A Dark Day in Dunharrow

In keeping with the upcoming Halloween holiday I thought I'd share a short story I wrote awhile ago. It stars a character who has become something of a quasi-mythical heroine in the world of the Fantasy novel I'm working on. If it helps imagine her as something like Hercules or the Norse hero Ragnar Lothbrok (you know...the main character from the History Channel series Vikings). In the case of Ragnar there's evidence his sons existed (or at least men claiming to be his sons)...but little actual evidence some dude named Ragnar Lothbrok was running around early Dark Ages Europe shanking dragons, conquering all the things and generally being awesome. Anyways enjoy and happy Halloween!

A Dark Day in Dunharrow

There was a low ceiling of slate gray clouds hanging down threatening the travelers with rain as they rode towards the ramshackle collection of buildings huddled together against the icy winds that came roaring down the mountains to the east. The pair of them looked at each other and shrugged after passing a weatherbeaten sign declaring the tiny knot of humanity 'Dunharrow'. With luck one of the half dozen or so little structures would be an inn or at least a place where they could get out of the weather for a little while and find some food.

A group of men huddled around a game board outside the nearest building looked up as one, regarding the newcomers suspiciously as they rode past. They eyed the bastard sword in its scuffed scabbard on the woman's back and the wide bladed poignard on her hip warily. The woman's long mane of rich brown hair and peculiar blue gray eyes marked her as a Sacca, one of the fierce barbarous tribes of nomadic horsemen from the grassy wastes to the northeast. Sacca raiding parties would slip through the cordon of legionary forts on the boarder and come south plundering and raiding the area on occasion whenever their savage chieftains sensed weakness in the defenses.

 Like most Sacca, this one favored a close fitting sleeveless leather tunic dyed a deep blue decorated with bronze yellow edging. Her horse hide trousers were the green of fresh spring grass with a wide leather belt adorned with small plates of gold around her waist to carry her poignard. A small gold torque was around her neck and borderline ostentatious armbands she had in way of decoration. Iron pauldrons protected her shoulders and bracers guarded her forearms.

 She might have been a sell-sword, one of the professional soldiers who sold their services to the highest bidder, at best or at worst a bandit at worse...though not a terribly successful one of either from the look of it. Both horse and rider looked somewhat underfed and in need of a curry comb. Still, if pushed to admit it, any of the men watching the new arrivals would call her figure attractive. The woman was tall with long legs and a pleasantly sinuous form packed with well defined muscle.

 The sell-sword's companion was equally suspicious as he was obviously even more of a foreigner than his companion with his swarthy complexion and unruly mop of curly dark hair. He was a Hurianni from the kingdom of Mantius on the far side of the Tenian Sea. No few of the men pretending not to be watching the new arrivals might be wondering what exactly he was doing there. There had been bitter fighting between the Hurianni and the Angalians in the past.

 The short wiry man wore a leather waistcoat over a weather stained linen shirt and heavy woolen trousers with a blue cloak fastened around his neck. His riding boots had once been of fine quality though, like the rest of his clothing, they had seen better days. A silver chain around the man's neck caught the eye of the people on the street as it was easily worth as much as the entire village and everything in it.

 The woman grinned to herself as they came to what looked like it might serve as a hostel in what could generously be described as a town. “Have you been peeking at my Maloh list, Rodger?” she asked as she dismounted and looked around at the other buildings. “Suspicious glances...nervous tension in the air...”

 Rodger snorted as he climbed down off of his own horse. Trying to find a place to stay in this little settlement seemed only slightly better than sleeping in a ditch. The ditch would likely have less fleas but wouldn't have a roof so it was sort of a toss up in his book. Also everyone in these little isolated dung heaps was mistrustful of outsiders. Between the hard looks people gave him and his companion's kin he thought it a small wonder that more people out here didn't try to knife them in their sleep. The man let out an explosive sigh. “Shit.” he muttered as he looked up at the sky. “I thought it was just me. It's gonna rain.” His thick Mantian accent made him a little hard to understand sometimes.“I'd say we piss off otherwise, Leanna.”

 Leanna snorted a laugh. “Oh come on! Where's your sense of adventure?” she asked as the woman stretched some of the stiffness out of her legs. She smiled sweetly at the sour look on her companion's face. “Tell you what first round is on me.”

 The common room of the inn was low ceilinged and dimly lit. A few rough planks on barrels served as a bar against the back of the room and there were mismatched tables and chairs set up on the inn's dirt floor. A young man was in the middle of going around lighting a few oil lamps trying to beat back the early darkness. “Hello!” he said cheerily as he touched a long safety match to the wick of the lamp on the table in front of him. “Have a seat anywhere you like and I'll be right with you.”

