Chapter 2 - 23: The ancient fortress of Miquanien (II)
Foto de Thanh Nguyen en Unsplash
The Gulf of Sdáloren, a body of salt water that penetrated the Sinardia Peninsula like a bite into an apple, was treacherous at the entrance, where the Gulf's waters met the sea. But it was calm once one had penetrated its body of water.
The night was dark: clouds hid the three moons and there was little light, which facilitated solitary or secret ventures. There were fishermen who dedicated those nights to searching for pearls, for which there were rules that could prohibit them from collecting them: there were harvest limits, so that if they were caught with more than that, they could face quite severe penalties. Those rules had not been imposed by the Emperor but by Hariokku, the Margrave of RocaStretta, whose daughter was the betrothed of Holingen, the Dowager Empress's first son. He wanted a monopoly on pearls, not only for himself, but also to export them to distant lands: they were a rarity there, and he knew the enormous profit this would bring him. He hadn't informed the Emperor of this, and the Emperor certainly wouldn't have given his permission for anything like that. But his presence on the Council of Sages made him practically invulnerable because he knew in advance the decisions that would be made.
That dark night, a merchant ship had entered the gulf with great skill, not stopping or experiencing any problems with its direction of travel. At one point, after crossing the dangerous zone, it had stopped for a moment. But it seemed more as if the wind had stopped blowing for a moment and changed direction.
A keen eye would have seen a boat lowered from the ship, above the keel. The boat was then carefully lowered into the water and rowed out almost immediately. But the clouds didn't make it easy to see, and the boat was small compared to the ship from which it had been unloaded, even more so if one tried to see from a distance.
Spring was getting more advanced, and the temperature, warming daily, produced fog on some nights in the area closest to the water. That night, however, what most hindered the possibility of seeing clearly was the lack of light, as the moons lay behind the clouds. The fog, however, was dissipating as temperatures dropped as the night progressed.
From the southern coast of the Gulf, visibility was poor due to the distance. However, from the northern coast, on other nights it was possible to see that area of the Gulf, but that night it was difficult. The fortress guards saw the ship but not the boat: they simply assumed it must be another fishing boat casting its nets.
So they didn't see the boat coming ever closer into view. It was heading straight for a beach located on the northern part of the Gulf. It was evident that the person piloting it was familiar with the sea and, in particular, the internal currents that existed there, because they didn't affect their steering in the slightest.
Foto de Blanche Peulot en Unsplash
When they reached the beach, they decided to turn a little west because at the end of the beach was a large cliff. Inside the cliff, some caves could help them to hide the boat and put the finishing touches on the plan that had brought them there.
In the distance, a warship was approaching the area on a night patrol: precisely because Hariokku knew what happened on moonless nights, he had instituted such patrols to arrest and punish those who challenged his supposed rights to the Gulf's resources. So that ship was on the lookout for any bandits, pirates, or rebels in the vicinity.
But those in the boat were much faster, although, due to the poor light and the fog, they didn't even know the armed ship was following them. The ship hadn't even seen them either, nor did the soldiers on board imagine anyone was in that area. However, it seemed to have an idea that it should head toward the cliff to check that no one was there.
After a quick look, those in the boat chose the third one to the west. Once inside, they carefully carried the boat on their shoulders and hid it among the rocks between the darkness and shadows at the bottom. From the outside, it was impossible to see the boat, and even from the inside, it was difficult, almost impossible to detect, even if they entered with a few candles.
Meanwhile, the men who had come with the boat, just in case, dove into the water and went under the rocks to the next cave. And it was there that they heard a ship approaching. They hid even further in the shadows, wrapping themselves in the dark cloaks they wore so that nothing could be seen that might give away their position if the ship passed close enough to be seen in the darkness.
