The Key of Ban
Pacer estimated it was about 3:00 in the morning when the weary travelers stumbled into the cave. Pacer had been a traveler for most of his life. Yet, he had never faced such a dangerous snowstorm. If he had been a superstitious man, he would have sworn that some unnatural force was fighting against them.
They were pleasantly surprised to find a pile of wood in the cavern. It was as if somebody had anticipated their arrival. The cave was welcome after a most difficult day. It was not long before the heat from a fire was drying their wet clothes and warming their deeply chilled bodies. Coaldon noticed the ceiling had been blackened by many fires over the centuries. He speculated the cave was well known as a safe haven. It had not been recently used as indicated by the undisturbed cover of dust on the floor.
The cooking pot was soon steaming with a warm porridge. Little time was wasted in eating the simple feast. The consumption of the delicious food, combined with the warmth of the fire, created a pleasant glow on the faces of the three tired men. Coaldon was the first to fall into a deep comfortable sleep. Pacer and Earthkin talked for a short time in the quiet of their safe place. They were impressed with Coaldon’s performance. Pacer commented, “Brad will be pleased with Coaldon’s endurance and determination. Coaldon has been well prepared for the challenges that lay ahead of him.”
Coaldon was awakened about midday by a hungry growl in his stomach. He turned over to find Pacer and Earthkin sitting next to a crackling fire. The dim light of the fire gave the cave a feeling of mystery. The light of the fire projected Pacer and Earthkin’s shadows on the wall with strange and eerie shapes. Coaldon’s youthful imagination saw the shape of a dragon sitting on a mountain top.
Pacer poured Coaldon a cup of hot honey tea. Coaldon smiled as the hot liquid warmed his body. Coaldon reached into his travel pack and pulled out a loaf of hard bread. He softened the bread by dipping it into the hot tea. After several bites he felt the fog in his mind start to clear. He noticed Pacer and Earthkin were alert and in good health. He looked at them with admiration. Coaldon knew they would be stout companions and good teachers. He admitted to himself, “I have much to learn.”
Earthkin said to Coaldon, ‘We have been reviewing the maps. We believe it is about a half-days march to the western end of Nectin Valley. It will be a steep trail leading down the face of a mountain. Pacer and I have been debating if we should try to make the valley floor today?’
After a pause Coaldon stated, “It might be better to leave tomorrow morning in case we run into trouble. Besides it will be easier to set up camp in daylight.” Both men nodded in agreement with Coaldon’s logic.
Pacer suggested, “It might be best for us to scout the area before traveling into the valley. It would not be nice if we were greeted by an unfriendly host. I will head down the ridge to check out the valley floor.”
Earthkin volunteered to scout the local area. Coaldon volunteered to keep an eye on the camp. After the two men departed, Coaldon patrolled the area for a short time but was soon drawn to the warm fire and his sleeping blanket.
The two scouts returned to camp at sunset. Coaldon had added wood to the fire and cooked the evening meal. The warmth of the cave and the aroma of cooking food welcomed the two scouts. Coaldon put several pieces of jerky into the broth to create a travelers’ delight. They ate in the silence of their own thoughts.
Earthkin had found no sign of anybody in the area. He did locate an old stone building above the stream. It had been used as a shelter in the past.
Pacer said, “I discovered human tracks in the mud near the top of the ridge. I estimate the tracks are about two weeks old. Next to the human tracks, I found large trog footprints. I believe this person had been followed by the trogs. We will need to approach the valley with great caution. I discovered a sheltered route along the north face of a ridge leading into the valley. We can decide what to do once we have a chance to look things over.”
Pacer pulled out the strip of leather he found at the trog camp. He handed it to Earthkin for his evaluation. Earthkin then handed the leather to Coaldon. Coaldon turned it over and noticed the hazy outline of words written on the back. For several minutes, he studied the words from different angles. Finally, he slowly read out loud, “Crossmore will lead to great glory.”
Pacer interjected, “That explains part of the mystery. Crossmore must be the source of this evil. Somehow he has discovered a way to open the gates of hell. An army of evil has invaded the world. We already knew Crossmore was hunting for Topple. I assume Crossmore wants to kill him before we find the Key of Ban. Topple must be warned.”
The mission of the three men to find Topple took on new urgency. The travelers spent a quiet night in the limited comfort of the wilderness cave.
The party was ready to move out at first light. The sunshine of yesterday was replaced by dark storm clouds. Pacer led the group down a ravine to the right of the main trail. As they descended the mountain, they could see a glimpse of a meadow through the trees. Pacer’s sharp eyes detected movement on the valley floor. The trek down the mountain was made more difficult by dense undergrowth. Fallen trees and thick brush made progress slow and tedious. Even with the challenges of the hike, Coaldon enjoyed the view from the mountain. It was exciting to visit new places and taste the robust flavor of danger.
The travelers dropped below the snow line by mid afternoon. Near the bottom of the mountain, the forest ended. It looked as if a fire had burned off the forest below them. This was both good and bad. The open area allowed a good view of the valley floor, but they could not continue down the mountain during daylight without being seen. They decided to hike the rest of the way into the valley after dark.
The travelers spent the afternoon watching the activities in the valley. Coaldon noticed several black war eagles flying low over the treetops near the West End of the valley. From their perch on the mountainside, the travelers could see the movement of trogs around a stone building. The building was located in a small meadow near the river. It had several uncovered windows on the eastside. Two trogs guarded the building front and back. They counted ten trogs coming and going. Later in the afternoon a horse drawn wagon arrived from the east end of the valley. The empty wagon was driven by several trogs.