 The young man went out to take care of their mounts then came back wiping his hands on his apron. “Hi folks I'm Jack. What can I get you?” he asked. He was tall and gangly dressed in a tunic and trousers that Leanna guessed were hand me downs from an older sibling as the boy had to keep pulling the sleeves up over his hands. “We got a pot of beef stew on the fire. It's pretty good if you don't mind that it's mostly onions and gravy.”

 An older woman with curly graying hair dressed in a threadbare blue dress came in through a door behind the bar. The woman had to have been a rare beauty in her youth and echoes of it still showed through the smile lines and crow's feet on her face. “I heard that, Jack.” she spat shooting the serving boy a sour look. “Care for some ale?” The woman drew her guests drinks from the keg behind the bar without waiting for a response.

 The woman walked over and plunked the mugs down on the table. Leanna and Rodger exchanged raised eyebrows as the waitress walked away. Rodger grimaced. “Little frosty in here.” he whispered as he looked around the room “Makes up for the service with the ambiance though.”

A low rumble of thunder accompanied Jack bring out two steaming wooden bowls. He set them down far gentler than the woman had set down their drinks. “Don't worry about my ma.” Jack said quietly as he glanced across the common room then back to the guests. Now that he got a closer look at the woman... Her face was perfectly oval with eyes that caught his and held them. There was something wolfish and untamed there in this woman's grayish blue eyes. He caught himself staring and blinked. “We got a room for rent if you're looking for a place to stay for the night.”

 Rodger and Leanna exchanged subtle smirks. “Do you have two?” Leanna asked as she stirred the stew in the bowl in front of her eying the ingredients with some amount of incredulity. The woman wasn't sure that the meat in it was beef as she hadn't seen any beef cattle in some time. Not that it mattered much as she was hungry and had eaten many things that would make a more civilized person turn up their nose. The stew was hot, the ale good and that was enough for her regardless of what animal had found its way into the pot. “Don't get me wrong, Rodge. I like you but I'm not going to flip a coin for the bed with you again.” She glanced at the serving boy and grinned as she blew on a spoonful of gravy “I swear he cheats. I don't know how he does it but he does. He wins every single time. Isn't natural I tell you.”

 Jack laughed feeling a strange flush of relief as he hurried off and came back with a loaf of barley bread and some butter. Leanna was probably only a little bit older than he was and he could not help but wonder what it would be like to run his fingers through that long earth colored hair of hers. Jack wished that they had somebody around to play music so he could ask her to dance later. The thought of putting his hand on the woman's hip and dancing a merry jig with her made his palms sweat. He glanced towards the bar and noticed the stony look on his mother's face.

 A clap of thunder shook the rafters knocking loose small clouds of dust which floated slowly to the floor. Rodger leaped to his feet with a disgusted cry and started slapping at his head as he danced around the common room cursing loudly in his native tongue. Leanna and Jack burst out laughing at the man who scowled at them as he flung something out of his curly dark hair and stomped on it repeatedly. “Is not funny!' he growled...and then started giggling himself. Jack looked stricken and rushed over to his guests' table.

 “Listen...keep it down, would ya?” he asked in a tense but polite voice. Leanna noticed how pale the young man's face was and how tightly he was gripping the back of the empty chair in front of him. “Please? I'm sorry I should have mentioned it earlier.”

 The two travelers looked at each other. “What's wrong?” Rodger asked, growing a little concerned himself. He took a long drink from his mug and set it down. He grumbled under his breath. Somehow he knew that whatever was going on Leanna was going to get them mixed up in it anyways so he might as well beat her to the punch...so to speak.

 Jack shrugged and glanced down at the sword on Leanna's hip. “Just...keep it quiet.” he said and turned toward his mother. Lightning filled the room with a flash of light followed by a deep echoing crack of thunder. “It...it might hear you.”

 Leanna raised an eyebrow at the young man. “It?” she asked curiously.

 He paused as he considered his guests. Leanna looked like she could use that sword... “There's been something coming around for the past few weeks.” Jack said quietly. He slipped into one of the empty chairs at the table and leaned in close to the guests. “Some horrible thing...it wanders around at night waiting for somebody to come out. If we're quiet it just walks up and down the street every night howling.”

 The two of them finished off their stew and dabbed up the gravy with the bread and butter. Leanna had Jack bring over a flagon of ale and settled up their bill with a couple silver ducats. Rodger made arrangements with Miss Tomkins securing them rooms and fodder for their horses. Leanna had to smirk behind her hand as she watched the swart man bring all his charm to bear on the unfortunate innkeeper. She could not help but wonder not if but when her companion was going to get his head cracked open by a jealous husband some day.