They watched the ship pass, illuminating as much of the area as possible and peering into each of the caves. But they didn't seem to detect anything important and passed on. When they could no longer hear the ship, one of them, taller and more robust than the others, said in a low voice:
"They haven't left. I'll bet anything they're out there waiting for someone to come out so they can catch them. If we go out, it'll be one at a time, or at most two by two, and by sea. At this hour and without light, the smaller the object, the less likely it is to be seen."
He then took out a map and placed it on a rock where it was a little brighter, pointing to a spot on it:
"Our destination is this: the gate of Aniróndein."
"Perfect: it's clear to all of us. Your Highness," he said, addressing the man who had piloted the boat, the sailor Takrion, "I think you should go first. I'll go with you. Then, Gutron and Tunadros should come, and finally, Domulus and Yanos." Meanwhile, he pointed to each of them.
The first man looked at him and said:
"No, it's better if Gutron goes with Domulos, and Tunadros with Yanos."
The others readily agreed. They waited a little longer, and the first two left. Prince Erevin let Takrion, the boat's pilot, out first. He wanted to make sure they weren't traitors: Olter had told him he could trust them, but given the situation, he wasn't going to put his life and the others' in danger. Before leaving, he had also made sure that Gutron and Tunadros understood what he was talking about. Tunadros didn't know if he had seen him, although he thought he had, but Gutron had nodded sadly: the goblin was much smarter than his rough appearance suggested.
They left and had no trouble climbing to the Aniróndein Gate, the Gate of the Silver Stars. But when they arrived, Erevin was petrified: the gate, which had been one of the wonders of the Gulf since its construction, was in ruins.
Foto de David Gabrić en Unsplash
"You know, I never would have imagined this gate would be in this state. I knew it was in ruins, but after reading the old descriptions, it's very unpleasant to see it like this..."
He turned and understood why he had suspected that individual. He saw that he was trying to attack him with a dagger, even though he was considerably less powerful. Erevin looked at him with his half-smiled expression and said, as he drew his sword:
"I think you've attacked the wrong individual..."
They began to circle, waiting for the other to attack. Tarkion expected the impetuous prince to rush at him, but he didn't. He knew they were no longer alone. There was someone else there, so calmly, using his left hand, he drew his crossbow from inside his cloak and, without looking, fired to the right. A body fell with a loud noise beside them, and the prince smiled again:
"Now we're alone: let's continue our dance."
Tarkion, knowing he had lost, tried to flee, but the prince grabbed a dagger from his belt and threw it at the traitor's back. But in his case, something happened: the body burned instantly. It was then that he stepped back and examined the one he had killed first: he was an ordinary man. But when he looked at the hands, he understood some rumors that had been circulating: that man was not free. Hariokku was importing slaves to fight for him. That man was far worse than any of them had imagined.
A short while later, Gutron and Domulus arrived and were shocked by what had happened. Erevin looked at them and said:
"That wasn't Tarkion. They sent someone who, I don't know how, they transformed into someone who resembled him. But we have another problem: Hariokku is importing people from other countries and enslaving them to fight for him. I'm sure he's building his own army." He wants something, even though he has no idea what he's going to have to face.
A short time later, Tunadros and Yanos also arrived safely. They were joking and laughing, albeit in a measured way. But they were speechless once they got there and saw what was happening.
"What happened?"
"Tarkion wasn't who he said he was. And there was another individual ready to kill us from behind as soon as we arrived while he distracted us."
"But everyone recognized him as such..." Tunadros said.
"I'm sure it looked like him, and there was little doubt about it. But it wasn't him."
The two sailors looked at each other, somewhere between terrified and surprised.
"That means there may be more people among us who are in the same situation."
Erevin nodded. Tunadros seemed to remember something:
"Now I understand something I thought I'd misheard. They were talking about a witch doctor from Tandras called 'the shapeshifter,' but I wouldn't be surprised if it was this one."
"My mother, again. Anyway, we have to do what we came here to do, but we have to be much more careful."
Only then did they hear a very strange noise and Erevin called them to hide because he didn't know what was coming.
