(eng) Jonathan Moeller - Frostborn 0.5-3 by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9 - Urd Dagaash

Ridmark walked through the gate and into the courtyard.

The courtyard was vast, easily large enough to hold Aranaeus. Once it had been paved with gleaming flagstones, but centuries of weather and grass had upturned most of them. The nine slender towers Ridmark had seen from the valley stood in a loose oval in the center of the courtyard, gleaming like white knives. The towers themselves could not have held much, but the dark elves and their dvargir allies had been skilled engineers, and likely the ruins extended deep underground.

Perhaps even deep enough to reach the Deeps themselves, the vast maze of caverns and galleries that spread beneath the surface of Andomhaim.

Which meant any number of creatures could be lurking in the ruins.

“It looks so desolate,” said Gavin.

“It’s not,” said Ridmark, staring at the ground.

“How do you know?” said Gavin.

“Because,” said Ridmark, pointing with his staff, “of the footprints.”

The ground, thick with grass and half-tilted flagstones, was not ideal for preserving footprints. Yet Ridmark had seen many footprints on the road outside the ruins, and he saw many more here. In a patch of bare earth he saw the impressions of a dozen iron-nailed boots. Paths of grass had been trampled towards the ring of towers in Urd Dagaash’s heart.

“A lot of armed men passed this way,” said Ridmark. He motioned the others to stay back and took a few steps forward, examining the ground. “See there, there, and there? Armored boots. And there and there. A scabbard left those marks.”

“Can you tell if they recently departed?” said Calliande. “Or if they are lying in wait for us ahead?”

Ridmark frowned at the tracks. “I’m not sure. They’ve gone back and forth so many times that the details are muddled.” He shook his head. “But I think they’ve departed recently.”

“Then there must not be any dark magic in this place,” said Gavin. “Not if these armed men can come and go freely.”

“Or,” said Calliande, “they serve whatever dark power waits in the ruins.”

“Aye,” said Kharlacht. “Such things were common in Vhaluusk. A creature of dark magic could dwell in its lair and command the allegiance of the nearby tribes.” He spat. "Narrakhan did it for decades."

Ridmark wondered who that was.

“Or a nest of bandits is simply lurking here,” said Caius.

“No,” said Calliande, gazing at the white towers. “I sense dark magic within those towers, Brother. Not strong. But it is there.”

“The tracks head towards the largest tower,” said Ridmark.

He led the way across the courtyard, keeping an eye out for any movement. Clouds slid across the blue sky overhead, and a breeze set the tall grasses to rustling. It was like walking through a field on a pleasant spring day, save for the dead stone towers rising from the earth, gravestones marking the ruined kingdoms of the dark elves.

Nothing else moved, and they soon reached the narrow, arched entrance to the tower. Ridmark stepped through it and looked around. The tower’s interior had collapsed long ago into piles of eroded white stone.

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