Chapter Two
The silence of Thunderhead Keep was unnerving, to say the least.
Not even two months ago, this dwarven stronghold was bustling with activity… craftsmen peddling their wares, large congregations milling about on their business within the capital of the Deldrimor people.
And now… it was a ghost town, already beginning to show signs of its neglect, as the harsh environment of the Shiverpeaks began to sink its icy talons into the one proud fortress. The tall fire beacons now were unlit, one of them toppled perhaps by the occasional gale force gusts that ripped through the valley in which Thunderhead Keep lay. Towering drifts of snow piled to the very top of its stone walls, and the pathways were more than occasionally covered with treacherous layers of near invisible ice.
A statue to King Jalis Ironhammer was also toppled, but from investigation, it appeared to have been done by "intelligent" hands, likely looters hoping to spirit off with what was already spreading to legendary status of a veritable king's fortune hidden somewhere in the keep. It saddened Devona to see the decay and desecration of the once mighty stalwart, the warrior remembering how it had stood triumphant over the best efforts of the Stone Summit, the White Mantle, and the enigmatic Mursaat.
Only to fall to the one force no mortal agency could be victorious against… time.
"Now here is where the dangers begin." Vekk said. "Scouts report that the remains of the Stone Summit now roam these lands, and the wild beasts no longer fear what were once relatively safe areas of dwarven settlement."
"And you are sure there were no closer gates to Ascalon?" Devona asked warily.
"I maintained the entire gate system, bookah. Trust me, I would know." Vekk answered. "Now you just swing your sword pointy end first at any mean looking creatures, and leave the thinking to me, okay? I can assure you I am much more qualified."
"Asura, unless you want a mean-spirited lobotomy, you will keep your insults to yourself."
"Yes, I'm sure that inter-racial incident will go over real well." Vekk answered, unconcerned. "How a dignified hero of the Asuran people was assaulted by the consor…"
Contrary to what Vekk might have thought, Devona was more than capable of learning, as this time, her hand circled around the Asuran elementalist's throat. She had near effortlessly picked the small being off the ground before Mhenlo and Aidan could break the two up.
"Devona, I am not sure what has you on such edge, but now is not the time or place. Vekk is right that any squabbling that led to harm would reflect badly on you and the nation of Ascalon as a whole. And may I remind you that Ascalon needs all the friends we can get right now."
Sensing that the warrior was not particularly listening to his line of reason, Aidan stepped in. "Mhenlo, tend to Vekk, and make sure he doesn't irritate your wife. I suspect she would care little of Ascalon's image in the Asuran eye. Devona, walk with me."
The ranger so rarely gave orders that Devona felt compelled to obey before she even realized she was being commanded, but by that time the two were well out of earshot.
"I'm curious how Vekk learned of that tidbit." The ranger mused.
"What tidbit?" Devona said with far less conviction than she wanted.
"I scouted for King Adelbern while you were still learning how to swing your hammer." Aidan answered. "I know well of his connection to Ascalon's Chosen, and the regard he held your father in… as well as the arrangement that was made just before your father's death."
"You…" She began, but let the accusation die upon the wind that was starting to pick up. "That was a long time ago. It holds no bearing anymore, and I grow weary of Vekk holding it above my head. It doesn't matter… it's all irrelevant."
"Obviously it does matter, but I can understand why." Aidan answered. "It must wound your pride to think what others will think of your rise through the ranks if they knew that you…"
"Hail! What brings you to these forsaken lands?" A voice suddenly burst from the distance, startling Aidan from whatever he was about to say, as well as drawing the attention of the rest of the group.
"Jora!" Aidan shouted, his previous thought completely forgotten, "I should ask you what brings you this far south!"
The assembly met within the town so as to continue the questions and answers in a more comfortable volume, taking a seat in a circle around Aiden who was dutifully building a fire to warm what he referred to as "weary flesh and bones."
"I'm surprised that you felt to need to ask my business." Jora declared with a grin. "I am on a hunt, obviously… and with these lands now untamed, the opportunities for newer challenges and prey should be abundant."
The fire now lit, Aidan took a seat next to Vekk, who was sitting next to Jora. Devona found herself amused by the colossal size difference between the towering Norn and the diminutive Asura. Vekk wouldn't have even been able to look Jora in the eye had he been standing on his toes… and it eased her mind to some degree to see Vekk dwarfed in such a fashion, like he had been belittled without him even noticing.
She was so amused in fact, that she never realized the conversation had turned to her and her traveling party until Cynn whistled, and asked, "Yes, Devona, why are we escorting Vekk to Ascalon anyway?"
Devona started, and gestured dismissively to the Asura. "Ask him."
"I merely wish to meet your king on business that I hope will be beneficial for both his people and mine. I'd rather not waste your ears with a story you will simply hear again when we make audience with the venerable monarch."
"Well, I likely will not hear the story." Jora noted astutely.
"You're welcome to join us if it intrigues you to such a degree." Vekk answered unrelentingly. "As I said, we probably don't have much time to waste. Even resting here is probably ill-advised."
"That's not the first time you've stated you're in haste." Devona said, her eyes narrowing. "Why are you in such a hurry to reach Ascalon?"
Vekk blinked, as if he had just been taken aback by Devona's words. "You mean… you don't know?"
"Know what?" Mhenlo queried.
Vekk slapped his forehead, and groaned, "Curse me for an apprentice, of course you wouldn't know. The information line is considerably slower among humans than it is once it reaches Asuran hands. My deepest apologies, you must have thought me an incorrigible lout thus far."
"Then out with it!" Cynn snarled. "For someone who claims not to waste time, you sure take forever to get to the point."
"News coming out of the Ascalon border is that King Adelbern has gone gravely ill. I suppose it shouldn't be terribly surprising, considering that the king is nearing his eighth decade, and most humans rarely live to see their sixth. Nonetheless, the opinion coming from my sources is that he probably doesn't have much longer to live."
The news staggered Devona, even though she acknowledged she shouldn't be terribly surprised. King Adelbern was not a young man even when his son Rurik had led the refugees across the Shiverpeaks to Kryta; and the trials and hardships since could only have accelerated the years beleaguering his aging bones.
"And you would like to get whatever business you have completed before he dies and potentially starts a troublesome fight for succession." Cynn added. "After all, Barradin is not young himself, and has no heirs either at this point."
"Actually, I hold hope that my arrangement will prevent such a gridlock." Vekk replied cryptically, and that once again drew Devona's gaze. "And why I hope the king will be receptive to my offer."
The Asura and the human shared a long, silent conversation with their eyes as Devona's mind spun with the consequences of what the Asura was saying. Rurik was dead… Devona had seen the brash yet good-hearted prince slain right in these same mountains they now sat within. She had also been present for the wake of Princess Elana, Adelbern's only daughter, who had been one of many victims of the Searing.
That only left… no… that wasn't possible… was it?
"I see the warrior now understands the reason for my haste... and I promise answers will come for the rest of you when we are safely at our destination." Vekk finally spoke. "I do apologize if it seems I am being rude, my Norn friend, but we really must continue our journey. I wish you luck in whatever you hunt. May it be suitable for your station and your honor."