Aglanthol 1 - The Legend of Khaalindaan - 7. Chapter 7

Heavy rain was falling and the sky was covered with dark gray clouds. The air was cold and chilly. Travelling was difficult since the roads had turned into mud. Only few travellers were on the road and most of them rode south to escape the severe northern winter. Qildor arrived in Tanmil on the fifth day of his journey. Like on his first journey, he arrived late in the afternoon. The inhabitants were already in for the evening. The street was empty and the village looked drab and deserted.

Qildor led his horse to the house at the end of the street. Now he was so close and suddenly he felt frightened to see Magath again. What if Magath had already forgotten about him? Qildor dismounted and led his horse to the stable. He wondered why Magath did not come out of the house. Had he not heard him approaching? Qildor attended to his horse, and then left the stable. He crossed the place and knocked at the door. But nobody opened or asked him in. After a while, Qildor opened the door and found that the room was empty.

Qildor looked around. Nothing had changed. The room looked the same. Qildor walked to the fireplace and saw that the fire had almost burned down. He absent-mindedly fanned the flames. Magath would not have gone far with a fire burning in his house. Where had the man gone? He almost startled at a noise. But it was just the door that opened. Magath came in with four eggs in his hands. He almost dropped them at the sight of Qildor. Magath gazed at Qildor and Qildor stared back. Had he surprised the man? Had he done the wrong thing?

"Welcome back," Magath said finally. His voice was dark and soft at the same time. A faint smile came to his lips that also showed in his eyes.

Qildor relaxed. He gave Magath a smile.

"The journey was tiring. But I luckily made it," he said.

Magath’s smile broadened. He crossed the room and carefully placed the eggs in a wooden bowl.

"I got these in exchange for a rabbit," he said.

"Got them from Gwyn, I suppose," Qildor replied.

Magath nodded.

"Right. I wanted cheese, but she did not have any. So she gave me four eggs. I was wondering what to do with four eggs, but…." He stopped.

Qildor gave him another smile.

"Cook a meal for two," he replied. "I took food along. So we can feast tonight."

Magath gave a laugh.

"Nah, don’t waste your food. It’s hard to get any fresh food in winter. But I luckily built up stocks."

They looked at each other again.

"How long will you stay this time?" Magath asked.

"For the winter, if you don’t mind," Qildor replied.

Magath’s lips opened slightly. He looked at Qildor with surprise. Qildor instantly felt uneasy again. Had he gone too far? His worries probably showed in his eyes because Magath hurried to give him a smile.

"No, I do not mind. It’s just that I could not believe that you would return. It seemed like a dream to me. And when you had left, all went back to normal. The sky was covered with heavy clouds and the light was poor all day long. The nights were long and cold and the fire burned down always so quickly," Magath said.

They looked at each other for a moment. Then Qildor crossed the room and stopped in front of Magath. Magath’s eyes rested on Qildor’s face. Qildor smiled at Magath and then he embraced him. Both of them wearing thick clothes, they did not feel each other’s bodies. But Qildor smelled the scent of Magath’s hair and he sensed the man’s cheek against his. Magath drew back from the embrace finally. But something had changed. Magath was not a stranger to Qildor any longer and something had changed about Magath, too. His face had brightened and he was less reserved. Smiling, he took off his coat.

~~**~~

While they shared a delicate meal, Qildor told Magath what he had learned from Neldor, the wizard. Magath nodded in agreement.

"That’s what people say, yes," he said. "They say the Khalindash are after the sword. But, like you said, nobody knows where to find the secret place. But, like I said, my great uncle told me that it was not far from Tanmil."

"And he gave no reason for his assumption?" Qildor asked, eating a spoonful of scrambled eggs.

Magath shrugged.

"I do not remember, at least. I could talk with Gwyn. She’s old. She has heard many stories. More than I have heard probably," he said.

Qildor nodded.

"I need to gather more information about the Khalindash," he said. "Why did they start to cross the frontier? Who inspired them to do so? I must find out if Neldor is right. I must find out if there is a powerful leader."

"How do you plan to do this?" Magath asked, cutting a slice of bread.

"Listen, look out, scout," Qildor replied. "First, I need to talk to the men who were attacked by the Khalindash. I want to learn what they have observed."

"They all tell more or less the same," Magath said. "They come at night, attack the house and scare the inhabitants to death. Their faces are covered with a cloth of some sort. Nobody has ever seen the face of a Khalindash attacker."

"I must interrogate them, nonetheless. People often don’t mention details. Those details could be important," Qildor said.

Magath was thinking.

"I will show you to Dran tomorrow. His house is about an hour walking distance from Tanmil. The Khalindash attacked his house and stole his food. Dran hid in the forest. He watched them leave. I remember he told me something about the Khalindash horses. But I have forgotten about it, unfortunately. It could be important perhaps," he said.

Qildor nodded.

"Good idea. I agree. Let’s go there tomorrow morning," he replied.

"Provided the snowfalls do not start at night. The road then would be impassable," Magath said.

Qildor nodded again.

"Hopefully not. I want to talk to the man," he said. "And don’t forget to interrogate Gwyn."

Magath gave a laugh.

"I won’t interrogate the old woman, like you put it. I’ll just ask her to tell me old stories and tales. She’ll be happy to do so. She’ll be happy to have some company," he said.

