.
.
It had taken him a good part of the night to track down the missing oxen and by morning, Dravite felt too tired to make the journey back to the Zeis River. He drove the oxen back to camp and tethered them to a post, letting them be for a day and night in-between before his time was up. Two days, the Dhani had warned him, any longer and the snake-man might come looking for them.
Dravite woke early on the morning of the 36th; it was still raining outside and for spending so much time in the river and later in the rain, he seemed to have earned himself a nasty cold. He sat up on the bed of furs coughing; Belkaia at his side, trying to talk him out of making the trip back to the Zeis.
“You don’t have to go you know… If that thing comes anywhere near Endrykas The Watch will cut him in two.”
“I know,” Dravite nodded, “But if I renege on the deal we made I fear I will anger more than one snake.”
“So concerned with your gods,” Belkaia teased.
“Our gods,” the man corrected her, “I should have died, and I would have died if the Dhani wasn’t gracious enough to strike a deal with me.”
“Don’t go,” she leaned in and kissed his jaw.
He didn’t hear anything after that, choosing to slip into a trance that would take him out beyond the city to the river’s edge where he had run into the Dhani. There were parts of the web that seemed to need repair in the area, but Dravite was able to see that the strange creature hadn’t moved from his spot in the river; one that was popular for travellers and tradesmen. As Dravite traversed the net of webbing, he found that his dagger hadn’t gone far and that he might be able to reclaim it if he did not push his luck.
Outside the tent the oxen looked soggy and wet, their heads down, backs turned to the light showers that slowly moved over the tent city. The horse lord’s leather tabard had failed to dry out in time and he was forced to wear the winter jacket Pearl had bought him from the marketplace at the beginning of fall; he had planned to save it for the first snow but knew the best way to fight a cold was to keep warm and dry.
Bayon met him outside the Wind-knotted gates, sitting high atop his creamy, palomino mare, “they look ill,” he pointed with his eyes at the oxen.
“Wouldn’t you, knowing what awaits?”
“I would like to see this Dhani,” he agreed with a nod, “He sounds a terrifying thing to behold.”
“He is something,” Dravite smiled before kicking his Strider lightly to move ahead.
He had come prepared, with Bayon to witness the exchange and Bones, his driving horse, to hitch to the empty wagon in the hopes of bringing it back to Endrykas to make some repairs and clear the river-crossing of the mess. Dravite set a landmark for himself before continuing on and guided Cree back and forth, keeping the oxen headed forwards to the river.
“Any word on the original driver?” Bayon asked.
“I tracked him north in the web, I think he is trying to follow the river in the hopes that it will guide him back to the stone city.”
“Fool.”
Dravite smiled, “indeed.”
A good way back from the river’s edge they stopped their horses. At first glance it was difficult to tell if the Dhani was lurking nearby, “Wait here,” he told the older man and led the oxen down to the river, putting them between him and the water, “Snake!” Dravite called in common, “oxen Dravite promised.”
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.
.
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36 Fall, 515 AV
7th Bell, Morning
Zeis River, Endrykas
7th Bell, Morning
Zeis River, Endrykas
It had taken him a good part of the night to track down the missing oxen and by morning, Dravite felt too tired to make the journey back to the Zeis River. He drove the oxen back to camp and tethered them to a post, letting them be for a day and night in-between before his time was up. Two days, the Dhani had warned him, any longer and the snake-man might come looking for them.
Dravite woke early on the morning of the 36th; it was still raining outside and for spending so much time in the river and later in the rain, he seemed to have earned himself a nasty cold. He sat up on the bed of furs coughing; Belkaia at his side, trying to talk him out of making the trip back to the Zeis.
“You don’t have to go you know… If that thing comes anywhere near Endrykas The Watch will cut him in two.”
“I know,” Dravite nodded, “But if I renege on the deal we made I fear I will anger more than one snake.”
“So concerned with your gods,” Belkaia teased.
“Our gods,” the man corrected her, “I should have died, and I would have died if the Dhani wasn’t gracious enough to strike a deal with me.”
“Don’t go,” she leaned in and kissed his jaw.
He didn’t hear anything after that, choosing to slip into a trance that would take him out beyond the city to the river’s edge where he had run into the Dhani. There were parts of the web that seemed to need repair in the area, but Dravite was able to see that the strange creature hadn’t moved from his spot in the river; one that was popular for travellers and tradesmen. As Dravite traversed the net of webbing, he found that his dagger hadn’t gone far and that he might be able to reclaim it if he did not push his luck.
Outside the tent the oxen looked soggy and wet, their heads down, backs turned to the light showers that slowly moved over the tent city. The horse lord’s leather tabard had failed to dry out in time and he was forced to wear the winter jacket Pearl had bought him from the marketplace at the beginning of fall; he had planned to save it for the first snow but knew the best way to fight a cold was to keep warm and dry.
Bayon met him outside the Wind-knotted gates, sitting high atop his creamy, palomino mare, “they look ill,” he pointed with his eyes at the oxen.
“Wouldn’t you, knowing what awaits?”
“I would like to see this Dhani,” he agreed with a nod, “He sounds a terrifying thing to behold.”
“He is something,” Dravite smiled before kicking his Strider lightly to move ahead.
He had come prepared, with Bayon to witness the exchange and Bones, his driving horse, to hitch to the empty wagon in the hopes of bringing it back to Endrykas to make some repairs and clear the river-crossing of the mess. Dravite set a landmark for himself before continuing on and guided Cree back and forth, keeping the oxen headed forwards to the river.
“Any word on the original driver?” Bayon asked.
“I tracked him north in the web, I think he is trying to follow the river in the hopes that it will guide him back to the stone city.”
“Fool.”
Dravite smiled, “indeed.”
A good way back from the river’s edge they stopped their horses. At first glance it was difficult to tell if the Dhani was lurking nearby, “Wait here,” he told the older man and led the oxen down to the river, putting them between him and the water, “Snake!” Dravite called in common, “oxen Dravite promised.”
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.
.
