SILVERYMOON
Chapter 25
For a change, Alexis and Corimin were out in front by a few yards, walking their horses while thinking it might be time to stop and let them feed on the grass. However, Patches, who was a little out in front of them, took off at a dead run.
"Patches?" Alexis didn't understand. He usually said something. This time all he did was start running. That got both of them to walk faster. Until finally, they saw him looking over something on the ground. "Go get the others, I'll be fine." Anything evil that came her way would get three fireballs as a welcome.
"So, what is it?" Alexis was still trying to work that out while everyone else was now with her, though Patches had wandered off.
"I think it's a catapult, a broken one. But I'm not sure what broke it," Rick told them.
Kate was looking it over as well. "No burn marks, no scorch marks. It doesn't look like it was attacked and destroyed. Hm. First question, whose is it?"
"A better question is, why is it out here? Sundabar is the closest city, and you would need a massive army to begin to want to attack it," Corimin said since he had lived in Silverymoon all his life. Besides, they had been this way previously, and there were no small settlements nearby.
"How far away is that dead town?" Alexis queried since it might have come from there
"Two, maybe three days," Rick replied.
"MEOW!"
"Dead body!" Alexis was pale and her eyes were huge as she looked at the others in shock.
That soon had all of them looking over what was indeed a dead body. "Orc." Kate knew them by sight by now.
"A naked Orc," Rick pointed out. "What's with all the stuff all around the body?"
"Patches, NO!" He was getting too close for Alexis's comfort. He backed off and moved to sit next to her. He immediately got petted for being a good Cat.
Kate was walking around the body, looking at all the stuff. "Tiny bones, scraps of leather, a broken dagger, what might have been a staff with bits of cloth hanging on one end."
"What's with all the tattoos? They're all over her body." Rick said HER since she did have breasts and a pussy that were exposed for everyone to see. "Any guesses?" Rick didn't have a one.
"Perhaps a Shaman, an inexperienced one of me. The tattoos might mean to convey power," Eslor suggested. "Why was she left to look like this? That I don't know." Why was she stripped and everything she had on her scattered all around?
"She has no coins, not even one copper piece," Kate pointed out just as a wolf began to howl in the distance. Everyone's heads snapped up to look in that direction.
"A broken down catapult and a dead Orc Shaman." Alexis felt like there was a connection just as the wolf howled again, getting everyone to look in that direction.
"It's in the Nether Mountains, I think," Rick said. "It might not be far if we want to look."
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This time Rick and Kate were out in front, followed closely by Eslor, Alexis, and Corimin. This time, they were riding their horses. It gave them the advantage of being taller so they could see farther.
What Kate spotted in the distance had her stopping and getting off her horse, walking and pulling her horse that way. It was a wolf, alright. It was standing next to a dead body and howling yet again. They were closer now, and to Kate, it sounded like a soul-rending howl. Like it was hurting from all the pain it was feeling.
It didn't even move when Kate, followed by Rick, got closer. Close enough to look over the dead body. The wolf did back away a little when everyone else joined them.
"PATCHES, NO! It's a wolf, not a dog. It doesn't hate you." Alexis held him tight to her body and didn't get off her horse like all the others had done.
Kate knelt and searched for a pulse. "She's dead." Kate looked at the wolf who just stood there. Even now, he looked sad.
"Leather armor, scimitar, wood staff. My guess is a Druid. We have a few of them in Silverymoon. I don't recognize her, though," Eslor said.
"She has a wound, and it looks infected." Kate noticed it on her left arm and looked closer. Then she did something different. She squeezed it, ran a finger over it, and brought it to her mouth.
"KATE, STOP!" Rick shouted.
"I'm a Vampire, I'm immune to poisons. Well, so far, I have been." Kate put the tip of her finger in her mouth and tasted it. A moment later, she spat it out. "Poison! I can't tell which one, but it tastes like poison."
Kate turned to look at the wolf. "I'm sorry." He looked broken and so sad.
"Stand aside and let me work." Eslor knew she could do something. Her first question was, was this woman a good Druid or an Evil Druid? The answer to that question told her what to do next.
"We need to work fast. Once I cast my spell, I need you to quickly pour this potion down her throat, or she'll die again." Eslor handed Kate a potion from a bag she had on her belt. "The potion will remove the poison, but it won't work on a dead person."
