Thralls of a Dread Lord (1.25T)
Welcome to my weekly serial. This is a rough draft that I am working on, for your reading pleasure.
It is a fairly grim tale, so be warned.
Here is the first post from this series.
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Up the mountain they flew, chased by the distant howling of bargheist hounds and the war-horns of the Bloodaxe clan. Grass and Conifers gave way to snow and slate. As the drifts deepened, Retaak took the lead, using his bulk to plow through for the rest of his band. Only Uyage kept to her own path, as nimble as a goat.
“We need to throw them off our trail,” shouted Uyage, pacing alongside Retaak.
“Can you shoot the hounds?” asked Uyaashie, loping behind them, her breath steaming in the cold.
“A waste of arrows,” proclaimed Ashoktyaar, using his long arms to help keep up with the faster members of the band. “Bargheist hounds take a lot of killin’ and wounding them only encourages them.”
“They’re a lot like trolls in that regard,” quipped Kuzat.
“That they are,” agreed Ashoktyaar with a grin.
“Make for the narrows,” said Retaak.
Uyage, loyal as ever, sped off across the snow, barely leaving a trace on the powder. Retaak kept running, but controlled his pace. The air was thinner here.
“Conserve your energy, in case we have to fight,” said Retaak.
“Fighting would be madness,” said Uyaashie.
“True,” agreed Retaak. “But surrendering to the Blood Axes would be much worse. Whoever is paying them will wipe us from the face of Bemachhorak. I doubt even Wechegak could save you from them. Better to rot in the maggot pits than disappear and be forgotten. If we have to fight, at least we stand some chance if we still have strength to lift a blade.”
“We could paint this mountain red and be remembered for that!” growled Ashoktyaar.
“I would rather be remembered as being rich and crafty and dying in the arms of a beautiful woman,” laughed Kuzat.
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They ran and ran, stopping only briefly to let the slower Ashoktyaar catch up. The air grew colder and thinner, but they endured and kept moving, keeping ahead of the Bloodaxes.
After what seemed like a very long time, Retaak spotted the narrows, a deep series of crevasses that served as a passage through this part of the mountains. The sight of the wedge that led into them was so welcome that it lifted his thoughts. It was dangerous, but the terrain was perfect for fighting when outnumbered and, with cunning, for escaping their pursuers.
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“You want to cause an avalanche in here? on purpose?” asked Uyage.
Avalanches in the narrows were greatly feared by those venturing through them. Ice build up, snow, mud, and even unstable eroded rock contributed to the chances. Fortunately they tended to be fairly self contained due to the terrain.
“How would we control it?” asked Ashoktyaar.
“I was thinking of climbing to the top and starting it somehow,” said Retaak, trying to sound confident.
“Maybe the sounds of the hounds howling will bring the place down,” said Kuzat, looking around the sides of the crevasse, honeycombed with tunnels, big and small. As if in answer, a howl echoed through the rocks.
“Too late,” muttered Ashoktyaar. “Time to get our blades wet.”
“Wait, I have something that could work,” said Uyaashie, holding up a sphere the size of an apple that swirled with blue and orange liquid.
“A dwarven mining charge,” said Kuzat, whistling.
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