Chapter 30 – Pursuit.

Morning brought with it the promise of rain, the sky’s dark and cloudy, a fine mist starting to creep its way through the valley.

Which was of course the last thing that they needed. Time was not on their side. And while the mists would just obscure their vision of the ground, the rain would wash all tracks away. It was a promise that they did not want kept.

Camp was broken as soon as Crys and Vorsce woke, breakfast consumed in the pre dawn, and they left as soon as it was light enough to see. Clocky pushed them on with an understandable urgency, the mists creeping behind them as they travelled up the valley.

They crossed over Styx again for the final time at the head of the valley, Crys certain that it was probably the main reason for their not being a river flowing through Junction Pass as she would have expected of most mountain valleys, something that she had thought on and off about as they had been walking. Terrains no longer quite matched what she would have expected, given her limited knowledge, but the Shattering and magic would both be plausible explanations as well.

By early morning the mists had overtaken them, giving the area an eerie quality. Crys felt like she was walking through a lake, the heads of Dreamsoul flowers floating just above the mists, while everything else was an ethereal white. The grasses underfoot again meant that the terrain was more stable than it had been but they still had to slow down due to the ever present scattering of rocks. Fairweather was the only one that had yet to stumble on one.

“What’s that over there?” Crys asked as they stopped to take stock of their location.

They were in the middle of the valley now, and white it wasn’t overly wide, it was the greenest one that she had seen thus far. Small trees and patches of coarse grass coated the walls of the valley, doing their best to stabilize the loose rock around them, stretching up the mountainside for probably fifty to sixty meters before it hit the first crest, and then kept on going up after that. While the slope was steep, it was still climbable, though doing so would have left an obvious trail, of which they were yet to spot any. Hence it likely that they hadn’t taken to climbing the slope, not that Sean had looked like the type of person who would even be capable of doing so. What had taken her interest however was at the top end of the valley where two sections of slope met and the mist seemed to be a little thicker. Right at that point she was certain she could see a crumbling stone archway nestled amongst the trees. The first man made thing that she had seen in the mountains beside the railway line and its bridges.

“Curious,” Clocky mused as he looked at where Crys was indicating. “I didn’t realise something like that was up here. Managed to miss it every time we’ve been through.”

“Mind you, we’ve never seen the Dreamsoul’s in bloom either when we’ve passed through, and we’ve done a fair number of runs. Now we’ve seen two fields of them,” Fairweather added as they made their way over to the archway.

‘That one’s easy,’ Spectre informed her. ‘Dreamsoul’s bloom is related to mana density in the area, and a leyline runs through here. Why some of it has bubbled to the surface is a different question however.’

Crys rolled her eyes. One answer, and now many more questions. It was always the way with Spectre.

The archway was old and Crys was surprised that it was still standing. It had numerous cracks, with small chunks of stone missing from it, weeds growing in it near the ground, and moss making its home all over it where it could find purchase. It’s style was not one that was familiar to her, and perched near the top of it were two small stone lizards that stared down at the group, the sculptures also covered in moss.

“Hmm... It predates the Shattering,” Clocky stated, examining it, before turning his attention to the path that weaved it’s way up into the mountains behind it. Even Crys was able to spot the bloodied scraps of cloth and the freshly broken branches of the trees that grew close to it. “Vorsce, if you don’t mind?”

Vorsce nodded, moving to the front of the team and examining the path before he then started making his way up it slowly, quickly disappearing from view. Clocky reached inside his backpack and pulled out a metal stake as well as a small pink plush cat, which he tied to it. He then jammed the stake deep into the ground until just the cat was sitting above the mists.

“That’s the marker for the others?” Crys queried. “Aren’t you concerned that a creature could abscond with it?”

“It’s one of the obvious ones. There isn’t really anywhere here for me to put one of the subtle ones. It’s one of Saylin’s creations. Coated with one of her beast repellents; they’ll steer clear of it for a week or so till the scent fades.”

Vorsce reappeared back down the track a few minutes later, nodding as he spotted the marker. “It’s not a diversion. They definitely went this way. Probably just before they lost all light last night.”

