Morte, the lost Heir (ONC 2024)

10. The enemy

Damian, a tall and rugged man, made his way to his favorite tavern with a somewhat distressed expression. His companions, each one showing signs on their movements or faces that they had recently been in a fight, trailed behind him.

As they entered the door of the dimly lit tavern, a sudden silence fell over the place. The air was thick with the scent of ale and the sound of a crackling fire. Everyone knew there would be no loud laughter or shouting when they arrived. They were in charge here.

They sat down at their table, the longest one in the tavern, and two boys brought their beers without asking.

"What did you find out? Who were these guys?" Damian stroked his sore chin, his brows furrowing in concern.

"I think it was them because they were desperate to get that knife pinned to the message," replied the cracked-eyed orc beside him.

"So, are they the ones looking for Morte?" another asked.

Damian took a big gulp of his beer, his mind racing with the urgency of their mission. "Sol's orders are clear: we must find and eliminate those looking for Morte... you could have mentioned earlier that they were the ones!"

"Sorry, boss, but it only occurred to me after the fight when they fled with the knife..."

"It would be good to catch them before the Sepulcher; I have no desire to go down there. The place gives me the creeps..." another voiced their unease.

"We have to go to Sepulcher... I got a map yesterday; after eliminating the team, we must ensure Morte is dead." Damian signaled to a waiter to bring more drinks. Then he continued, "But we could intercept them in the canyon, just before Sepulcher. Dealing with Morte's search will be trouble enough there. All right, have your drinks, then let's hurry to get ahead of them!"

***

Dupe was practicing flying, which, as a humanoid, worked a little differently due to various physical attributes. Nerina felt it was her task to help with this and provided advice, and she was somewhat glad that Dupe was trying because she thought it was only a matter of time before he found the power to shapeshift himself. However, Dupe was only flapping his wings aimlessly because his legs were sore. He wasn't used to walking so much.

Once he was sure he could change direction, he flew higher to look around and see where they were heading.

Behind them, the snow-white domes of Aden still towered over them as if they had barely left them behind, although they had been marching downhill for hours. Ahead of them lay a plain and another, more distant protrusion, the once-active volcano, now towering as a barren mountain. Steam geysers erupted at the foot and on the side of the hill, or the ground just smoked. They planned to camp somewhere at the foot of the volcano and then continue into the canyon from there.

Tobi nervously counted the nights ahead: one more night in the canyon, then the pagan temple, and only after that would they reach the Sepulcher.

"We have to do the canyon in one day," Tobi suddenly said, sharing what was bothering him with the others.

"Oh, I forgot to mention," Aura remembered. "I need to go to Goddar. Do you remember when I went into the temple in Narig? The old priest sent me there to find a priest named Trigor; he helps with warrior skills."

Tobi looked very grumpy at the elf girl. "If we go into Goddar, that's a whole day wasted!"

Elgatto interjected, "Unfortunately, I only remember one spell: if you want to know more, you shouldn't skip Goddar. Tobi, why don't you tell the tavern you'll be away longer? You could send a courier from the city..."

The dwarf grumbled something under his mustache, but he must admit it was a good idea. Besides, no matter how much he counted, it was impossible to know how many days it would take to find Morte.

"Elgatto," Aura began, "We already know you have a map to the Sepulcher, but you haven't told us why you're going there."

"For the trial, of course. My family expects it of me; my father also visited the oracle. I'll do it, then go home to prove I'm worthy of carrying on the family name," Elgatto declared with a sense of duty and honor.

"Is this so important to you?" Sessom interjected. "I'm not of noble descent; we don't have such customs. But I don't understand because I've heard that some don't return, and yet their children are expected to risk their lives?"

"It's a tradition that can't be explained with reason. From an outsider's perspective, it may seem cruel..." replied the dark elf.

"We are nine brothers. The eldest failed, but the second one succeeded, so the others didn't have to undergo the trial. I was just a little kid, but I remember when he returned. It was a great honor, and we celebrated for three days," Keenan recalled.

Dupe flew back. "Hurry up, I found a good place for tonight; there's even a fireplace made of stones!"

Tobi prepared the dried meats for dinner, using his special spices to transform the otherwise monotonous beef into a delicious dish. The others chuckled around the fire.

"I still don't understand that bald singer," Sessom said. "Did anyone see her singing?"

"I think she waited until no one was watching, and then she started; maybe that was her plan all along," guessed Dupe.

"Or maybe she didn't sing at all, but someone behind the curtain did!" said Keenan.

"There was something eerily strange about it, the way she sat in her chair..." Aura became serious. "Did she look into your eyes?"

"No, she looked at a point on the ground," said Nerina, and the others agreed.

"At the end, just before Keenan started breaking up the Loyalty team, she looked at me as if she wanted to say something. Thinking about it still gives me chills. Her expression was so strange, as if I had done something wrong, and she knew... I don't know; it's a bad word for it. That's just how I felt. Then everyone stood up, and I didn't think about it anymore..."

"I didn't see the singer; I only heard her," said Elgatto. "And I started going there to see her because it was a beautiful song. That's how I found you guys... but now that you mention it, I didn't see her sing either."

Everyone pondered this for a moment, but not for long; the last rays of the sun signaled that Dupe's transformation was about to begin, and dinner was ready, too.