Page 19

Yrag surprised them both by turning and walking away from the castle.

"Shouldn't we...go in?" Tenser asked.

"We don't need the mule in there," Yrag said as he walked away.  "We need to backtrack a bit and find a place to leave her."

The area around the castle was a 'clearing' only in the sense that it was mostly treeless. It was a tangled thicket of brambles not unlike what they had crushed their way through a few miles back. They retreated 80 yards to a small grove of dead trees. Yrag pushed his way in, breaking some branches so he could pull in the mule behind him. After lashing the reins to a branch, Yrag emerged with a brace of torches in hand from his saddle bags.

"We can carry more provisions in if you like, or keep our initial foray short just to get a feel for the place," Yrag explained as he strapped the torches to the inside of his shield.

Tenser and Ehlissa looked at each other for guidance from the other, but after a short pause Tenser said, "Shorter is fine."

"Very good," Yrag said. "Then let's head back up to the gatehouse."

Click to enlarge or go here.

Page 18

It came slowly into view, stone by stone, from the tower, roofs, and parapets on down. It loomed larger and larger as they drew closer. Tenser and Ehlissa had seen castles before, and some larger than this, but there was still a sense of awe of this place.

That the castle was old was unquestionable. That it had endured the elements of many seasons was attested to by the eroded smoothness of some of the stones. That it had endured sieges was attested to by the cracks, holes, and scorch marks that scarred the rest of the stones.

And it was quiet and lonely. Terrifying in its apparent emptiness, moreso than if a bandit guard had been atop its walls, like back at the fort.

Click to enlarge or go here.

Page 17

Tenser won the argument, of which he was immediately quite proud. Yrag, after all, had seemed obsessively worried the whole trip with staying undetected or unnoticed. Even Ehlissa seemed to have been swept up in this strange desire for stealth. Tenser had gone along with it at first, but it had become increasingly tiresome as the long march through the rugged terrain continued. Right now, he did not care who they encountered. If an ogre blocked their path, and offered him a comfy chair and a cushion for his feet in its dungeon, Tenser would be tempted to take it up on its offer.

Click to enlarge or go here.

Page 16

"Did you think the tangles back there posed a danger?" Ehlissa asked at last.

"I didn't know," Yrag said, "and that's what was dangerous. I know it's been awhile since I was through here last, but they were not here before and could have been placed to conceal a trap."

"This far from the castle?" Tenser asked.

"Stay cautious," Yrag warned. "I will keep my shield on me and my sword in hand from here on. I advise you do the same with either your dagger hilts or your spell pouches, whichever you place the most trust in."

Click to enlarge, or view it here

page 15

"It was good to see you solve your problem with your wits," Yrag said, "but why not a spell?"

"Our magic is...limited," Tenser confessed.

"Heh. Apprentice magicians..." Yrag said with a playfully mocking tone.

"I've never seen centipedes so large," Ehlissa said when they were moving again.

"A mad demigod's power bleeds into all the surrounding land, making whatever grows here more dangerous."

"Zagig was a powerful wizard," Tenser said.

"And you would love to add his spellbooks to your own, I suppose," Yrag said. "Like I warned you before, the monsters of the castle will not give up their treasures easily."

Click to enlarge, or visit here.

Page 14

There were, of course, worse things than being stuck up in a tree, in the middle of the Cairn Hills, and not knowing if your plan had killed all the giant centipedes or not.

Take, for example, Svenny. Widely reputed to be the ablest fighting man to ever come to Blackmoor, Svenny had just killed his 108th orc when the cumulative effect of so many light wounds overcame him and he swooned into unconsciousness.

An endless stream of fresh orcs were climbing over the corpses of their comrades piled high in front of them. While the balrog that had allied with them watched their backs, Mello and Debelfry tossed sacks of gold onto Svenny's chest before lifting him up and carrying him out of the great hall of the Orc King Frederick.

So, yes, there were far worse things than being stuck up in a tree and not knowing if there were any centipedes left up there with you. But, at the present, Tenser and Ehlissa lacked the perspective to appreciate it.

For larger viewing, click on the image or go here.

Page 13

Tenser pushed at Ehlissa's back, urging her to climb higher, as a desperate plan developed in his brain. He reached several times for the dagger at his side, still in its scabbard, but hesitated to rely on its reach being long enough to keep his arm out of biting distance. Instead of centipedes, smaller branches bit at his face and snatched at his sleeves and the lower hem of his robes. Ehlissa faced worse resistance above, as the branches grew both smaller and more numerous. Small enough for Tenser's plan...


Click to enlarge or visit here.