The Village of Pranow / PART 3

Circa 300 n.t.
Dannaar, Ero'ia

Lleu Danson dismounted and gave his old horse a grateful pat on the neck. Next to him, two other men dismounted. They were Povl and Walder, his two recruits from Daelom's Gorge. They weren't locals of this area, which is what Lleu attributed his success to in recruiting them. For if they knew the reputed nature of their quest's destination they would probably not have agreed to come. The pursuit of riches was all they were aware of.

Lleu viewed their surroundings. They stood in an open square. A light drizzle of rain had turned the ground to mud. A Dannan church stood silently to their right; its stone walls were now old and worn. To their left was a squat blacksmith shop. Firelight danced within, and the ring of the blacksmith's hammer echoed off the small, humble, row of homes that dotted either side of a muddy path in front of them. Beside the blacksmith shop was a stable, where a boy could be seen inside, huddling down against a stall-door trying to stay warm.

Lleu pulled his cloak closer about his body and led his horse in the direction of the stable. Behind him Povl and Walder followed.

"Finally we can get out of this rain," Walder grumbled.

Lleu glanced over his shoulder and smiled to see Walder characteristically waddle-walking behind them.

Povl commented, "Not a very lively place is it..."

Walder nodded and said in a low tone, "I don't think they get visitors here very often."

Lleu walked into the stables and nodded to the boy who was now rising to his feet. "Is there room for our horses here?"

The boy brushed straw off his trousers. He looked to be around 14 years old. He wore a fur cap on his head that was pulled down over his ears. He had to push it up a bit in order to get it away from his eyes. "Yes, there's room. And I'll tend to 'em for a silver piece."

Lleu reached into his coin purse and retrieved a coin. As he handed it to the boy he asked, "You wouldn't happen to know a man by the name of Garst, would you?"

"Garst? Of course I know 'im...unfortunately. If only Pranow was bigger. Then maybe he could be avoided."

"Why do you say that?"

"Bad luck, that one." The boy stuffed the coin into a pocket inside his coat.

Povl raised an eyebrow. "Made himself some enemies, has he?"

"Nah... He's the quiet type. Keeps to himself mostly, and never really bothers anybody."

"Then why is he bad luck?" Walder asked.

"He's cursed."

Povl exclaimed, "Cursed?" He spit on the ground and stomped where it landed.

Lleu shook his head in aggravation. "Oh stop your superstitious foolery." He looked back at the boy. "Can you just tell us where we can find him?"

"And where can we find some food and a bed?" Walder added.

The stable boy pointed the direction of the row of houses outside. "Next house down, across the road, is Marny's place. She has extra rooms that she lets people stay in, as long as they aren't Demrians."

"Sounds like a good woman," commented Walder.

Lleu shook his head again.

The boy continued, "As for Garst, he's got a small place on the other side of town, past the graveyard. You can't miss it. It's the only one out there."

"Thankyou." Lleu handed the boy another silver coin, and then pulled up the hood of his cloak before going back out into the cold drizzle.

---

Lleu rode along the muddy road alone, his pace slow. Behind him was Pranow. Ahead of him was the graveyard, situated on a short hill, with the edge of a dark forest just beyond. And all around him mist was rising up from the ground. It had stopped raining, and now the evening was quiet and still.

Lleu pulled gently on the reigns and his mare stopped. The setting made him feel leery, and the proximity of the giant Hon-abrel Mountains ahead only added to his unease.

Gathering his wits again he nudged his horse onward. "Let's go, girl."

The shack at the end of the road was barely fit to live in. It was situated right into the forest without any clearing around its perimeter. Various furs hung from its walls, and animal bones littered the ground in front. As Lleu approached, some sort of furry creature rose to its feet at the entrance of the shack and stared at him intensely.

It was some sort of large cat, as best as he could tell. He had seen mountain cats that were the size of dogs, but this one before him stood almost three and a half feet tall at its muscled shoulder blades. It was long, too, but Lleu couldn't tell just how long from his current position.

A low growl began rumbling from the large cat's throat. Lleu immediately pulled on the reigns, afraid to go any further. It was then that a man stepped through the doorway to place a calm hand on the cat. The growl ceased, but the intense stare did not.

"Who are you?" the man asked. He was tall and broad shouldered. His hair was dark, shaggy, and unkempt, and his jaw was covered with coarse stubble. He wore animal hide trousers and fur-lined, muddy boots. His tunic was also made from sewn together hides. He wore no coat, despite the chill in the air, and the sleeves of his tunic were rolled up as though he had been working at something. "Do you not speak?" the man asked after a brief silence.

Lleu stammered, "I- I am sorry. Forgive me- My name is Lleu Danson, and I am looking for Garst."

"I am Garst," replied the man.

(TO BE CONTINUED...)

The Village of Pranow / PART 2

Circa 300 n.t.
Dannaar, Ero'ia

Lleu Danson pushed open the front door of a shoppe in the old, and cold, town of Daelom's Gorge. The bell chimed, alerting the shopkeeper of Lleu's presence.

The shopkeeper, Hamund Jahnson, rose up from his chair behind the counter and greeted his customer with a nod. "Can I interest you in a new axe, or spade? I just got in some fine tools."

"I am not interested in buying anything today."

Hamund tucked his thumbs into his belt. "Then what can I do for you?"

