Thomas and Trish - 3

Thomas and Trish rode hard all that day, but the sky darkened and the wind picked up until it was driving the snow into their eyes so hard they could not even look forward. The horses seemed to know where they were going, but Thomas and Trish were hesitant to just let them go, not knowing where they might end up, so once they dropped back into the forest they began to look for a secluded spot to rest.

Minutes passed and the wind was unbearable. They thought they were still on the road, but had no way of knowing. Their fingers and toes started to go numb and still the trees were evenly spaced, and offered no more than a slight cover.

Finally, Trish pulled her horse close to Thomas’ and yelled above the wind. “Augury.” she yelled with all her might.

Thomas knew that meant she intended to petition the forces of good with a question in order help decide whether they should just stop or continue on. He shook his head in a agreement, while she cast the prayer. When she was done she pointed forward, and they both urged their horses forward.

Thomas drew out his sword once in an attempt to see if the light would help, but the blowing snow only lit up like a wall of reflective shards, so he put it away, and they continued on. As soon as their eyes adjusted back to the dim light they both saw a dark shape to their left. They steered the horses toward it and found that several large trees lay in a ragged collection of angles.

As they circled the trees, they found that one end of the maze allowed them and their horses entrance. It wasn’t much, but the trees had kept some of the snow out of the area, and on the windward side it was beginning to pile up against the branches forming a windbreak.

They found that the water in their packs had frozen so the each chewed a couple mouthfuls of snow to wet their throats. Thomas took his shield and cleared some of the snow close to where the horses stood, and he and Trish lay down together like two odd shaped snow drifts.

The wind continued for several hours, and when it did die down, the sky was absolutely dark. It began to snow, and they both knew it would be a heavy snowfall. Soon enough the temperature warmed notably, and the flakes began to fall like silent butterflies coming to earth to rest.

Thomas again drew his blade to provide light, and the two of them where able to pull a bunch of branches together to form a partial shelter, at least for their upper bodies. Trish spent her last magic casting endure cold on the horses before she and Thomas bunched as close as they could and scooted under the branches. Once Thomas sheathed his blade again the darkness and silence became absolute, and they both fell asleep quickly.

When they awoke it was still completely dark, and neither of them could move their body from the waist down. It was not so much that they could move at all, more like their legs were being crushed by a heavy weight. Thomas could not move enough to reach his sword, and Trish began to feat the worst.

After a few minutes to wiggling and maneuvering Trish was able to reach into Thomas’ wraps and draw out his sword far enough for him to get his hand on the grip. As he laid his hands on the blade the diamond erupted into a painfully bright light, and everything went from black to white. Even with their eyes closed the light was painful, but the were able to see that they completely buried under the snow.

Thomas was able to wrangle the sword free and thrust it upward through the branches and snow. It struck something solid, and only yielded a puff of snow his his face. He tried again, and this time he thrust it upward until his elbow was lost in the branches and snow. As he withdrew his arm and sword they were able to see a small amount of light bouncing its way down the tiny shaft.

Extracting themselves from their little now cave took a lot of maneuvering, but eventually they were able to free their legs, and maneuver such that Thomas got his feet under him and thrust his body up through the snow and branches. As he did so, he felt the snow cave collapse his legs and immediately began working to extract Trish. He eventually got a firm grip on her arm and pulled her free. She emerged gasping and quite frightened, but nonetheless unharmed.

The world into which they emerged was quite different than the one they had left the night before. The sun was high in clear blue sky, and shone brightly on a land of fluffy white shapes. The tree, bushes, and even the mountains had been buried in several feet of fresh new snow.

Their horses had been sheltered somewhat from the snow by a large tree that sloped over them; tied up in another large tree when it had fallen. The horses seemed to have eaten a good amount of the pine needles within reach and what grass they could find around their feet. They were left standing in small ring that rose nearly to their necks but they had trampled it down so that it looked like a tiny snow corral surrounding them by only a few feet.

“So now what?” asked Trish.

“I suppose we move on and try to find the king.” responded Thomas. “We might be being followed, so we should hurry.”