"I… Okay." Kate didn't get it. She was dead, so how would wasting a potion on a corpse help? However, she held her head up and got ready to pour after forcing her mouth open. "Ready!"
Eslor cast her spell. It only took a few seconds, and suddenly the dead body sucked in a breath and coughed. Kate wedged the vial into her mouth and poured. She would question what that was later.
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Their dead body was on the ground, sitting up, with a wolf laying his head in her lap as she petted him. "I'm fine." She bent down and kissed his head. Then she followed that by looking up at these five people.
Kate was ready for answers from Eslor. "What did you do?"
"I used Raise Dead. I'm a Cleric of 9th class. I always have that spell at the ready in the Temple. Thought it might come in handy, so I kept it," Eslor explained patiently.
"You can raise a person from the dead?" Were they really able to do that here?
"It is a powerful spell. There are other spells far more powerful. Dima can cast a few of them. There are certain limitations. She had to be willing to come back first," Eslor told her, then checked the formerly dead woman. "How do you feel?"
"Weak, tired. Thank you." She spotted Eslor's holy symbol hanging on her chest. "Pelor, I see."
"You will recover," Eslor assured her. "It will take time. Can you tell me what happened?"
"There was an Orc band escorting this contraption. They came out of the mountains. It seemed like they were going toward that small grove of trees to the east. I decided to stop them. I destroyed the device and ended up in a fight.
"Suddenly, I felt terrible and ran." She looked from Eslor to Kate, waiting for one of them to tell her what had happened next.
"The poison," Kate told her since, so far, it all made sense.
"I didn't have a Slow Poison or Neutralize Poison spell ready. My mistake. I'm sorry, Night." She bent down to kiss his head. "Night is my Familiar. My best friend. My Companion. Is that Cat actually on fire?" She had noticed Patches.
"He's an Ember Cat. A Fire Elemental, or so I've learned," Alexis told her. "Patches is my Familiar."
"Interesting. He doesn't seem to like me very much." She had realized that right off.
"Patches was attacked by a dog when he was young. Now he hates all dogs. To him, your wolf is just another dog. Sorry." It was why Alexis was still holding onto him.
"I need to repay you for your kindness. My home isn't far. Where are you headed?" She might travel with them if it was in the right direction.
"White Plume Mountain," Rick told her since he didn't see the harm.
"That is several days to the north. Past the City of the Dead on the edge of Anauroch." She didn't think going that way was such a good idea. "I can offer you a good meal and safety for the night." She tried to get up, but she plopped right back down. "Maybe in a minute.
"My name is Fiona Macmathan."
"I'm Kate. This is my fiancé, Rick, his daughter, Alexis, her boyfriend, Corimin, and Eslor."
"A pleasure." Fiona would be dead without them, and Night would be heartbroken as he mourned her death.
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"It's a tight fit," Fiona warned as she weaved her way through a tight-fitting canyon. Not so much for her, but it was for the horses.
What they came out upon had each of them stunned. It was a mini oasis that was in the middle of a mountain. There was a hut Fiona had obviously built by hand. And a small waterfall fell into a pool of fresh water. She had a vegetable garden and several fruit trees that had yet to bear fruit. That would happen come fall. There was a fire pit where she did her cooking.
They soon learned she even had a cave off to one side that angled down and got colder as she descended. Down there, she had lots of fresh vegetables. The cold kept them that way for a good while.
"It's not much, but I'm willing to share. Night and I go out hunting when we feel the need for meat. It's what we were doing when we came across that band of Orcs. I was pretty sure I could stop them. It turned out I was wrong." She still felt like shit, but she was getting better.
It wasn't long until they learned how she gathered firewood for the firepit. It was a bit of a trip for her, but it was the only wood around here. She was too tired to go hunting, so she could only offer some fresh vegetables from her garden. However, she knew how to cook.
Alexis had handed her a little cup. Fiona turned it over, looked at it, and looked at Alexis, perplexed. "What is this?"
"Spices. Tell it what you want, and it will fill with it. Just don't empty it. If you do, you can't use it again for nearly a week. I learned that one the hard way." Alexis rolled her eyes and watched Fiona give it a try.
