nowbound

Part Four - Friends Reunited

Trimus was worried. Not knowing how many charges were left in his wand cast a doubt over what he would do. The spells he had in memory were useless in this situation. A magic missile would have been very welcome just now. He was convinced that his chattering teeth would attract the attention of the creature above him but it and the other ape seemed to be making enough noise for a dozen so perhaps they couldn't hear him after all.
"If I stay here much longer I will freeze to death." He muttered through numb lips. So standing up he pointed the wand at the ape and fired just as it leapt from the ledge.

Cain waited for the ape to land on him but as he watched a cone of freezing air struck the beast encasing it in frost and snow. It crashed to the ground dead.
"Trimus D'Alberon I presume." Cain called with a hint of laughter in his voice.
"Yes, it is and am I glad to see you." Replied Trimus emerging from the shadow of a boulder and he looked down at the dead ape and the bound bundle beside it.
"I wanted to talk to them, they may know something of the lay of the land around here."
"We should head south, regardless." Replied Trimus. "We may be able to find the Phoenix."
"Agreed, we should wait for Darkhawk and Cain to catch us up, I left them behind. I think I saw Jodotha earlier."
"So everyone got off before the sky platform crashed, that's a relief."
Just then Darkhawk and Ako climbed up onto the ridge to join them.
"So you found some of these as well." Commented Darkhawk nudging the frozen ape with his boot. "We found one sleeping on the snow and killed it."
"I stunned it." Sighed Cain. "I saw no need to kill it."
Darkhawk shrugged. "Well what are we going to do with this one." He pointed at the bound ape that was now beginning to stir.
"Kill it." Muttered Jodotha as he joined them on the ridge. "Do you know what a pretty target we make up on here?"
"Let me try to talk to it first." Cautioned Cain. "It might have some useful information."
The mystic crouched down before the ape and started to talk in the creature's strange guttural tongue but all he got in return was snarls and howls.
"I'm going to let it go. Don't kill it." He looked at Jodotha who stood with arms folded with a scowl on his face. Cain cut the creature's bonds and it scampered off into the snow.
"I saw some elk back there." Volunteered Trimus "It might be enough to keep us going, if we can get a fire to cook it on."
The others agreed and after skinning the dead ape they travelled south.

After a few hours of travelling over the monotonous terrain the sun started to sink below the tops of the highest peaks casting long shadows over the snow.
"It is going to get cold very soon." Warned Cain. "We need to find or make a shelter. "Trimus your staff can cast a wall of ice, can you do it so that we can build an ice shelter or suchlike?"
Trimus thought for a moment and nodded. "Could do but we would need some sort of rock wall to anchor it to. It would not be easy but it would be better than sitting in the open."
"We may not have to." Jodotha was standing still and pointing towards a group of dark blotches in a coll a mile or so to the south. "That looks like a camp of some sort."
They carried on southwards towards what soon resolved itself into a group of skin huts. As they got closer they could make out a number of large figures moving between and around the huts.
"They're not human." Muttered Ako.
"You don't say!" Jodotha's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Is it that they are a foot taller than Darkhawk or is it the wings on their backs?"
"Put it this way." Said Trimus shivering in the cold. "If they capture us we will be put in a warm tent. If they befriend us we will get put in a warm tent. We can't be worse off than we are now."
"Unless they eat us." Drawled Jodotha, which earned him a frown from everyone else.

They decided to risk it and moved down into the camp. The figures noticed them immediately and came to meet them. Closer up Trimus could see that they were covered in thick white fur from head to toe, with large bat like ears and turned up noses. Cain approached the largest of the creatures and made a gesture of peace, covering his right fist with his left hand.
"We seek shelter for the night." Cain asked in common. The creatures talked amongst them selves in a high pitched screeching language before the largest spoke in halting common.
"Why are you here?"
"We fell from the sky, we had an accident. We are lost and cold."
"You want trade? Skins?"
"What about a tent and some firewood?" asked Cain confidant now that these creatures were not overtly hostile. Ako surreptitiously cast a spell, which indicated that the creatures were neutral in alignment backing up Cain's gut feelings.
"What you have to trade?" The leader asked before noticing that Trimus was shivering. "First come, get warm, share food with us. Then trade."
The companions followed the furry creature amongst the half dozen or so tents to a large firepit, around which others of his kind were seated, talking and eating. Many stopped to stare when Trimus and the others appeared, but only briefly before continuing their conversations.
"They have obviously met 'our kind' before." Cain whispered to Ako. "Looking at some of the goods they have, those harpoons for example, they must come out of the mountains to trade with some of the villages in the foothills."
The leader sat by the fire and gestured for Trimus and the others to join him. He picked up a skewer on which were large chunks of meat and fish and passed it to Cain. The others helped themselves and were soon warmed inside and out.