With a some searching and prodding, the retrieved their packs and Thomas’ shield. They dug path to the horses and then to then out into the open snow. When they were free of the snow, Trish removed the blood from their clothes, while Thomas pulled together some breakfast for them.

Shouldered their gear they mounted their horses who waded through the snow to what looked like a road passing though the trees. They turned south and traveled for much of the day. The going was slow, and they stopped several times to eat, and let their horses glean what they could from the surrounding foliage.

Finally a hill appeared ahead of them. It had a large wooden building on top, and the slopes of the hill had a various spattering of buildings lining the roads that spiraled down its slopes.

The road through the forest slowly gave way to fields and then buildings, but the entire city seemed to be deserted. They did not see a single soul until they passed beyond the fields, and entered the city proper. There they found a few people venturing out into the deep snow, but most of them were having a difficult time of it, and quickly returned from their errands the way they had come.

Thomas hailed a man ask asked for directions to the king. The main raised an eyebrow and point at the top of the hill before burying his face deeper into his meager coat and hurrying on. So, they continued through the lower town, and fought their way through the snow up the sloping roads to the top.

At the top of the hill all the roads merged and entered a walled palisade through a large wooded gate. The gate was closed, and nearly buried in snow. They could see and hear no one, so Thomas called out, but got no answer. He tried again, and still no response, so he dug his way to the gate and pounded on it with his gauntlet. After several minutes and a series of poundings and calling, he eventually got an answer, but a very flustered sounding voice.

“What do you want!” called the voice.

“We wish to speak with the king.” Thomas called back.

“And how do you propose to do that?” asked the flustered voice. “The gate is buried, and I am certainly not going to be digging it out.”

“Does the gate open in or out?” called Thomas.

“Out.” came the reply.

“Well I can dig out the gate on this side if it will help.” Thomas offered.

The voice paused, and then said, “Fine. You dig out the gate, and I’ll see if the king will see you.” The voice then quickly followed with, “Who are you?”

Thomas called back proudly, “I am Thomas, Wielder of Vengeance, the Truth Bringer, and with me is Trish Bearer of Mercy, the Greatstaff of the Heavens, my wife.”

The voice fell silent for a few moments, and then replied, “Okay, you dig out the gate, and I’ll be back in a while.”

Satisfied, Thomas drew out his shield and began to dig out the gate.

Thomas dug and threw snow for several hours. Trish tried to help, but with nothing to dig with, she did little value and eventually just stood back and offered moral support. The piles grew to ten feet or higher around the gate, and Thomas began to have trouble getting snow on top, so he began lugging the snow further and further from the gate.

After finishing clearing the outside of the gates, Thomas had time to eat, and rest for a while before the gates finally opened. The inside of the gates was much like the outside. The snow had drifted against it nearly to the top of the ten foot gates. As the opened much of the highest drifts broke free in an avalanche that completely buried whoever it was that had opened the gates.

Thomas leapt from forward wading and digging into the snow until he had pulled a sputtering old man from the snow. He was bundled in a heavy coat, and he had some heavy snow boots on, but he was clearly not really dressed to be out in the weather as his pants were thin and allowed the snow to fall inside the boots freely.

The man sputtered and slipped on the snow while Thomas held him by the shoulders. Once he had his footing he thanked Thomas, and turned to see his trail into the case blocked completely. His shoulders slumped, and his head sank as a ragged voice escaped his lips, “Great!”

The man had a slight build, but was had been fairly strong in his younger years. Now is belly bulged a bit, and his hands shook a bit. He had brown hair and dark brown eyes.
Looking at the cleared area outside the gates, he looked to Thomas sheepishly, and motioning toward the wall of snow, asked Thomas, “Do you think you could…”

Thomas began removing his heavy cloak, and said cheerfully, “Of course.”

He gave the man his great white cloak, and went to work on the snow.

While he worked Trish had a chance to talk to the man. He learned of their plight and quest, and responded with a little expression as he deferred the king any response. He did tell her that his name was Kurm and the king his father was named was Kam. For the most part he deferred all other questions to the king.