“They made good time. They’re no amateurs. Their attack even had some planning behind it, though the result was a different story.” Clocky looked thoughtful, before then motioning them all on.

The railway was quickly out of view as they travelled along the track, thick with bushes and trees at first, all bearing signs of of their attackers passing. It looked as they they hadn’t taken any care at all or were in a panicked rush, footprints and broken branches off the side of the path itself. It then entered a crevice between the two slopes, the ground wet and muddy, before it then quickly rose, making its way up the side of the left (Southern, Clocky informed her) mountain of the two that it had been running between. The entirety of the mountain that they could see was covered in the scrubby grass and squat bushes that they had seen from the valley, with occasional clumps of weathered trees. The path quickly rose, weaving its way between or over bare rocky outcroppings, narrow, with the mountainside dropping steeply away at the side. At any other time she would would have considered it quite picturesque. Given the apparent rush, Crys was also sure that it was a miracle that no one had fallen off the side of the track.

About half an hour later they found the signs of a makeshift camp, on top of one of the rocky outcroppings, a clear view from it in both directions of the path and a shear rise and drop on either side. Vorsce had spotted signs that one of them had almost taken a tumble down the side of the mountain, so they had likely decided it was finally time to rest. Like they had, the attackers had opted for a cold camp and left as soon as they were able. They had left few signs, Vorsce however pointing them all out to Crys when she asked, including the more unpleasant ones. He was also pretty certain that a couple of them were wounded as well, and that along with the lack of light had forced them to stop.

Then it was more of the same as they headed further up the mountain. The winds picked up around midday, caressing the grasses and while they weren’t that strong they did make Crys wish that she had a cloak. Fairweather offered her the pale blue top that she had leant her previously, which Crys gratefully accepted. While it didn’t quite sit right with her sheathed weapons, it certainly helped. Fortunately, while it was still overcast, the clouds were also starting to move away without having released their load. Crys spotted a few rabbits further up the slopes, as well as a few birds of prey circling above and some smaller birds darting around the bushes. At least there was wildlife present.

They found signs of another stop by the attackers, discarded bloodied bandages confirming Vorsce’s suspicions, but no signs at all of Sean having stopped to rest.

Late afternoon the path began to descend steeply, the loose stones making the footing rather dangerous, their speed almost coming to a halt as they carefully made their way down. Even Fairweather had some difficulty this time, Vorsce reassuring them that they weren’t the only ones who had trouble on this section. Crys was certain that they had lost about half of the elevation that they had climbed by the time the path flattened out, then continuing to weave its way along the mountain side.

By early evening the clouds had cleared, the wind had died down, and they were able to soak in a little of the remaining sunlight. They didn’t appear to be gaining any on the attackers, but Clocky didn’t seem to be too concerned. His sixth sense had already confirmed that they would catch them up, and what they had seen of their traces thus far just reinforced that. Clocky was certain that the attackers weren’t properly prepared for an excursion into the mountains, and that gave their team a significant advantage. Their enemy would slow down, if worse didn’t happen to them. It would only be a matter of time, even if they were touched, which was also a strong possibility. That of course also meant that they needed to make full use of their advantage.

Doing something similar to what the others had done, they established camp on top of one of the rocky outcroppings, staying as close to the mountainside as possible. There wasn’t really anywhere sheltered in the area, so the next best option was a defensible location. It was a cold camp again, Clocky not really wanting to attract any unnecessary attention, and they weren’t able to put up the tents either. Just bedrolls and blankets on mats.

Crys volunteered for the first watch with Vorsce again. She wanted to spend some more time practising with her weapons, and once she had consumed some food, she again found herself lost in a trance as she went through the same moves as the previous evening. She snapped out of it a couple of hours later when Vorsce eventually managed to tell her that it was quite dark now and time for their watch. Sheathing her weapons, she sat beside him, legs held up close to her body as she stared out into the night, the mountain bathed in the faint light of the moon and stars.

