Ooh, Spooky Season

 

The child shuddered in the soft seat of the landskiff. Though the night was warm, a memory seemed to waft through the darkened branches of the woods and brought a chill of eeriness to her senses. They moved slowly along, not working the engine too hard since it was dark and they had plenty of time. The trees which lined one side of the way began to spread across their sky, enveloping the wide fields to the right. As the road entered a dense grove, it turned, hiding the future from view.

The memory had faded, and her attention had returned to the shapes of trees against the twilight sky. It was nearly full dark, but there was a barest tinge of indigo blue left to distinguish air from earth. Before this color the branches tangled black with funny limbs reaching and blocking the heavens. They could not keep them all out though, and she found some comfort in the safety of the road. It cut through the landscape wide enough for a gap to remain above them, even as the woods grew thicker.

For a moment as they approached the curve, the land to either side disappeared into the blackness of the trees. As soon as it began to return though, so did the eerie feeling. The lighting was suddenly not right for the time of day, or for the place. At first she thought it must be a show of some sort that they now approached; a circus or players with lights. Something did not feel right though, and she realized there was no sound of the usual merriment that accompanied those events. There were sounds, but they were too faint and few to be a joyous crowd. The road completed its bend, and they were shown the open scene. Transported past the light and smoke, she gasped in astonished horror.

The road at this point crossed a broad murky waterway that filtered in from the woods to great marsh jungles that stretched for miles under the open sky. A vast inland sea reached in shallow fingers here that were themselves vast and deep to her young eyes. On the near side of the causeway bridge was an access point; an open area of reinforced land with water frontage for boats of all kinds. These access points usually fostered a small village center. Traders and boatmen would often have houses nearby, as the landing provided a good marketplace with visitation from local cities. This fishers village however, seemed to be no longer inhabited by such agreeable folk.

The stalls of the marketplace were empty and dark, though that was not unusual for the time of day. A few of the houses were smoldering, though none seemed to be fully ablaze. There was a general sense of destruction about the whole place, and she suspected there had been more buildings where the ground seemed especially blackened. In the center market square a huge pyre had been built, and the blaze of this flame illuminated the whole grove with flickering yellow light. The higher branches of the nearby trees glowed in a weird second sunset that came from below.

It was not only the strange lighting and signs of destruction that caused the uneasy feeling. Those around the fire were not random party-goers or bandit looters. They did not seem to be drinking overly much, or celebrating in the wild natures of the usual troublemakers. Instead a low murmur came from the group, as if they conferred with each other as they went about business. Peering over the edge of the skiff as it passed by, she could see them from the roadway. They were dressed in black robes, all roughly alike in manner. Only one was hooded, and that one stood a short distance apart. One approached the hooded figure, seemed to confer something, and then returned to the others near the flames. The landskiff sped quietly by, its passengers hoping to remain unnoticed. It is known not to ask about what one sees in the marsh at night.

As they crossed the causeway, she could hear the sounds from the landing change. The words of the robed group, though still muffled by distance, became more focused and rhythmic. What to her ears was clearly a chant rose in volume as they sped away. They crossed the bridge and she thought the fire seemed to flicker with the chant and change its color. She saw greens and purples strike against the upflung branches and the trees thrilled in a shock of the ceremony, moving in strange ways. But it could all have been only the lateness of the hour and the imagination of her young mind. Whatever the black-robed cultists were doing, that road was behind her now. In the hills there was more and deeper forest, and the reaching branches of those trees would protect her from whatever else might reach for her out of the swamps and the night.

Lunch at Lincoln Cities

 

“You don't think he could've been waylaid by robbers before this point? We know the roads and field-groves are dangerous.”

“Not a chance,” Ayleah replied, “Telon is one of the most powerful scholars I've met. He's more than capable of dealing with highwaymen.”

They were stopped at a sunny park by the side of the road. Around them sprouted the buildings of the Lincoln Cities; a small populated region in the open river valley. Leb had agreed to accompany her this far at least, since he had his own business in the larger settlements. He said he could not come with her on her trip into the mountains, but that ranging parties often left from the Lincoln Cities, and one of them would be happy to take her on. Near the roadside park was also an enclosed marketplace that served as a way-station and provider of supplies for the rural settlements uphill. In addition to the hermit village of Battell and the high-elevation settlements, numerous spiritual communities called the slopes of the Lincoln Mountain home. As the two sat eating lunch, they observed evidence of all this in the happy bustle of the cities and the streets.

Their talk turned from the dangers of the road to more esoteric threats. Leb was concerned about the possible presence of dark cultists in the area. He agreed with the others that Ayleah should leave for Battell as soon as possible, and would probably even be safer amongst a trustworthy party in the wild forest. Ayleah was ever the more eager to find Telon's whereabouts, though she had private worries about joining some strange supply caravan. She wished Niisi could have come along.

Ayleah could see the care Niisi had for her in her eyes and the way she carefully packed items in Ayleah's bag. She had prepared some protective wards according to the teachings of her family, including herbs and mineral substances that would help Ayleah hide from evil sight and open easy paths before her. She had also packed medicines and healing salves for the journey, should the protection charms not be sufficient. They had shared only a moment's bittersweetness before Ayleah left. Niisi had her own concerns to tend to, and now had to be more vigilant in case there were nefarious forces about.

Ayleah realized her mind had wandered from the present conversation with Leb, and she drew him back into focus. They had finished their lunch and were relaxing on an open green space. While they had been eating, one of the expedition parties was preparing transports in the wide sunny field. Like some of the trucks she had been in at home, these were designed for rugged rural trails. Their repulsars had extra friction power for use on steep angles of rock and the sides of the vehicle were often tall and armored also, with the driver sitting higher than normal for a better command of the terrain. Each one carried a load of supplies, tied down in packs that balanced the weight as evenly as possible.

Leb indicated that she might join this group, as they seemed to be planning to leave at a good time for her purposes. Ayleah had not expressed her uncertainty of strangers to Leb, and said nothing. She looked at the group making preparations across the green, studying the air of comradery between them.

It was a short while later, and Leb was considering a nap on the grass. Ayleah looked up from her journal to see a captain from the expedition party striding towards them. She nudged Leb, who opened his eyes and gazed curiously at the approaching young man.

“Old friends and new! How fitting it is to see you two here at this moment!” Jaen was dressed for his trip to the mountain, regaled in the trappings of a wilderness commander. He actually looked quite dashing, Ayleah thought, with his high boots, close-fitting utility straps, and gleaming metallic helm. The helm had a very short brim and a golden crest that told of his position in the crew, and he had an upright manner to his posture that told of a newfound confidence somewhere within.

“Here I am, readying my crew to ascend the hills, and I find some of my favorite people to send me off!” Leb greeted his friend, and they told of Ayleah's trouble at the Eagle Bend marketplace. Jaen had heard rumor of nefarious folk around, and this confirmed all his suspicions. Upon hearing the full nature of her story, he immediately entreated Ayleah to come with his party.

“Guarantee there's no place you'll be safer than with my band over there! We're bound for the Lincoln Peak, which is by way of the Battell communities, so we can show you the way. We're taking supplies, but a good number of our company are also skilled fighters and rangers, so should any trouble come to find us on the road you can be sure we'll quickly send it on its way. Come with us Ayleah, it will make both our journeys so much better and besides,” he added, “why go into the unknown with some pack of strange rangers when you could go with a friend?”

They left later that afternoon for the Hill of the Elders at the edge of the cities. The next day the party turned toward the mountain and began to climb.