Leothross folded up the parchment map and slid it into his breast pocket. As far as he could tell that pass would be the best. There were no orcs or Angmarim, by all accounts, though such a thing was very strange. Was there something else there that kept them away? Surely it couldn’t be worse alerting the enemy that was camped about the borders. In any case, he had confidence in Zargodon and Acurith. They were both seasoned warriors, he thought. Having settled his mind as best he could, he closed the book on his lap, running his fingers over the cover before finally replacing it in his pack. There were many mysteries he hoped to find there – and it could be that the pass could hold some answers.
He left his tent to join the others around the fireplace. He smiled a “Good morning” to them all. They were nearly all there. Mariym greeted him with her breakfast – a now half eaten piece of bread – and a “Hi Leothross!”Acurith smiled, but her voice was a bit cold, “It’s about time you showed up.” Leothross chuckled, noticing that Zargodon had yet to join them as well, “It appears I am not the only one who is missing.” Eruthaiwen reassured him, “He will not be long.”
“Of course,” he replied, and turning to Mariym, who sat on the bench near him, he asked, “Are you ready for today?”
She took stock of her various bags, and her weapons which leaned beside her and nodded, “Yup! Are you?”
Leothross unconsciously reached again for the map in his pocket, “I think so.”
Finally, Zargodon joined them as well. “Well. I take it all the preparations have been made?”
Leothross answered, “Indeed, I think they have.”
Acurith asked, still seeming a bit anxious to be moving on, “So… today we make it to Angmar?”
Zargodon nodded, “I would think so. There is nothing that keeps us here, is there, Leothross?”
“There is not. And Angmar is not too far from here.”
With that Mariym burst out, “Great! Let’s go!” and began to gather her stuff and run ahead to the horses. The others were not far behind her, but moved with much less haste then the young girl. As they began to prepare the horses, Zargodon said, “Acurith and Eruthaiwen made a trip down some ways already, and I think they might inform us on how it might look.”
Eruthaiwen nodded, “Well, the way to Angmar seems clear, for the most part.”
This was good news, certainly, and Leothross remarked, “Good. I hope we can be so fortunate as to make it without any encounters.”
Zargodon finished saddling his bags as he spoke, “I can always go and scout ahead.”
“We are not a large group as it is, do you think it will be necessary?”
“You are right, but I will still feel more secure if I just ride a distance ahead.”
“Fair enough. It will be good to have an Elf watching ahead.”
By this time everyone had finished preparing their horses. All, that is, except for Mariym. Her horse seemed to be having a disagreement with her. It took Zargodon’s whispering to finally calm it and allow Mariym to mount. She muttered under her breath something about horses…, and looked a little downcast.
Leothross continued, “Actually, do you think you and Mariym could ride ahead a little? It might be valuable experience.”
At that she looked surprised, and a bit nervous. “Do we have to split up?” she asked. Leothross shook his head. “Not split up. Just ride a little ahead, and do some scouting,” he assured her.
Zargodon nodded, nimbly mounting his horse as he responded, “I think that is a good idea. Are you fine with that, Mariym?”
“Well, if we’re just scouting ahead, really…”
“I don’t think we want to get too far apart,” Leothross reassured her. Eruthaiwen, though also uneasy about the thought of splitting up, also added, “It could be helpful to know what is there in advance.”
Without further ado, the party set off, Zargodon leading the way, and Mariym urging on her horse behind him.
A few hours later, they reached a slight opening in crags where a path could be seen to wind along the bottom of a canyon. This was the place. Leothross recognized the formidable mountain sides, and that strange combination of a feeling of dread and familiarity. He lagged behind the group as they entered, looking searchingly behind him. His gaze was not in vain. The comforting form of Throssian came into view.
When he had caught up to the rest of them, they had turned a corner to a sight that had brought the party to a halt. The path continued winding up in front of them a ways, before climbing a slope before them through several switch-backs. That was not what caught their attention. Along the crags, lay worms and drakes. Eruthaiwen mumbled to herself, “Why did we come this way?” Acurith, who had caught the words, replied, a bit drily, “Some of us might be having a death wish.”
Leothross looked around at them with apprehension, but things began to make more sense. “So that’s what they meant…” he said, half aloud. Mariym looked curiously at him. “Who?” she asked.
“Nobody in particular. But the research I did on this pass revealed that there were no Angmarim here. This would explain why.”
The company decided to push on. They carefully picked their way through the boulders, keeping hidden from the worms as best they could. Still, there were several occasions when they had to ready their weapons and bring one down that blocked their path. Leothross was especially glad for the bows of Zargodon and Mariym then.
Finally, they reached the main road. Eruthaiwen sighed with relief and began to walk out on it, “Well, we’re safer now, out of the den of the worms.”
Zargodon warned her, “Yes, but please, stand back.”
Leothross nodded, looking up and down the road cautiously. “This hardly means we are safe,” he pointed out, “Do you think it will be safe enough to make it to Aughaire, though, Zargodon?”
Eruthaiwen spoke up here, “Yes, the road from here should be clear, and there is not that far to go.”
Zargodon made his way carefully to the road to investigate. When he was satisfied there was no immediate danger, he beckoned them over. “As long as we keep our eyes open upon these gorges, I think it will be alright.”
The road did indeed seem to be clear, and they made good time. As they continued, the sky grew dark, and the landscape seemed to be more threatening. Then, they reached the top of a rise. “The village of Aughaire…” Eruthaiwen said quietly. Leothross agreed, “At last.”
The village was a settlement of a friendlier tribe of the Hillmen native to Angmar. The village itself was not much to look at. The dwellings were tents of leather, and other structures of worn leather and ancient wood completed the look. Leothross slid off of his horse, and began to wander among the houses and people. He studied everything, always hoping something would be familiar, but finding over and over that it was not. Rather, it was just sad. Pity welled up in his heart. When he finally rejoined the group around where they would spend the night, he was quiet, and troubled. Throssian mirrored the look on his friends face, and hung his head sadly as he followed him.
Zargodon met him as he returned. “Good, you are here. Have you found anything out yet?”
“Not really. Zargodon, what kind of feeling do you get from this place?”
“I cannot say. If what Eruthaiwen said is correct, then I do not think we have to worry overly much. However, the lands further north do, though, extrude the aura of filth more clearly then the bile that infests it. Being so close to the house of evil, brings the darkness upon you. Your eyes seldom see what is before you until it becomes too late. Where do you feel your answer would lie, my friend?”
“I cannot say. I was hoping I would recognize something here. But, unfortunately no. Still, something feels… off about this place. And there is perhaps something else.” He could feel the burden all around him. He could not put words to it, but there was something intangible that weighed upon him.
“So you attempt to march further in? Well, I would have thought. This village for the time being should serve us well, I presume?”
“Yes. And as long as we are this far in, if we hope to learn anything of the enemy, we will have to go farther.”
“Yes, of course.”
Mariym here, to her credit, nodded firmly in agreement. Zargodon turned away and began to search through rubble, striding firmly down the path. Leothross turned to the great bear that still followed him, and, his hands buried in his coat, tried to dispel the discomforting feelings that had begun to gather in him. He began to see the danger that they would be walking in to – the worms in the mountains were just the beginning. But they would go. He desperately hoped this was more than a wild goose chase prompted by some intangible gut feeling. Though, if he let himself consider it, that is all it seemed to be. It had to be more… it had to be.
They would spend the night there. Tomorrow would be the first full day in Angmar. Who could say what lay before them?