 A strange feeling made the hairs on Rodger's arms stand up and his heart do the minute waltz in thirty seconds. He finished his ale and looked around trying to place what the hell was going on. A low groan sent goose pimples running up and down Leanna's spine a hand going to the hilt of her sword. Whatever was making that eerie racket sounded like it was right outside the window.

 A hand pressed against the pane of glass across the room and slowly dragged its fingers across the window. “The hell...” Leanna whispered as she slowly rose to her feet. The noise was so...unearthly and mournful... What the hell could make a noise like this? She looked around the common room and saw that Jack and his mother were pale as sheets looking like startled deer.

Leanna and Rodger rushed out of the inn and into the pouring rain which pounded on their heads and quickly soaked them to the bone. There was a man standing in the street who turned to face them. The man raised a long hafted ax which he clutched in one meaty hand. A feral growl rumbled out of the stranger's chest as he advanced. A flash of lightning illuminated his face making a shout freeze in Leanna's throat.

 The man's face was the palled blue of a dead man and shot through with spiderwebs of black veins, his milky white eyes crazed. Stringy clots of dark hair hung from the top of his head like moss dangling from tree branches in a swamp showing the moldering yellow white skull underneath. The creature snarled as it raised its ax high over his head and charged with a savage bellow.

 The woman dodged the man's attack and skipped back drawing her sword and slashing at the creature before it could bring its weapon around. The tip of Leanna's blade scored the man's upper arm making a bloodless wound then she ducked under the backhanded swing. Spotting another opening Leanna thrust her sword into the creature's stomach half way to the hilt. Stars flashed across her vision as the butt of the thing's fist came down on the top of her head like a brick tossed off the roof of a building.

Leanna shook her head and scrambled in the mud trying to get away as the burly man took a step towards her his ax raised to strike... There was a burned ozone smell and the creature went flying back steam rising from it as it splatted into the muck. “I'm sorry to interrupt my friend.” Rodger said with a wry grin as he extended a hand and helped Leanna to her feet. “I get so bored watching you people waving metal bars at each other.”

 “I guess I'll let it slide this once.” Leanna said with a sly little smirk as she tried to shake some of the mud off of herself. She glanced at the creature lying in the street a few feet away and shivered as she found her bastard sword. Leanna grimaced as she flicked muck off the shining steel blade. The sky crackled as lightning flashed and thunder boomed hard enough to rattle Rodger's teeth.

 "Ah come on!” Rodger grumbled when the creature groaned and started to stand up. The sorcerer spat into the palm of his left hand, mumbled under his breath and ran his hand along Leanna's sword. The woman's eyes widened when flames sprang to life and danced merrily on the steel. She recovered from her surprise quickly and grinned as she took two quick steps towards the thing her sword hissing and spitting like frying bacon.

 The flaming sword arced downward slicing through the creature's neck and sending its head rolling in the muddy street. Leanna kicked the creature's severed head a few more feet away from the body on the off chance the thing somehow managed to get back up again even if she had lopped off its head and stabbed its kidney out. “Why did you kick its head?” Rodger asked, frowning as he walked up to the creature's body “It not dead enough for you? We kill it two three times already.”

 “Just making sure.” Leanna muttered under her breath. She nearly jumped out of her skin when the creature's hand latched on to Rodger's ankle and squeezed hard enough to send bolts of pain up the man's leg. He gave a revolted cry and stomped down hard on the creature's chest. Leanna hacked the offending limb off a little above the elbow.

 Jack came running out of the inn with a potato sack flapping in his hand. He grabbed a handful of the creature's lank hair and stuffed its severed head into the bag then sprinted over to the side of the building. The young man swung the bag around his head two or three times then hit the side of the building with the skull wrapped in burlap filling the night with a sickening pop like when he tapped a keg of ale. He repeated the process until he was left holding nothing but a bag full of gray mushy peas with hunks of skull and hair in them. Jack smiled at Leanna then made the mistake of peeking inside the bag and vomited.

 She smiled as she went over to the young man. “Good thinking, Jack!” Leanna exclaimed and clapped Jack on the shoulder after helping him stand up straight again. “Come! Let's get in out of the rain. I think we could do with another bowl of your mother's stew.”

 “Another flagon of ale wouldn't go amiss either.” Rodger grumbled as he limped towards the inn and threw open the door. “Lousy weather. I never get over how often it rains here. Every other day it seems! How do you people stand it?” Jack wiped his mouth on his sleeve and chuckled at the Hurianni grousing to himself under his breath as they followed him inside.