He smiled at Qildor and Qildor smiled back.

"A lot of things to do," Magath said.

"Life with me is not boring," Qildor replied.

Magath gave another laugh.

"Hopefully, it is not," he said impishly.

~~**~~

Night had fallen. They were lying under a blanket. The air was cold. But the closeness of their bodies warmed them. Qildor wrapped his arm around Magath and moved closer. He liked the feeling of skin against skin. He liked the touch, the smell, and the feel of the man. He was definitely infatuated by him.

They woke at dawn. The air was chilly. They hesitated to get up in the cold room. Finally, however, Magath rose to his feet. He dressed and then went to the fireplace and started the fire. Qildor watched him from the bed. Then he rose, cleaned up and got dressed. And then they had breakfast.

~~**~~

Magath opened the front door and looked out. The sky was still covered with dark gray clouds. But neither rain nor snow was falling.

"We better leave at once and head for Dran’s house," he said. "No rain and no snow. But this could change soon. We better leave right now and return very soon."

Qildor nodded. He put on his cloak. Magath followed his example. Both of them put on thick leather boots. They went to the stable and made ready their horses.

"I can’t travel far with this skinny mare," Magath said. "But she will make it to Dran’s house and back."

"We’re faster with the horses than by foot," Qildor replied. "I think we are back at noon at the latest."

"I’ll go over to Gwyn in the afternoon," Magath said. "I need a loaf of bread anyway."

Qildor nodded his agreement. And then they mounted the horses and set off for Dran’s house.

They arrived about half an hour later. Dran’s house was small and looked more like a hut, albeit it was made of stone. Dran had repaired the wall and also the roof that had been destroyed by the attack of the Khalindash.

They found Dran inside. He was fanning the fire. Magath did the introductions. Dran studied Qildor suspiciously. He opened up only slowly. Finally, however, he told his story. He had been on his way to his house. He had just come back from hunting in the forest. He had heard the trampling of horses which instantly alarmed him. Dran had run back to the forest and there he had hidden while the Khalindash had attacked his house. They had torn down one wall which had resulted in the roof tumbling down and they had stolen food from a small pantry. They had not touched the stores in a larger pantry in the back of the house, however. And that was odd. Dran mused the attack was just a fake attack. But he was not able to give a reason. It was just a feeling he had, apart from the untouched stores and apart from the Khalindash horses, of course.

"What was it about the Khalindash horses?" Qildor asked Dran.

"They were in good health and well fed," Dran said. "When I heard them riding away, I came out of the forest. I saw their horses. No meagre mares and half-starved stallions. This explains why they did not take away the stores. They must have plenty of food for themselves and even the horses."

"Indeed, it’s rather mysterious," Magath said.

"I’m asking you," Dran continued. "Where did they get the food? Our crops were bad. Theirs must have been even worse. They live farther north. The weather is worse, the rain heavier, the winds are rougher, and the winters are longer. And the river Isenbel does not touch their land."

"They must have imported the food," Qildor mused.

"Someone would have noticed, if they had imported food from Aglanthol," Magath said.

"The seaport in the north," Dran said. "They might have rebuilt the old town."

Qildor looked at Dran curiously. Magath gave a laugh and then shook his head.

"Are you talking about the land of Murdock?" he asked. "The land of Murdock is just a myth."

Qildor gave Magath a quizzical look. Dran coughed and then spoke up.

"Murdock was an outlaw, banned from his homeland. He settled near the sea. And one day the waves of the ocean took him away," he said.

Qildor looked between Magath and Dran.

"I didn’t know that so many weird legends were told in the north of Aglanthol. But more oddly, I have started to believe them. Has never anybody travelled north to find out about this old town?" he asked.

Magath shrugged and Dran made a dismissive gesture with his hand.

"You know," Dran said, "Many travelled north over the centuries, but only few came back. And those who came back must have seen horrific things for they all had gone mad."

"I mean, has not someone travelled there in more recent times?" Qildor inquired.

"I doubt any man from northern Aglanthol travelled there," Dran said. "Why challenge the Khalindash?"

Qildor and Magath exchanged a look.

"If they rebuilt the town, this would explain their fake attacks," Magath said.

Qildor nodded.

"They scare away strangers with random attacks," he said slowly.

"So their attacks were not just excuses to explore our country and find the secret place?" Magath asked.

Qildor shrugged. Dran looked at Magath curiously.

"Are you talking about the place with Norlorn’s sword?" he asked.

Magath nodded.

"Yes," Qildor said. He was feeling uncomfortable. Had they revealed too much? "The king and his counsellors do suspect that the Khalindash are looking for the place," he lied.

Dran shook his head.

"Why look for it now? Winter will come soon and heavy snow will cover the land for many long months," he said.

Dran walked to the door and opened it. He looked at the sky as if he feared the heavy snowfalls would start at his words. He watched the clouds with concern. "You better hurry back to Tanmil," he said. "The weather is about to change."

Qildor looked at the sky. He did not see a change. But Magath instantly straightened. He pointed at the horizon that had turned black.

"A storm is coming," Magath said.

He bid goodbye to Dran. Dran just gave him a nod and Magath hurried to his mare. Qildor followed him quickly. They mounted their horses and rode back to Tanmil. A cold wind was already blowing and it grew stronger quickly. They had just arrived in Tanmil, when the storm broke loose.

~~**~~