The remaining walk through the Kithicor Woods passed quite quickly. The
high cliff walls of High Hold Pass rose before them as the forest fell
behind. The glittering stars shone dimly as the stone cliffs appeared
everywhere; blocking the way of the travelers or confusing them until they
would get lost so the five would have to backtrack. And of course, the
citizens of High Hold Pass offered no help or guidance to those that
stumbled in the dark. Plus the only people of the Pass that were out at
night were the common thugs and ruffians.
"We're going to have to stop for the night." Brand yawned as he leaned on Slith's shoulder to support himself.
"I know where a decent inn is at, it's close." Aubrey waved for the others to follow.
"Think they'll let me in?" Kel curiously asked.
"If they won't, you can fly to our room window and sssqueeze your bulky body in." Slith laughed.
It took Aubrey fifteen minutes to finally find the inn. It was located in a secluded corner of the Pass with a peaceful little reservoir near it. Aubrey told the four to wait outside while he'd go inside to get a couple rooms and asked if they allowed tamed griffins. It was silent in the cold Pass other than the four's steady breathing. Another ten minutes passed before Aubrey came out and sighed.
"They won't let Kel inside, he'll have to fly to one of our windows as Slith said." The human tossed Brand a key. "We're on the left side of the inn." He patted Kel's head and walked into the warm light with Mirk behind.
"Don't worry, Kel. We'll throw open our window. You can stay with us." Brand smiled.
Slith and Brand stepped into the cheery tavern and trudged up the two flights of stairs. Their room was near the end of one brightly lit corridor. As they entered the hall, the two saw Mirk and Aubrey step into a room that was across from where theirs was supposed to be.
The door creaked open on rusted hinges as the two threw their supplies on the ground. Brand crossed to the fairly large window and pushed it open. To their fortune, the window looked as if it would allow Kel to fit through. The griffin was lazily drifting in the sky when he saw a window open. He glided lower and peered inside just to make sure he had the right room. Brand leaned out and grinned to the flying griffin before stepping back to let Kel come in.
"A tight fit." Kel panted as he soared halfway through the window. His wings were preventing him to fully enter the room.
Slith swayed over and tapped his fingers to his chin. He smiled and flattened Kel's wings against his body. Kel, with little trouble, slowly wriggled the rest of his bulky mass through the hole. "Isss thisss telling you sssomething?" the young iksar laughed.
"What?" Kel eyed him while ruffling his feathers.
"You're too fat." Slith sat on one of the small beds and yawned loudly.
"I'm going to sleep. Don't stay up too late arguing." Brand chuckled, stripped off his vest, shirt, and boots, and climbed into the second bed.
"I am not fat. If anything, I'm malnourrrissshed and sssmall comparrred to otherrr grrriffinsss." Kel hoarsely whispered.
"Oh, right. Like it'sss ssso hard to find food." Slith whispered back while pulling down his sheets and lying in them.
"I'm not talking to you anymorrre." Kel growled and lay beside the bard's bed.
"Of courssse you'll talk with me." Slith said sleepily.
The sound of fake snoring echoed in the room instead of Kel's reply. Slith hissed, turned over in his bed, and started to drift into a well-deserved sleep. Kel, knowing that he had won this argument, smiled and rested his head on his legs. A single cricket lazily chirped outside as people all around fell asleep in the lonely Pass.
*****
"Are we going to rest anytime soon?" Victoria sneered at the high elf in front of her.
"In a few moments we'll be there." Papsworth's arrogant voice rang in the air.
Lielay stiffened once she saw where they were. Surefall Glade. So many memories flooded into her mind and faint glimmering tears rolled down her pale cheeks from the pain that she remembered. Years upon years ago, Lielay's parents were murdered on a trip to Surefall Glade by disgusting, pathetic poachers.
A rough hand grabbed her chin and broke her vision of her parents. Lielay glared into Papsworth's light green eyes and spat into his face. He just smiled softly, wiped the spit from his face and continued to stare. The two dark elves stood annoyed and waited for the high elf to stop gawking at the wood elf and move.
"You two will probably never get into the Glade, so you'll have to make camp somewhere out here." Papsworth said without lifting his gaze from Lielay.
"Fine!" Victoria snapped as she gabbed her lover's hand and pulled him into a small grove of trees. "Why are we working for him?" the dark elf shouted to her companion.
"Money." Was Vinx's simple reply.
"Shall we enter, my dear?" Papsworth hooked his arm with Lielay's and led her.
"I don't want to go in there." She resisted.
"We must. I have to place the next clue and pay someone to watch over it till your rescuers come and claim it." He leaned over and kissed her cheek.
Lielay pulled back and slapped his face as hard as she could while trying to get free of his grip to run away. "Leave me be! It was not I who killed your friends all those years ago! I shouldn't be paying for someone else's victory," She smiled. "I mean mistake." She shouted.