 Leanna and Rodger sank into the chairs around the nearest table as Jack hurried off to get his guests food and drink. “Get one for yourself too, Jack.” Rodger called across the common room as he leaned over and shook the rainwater from his hair. “You should be very proud of your boy, Miss Haskins. He is very clever.”

 When Jack brought the food and ale and sat down the Hurianni looked levelly at the young man. “In my country there are stories of a similar creature.” Rodger said looking at Jack over the small loaf of bread he broke in half. Outside they could hear the villagers finding their balls again and coming out to clear the body out of the middle of the street. “Angry dead men that rise from the grave looking for robbers. Nasty things they do to them when they catch them. I always thought they were...what is it...” the man made an inarticulate gesture with his right hand as he struggled for the proper words in Angalian “stories to scare grave robbers.”

 Jack went pale and Leanna thought he might be sick again. “Oh no...” Jack gasped. He pushed back from the table scraping the legs of his chair on the floor. His mother came over and put a hand on her son's shoulder. “I...I just went hunting a few weeks ago. There was these weird hills at the bottom of a valley about a mile or two away. I didn't like the feeling they gave me so I left.” His eyes widened when he saw how Rodger and Leanna were looking at him “I didn't take anything! I swear! My hand to Hezra!”

 “I think in the morning you should show us where these hills are.” Rodger said, the hint of a smile playing at his face as he ladled a portion of stew over the bread in his bowl. “And I never said you did, my young friend.”

Before the first cock crow Rodger directed a few of the braver villagers in the proper disposal of the creature's body. First it was to be dismembered with axes then the limbs, torso and head all had to be cremated in separate bonfires. When fires burned down the ashes were to be gathered up in separate containers and taken in different directions and the ashes scattered at the first crossroads they came to. “Do exactly as I say and this creature shall trouble you no more.” the hurianni warned holding up his index finger in the faces of the assembled men. Rodger's face was the very picture of seriousness as he made sure that he had their undivided attention. “Do not and...” he clapped his hands and added darkly staring into each man's eyes “Who knows? In a week...a year...this thing might find its way back. Then my friends I would very much like to not be you.”

 Leanna watched all this from the doorway of the inn doing her best not to smirk. She had to admit that her friend did have quite the flair for the dramatic. After his little admonishment the sell-sword had no doubt that there were going to be five very footsore and exhausted peasants wandering back into town come sundown. The woman made a mental note to make sure each of the men got a ducat and a mug of ale before she and Rodger left town. It really was least she could do seeing as how her friend had scared the living shit right out of them for what she was reasonably certain was his own amusement. Rodger knew all kinds of strange things but it was tough to tell when the man was pulling some joke on you.

 When Jack finished his morning chores he was going to show Leanna and Rodger where these strange mounds were back in the valley. Pulling a chair out onto the porch Leanna sat down and drew her sword carefully sharpening the well loved steel with a whetstone. She caught Jack staring at her from the barn door a little ways away from the inn and snorted a quiet little laugh. He tried to pretend he wasn't staring and practically fell all over himself to get back to cleaning the horse stalls where her flea bitten old destrier and Rodger's palfrey had spent the night.

 Rodger climbed the porch and smirked as he leaned against the low railing on the front of the building. Leanna gave the man a look and the vaguest hint of a smile as she spat on the whetstone and ran it along the edge of the blade. “Done terrorizing the locals?” she asked, watching the men going about their tasks out of the corner of her eye.

 Rodger frowned rocking his head slightly for a second as he considered the question. “I should think so. They seem sufficiently terrorized to me.” he said quietly then shrugged and cocked his head looking at the woman sharpening her sword. Leanna arched a slightly annoyed eyebrow at the Hurianni when he leaned against the fence with his arms crossed.

 “What?” she asked harshly as she stood and jammed her sword into its sheath and threw it on over her shoulder. The woman sat back down and glanced towards the door. She was a little thirsty and thought about asking Miss Haskins for a mug of ale while she waited for her son to be ready to go.

 Rodger's smirk only deepened into almost a full smile and glanced towards the barn. “Nothing.” he answered enigmatically before going inside. Leanna scowled at the man and hesitated before sitting back down.

 The creature's separate funeral pyres were burning low by the time the three of them set off into the woods. The forest floor squished under their feet the air was close and humid as the tree limbs held the moisture evaporating from the leaf litter like a blanket. Jack led the way followed by Rodger with Leanna bringing up the rear. The Hurianni found it endlessly amusing that the young man in front of him kept trying to steal glances over his shoulder.