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By morning, Fiona felt better. Not great, but better. She had no plans to leave her home till she did, however. She was eternally grateful for what Eslor had done for her. She wasn't afraid of dying, but her best friend had been hurting, and Fiona felt terrible because he had.
"I cannot talk you out of going to this mountain?" Fiona asked. She really wanted to.
Kate shook her head. "No, we've accepted a task and need to complete it."
"Very well. You know where I live should you ever come this way again. You are more than welcome here. Even Patches." Fiona had noticed that Patches hadn't taken an eye off Night the entire time. Like he didn't trust him. Night, for his part, hadn't pushed it.
"We will consider your offer. May the light of Pelor shine on you always." Eslor bowed to her slightly.
Fiona bowed a little in return. "May Silvana show you the right path to take."
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From there, they went due north till they reached the next forest. The small expedition stopped inside its outer edge, set up camp, and let the horses feed off the grasses.
"Orcs." Kate tried to think about that. "They conquered that Dwarven Stronghold, and now they have a catapult?"
"Catapults are used to attack city walls," Rick mentioned. There was only one city even close to here. "You don't think… Sundabar?"
"How many people are in Sundabar?" Kate wondered out loud. "It did have walls to keep everyone out."
Eslor spoke up. "Around fifteen thousand last I knew. It is more a militaristic city than Silverymoon ever has been. To assault Sundabar is utter folly."
"What else is there around here? An Undead city or two? Why even go there with anything like a catapult?" Kate asked and watched Rick pull out their map to look it over. She put her finger on it. "What's this?"
"Citadel Adbar." Rick didn't know anything about it.
"I can answer that come morning," Eslor said. "I need to adjust my spells first."
Patches kept watch all night long.
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"What is it you plan to do?" Kate asked her.
"I will cast a Divination spell. It allows me to ask a limited number of questions. And you must be very careful with your words," Eslor warned.
"I think I get it," Rick said. "You wish for a million bucks and get a million animals instead of money."
Eslor had no idea what he was talking about, but she decided she didn't need to. So she cast her spell. They all watched a smoky mist coalesce into what looked faintly like a person.
Eslor began and asked, "What is Citadel Adbar?"
"Dwarven Stronghold."
That made the others moan. "Not again!"
Eslor ignored them and asked another question. "What number of races live there?"
"84% Shield Dwarves, 6% Gold Dwarves, 5% Humans, 3% Urdunnir Dwarves, 1% Sviffneblin, and 1% Earth Genasi."
Eslor's third question was, "What is the population of Citadel Adbar?"
"19,962."
Eslor looked at the four of them. "I have one last question. What should I ask?"
"We can't ask if the Orcs intend to attack them or even when, can we?" Kate watched her shake her head.
"How do we warn them, short of going there?" Alexis questioned and watched Eslor shake her head. She had nothing. Alexis knew none of them did either.
"What about when the attack will take place?" Rick asked and saw Eslor shake her head. "How about this? How many Orcs will be involved? How many catapults do they have?" Again Eslor shook her head.
"That takes care of my question about Dragons." Alexis kept thinking.
"It sounds smaller than Mithral Hall, so easier to attack and conquer, perhaps. Ghared will have our heads if we do nothing," Kate pointed out.
"I'm running out of time," Eslor cautioned since her spell only lasted just so long.
"Will they believe us if we tell them?" Alexis asked. "Do we go back and get Fiona? Get her to tell them what she knows. Who and what she fought. That poison was involved."
Sadly, their misty person dissolved before their eyes before they could ask it a final question.
Rick went back to the map. "It'll take us all day to get there from here. If we go back and get Fiona, we'll add another whole day. It's maybe two days to White Plume from here. More like three days from Citadel Adbar, maybe four. All mountain and hills." That was the troublesome part. "Add yet another day to travel around the forest that we're in now."
Alexis had made up her mind. "We warn them. We have to, Dad. We go and get Fiona so she can back us up. Warn them that these Orcs plan to use poisons."
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It hadn't taken much to talk Fiona into joining them to warn the Dwarves that the Orcs were on the move and perhaps planned to attack them. But she didn't have a horse to ride, so she doubled up with Alexis since her horse was full-size and she was the lightest of them. Including Eslor, who was very thin but taller than Alexis.
