowed her eyes and firmly said, "Well, I find it annoying. Does it really matter if I suddenly become a Zenithist? For all we know, this stuff is true and I may be headed to Vah-Kirgol as well for not believing."
"I seriously hope not," Cristo muttered to himself, careful not to let the others hear him. However, Alena picked it up and turned her attention back to the bodyguard.
"And you can stop worrying about me," Alena said disdainfully to him. "If I choose to follow Zenithism, it's my own choice, not yours. Understand?"
Cristo smiled for a moment, then suddenly bolted up in a perfect standing posture. He clicked his heels together and saluted the princess with a stiff hand at his temple. "Completely, your Highness," he said in about the most serious voice he could muster.
Alena stared at the attentive bodyguard for a moment, somewhat stunned by his actions. However, the moment was broken when Alena burst out into laughter, which Brey and finally Cristo could not help but follow.
Eventually, their laughter lessened enough for Alena to say, "Seriously, though, I am quite tired of hearing both of your theological debates. I want it to end here. Understand?" Both men reluctantly nodded. "Good," she said, easily taking her seat back on her rock. "Now, then, I'd like to finish my meal."
The campfire remained relatively quiet for the moment, aside from the odd hiss and pop from the fire. Alena continued to eat, Brey occasionally poked the fire with his walking staff, and Cristo sat still, looking into the sky in an attempt to see some stars in the overcast blackness above. Brey noticed the bodyguard's gazing, and evenly asked, "Tell me, Cristo, what would you do if you found out Zenithia didn't exist?"
"Brey!" Alena quickly snapped, annoyance crossing her face.
"I'm not poking fun, Princess," Brey was quick to respond. "I'm merely asking a question, one that has plagued my mind for some time. I've wanted to ask a cleric of Zenithism this for a while and I'm just taking the opportunity with a cleric in front of me."
"Apprentice cleric," Cristo distantly added.
"Close enough," Brey said, shrugging. "It's still better than the average devotee. Again, I ask you, Cristo. What would you do if you somehow flew above the clouds to search for Zenithia and found nothing but empty space; that it might not actually exist?"
Alena turned to Cristo and adamantly said, "You don't have to answer! He's just trying to get another rise out of you."
The bodyguard knowingly smiled at her and said, "It's all right, Princess, I don't mind."
He turned to face the old tutor on the other side of the fire and replied, "As for your response, it doesn't really matter if I flew above the clouds to see if Zenithia does or does not exist." He paused and closed his eyes, as if meditating. "In my heart," he said, still smiling knowingly, "I know it exists."
The campfire became silent again and Alena looked at Brey, expecting some sort of denouncement to Cristo's claim. However, after several moments, Brey merely nodded, satisfied with Cristo's response. "Thank you," he said, smiling. The old tutor then resumed his poking of the fire.
Alena blinked in astonishment, hardly believing what transpired. She looked at Cristo for an explanation but the bodyguard could do no more than offer a shrug. Slowly, Alena continued to eat the chunk of bread she had started, letting the silence sink in again.
Eventually, Brey stood up from his rock and said, "I think we should decide on the watch shifts before we bed down for the night."
"Watch shifts?" Alena said, confused.
Brey nodded. "When you travel on the road," he explained, "it is only wise to have at least one person awake in case something hostile or unforeseen approaches the camp while we sleep."
"What could happen?" the princess asked, somewhat intrigued by the topic.
Brey shrugged. "Who knows," he replied. "In these mountains, it is quite possible a band of troglodytes could roam from the higher regions, although it is rarely heard of. Those primitive monsters are too shy to roam near human roads or settlements."
"It's still better to take the precaution of setting up watches, though, in case anything does happen," Alena concluded thoughtfully. Brey nodded approvingly.
Suddenly, the quiet night air was broken by a blood-curdling howl from far in the distant mountains. Everyone around the campfire froze, startled. It continued for several seconds, then faded into the misty night. After a moment of silence, Brey smiled. "Like wolves," he said jokingly.
"Wolves?" Cristo worriedly said, his eyes wide with horror.
Brey chuckled and reassuringly said, "Relax. There are many herds of sheep in these hills. It's probably just some pack far from here that's picked up the scent of a herd which was foolish enough to stray from its masters."
Cristo looked at the old tutor for a moment, still not certain if Brey's explanation was a good foundation for security. He looked at Alena, who merely shrugged. She seemed satisfied with her tutor's explanation. The bodyguard eventually reluctantly agreed to it as well.