Daylight was wearing thin as Thomas finally finished digging out the gates, and a path through the courtyard within to the front doors of the castle itself. The convergence of the roads outside the gates was completely filled with piles of snow as high as Thomas could reach. There was a narrow canyon that allowed access to the gates from each road, and small tunnels to each of buildings that were buried by the snow.

Thomas was carving the last of the tunnels when a group of people emerged from the castle. In the lead was a tall ancient looking man with a wood and gold crown. Flanking him were two men with swords and shields, followed by an elderly woman and several children that ranged in age from about ten to eighteen.

As they approached, Kurm laid the great cloak on Thomas’ horse and moved forward to meet the group.

“Kurm, my boy, what an amazing job you have done out here.” said man with the crown.

Kurm quickly responded, “Oh, not me father, This man…” he turned to find Thomas who emerged from one of the tunnels, “… this man cleared the snow. It would kill me to attempt such an effort,”

“Well then, I must meet the man that has done us this service.”

Seeing the procession, Thomas quickly trotted up to the leading man and held out his hand. “I am Thomas, Wielder of Vengeance, the Truth Bringer, and this is Trish Bearer of Mercy, the Greatstaff of the Heavens, my wife.” he said proudly.

The man took Thomas’ had, “Kam, king of the great northern kingdom Kam.”

The king had a slight build, and had a bright voice, but his face showed more years than even Kurm. His eyes and cheeks drooped as though his entire face was made of putty that had been dragged down by time.

“You’re majesty.” said Thomas, “we have come seeking your aid. There are women and children suffering within you kingdom, and we ask you aid in rescuing them.”

The king raised his eyebrows and responded. “Well, straight to the point I see. Come let us go inside to discuss such matters.”

The king then stepped past Thomas and raised his hand to Trish who was sitting on her horse; “My lady, please come in out of this cold.”

She accepted his help slid off the horse. When she reached the ground, the king got a good look at her face which was buried deeply in her hood and exclaimed, “Thomas, you did not say that you had married a goddess.” He then bowed deeply and lead them all back toward the castle.

As they began, Kurm spoke up, “Father, the horses?” The king waved in the direction of the wall to their right, and continued into the castle. Thomas looked back to see Kurm begin to lead horse where the king had indicated.

Once inside the castle, the king turned to Thomas and Trish and offered to take their cloaks. After placing their cloaks, snow boots, and shield on a bench near the door, they turned to see the king and his escorts visibly impressed.

“Well, you two do make quite a pair. Would you like to leave your weapons as well?” asked the king.

Thomas graciously declined for both of them, and the king waved it off and inconsequential, “Very well. Our meal is waiting, please join us.” he said pointing dow a large hallway.

He fell into step between Thomas and Trish, and asked politely, “Now Thomas, you are the wielder of the sword of truth was it?”

“Vengeance, the Truth Bringer.” he corrected

“…and my lady?” he asked turning to Trish.

“Trish, I am charged with Mercy, the Greatstaff of the Heavens.” she said politely.

He looked at her staff and said in a very earnest tone, “It is very pretty.”

Halfway down the hall the king indicated a door to their left. “We are here.” he said as he opened a set of double doors to reveal a large room with a high ceiling. The room was about forty feet wide and two hundred feet in length. The room was lit by wall sconces and three great chandeliers. The floor was dominated by two great tables the ran the length of the hall. Large chairs lined the outer edges of the tables, leaving a clear path down the center of the room. On the floor between the tables was a rich read carpet.

The king lead them down the middle of the room to the far end where they climbed three steps to a dais where a table was laden with a great feast. The king took his seat at one end and indicated two chairs on his right to Thomas and Trish. The lady sat herself at the end the table opposite the king and the three children sat across from Thomas and Trish, leaving one seat between Trish and the lady.

As they sat, the king encouraged them to eat, and introduced his household. “This…” he began, motioning to the other end of the table, “is Sila, my granddaughter. And these” he continued beginning from older to youngest, “are her children: Firk, Kull, and Nela. The man that greeted you is my son Kurm. He will join us as soon as he sees to your horses.”

