Chapter Twenty-Two

The journey out of Transel took several days, most of which was spent under overcast skies that occasionally managed to gather enough energy to half-heartedly sprinkle frigid rain. They encountered no one, and saw nothing outside of rolling grasses but a few birds. Finally, after what felt like a trio of the longest days of Ven’s life, they arrived.

If there was a way for Harrowden to somehow look even worse than Renning, it had somehow managed to achieve it. The sight that met Ven’s eyes when they crested the hill overlooking it was less of a destroyed town and more of a soot-blackened smear across the otherwise golden-brown post-harvest grasslands.The two of them stood on the hill’s crest for a long time, surveying the wreckage in front of them, until Master Eujin signed for her to follow him down into it.

Based on its size, Harrowden had been a good bit larger than Renning, and significantly more spread out. Series of burned out patches radiated out of the dense town center like the spokes of a wagon wheel for a quarter mile or more. Many of these had evidently been farms, based on the scorched fields and charred remains of silos and barns. The only building that still stood was a large riverstone construction near the town’s center. They both made their way there, picking over still-smoking piles of ash and the blackened remains of wooden beams, and were surprised to find that it was still completely intact. The doors bore large scorch marks and deep gouges in the wood, but were otherwise unharmed. Master Eujin gave them a push, but they did not budge.

“Barred?” Ven asked.

“So it would seem.” He said. “Interesting.

He looked up, and Ven followed his gaze to a small stone ledge in front of an open belfry. He glanced down at her.

“Go up there and see if you can find a way in from above.” He said.

“Why?”

“Because I said so.” Master Eujin said, cocking an eyebrow. “Need a better reason?”

Ven sighed and rolled her eyes before jumping onto the stone wall and starting the process of scrambling her way up the building’s face. Fortunately the climb wasn’t difficult enough to need to use any magic. The stones were roughly cut and roughly placed, and after hundreds of hours scaling the smooth stone of capital houses, she might as well have been walking a staircase.

At the top, she found herself standing on a square section of exposed wooden boards, over which hung a large rusted bell. A rope ran from the top of it through a pulley and down into the wooden floor below. There was a trapdoor hatch on the ground next to where the rope entered it. Ven walked over and gave it a test pull, but was disappointed to find it stuck, whether from another lock, or from the rust on the hinges. Using a bit of Thaumaturgy, she coaxed a small bit of the wood out of the way to peer underneath the door. Sure enough, there was a metal bar locking the door in place by tension underneath the rest of the floor. Reaching under the part of the wood she’d lifted, she felt around until she found the release handle and pulled. The trapdoor popped loose with a faint click, and she threw it back. The door led down a short ladder to a small, dust-coated square room filled with various odds and ends. A narrow wooden staircase spiralled down into the darkness below off one side of the little landing. Peering over the edge in the faint light, Ven could see it ended in another small square room with a wooden door on one side that probably led to the rest of the building.

She made her way down, nearly taking a long fall to the stone floor when one of the rotten stair treads broke underneath her foot. Once down, she pressed her ear against the door at the bottom, listening for any sign of life on the other side. Hearing nothing, she gingerly lifted the latch and stepped on through.

No sooner had she stepped through the doorway than something instinctive inside her panicked. She dove to the ground, barely avoiding the axe blade that carved the air where her pelvis had been only a moment before. She rolled and kicked off the floor back onto her feet, twisting as a second swing cracked the stone where she’d just been laying. She drew her sword from its back scabbard and fell into a dueling stance, her weapon held point-first between her and whoever was making their very best attempt to split her in half.

Her attacker drew up, holding the axe between them. It was a man, with long grey hair and a thick silver beard, his pale eyes seeming to almost glow in the limited light of the large sanctuary room they now occupied. Seeming to actually see her for the first time, he looked puzzled. He lowered his axe.

“You’re not one of them.” He said, more of an observation than a question.

“If you mean a blightwraight, no, I’m not.” Ven said, not moving from her stance.

“So it seems.” The man said. He lifted his axe up onto his shoulder. “What are you, then? Shikari?”

“I am. My master and I are hunting the creature that attacked this village.” She said.

“In that case, I suppose I owe you an introduction. And an apology.” The man said. He stepped forward and offered his hand.

“Name’s Torstein. I’m the last able body left. Other two got picked off by more of those swiving beasts when they went out looking for supplies. Sorry for the… less than civil welcome. I thought you were one of them. If you’d have just knocked, I’d have let you in.” He said.

Ven lowered her weapon and took the man’s hand.

“Name’s Ven.”

She looked around the room. It reminded her a bit of the All-Mother’s temple back in Renning, but without any of the refinements or decorations. There was clearly a sepulchre and an altar, and some simple iconography carved out of stone, but that was it. The rest of the building seemed built less for worship than for battle. All windows were solely on the second floor, and were narrow like arrow slits. From the looks of things, each one was filled with some sort of metal grating, and the shutters were on the inside, rather than the outside. The main door in was thick and large, and banded with iron straps to reinforce the wood. It looked more like a fortress than a place of worship.

“This a temple? It looks more like a castle.” She said.

“You could say it’s both.” The man said. “We follow Ferelin-Shei here, and that means being ready to protect the body as well as the soul.”

“I can’t say I’m familiar with your beliefs.” Ven said, sheathing her sword. “But you’re alive, so clearly something about it works.”

The man smiled.

“The Lord protects those who protect themselves.” He said, crossing an arm across his chest.

He nodded towards the large front door.

“So, I suppose your master sent you to find a way in while he sits outside and looks pretty. Do I have that right?” He asked.

Ven snorted.

“Yeah, something like that.” She said.

“Well, best not to keep him waiting. Pulley to raise the door bar is to the right of the frame.” He said, pointing to one side of it.

Ven walked to where the man indicated, and pulled the rope hanging there. Once the door bar was lifted out, she pulled the large door open to find Master Eujin standing in the doorway, a dry look on his face.

“Sits outside and looks pretty, huh?”

“Well, what’s the old saying? If the pants fit, you must wear them?” Torstein called out to him, stepping up beside Ven.

Master Eujin snickered as he stepped inside.

“Yes. I suppose you’re right.” He said.

“Name’s Torstein. Your apprentice here tells me you’re hunting the things what attacked our village.” The man said, offering his hand to Master Eujin.

“We are.” Eujin said, pointedly ignoring the man’s hand as he looked around the inside of the room. “I should have figured this was a Ferelin temple.”

“You a follower as well?” Torstein asked, lowering his hand.

Master Eujin shook his head.

“No. Never been much of the god-worshipping type.” He said. “I just appreciate practicality when I see it.”

Torstein chuckled.

“Well, can’t say I hold that against you.” He said. He lifted his axe back up onto his shoulder. “So, now that you’re here, let me formally extend you the hospitality of our church. Our underbarracks is largely full of wounded, but we have plenty of food and supplies to share.” He said.

“Wait? You have wounded here?” Ven asked.

Both men looked at her in unison, seeming amused by the question.

“Most of the town is down below. Some three hundred or so.” Torstein said.

“Impressive.” Master Eujin said. “I’d heard your kind were good at the whole protection thing. I see the rumors are accurate.”

Torstein nodded appreciatively.

“We do what we can.”

He turned and motioned towards the sepulchre at the far end of the room.

“Follow me. I’ll take you down.” He said.