by Matt » Fri Oct 21, 2005 8:48 am
As the night passed, each member of the warband reflected on the past few days. Certainly, a bit of pipeweed helped concentrate the thoughts, and the break in the rain was equally welcome. The clouds even parted enough for an occasional glimpse at Yael, just now reborn for the new month.
Save for one moment when Igon thought he heard something - an investigation revealed only a surprised small animal who quickly darted away - the night passed without incident. In the morning, there proved enough of the goat left over to add to their breakfast of hard cheese and harder, it seemed, bread. Someone joked that they should have milked the goat before eating it, and the laughter at the poor attempt at humor reflected more relief from tension than any intrinsic mirth.
They looked towards the pass. It had been raining for much of the past two days, and they knew that the road, hard though it would be dry, would be much more difficult slogging through mud. Further, should they meet anyone, it might be impossible to avoid a confrontation. Not a month ago, King Arren had led his army through this very pass.
The warband broke camp and tried as best they could to cover the traces of their presence. With that, they set off. At least the sun is out, Sven muttered, almost his first words since his brother had been killed. The awesome beauty of the mountains as the sun bathed them in light affected each man. They were still far enough away to make out the snowy peak of Mt. Cymru, even though it must be more than fifteen leagues away, and nearly obscured by the smaller peaks in between. They were used to seeing it from a different side, but they still knew the highest mountain on the Akag peninsula.
As they approached the mouth of the pass, they saw a golden eagle perched on the rocky height above the entrance. He looked at them, and then majestically spread his wings and took off, soaring high and then sweeping his way south. It was almost as if he was leading the way for the warband. "Is that a good omen or a bad omen, Lord Igon?" asked Erdrick.