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Maw of the Dragon
Chapter 1
The blinding cold of the mountains almost overruled his comfort in the inner part of the tree he rested in. The mountain pass had been snowed on a few days before and the day was growing long. It was the middle of the day when he noted movement coming around the road. He jumped to another tree and then to the ground, following the tracks in the foot-deep snow. He said nothing as he followed the tracks, bow out and notching an arrow before crouching, following a few figures. He headed back to the road, climbing up the tree and into the branches, watching some cloaked figures waiting by the roadside. It was a very quiet day, the only noise coming from a horse drawn carriage and several other horses riding along. Silently he drew the bowstring back, eyes intent from under his hood. He had a scarf of a mottled light brown and white, blending in with the tree and the snow the evergreen held in its branches. He balanced on the branch like he had done so many times before. He was suspicious of the figures by the roadside, not much movement ever came through this stretch of the highway, but this seemed to be a special day.
He noticed daggers and he let arrows fly, killing three of those who were armed. As the caravan moved closer to what looked to be the point of ambush. He noticed people starting to move and started to notch arrows and draw the bowstring back again. He waited until the assassin’s leapt out of the underbrush, loosing the arrows quickly to prevent the deaths of those in the caravan. He jumped down, the one remaining assassin crawling along the ground. He watched silently as the man died, the guards getting off their horses and surrounding the man, one of the guards put the assassin out of his misery, a sword into the back, severing the spinal cord. He grimaced and lowered his hood and face guard, his long hair and beard with his moustache all had ice crystals forming in them.
“Greetings travelers, sorry for the hold up. Apologies for the attack, I try to keep this route clean, its not always possible. The head of the guards nodded.
“Thank you for your assistance, sir. If I may be so bold, what is your name and profession, that we may properly repay your kindness at a later date? It is imperative that we get along this road as swiftly as possible.”
“How come? Surely you know the dangers of this stretch of road. The road up ahead is iced over and runs close to a steep cliff, you would be best waiting out the storm. It is not even a week until spring comes and the ice melts. As for your question, my name is Ryvn Kesler, Ranger of the western keep, second division serving the Regency of Atlaea.” He said calmly. “You are passing through Atlaean lands, and it is my duty to see that those who do pass through remain safe.”
One of the guards raised an eyebrow. “If this is a populated country, then why haven’t we seen anyone here? It seems a bit odd to me, if you don’t mind my saying…”
“Hold your tongue, Ericson. I won’t have you soil my family’s good standing for doubts and suspicions.” A voice came, obviously female. Ryvn turned his attention to the carriage, a warmly dressed woman in a very fine dress. Ryvn had never seen the likes of it before. It was very fine, and it must have been made in a very rich city somewhere outside the relatively large nation of Atlaea. He was caught off guard. “I would like to apologize… Ryvn was it? … for my guard’s impertinence. He should not have been allowed to speak as he did. We are grateful that you stopped this attempt on my life.” As she spoke again, Ryvn’s face tensed up and he moved to look at the would-be assassins, kneeling down into the snow and pulling off a patch from the uniform. He stood up, eyes narrowing as he folded it up and put it into his bag.
“With assassins about, and the road blocked with ice, I regret to inform you that we will have to put you up in lodging in a nearby city for a while until the road becomes safe.”
“M’lady, you should listen to him, he knows the road better considering we’ve never been this way before. Besides, I don’t feel willing to let you travel with assassin’s lining the road.”
“Very well, Captain. If you will, good ranger, lead on.” The well-dressed woman said before getting back into the carriage.
“Mind the gap.” He said as he walked to the right side of the path, clapping his hands so that the mirage hiding the road to the east. “It’s a long haul to the next town.” He added as he began walking down the snowy path, leading the caravan down into the valley before closing the mirror again.
 Lysander the silent · Sat Dec 31, 2011 @ 09:38pm · 0 Comments |
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