It was quite strange. The training mantra had a soothing, meditative effect on her, melting away the stress and anxiety of the day. She felt more at peace with herself, like she was reaffirming a part of herself. A part of herself that had not been there before, of that Crys was certain. What exactly had been done to her? A gift, the presence had said, that much she was certain of, one of the few things out of the many that had been said that had actually been crystal clear to her. But what exactly did that entail, and what were the costs? And why? Something inside of her was certain that she already knew the answers, but for the life of her she was unable to grasp them at the moment.

Not that she was ungrateful. The battle with the Dark Wolf had almost got her killed. She definitely would be if the others hadn’t been there. Their combat prowess and teamwork was something to be awed. She was surprised that she hadn’t at the least lost her arm, but she seemed to have gotten lucky that time. This time round she’d be able to properly contribute.

Hopefully.

Practice and real combat were two different things though.

luck would be an anvil randomly falling on your enemy.

gifts are not given to the lucky,

gifts go to those with potential,

to those who prove their worth.

pyre.

It would be a lie to say that she wasn’t afraid. But she would face those fears. She had to.

Or she’d never be able to see Rachael again.

Nor would she be able to figure out the presence.

---

Clocky was of course correct.

They set off the next morning as soon as there was enough light to see where they were going, the terrain still the same, a rocky path surrounded by steep rocky slopes covered in coarse grass and bushes. Shortly after they had started walking the path resumed its uphill ascent, albeit somewhat gentler this time than the previous day. Crys had no idea where the path was taking them, but if it was the summit of the mountain then it would still take them days to get there. Hopefully they caught up with Sean and the attackers well before then. There wasn’t much for them to do apart from concentrating on their walk with the occasional look to appreciate their surroundings, and it was starting to get boring. The mountains were nice and all, but she’d seen more than enough of them in the last week. Life was a mix of things though, and she had to take the boring with the more interesting.

“All things going to plan, Alison should be on her way back now?” Fairweather queried as they passed a small clump of trees, a pair of rabbits bouncing across the path. The number of trees had been steadily increasing, as well as the number of animals. Crys was certain that they had now seen well over thirty rabbits, and Fairweather had made noises about hunting some for food once it became practical.

Clocky nodded. “With Saylin in tow. Not sure what Dudley’s going to do. He may have to stay and wait for the recovery team with his injury. He’s not going to be able to walk this track.”

“You certain Saylin’s going to come?” Vorsce aired. “You know that she hates trains.”

“She’ll come. Alison will make sure she does, she’ll work out something.”

“Not without some theatrics though I’m certain.” Vorsce gave a grin, before suddenly stopping. “We’ve found one.”

The track opened up in front of them, a small plateau off to the side with a cluster of small trees on the uphill side. It was littered with signs that the attackers had spent the night there, including a pool of drying blood on the ground, and lying partially hidden in the trees was a figure dressed in blood stained leather armour. He looked like he’d been thrown there rather than having lay down himself, his body twisted at an uncomfortable angle.

Fairweather’s ears twitched as she looked at him. “He’s dead,” she stated, walking over to the body.

They picked up the body carefully, moving him back onto the plateau for a better look. The man looked to be young, probably around her age Crys guessed, and he looked pale and haggard. His armour was torn at the front, blood pooling from a badly bandaged wound on his chest.

“He died overnight I’m pretty sure, from his wounds from the battle,” Fairweather said. With the pool of blood on the ground that was certain.

“I don’t recognise him either,” Clocky added, before standing back up. “I’m not sure if they were hoping to recover his body later, but there are Wildlings present in the area. He’s better off in the gorge. For everyone’s safety.”

Vorsce nodded, and giving Clocky a hand, they threw the body down the slope. Crys closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on other things as the body noisily bounced, rolled and slid its way down. She understood their reasoning, and as Clocky had said, likely necessary, but it still wasn’t a pleasant thing. Fairweather gave her a reassuring hug.

“He’s probably the lucky one,” Fairweather whispered. Crys knew she was right, but it didn’t help much.

