High in the Grey Tower

Chapter Six

The monotony of traveling had finally numbed the uneasiness of Ruth's stomach and soon he had fully recovered from the incident on the first night of their journey. The Remdragon knights had traveled for what seemed like both years and hours at the same time. The only thing that marked their progress was the slow dwindling of the vegetation around them as lush trees and grass were soon replaced by dry dirt and large rocks.

The horses became weary from the long days as their hoofs trodded along the rocky path and the air became drier. However, the knights remained as diligent as ever. Their food rations were replenished as they passed through countless villages and towns, but in the last leg of the journey, they passed fewer and fewer settlements along their way. They needed to stock up as much as possible before they reached the Lexos mountains, but they hadn't passed a village in days.

The monster attacks were also slowing down. In the beginning, there seemed to be a pocket of monsters around every corner, however, once they left Wedon, they began to see fewer and fewer monsters. Ruth wondered if it was dumb luck that they had gone so long without catching even a glimpse of a goblin or lizardfolk. The last ambush on the knights had left them more irritated than anything as the occurrence of streams and lakes was becoming scarce. The knights' previously shining silver armor was now splattered and soiled with blood. Under the ever glaring Sun, their bloodstained clothes and armor were beginning to stink.

Maybe that's what's keeping the monsters away, Ruth mused.

Ruth pursed his lips as the knights neared a deep ravine, silently praying there would be a stream running down the middle. Not only had the knights not bathed in days due to a lack of water -- they were parched. Most of their fresh water supply went to the horses these days. The knights' pace slowed as they carefully navigated down into the ravine.

Much to Ruth's relief there was, indeed, a small stream trickling its way down the ravine. The horses let out hearty huffs of air as the knights dismounted and brought them to the stream to drink. The men eagerly refilled their canteens and started to strip down in an attempt to wash themselves of days of dirt, sweat, and blood. An optimistic choice Ruth noted, as the stream barely reached their ankles, but the knights were splashing around contently as they cleaned themselves and scrubbed their armor of the black monster blood.

Ruth opted for a more dignified approach and squatted down on a rock, dipping a scrap of fabric into the running water and washing himself down. He had to admit that the cool water felt amazing on his skin. The thick cover from the treetops had all but gone and Ruth could feel his face weathering from the Sun. His pale skin had turned a brick red on the back of his neck and his cheeks were tinged with crimson as well. Rubbing his neck with the cool water was like quenching a hot iron. He tore up some herbs from his sack and mashed them up with the water, creating a thick paste that he slathered on his neck.

The knights decided to take a moment to eat their rations while they were stopped and had access to water. The morale of the knights seemed higher than it had been in weeks. Such a small stream had somehow reinvigorated their weary souls and they could almost forget that the most challenging part of the journey was still ahead of them. For now, all they had to worry about was Riftan's unwavering stare over them as they light-heartedly ate their lunch.

Unfortunately, their time at the stream came to an end as they all mounted their horses again and began to travel down the ravine. The walls of the ravine were so close that the knights had to split into the lines of single file on either side of the stream. They urged their horses forward and navigated around the sharp edges of the walls around them. Soon, the Sun had begun to set and the end of the ravine was nowhere in sight. Riftan let out a sigh audible even to the back of the ranks.

"We must forge on. It's too dangerous to spend the night in such a place," Riftan's voice called. Ruth cast a wary glance behind them -- if there were any monsters in this ravine they would certainly know about their whereabouts now. However, Ruth saw no signs of them being followed and turned his eyes back to the front.

Just then, there was a deafening crack that shot the horses into a frenzy. Ruth whirled himself around to the sound of the noise and was shocked to see rocks from the top of the walls of the ravine racing down towards them. He swiftly urged his horse into a sprint as the knights scrambled forward through the narrow passage. Muttered curses were chorused throughout the ranks and the pounding of the horses' hoofs on the uneven ground was erratic.

Ruth stole another glance backward as the landslide continued behind them. They were outrunning the collapsing walls, but only for now. The rubble seemed like it was chasing them forward like a predator sprinting down its prey. The sound of the debris crumbling down around them rang like thunder through the ravine and sent a chill down Ruth's spine. He could hardly contain the panting coming from his lungs as his body screamed for his horse to run faster.

"Damn it! This ravine doesn't stop," one of the knights muttered from his side. The pitch black of the night seemed to drop like a blanket on them all at once. The previously warm evening light had disappeared and was replaced by an eerie darkness like a living nightmare. How long had they been running? Ruth resisted the urge to bite his lip as they continued sprinting forward.

Suddenly, the roaring sound of the rocks collapsing stopped, and the knights brought their pace to a jog. Ruth turned around and observed the cloud of dust that was rising from the mountain of rubble. The deafening sound of the landslide was replaced with the pounding of his heart in his ears. He smiled bitterly as they watched the stream's flow stall to a halt and exchanged nervous glances among themselves. Everyone seemed to turn to Riftan at the same time, who opened his mouth to speak.

Before the commander could utter a word there was a piercing cry from beyond the debris and the distinct sound of flapping wings rang through the darkness.