Thomas and Trish observed their fellow diners as they ate. Sila was an aging middle-age woman with a stern but pretty face. Her hair was black as were her eyes, but her skin was quite pale. Firk and Kull were thin young men that looked little like their mother, and a great deal more like Kurm who turned out to be their grandfather. They had brown hair and dark brown eyes, were slight of build, but had strong hands. Nela was a beautiful young girl, and looked like a spitting image of her mother: black hair and eyes, and pale skin which blushed brightly when either of the guests looked her direction.

Kurm did indeed join them looking exhausted, and hungry. He lipped into the remaining seat without a word, and only a nod to the king and smile to Sila.

The meal was well cooked hearty food. There was venison, pork, potatoes, several types of bread, vegetables, and a strange yellowish pudding. As the meal was cleared they were each brought a wonderful spiraled sweetbread that had a sweet white drizzle on top. They all enjoyed the sweet bread. Nela seemed especially delighted by it.

After the meal, the king dismissed the rest of the family and escorted Thomas and Trish through a door near the table. They crossed a hall and entered another large room. This room was about the same size as the dinning hall, but was built in a more grandiose style. The ceiling was higher, and had windows where the center was raised a few extra feet. The roof sloped down over the sides of the hall, and were supported by great wooden pillars carved with large swirling shapes. There were benches along the walls, a raised dais with one large luxurious chair on it. The chair was inlaid with gold, and had red padded cloth on the arms seat and high back. The back of the chair rose into carved towers. The windows in the walls and ceiling were buried by the snow, but sconces on the pillars lit the room, and several fires were burning along the walls.

The king took his seat in the great throne and urged his guests to stand before him. As they approached, the king looked over his right shoulder at a doorway near the back of the hall and called out a name that sounded ‘Black’, but with a gurgle at the end. Shortly, a ragged form appeared in the doorway and the king turned to face Thomas and Trish again.

As the form approached Thomas and Trish saw their nightmares awake once again. A ragged old woman approached that looked very much like the witches that had held them captive.

Thomas placed his hand on his sword out of reflex and Trish gasped taking a step back, and bringing her staff in front of her as if to shield her from a blow.
Seeing their distress the creature cackled and raised her arms menacingly. Thomas drew his sword and the diamond burst into light. There was a flurry of shadows near the wall, and Trish saw a figure dressed in black appear right behind Thomas. Trish would have screamed, but the figure raised a dagger to Thomas’ throat and spoke.

“Don’t be fool!” hit hissed.

Thomas and Trish froze and the king leapt to his feet. He raised one of his hands to the witch and one to the figure behind Thomas, as if the stop them.

The king then said in a calming voice, “Lets all calm down.”

Thomas slipped his sword back in his sheath and the light faded. The figure with the dagger, materialized into a woman, and slipped over to stand by the king, while the witch approached slowly.

Seeing the terror in the eyes of Thomas and Trish, the king spoke, “I see that you are not comfortable at the sight of my witch. I understand, but you need not fear. She will not harm you.”

“And this” said the king pointing at the woman in black, “Is my body guard, Alethra.”

They could not see much of her face as she kept her hood pulled low over her face, but her skin seemed to be a strange gray color, and the whites of her eyes didn’t seem to have any pupils.

Thomas reached for Trish’s hand and placed in in the cook of his arm, and said, “You’re majesty. We have come from our home in the north in search of a child that was shown us in a vision. We found that child in a camp of vagabonds. These same vagabonds have captured many women and children, and are mistreating them in unspeakable ways. We beg of you to help us clear this camp and help the women and children return to their homes.”

The thought for a minute and asked, “Vagabonds you say. What makes you think they are vagabonds?”

“Well for one thing” said Thomas, “They attacked us… errrr well, I mean… we kind of…” Thinking back on the encounter he was not sure if they attacked him or if they were acting in selfdefense.

“Your honor.” broke in Trish. “They have the women and children in deplorable conditions up in that camp, and they force the women to live in an unsanitary freezing brothel where they take advantage of them at all times of the day. Some of them are pregnant, and most of the have children.”

“…and they tried to kill me so they could throw Trish in that filthy brothel as well.” sputtered Thomas.

