Zion: Light of the New Moon, Ch 4.1 Myre
Zion - Light of the New Moon Chapter 4.1
Myre Fort Attood
Thank the Goddess that the Myrenese Caravan is not far from a Wayside... just don't thank her too quickly; that Wayside might be more in need of help than the pilgrims!
Dearest Miri,
I don't know what Tah'Aveen has planned for any of us, but sometimes I can't help but feel that she has a sadistic sense of humor. Even with the Grace I was able to smuggle with me plus the small amount I 'gleaned' from Liam, the supplies were getting low. The last week and a half have been hell, Miri... Liam almost died several times from withdrawals and it was all I could do to cover for him. First it was fatigue... that worked for a few days. Illness was next, and that bought me a little more time. I don't know how much longer I can string everyone along before someone starts to expect the truth.
Liam's been hit-and-miss when it comes to moments of activity. I've been giving him enough Grace to keep him alive, but I've been spreading it out so far between injections that it's got to be taking its toll. In part, I suppose I've been hesitant to give him larger doses because it means we'd run out that much faster, but, also, because there's no way I can let him know what it is I'm doing... I'd never be able to face him again. The whole situation reminds me of when Lord Dalton forced me through my own hell.
I know you remember it too, Miri... the long weeks of lethargy and pain. The endless afternoons of mindless mumbling and cascading thoughts. The only REAL memory I have are when you came to visit me. I know Lord Dalton brought you to see me a few times, and I'm sorry I made you cry. He said that I'd get better... which is a half truth, I suppose. Liam's blood is sustaining me for the time being... even with the partial doses, if I wait a half an hour for the drug to work into his body I can get by on a single vial from him. I know its not hurting him, this strange vampiric dependency, but it still doesn't help me sleep any better at night. I can tell that Sergeant Reilly is starting to notice too... especially since I've apparently become sloppier at gathering up rough reagents to help cut and extend what little Grace we have left.
Two days ago he caught sight of me during one of my numerous forays into the woods I made to look for the flowers that make up the drug's main ingredient. I had told him that I was just going a short distance to relieve myself, but the way his paw gripped my upper arm I had to wonder if maybe he saw through my lies. In the end, all he said was, "Be careful, Leijh." and let me go. I still don't know if it was a casual warning about being off the Highway alone, or something a little more insightful. I don't want to hurt the Sergeant anymore than I want to hurt Liam. Goddess... I don't want to hurt anyone, but I'm starting to think there won't be any escape from it once everything comes to a head.
Even while times seem to be getting harder for me, somehow things have started to calm down between Valda and Lady Marion. Personally, I think Anor-Roc might have something to do with it. The coy-wolf has consistently encouraged little play-dates between Josh and Agnes, which meant that Valda and Lady Marion were both responsible for being there to look after their respective charges. It makes me smile when I see Agnes playing with Josh; she obviously looks up to him like a big brother, and the lion cub is patient enough with the little girl that I think they both benefit from the socialization... I know that the priestess and the squirrel do.
Bahrla spent a lot of those traveling days staying ahead of the caravan, keeping an eye out for trouble. According to her, the stretch of Highway had a tradition of bandit problems, but they abruptly stopped. Any number of us considered that a good thing but, for some reason, that really seemed to have the Wild Lander greatly disturbed. I was fetching water from one of the supply wagons when I overheard the Sergeant talking with her about it.
"If the bandits have stopped raiding that's better for us." the shepherd remarked.
"No it isn't." she countered.
"You'd rather fight bandits?" he inquired.
"I'd rather not have to fight at all." she pointed out, "but bandits do not just stop raiding-- that is how they live." she explained, "It is like a farmer stopping farming or a rancher releasing all of is cattle... if the bandits are not here any longer then it is because they fled, or were killed."
"Attood Keep isn't far from here." Keeland pointed out, "Maybe they cleaned out the countryside."
Bahrla shook her head, "No... the people in Waysides are just rugged city dwellers... they might force the bandits to reorganize or disrupt some attacks, but they'd never stop them completely."
"Then what would?" the dog asked of her.
The minotaur woman shook her head, "I do not know... and THAT is why I am worried." When the Sergeant left, I could see that he was too. It wasn't until two days later that we found out how well-founded that concern was.
It was almost mid-day when Attood Keep came into view. A large, black-stone tower jutted up from the top of a rise, reaching toward the sky as if it were a stone hand. I'd heard in stories that Attood Keep's name actually came from the Wild Lander tongue, meaning 'His Hand'. Looking at the foreboding tower I realized that it didn't take much imagination to see Tah'Enar's stony arm stretching skyward toward the moon... though, at that moment, it seemed almost blasphemous since the sun itself was almost within the tower's grasp.
"That's not good." Keeland spoke up from my right. When I glanced at him he motioned to several dust clouds rising from the ground near the keep, "There aren't many things that kick up that much dust on a plain."
"The Wayside is under siege." Anor-Roc spoke up. He held a simple loop of twine and was gazing into the center. Glancing over his shoulder, I paused; I'd never seen a scrying censor move the way that his did. Miri, it looked like he was seeing through the eyes of an animal... can mages really do that? He looked to me and I pulled back; I felt my face grow warm in embarrassment, but he didn't seem bothered, rather, he extended the loop to me, "Here... look."
I dared not touch the focus, but I gazed through it once it was presented. The broad, sweeping views I was seeing had to have come from a bird of some kind... I'd never heard of a Diviner able to make his view change in such a way. I would have thought more on it at the time, except I was too focused on what I was seeing, "Horse men..." I whispered, watching as more and more and more of them filled my field of view. They were strange creatures... they looked like normal horse city dwellers, except from the waist down it appeared that they were fused with feral horses... and there had to have been hundreds.
