The rest of the night went by quickly. Balic woke Artirius around dawn. He questioned him about the large wolf prints that sat across the fire. After Artirius admitted that a great wolf had indeed sat across from them and that it may have snuck up on him, Balic was beside himself. The entire time they were cleaning up the camp and resealing the containers Balic prattled on about being eaten in his sleep, and questioned the worthiness of a barbarian sentry.
After everything was in order they continued their journey. The eastern portion of the path was actually a bit clearer and wider for the most part, though they were still only able to walk single file. They talked even more today than the day before, which passed the time quickly. Noon came and went and the afternoon faded away. It was nearing evening when they finally arrived at the end of the trail. Before them was a wooden door, surrounded completely by brush, vines and other various forms of growth. It completely covered the path and obstructed all view to the other side. The door itself was heavy oak, stained from many years of use. It was smooth, which was odd for something so weathered. It was well crafted by some form of druidic magic, or so it appeared. In either case the only other thing on the door was a large knocker. Seeing no other choice, Balic knocked on the door.
A scuffling could be heard inside. Abruptly a scraggly voice came, “Coming, coming, I am coming…” the voice trailed off into what seemed to be hushed complaints but it was hard to say. After a few seconds the door creaked open to reveal a gaunt old man. His straggly hair fell rather carelessly to his shoulders. His face was pocked and a bit wrinkled. The most notable feature about him was his nose. It seemed to be three times larger than it needed to be and drew much attention. His robes seemed tattered. It was as if he were a druid who no longer cared.
“Well don’t just stand there gawking, in with you, in,” he ushered them into the dwelling. It was made entirely of vegetation. The floors were soft with a leafy groundcover of some sort acting as a carpet. It was deep green in color, nearly black. The walls and roof were made of pale green tightly twisted vines. On some of the walls wooden limbs had been grown into the shape of shelves. One the side of the dwelling where the cliff edge would be was a bed and a chair. A small hole was cleared out between the two pieces of furniture. Set in it was a heavily paned glass window, the only non-vegetation in the dwelling, overlooking the vast mountains to the south. On the opposite side of the dwelling were a table with chairs and some cupboards. A small portion of the wall on that side was left as bare stone. A cooking area had been set up here away from the living things. The one interesting thing about the place though was its perfect temperature. There was not enough heat coming from the fire in the cooking area so it puzzled them.
Balic’s and Artirius’s amazement was cut off by the druid, “They do this all the time. No warning at all, they just send people through here and expect me to see them on their way. Ah, bah with them. Dewy is my name, keeping things short, I suspect you need passage to the other side.”
The two nodded in acknowledgement.
“Well, before you go I will feed you a bit. For appearance’s sake you will need to leave here before nightfall if you plan on entering the city. Odds are that anyone coming in from the north would be arriving near nightfall, as the closest place to the city is around a day long journey. Have a seat and I will grab you something to eat.”
Artirius and Balic sat at the table while their host hurriedly tossed bread and some stew-like food together for them. He plopped the plates in front of them, “Eat quickly now, not much time to waste.”
In between quick bites of food Balic and Artirius thanked Dewy greatly. Balic managed to ask why the place was so comfortable with no means of heating it.
“A fair enough question,” Dewy responded, “well it has to do with the construction. The plants themselves have been crafted in a way to keep this place perfectly insulated. At anytime of the year it is exactly this temperature. In the winter the structure naturally thickens a bit, while in the summer it loosens its grip and allows more moisture to flow through plants to help dissipate the heat from outdoors. Rather a finely crafted dwelling, if I do say so myself,” Dewy paused a moment, “Alright are you two done eating, good, over to this side please.”
They followed him to what seemed like a solid mass of vines and heavy brush. With a swirl of his hand, an arched pathway opened before them. About thirty feet ahead it ended in a heavy thorny mass, “You should see the other side, even more thorny,” he chuckled a bit as they got closer. He turned and looked at them both, “Now, once you are through I will not be able to open this passage again. The risk is too great as it is impossible to know if you have been followed or are being watched on your way back. The existence of this entrance must never become known. Do you understand?” Both Artirius and Balic nodded. “Good…one more thing. It was not always so, but a few years passed now, these woods began to lose creatures… unnaturally. They were not hunted, they simply stopped living here. Something unnerved them. Something scared them away. Things are not as they should be. It is as if the city, this Valtenberg, has scarred them away. Even the trees feel something unnatural. Be wary, for things are not as they seem. Spend only the night there, no more.”
Artirius nodded, “We will take your advice, thank you for it. How far will we be from the main gates?”
“Not terribly, you will head straight out from this tunnel and through some heavy brush. All in all, it is only about an hundred yards to the road. You will come to it on a bend around a quarter mile from the city, so as long as there is no one on the road you will not be noticed at all. The trail is heavily forested on each side and you will not notice the city until you go around the bend in the road,” Dewy paused one last time, “Again I caution you both, be careful.”
Balic looked at Dewy, “We will, we will, do not worry. We are ready, whenever you open the way.”
Dewy nodded, “Very well,” another swirl of his arm and the brush opened before them, “quickly now.” Artirius and Balic ran through the opening. After going only a few feet from the entrance, the brush cover had enveloped everything again. They were now on the other side.
A few minutes later they were on the road. No one could be seen to the north, which expanded downhill for many miles. They nodded and headed around the bend. Ahead of them they could see the gates of the city. They were heavy, made of wood. They could only see a small portion of the wall on either side the gate. A turret sat on each of the gate’s corners. The structure was made of a blackish stone. Over top of the great walled city many rooftops were seen. They mostly looked like chalets from this distance with shingled roofs and stucco exterior walls. The town was reminiscent of a gothic city.
As they approached the main gate, a smaller man sized door could be made out. It had been placed in the center of the right gate door. On either side were armed guards. As they got closer still the road turned from mostly hard dirt to a cobbled walkway.
It had been many years, but Artirius had been here once before. He had not paid much attention to the place then in his youth. It had been just a city to pass through when he left his people. For him, it was not much different than being here for the first time. The details were not familiar at all. There was only one thing he appreciated. This place was welcoming when he was younger. The gates had been open all day and night. There was joy and laughter and the guards did not wield pikes. The battlements had not been lined with archers either. This place was not the same. For a moment he considered turning around and seeking shelter elsewhere.
One of the guards turned and spoke to the other as they approached. The listening guard acknowledged with a nod and rapped on the door. It opened quickly and remained so. A few moments later the guard returned, the door remaining open. He greeted Artirius and Balic with a wave as they approached, “Hail, and welcome.”
Artirius and Balic returned the greeting.
The guard who remained outside questioned in a polite and cordial manner, “What brings you here this evening, bar
barian and dwarf?”
Artirius and Balic were a little surprised at the pleasantness of the guard, but Artirius responded, “We seek shelter for the evening, and will be departing in the morning.”
The guard frowned slightly, “You must not have heard, the road to the south is blocked. I am afraid there is no real way through at the moment.”
Balic acted surprised, “What a disappointment. We will have to delay our affairs I am afraid. We had planned on looking at wares for a short time here in the morning and heading on, but it seems we will only be able to browse here.”
Artirius nodded following the lead, “Yes, quite a shame.”
The guard smiled again, “Odd to see a barbarian down this way, but there have been more of your kind traveling these days. Well, welcome and please enjoy our city.”
The other guard smiled, “If you are looking for lodging for the evening there are several fine choices along the main road,” with a wave of his arm the way was clear for them to enter the city of Valtenberg.
Chapter 17