The Wellspring

Chapter 9

J. S. Clifford, α 26 Aug 2021, β 20 Apr 2024

Tuesday, 23 Jan 10,049 P.A., Enclave Tower, Suburgh

It was still dark when Aleera rose from her nightly meditation. The part of her that was elf meant that she did not need to sleep, but she did require a certain amount of restful meditation in order to function normally. She usually rose well before sunrise, but she would typically stay in her room and read until breakfast.

Today was different. Today, she had the day off, and rather than spend it indoors, she thought it better to leave early and spend the day outside. Grabbing her cloak and a handful of dried nuts, she slipped quietly down the stairs, and nodded to the Tower guards as she stepped into the frigid early-morning air. Called to spend the day not only outdoors, but actually in nature, she headed for the East gate.

She reached the gate as the first kiss of the sun's rays reached the top of Enclave Tower. "Hi Aleera," said Sorento. "You're up early!"

"Hello," she said with a smile. "How are those goblins?"

"They're alive and conscious," he smiled back at her, a dreamy expression on his face. "We tossed them into a cell and waited, and they woke up on their own. They've both had a bit of food and are recovering in their cells."

"That's great!" said Aleera, somewhat relieved. "I'll let the others know. No doubt Wailoo will be pleased to have new slaves."

The sarcasm in her voice was lost on the guard. "Yes, ma'am!" he said. "We'll see to it they get trained as soon as they've recovered enough."

"Um, thank you," she said, hiding her revulsion as best she could.

"It's our pleasure, M'Lady," said Sorento, bowing low and motioning for the gate to be opened for her. She flashed him a smile and let her true nature bubble to the surface—the part that was not elf. She only rarely showed that part of herself, and usually only briefly. Today, she showed her nature just long enough to fascinate both guards as she slipped out into the snow, then hid it away once again.

The guard stood agape for several long moments as she walked away. When the fascination finally wore off several minutes later, it left them weak in the knees. "What a woman!" said Sorento. Norb closed his mouth and swallowed, unable to speak.

"What's with you two?" said Gord, having just arrived at the wall. "And why is the gate open so early?"

* * *

As soon as she was outside the Suburgh walls, Aleera began to relax. The call to Nature answered, she was instantly filled with the peace and belonging that she often felt outdoors, even in this desolate land.

She wandered somewhat aimlessly through the snow-filled fields and frozen tundra around Suburgh, enjoying the feel of the sun on her face. By late afternoon, her wanderings brought her inadvertently to a small copse of trees just north of the Suburgh Burial Mound. It was the same one she'd found the day before while looking for their attackers.

With nothing better to do, she walked through the copse again, found new goblin tracks (the previous day's tracks had been buried by a fresh layer of snow), and followed them North and East. The tracks merged with what appeared to be dozens of goblin tracks heading further North. What caught her attention was not just the number of tracks, but also the dirt that was in the tracks themselves.

Curiosity got the best of her, and she followed the tracks South, to their origin in what appeared, from a distance, to be a large snowbank. As she got closer, the tracks merged together, the path dipping down into the ground. As the snowbank rose above her, the tracks disappeared into a crack in the ground. With only a moment's hesitation, she went in.