Cry in the Water Part 7

The three stood there breathing hard, the only light in the hall coming down from slit windows, filtering thorough the dust they had kicked up in the rush of feet, looking like long gently draped curtains whispering against the floor. Looking beyond, they could vaguely see the long shape of a table, and benches on either side. Above, fragments of old tapestry that lined the walls wavered gently on softly moving air, their tattered remains hanging by threads through the long years.

"Well this won't do," said Jayr, whispering the words to illuminate the tip of his staff, filling the space around them with pale white light.

The new luminescence revealed broken furniture and the remains of tableware that had been left where it fell on the last use, as if the hall had been suddenly abandoned by a host of revelers, the food still uneaten and moldered beyond recognition in bowels and platters. Even the high table at the far wall, from where the lord of the fortress would have eaten with his boon companions and lady, was a mess of abandoned repast, dark stains running down the long cloth over the boards as if wine had been spilled in the last moments.

"Tomb like," observed Zena with wide eyes, scrutinizing the walls and furniture closely, perpetually looking for movement and signs of danger.

"You said, what was his name, Benii came up here with the villagers?" asked Jayr of the very quiet boy next to him.

"Benenji," he answered, licking his dry lips. "Yeah they came up here, but this place doesn't look like anyone has been around in a long time."

"There are side galleries and the towers lead up to more floors," replied Jayr, trying to be reassuring to his young charge, and keep his voice confident. "If it were myself, I would choose to be on a higher floor and more defensible position too."

"Still odd we haven't been hailed by some sort of lookout," Zena said with a hushed tone. "You'd think there would be someone interested in the noise at this point."

The horses were stamping softly at the far wall of the hall, their hooves muffled by the beast pelt rugs that occupied the high table platform. It was with a little difficulty that Zena was able to hush them with soft words as she approached. Both animals were lathered with sweat that filled the air with peculiar fragrance mixed among the rotting odors of long spent food. Meanwhile, Jayr was casting more light upon the tapestries, trying to see what was considered hall decor at Ilmara.

"I don't like any of this," said Burton quietly. "Where is everyone else?"

"Let's see what we can do to make the horses safe first, and then we can do some more exploring," answered Zena, having taken both horse bridles in here hands. "I also don't like anything I am feeling from the air of this place."

Yet they could not find anything suitable for the horses except the main hall. Side doors at the far wall led to the old kitchen and pantry rooms, which were nearly as dark with limited light from slit windows and were far smaller and compact in space. The horses would find it even worse than where they were now.

"Looks like they just jumped up and left everything here too," observed Zena, softly walking around the kitchen, looking into metal cauldrons and finding the remains of dishes long gone to mildew.

"We better see what is on the next level," replied Jayr.

It was easy to find the way up. In fact there were two stairs that went to the second floor. Symmetry had trumped practicality in the fortress construction, as if the building was more for show than actual defensive position. A tight compartment of rooms lay above the hall, and they were unique for their obvious privacy, as if every soldier that manned the walls had his or her own small slender spot to call their own. The living spaces where very much like the hall below, scattered belongings still remained and even a few chairs were overturned. It was as if they had all jumped to their feet and taken off.

"What do you know about the lords who used to live here?" asked Zena, catching her husband's eye with her own.

"The Lords of Sol Adementa ruled these lands for several hundred years, then vanished without a trace," he replied. "Forbidden magic was often the explanation given, for at the time of the disappearance, the current ruler, Lord Isen, had taken on a new magician into his service. The records are obscure on who that person was, and where they had come from. We don't even know if it was a man or a woman, or even a human."

"I heard it was a lizard man," interrupted Burton. "My da always said it was one of those strange creatures from the deep south."

"It could be," agreed Jayr, still leading them through the silent corridor of rooms. "But whatever the origin of the magician, nothing was ever found of that person either. The Kings of the West sent scholars and soldiers to investigate, but nothing came to light. The people in the village below, your ancestors, decided to stay as nothing more happened in the days that followed. The valley has been peaceful and undisturbed since that time, and even the monsters that have grown in numbers in other lands, seemed to steer clear of this land."

"My da thought it was the blessing of Valin on us, and that maybe those old lords had done something evil to deserve being taken away."

"Everything is conjecture at this point."

The third floor of the fortress was as abandoned as the second, though here they found the armory and slender bridges that led out towards the towers that encircled the central keep. Very few items remained, but broken plate mail and a couple of shields still hung from hooks on the walls. Larger windows allowed more light, though most were shuttered. A few had weathered poorly, facing the onslaught of wind and rain in the warm months, and ice and snow in winter.

"I would stay back from those if I were you," said Zena, an edge of concern in her voice as Jayr walked gingerly towards one which was almost completely open to the air beyond. It was at chest height, and an arms length in width.

"Even if the creature could climb straight up the wall, it can't fit inside that opening," he replied with a wry grin. "Too plump."

"It's got a long neck! It could reach you with that!" warned Burton.

"I just wanted to see the view, but if it makes you feel better, I'll feather the trap and see if it springs."

The wizard extended his hand, and summoned a gust of air to rise across the ground, picking up a cloud of dust of the years gathered on the floor. These he directed straight towards the window like a gray cloud, a flowing river of debris. This plume hit the window, but something more. Zena and Burton gasped behind him as Jayr watched with surprise as the cloud hit a dark mass, invisible to the eyes. A head on a long neck, snaked through the open space, shaking and attempting to dodge the gust, sneezing and coughing in almost a comical fashion.

"Lookout!" cried Zena, as the creature screamed. It was a blood curdling screech, almost human in pitch. Then they saw the light of its eyes, and rows of serrated teeth.