Chapter Twenty Six
Leaving the crossroads behind, they take the northern road through the forest where they’re told Ironhold will be found. Dave and Miko are dead set against going but follow along as they have no choice since they’re unwilling to abandon James.
Following the road through the trees affords them some protection against the bite of the wind. The further north they travel the denser the trees lining the road become and the thicker the canopy of leaves above them.
Their horses’ hooves crunch with every step as they ride through the layers of dead leaves the coming of fall has deposited upon the road. A few lone travelers are encountered coming from the north but none are talkative and keep to themselves.
By the end of the day they’re still within the forest. When the light begins to fade they find a clearing alongside the road and make camp. At least this night the trees will keep the elements at bay and hopefully James won’t freeze again.
Once camp has been set up, James says, “Get a fire going, I’ll go find us some food.”
“Can I come?” Dave asks.
Nodding, James gives him a grin and says, “Sure.” Miko comes along as well. As he enters the forest, he bends over and picks up several stones which will do nicely. Putting all but one in his pocket, he keeps the other one available in his hand.
“Are you going to kill something?” Dave asks.
“Shhh!” James says to his friend. Then he nods and whispers, “Yeah.”
“I thought you wouldn’t ever kill anything?” he asks.
Shrugging, he replies, “Back home I never would. Here it’s a matter of survival. Now be quiet and keep your eyes open.”
They slowly creep their way further between the trees until Miko lays his hand on James’ shoulder to get his attention. Pointing off to the right, he directs his gaze to a small animal sitting upon a fallen tree.
“Right,” breathes James. Cocking his arm back, he lets loose the magic and throws the stone. It flies through the air and strikes the creature in the head knocking it off the tree.
“You got it!” exclaims Dave as he breaks into a run toward the fallen animal. James and Miko follow.
They find the animal with half its head blown away. “Gross,” Dave says as he bends over and picks it up by its tail. Blood drips from the opening.
“Take it back to camp,” James tells him. “I’ll try to get another before it gets too dark.”
“Alright,” he says and heads back to camp.
Shortly after Dave leaves, James bags another animal. He and Miko then return to camp where the animals are dressed for the fire.
The night passes quickly and in the morning they have a quick breakfast, finishing off the remnants of the roasted animals of the night before. Once done, they mount up and return to the road and continue north.
All day long, the forest alongside the road remains constant. An hour or so after noon, they begin to notice the odor of wood smoke in the air. Shortly after that a cluster of buildings appears along the road out of the forest ahead of them.
“Wish we could’ve stayed there last night,” complains Dave.
“Would have been nice,” replies James. The others just give Dave an annoyed glance.
The village ahead of them doesn’t have all that much going for it, a few main buildings such as an inn and a chandler’s shop and not much else. Scattered amidst the surrounding forest, houses can be seen here and there.
One man is leaving the inn and James rides near and asks, “How much further is Ironhold?”
The man pauses and glances up at him. “About a day and a half,” he replies. “When you reach the foothills you’ll know you’re close.”
“Thank you,” James says and then continues on through. Glancing back, he sees the man hasn’t moved from his spot, merely standing there and staring at them leaving. The way he’s acting gives him the creeps.
Jiron notices him as well and says, “Wonder what that’s all about?”
Shrugging, James says, “Maybe he just wants to remember the fools going to Ironhold.”
Laughing, Jiron nods his head. Jorry and Uther join in.
“What’s so funny?” Miko asks.
“Nothing,” replies James and breaks into a chuckle as well.
They pass through the village and return to the forest. The rest of the day is pretty much as it has been and they finally make camp as the light begins to fade.
James again takes Dave out into the forest and they manage to bag a large animal similar to a deer back home. It’s too encumbering for one to carry so together they bring it back to camp.
Along with the roasted meat from this kill, they also finish the rest of the bread and some of the cheese they had bought from the farmer earlier. Seeing their dwindling supply of food, James wishes he had thought to buy several more day’s worth in that small village they passed through earlier.
What can’t be helped must be endured. Through the night, they keep the fire going and the one on watch continues roasting the meat so they can take most of it with them when they leave.
Early the next morning they break camp and return to the road. “We should be there before night, I think,” James announces.
“I can hardly wait,” moans Dave.
“Cheer up,” his friend tells him. “Doubt if anything will give us trouble there.”
“You know,” Dave says as they ride along, “in the horror movies back home, the person who always says things like that is usually the first to die.”
“So?” asks James. “Those were just movies.”
“I just think you should approach this with a little more gravity than what you are,” he says.
“Don’t think that just because I am not visibly worried that I am carefree,” James tells him. “On the contrary, I’m not. The tales concern me and I intend to use extreme caution and vigilance while there.”
“I hope so,” says Dave.
They ride throughout the day and sometime after lunch the forest begins to thin out and the terrain turns into rolling hills. “Must be getting close,” says James.
Not long after the hills appear they come to a junction. Either they can continue straight or take the road to the left. James continues on straight and from the rear he hears Qyrll say, “We should take the road to the left.”
Coming to a stop just past the left hand road, he turns his head back and asks, “Why?”
“We’ve been gradually turning to the east,” he explains. Pointing to the road branching to the left he says, “That one leads almost due north.”
“Are you sure?” Dave asks.
“Absolutely,” the Parvati replies.
“I think he’s right,” adds Jorry. Uther nods agreement.
Taking a moment, James looks around and notices the way the shadows are falling and begins nodding his head. “I think you’re right,” he agrees. “This way it is.” Turning his horse around, he returns to the other road and they begin following it.
They’re soon to realize this is the right way to go, the trees continue to thin and they catch glimpses through the trees of the mountains ahead of them to the north. Nestled somewhere within them lies the old town of Ironhold.
As they continue through the hills, the trees thin but don’t disappear altogether. Steadily, the hills become steeper and the road meanders first one way then the other in an attempt to follow the gentlest way.
Two hours after they left the other road, the hills open into a sort of plateau before the road reenters the mountains further ahead. A caravan is camped off to one side, other travelers are scattered throughout the area.
“Wonder what this is all about?” asks Jiron.
“I don’t know,” James replies. Giving the area a better scrutiny, he notices many spots which are currently unoccupied which once had been used. Sites of old campfires are seen throughout the plateau area.
Moving along, they come to three men sitting next to a wagon having what looks like stew. They look up as James approaches. “Excuse me,” he says to them. “I was wondering why everyone is camped here? I mean it isn’t that late.”