Chapter 13: The river east

The world seemed brighter, even with the new fallen snow. We had returned to Blue Pass before leaving a few days later for Red Pass. The kingdoms to the south had begun sending patrols north of the King’s mountains and into the great valley. I glanced at Aveline when I heard the faint sound through the falling snow.

She nodded and gestured and I slipped my pack off as I pulled my short swords. We were only a day away from Red Pass but knew orcs or other foul creatures could be here. Two rangers walked out of the falling snow and stopped to look at Aveline and then me. One grinned as he let his sword go, “Blade and Aveline?”

She nodded and he gestured, “There is a large pine with drooping branches a few paces behind us.”

We picked up our packs and followed them back and under the tree where they had made a small camp. We set our packs down as they went back to starting a fire. We rolled out our bedroll and turned to add the two rabbits to the pot for dinner. I squatted across from the other two rangers, “How did you know we were coming?”

The two rangers were Brett and Josh and Brett snorted, “The elves brought relay stones.”

I blinked because they had not brought anything to Blue Pass before we left. Josh grinned, “They sent parties to each place so the stones would arrive around the same time.”

I nodded and went back to helping Aveline. We put the fire out after dinner and laid back in our sleeping furs. Brett shifted, “Word is that the Serpent river has foul ones or bandits.”

I glanced back at Aveline as she hugged me for warmth, “No one has gone to check?”

Josh sighed, “We are just now getting kingdom patrols in the valley. The dwarves from Scarlet mountain have helped with patrols between us but further east there are still a lot of foul ones.”

Aveline sighed too, “They must be coming down through the coastal hills.”

I thought about the river most of the night and woke to silence. I moved out of the bedroll after shaking Aveline. We dressed quickly as the other two rangers rose. I waited before slipping out from under the branches and looked around. The snow had stopped falling and everything was white.

I nocked an arrow when I heard something moving through the snow. The stag that walked out was calm as it continued to browse. I turned and moved back into our camp with the others and Aveline smiled, “Well that was refreshing.”

We packed up and followed the other two as we made our way to Red Pass. That night we slept in the ranger hall but I stayed awake to stare into the fire. Aveline came down after midnight and sat beside me, “What is it?”

I glanced at her, “The river.”

She nodded, “Once long ago we used the river. We went from Motis down river to the elven city of Gossemer.”

I looked at her, “Motis was abandoned?”

She nodded, “And Gossemer is but a small town behind the old walls.”

I looked into the fire, “The river is freezing over.”

She snorted, “The tales say they used sleds with runners and sails in the winter.”

I shook my head, “Sails in the river?”

Aveline rubbed my shoulder, “Like a spinnaker.”

I looked at her and she smiled, “Like a kite?”

I grinned, “That I understood.”

She stood and pulled me up, “Come to bed and tomorrow we will leave and go to Motis.”

The temperature dropped during the night as it began to snow again. The two rangers that had met us, Brett and Josh decided to join us as we left. Motis was only two weeks to the east but we fought the cold and falling snow all the way and it took us almost three. The morning we reached the old fortress we saw orcs, lots of orcs.

They were trying to get into the fortress as we watched. Aveline hissed, “We need to go onto the river and under to get in.”

I looked at the snow covered river and was afraid it might not have a thick enough layer of ice. I looked at Brett and Josh and they nodded so I moved back and we slipped down onto the river. We stayed close to the bank until we reached the high walls and then went out and into the tunnel above the ice covered river.

Halfway through we came to a set of docks and climbed off the ice. There was a wide gate but I moved to the upriver side of the dock where a narrow drain came out of the fortress wall. This time it went straight into the collection tunnels and we came out in a snow covered courtyard.

We moved towards the gate carefully and climbed the stairs to look down at the small army of orcs. I set my pack down and glanced at the others as I nocked an arrow. The orcs were trying to burn the gate but it looked like the thick wood had turned to stone. I aimed at one orc that was yelling at the others and the arrow took it in the chest.

We started firing into the orcs and they milled around for several moments before they panicked. They started to run away but the snow had deep drifts that slowed them and they were to dumb to follow the single broken trail to the gate. We ran out of arrows before they reached safety. I looked at the others and turned to head into the fortress.

Like at Delf I found the armory intact and the storeroom still held supplies. Most of the supplies were not useable but the bundles of arrows were. I carried several back to the wall and found Aveline, Brett and Josh watching the orcs gathering just out of bow range.

They grinned and took the bundles and I leaned against the wall, “Why after all these years are they trying to occupy the fortress?”

They shook their heads and Aveline gestured, “They will try again.”

I nodded, “We need to watch the drainage system. Sooner or later they will learn and come in that way.”

Brett nodded as he shifted away from the wall, “We can have the dwarves put a grate in place later or one of their doors.”

He started to move away and the orcs began moving through the snow. They tried four times to attack before quitting. It was three days before Brett left heading back to Scarlet mountain while Aveline and I found and prepared a sled we found. It was inside the river entrance doors.