"But it was your husband that killed my friends, but alas, he is dead so your next in line." His eyes grew dark and he pressed his forehead against hers and snarled. "You're stuck with me. Deal with it." He turned rapidly and forced her into Surefall Glade.
"We're going to have to stop for the night." Brand yawned as he leaned on Slith's shoulder to support himself.
"I know where a decent inn is at, it's close." Aubrey waved for the others to follow.
"Think they'll let me in?" Kel curiously asked.
"If they won't, you can fly to our room window and sssqueeze your bulky body in." Slith laughed.
It took Aubrey fifteen minutes to finally find the inn. It was located in a secluded corner of the Pass with a peaceful little reservoir near it. Aubrey told the four to wait outside while he'd go inside to get a couple rooms and asked if they allowed tamed griffins. It was silent in the cold Pass other than the four's steady breathing. Another ten minutes passed before Aubrey came out and sighed.
"They won't let Kel inside, he'll have to fly to one of our windows as Slith said." The human tossed Brand a key. "We're on the left side of the inn." He patted Kel's head and walked into the warm light with Mirk behind.
"Don't worry, Kel. We'll throw open our window. You can stay with us." Brand smiled.
Slith and Brand stepped into the cheery tavern and trudged up the two flights of stairs. Their room was near the end of one brightly lit corridor. As they entered the hall, the two saw Mirk and Aubrey step into a room that was across from where theirs was supposed to be.
The door creaked open on rusted hinges as the two threw their supplies on the ground. Brand crossed to the fairly large window and pushed it open. To their fortune, the window looked as if it would allow Kel to fit through. The griffin was lazily drifting in the sky when he saw a window open. He glided lower and peered inside just to make sure he had the right room. Brand leaned out and grinned to the flying griffin before stepping back to let Kel come in.
"A tight fit." Kel panted as he soared halfway through the window. His wings were preventing him to fully enter the room.
Slith swayed over and tapped his fingers to his chin. He smiled and flattened Kel's wings against his body. Kel, with little trouble, slowly wriggled the rest of his bulky mass through the hole. "Isss thisss telling you sssomething?" the young iksar laughed.
"What?" Kel eyed him while ruffling his feathers.
"You're too fat." Slith sat on one of the small beds and yawned loudly.
"I'm going to sleep. Don't stay up too late arguing." Brand chuckled, stripped off his vest, shirt, and boots, and climbed into the second bed.
"I am not fat. If anything, I'm malnourrrissshed and sssmall comparrred to otherrr grrriffinsss." Kel hoarsely whispered.
"Oh, right. Like it'sss ssso hard to find food." Slith whispered back while pulling down his sheets and lying in them.
"I'm not talking to you anymorrre." Kel growled and lay beside the bard's bed.
"Of courssse you'll talk with me." Slith said sleepily.
The sound of fake snoring echoed in the room instead of Kel's reply. Slith hissed, turned over in his bed, and started to drift into a well-deserved sleep. Kel, knowing that he had won this argument, smiled and rested his head on his legs. A single cricket lazily chirped outside as people all around fell asleep in the lonely Pass.
*****
"Are we going to rest anytime soon?" Victoria sneered at the high elf in front of her.
"In a few moments we'll be there." Papsworth's arrogant voice rang in the air.
Lielay stiffened once she saw where they were. Surefall Glade. So many memories flooded into her mind and faint glimmering tears rolled down her pale cheeks from the pain that she remembered. Years upon years ago, Lielay's parents were murdered on a trip to Surefall Glade by disgusting, pathetic poachers.
A rough hand grabbed her chin and broke her vision of her parents. Lielay glared into Papsworth's light green eyes and spat into his face. He just smiled softly, wiped the spit from his face and continued to stare. The two dark elves stood annoyed and waited for the high elf to stop gawking at the wood elf and move.
"You two will probably never get into the Glade, so you'll have to make camp somewhere out here." Papsworth said without lifting his gaze from Lielay.
"Fine!" Victoria snapped as she gabbed her lover's hand and pulled him into a small grove of trees. "Why are we working for him?" the dark elf shouted to her companion.
"Money." Was Vinx's simple reply.
"Shall we enter, my dear?" Papsworth hooked his arm with Lielay's and led her.
"I don't want to go in there." She resisted.
"We must. I have to place the next clue and pay someone to watch over it till your rescuers come and claim it." He leaned over and kissed her cheek.
Lielay pulled back and slapped his face as hard as she could while trying to get free of his grip to run away. "Leave me be! It was not I who killed your friends all those years ago! I shouldn't be paying for someone else's victory," She smiled. "I mean mistake." She shouted.
"But it was your husband that killed my friends, but alas, he is dead so your next in line." His eyes grew dark and he pressed his forehead against hers and snarled. "You're stuck with me. Deal with it." He turned rapidly and forced her into Surefall Glade.