However, one thing bothered his mind. While he had not done much road travel from populated areas, he knew a wolf cry when he heard one.
Whatever made the howl was anything but a wolf.
It had been a slow morning with Alena, whom had agreed to take the middle watch, sleeping through most of its misty, cold bitterness. They had a light, cold breakfast when all three were up and about, no one really in the mood to start the fire up again and to save the firewood Cristo had been able to gather. When everyone was ready, Alena gave the order to move out again and the three fell into the previous day's formation.
The traveling became somewhat easier as the day progressed. While the air continued to grow thinner and colder, the inclination began to level off. Soon the beaten road was bobbing up and down over the grassy hills instead of climbing them. However, the road was also beginning to thin as well and Alena often found herself facing what seemed to be several forks in the path. She tried asking Brey for advice but the old tutor could not offer much, knowing very little about the actual layout of the Mid-Range roads. Alena would just have to trust her instincts for the most part.
The day passed swiftly, as did the next. The companions shared many memories by the campfire and resolutely continued their trek through the mountains. They would time to time see a flock of sheep grazing on a distant hillside; a hopeful sign civilization may be somewhere nearby. According to Brey, though, there were many tiny hovels tucked away in corners of the mountains where shepherds lived, so small they could not even be considered similar to the peasant villages occupying the low fields of Santeem. Therefore, straying from the road in an attempt to find one of these hovels to restock on traveling supplies was not a good idea. Instead, they would have to stay to the course, hoping there was a center of commerce within these mountains.
The fourth night descended upon them and Brey made it known their food was running out. He informed the group they would have to start to ration. Alena was confused by the declaration but, when it was explained to her, she gasped in shock. The princess had never realized she was so greedy when it came to food, always taking in as much as she could until she was full. Now she was being forced to eat as much as she needed to survive.
The weather, which had been kind to them considering the high altitudes, quickly turned against them during the night. It had started as a light mist in the evening but escalated into drizzle by midnight. The rain was very cold and crept through their clothes. It was as if the water was purposely seeking their skin to make them as uncomfortable as possible.
By the time daylight broke, the drizzle turned into heavier drops, quickly soaking their clothes through and dampening their spirits. If it continued they would have a difficult time keeping a fire up at night and be forced to eat and sleep under wretched conditions.
Their spirits heightened, though, when Alena come across an old, weathered sign bent at a forty-five degree angle into the road. The sign simply read, "East to the Village of Tempe." The travelers now knew they were on the right path and a village was close by. The sooner they reached this village, the sooner they would be out of these miserable travelling conditions. With new resolve, the travelers quickened their pace and pushed forward.
Later that day, the rain began to slow down, turning into light drizzle again. Alena decided it would be a good idea to take a brief rest so they could dry out some of their supplies. As they rested by the road, Alena picked up the scent of something carried by the wind. It was not strong, but distinct.
"Cristo," she asked, sniffing the air, "do you smell that?"
The bodyguard, who was helping Brey dry out their scant reserves of bread, looked up from his work and sniffed the air as well. However, after a moment, he shook his head.
Alena looked to her tutor, who was already engaged in the same action. Just as the man beside him, Brey shook his head.
Alena threw them an annoyed glare, somewhat angry at their incompetence. "Well, I know I smelled something," she stated, standing up, "and I'm going to find out what it is. Care to join me?" Silence followed for a moment, the light drizzle creating the only noise above the quick bursts of wind.
Her curiosity growing impatient, Alena finally said, "Fine, I'll go on my own then." At that, she grabbed the thorn whip coiled at her hip and stormed off north from the road.
The two of them watched her walk over a downward slope before Brey looked up at Cristo and said, "Go after her."
"What?" the bodyguard asked, confused.
Brey smiled and said, "I was merely testing her there, to see if she really had the initiative to go on her own." He paused, giving the bodyguard a curious gaze. "Besides," he added with a wry smile, "do you think she's ready to venture on her own like that?"
Cristo's stunned silence confirmed Brey's suspicion and the old tutor flung an arm out in the general direction of Alena's path. "Go on," he said. "I'll be fine here." The bodyguard nodded and immediately took off, his hand already on the hilt of his sword.