At the end of the Western Forest, that same moonless night, two old men and a woman had just emerged onto one of the roads leading to the coast. Danladia, Eliandar, and Korian gazed into the distance. Danladia sat down and took a deep breath: she wanted to know where they were. The two old men looked at her as if they didn't quite understand what she was doing, but they respected her silence. Finally, she stood up and tell them:
"I think we have to go west, but we have to be careful: there are some very strange people around here."
Korian looked at her and said:
"No problem: I think we can transform and fly through the clouds."
"Good idea," said Eliandar.
So they did, and as soon as Danladia was mounted on Eliandar, they took flight, and Korian couldn't stop looking, carefully scanning the ground. But before he could see anything, Danladia said:
"Look there, something strange is happening."
They descended to the ground and returned to their original state: they entered through the gate of Anirándina and looked at the dead man on the ground.
Eliandar bent down and touched his head. His face grew increasingly somber as he seemed to understand what had happened.
"This man is a nomad from the East. He was sold to the Margrave of RocaStretta over a year ago. And he wasn't the only one: it seems the Margrave wants to turn on the Empress, or, in his case, to have cards to play against her. I imagine that's why he hijacked the fleet. He wants to use it for his own benefit."
Erevin emerged from his hiding place, but before he could say anything, the old man who was not near the corpse approached and said:
"Your Highness, it is an honor to finally meet you."
"Who are you?"
"We are very puzzling people," Korian said, amused. Now seriously, we've come to help you.
"What for?" Gutron said. It seemed a little strange to him that a woman and two old men were going to help them with something.
The woman, however, had approached the place where Tarkion (or whoever he was) had disappeared. She bent down and seemed to touch the ground.
"It's strange, it wasn't the man who came, but at the same time, it was him. I imagine that when we see him, he'll be unconscious or dazed. His condition must be quite pitiful right now: I think his body has been emptied. The magic they used against him is very powerful, but I don't know where it came from."
He stood up and continued:
"If a human has indeed allied himself with a sorcerer capable of such advanced magic, he will end up as his slave, even if it seems otherwise to him."
He turned and looked at Erevin:
"Why are you here?"
Erevin replied:
"We need to free the Fleet from the Anírio fortress, but our mission is to free the Baron of Nirandomir, who we understand is down here in the dungeons."
She replied:
"I understand. You're going to need our help. Do you know how to enter the dungeons?"
Erevin took out the map of the Gulf he was carrying and unfolded it:
"We're here," he pointed to the gate of Aniróndein, "and we need to go to the entrance to the dungeons. The old fortress has been in ruins for quite some time, but we need to find the dungeons. On the map, that entrance seems to be here, but we don't know where it is today."
Danladia looked at him:
"Don't worry, it'll be easy to find. Wait for me here."
The woman set off alone, as if she knew the area and had no problem with anything. They hid while she returned.
A little further ahead, the path seemed deserted. Only a rhythmic noise on the ground indicated that something was walking along it, although any observer would have thought a bird was walking there, but it couldn't be seen in the undergrowth. A few meters ahead, the noise ceased, and he retraced his steps.
When they reached the corner, the woman reappeared and said:
"I know the way through, but you'll need help. There are some creatures like the one that attacked you, Erevin. But I think we can fix it."
Korian then intervened:
"We'll have to know how to attack. It's best not to be seen from the sea or anywhere else in the surrounding area."
Erevin said:
"It won't be necessary, I think. Wait until we get out..."
They looked at each other.
"It's not your responsibility," Eliandar said. "And you know your mother sent sleepers against you, right?"
"Yes, I already knew that. Let me lead the way. Follow me in a few moments. I'll be the distraction."
He disappeared, after smiling sideways at those behind him, just before the path, while pressing a kind of completely ruined and rusty lever on one side of the frame of the Anirándina gate. He had discovered the entrance to the dungeons. The others entered through the same place, except for Eliandar and Korian: someone had to stay behind to watch that place.
Originally published in Wordpress.
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