Skara Braens

Part 39

Blinking, you look at your companions. They stare back at you.

"I am buried underground, but tower over the land," you murmur, hoping that repeating the riddle would help you. You turn to the wall. "What is both buried and stands over land?"

A tombstone? They wouldn't weather at all if there was no such thing as wind or rain, heat or cold. Time itself would not be able to change its face one whit.

"Um," you say, hearing your voice squeak with nerves. "A tombstone?"

Silence follows your words, then a soft, sad sigh.

"There is freedom in death," the disembodied voice says, sounding gentle and soothing. "The Master will claim you no more."

"Oh shi—"

Artair does not get to finish his sentence. In an instant, spikes fly up from the floor, impaling everyone. You are dead instantly.

So, uh, no. Sufficed to say, "tombstone" was not the answer.  Also, yes, this wrong answer awarded you a different death.  I have to have some fun.

I have some hints for you, if you want to try again. Ready?

- You are SO on the right path with thinking the thing is stone.

- The two names is actually important, though you don't have to use both. One or the other will do.

- One of you has already identified this thing—by both names even—in one of the comments on one of the previous parts of this story.

Below is last week's section again, complete with the riddle. I made up the riddle, so I don't know if Googling will help.

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"Let's go north first. If that proves fruitless we can head back down."

"Aye," Artair says, pushing the soft earth back against Mor Stein and covering the shallow engraving. "Burroughston Broch it is."

"Let's go, then," David says, his voice made gravelly by unease.

"How far?" Drest asks Artair.

"An hour, cross country," the broad man says.

"Again?"

"Aye. It seems an hour on foot between settlements was fairly regular in these parts."

Drest shrugs and before long, everyone has slid their packs one and you are once again trudging across fields.

"What exactly is a broch?" you ask.

"It's an early castle," David answers, sparing Artair the explanation. "Basically a tall stone tower surrounded by walls and sometimes a ditch and moat."

"Aye," Artair confirms. "They date back to the Iron Age... some three or four thousand years ago. Chances are, though, that they were built on already important locations, be they large settlements, trading nexuses, or religiously significant places. They correspond with an increase in hostilities in the regions. Or so it's said. It makes sense. Brochs are designed for defence."

"Okay," you say. Then, "What's a castle?"

Mordina laughs, a soft, short chuckle, breaking the tension in her shoulders.

Artair launches into a detailed explanation of what a castle is, how there are different kinds; some are fortresses, designed to withstand long sieges and others, usually built later or in times of peace, are purely grand structures with useless pretences at defence. Artair, apparently, doesn't really consider those to be castles, calling them châteaus instead. Drest informs you that château means castle in another language, and the nuance Artair insists on using doesn't really exist for most people.