Post by LiquidChicagoTed on Apr 24, 2024 17:01:56 GMT
Ilish
Vogero had taken her to a surprisingly decent part of this rotten city, one that actually surprised Ilish. Back home in Raylansfair, even the wealthier citizens lived in modest townhouses at best, but here, each house was a lavish manse, often decorated in the colours of its highborn owner. She spotted one sporting the banners of House Vyrwel and one belonging to House Tyrell, but beyond that she recognized none of them. Nonetheless, it was humbling to see so much wealth gathered in one place. The estates she passed each had their own wall, inner gardens, sometimes armed guards protecting the gates.
“Half of them are empty”, Vogero mentioned. “Starting a quarter mile down portside there’s three thousand men living in the streets and yet these lavish buildings here just gather dust. I think some lords haven’t visited their estates in years” He shook his head, his tone indicating frustration and the same anger Ilish felt as she saw all this gathered, useless wealth.
“It’s not fair…”, she mumbled and he gave her a wide, genuine smile. “My thoughts exactly, Mylady Granver”, he replied. “But let me just warn you, it might not be the best thought to share with my employer. Robert is a generous man, but he just so happens to live in one of these estates. All-year round, mind you, and he at least puts some of the downtrodden to work”
“As criminals”, Ilish added and Vogero shook his head. “As… how do I put this… entrepreneurs” He chuckled at his own joke. Meanwhile, his huge companion, Oknis, had been entirely silent during their walk. As much as Vogero was pleasant company, she felt uneasiness around Oknis. Tall, brooding and silent, his entire demeanour was off-putting. He seemed slow of wit, following the orders of his companion but rarely doing anything on his own besides downing ale. Even now he reeked of alcohol. Even in her old occupation, Ilish had rarely met a man with such a strong stench of ale, yet surprisingly it neither affected his walk nor his speech.
“But my lord enjoys the wealth his standing brings. He flaunts it even. Insulting him in such a way would be… an avoidable mistake”, Vogero added. He led her away from the main road, through a fairly narrow alleyway between two large mansions. At the end of it, she spotted a small courtyard with a fountain in its centre, entirely surrounded by walls. Large vines grew from the yellow bricks that made up the estate surrounding this outer yard shrouding a canopy at its far end in darkness.
As they reached the courtyard, Ilish immediately felt eyes upon her. It was one of many skills she had picked up in her old line of work and she was certain that she was being watched. Nervously, her eyes darted around, spotting small, narrow openings within the vines, windows that had carefully been freed from any growth. Of course, the rooms behind these openings were dark and quiet, but nonetheless guarded.
Vogero raised one hand as soon as they reached the fountain. He gave his companion a nod and with a grunt, Oknis continued on his own, walking across the courtyard until he reached the canopy. By now, Ilish could see a large double door in the shadows. Oknis approached it and knocked three times, heavy resounding blows that echoed over the otherwise silent courtyard.
Just then, Ilish spotted a large dark cat sitting in the shade of the vines. It calmly looked at them, first at her then at Vogero. Then, it darted across the courtyard, past Oknis, disappearing somewhere in the shadows. “It appears we’re being announced”, Vogero spoke. “Once we’re in there, stay close to me. Lord Robert is expecting you, so there is no need to be nervous”
Ilish raised an eyebrow, as she glanced at the open windows. The feeling of being watched had subsided after the cat had left, but it was not gone entirely yet. “Isn’t there?”, she muttered, as she clenched her fists. “But alright. I’ve been to worse places, I suppose. Never quite worked for a man like your boss though. Guess you’d call me a freelancer at the best”
The door got opened just a second later by a tall young woman. She seemed to be in Ilish’s age, perhaps a bit younger, though she was notably taller and curvier. She wore a dark cloak with a lowered hood, her face soft but stern, with sharp grey eyes. A charming smile appeared on Vogero’s face and with a nod towards Ilish they approached the girl, who remained stone-faced as she watched them calmly.
“Pandora”, Vogero greeted her and he took an impeccable bow in front of her. “Forios”, the girl hissed, not even looking at Oknis, who remained similarly silent. Then, her gaze fell upon Ilish. “And you must be the guest he announced?”, she added in a cold tone. Ilish gave her a quick nod. “Ilish Granver”, she introduced herself. “I was told to meet with the lord of this manse”
The girl’s expression was hard to read, but briefly, her eyes seemed to widen in surprise. “That’d be you?”, she asked, before she shot an actual glare at Vogero. “Not your usual type. What is your angle here, Forios?” The man raised his hands, his charming smile not wavering. Though Ilish was hesitant to trust him, given his line of work, his expression seemed perfectly genuine. “No angle at all. I simply seek to aid a promising young woman. You of all oughta be more supportive”
For a moment, they looked at each other and though Vogero’s expression remained charming, there was a glare beneath his gaze as well. It was Oknis, of all people, who broke the silence. “He awaits us”, the tall man growled. “Her too” Pandora sighed, before she narrowed her eyes at Vogero. “Your brute speaks the truth, Forios”, she muttered. “Ain’t that something?”
