smile was kind. He was definitely the merchant’s brother.
~ ~ ~
As his wife tended to the customers, Aya told him what Jent had told her. Gevn dusted his hands on a scrap of faded cloth tucked into his belt. He then rubbed his chin with the side of his hand, a habit surely picked up from his elder brother, leaving a smudge of white flour. “Ah, yes. Have you heard any of the rumors floating about as of late? Here in Barda if its not fish that someone is flappin’ his gums about, its silly rumors. Can’t say I believe them myself- I have yet to see any spooks or fiends anywhere near this part of Demaria. But I digress,” He said with an apologetic wave of a hand, sending a light shower of flour to the floor. “Let’s see… by following the Ribbon back toward its source you’ll reach a wooded Pass that heads directly into the Krintal Mountains. Sometimes we get Dwarprihn travelers through Barda. Not often, but sometimes.” The baker seemed so honestly excited about potentialDwarprihn visitors it made Aya think that what he had said about the rumors was most likely true. But she wasn’t interested in that, courtesy could wait.
“Do you know what the Pass is called perchance?”
“Let’s see… Genlo, the Pass of Genlo. It was named after a Bren merchant who came through these parts on a pilgrimage to Eastern Demaria. I heard it said that he was the one to show the first people of Barda how to catch fish and benefit fullest from the river.”
“The Pass of Genlo to the east, okay. Do you know how long these rumors of odd occurrences have been circulating?”
“Not too long. Just started really but that’s how rumors are here- full blown the moment it passes a person’s lips!”
“Thank you very much. You’ve been very helpful.”
“Ah, sure thing. I better get back to work before my wife says something. Here, take this. Fea makes a great jam from Jent’s surplus.” Gevn handed her a jar. Clasping her hand to it, he bowed his shoulders in farewell. With that, the baker went back into the kitchen. Fea winked at Aya and waved before turning back to an elderly woman, who was trying to decide between wheat or sour doughs.
Glancing down at the small jar and up again, the young Bren smiled. Stepping back out into the city, she told Serrtin what she had learned.
Chapter 5
In a remote cavern far from civilization, high atop a lone snowcrag peak, a figure sat upon the cold stone ground oblivious to the deadly chill and watched the passage of time. Frigid water dripping from stalagtites into a puddle of half-ice was the only sound so deep within the cavern. Even the ever-present storm that howled and battered the mountaintop was only a distant hum.
Formerly the den of a large snowdrake, the caverns interior was worn smooth from centuries of passage by the great beast.
But the figure that now occupied the den did not appreciate the significance as he sat alone in the darkness.
There was a reason he remained so far into un-traveled inhospitable lands such as Nothgar, why he was alone, why he chose that precise location without fear of the fatal kiss of icy weather. He had all the time in the world to wait and to plan. All the time in the world and into the next as well if he so chose.
Eyes that burned like blackened jewels flared open suddenly and life animated a body untouched by colds paralysis. He moved to the snowdrip puddle and crouched. Sweeping a hand over it, the surface stilled its ripples and an image formed within it. The absolute pitch of the cavern mattered not for he could see what transpired unhindered.
“At last, you have chosen to make your move. I have been waiting for a long time, make this interesting.” The figure spoke softly to the water as if it could hear him. “Your mechanisms will be short-lived. I’ll see to that…”
~ ~ ~
“Have fun scaring the locals?” Aya asked, draping her mare’s reins over her plating to free up her hands as they headed out of Barda. The pair
~ ~ ~
As his wife tended to the customers, Aya told him what Jent had told her. Gevn dusted his hands on a scrap of faded cloth tucked into his belt. He then rubbed his chin with the side of his hand, a habit surely picked up from his elder brother, leaving a smudge of white flour. “Ah, yes. Have you heard any of the rumors floating about as of late? Here in Barda if its not fish that someone is flappin’ his gums about, its silly rumors. Can’t say I believe them myself- I have yet to see any spooks or fiends anywhere near this part of Demaria. But I digress,” He said with an apologetic wave of a hand, sending a light shower of flour to the floor. “Let’s see… by following the Ribbon back toward its source you’ll reach a wooded Pass that heads directly into the Krintal Mountains. Sometimes we get Dwarprihn travelers through Barda. Not often, but sometimes.” The baker seemed so honestly excited about potentialDwarprihn visitors it made Aya think that what he had said about the rumors was most likely true. But she wasn’t interested in that, courtesy could wait.
“Do you know what the Pass is called perchance?”
“Let’s see… Genlo, the Pass of Genlo. It was named after a Bren merchant who came through these parts on a pilgrimage to Eastern Demaria. I heard it said that he was the one to show the first people of Barda how to catch fish and benefit fullest from the river.”
“The Pass of Genlo to the east, okay. Do you know how long these rumors of odd occurrences have been circulating?”
“Not too long. Just started really but that’s how rumors are here- full blown the moment it passes a person’s lips!”
“Thank you very much. You’ve been very helpful.”
“Ah, sure thing. I better get back to work before my wife says something. Here, take this. Fea makes a great jam from Jent’s surplus.” Gevn handed her a jar. Clasping her hand to it, he bowed his shoulders in farewell. With that, the baker went back into the kitchen. Fea winked at Aya and waved before turning back to an elderly woman, who was trying to decide between wheat or sour doughs.
Glancing down at the small jar and up again, the young Bren smiled. Stepping back out into the city, she told Serrtin what she had learned.
Chapter 5
In a remote cavern far from civilization, high atop a lone snowcrag peak, a figure sat upon the cold stone ground oblivious to the deadly chill and watched the passage of time. Frigid water dripping from stalagtites into a puddle of half-ice was the only sound so deep within the cavern. Even the ever-present storm that howled and battered the mountaintop was only a distant hum.
Formerly the den of a large snowdrake, the caverns interior was worn smooth from centuries of passage by the great beast.
But the figure that now occupied the den did not appreciate the significance as he sat alone in the darkness.
There was a reason he remained so far into un-traveled inhospitable lands such as Nothgar, why he was alone, why he chose that precise location without fear of the fatal kiss of icy weather. He had all the time in the world to wait and to plan. All the time in the world and into the next as well if he so chose.
Eyes that burned like blackened jewels flared open suddenly and life animated a body untouched by colds paralysis. He moved to the snowdrip puddle and crouched. Sweeping a hand over it, the surface stilled its ripples and an image formed within it. The absolute pitch of the cavern mattered not for he could see what transpired unhindered.
“At last, you have chosen to make your move. I have been waiting for a long time, make this interesting.” The figure spoke softly to the water as if it could hear him. “Your mechanisms will be short-lived. I’ll see to that…”
~ ~ ~
“Have fun scaring the locals?” Aya asked, draping her mare’s reins over her plating to free up her hands as they headed out of Barda. The pair
Similar Books
