IronGuard

CHAPTER 5

"How far to Icehold!?" Dello shouts as the blizzard rages around them.

"Another four miles!" Marcus yells from the front of the line.

"This Ice storm just won't let us pass easily!" Finn exclaims.

"Don't worry, if the stories are true. Icehold is the warmest place in the north!" Elos replies, he and his two former companions ride in front with Marcus close beside them.

"Warmest compared to what!" Owen shouts right at the ear of Elos.

Owen a former student of Captain Gildas and the first to pass of the three students of Gildas.

"Don't shout Owen, we can hear you clearly" Annalyn calmly says as the cold barely affects her.

Annalyn the second to pass and the smartest of the three.

The three were introduced to the recruits in their meeting in the Talon Hall when they were given the special quest by Talon Knight Therese and the IronGuard Council personally. The quest sends them to the freezing north of Perion where most of the land is uninhabitable and impossible to farm on but what makes the north important to Perion is the mines that it holds. Hundreds of ore, gold, silver mines are scattered on the frozen north and all of it are connected to Icehold, the only city left still standing and not frozen.

It's been a week since they left Perion and they haven't rested since then, only short breaks to water the horses and stretch their limbs. Their company rode day and night to ensure that they won't be late for their meeting with a special informant from the demon fanatics army, an army composed of demon worshipers and funded by corrupt businessmen. These men are wild and uncontrollable in the battlefield which is a big threat to what remains of Perion's armies.

Marcus and his comrades gladly accepted the honor of doing a special quest for the IronGuard council without second thoughts but they were all given strong message. Do not fail no matter the cost. Talon Knight Therese even sent with them one of her students, Rithia. A very quiet girl and only talks to Annalyn during breaks. two years younger than Marcus but already a student of a Talon Knight and just like Annalyn the cold barely affects her.

"Marcus! We're getting close!" shouted someone from behind.

"How do you know!?" Marcus replies.

"This is my home!" Thren, the only northerner of the recruits happily shouts as he points at the five signal towers of Icehold that lights up and shows them the way. "Sir Owen! We should light the torches now!"

Owen raises his hand and gives the order. All of them open their packs and grabs a torch and lights it with hot rocks. Suddenly the entire column lights up and the torches fight against the blizzard but after a few seconds the sound of bells and horns come from below the towers and as the company ride closer they can hear the loud clamor of men which seems to come from up the walls of Icehold.

"Get ready for it!" Thren shouts.

"Um ready for what!?" Finn asks nervously.

Suddenly the ground shook and huge doors cracks opens from the ground in front of them and the horses rushed toward the downward slope and they entered a very long underground corridor that leads to a light at the end.

"Thren what is this place!" Dello shouted as they continued down the corridor.

"This is Icehold's tunnel gate!" Thren chuckles. "Icehold's old gate got stuck frozen so they used this old mine tunnel as the entrance!"

At the end of the tunnel, light shines as another set of huge doors opens leading to the surface. The horses galloped out the tunnel and they realize that the tunnel led them to the city center where Icehold's soldiers waited for them. The city center is a big roundabout and behind them a road that leads to the huge frozen gate of Icehold looking down at them.