"Centaurs." Bahrla acknowledged, "Now we know what happened to the brigands."
"That's a LOT of centaurs... I didn't know that many still existed." Anor-Roc noted, taking his scrying loop back. He casually affixed it to his wrist as he regarded Bahrla, "And why would they attack the brigands, and then lay siege to a Wayside?"
"Centaurs despise all city dwellers, and they have a wide opinion of what counts as one." Bahrla explained, "It wouldn't be out of character for them to hunt down every last bandit out of spite. If they're new to the area then it would only make sense that they'd then turn their eyes on that tower." she motioned to the keep, "In which case, either it is going to fall, or the centaur will probably be wiped out until none remain."
"Well, then in that case that will be one less centaur army mulling about." Valda stated flatly.
"Except we do not know the status of the keep's garrison." Keeland observed, "I'd hate to think what might happen to everyone inside if the centaurs were victorious."
"Slaughtered." Bahrla answered, "Down to every last child."
"Monsterous..." Valda murmured.
Bahrla shook her head, "No... monstrous is not that they kill them all... but, rather... how they do it."
The squirrel glanced to the minotaur woman, "What do you mean?"
The Wild Lander began to narrate things too horrible to scribe in this journal, Miri... but let me assure you that Bahrla explained it with such casual clarity that nobody could have doubted the truth in her words... even the thought of them killing the babies while they're still inside the mothers, and the way Bahrla said they went about it... Goddess... she made it sound as if we were going to be dealing with monsters. Considering what the elven curse had done to other creatures, I suppose it only made sense... but I did not take to the idea of facing them in combat no matter how many guards we had.
Not everyone had the same mindset as I had, "We will have to break the siege." stated the Sergeant, and all eyes went to him.
"Would you mind repeating that, please?" Liam asked, "There was a little too much crazy going on for me to hear you clearly."
"Sergeant Reilly is correct." Lady Marion added her voice to the conversation, "If what Bahrla Splithoof says is true--"
"It is." the minotaur woman added.
"Then it is imperative that we help those within the Wayside." the priestess continued, "If they are capable of defending themselves then our additional support will only speed their victory, but if they require our aid then we cannot sit idly by and avoid our duty to the Moon Goddess in protecting one of the havens she has blessed and consecrated for those who travel in her name."
"Can you explain how the horse uses his 'thing' to kill the baby inside its mom?" Josh asked of the Wild Lander, head cocked at an angle.
"No." Valda, Marion, and Anor-Roc all said at once, and Lady Marion excused herself to lead Agnes and Josh FAR away from the discussion.
Anor-Roc spoke up, looking to Bahrla, "Do centaurs normally gather in herds this large?"
Bahrla shook her head, "Not without some kind of unifying purpose... a leader maybe."
"Then what about a few of us sneaking into their camp... if we can find their leader, and--"
"And assassinate him?" Bahrla asked, "I don't think any of you look like the type."
"During desperate times, anyone is capable of almost anything." Keeland answered, "It is an option we can keep in mind... but I'd rather explore other possibilities first."
Valda quickly took up the lead in the conversation, "Killing soldiers is bad enough, but children and babies? That's murder." she shook her head, "No... I say we send a message to the keep and tell them to send their troops out the front gate while we attack the centaur camp from the other direction."
"Meeting them on the field of battle isn't exactly my idea of a fair fight, Miss." Sergeant Reilly noted, "We have some mounted soldiers, yes, but considering their form, every one of them may as well be cavalry... and cavalry beats foot soldiers every day of the week."
"Except pike men." Liam spoke up. Several eyes went to him, and he rephrased, "Pike men and spear men are deadly against a cavalry charge."
"We're a little short on pikes." I offered.
The black fox grinned in response, "There's a lot of wood around, if you haven't noticed." he motioned to the numerous squat trees that dotted the landscape, "We can spend an afternoon preparing wooden poles. They don't look armored, so we don't have to worry about punching through full plate... just flesh."
"That MIGHT work." Keeland nodded, "but I'm still leery about playing war... we have guards... not veteran soldiers."
"MIGHT isn't worth waiting on... we could lose the element of surprise." Valda urged, "Between the keep and our numbers we'll stop those centaurs dead."
"Is it worth risking everyone's life?" I asked her.
"Not everyone will be fighting." she countered, looking at me, "Why? Are you scared?"
I shook my head, "What I mean is, even if the caravan is a safe distance off and the centaurs never even notice it, what chance do you think they'll have if every combat-capable member of the guards gets slaughtered by the centaurs? Do you want them to keep going without any kind of protection?"
My comment took a moment to sink in as the squirrel weighed my words... others were apparently doing the same.
"We can't leave without trying to help." Valda reiterated.
"And we can't help without risking the caravan." I pointed out.
"Sometimes the risk is worth the gain." Keeland noted, with a sigh, "and sometimes it's just needless risk." he glanced around the gathering, "Alright, everyone, let's make up our mind, and do it quickly."
* * * * * *
Things start off with a bang for the Myrenese Caravan. Although they've had several days to recover from the Wild Lander attack they're still somewhat wounded and now they have to consider tangling with an enormous herd of Centaurs.
It's time for the Contributing Readers to make their selections. Based on the rolls made by each character, the following four options are available. The option with the most vote will be the party's go-to choice.
1) Send a missive to the keep and have them deploy their army while the caravan's troops engage the centaurs in a pincer attack.
2) Assault the centaur encampment at night in an attempt to assassinate their leader(s).
3) Spend some time to put together some usable spears and pikes with the intention of decimating the centaurs' numbers should they charge.
4) The caravan must make it safely to Zion-- it's impossible to do that if they get involved with every alteracation on the way. Leave the keep to its own devices.
You have until Thursday August 4th to make your vote. Midnght (PST) as usual.