The Home Stone

The next morning Shannon, Kirin, and Brendan along with Sapphira, her scribe and six other female warriors set out just as the sun crested the eastern tips that encircled the forest and lake. It looked to become a beautiful day with the sun shining in a cloudless sky. The lake had a mirror finish and off into the middle of the calm, clear water of the morning silence, was shattered by the calling of a Loon. The boats were packed and the party pushed the crafts out onto the lake. As the sun climbed higher in the sky a faint mist rose up off the surface of the water, partially hiding the canoes from sight. This time they took a different route than when the three had been captured and brought to the village.

By the middle of the day they reached the other side of the lake and had their meal on the far banks of Crater Lake. From here they would travel on foot until they reached the entrance to the tunnels, but that would still be a full day’s travel. Enough food had been packed so that no one would spend time having to hunt for food. Sapphira wanted to reach Evermore as soon as possible. After the meal had been consumed they group continued and entered the forest. No one spoke as they trekked along a well-trodden trail. It was a mixed forest with fir trees growing beside birch and other hard wood trees. Every once in a while, the noise from their boots hitting against the hardened trail scared up a grouse that made some of the party jump to the side in fear of an attack. Laughter arose at the sight of some of the less experienced hunters grabbing their weapons as the noisy birds took flight.

The time passed quickly and by early evening they stopped and set up camp. Just before they all turned in, Sapphira came and sat down beside Shannon, who was sitting just beyond the light of the campfire. The elf girl heard her coming and turn to face the queen of the warrior tribe.

“I wish to speak to you in private if I may,” the queen began. “What would happen to me or any that accompany me when we arrive in your world?”

“That is hard to say,” answered the elf. “But as far as any harm coming to you, you needn’t worry. I will make sure that the High Council in Evermore will understand what has happened.”

This seemed to reassure her, but she added that she wanted the scribe to accompany the rogue so that he would not try to escape again. Not until she had spoken with her son. After that she assured the elf that she would not interfere with the two anymore. They would be free to live their lives any way they wanted.

Shannon smiled and said. “Never would I have thought that the Valcorans could be so compassionate. You are not at all what others make of you and your tribe.”

“We have to remain strong and give the notion that we will not be trifled with,” answered the queen. “If we let people think that, we would have been conquered a long time ago.”

The conversation passed back and forth for a while longer until the camp fell silent. Posting a watch for the night Sapphira and Shannon unrolled their blankets and lay down for the night. The group slept peacefully all night and when morning came the three friends and eight warriors were well on their way to the entrance of the tunnels. They would reach it by the time the sun stood straight overhead.

It was another beautiful start to the day, but the smell of rain descended as the morning turned to midday. Heavy clouds forced their way over the mountain peaks and slowly covered the sky. By the time they reached the edge of the forest a slight drizzle had begun to fall. Shannon recognized the grassy slope as she looked beyond the trees, but what she saw did not make her happy. There, at the entrance of the tunnel stood six battle-hardened dwarfs. They were guarding the mouth of the passage.

Sapphira stopped the group and ordered four of the warriors to act as if they were hunting and approach the dwarfs to find out what was going on. The four dropped their packs and slowly wandered out into the open. The dwarfs immediately recognized the four as Valcorans and offered the information the four sought. After some friendly goodbyes, the four returned to the forest where the rest of the group was waiting. The queen was quick to ask for an explanation.

“It seems that our friends here did some damage when they killed two of their friends while in the tunnels,” the commander said. “They are searching all the tunnels for the perpetrators. The goblins that inhabit the lower levels have declared war on the dwarfs and the rest of us, since they too suffered at the hands of the elves.”

Sapphira turned to Kirin and the group and asked. “Do you think you can explain this to me? We cannot pass through the mountain anymore, so we will have no other choice, but to take the high route instead. I thought that by now it would have been safe to travel this route, but I am glad that we have brought the extra gear with us.”

The three did their best to explain what had happened and Kirin promised that if the dwarfs began to harass the Valcorans, he would send an elven army to aid the village of Valcore. Sapphira promised to try and straighten out this mess as soon as she came back from the elven lands. Gathering up their supplies the party moved back into the forest and headed over to the pass.

“The pass,” the queen explained, “isn’t as easy as one might think. There are slippery and loose stones all over the floor of the pass and hidden crevasses that would kill anyone that slipped or strayed from the trail. It will take us about two days walking and the nights will be cold as the snow up there hasn’t melted yet. There is no wood for a fire, so we will have to bring enough to keep us warm during the cold night. The morning after second day, the trail will become easier, as it will be all downhill. So dress and keep as warm as you can.”

This was sound advice, as Shannon remembered when she and her friends emerged from the tunnels and entered the valley just west of the black tower, known as The Tower of Tophet, some twenty years ago. It was cold then and they did not have the luxury of furs to keep them warm that time.

They made camp in the foothills just below the passage early so they could prepare better for the next morning’s trek through the narrow pass. Enough wood was gathered and distributed among the group of eleven. It would be a tough climb as it would all be uphill. That night, Shannon, after making sure that all were asleep and just the night watch was not too close to her, she tried to send a message to William. Sitting on a rock just outside the light of the campfire, she began to concentrate on his face. Sending her body into a deep trance, the elf found her way to the tiny ship that was anchored near the mouth of the river. In spirit she entered the cabin and floated down the steep steps to where the elf was sleeping. There she entered his mind and spoke to him, explaining that he had to hide Sean from the queen until they reached Evermore. With that done, Shannon’s spirit returned to her body. Waking from her trance Shannon returned to where she was to sleep and rolled up into her bedroll.