PELAIR. The Gems of the Golden Serpent.

6. Gertrudis

The gorge through which they marched was very steep and slippery. The almost impassable highlands that formed the foothills of the imposing Ansíen mountain range that rose majestically towards the north seemed to challenge them at every turn of the journey.

It had been three days since they had left the Oak Forest, and now they were heading resolutely towards what once had been the Castle of Alor. The inclement weather had made its appearance. The rain had been their constant companion for most of their journey, and the short time the rain ceased, a thick fog made it even more challenging to travel through those treacherous places.

"Did you hear that?" Brannan asked, getting his hand cup-shaped to his ear, listening to a distant sound of a waterfall he thought he had perceived.

"Yes, my lord," said a rather short man with a thick torso and rough talk. "It is the waterfall that serves as spillway of the Mud River to join its brother, the Charon River."

A pair of experienced hunters with extensive knowledge of the region accompanied Brannan, serving as his guide to take him to the border with the kingdom of Kersia. He had decided against the opinion of the villagers that had rescued and sheltered him during his short convalescence in the Oak forest, that he was to travel alone. He finally agreed to the company of this pair of men, because he did not have the faintest idea of ​​how to pass through the mountains to the north. He had never left the territory of Kaffre, much less wander alone through those unknown lands. The countries he was familiar with were far to the south, on the border with the rugged region of Arkadia. Vonegh had sent him there, always believing it had been for his training. Now he knew why.

The small party continued its way, while the roar of water falling into open space became more evident. The sound of the rushing water got so intense, that their mode of communication changed to screams and shortly after that, just to hand signals. Soon, the small party arrived at the edge of a very steep cliff, where the raging waters of the river dumped with violence to fall into the abyss.

One of the guides showed Brannan a narrow path, through which they would have to pass to get to the confluence of the two rivers. From his vantage lookout, Brannan could see two water channels merging down there in a violent embrace of waters, as the two rivers embraced each other to follow as one with even more fury towards the far north.

Suddenly, the young traveler noted with surprise that the taller but also the sullenest of his companions left at full career back through the path they just had come, passing by him without stopping. The other man, witnessing the action of his partner, decided to imitate him, perhaps following a basic survival instinct.

Left alone and certainly stunned for the incomprehensible action of his companions, and without knowing what had prompted them to flee in such haste, Brannan glanced toward the path through which his former companions had taken and already gone up the mountain.

A slight movement in the foliage to his right put him on guard. He was fully aware of his skills with the sword, as it had been proven many times in the countless struggles that he had held against the fierce inhabitants of the distant Arkadia. They were formidable warriors but poorly organized for the fight, which constantly beset the southern boundaries of the kingdom, killing peasants and looting the most remote villages.

He knew he could cope with full confidence against one or two opponents, but he wasn't even sure what it was that stalked him. Perhaps a wild animal that searched for food or in defense of its territory.

No sooner he had finished his inconsequential reflection, when he noticed a tall man standing in the middle of the path about ten paces away, threatening him with a heavy spear. He was of broad complexion, with short hair and boyish face. He wore a doublet too small for his enormous size, which was even odder considering the cold weather. By measuring his possibilities and calculating the likely strength of his opponent, Brannan realized that he simply wouldn't stand a chance to escape if that fellow decided to throw his formidable weapon at him.