Pacer stated, “They must be guarding some one in the building. I would speculate that it is Topple. The wagon is probably going to transport him to Neverly. Crossmore must have found an ancient road leading into this isolated valley.”
Earthkin agreed with a nod of his large head. “We must move quickly. Security will be increased when news of the battle at Pass of Doom reaches the valley. Right now, the trogs look like a very relaxed group of tourists. We must act tonight.”
It did not take long to formulate a simple plan of action. Pacer concluded, “Let me summarize our discussion. After dark, Coaldon and I will watch the area around the building. Earthkin will approach the building to find out who is inside. If Topple, we will rescue him. Are there any questions?”
Smiling, Coaldon said, “Yes, we have not talked about one small item. How do we escape?”
Pacer laughed, “You are most correct. How could we forget this minor issue?”
He then continued, “The Pass of Doom has been closed by the snowstorm. We can either go east or west. The map shows high mountains along the western Front Range. To the east we have the long, open valley leading to the Great Plains and Monastery of Toms. We need to remember Crossmore will move mountains to destroy us.”
Pacer paused, “Coaldon, did you once tell me there was a mountain pass going from here into Lost Valley?”
Coaldon responded, “Yes, I guess I am the only person who knows the route. A river flows from North Ridge Pass into Nectin Valley.”
Pacer suggested, “Once we free Topple, it will be necessary to protect him. I am concerned about getting him safely out of here. I believe trogs are stationed through out the valley. I think it will be best for you to escape over the North Ridge Pass. I propose that I become the fox. I will lead t
he trogs away from your escape.”
Earthkin challenged, “By now the pass maybe blocked by snow. We could be trapped in the mountains with no way to escape. I suggest we escape down the valley to the Great Plains. I estimate it will take at least two days of hard travel to reach the mouth of the valley.”
Coaldon stated, “I do not believe the pass will be closed. It’s not as high as the Pass of Doom. Furthermore, the valley is probably crawling with trogs. I agree with Pacer. I believe that going over the Pass offers us the best chance of survival.”
After additional discussion the group agreed with this conclusion.
While waiting for darkness, Coaldon tried to learn the animal calls used by Earthkin and Pacer to send messages. He spent an hour attempting to hoot, bark, howl and whistle with little success. Pacer smiled, remembering his first humble attempts to learn animal calls. Coaldon’s practice session ended when he finally mastered the hoot of a large tree owl.
At dark they slowly moved down the mountain side. The building was about 100 strides from the base of the mountain. While Pacer and Coaldon took up positions near the building, Earthkin moved noiselessly to the east side of the structure. First, he observed the guards in front of the building. They were sitting in chairs eating a plate of foul smelling food. Their loud voices could be heard over the roar of the river. Earthkin eased up to the window with quiet steps. After several moments he slowly peeked inside. He saw a guard seated on the floor eating from a grimy plate. Next to him sat an old man with a broad smile. He wore a dirty, ragged robe decorated with the stains of many meals and dusty trails. His wrinkled face was weathered by a long life. His small, withered body had the look of impending death. The old man glanced around the room without a concern in the world. He saw Earthkin looking in the window but ignored him with an air of indifference. Earthkin observed that the old man had the ability to find satisfaction with his immediate situation. His eyes were not on the future, but found peace in the present moment.
Earthkin slipped back into the brush to give the report to his companions. They talked quietly with no fear of being heard. The river provided the noise to cover their conversation. The attack would take place once the guards became drowsy.
Coaldon had a hard time waiting for Pacer to begin the attack. He wanted to do it now. Why should they wait?
As Coaldon’s mind drifted in boredom, he saw three trogs entering the building from the west. A loud exchange of ill-tempered voices roared in disagreement. A scream then erupted from the building. Shortly afterwards, the body of a trog was thrown out the door. The body lay in the light shining through the door. At this point something odd happened. The body of the dead trog evaporated into a cloud of black smoke.
In a quiet voice Earthkin said to Coaldon, “Trogs are evil spirits given a physical body by magic. Once the body dies, the trog returns to its spirit form. The magical power required to create the body is then released as energy. The spirit becomes a whiff of emptiness never again able to take on a physical body. It is difficult to comprehend how this happens. Just accept it as a fact. Do not burden yourself with attempts to understand.”
Pacer moved closer to the building to hear the content of the argument. He heard, “I am the leader of this pack! I will take my prisoner to face his reward! We will not wait for instructions from your miserable master! I have my orders! You will follow my commands! There will be no more arguments! We leave in the morning!”
The commander departed, leaving behind additional guards.
When the full moon appeared over the eastern horizon, Pacer led the small group to the rear of the building. As the attackers passed under the window, they heard Topple joking with the guards. He said, “Do you ever use the horns on your head to hang decorations. I think I would use them to clean my fingernails. You must be proud of them.”
The trogs ignored him with disdain.
Pacer made a noise to attract the attention of the two guards standing in front of the building. As the guards walked around the corner to investigate, Pacer and Earthkin attacked with such swiftness the trogs never had a chance to even make a sound. The three attackers then glided to the door and rushed into the building. Death for the trogs was swift and painless.
Topple sat in a state of indifference. He treated the entrance of the three men into the building as an everyday occurrence. Death did not seem to impact him. He looked at Pacer and Earthkin with a broad smile saying, “My Lords, it is good to see you. What has taken you so long? I heard you were coming days ago. You are getting slow in your old age. By the way who is this handsome, strong, young man? He has been careless in selecting his friends.” Topple then laughed with mirth.
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The Escape