Vorsce spent some time examining the plateau, but it seemed there wasn’t much to find. “They slept here, but that’d be about it. Given what I can find, I don’t think they’ve much, if any, supplies left either. They never intended to be away for so long.”

“Given their ability to make us lapse in awareness,” Clocky said with a thoughtful expression, “I reckon that they intended to kill Sean, and then ride the train back to Brightswater, disembarking there. We’d be none the wise, and then probably executed for his death.”

“We’d be blamed for his death,” Vorsce agreed, “but I doubt they’d try and execute us right of the bat. It would be messy none the less.”

“We are closer now though. They left later than us,” Vorsce added. “As to Sean though, I have no clue what trail they are actually following. I haven’t been able to see any traces of him for quite some time.”

“We’ll just have to ask them then.”

---

Rachael walked up to Saylin as she stood beside a metal stake embedded in the ground, a small pink plush cat tied to it. To say that it had been easy to spot would be an understatement.

“That’s the marker?” she asked.

“Yup. Ain’t it cute?” Saylin said cheerfully, untying it, twirling around and placing it in Rachael’s hands. “One of my own creations.”

It did indeed look home-made. One eye was larger than the other and the proportions, even for a plush, were off. But obviously it had served its purpose, and Saylin did seem proud of it. Animal toys were probably not her strong suit.

“However,” Saylin then continued, her expression now serious, “I recognise this area from the one time I did the run, and that,” Saylin pointed to the stone archway just up from the marker, “was not there before.”

“Are you certain?” Alison asked as she joined them, unsheathing her sword.

“Ten thousand percent sure. Dreamsouls only grow in a couple of locations along rail line, and they are a rather useful reagent.”

“And is that one a member of the pack?” Rachael queried, looking at what she assumed was a Grazeye sitting in front of the archway, staring at them.

Saylin’s brief description hadn’t been off, it did indeed look like a large mountain cat, and in its current posture it came up to her waist. Sleek dark brown fur, rippling muscles, long whiskers, and sharp canines. It’s most off-putting feature though was the third eye that sat just above the other two, a grey colour compared to the black of the others, likely the source of its name. This one was not looking well, a deep gouge in its flank that was dripping a black ooze. All it had done since the train had stopped was just stare at them.

“I have my doubts, but I can’t confirm that yet. I would say that it run afoul of the pack either way though.”

Alison shrugged, and approached it, the Grazeye unsteadily attempting to rise as she got closer. It growled at her, but there was no heart to it. An empty threat.

“I’m sorry,” she stated, stabbing her sword through it’s third eye and into its skull, the great cat not making any move to move out of the way.

The Grazeye slumped to its side, red blood stained black seeping out as Alison removed her sword.

“That was... unusual,” Alison pondered, cleaning the blade on its fur before resheathing it, Saylin gracefully hopping over the corpse to closer examine the archway and the trail the went through it.

“They definitely went through here, as did all the Grazeye’s. This one was not one of the original six. They’re closing the gap between them too.” Saylin frowned.

Alison matched her frown. “The mountains are their turf. I’m not liking the odds, not with only three.”

“Crys can’t fight?” Saylin questioned.

“Don’t get me wrong, Crys is a nice person,” Alison replied, “but combat doesn’t seem to be their strong point.”

“Oh.”

“That... may have changed,” interjected Rachael.

Alison gave her a confused look.

“It’s not one that I can explain at this point sorry,” Rachael offered. “Either way though, I think we’d better hurry.”

Checking, Rachael was both surprised and pleased to find that she could sense Crys’ general direction now, which did lie in the vicinity of the mountain. That meant that they were the closest they had been since waking. Rachael did hope that they’d reach the Grazeye’s before they reached Crys, but she knew that it wasn’t likely. She was just praying instead that whatever Warrior had done to Crys would allow her to survive the encounter. That was what it was about after all, wasn’t it.

both,

will thrive.

The implications of the archway however were somewhat more worrying to her. The style was a little too familiar, matching both of the Anchor Temples. They didn’t match Warrior at all however, which strongly implied that there were others involved as well. Others like Warrior. Others, that were awake. And active.

bingo.