She stepped aside, allowing the trio to enter. Vogero, who gave her the slightest of bows, walked in first, as always followed by Oknis close behind him. Ilish took a deep breath, before she herself stepped through the door, but just then, Pandora grabbed her by the arm. “Listen and listen closely”, the girl hissed. “That one is not your friend. He cares only for himself. You’d do well to remember it”
Ilish tensed up under her firm grip, but she gave her a nod. “So am I”, she claimed and this time, a thin smirk flashed over the girl’s face. It was a brief expression, but it made her look years younger. “Good”, she spoke. “Perhaps you will be a good fit after all” Then, she let go and Ilish could fully enter the manse.
The entrance hall was narrow, but high, the walls hung with dark red tapestries of expensive silk. Suits of armour lined the wall, old but well-kept steel, each with weapons still in hand, from greatswords to flails and colourful shields. There was a lack of windows in this hall, but a mighty chandelier above them provided enough light to douse the entire hall in an elegant gloom. Ilish let out one whistle as she walked in. “Nice…”, she simply whispered. She had been to the keep at Raylansfair once and had considered it a dreary place. This right here, now this was how a man of wealth and taste had to live.
Vogero took the lead now, with Ilish and Oknis close behind. Pandora followed them as well and as Ilish glanced over her shoulder, she noticed the girl’s glance resting on her. By her side walked the cat she had seen before, its gaze similarly intense, the creature not once leaving Pandora’s side.
They crossed the hallway, heading towards a narrow staircase at the far end of the hall. At its top, an old, well-dressed man awaited them, with curly hair and pale skin. Under his stern glare, Ilish shrunk. His attire, his posture and the look on his face, that was exactly how she had imagined the old crimelord to look. As such, she slowed down instinctively while Vogero and Oknis approached the man openly.
“And who do we have here?”, he hissed as soon as she reached the stairs, which Vogero had already half-climbed. She took a deep bow in front of the man. “M’lord”, she greeted him, to which he raised an eyebrow. “Oh, that is…”, Pandora began behind her, but the old man cut her off. “The lord’s manservant”, he spoke in a dreary tone. “Whom shall I announce?”
“A common mistake”, Vogero revealed, as he gave the man a pat onto the shoulder, to which he did not react. “Please announce Ilish Granver to the lord. Here for a work opportunity” The manservant, whose stern glare had not softened one bit, nodded firmly, before he turned around on his heels. With swift steps, he marched down the hall and the rest of them followed him shortly.
The hallway they entered now was darker and ebony-boarded, with small doors leading to further rooms left and right. Only a handful of lamps left and right provided sparse light, just enough to find their way. The manservant clearly knew the place well though, for he walked swiftly, with only Oknis, with his massive steps, able to keep up with him without quickening his pace.
The servant stopped suddenly in front of an unassuming door, one of many. “The lord is awaiting you”, he spoke, before he knocked, just once. Then, he stepped aside, leaving it to Vogero top open. The dark-haired Lorathi stepped forth, but he waited for a moment, exchanging a glance with Ilish. In the darkness, she could hardly read his expression. “Are you ready?”, he asked. She gave him a quiet nod and this time, she saw a clearly pleased smile on the man’s face. Then, he opened the door.
The room behind was large, a feasting hall suitable for a lord. Narrow windows on both sides allowed light to enter, but beyond that a sizeable fireplace provided further light and warmth. Much like the hallway, the room was finely boarded, but with lighter wood. Arms hung from the walls, fine swords of exotic making, alongside shields of various houses. As she let her eyes wander, Ilish even spotted one shield with the crowned book of House Raylan, an old and battle-worn thing with several dents to it.
On the far end of the room, behind the fireplace, she spotted stuffed animal heads hanging from the walls. Massive deers, wolves, even bears with open, roaring maws. In front of that fireplace stood a massive table, enough to seat three dozen men. It was entirely empty right now, but Ilish noticed the elegant almost throne-like chair at its head.
No, instead of at the massive table, she spotted two men seated almost casually at a smaller table near the corner, sharing a large bottle of what was likely distilled booze. A third, as she realised, leant against the wall next to them. He was the first she closely inspected, for he was the only armed man in this room. He was middle-aged, with a lean, wiry build, wearing dark leathers and a white cloak. His skin had the bronze tan of the Dornishmen with a narrow and handsome face and his hair, cut short, was brown with streaks of grey in it, the same applied to his well-kempt beard. A longsword hung from his side, but what actually caught her gaze was the metallic gleam of the throwing knife in his hand, with which he casually played.
While this man, an armed guard most likely, was merely looking at them casually, his gaze mostly resting on Oknis, the other two interrupted their conversation and fully turned towards the newcomers. Both were in their senior years, but the one on the left was the more impressive sight, being a pale, dark-haired northerner with the build of a warrior, tall and well-built, with a short dark beard and greying hair falling to his shoulders.
The other man was even older, in his seventies at least, with white hair swept back. He was shorter and thinner than the other two men, but handsome despite his age, with a narrow, dignified face, marred only by a single scar that went from his ear over his cheek. He had a thin moustache on his upper lip and as they entered, he was the first to react by showing them a wide, toothy smile with a notable gap between his front teeth. “Ah, Vogero Forios and his remarkable pet brute”, he greeted them. Vogero took four steps towards the smaller table, before taking a bow. “Lord Robert”, he replied, before glancing at his huge companion. “Bow, Oknis”
Ilish saw how Oknis briefly clenched his fists, but the moment Vogero spoke these words, he followed them at once, bowing to the men with a sour expression on his face. Ilish felt a soft, but determined hand on her back, as Pandora pushed her deeper into the room. With a heavily beating heart, she walked up next to Vogero and the old man’s attention fully fell onto her. “This must be the girl you announced”
She tensed up under his gaze, but forced herself to bow in front of him. Tavner mustered her closely, his gaze resting on her for an uncomfortable amount of time. “Ilish Granver, m’lord”, she introduced herself to him. “It is an honour meeting you”
Robert Tavner’s expression did not falter, if anything his smile grew a little bit more genuine. “Vogero you sly fox”, he whistled. “Be welcome in my estate, Ilish Granver! My subordinate has told me a thing or two about you, but he failed to mention one crucial piece” He waved her closer and Ilish followed, but only after Vogero gave her an encouraging nod.
“I am, as you already know, Robert Tavner. This right here is my right-hand man Efram Forrester”, he explained, as he made a gesture towards the tall northerner by his side, who had a gruff, but surprisingly friendly expression. “And this is my personal guard Jacob Lynch” The armed man who leant silently against the wall greeted her with one quick nod, his arms still crossed. He scanned her openly, likely realising that she had no weapons on her and would be of no threat to his master.
“Are you hungry, girl?”, the crimelord asked, his voice calm, affable, friendly even, but she had met people like him before, perhaps not as wealthy nor as rich, but she recognized men like him. He was friendly because he wanted something from her. Working for him could be lucrative, but she would never make the mistake of trusting him. Still, she was indeed a bit hungry.
When she nodded, Tavner shoved one of the plates on the table closer towards her. Grapes were on it, thick and juicy and as she bit into them, she sighed with pleasure as she tasted the sweetness. The crimelord watched her with the same empty kindness on his face he had shown this entire time. “I put Vogero in charge of recruiting new talent for my growing enterprise”, Tavner explained. “After the recent end of the long-running feud between Butterfly and the Burned Man, I decided that now would be a wise time to make a name for myself, to swoop up their leftovers before my rivals take them”
This caused her to narrow her eyes. “So you should have a lot of talent begging to work for you”, she mumbled while still munching on a grape. She reached for another but this time, Tavner grabbed her hand, his expression growing colder for a second. “That is true”, he confirmed. “Truth be told, I don’t personally meet low-level grunts for my enterprise. I trust that Vogero and Efram hire worthy candidates. Pickpockets, burglars, muscle, the sort of rabble I need not concern myself with. From what he told me, you would firmly fall into the former category and all I could have offered you would have been lucrative low-level work under Vogero or Efram”
He let go of her and his kind smile returned, but the facade was gone. This was not a well-intentioned or kindly old man who justified his actions with a veneer of nobility as many before him had done. No, she stood in the presence of a stone-cold career criminal of the sort Raylansfair simply lacked. It made her nervous, but she was confident she could win him over. “And yet you seemed overjoyed to meet me”, she remarked.
Tavner’s smile widened and his companion, Efram, let out a chuckle. “She is whip-smart, Robert”, he remarked. “Had Vogero not recruited her, I would have done it myself” He gave Ilish a good-natured wink and while he kept his facade up a bit better than his master did, she did not believe in his kindness for one moment.
“Overjoyed would be the wrong word, but… pleasantly surprised perhaps”, Tavner admitted. “You see, Vogero insisted I meet you and now I see why…” He turned to the Lorathi who had the most benevolent expression in this room. “You clever bastard, you… I accept your little gesture, be assured of it”
Vogero took another bow. “I aim to please, mylord”, he chirped and Ilish’s uneasiness grew. “I am not a… gesture, Lord Tavner”, she hissed. “I have a debt to Vogero which I seek to repay and I need work here in the city. I’m no killer, I’m no burglar and as you can clearly see I’m not of much use in a fight, but I know how to deal with people, I know how to pick pockets and I know how to get into places unnoticed. That’s about all of it. There’s nothing special about me beyond that”
“Oh, but there is!”, Tavner exclaimed. “Your name. Ilish… Granver, yes? A rare name, a northern name. Tell me kindly and tell me honestly, are you related to a certain Carvin Granver?” Immediately, Ilish froze in surprise and growing fear, unable to hide how much he had caught her off guard. Tavner chuckled. “No worries, my dear, you are perfectly safe here”, he claimed. “I am a man of my word, you know. If I tell you you have nothing to fear from me, I mean it. It is Carvin I have plans for. Tell me, what do you know about him?”
“Carvin… what do you want from him?”, she asked and his smile faded at once. “I ask the questions here, Ilish”, he spoke coldly. “Answer me and maybe I will entertain you. Carvin Granver. What do you know about him?”
“He is my brother”, she admitted, knowing that any lie would have consequences. “But I have not seen him in many years. He abandoned me after our parents died. Left me to fend for himself while he became a sellsword. He made it clear he wants nothing to do with me anymore”
Tavner shrugged. “Touching. I commend Vogero for putting two and two together with your name”, he spoke. “Your brother, as I must inform you, has begun to work for a very dangerous man belonging to a very dangerous family. Are you with familiar with the Anturion line?” To this, she could truthfully shake her head, but within her, concern grew for Carvin. Just what had her brother gotten himself into?
“Ancient nobility. Royalty even, but from Essos where basically anyone with large enough an army can forge a kingdom”, Tavner explained. “There are only three Anturions left in this world and as far as I am concerned that is three too many. Nain the madman, sitting in a ruined city beyond the Narrow Sea is of little concern to me. But his younger siblings, they are a nuisance. There is Edward, an active schemer, a vassal of Aeron Blacksails and his sister, an elusive girl. I know precious little about her, only that she has been active in this city, a crimelady of a sort. She and her brother both. Carvin has been linked to the latter, to Edward, but my scouts have recently spotted him here in Oldtown. That means he is working for Lady Anturion now. That makes him essentially what Efram is to me”
He and the Northerner exchanged a brief nod. “You see, if anything were to happen to dear Efram here, my enterprise would be greatly harmed. The same applies to your brother”, he spoke. “My intel on Lady Anturion is thin, for she is a very secretive woman, but I believe Carvin is her most important underling, sent directly by her cunt of a brother to be as much of a nuisance to me as possible”
Now Ilish understood and her eyes widened in horror. “I will not aid you in harming my brother!”, she spat with enough venom to make the quiet Jacob Lynch place a hand on the hilt of his sword. Efram’s smile faded, but Tavner’s remained, sharp and cutting. “But my dear Ilish, I would much rather not harm your brother”, he claimed. “I kill my enemies where I must and spare them where I can, for anything else would be wasteful. Would you believe that even Vogero here had once been my enemy?”
Ilish glanced over her shoulder at the handsome Lorathi, who confirmed this with a brief nod. “You see, so far my attempts at contacting Carvin to potentially win him over as an asset have been rejected”, Tavner continued. “But now I have his little sister here. No matter what happened between you, you are of the same blood. He will at least listen to you, won’t he?”
“Maybe”, Ilish pressed through clenched teeth. Carvin had abandoned her, that much was true, but he was still her brother. She couldn’t just sit by idly and let Tavner harm him. If working with the crimelord was the only way to protect her family, then it had to be this way. “How are we going to do this though? I haven’t spoken to my brother in years!”
“If I may”, Efram Forrester began. “I’ve got a brother myself. We had our differences, but he’s a good lad. If push comes to shove, if I tell him I want to speak and meet, he’d abandon all of his duties and come here. Be direct. Tell your brother you wish to speak with him. Then, we’ll swoop in and capture him. Hard to refuse a deal with a sword pointed at your throat. Good old fashioned trap with you as our bait, if you don’t mind me calling you that”
Tavner raised an eyebrow, but before he could comment on the plan, Vogero’s cold chuckle caught their attention. “Once again you prove your remarkable lack of foresight, Forrester”, he spoke. “They have not spoken in years. If she contacts him out of the blue, won’t our dear Carvin suspect something’s off? We have him right now, but to entertain your metaphora, if we use our bait too aggressively we will scare him off. Worse, we might alert Lady Anturion”
“Could you not refer to me as bait?”, Ilish hissed and Vogero shot her an apologetic smile. “Of course, mylady”, he replied in a charming tone. “But I fear my proposal might not be to your liking either. He is your brother. I myself have no siblings, so I can only guess how I’d feel, but I imagine I would have been quite fond of a sister of mine. No matter how much time would have passed since I last saw her, I would want to protect her”
“What do you mean?”, Ilish asked. Vogero hesitated for a moment and she noticed that Tavner leant forwards, carefully mustering his underling. “He wants to use you as a lure”, he deduced. “Instead of you contacting him, it’d be us doing that, claiming that you wandered into our trap, that we have you hostage and will harm you if he won’t comply, Good old-fashioned blackmail, the sort I earned my first coin with” A gruff smirk flashed across his face. “Huh, I like that”, he added. “No worries though, I have no intention of harming you even if he does not comply with our demands”
Ilish let out a sharp gasp and the crimelord looked at her for a sternly, before his expression softened. “I want your blessing on our approach, Ilish”, he admitted. “You know your brother best. Your aid can make or break our operation here and potentially decide on your brother’s fate. You have heard my advisers. If it were up to you, which plan do you think has a better chance at succeeding?”
[Follow Vogero’s plan] [Follow Efram’s plan]
Raenna
“Can’t believe you took that wildling rat with us”, Ozerog hissed, as he glared at Kaya. The girl had taken the lead alongside Saint Strad of the Night’s Watch and the quiet Skagosi Mace Crowl alongside his fearsome unicorn. Unlike Saint and any wise man, Kaya showed no fear of the creature. A healthy respect, yes, but she stood closer to it than even Raenna would have dared and in return, Wildhorn seemed more at ease around her than around some of the others.
“Well, I won’t just abandon her to this ungodly cold”, Raenna replied, wrapping herself deeper into her cloak. “Besides, we might need the aid of a local guide in the things to come” Ozerog shook his head. “You have two guides already, lackwith”, he spat. “Two that are more likely not to cut your throat in your sleep than a wildling fucking spearwive”
As expected, he had argued the fiercest against taking Kaya with them and he had been the only one still vocally opposed to her decision. She could only imagine that neither Harrold Hornwood nor Eon Dustin, who both formed the rear, weren’t happy with her choice either, but both men seemed decent enough to accept it, unlike Ozerog.
With a sigh, she quickened her pace, letting the surly Watchman walk by himself through this growing snowfall they found themselves in. She had quite enough of his complaining for now. Instead, she walked faster, leaving him there. The cold was horrid, unlike anything she had ever experienced and if not for her clothes, she would have undoubtedly succumbed to it by now. The two men who walked at the centre of their little group were undoubtedly less affected. Jorn Mormont and the deserter crow Erik Flowers made for an odd pair, one a stocky, dark-haired man from the south, the other tall and lean and of high birth. And yet, they seemed to be getting along splendidly.
“Am I interrupting anything?”, she asked as she reached them. Jorn glanced over his shoulder, a pleased smile on her face as he saw her. “Lady Minsworth, but of course not!”, he exclaimed. “Erik was just regaling me with tales from beyond the Wall. I never expected wildling society to be so fascinating! All we ever get to know are the wicked brutes who raid our lands”
“Yeah, a good start to getting to know them would be to stop calling them wildlings or brutes”, Erik remarked. “I mean, some of them are, but there’s good people here too. I’ve been happier beyond the Wall than serving at it. You just have to know whom to stay clear of. Kinda like south of the wall but without all the keeps and lords and kings”
“I take it you’re happy we took the girl with us then?”, Raenna asked and Erik gave her a nod without hesitation. “Of course!”, he spoke. “From what I know of the Swan, she dwells in a part of these lands where few rangers have ever ventured. We’ll need a local and I have not lived long enough in these lands to be considered one. To most of the free folk, I am still a crow”
“Good thing we got Kaya then”, Jorn confirmed, giving Raenna a genuine smile. “Thank you, mylady, for sparing the girl. I have not expected to see an act of mercy during this mission. I know Ozerog thinks you weak for it” Raenna raised an eyebrow. “You don’t”, she asked, to which Jorn gave her a firm nod. “Mercy is anything but weak”, he spoke. “If more people would think and act as you did today, perhaps we wouldn’t need even be needing this wall”
This caused Erik to chuckle. “That Wall was not built for the free folk”, he growled. “Be glad that the things it was made for are no longer around” He glanced from Jorn to Raenna. “And while I approve of what you did today, I think we should all sleep lightly for now. Ozerog’s an arse, but he’s right with one thing. That Kaya is not a helpless girl, but a wildling spearwife. Treat her well and she’ll do the same to you. If not… well, I’ve seen spearwives taking on three men at once and winning. Really makes me miss the damsels back home”
He turned forward, as the snow picked up even more. “Just to let you know, we should be looking for proper shelter now. This is going to get only worse” He pulled his hood deeper into his face and quickened his pace to keep up with Dag Umber. Even the massive man and his direwolf had to push against the sharper winds. It was odd to Raenna that such a storm would rage despite the trees that surrounded them. But the forest was lighter here. If not for the trees that still offered them some cover, she was certain she would have died already.
And yet, she was shivering badly. Unlike the Northerners, she was not used to the cold. She was the blood of the dragon, used to heat and fire, not to this biting sharpness. And while she was a skilled tracker, could hold her own in combat and knew how to enter a place without being seen, she understood in full how out of her depth she was during this mission.
Just then, she felt warmth around her shoulders and the cold got just a little bit more bearable. She looked up in surprise and noticed Jorn Mormont who had now closed the distance between them. His spare cloak was draped around her shoulders, while he pulled his own cloak, made of notably thinner fabric, closer around him. “You’ll get used to it, mylady”, he told her. “Until then, the least I can do is to make sure you won’t freeze to death”
She stifled a smile. “How gallant of you”, she remarked, as they continued their way through the growing snowstorm. By now, even Dag and Mace were slowing down and the group, which had spread out a little, walked closer together again. “We must reach the deeper forest”, the Umber knight growled, loud enough for them all to hear. “We’ll find shelter from the storm there”
“The rangers have a small shelter in the other direction”, Ozerog brought up, pointing down the trees to the far end of the forest, where Raenna saw the brightness of the wide, frozen plains. Nothing seemed less inviting. “It is secluded in the foothills, a fortified hut where our men store provisions”
Under other circumstances, Raenna was certain Dag would have at least entertained this unpleasant thought of them bracing the frozen plains. Thankfully, it was the wildling girl, Kaya, who spoke up. “Nah, that’s a horrible idea”, she replied, much to the ranger’s chagrin. “Half-Thenn’s men burned it to the ground a fortnight ago. He’s been doing the same for all of your shelters lately”
Ozerog narrowed his eyes. “Those shelters have stood for decades without you rats finding them”, he snarled. The girl shrugged and gave him a deceptively innocent smile. “Guess he’s got traitor crows in his ranks”, she chuckled, giving Erik a brief glance. The ranger clenched his fists, staring daggers from her to the deserter. “Did you tell Half-Thenn about those shelters, traitor?”, he barked.
Only Harrold and Eon, who swiftly intervened, were able to hold Ozerog back from immediately jumping at Erik, who actually backed off, only to bump into Saint. The other ranger had been mostly quiet so far, with a sour expression on his face that made it clear he’d rather be anywhere else. “We had a number of deserters, Ozerog”, he now spoke. “First ranger’s been missing for weeks”
Erik was quick to nod at this. “Aye!”, he confirmed. “You think I’m the only deserter in the Half-Thenn’s ranks? He’s been recruiting lately. Asking any crow he stumbles upon all about the Watch” His tone seemed honest and Raenna did not consider him a liar. Ozerog, his face still red with anger, calmed down only slowly.
“Fine”, the ranger growled. “But the Lord Commander needs to hear about this. Half-Thenn and Icebeard are dangerous on their own, but the two of them together…” When he looked up, Raenna saw something other than anger in his gaze. The ranger seemed genuinely afraid by these news. “Ser Dag, I’m afraid the day may come when we’ll need Umber aid at the wall”
“The Watch has been most helpful so far”, Dag replied calmly and his tone was enough to soothe the tensions. “Given the time, be assured that we stand with you as we have for ten thousand years” With these words, he turned to Kaya. “And you… do you know these haunted woods?”
The girl gave him a nod. “I know a couple spots that’d make for decent camping grounds. Secluded, safe from the elements and you can make a fire there without any Nightrunner scout in the area spotting us from miles away”, she replied, giving him a challenging glare. “That is, if you trust me enough for that”
“We have no choice”, Dag spoke with a quick glance skyward. Raenna followed his gaze and the snow nearly blinded her, stinging on her face and in her eyes. The clouds were full of it. She was not familiar with these lands, but it didn’t take a local to know that soon, the weather would get even worse.
“So we’re just going to trust the spearwife”, Ozerog sighed and he rolled his eyes. “Great. Fucking great. Guess who won’t be getting any sleep tonight” And yet, even he had to know that they had no other choice. As such, when the group got moving again on Dag’s command, with Kaya now taking the lead, he fell in line, marching with a surly expression on his face.
The group pushed into the deep, quiet forest. It was an eerie place with trees taller than the southern castles Raenna had gotten used to. The rangers she had spoken to had called it haunted and she could see where they came from. Something about this dreary, dark forest made her uncomfortable. And yet, as much as Raenna was out of her element, she remained Terroma’s student. She had her instincts. And she knew the source of her uneasiness.
“We’re being watched”, she hissed and this time, it was Mace Crowl who gave her a nod. “Of course we are”, he growled. “This is their land. It’d be foolish to presume they wouldn’t notice us. The only question is if it’s harmless stragglers who spot us or Nightrunner scouts” He placed one hand on his sword, a crude weapon of Skagosi making. “Be glad we’re a well-armed lot” She threw one glance not just at the stocky Skagosi, himself half a wild man and then at the unicorn by his side, knowing without a doubt that folk who’d attack them had to be crazy.
Led by Kaya, they made their way into the deeper woods. The trees here offered some shelter from the cold, but it was not enough to hold back the snow in its entirety. Still, Raenna sighed in relief as she continued her way past the massive trees, knowing that they*d at least be safe from the worst of the weather.
“It’ll be a little bit farther still”, Kaya told them. “An old free folk shelter. We’ll be safe for the night, but tomorrow we must leave at first dawn” This got her a rare grunt of approval from Ozerog, who gave her a nod. “Aye, wouldn’t want to be there for longer than absolutely necessary”, he growled.
They continued to walk in silence. Without the sharp winds, the cold became slightly more bearable, even to Raenna, who comfortably wrapped herself into Jorn’s cloak. No animal crossed their path, not even birds up in the trees. Instead, it seemed as if life itself had frozen over in this place, with the tall trees being the only witnesses to their intrusion. She would have stood there and marvelled if not for the fact that she was still chilled to the bone and in desperate need of a warm campfire.
“It is over there”, Kaya finally spoke after several more minutes of walking. She pointed down the frozen path and towards a small clearing of a sort. The trees there were crooked and bent, their crowns grown together, forming a natural shelter. The snow on the ground was older here, harder and frozen over, as only little managed to get through the thick crown.
And yet, the wildling girl stopped at once as soon as she actually saw the clearing and Raenna nearly bumped into her. Then, she saw it as well. “Shit…”, she muttered. Mace drew his sword and behind her, Harrold and Eon readied theirs too. There beneath the snow, she spotted mounds, too odd in their shape to be natural. Though a sheet of white covered the scenery, it could not fully hide the red of frozen blood.
Dag remained in the centre of their small circle. With a quiet command, he sent Mace and Saint closer to the clearing, flanked by Raenna and Erik. With a nervous tremble, she slowly approached one of the mounds, softly kneeling down next to it. Her fears were confirmed when she wiped away the topmost layer of snow to reveal the corpse of a young man clad in grey fur, his flesh frozen solid. A deep gash ran across his throat and his eyes were wide open and lifeless.
A second corpse was lying next to him, the shaft of a broken arrow still stuck in his chest. Unlike the first man, his expression was peaceful. He had died without seeing it coming. Raenna had been on the other end of an ambush enough times to know what had happened. A silent glance confirmed that Mace had gotten to the same conclusion.
It was Erik who first broke the silence. “I know these men…”, he muttered, kneeling next to the corpse of an older warrior who had died with his axe in hand. “They’re Myrla’s men. Some that crossed the wall with us, some that were left behind. All of them were Half-Thenn’s raiders. Slaughtered without warning”
By now, the rest of the group had followed them. Dag stared at the slaughtered raiders with a grim glare, while Erik moved from corpse to corpse. There had to be at least a dozen, half-buried in the snow. Kaya was with him, kneeling down next to one of the corpses and reaching for a fist full of snow. “They’ve been here for two days at most”, she revealed. “Probably less”
“These were at the Last Hearth as well?”, he growled and Erik gave him a nod. “A couple of our men who escaped”, he replied, before correcting himself. “Myrla’s men, I mean. Horik Half-Thenn’s. Myrla herself is missing, but that doesn’t surprise me. She’s a tough one, a survivor to the core. And I don’t see Treearms either, the guy who posed as your brother”
“Good”, Dag growled to Raenna’s brief surprise. “Our trail to Kory ends with that cunt. We can assume they escaped then?” Erik shrugged. “Ain’t a greenseer, but I suppose they did”, he replied. “Myrla would’ve gone down fighting” His expression was even more grim than Dag’s, who, to Raenna’s surprise, took obvious displeasure by the deaths of these wildlings.
“You’re not happy, Ser Dag?”, Jorn remarked, having apparently drawn the same conclusion. Dag gave him a calm nod. “We were following a wildling warband. Now, at best a few decimated stragglers. Besides, I see only wildlings here. No sign of those who killed them, as if this was a battle fought without casualties for the attackers. Any ideas why?” With these words he looked from Erik, to Kaya and then to Saint and Ozerog.
“This forest is… how do you call the word… fought over”, the girl explained. “Nightrunners claim it is theirs, so do the Ice-River clans and the Hornfoots. Nightrunners would have taken their dead with them, the Ice-Rivers their dead opponents” She shrugged. “So, probably Nightrunners”
“Many of the Nightrunners serve under Red Ragnar”, Erik brought up. “Means they’re enemies to Half-Thenn, but I haven’t heard of any larger clashes between them yet. Something ain’t right here…”
In this moment, a call from Mace, who was still inspecting some of the frozen dead a few feet away got their attention. He knelt down next to a man whom he had flipped over with some effort. “Over here!”, he barked. Silently, he reached for the piece of cloth in the man’s hands and it took Raenna a moment to recognize it, longer than it took Ozerog.
“Bloody hells”, the ranger spat, as they all gazed upon a torn black cloak of the kind worn by the Night’s Watch. “There’s no patrol out here with us and we’ve not been expecting any brothers back. Last skirmish with wildlings happened a month ago” He glared at Erik, as if the deserter could somehow provide him with an answer. “So whose fucking cloak is that?”
The deserter shrugged. “Looks like one of yours”, he replied. “Or maybe…” He paused, before his eyes widened. Ozerog seemed to come to the same conclusion. “Bloody hells”, the ranger sighed. “We got us a couple deserters lately. I believe the Lord Commander told you about them?”
Dag gave him a nod. “First Ranger Estermont”, he confirmed. “Probably the highest-ranked deserter in the history of the Watch. We’re to look out for any information regarding him and his whereabouts. Looks like his paths crossed with the raiders”
“Aye. Used to be a bloody fine man, now he’s just bloody dangerous”, Ozerog confirmed. “He knows all about our keeps, their strengths and weaknesses, where our numbers are still strong and where they are dwindling. Now that Horik Half-Thenn apparently allied with Agmun Icebeard, he’s got numbers. All he still needs to break through our lines is intel of the sort our former First Ranger can give him”
“A new king beyond the Wall”, Dag muttered, causing a muffled curse from Jorn Mormont, while a brief smile at their reaction crept onto Kaya’s face. “Eh, we’ll drive that one back as well!”, Harrold Hornwood exclaimed. He removed his horned helmet and moved one hand through his hair. “What’s the order then, Ser?”, he asked. “I for one could use some shut-eye”
“Among the corpses?”, Jorn remarked, to which Saint spoke up. “We’ve slept worse”, he mumbled. “And the storm’s only getting worse. We got some shelter here. This is not too bad a spot, if you can ignore the company” He chuckled to himself. “Don’t worry, they’ll stay down”, he added. “All in favour of sitting out the storm?”
“I found something else”, Mace Crowl then remarked, regaining everyone’s attention. He knelt down to the side of the grove and Raenna immediately saw what he meant. Tracks in the snow, as if someone had dragged something large with them. The tracks were visible even in the deeper snow, but with the current snowfall, Raenna knew at once that they had to be quick. “Looks like the survivors from this skirmish dragged something with them… or someone”
Dag walked up next to the Skagosi together with Mutt the direwolf. The beast followed its master without him having to issue an order, quietly sniffing at the tracks, then letting out a low growl. “Mutt found a scent”, the Umber knight confirmed. “But if we’re going to do this, we have to be quick. This might be a proper way to fulfil our obligations to the Lord Commander and find out what happened to the raiders” He looked at the group. “It might be dangerous, given the weather. What do you think?”
“Too dangerous”, Kaya was the first to hiss, which gave her a nod of approval from Saint Strad and Erik Flowers. The deserter was the next to speak up. “I agree with her”, he confirmed. “We’ll need to make camp first. Trust me, Ser Dag, I’ve been here many times and this is not the kind of weather for a chase”
“We’ll lose the tracks”, Mace Crowl interjected. “I don’t fear the cold” To her surprise, the stern Skagosi looked around with an odd discomfort. “But it brings ill fortune to sleep among dead things. I say we push on”, he added in a more quiet tone.
“I agree with the wildling”, Ozerog snarled, earning himself a stern glare from Mace, who remained silent afterwards. Eon Dustin stepped up next to him. “And so do I”, he stated. “We’ve had worse winters even south of the Wall and I know we can brave them. But those tracks won’t remain for much longer. We need to find out where they’re heading now”
Harrold Hornwood shook his head. “And I still say we make camp here”, the burly warrior growled. “We’ve been marching all day, we’re tired and cold. That ain’t the weather to chase after tracks that might lead us nowhere. Who cares about the dead? Saint’s right, it’s not as if they’re getting up anytime soon” Though he tried to overplay it with humour, Raenna could see the nervous glance he threw at the nearest corpse. “I care”, Jorn Mormont sighed. “I’ll find no rest in this place. It just… it doesn’t seem right, sleeping among the dead”
They all looked to Dag, who had not yet cast a vote, but Jorn’s and Mace’s glances quickly wandered over to Raenna, who had deliberately stayed out of their discussion as well. In the south, she would have opted to follow those tracks without a second thought. However, the weather was a concern of hers. She was not made of their northern blood and even they seemed to be freezing.
The Umber knight gave Raenna a long, calm look and she stared right back at him. Then, a kind, but expecting smile formed on his face. “What would you suggest, Lady Raenna?”, he asked her.
[Follow the tracks] [Make camp]