Lleu sat a knapsack on the counter and unbuckled the strap. "I might have something you are interested in." He flipped back the flap and reached inside.

When he brought his hand back out he was holding a silver necklace of delicate workmanship. The shopkeeper leaned against the counter to get a closer look. Lleu laid it down in front of him.

The shopkeeper noticed thin veins of crystal running through the small silver links. He looked up and asked, "May I pick it up?"

"Of course."

Hamund touched the necklace and commented as he lifted it upward, "It is cold...so very cold. Have you been storing this in a snow bank?"

"I have not. It has felt like that the entire time it has been in my possession."

"Marvelous work..." Hamund turned the necklace over in his hands. There was no pendant, only a band consisting of tiny, diamond-shaped links. Intricate designs of an unfamiliar style had been carved into the surfaces of the links. "From where does it come?"

Lleu shrugged his shoulders. "I was hoping that you would be able to tell me."

"You mean you do not know?"

"Two days ago I fished it out of Daelom's River, just a mile south of here."

The plump shopkeeper turned around to retrieve a glass that would magnify his view of the necklace. "Out of Daeloms' River, eh? That explains how cold it is."

Lleu shook his head. "Perhaps you did not hear me. I drew it out of the river two days ago." He pointed his finger at one of the links and its crystal-like veins. "I don't believe these veins are made of crystal. I believe that they are actually made of ice."

Hamund looked up from his magnifying glass and raised an eyebrow, but then promptly looked back down to see for himself. Through the magnified view he could see the clear veins with detail. He slowly shook his head in disbelief as he identified tiny fingers of frost reaching out from one of the veins. He bent his head lower and breathed slowly onto the necklace. The frost melted away, leaving a hint of moisture on the links. But as his breath ended, the frost immediately began creeping out from the icy veins again.

"Amazing..." the shopkeeper whispered. He gently placed the necklace back on the counter and then stood up straight.

Lleu said to him, "I have only been in this town for a week, and so have told no one of my discovery. Honestly, I just haven't trusted anyone yet. But you are reputed to be an honest man, as well as an intelligent man. I am hoping that I can trust you."

Hamund could tell, from the tone in Lleu's voice, that there was a plan behind his visit to this shoppe this day. "You believe there are more pieces like this, and intend to find their source."

Lleu placed his hands on the counter and leaned forward excitedly. "I am not a fool. I know that this necklace is worth a great deal. And its workmanship cannot be singular. It appears to be a cultural piece...belonging to some long lost civilization, I am sure."

Hamund folded his arms across his chest. "A long lost civilization, perhaps. But you found this necklace in Daelom's River."

"And?"

"That means it came from the Hon-abrel Mountains. That means your lost civilization is to be found in the Hon-abrel Mountains."

"And your family, having resided in Daelom for generations, is said to know this area better than anyone-"

"But not the Hon-abrels."

"How can that be? The mountains loom over this town's very doorstep!"

The shopkeeper shook his head. "You are obviously not from anywhere near here."

"I am not," Lleu stated. "I am from Riversburg. But what of it?"

"Simply put, there are beasts in those mountains... monstrous beasts. It is dangerous and harsh enough just living at the base of these giant mountains, let alone risking all we work for to venture into their forests." Hamund pushed the necklace back toward Lleu. "I am sorry. I appreciate you coming here today, but I neither have the money to buy this from you, nor the desire to risk losing my family and my business. Men who go into the Hon-abrels don't come out."

"Lleu looked down at the necklace. "Monstrous beasts you say? Well I say that is superstitious nonsense." The disappointment of being rejected was visible in his expression.

Hamund offered, "Do not lose heart. Your situation is far from bleak." He laughed. "Truthfully, I envy you. You can take this necklace to Alidaan and sell it for more that what I profit in a year!"

Lleu did not look encouraged. "I admit that the idea of how much it could be worth has me excited, but there is more to it." He took the necklace and placed it back in his knapsack. For a moment, he did nothing more. He simply stood before the shopkeeper in silence. Then he said, "Perhaps I am too much a dreamer..." He paused to hang his knapsack over his shoulder, and then said in a lighter tone, "I suppose the necklace has awakened my boyhood curiosities and need for adventure again."

"There is more to it than that, though, isn't there."

Lleu looked at the shopkeeper almost sadly. "Do you ever ask yourself, 'What has my life been worth?'" He then sighed. "I have accomplished nothing, and I don't want to die...meaningless."

Hamund thought about the other's words for a short time. "I would not feel right with myself if I encouraged you to run off into those mountains, for my opinion is still that no good can come from it. But..." He paused while he debated whether or not to continue. "If you are determined, then perhaps I could at least point you in a more successful direction. There is a village called Pranow not far from here. Do you know of it?"

Lleu nodded. "I have heard of it."

"Go to Pranow and ask for a man by the name of Garst. He is the only one I know of that has gone into the Hon-abrels and come out again. And not just once. As I understand it, he lost a close friend to those mountains over a decade ago. He has been obsessed with finding that friend, refusing to believe he is dead. The poor fool lives a sad life, and he is doomed to die without ever seeing his friend again. But his wreckless disregard for his own life could prove useful to you, for he knows the Hon-abrels better than anyone."

Hope reappeared in Lleu's eyes. "Garst was his name?"

"The south road will take you to Pranow. The village is no more than a day's ride from here."

(TO BE CONTINUED...)