Brey watched the bodyguard disappear over the hill where Alena had descended, hoping he had done the right thing. Of course, he had detected the smell; it was as though meat was rotting in the wind. However, he also knew it could be nothing, just a trick of the wind or a dead sheep that could not keep up with the rest of the herd. In truth, he hoped it was nothing more than that. He did not feel Alena could handle a confrontation with something of an aggressive nature right now since her training had been put on hold while they traveled. Still, he was confident in her and Cristo's ability to handle anything the mountains could throw at them, whether it was a pack of wolves or an army of troglodytes.
Cristo hurried over the drenched landscape, careful not to slip on the wet grasses making up most of the vegetation in these high altitudes. He was still somewhat confused by what had transpired between him and Brey. His command to "go after her" almost seemed to take on a double meaning to the bodyguard and, at first, he thought the old tutor knew something even Cristo was not willing to admit to himself. However, the bodyguard was relieved by Brey's intention of his order and he wasted no time in following it.
Cristo did not know why he had not followed her in the first place, though, especially since it was his duty to follow her. He guessed it was because her actions stunned him for the moment. The bodyguard had been completely unprepared for her to take off into the mountains alone. He figured she would not have gone if no one else would. In Alena's past, either everyone would do what she desired or nothing would happen if there was disagreement. Despite her independent nature, the princess still felt the need to have someone around, to have an extra person to turn to for help.
And was this assertiveness a good thing? Brey seemed to encourage it but Cristo did not. Not only were her actions emphasizing the growing distance between the bodyguard and herself but it was foolishly reckless as well.
He had smelled the rotting stench Alena had no doubt picked up and, as was often the case, he kept on thinking of the worst possible scenario. If something was rotting, then it meant something else had made a kill. The first thought had been wolves, as was usually the case in these climates. However, remembering a few nights back of the disturbing howl Brey had assumed was a wolf made Cristo think of something more dreadful, something that could very possibly still be nearby.
He quickened his pace, already picturing Alena in mortal combat with a huge, demonic creature only the Ruler of Evil could spawn from His realm of malignancy. A spell came to mind, although it was not the standard healing magic Zenithian clerics performed. Instead, it was a rudimentary protective spell he had learned but two nights ago called 'Upper.'
Like many defensive spells higher level clerics could learn, it would thicken and harden the skin of the castee, creating a simple defensive barrier. Most clerics in ancient, war times would cast the spell on several knights and soldiers at once before sending them out into battle. The only drawback to 'Upper' was it could only work on a single person, while most high level defensive magic would often work on several allies. Still, Cristo already knew the recipient of the spell if needed.
Soon, Cristo saw Alena standing on the edge of a ridge, apparently looking down into a hidden glen. She was also very still, as if entranced by whatever was in the glen. Worry flashed over the bodyguard's face, fearing she was under some sort of spell. He broke into a sprint up the ridge, screaming the princess' name.
However, once she heard her name being called, Alena turned around and saw Cristo running for her. Her face was that of pure terror, as though she had just seen the Ruler of Evil and lived to tell the tale. Her mouth opened slightly, allowing her to barely mumble, "Cristo..."
"What is it?" he quickly asked upon reaching her. There did not appear to be any physical wounds on her but something had definitely attacked her mentally. Few people could become this afraid in a matter of seconds, especially one as resilient as Alena.
She looked at her bodyguard for a moment, apparently trying to describe what she had seen. However, her mouth could not form the words properly and she could not do anything except weakly point into the glen.
Cristo turned his head in the direction the princess pointed and his eyes widened with horror, his jaw falling slack.
Strewn across the glen lay the mutilated corpses of sheep, perhaps two or three herds of them. Many had large, gaping chunks of flesh ripped out from their furry hides, some were missing whole limbs or heads, while others were lacerated beyond recognition, the only clue to their original form being their deceased partners. The smell that arose from the glen was horrid and the damp, cold air caused great vents of steam to seemingly rise from several bodies.
Cristo found the strength to tear his gaze from the appalling scene to see how Alena was faring. Somehow, she had looked back into the glen, her gaze of horror still pasted upon her face.
"I...it's terrible," she murmured, transfixed on the scene below. "All those sheep... senselessly murdered like this." She looked at her bodyguard, tears now mixing with her damp, pale face. "Cristo..." she whimpered, "what could do such a thing?"
The bodyguard did the only thing he could think to do at that moment; not because he wanted to, not because he was curious what would happen if he would, but because he knew it was what Alena needed.
He took her into his arms and held her tightly, lightly stroking her short, auburn hair. He felt her start to sob, the abomination of the glen finally taking full effect of her senses. I don't know, he thought bitterly, but I promise you, Alena, we will find out.
