Obran lay on the beach exhausted feeling the warm sun on his face; Tor laid next to him. She had saved him once again. I’m gonna pay big time for this one…he hadn't noticed but they were holding hands; instantly the thoughts of reanimated bones, dark elves, praetorians, sea monsters, and even the necromancer all left his mind.
"I thought we were done for,” Tori said.
Toir laid back, resting, and panting but she smiled and looked happy.
“Are you okay?” Obran said. “They didn’t bite you did they?”
“I’m fine but I should ask you the same thing,” Tori said.
“I’m okay. Tori, how long have you been here? What's the last thing you remember?" Obran said.
"Uhm, I remember those creatures, the skeletons, they were all over us, grabbing us and then nothing. Then I woke up here, on the beach, not too far from here."
Tori leaned up and looked at the fort and lighthouse.
"I saw that fort and was heading there when I saw a floating gremlin about to be attacked by a shark."
"Is that what they are called? Thanks for the help," Obran said. "I couldn't swim back no matter how hard I tried."
"I'll teach you more about the ocean one day,” Tori said.
“I think I’ll stick to land for a while,” Obran said.
“So that’s two you owe me now."
“I just wish all your enemies were that direct and open,” Obran said.
“Just be glad you're not shark stew,” Tori said.
She stood up and grabbed her things and passed Obran his satchel. They drank some water from his waterskin.
"We should head over to the fort. It has a good vantage point and will give us some protection too," Tori said.
Obran stood up; Luckily the dizziness was gone and they walked to the tree line of the Pisae forest.
"Do you remember anything else, Obran?" Tori said.
His memories of Mondain were becoming hazier as if it were all just a dream.
"Just flashes and images, I'm not sure what was real and what was a dream. But there was a force there, I think, and I'm not sure what it wanted but it wanted something," Obran said.
"Yeah, something had to create and control those creatures," Tori said.
Obran didn't say anything more about Mondain. He just wanted to get far away from the Pisae Forest and part of him started to believe that perhaps it had all been a dream.
They took the long route across the beach and finally arrived at the old fort. There were no doors there, perhaps they had been made out of wood and were long gone. Now it was just an outer wall about ten feet tall with a tower and several smaller structures inside. They walked in slowly; Obran held his crossbow and Tori her bow, but Obran didn’t see or hear anything. He guessed the fort had been abandoned for decades if not more.
"Let's climb to the top of the tower to get a better look," Obran said.
The entered the lighthouse and walked up the rounded staircase. At the top was an old stone furnace that must have provided light for ships. He could see the forest looming to the east and to the north were the Apennine mountains; they'd have to cross them to arrive in Milano. A strong cool wind blew in from the rough seas but there were no ships or signs of anyone.
"Was this just a lighthouse or also a signal tower too?" Tori asked.
"It does seem like a sentry position, to keep watch of the mountains,” Obran said.
The nearby mountain tops were covered by clouds and a few had snow on their peaks.
“Could we cross those mountains without the horses?” Tori said.
“I think so; I’ve seen maps with trails on them; we’d have to find one,” Obran said.
“How long do you want to wait for them?”
“I think that is up to you,” Obran said.
“Hmm...” Tori said.
But just how long did she want to wait for Gaius? Would she want to search for him in the Pisae Forest, return to that evil place?
“I’m gonna look around, something about these whole fort seems odd. Can you stay here and keep a lookout?” Obran said.
“Okay, don’t take too long. This place gives me the creeps,” Tori said.
Obran walked back to the courtyard in front of the tower. There were no signs of recent visitors but he spotted a broken wheelbarrow and some other broken digging equipment. Some of the rocks and dirt also seemed out of place, as if they had been dug up. He returned to the base of the tower. There was sand all over and he cleared some sand from the floor; it had been brought from the beach; there were also traces of clay. Obran got down on his hands and pressed his ear onto the stone floor and knocked.
There's a trap door here," Obran called out.
Tori looked down at him from the top of the tower.
“Okay, I’m coming down,” Tori said.
She came down the stairs and helped him clear away the sand on the floor. They found a large wooden door with a large ring-like handle.
"So is this a tunnel or a secret chamber?" Tori said.
