Katula yawned and stretched. After the incident at the town, Kelevandros
had suggested they make camp where they stood, and she had been too tired
to argue. She looked back in the direction she thought the town was, and
ran a hand through her hair, vainly trying to calm it down. So many people,
she thought, and all of them dead, because of me. The thought had tortured
her late into the night, and she was still weary from lack of sleep. She
sighed and sat down next to the dead fire, trying to start a spark in the
dewed wood.
After Katula had triumphantly started a spark and the wood began to catch flame, Kelevandros stirred and stood up, stretching just as she had done earlier. Kelevandros looked in the direction he told her they would go, "We should reach her fortress by nightfall, are you rested?" Katula stifled a yawn and replied, "As rested as I will be." Kelevandros looked at her askance for a second and then fished some dried meat from his pack for their breakfast.
After they had eaten, Kelevandros asked Katula if she would like to train today, which she refused. "If we train," she said, "I'll be more tired than I already am, and would you like to face Beryl with a fighter that's sleepwalking? I don't think so." Kelevandros had agreed, and they set out through the forest. Their journey was a quiet one, with only one stop at the middle of the day to rest and eat a little of they diminishing food supply.
Night fell early, a little too early by Katula's reckoning, "Why is it almost night already? We couldn't have been traveling for that long." Kelevandros replied, "I forgot to tell you, but the area around Beryl's lair is tainted, as if by a curse, it stays darker than normal day around it. We must already be under the fortress's shadow." "Nonsense," Katula said, "Even if what you say is true, and we are in the lair's shadow, we should be able to see it by now." Kelevandros smirked, "Beryl's lair is supposedly carved from a mountain, although I have never seen a mountain so large in my days, so it's shadow reaches far." Katula looked over at Kelevandros; "You speak like you have been there before." He refused to look at her, "I have." His voice had a tone of finality in it, so Katula did not push the matter.
Kelevandros was right, although they kept going; the fortress was never in sight. Katula thought they were going the wrong way until Kelevandros put a hand in front of her to stop her. "We're here," was all he said as he pointed through the trees to a monstrous clearing. Katula couldn't see anything at first, because night really had fallen and everything was dark, but as her eyes began to focus, she could make out a large shape outlined against the night sky. Large was an understatement, it did look like a mountain, only the largest she had ever seen, and it had a worked look to it. As she kept looking, she realized there were spires jutting out everywhere, some with the shine of windows in irregular places. A huge flat area that must've been the door stretched almost the length of the fortress, and was nearly as high. The door must be stone, for she would never have guessed it was one besides the fact it was smooth, because it fit in seamlessly with the rest of the wall. There was no way to open it that she could see, and her breath caught as she thought of trying to climb the smooth stone to reach one of the windows.
Kelevandros noticed her apprehension, because he put a and on her shoulder and spoke softly, "Beryl never opens the door except for large-scale attacks or if she wants to leave, which she never does. We will get in through the windows." Katula shuddered, and Kelevandros smiled, "Don't worry, we don't have to climb it, we can fly up there, and then we'll break the window in." Katula visibly calmed down; she had been so awed by the sheer size of Beryl's fortress, that she had overlooked the obvious solution to her dilemma. "We won't attack tonight?" She asked, Kelevandros replied, "No, you need your sleep, I'm afraid to take my hand away because you might collapse. We will attack first thing tomorrow morning, so try to rest." He did then take his hand away, and Katula nearly staggered, she hadn't realized how tired she was. She was asleep nearly as soon as she lied down, leaving Kelevandros alone in his nightly vigil, planning their attack.
After Katula had triumphantly started a spark and the wood began to catch flame, Kelevandros stirred and stood up, stretching just as she had done earlier. Kelevandros looked in the direction he told her they would go, "We should reach her fortress by nightfall, are you rested?" Katula stifled a yawn and replied, "As rested as I will be." Kelevandros looked at her askance for a second and then fished some dried meat from his pack for their breakfast.
After they had eaten, Kelevandros asked Katula if she would like to train today, which she refused. "If we train," she said, "I'll be more tired than I already am, and would you like to face Beryl with a fighter that's sleepwalking? I don't think so." Kelevandros had agreed, and they set out through the forest. Their journey was a quiet one, with only one stop at the middle of the day to rest and eat a little of they diminishing food supply.
Night fell early, a little too early by Katula's reckoning, "Why is it almost night already? We couldn't have been traveling for that long." Kelevandros replied, "I forgot to tell you, but the area around Beryl's lair is tainted, as if by a curse, it stays darker than normal day around it. We must already be under the fortress's shadow." "Nonsense," Katula said, "Even if what you say is true, and we are in the lair's shadow, we should be able to see it by now." Kelevandros smirked, "Beryl's lair is supposedly carved from a mountain, although I have never seen a mountain so large in my days, so it's shadow reaches far." Katula looked over at Kelevandros; "You speak like you have been there before." He refused to look at her, "I have." His voice had a tone of finality in it, so Katula did not push the matter.
Kelevandros was right, although they kept going; the fortress was never in sight. Katula thought they were going the wrong way until Kelevandros put a hand in front of her to stop her. "We're here," was all he said as he pointed through the trees to a monstrous clearing. Katula couldn't see anything at first, because night really had fallen and everything was dark, but as her eyes began to focus, she could make out a large shape outlined against the night sky. Large was an understatement, it did look like a mountain, only the largest she had ever seen, and it had a worked look to it. As she kept looking, she realized there were spires jutting out everywhere, some with the shine of windows in irregular places. A huge flat area that must've been the door stretched almost the length of the fortress, and was nearly as high. The door must be stone, for she would never have guessed it was one besides the fact it was smooth, because it fit in seamlessly with the rest of the wall. There was no way to open it that she could see, and her breath caught as she thought of trying to climb the smooth stone to reach one of the windows.
Kelevandros noticed her apprehension, because he put a and on her shoulder and spoke softly, "Beryl never opens the door except for large-scale attacks or if she wants to leave, which she never does. We will get in through the windows." Katula shuddered, and Kelevandros smiled, "Don't worry, we don't have to climb it, we can fly up there, and then we'll break the window in." Katula visibly calmed down; she had been so awed by the sheer size of Beryl's fortress, that she had overlooked the obvious solution to her dilemma. "We won't attack tonight?" She asked, Kelevandros replied, "No, you need your sleep, I'm afraid to take my hand away because you might collapse. We will attack first thing tomorrow morning, so try to rest." He did then take his hand away, and Katula nearly staggered, she hadn't realized how tired she was. She was asleep nearly as soon as she lied down, leaving Kelevandros alone in his nightly vigil, planning their attack.