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Bontebok Estates : Chapter 6
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Featuring Sliabhach (in war tack) and Calder
In which we get a hint of what is happening back in the Old World that William left behind.
The wind howled and raked its icy claws over the pair of travelers; with no trees to break its strength, it raged and raged without end. This high up in the mountains there were no trees, nor any other living beings. There was only the view. They could see the whole world from here; the whole world that they knew anyway.
Calder finished tightening the last straps on Sliabhach's battle tack. She gave him a piteous look- was there no alternative?- but he just shook his head. He smoothed out the furs to make sure none of the leather straps would pinch or discomfort the mare. She could be wearing the armor for a very, very long time.
Snow was gathering on his own matted mane, but that had never been a problem for Calder. He was born here, raised here; as a mountain troll, some would even go so far as to say that he was made of the place itself. He brushed the snow off Sliabhach's back. She was hardy, aye, but sometimes he took better care of his companion than he took of himself. It was just his way.
The two had been to battle before, a decade ago. Half the mare's lifetime, a blink for Calder. He hadn't lost her then, and he had no intention of losing her now.
The summons to battle had come as a surprise. They lived in as remote a place as most souls could even conceive. Day by day they wove in and out of the treeline, exploring nearly identical faces of nearly identical mountains. Each had its own history and personality, of course, but you had to look closely- intimately- to see them. As a result of their isolation, they didn't get many messages.
Then one day as he'd knelt next to a crystalline mountain spring to gather water, a face appeared in the perfectly placid surface. Calder leapt back in alarm. How had she found him?
Magic. It was the only way anyone could have found him, and it was the only way The General did anything anymore. She had been a formidable caster ten years ago and it seemed her skills had not stopped growing since that time.
"Calder," she said in a voice even icier than the snowmelt pool her image resided in. "You cannot hide forever. You are needed."
Calder averted his eyes, but he knew that wouldn't stop her from using her power on him. Even if she didn't compel him with her magic, he owed her. There was a debt he had yet to repay. And a faerie debt was not a thing which could be cast aside or forgotten.
He nodded, and her image disappeared. She knew he would come. She had already known.
Now Calder and his mount looked down from their mountain peak onto the valley below. He didn't know where the army was amassing, but he would know soon enough. And once he knew where, he would be compelled to join them.
And so they stood in the merciless wind, looking at the familiar sky above and the timeless forest below. They had no way of knowing if their lives would be the same when they returned, or if they would return at all.
First Chapter || Previous Chapter || Next Chapter
Featuring Sliabhach (in war tack) and Calder
In which we get a hint of what is happening back in the Old World that William left behind.
The wind howled and raked its icy claws over the pair of travelers; with no trees to break its strength, it raged and raged without end. This high up in the mountains there were no trees, nor any other living beings. There was only the view. They could see the whole world from here; the whole world that they knew anyway.
Calder finished tightening the last straps on Sliabhach's battle tack. She gave him a piteous look- was there no alternative?- but he just shook his head. He smoothed out the furs to make sure none of the leather straps would pinch or discomfort the mare. She could be wearing the armor for a very, very long time.
Snow was gathering on his own matted mane, but that had never been a problem for Calder. He was born here, raised here; as a mountain troll, some would even go so far as to say that he was made of the place itself. He brushed the snow off Sliabhach's back. She was hardy, aye, but sometimes he took better care of his companion than he took of himself. It was just his way.
The two had been to battle before, a decade ago. Half the mare's lifetime, a blink for Calder. He hadn't lost her then, and he had no intention of losing her now.
The summons to battle had come as a surprise. They lived in as remote a place as most souls could even conceive. Day by day they wove in and out of the treeline, exploring nearly identical faces of nearly identical mountains. Each had its own history and personality, of course, but you had to look closely- intimately- to see them. As a result of their isolation, they didn't get many messages.
Then one day as he'd knelt next to a crystalline mountain spring to gather water, a face appeared in the perfectly placid surface. Calder leapt back in alarm. How had she found him?
Magic. It was the only way anyone could have found him, and it was the only way The General did anything anymore. She had been a formidable caster ten years ago and it seemed her skills had not stopped growing since that time.
"Calder," she said in a voice even icier than the snowmelt pool her image resided in. "You cannot hide forever. You are needed."
Calder averted his eyes, but he knew that wouldn't stop her from using her power on him. Even if she didn't compel him with her magic, he owed her. There was a debt he had yet to repay. And a faerie debt was not a thing which could be cast aside or forgotten.
He nodded, and her image disappeared. She knew he would come. She had already known.
Now Calder and his mount looked down from their mountain peak onto the valley below. He didn't know where the army was amassing, but he would know soon enough. And once he knew where, he would be compelled to join them.
And so they stood in the merciless wind, looking at the familiar sky above and the timeless forest below. They had no way of knowing if their lives would be the same when they returned, or if they would return at all.
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Comments9
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Ohhh THERE you are General. I was reading through trying to find where she first pops up 
PS: The prev chapter doesnt link here
PS: The prev chapter doesnt link here