DORULL SAGA - SWAMP OF DEATH
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Saekul followed the group of vards
from a safe distance. Led by his acquaintance, Vlaazh, they were moving fast
heading northwest. Couple of hours later, he realized where they were traveling
to. Vards stopped at the edge of the forest, in a small, hidden campsite, they
surely made before. Despite still being dark, Saekul could see the outlines of
the Tvayas hills. The historical place of the last battle, in the great war
between humans and orcs. Elf hated this place. Some quite hard, painful
memories were still fresh in his mind. Many of his brothers, warriors, and
combatants died in these hills.
Several vards left behind to erect and secure this camp, hastily jumped to help the wounded assassin. By their reactions,
Saekul knew the vard had a slim chance of surviving. It wasn’t short of a
miracle, he even managed to come all this way. But then again, those vards were
quite different from any other race of Dorull. They always seemed to find a way
to surprise the elf. Either with their incredible endurance and toughness, or
their particular set of skills.
Several small, well concealed fires
were lit all around the campsite. Even the best scouts couldn’t notice them
from a mere hundred yards away. Saekul wished to warm himself, perhaps even to
grab a bite. Sweet scent of sizzling meat tickled his nostrils, and vards were
preparing a meal for their wounded friend. But there was no time for rest, as
the elf noticed that Vlaazh had no intentions of staying in the camp. He
exchanged a couple of words with one of the vards, before swiftly continuing
towards the hills.
Saekul had to be much more careful
now, as they were nearing the edges of the grove. Tree line became thinner.
Soon he will run out of the cover in which he could hide. And on this flat,
open terrain, chances of being noticed grew considerably. But he had to carry
on, he had to take a risk. Slim line of light appeared on the horizon. The dawn
was nearing. And with it the daylight, and another obstacle for the elf. Saekul
only hoped Vlaazh will reach his destination soon.
Vard turned left, into a small col.
These hills were filled with dozens of them. Saekul knew of many caves and
crevices. They used to hide inside some of them, in the days of war. They
awaited their enemies in them, and then jumped out, surprising and ambushing
them from both sides. This gorge, on the other hand, had only one entrance. It
was a funnel, a dead end. The elf was reluctant to follow Vlaazh there. In this
narrow pass he would be spotted in an instant. Instead, Saekul carefully
climbed over the right hillside.
Few minutes later, he crawled to
the top, taking cover behind a small boulder. Underneath him, in the gap
between the two hills, was a cave. On the flat rock, in front of the entrance,
sat Vlaazh. Still as a statue, he apparently waited for someone. Saekul was
right to follow him. Elven intuition once again proved to be useful. And it
certainly gave him time to think about this whole ordeal. At first, his
military sense of duty told him to look on this as treason. But, with every
minute he spent following vards, thoughts of joining in grew.
Perhaps the change was needed.
Councilors did become borderline insufferable in recent years. Drunk with power
and wealth they acquired. Everything surrounding the battle in Nual-Deu
confirmed Saekul’s concerns. Profit was all that mattered in the eyes of
avaricious merchants. They did not care who would get hurt, or crossed in the
process. Who would die. This lasted far too long, leading them nowhere. Saekul
wondered if there is still any loyalty left in him.
Almost at the same time, both the
elf and the vard heard distant, fast approaching clopping sounds of the hooves.
It was of the lone horse. From his raised position, Saekul could see the rider
much before the vard. And it wasn’t at all surprising, once he recognized a
familiar face. Elf already suspected the involvement of councilor Falkner, she
must have been coming to check upon the outcome of the assassinations. Vards
did miss one of the councilors, it will certainly be interesting finding out
what Eilonna had to say about that. Vlaazh could now see the councilor, but
did not move, until she stopped right next to him. He bowed slightly, turning
for the cave without saying anything. Eilonna followed him.
“You are late milady.” he said,
once they walked inside.
“Job’s done?”
Saekul couldn’t hear the answer, so
the two of them went deeper into the cave. Elf found himself unsure, hesitating
what to do next. He wanted to learn more, but was it wise to try his luck? So
far, they did not spot him, he wanted to stay that way. But he had to hear
them, find out the rest of it. Saekul ought to think for himself, who knew what
they had in plan for him. Knowledge of last night’s assassinations could turn
out to bite him. Why would Vlaazh even entrusted him with it? What were his
motives? Elf had so many questions, but he knew he wouldn’t find the answers to
them staying here.
Saekul stood up from his cover,
proceeding to slide down the steep hill. Swift and silent, he waited for a
moment, beside the cave entrance. He still couldn’t hear a thing. Elf took a
deep breath and stepped inside. Cold, sharp edge of the sword touched his neck,
as soon as he went in.
“I’m glad you’ve finally decided to
join us, my friend.” Vlaazh whispered, coming out from the shadows “I knew you
were on our backs, since we left the town.”
“Why are you here?” Eilonna stepped
in front of the elf.
“Answer her, friend.” vard said
“And fast, my hand is getting tired.”
Saekul was fuming out of anger. Not
for one moment he suspected, vards saw him. Truth to be told, Vlaazh played him
masterfully. Never showing that he was aware of the elf's presence. Vard led
him into a trap, but not to kill him. He purposely told him about the plan of
assassination. For some reason, Vlaazh wanted him in, from the beginning. And
apparently, without councilor’s knowledge. Then again, if this was some kind of
weird recruitment, if they only wanted to talk, Saekul was more than willing
to.
“Curiosity.” the elf smiled, moving
the blade gently, with the tip of his finger. “After our little conversation, I
wished to find out more.”
“Conversation?! What conversation?”
Eilonna was confused “What is going on here, Vlaazh?”
“It will all make sense in a
minute, I promise.” vard moved deeper into the cave “Come, we have a lot to
discuss. Why not make it a bit comfortable?”
Vlaazh approached the cave wall,
touching it slightly, revealing a hidden, metallic plate. He pressed it with
his palm, waiting for the light to turn up. Slight buzzing noise came from
somewhere on the right, at the exact same moment as some strange doors appeared
in the corner of the small cave. Strong light emitted from it. A pleasant scent
of herbs and flowers came from within the room. Slow, relaxing music started
playing a few seconds later.
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