One day to get her, another day back to the forest, and over one day to reach the Citadel since they wanted to arrive during daylight.
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They were tired and dirty when they finally arrived. "Now that is a Citadel!" Alexis was impressed. Greatly impressed.
What they saw in front of them was a massive tower with an even larger building behind it. Before them was a gatehouse with a long narrow bridge made of stone reaching across what was likely a deep chasm.
Just beyond was another gatehouse at the far end. On either side were tall lit torches, eleven on one side and seven on the other. Beyond an open space were two tall square towers with an enormous portcullis and behind that was a huge pair of wooden iron-reinforced doors. The doors had to be at least 25 feet tall, if not 30.
The first gatehouse had its own portcullis and wood doors, and they waited there until a set of guards arrived to escort them across to the next gatehouse, where they had to wait yet again.
It felt like hours, but it wasn't. A single Dwarf in full plate armor showed up, and he demanded to know why they were there.
He cared nothing about Orcs planning to attack. They were always ready for an Orc attack. Though, he did pause when he learned that poison would be involved this time.
"Follow me. GUARDS!" He wanted the strangers surrounded in any case.
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The catapult that they found damaged appeared to be perfectly sized for their bridge. It was a narrow bridge meant to be wide enough for wagons to come and go for trade.
They sat alone for over an hour till he and more guards returned and escorted them to a hall. It was there they were asked to hand over all their weapons. King Harbromm had agreed to an audience. And weapons of any kind were not allowed in his Grand Hall.
They found King Harbromm asked a great many questions. It wasn't until they mentioned that Durgeddin had been rescued and escorted to Mithral Hall that he softened and really started to listen.
They learned that there were 200 Dwarves on the battlements at all times. He had a small group of Humans scouting the surrounding area, looking for trouble. He had heard nothing from them for days.
Another 1,500 Dwarves were ready to take up arms when the horn sounded. Within 24 hours, he could have 9,000 Dwarves armed for battle. He also had secret tunnels leading out that they could tumble down to escape if needed.
Then Kate told His Majesty what the Orcs did. "Tunnels?" Harbromm did not like that Durgeddin lost his Stronghold to Orcs that had tunneled in secretly. He looked at the Dwarf that had escorted them here.
"At once, my King." He saluted smartly and left in a hurry. They had work to do.
"Where will you go from here?" Harbromm questioned them.
Kate thought about lying or keeping it a secret. However, her time with Rick was rubbing off on her. "White Plume Mountain. We have accepted a task that we need to complete. More than this, I can't explain."
"White Plume, that is a dangerous mountain. It's said to be full of Undead," he warned them.
"So we have been told. But, we believe we are ready for that danger," Kate countered.
"You will spend the night, I insist," the King informed them. "We will escort you to the edge of our Mountain and wish you well on your quest."
"I can stay if you will have me, Your Majesty. I am Fiona Macmathan, a Druid of 7th power. I can pray to my God for Neutralize Poisons to assist you if they come." If the Orcs were on the warpath, her small home might not be all that safe, and she didn't have an emergency exit as this place did.
"We can discuss that in the morning. Tonight we have to make plans for this possible Orc attack. No Orc army has succeeded yet, and neither will they succeed this time.
"GUARDS! Return their weapons and escort them to the human Inn where rooms and food will be provided." Harbromm was dismissing them for now.
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"Not bad." It was one big room with more than enough beds, though they would be adding their own sleeping bags. "What is it with Dwarves and Orcs anyway?"
"Conquest, land, power, gold," Eslor said and began to roll out her bedroll for tonight.
"Sounds familiar. We have the same problem in our land," Rick commented.
"People kill for power, money, love, for a six-pack of beer from a convenience store. Sometimes I think I've seen it all till a new one shows up. I can't say as I miss it," Kate agreed. "But I do miss the people," she said with a sigh.
"In Roman times, they would wall the walled city and not let anyone else in. Starve them into submission," Alexis told them.
"We can talk in the morning," Fiona offered. She had a few ideas about that. She was a Druid, after all. Plants and getting them to grow food was her life.
"He's not going to attack you, Patches. …UP!" Alexis patted her chest and got Patches to jump into her arms and stop watching Night, the wolf, who he didn't trust. He looked like a dog to him.