The Shattered Path

Chapter 31 - The Reunion

Sitting with his back against the base of a pillar of rock, Aryl rubbed his uneven beard and stared upward at the familiar spires of weathered stone. It had been somewhere among these rocks that he had encountered his first hanaran and Jaegor had saved him. It seemed like another lifetime. He had been on quite an adventure, but it seemed to be near an end, finally. The Fortress of Light was to the south and not so far away. It wouldn't be long before he was sitting at a tavern recounting the tale. He doubted many people would believe it. Before his adventure, if someone had recounted a similar tale, he would have laughed it off and bought the storyteller a drink for having such an entertaining imagination.

"The band be to our east, featherback," warned Jaegor, above him on the rock pillar. "Hard to see if others be about."

Aryl squinted upward, but saw only the glare of the sun in the blue sky. Groups of beastmen seemed to be everywhere and had made it difficult for them to return to the fortress. They had spent several days hiding in the foothills of the mountains of Merthia to avoid the creatures. It had been valuable time spent recovering from their tiring ordeal and they had even managed to kill some small game. He had missed the taste of juicy meat. Now, he just wanted to get back to the real world, to a place with friendly inns, where a man could chase women rather than his dinner.

Aryl looked to his callused and grimy hands. The previous day, he had tried to wash the dirt off in a pool of water, but couldn't get his hands clean. He wanted a hot bath, like those which could be had in Sylvestyr at the bath houses, but he would settle for a cold tub of water. It seemed that the beastmen should be able to find him by smell. He did not mind the hard travel and the small meals on the move, or even the heat. It was the feeling of several days of dried sweat and the smell of body odor which really bothered him. He wanted to change his clothes. He had lost count of the number of days that he had worn the same leather shirt and pants. He had certainly never put much thought into fabrics, or even having a preference. At that moment, he would settle for anything that was not leather.

Aryl almost wished he had chosen to join the regular soldiers instead of the scouts. Then he would have had a nice bed in the barracks and he could have sat at a table and ate full meals. Undoubtedly, there would have been gambling and drinks to be had. Aerham was probably sitting in the dining hall at the fortress drinking wine and eating steaks. Being a scout had been a poor choice. Soldiering would have been much easier and safer.

Something dropped to the dusty ground next to Aryl, jerking him from his thoughts. Startled, he leaped to his feet, holding his sword before him. He felt his face grow hot in embarrassment as he realized that it was Jaegor and not a beastman. Aryl had just spoken to him moments before and felt foolish for being so easily caught off his guard.

"Those beasties be headed south as well," Jaegor said, casting a sour glance at the sword in Aryl's hand. His curly hair and wild beard were matted with small twigs and soil. He was at home in the filthy wilds and never complained about anything they had to endure. Well, he had mentioned a few times that he missed having a bow, but other than that, the man seemed to consider the adventure as a big camping trip. He held his sword in his hand as well. The Merthians had given them both a sword, but no scabbard to carry it in. "I never seen so many beasties this far south, featherback." His voice carried rare concern.

"Well, I bet those beasties are saying they've never seen so many scouts this far north," Aryl grinned. "Or south. Or something like that." He struggled to remember what Jaegor had spoken to him about the hanarans so many days ago, then he shook his head and decided to forget it.

Jaegor cocked his head and considered Aryl before he spoke. "It does not seem an attack on the fortress. They be fighting the giants in some places. That last band I saw was beasties and giants." The scout shrugged. "I never seen such before."