“Tell me everything.” said the king. He then listened and Thomas and Trish took turns telling of their meeting in the woods with Tull and his men, the meeting with Fen, and the fight to escape.

After they had finished that king asked, “And where is this camp?”

“About a hard days ride north and west, in the cliffs at the base of the mountains.” answered Thomas.

The witch whispered something into the kings ear, and his eyes seemed to find some recognition.

“Hmmm.” said the king, “So what would you have me do?” he asked. “The roads are likely to be closed for weeks, and maybe for the rest of the winter. I can’t spare an army to ride up there as they will be working to dig out the city.”

Thomas and Trish both stared in disbelief not knowing what to say.

Alethra whispered something into the kings ear, and his eyes brightened considerably. He then responded loud enough for everyone to hear, “That is a great idea.” Then turning to Thomas he said. “You sound like you are pretty good with a sword, and Trish you seem to make a great team. Alethra here is pretty quick on her feet, and good horseman. Why don’t we load the three of you up with some horses and supplies, and maybe I can find a few men to go as well. You sneak into the camp, and take it down from the inside. Then when the men are killed or scattered you can get the supplies to the women. That, at least, will keep them until we can get some additional help.”
They were disappointed, but Thomas and Trish agreed to the plan. “When do we leave?” asked Thomas.

The king turned to Alethra who whispered something into his ear. “Give me tomorrow to pull together the supplies and the men, and you can leave first thing the next morning. I don’t have any spare beds here in the palace, but here is a wonderful inn down in town that should have room to put you up. I’ll send a runner to let them know you are coming.” He then gave Alethra a nod and she left quickly.

The king turned to the witch, and said, “Would you go tell Kurm to prepare their horses, and show them down to The Toad?” She hissed as if offended at being sent on such an errand, but with a glare from the kind, she departed.

“There, now we have a few minutes to chat alone.” said the king, “So tell me about this vision, and where you got your weaponry?”

Thomas and Trish told of their life under the lash of the witches, and their rescue and life since then, and in return the kind told them his family feud with his brother down in the port city, and how he and a few refugees were able to escape in to this land, and build up a city. He told how his wife and children, except for Kurm, were all killed in raids by some vile creatures of the abyss, and how the witch and Alethra had help to drive the demons off, and restore peace to his lands.

Trish could tell that Thomas was not comfortable as he listened to the kings story, but she just stood close, and waited until they could talk in private.

“Now,” he concluded, ”I have to keep the bulk of my forces stationed down on the west road to keep the demons at bay. So you see I have only a skeleton force here in the city, and to have enemies to the north is very disturbing to me.”

Kurm came and retrieved them, and the king wished them well as they left.

As they walked, Trish decided to see what she could learn from Kurm. “So are you the only one that does any work around here?” she joked.

“Yes.” came a sullen reply.

“Well doesn’t the king have any servants to fetch horses and run errands?” she asked.

“You would think.” came the reply.

“But you are the prince, aren’t you?” she pushed back.

“Well, yes.” came the dejected reply.

“That doesn’t sound very excited.” she offered cheerfully.

“Well, I am the prince, but my father does all the important stuff around here, and I just stay out of his way.” he then added under his breath, “He can be very unkind when you get in his way.”

Trish fell silent, and they finished their walk in silence. The went to the front entrance where Thomas and Trish collected their gear, then out in to the courtyard where their horses were waiting.

Kurm directed them down a different street than they had come up, so let him lead as they rode single file down the hill, some of snow was melting and creating long icicles on the eaves of the buildings. There was some sings of people digging out their porches, but most of the town was either deserted or just didn’t want to venture out into the snow.

Down in the city, Kurm lead them to a two story sturdy looking building that had a sing out front that said “Black Toad”, and had a picture of a rough picture of a toad painted black except for its large white eyes. There was a basic path to the front door, but he street was mostly untrodden.

Thomas and Trish dismounted and tied their horse to the rail in front of the inn. Kurm turned his horse around and silently rode away. Trish and Thomas looked at each other, shrugged and headed into the inn.