They met at King’s Inn at the end of the day. There are no kings in Highland. The only government is local and the church. Kingdoms, according to the church, are one of the three deadly sins that led to the great cataclysm. King’s Inn is owned by Rex King. Gralen asked Will at least once whenever they visited if he knew that “Rex’s first name is his last name in the ancient tongue?” Will usually answered, “uh, yeah, now I do.”
Charlotte and Gralen laid out the plan to Will and Sam.
“Four days there, three days exploring, four days back,” said Gralen. “The moon is nearly full now, it will be a good time to spend in the woods. We’ll have a full moon in three days, and we’ll be back before its gone.”
“Equal shares of any money or saleable items we bring back,” said Charlotte. “We’ll be like a merchant company, but our mine will be ruins and our lode the lost treasure of the Astronomers.”
“The company of the lost stars,” said Gralen. “If we can find Kristagna it should be lucrative.”
“I didn’t know you were so interested in money,” said Will to Gralen.
“The Astronomers knew many strange magics,” said Gralen. “If I can find their notes, I might be able to reconstruct some of their spells.”
“You’re sure there’s money there?” asked Sam.
“We’re not sure of anything,” said Gralen.
“I am,” said Charlotte. “No one has ever found it, it has to still be there. Unlike Illustrious Castle north of us, which has been stripped bare, Kristagna is south of the road.”
“So what were the two castles fighting over?” asked Will.
“Knowledge,” said Gralen. “Or theory. The old scholastic orders took their science very seriously. A scholastic question would sometimes be settled on the field of battle, and a dispute could erupt into war.”
“That’s crazy,” said Will.
“That’s why most of these Orders died out,” said Charlotte. “I think the only remaining orders are the Knights of the Thistle and the Knights C¾lius.”
“How do we know the Astronomers are gone?” asked Will.
“No one’s heard from them in years,” said Gralen. “No one comes from there, and no one ever travels there.”
“No one travels there for a reason,” said Sam. “Monsters live there!”
“Okay,” said Will. “I could do this. If we do find gold, I could set up my own caravan company.”
He turned to Sam.
“You could work for me if you wanted.”
“If we come back with gold,” said Sam, “I’m never working for anyone ever again.”
“We’ll need to be prepared,” said Charlotte. “Each of us will need food and water to last a week. Water we can replenish in the forest. Food we probably can replenish, but bring dry food for emergencies.”
“And arms,” said Sam. “Just in case.”
“Bring blankets and clothing. I’ll make sure we have a donkey to carry it,” said Gralen.
They started out on the following morning, after each searched the town for the equipment they thought they might need. They had staves, and rope, and lanterns and oil. Each carried dried berries, cheese, and bread, and a skin of water. They loaded everything they didn’t carry themselves onto the donkey.
“To the company of the lost stars,” said Charlotte, raising her staff to the still visible moon as they stood in the cold morning air.
“The company of the daft song is more like it,” said Will. “But if the song is right about the breasts,” he continued, “then what about the thing that gropes the wood?”
|
There are few items more useful to the adventurer than the “ten foot pole”. That and a coil of silken rope have gotten adventurers out of an infinite number of problems. |
“I wouldn’t touch that line with a ten foot pole,” said Sam, tapping him on the head with the ten foot pole she was using as a walking stick. Will turned bright red.
“What’s with the blackbird?” asked Sam, pointing at a bird that was circling above them.
“That’s not a good sign,” said Will, and he cranked up his crossbow.
Gralen gently pushed the crossbow down.
“This particular raven is a very good sign,” he said.
Sam set her staff before her and began walking.
“It’s not for no reason that going crazy is called gone south,” said Sam. “Let’s go.”
With the sun still hidden behind the High Divide, the company of the daft song walked across the leather road and into the deep forest.