Once they had finished eating the leader spoke again. "What you have to trade?"
Jodotha pulled his light gem from within his shirt and held it out to the leader who studied it for a while.
"Have you noticed what they burn for fuel Ako?" asked Darkhawk. "Dung, and I think it might be their own."
Suddenly the food didn't taste quite so appetising.
Trimus riffled through his pack and pulled out a pouch. He tipped a handful of gems and an assortment of coins into his palm and held them out to the leader. Using his long yellowish clawed fingers he picked out a ruby, two polished pieces of turquoise and a nicely cut piece of aquamarine, which he placed next to the light gem on the ground.
"Good trade." He said. "Fang fur, keep you warm." He pointed to a long length of white fur."
"What was that?" asked Darkhawk, "It must be fifteen feet long if it's an inch."
"Very nice." Replied Cain cagily. "But we want shelter and food as well."
"Yes. You have tent and food for three days."
"Hmm. Those are valuable gems, what else do you have."
The leader grinned, he seemed to be enjoying the bartering. "These medicine bottles. Make you strong and well."
Trimus, Ako and Cain took the bottles, each of which had a strange symbol on a leather tag, probably the name of the potion in the creature's language. One appeared to be a potion of healing, one of strength the other Trimus was on sure of but it appeared to be a protection potion of some kind. Possibly protection from missiles he thought to himself.
Cain held out his hand to the leader and said, "A good deal we have. My name is Cain, you are called?"
"We are Cryion, I am leader, I am Hakarr."
Cain introduced the others who bowed to the leader and thanked him for his hospitality.
Darkhawk pointed to the wings on Hakarr's back. "Do you fly?"
"No!" laughed Hakarr, "We sail." He pointed to his feet, which were mostly covered in fur but seemed to have a bony ridge along the length of the sole. "We sail the ice."
"What manner of creature is this 'fang'?" asked Trimus fingering the thick white pelt.
"Nasty creature. It lives in the snow. Strikes without warning, very dangerous. But good to hunt and good to eat." Replied Hakarr.
"It is late, we have far to go tomorrow." Said Cain standing. "Which tent is ours?"
Hakarr pointed to one on the edge of the camp where some Cryions were removing their belongings to a neighbouring tent.
"Thank you." Replied Cain who bowed once more and joined the others in settling themselves down for the night. The skin and hide tent stretched over thin willow poles was snug and warm after the chill of the wind outside and soon Ako, Cain and Trimus were asleep amongst their furs. Jodotha and Darkhawk took turns on watch though neither thought that the Cryions would attack.

The following day dawned bright and cold. Trimus sat hunched amongst a pile of furs as he turned the pages of his spellbook with stiff fingers. Ako went outside for some peace to commune Normanus, patron of wisdom. Meanwhile Jodotha sharpened his blades and Cain spent a little time teaching the rudiments of his discipline to a small group of young Cryion. Before long they were ready to pack up. The tent folded cleverly into a sled like construction for easy transport across the snow and Ako and Darkhawk decided to take turns pulling it. Trimus had packed the potions of strength and healing into his pack, while Ako had taken the protection potion.
"Take care, big men in stone tent south of here. Very dangerous, killed many Cryions." Hakarr had a worried look in his eyes. "Be careful, trade again soon."
"If we find them we will kill them for you." Said Cain. "In thanks for your aid last night."

They set off across the snow with this warning in mind.
"What did you think they meant?" asked Ako.
"Giants most likely." Said Trimus his eyes on the rocky slopes to the west. "It's the right sort of terrain for frost, hill and stone giants, if I remember my lessons aright."
"Never mind that, what's that!" shouted Jodotha and pointed at a moving ridge of snow heading towards them from the southeast.
"Fang." Replied Darkhawk shrugging out of the traces of the tent sled and drawing his blade.
No sooner had he done so then a huge white furred worm burst out of the snow, blood red maw open wide revealing two large fangs dripping with venom.
Jodotha let fly with his crossbow and Trimus cast a fireball spell. The bolt appeared to do little damage but Trimus spell exploded with great force. Once the smoke and steam had cleared the scorched and blasted remains of the worm lay on the bare rock, the snow for at least thirty paces around the corpse melted clean away.
"We won't make much in trade on that fur." Chuckled Jodotha as he wafted the stench of burnt fur from his face. "And if anyone is watching for us that is a good a signal as any." Cautioned Cain.

Progress was slow and it was a despondent party that ate a quiet noontime meal.
"Things should get better soon." Said Cain on returning from a brief scout, "The ground slopes downwards for a few miles so we should be able to go a bit faster as well as being sheltered from the wind.
Cain's prediction was correct. The shelter of the valley sides had caused the snow to freeze into a harder crust and the sled moved easier across it. They were making good speed when Cain held up a hand and Ako slowed the sled to a halt.
"What is it now Cain." Asked Jodotha impatiently.
"Up there, on the western side of the valley, can you see it."
"What, I just see a jumble of rocks, no wait a minute, there is something there. Is it a fort? If so it is a ruin now. What of it?"
"Probably nothing but it my be where the giants are holed up. Let's keep on going but keep an eye out for trouble."
They moved on, in silence now with Cain and Jodotha ahead scanning and listening for any trouble. They had gone no more than a mile or so further when Cain and Jodotha returned.
"There is a steep ramp leading to a gate in a stone wall halfway up the valley side no more than a hundred or so paces ahead." Reported Cain.
"We should investigate." Said Ako.
"Why?" asked Trimus, "We have little enough supplies as it is, this could cost us valuable time."
"It could be the home of the giants."
"And?"
"Cain said we would kill them if we found them."
"And my word is important to me." Sighed Cain. "Much as I would like to carry on, I feel oath bound to investigate this castle and if it is the home of the giants, vanquish them."
Jodotha shook his head. "Honour, is a very dangerous thing to have."

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