The Chronicles of Tenroha

Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Chloé had waited until Petra arrived and the four travelers were well on their way to Hjarta-fjalls before she told them of her dream. It would take them three days to walk to the city. And this gave them something to talk about. There were two roads from where they started at Fjalls-rætr that led all the way to the city located at the base of the central most mountain. One road ran along the base of the mountains. that winded its way through a forest and across several rivers and streams before it arrived at their destination. It was a week-long journey that consisted of battling the elements and various creatures of the forest. Not to mention that this road is plagued by giants and trolls, and thus too dangerous for their group.

The path they had chosen had been dug through the mountains. It was not a very straight tunnel, as the dwarves pride themselves on the ability to cut a path through the stone straighter than a razor's edge, but most of the road was constructed by connecting many of the various caves that have been carved out throughout the many years that the mountains have stood. It would take them much longer to navigate the dark tunnels, but the advantages were worth the few extra days.

Once the members of the expedition had traveled several hours, and there were no signs of anyone else along the dark tunnel, Chloé began to tell the tale of her vision. The group was horrified by the news, but worst of all, they were in no position to help. They focused their attention on their own mission. They ventured onward, in hopes that they would succeed in the quest very soon.

Ryan began asking Petra about certain landmarks that were mentioned in the texts. Many of which Petra had only heard about in childhood stories. He had grown up hearing the tales as bedtime stories. These stories were childish fantasies and like most of his people, after a certain age, the stories became fiction and they stopped believing that they were anything more than legends.

"Do you remember any of the tales about Náttúra from your childhood?" asked Ryan. "Only one," said Petra. "It was always my favorite, and my father would tell it to me nearly every night as I sat upon his lap and played with his beard," he continued forlornly, reminiscing on his memory of his father. "Could you tell it to us?" asked Jonah, who was gladdened that the long silence since their journey into the caves had been broken. He remembered how uncomfortable he had felt when they were lost in tunnels after his village was attacked, and he didn't like that feeling.

"I don't think so lad," said Petra, "I wouldn't at all be able to do it justice." "Please," begged Chloé, "I would love to hear it," she said with a smile. "Lass, I'm not sure I can remember it all. It's been a long time," he said shyly. "Could you try? It would be wonderful to hear a dwarven tale," she said amusedly. "Anything would be better than the silence," interjected Jonah.

"I guess that I shall give it a go," replied Petra. "It is the tale of Ødger Erfiðr, or Ødger the Unyielding. It is a very old tale, a tale older than even the city in which we are destined," he began. "My people had just settled these lands in the Crescent Mountains. A small group of my kin had fled their homes in the Attikì Mountains in the wake of a pending attack from a powerful enemy from the far side of the mountains. Or, so the story goes."

The settlers had made for themselves a camp where the city of Fjalls-rætr lies today. For many moons they explored the caverns of the mountains and began to build for themselves a new home. The mountains were rich in gold and gems and the surrounding lands had fertile soil for growing crops.

After many more moons, while the new city was being carved from into the mountain side, there began to be disappearances. Miners and workers from different areas in the mountains were going missing. Ødger was a sewer of seed in the springtime, but after the planting, he dwelled in the mines, searching for the rarest of the rare jewels and gems.