[Complete] Eroh has reached his seventeenth spring and has finally become a man. With manhood comes a gift: marriage to the woman he loves. But when a strange new woman from another world enters his life, he is stuck with the decision to honor his...
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Father and I rode to the base of mount Kra. I never felt smaller in my life ...
No matter how far back my head went, my eyes did not trail to the top. The golden peaks reached towards the sky. Lost in the clouds. Maybe there was no top? Maybe it stretched beyond the sky to the world where the lights twinkled. There were tales that mountains did so. I remembered them as a hoofling. Maybe mount Kra was one of those mountains.
We dismounted, and father pointed. "Do you know what's on top of this mountain? Castle Kra."
I raised an eyebrow. "That is where Tardakk the Great fell."
"And what are we doing here?"
Father lips sunk. "We are going to scale the mountain ... You're to be wed to Eroh. I want you to bring him a gift."
"A gift?" My tongue was heavy. "Father, is this why you've brought me here? To please your purpose."
"Yes." He crossed his arms and glared. "But it is not just any gift we are after. It is a crown."
"Tardakk's crown," I whispered. Inside, my head boiled.
When I was a girl, I dreamed of being one of Tardakk's soldiers. He was the greatest lord that ever lived. A Taur that conquered the wings and the Yornmen. He nearly even conquered the dragon folk across the south sea. His crown was a treasure. One that should never be in the hands of anybody other than Tardakk.
"It is forbidden to rob the dead, Father."
"Is that what you think I'm doing?" He shook his head. "Daughter. We are protecting the dead. The eastern invaders will not only take our lands ... they'll destroy our temples ... and take our treasures. We need to remind the Horn Lord what is at stake. Now come along, we've got a long journey ahead of us."
We started our ascent when the sun was half awake. Father knew the path. He brought me to where the mountain split in two, opening just enough for our horses to get through. I wouldn't have found the path. It hid behind a thicket of gnarled trees and boulders that appeared like one giant bush.
"Tardakk and his horns put this here," Father said. "It was to protect the cave entrance. Now it's just a pile of roots and rubble."
The trail slopped and was riddled with small pebbles that the horses stumbled upon. Mayhee had his troubles slipping several times, nearly bucking me off and over the cliff side. I was thankful for my strong legs and hips. They kept me from taking the plunge. Father and his mount had no trouble. I was surprised, they were plain mounts after all. Not mountain mounts. Father must've made the ascent before.
"I took each one of your sisters up here before they were married." Father said proudly. "I am glad to see you want to fight the Yornfolk, but we serve a greater purpose. One you've never known."
I pondered on his words. "What greater purpose, father."
He peeked over his right shoulder. "To serve Tardakk the great." He must've noticed the confusion in my eyes. "Daughter. Our tribes worship the Horn Gods of the burrows. Praying that they watch over us ... Tardakk is one of their Gods. He was cast from the burrows long ago. An immortal. And now he is a prisoner to his home. He needs our help to be free, for only he can defeat the Yornfolk."