"I'm not sure,” Obran said. “But let's see if we can get this door open."
Obran braced himself and tried to lift the door but even with Tori’s help it was too heavy.
"We could use a few more arms or the horses," Tori said.
"Hmm...maybe...let’s go back upstairs; we should keep watch."
But the last thing he wanted was for Gaius to show up. Maybe Mondain had left him at the other end of the forest. Back up the tower all was clear; still, they couldn't hope to hold the fort if they were attacked. There were no gates and they couldn’t hold out long against more than a handful of men or elves, let alone against undead. There was also no more fae dust.
As Tori kept watch he prepared a simple lunch: fae bread and fruit, which was holding up well; thankfully Mondain had left them all their supplies and they would have enough to make it over the mountains.
"I really hope the others are okay. Do you think we should have stayed together and headed north in the carriage?".
"It was for the best, Tori. I'm sure they are all okay. Erkin and Tomas are the smartest people I know and I’d be happy to travel anywhere with Mara and Katrina watching my back. Not to mention a real meal from Zico," Obran said
"If Gaius and Agrippa don’t come back soon we could try fishing. I also saw some coconut trees not too far,” Tori said.
As they ate Obran saw two figures emerge from the forests.
"I'm not so sure your fiance would like that," Obran said. “Look.”
“What?” Tori. She saw Gaius and Agrippa. "Don't call him that, please..."
"Elissa!" Gaius screamed. “Elissa!”
Great, Obran thought, just when I thought those undead things might have eaten him. Tori and Obran stared at each. She looked slightly annoyed and Obran imagined if the idea of skipping out on them had crossed her mind.
"Should I answer him?" Tori said.
"Yeah, I think they're smart enough no to be followed," Obran said.
“That’s not what I meant,” Tori said.
Tori stood up and waved at them.
"Gaius, Agrippa we’re here!" Tori yelled.
Tori looked like a princess waving for her prince to rescue from a tower. So does that make me the ogre or dragon in this story? At least when a princess is kidnapped by a god they sometimes fell in love with them. Obran stood and waved at the two men too as they ran through the dunes towards the fort. They looked well enough and Agrippa held his blade out. They entered the fort and Tori and Obran descended the stairs to greet them—Gaius rushed past Obran to hug Tori and she oblidged him.
"How long have you been here?" Gaius asked Tori.
"I woke up about an hour ago at the edge of the forest about a half mile south. I started to walk here and saw Obran on the beach," Tori said.
"Have you seen anyone else?" Gaius asked.
"No," Tori said.
"Nothing unusual," Obran said.
"Sir, If you don’t mind 'll go up and see for myself," Agrippa said.
“Wait as second Grips,” Gaius said.
Gaius glanced at the door on the floor of the tower.
"You two found the way inside the mountains," Gaius said.
“Is that what it is?” Obran said.
“Yes, they are old tunnels and catacombs built by followers of the way built many years ago when they were being heavily persecuted; later dwarves used them for mining this area,” Gaius said.
“Shouldn’t we go over the mountains sir; those mines haven't been fully cleared I believe sir,” Agrippa said.
“If there are still dwarves there they could help us; they could lead us through the mountains,” Gaius said.
"But what else can we expect down there?" Obran said.
"I think the mines are mostly abandoned since they were never as productive as the Alps," Gaius said.
“What about goblins or other dark creatures,” Obran said.
“It’s a possibility but I think the dwarves cleared out most of these tunnels long ago,” Gaius said.
"Sir, are you sure?" Agrippa said.
"Grips look at those mountains. We don't know any trail over them."
“Then let’s try under them. If we meet dwarves we could always use more help,” Tori said.
They agreed and once Agrippa climbed the tower and was satisfied no one else was coming or following them, they proceeded to open the door. The four of them were just barely able to pull the heavy wooden door using some old they found chains for leverage. Once opened a gust of wind came from the passage; the air was stale but not toxic. Underneath the door was a staircase that led into a long and narrow tunnel.
"I'll take a look first,” Obran said. “I’ll light a torch and signal when I think it's safe."
“Be careful,” Tori said as Obran walked into the darkness.222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSUWFLLndj
