Chapter Two - A Journey Begins

The weary travellers pulled their capes closer, their hats tighter and leaned against the howling wind and rain that had driven into their faces for the past three days. The horses’ heads were lowered as they slowly took the rocky path step by step towards the gathering gloom. It had barely got light, even at mid day and this was in the middle of the summer season. No one could remember a period of such miserable weather and as usual the mood of the group was affected by their environment.

The grey damp hills were covered in mists which penetrated even the thickest of clothes and treacherous stony paths made the horses and people stumble wearily. Muttered curses and oaths drifted into the valleys and cliffs to echo back in a mocking return. Fires made from damp wood could not burn properly and left them with cold food and maybe a warm drink if they were lucky.

Conversation was muted and rare and usually only when they stopped to consult the scant map which showed hardly any detail. Disputes about their route were commonplace and the gnomes among them insisted they knew best. Their map makers were the best in Runescape, they had carefully researched this area and there was no reason to doubt their accuracy.

Gawain wiped a raindrop from his nose and stared coldly at the unfolded parchment. It wasn’t a comforting sight, the map showed a few tufts of well drawn grass surrounding a small hill which, according to their guide marked their current position. They had been on this ‘hill’ for two days and it gave no sign of turning into the wide flat land marked on the map and the grass they stood on was mere tufts sticking out of granite rocks which caught on everything.

As usual, the guides were about as much use as lobster pots in a furnace and Gawain wondered why so many people employed them. It would have been cheaper and probably quicker to have set off blindfolded and felt their way. So far they had ended up in two dead end canyons, a goblin ambush and stood on the banks of a raging river, swollen by the flood waters from the mountains to the north.

Their last day had seen the most progress, mainly due to Gawain’s temper finally snapping and pinning the chief guide to a tree by the point of his sword and informing him, if they ended up in any more blind alleys, meat would definitely be back on the menu.

There was nothing like a little shouting to release tension and metal to remind people of their duty.

The guide glanced nervously at Gawain whose eyes smouldered dangerously. He wanted to over rule the gnome leader Fulgar but that was asking for trouble. Then again, so was letting them all be led into another wasted day of travelling. He longed for the rolling hills of Kandarin again but fanciful thoughts were going to get him nowhere.

‘Look’ snapped Fulgar, ‘We have travelled south for the last four hours and are now rounding the southern spur of this hill. In another two hours we shall clear this and reach the grass plains. Then we can strike east again and reach the river crossing.’

‘Sir, we are not travelling south’ Said the guide nervously ‘ The sun is to our left so we are going north, we have to….’

‘Sun?’ Shouted Fulgar ‘Tell me, guide, what sun is this? I haven’t seen the sun since we set out. Maybe you have special vision I don’t and can plot it’s course. At the moment, the sun is elsewhere in Runescape and has abandoned us. Just like I wish you would. Now give me that damned map!’

He snatched the parchment from the guide just as a gust of wind took hold. Fulgar lost his grip on it and it flew away into the mist, swirling crazily in the roiled air and was soon lost to sight.

Of course, this was everyone’s fault except Fulgar’s who turned to speak but was cut off by the tall knight who had finally had enough.

‘You’ He shouted at the guide and made a point of standing right in front of Fulgar. ‘Collect the baggage horses, take them to the back of the column.’

He then turned to the guide assistants who stood pale faced watching and waiting. ‘You two, take the rest of the column and form them up in single line, feed them and try to get them sheltered.’

Behind him, the furious head of Fulgar was bobbing up and down in a vain attempt to be seen and heard. It was no use.

Gawain turned to the other gnomes and glared nastily at them. Three days of their silly little tempers, the weather and now this, he really didn’t care if he lost his Legends when they got back.

‘Right you lot, listen up’ He shouted in a voice that could command respect from an entire company of knights.

‘We camp here for the night, we light a fire regardless of the weather or would be attackers. We have a hot meal, we build a shelter from the things we have with us. We get a good nights sleep, there will be no watchers and in the morning we head off and don’t stop until nightfall’.

He stopped and defied anyone to speak. Only the howling wind dared interrupt. ‘Well get on with it!’ He roared.

Gnomes and guides moved in all directions and started to carry out his orders. Only Fulgar was stupid enough to question him.

‘So, Sir Knight, which way do we head in the morning?’

Gawain wanted to lop his head off and kick it far away into the darkness that had suddenly fallen all around them.

‘We do what we should have done all along. We follow that map.’

With that he walked off to his own horse and started to unstrap his baggage. Leaving the camp unguarded was a huge risk and the fire was maybe a bit optimistic but at least where they were there was shelter in the cutaways which the weather had carved into the hill side. Besides, losing a few Gnomes to ambush didn’t seem like a bad thing at that moment.

Even though he was tired beyond belief and a half decent meal in him, Gawain could not sleep. Maybe it was the thought that the camp was unprotected, that was the one thing he maybe regretted ordering. Trolls were known to venture this far south and looking at his companions and remembering their performance against a few stupid goblins, he was not hopeful they would win.

It surprised him that he hadn’t actually thought about his mission all day. Maybe, faced with so many immediate problems it wasn’t necessary. After all, did it really matter what they were here for when they couldn’t get anywhere?

He pulled his long heavy blanket up to his face to try & shut out the wind which howled even louder at night. At least it had stopped raining but their equipment was so sodden wet it would take days of fine weather to dry it all out.

His mind drifted back to his task and he carefully went over the brief by the King’s Steward.

Protect the Gnomes and see them safely through the mountains to the forest beyond. Whatever happens, they must get through and reach their sacred tree. This is a matter of gravest importance not just to the Gnomes but to us all. That tree is the source of power for the hidden forest and if it dies, then so does the forest.

It sounded a little dramatic at first but when he thought about it, the forest was as important as the Steward had said. The fact that it was hidden was a minor detail, the gnomes would know where to be but at present they were not saying. Perhaps they considered it a secret they could not risk others knowing or maybe they were just being their usual charming selves and playing awkward. Whatever the reasons, he was responsible for their safety and their arrival at the forest.

No matter what it takes!

The problem was, they hadn’t even reached the mountains yet, there were still about 5 days to go and already they were in trouble.

Lost and their mission compromised by the goblins, it would not be long before word got out that there was a party of gnomes wandering around the Wild lands with just one knight. Their entire strategy had depended on not being seen by enemies otherwise several knights would be here. That would have attracted attention to them so it had been decided to rely on being inconspicuous, a tactic that had failed.

The one surviving goblin from the ambush had fled into the trees and despite being tracked for four hours, had vanished into thin air. Goblins were known to have hidden caves everywhere so it was not surprising it had escaped. The arrow that had pierced it’s armour had not been deep enough to kill, having glanced off a branch which Gawain had cursed loudly at the time.

Yet he could not help wondering how the goblins had managed to ambush them in the first place. They had set a well planned attack and it had nearly paid off but the presence of a Legends Knight had thrown them back and the assault had faltered and turned into a slaughter. The gnomes had shown that they may be small but cornering them when they were on an important mission was not something you did without receiving fierce resistance. Gawain had watched Fulgar decapitate three goblins who stood at least half as tall again but were slower and never saw the sword flash past. It was a move the gnomes practised from the day they could walk and now Gawain saw why.

Well, there was nothing he could about it now, the goblin had escaped and he was sure that their next fight would not be so easy. The hills of the northwest were known to have wolves and trolls. The goblins had little love for them but the death of so many of their brothers would surely not go unredeemed.

At least the weather had managed to hide them from prying eyes but for all he knew, they may be right where they had started from. Only daylight, if it came, would tell and then he had the problem of finding the river crossing and hoping it was not held by the enemy. He had considered abandoning the entire venture and leading them all back to Kandarin to collect some help but Lathas would probably have him beheaded. Time was of the essence here and they had to get to that Tree Spirit as soon as possible. What the gnomes had planned when they got there, he could only guess but undoubtedly it had to do with the small box they carried on their baggage horse. It never left their sight and there was always at least two of the eight gnomes with it, night and day.

It was impossible to know if any of them were asleep but he hoped they all got a good nights rest. He had no intentions of hanging around in the morning and would strike camp just as soon as he could. But there was a growing unease in the back of his mind and he was reminded of the noise outside the walls of Ardougne. Whatever it was, it distracted him more and more as the night went on.

Sleep! I must sleep!

The harder he tried to switch off, the more his mind crowded with thoughts, doubts and fears...

His eyes opened wide and stared intently over the rim of his blanket. Instinctively his grip on the sword tightened and he braced himself. The blackness of the night was not as complete as it had been. Ragged clouds clawed their way angrily across the night sky, blotting out stars that tried to shine through. That at least would give him an accurate fix on their direction.

A sudden and low movement right in front of him had him on his feet and he lunged forward at the shape which darted sideways. He spun his sword round to protect his flank and shouted loudly to raise the alarm.

‘Gawain, hold. It’s me Fulgar!’ trilled the voice of the gnome who stood transfixed against the stone escarpment they were camped beneath.

Gawain kept his sword levelled at Fulgar’s throat and the words hissed as he spat them out.

‘You stupid little idiot!’ He wanted to continue but Fulgar held out his hand and pointed away behind the knight.

‘Look man, look!’

Gawain spun round and his blood nearly froze. There in the sloping valley below him he saw a large column of torches in single file making their way up the pathway. The line snaked as far as he could see in both directions and was barely a league away from the camp. He checked their own fires which had burned down to nothing. The wood had been so wet they hadn’t needed much neglect to die.

Carried on the wind he heard the unmistakeable singing of deep harsh voices and clatter of weapons and armour. It was another piece of good fortune that they were downwind of the torches and therefore, invisible in the crevices and their scent and noise carried far off, they were undetected. For the time being anyway.

All anger at the gnome forgotten, Gawain fell to the ground and watched in silent fascination as the countless flames steadily marched on past them below.

‘Who are they?’ Hissed Fulgar

‘Bad news’ Whispered Gawain as he tried to take in the sheer scale of the army.

‘I can see that! But who are they?’ Fulgar snapped.

‘Barbarians from the far north. Not those stupid chicken sellers from our lands. These are real barbarians.’

‘What are they doing?’

‘Hang on here a minute, I’ll go and ask if you like’ Snapped the knight, taking his turn to say something useless. Recovering his composure, he continued;

‘Make sure everyone is in cover, no one leaves their shelter until I say. Then check the horses are secure and tied.’

It wasn’t a request and Fulgar slipped away silently. It was something gnomes were experts at. Gawain watched with growing fear not only for their own situation but as to how an army of many thousands had managed to reach so far south past the forest and the mountains. It was also obvious that they didn’t really care who saw them and judging by their numbers he could well appreciate that.

These people were about as savage as it was possible for men to get. They took few prisoners and those they did take were used as target practice for their archers or simply tortured for the fun of it. Gawain had only met them in small raiding parties before and that had been enough. This looked like an entire population on the move, a full scale invasion and it was heading for the rich fertile lands to the south.

Kandarin would be it’s first contact and the assault when it came would be so complete and overwhelming Gawain doubted if he would even return to a city but a smouldering ruin littered with the corpses of his people.

This changed everything. The mission had to be abandoned and they would return by the hills they had journeyed on to warn the King. They must travel night and day and if necessary he would leave the gnomes and guides and travel alone. In fact he preferred it that way, he would be safer, quicker and rid of these stupid little people.

As if this very thought had occurred to Fulgar, he suddenly appeared at Gawain’s side again.

‘Sir Knight, we have to move. Now. We cannot delay any further, we must get to the Tree Spirit as a matter of urgency.’

‘You go on to the Tree Spirit Fulgar, I’m going back to Ardougne. I have to warn the King’ Fulgar sighed loudly enough to be heard above the wind.

‘You cannot go back, you have to take us to the Forest. We wont last two days out here without you and if we fail, this army below us will seem like a tea party. That forest is the only thing that stands between our people and complete extermination.’

‘Fine, you go and see to the Tree Spirit . The guides will stay. I’m leaving.’

Fulgar reached out his dagger and held it at Gawain who stared at the tip. Even in the blackness of the night it managed to glitter slightly.

‘I thought you might say something like that.’ Said the gnome who had played all his advantages skilfully. They were laid down so Gawain had no height advantage, his sword was at his side and by the time he made his move the dagger would be coming out the other end of this throat.

‘I am sorry Gawain, but you cannot leave us. You must swear your sacred oath that you will stay’

Gawain laughed.

‘Dream on. If you want to kill me, go ahead. But I warn you Fulgar. You better get it right the first time because you shall not get a second chance’ Snarled the knight.

‘Believe me Gawain, I never need a second chance.’

Gawain didn’t doubt that for a second but he would not even contemplate the oath, not here and certainly not for a gnome. Again, Fulgar showed why it was necessary to never underestimate your opponent.

He fumbled with his free hand inside his pocket and slowly, without taking his eyes from Gawain or the dagger from his throat, produced and unrolled a parchment.

‘This one is going nowhere’ He whispered, ‘Unlike that useless map. Read this’ He pushed the parchment close to Gawain’s face.

‘How the hell am I going to read it like this?’ He snapped

Fulgar smiled and glanced down at the line of torches below them.

‘Look, the end of the line’

‘You wont need a fire or torch to read it’ Said Fulgar who wisely stayed where he was.

Gawain stared at the parchment but there was no way he could read anything. He was about to lose his temper once again when the parchment started to glow. His mouth hung open as he watched the letters shine dimly but there was enough for him to read the words.

Gawain’s hands trembled as he re read the orders. Never in all his service had he seen anything like it. No knight had ever been commanded this way and the betrayal of all that he held noble and right was shattered with that one document.

Fulgar waited a moment before speaking.

‘Swear Gawain, we are both dead now so I have nothing to lose by running you through if you refuse.’

‘If that army reaches our lands, Fulgar, there wont be anyone to carry out this sentence’ Said Gawain.

‘If we reach the Tree Spirit in time, that army wont make it to our lands’ Replied the gnome.

‘That’s a little optimistic don’t you think?’

Fulgar was losing his patience now. ‘You have no idea what is at stake here, just do as it says!’

Gawain looked away from the parchment, watched as the last torch disappeared around the hills and then rested his eyes on the dark outline of the Gnome.

‘Very well, in order to swear, I must stand and offer you my sword.’

Fulgar laughed again but this time the noise carried. The wind had dropped almost to a breeze and above him, the stars were beginning to shine through.

‘Nice try. You may swear as you lie there, I will accept that as your Oath.’

Gawain wanted to rage against everything, to scream and roar and charge down the into the valley and throw himself onto the swords of the Barbarians. That would be an honourable death, one worthy of a knight, but this! This was just impossible. Yet how could he refuse? There was the small matter of the dagger at his throat, the fact that he was a condemned man and then the thought struck him. If he did manage to get out of his present situation, his own brothers from the Guild, even the guards, would be tasked with hunting him down like an animal and killing him.

No, that could never be. He could not let such an end be his, not after all he had done.

But the barbarians were there, he had seen them. Did they foresee such a thing when giving Fulgar such a responsibility?

He was in no position to decide and with a heart that was tearing apart and an anger he could barely contain he admitted defeat.

‘I have one thing to say before I swear and enter your service. When this is all done, IF we make it through and I am returned to my rank, know this.

One day I will hunt you down and you will know the full wrath I am capable of.’ Fulgar was un moved by the empty display.

‘Don’t blame the messenger, just do as the message commands. Now swear!’ Gawain took a deep breath and for a fleeting second smiled inwardly at the fact that he was at the mercy of a gnome, lying on a rain soaked hill in the middle of the night and about to swear an oath of allegiance as a condemned man.

Yes there had to be an irony to it didn’t there!

‘I hereby swear and …………’

Fulgar relaxed his grip on the dagger and stood up carefully.

‘Remember your oath and remember you are now in my service. Your first order, prepare the group for immediate departure. We leave now and we head north which is…’ He stared at the sky and took reference from the stars.

‘That way’ Pointing back the way they had come.

Gawain stood up, towering over the gnome who stared evenly at him. Without a word he walked back to his bed place and folded up his equipment which was loaded onto his horse. ‘When I give an order, Gawain, I expect it to be obeyed’ Fulgar said with unnecessary smugness as he walked past.

Gawain gently stroked the flank of his horse who nuzzled him as if in comfort and waited until the gnome was out of earshot. He gently ran his hand along the nose of the horse and smiled for the first time in many days.

‘I will’ He said softly, ‘But as for you my faithful friend, I didn’t hear you make any promises’

The horse snorted softly in reply, sensing that something had changed but whatever his master had done, it didn’t alter his own loyalty.