 After perhaps an hour or two of walking Jack led them onto the barest remains of an old foot path that descended into a narrow valley. Leanna swallowed hard and made sure that her sword and poignard were loose and ready in their scabbards. The valley had an eerie feeling just as Jack had described and she could feel eyes on them as they approached a ring of mounds in a clearing. The air in the place seemed to put a greasy oily taste in her mouth.

 In the center of the ring of mounds stood a larger central mound which was not taller than the others but wider in circumference. More surprisingly there was a stone door frame in front of them its bronze door green with age hanging open revealing an inky blackness beyond. All the mounds had a heavy coat of brambles and thorny bushes somehow making the scene seem just that much more ominous somehow. The three of them crept slowly carefully towards the mound ready to spring away from some cleverly concealed trap.

 Rodger picked up a heavy stick he found on the ground, spat into his hand and in seconds they had a torch to light their way. Leanna drew her sword and ducked through the door and entered the mound. Jack almost reached out and caught her arm but thought better of it. She was the one who had sliced the monster's head off last night after all.

 The door led to a hallway perhaps a dozen feet long, barely wide or tall enough for Jack to walk through. The hall opened into a man made cave supported by thick aged timbers and filled with stale air that reeked of old decay. Thankfully it was tall enough for them all to stand and, as yet, no spears sprang from the floor or darts flew from the walls.

There was a decrepit bier that might have held the mouldering creature who's ashes were even now being scattered at the crossroads. Jack walked across the room and discovered several dozen clay pots set into niches in the wall. “Rodger would you bring that torch over here?” he asked excitedly. All the stories he'd heard from travelers about buried treasure made his breath catch in his throat.

 The three of them gathered around the bier as Jack tugged one of the heavy clay pots from the wall and brought it over. Leanna stopped Jack from shoving his hand inside it. “Wait.” she whispered as she drew her poignard and stuck it inside the pot then poked around the interior testing for traps or just a snake that might have thought the thing would make a good hiding place.

 She reached in and carefully pulled out what looked like a fistful of jagged bent strips of scrap iron with a gauntleted hand. If the young man had reached in he would have cut himself to ribbons. The three of them exchanged puzzled glances then Leanna upended the pot.

 Rodger's jaw dropped as the caltrops fell out followed by a stream of dully glowing gold coins. Right there on the table was...was a king's ransom in coin. “Hezra's ball sack...” the Hurianni muttered under his breath as he picked up a coin and examined it in the torchlight.

 Leanna laughed heartily and clapped her friend on the back. “And you wanted to piss off, my friend!” she exclaimed as she scooped the coins back into the pot. “Come! Take all you can carry!”

 The way back was harder as they were each heavily laden with clay pots. Once the three of them were in the relative security of the inn's kitchen Leanna and Rodger divvied up the treasure with Jack and his mother. Jack felt positively giddy as he ran his fingers through the pile of strangely minted gold and silver coins.

 The next morning Leanna and Rodger set off down the road. With luck they might find work with a mercenary company fighting Northmen or maybe a lord would take them into his service. There was no real urgency however as their saddlebags were heavy with coin. Leanna's ears perked up at the sound of hooves pounding the dirt road behind them. It sounded like whomever was coming probably meant business. The sell-sword wheeled her mount around to face the incoming rider hand involuntarily going to the hilt of her sword.

 Rodger laughed when the rider came around a bend in the road and revealed himself. “Hello.” Jack said with an awkward wave of his hand as reined the homeliest old nag Rodger had ever seen to a stop a few paces from them. The three of them looked at each other for a few moments before Jack spoke up again. “Would you mind if I came with you?”

 Rodger and Leanna exchanged glances. Rodger shrugged and Leanna let out a groan. “I don't think that's a good idea, Jack.” the sell-sword muttered as she rested the palms of her hands on her saddlehorn. The young man's face seemed to fall in on itself at the rejection. “Who will help your mother run the inn if you're not there?”

 “She can hire half the town to work for her if she wanted.” Jack said suddenly defensive. “Our share of the treasure was more than enough.” His horse took a few steps towards the two riders ahead of him on the road.

 “Jack, go home and think about it.” Leanna said with a hint of anger creeping into her voice. “You're a clever boy and you've got a good stake now. Make your town more than just a bunch of shacks in the middle of nowhere.”

 “Use some of that money to buy timber rights, my friend.” Rodger suggested as he looked at the forest around them. “Set up a timber mill.” The Hurianni grinned widely as he gave Leanna a sideways look. “I am sure there are a great many around here who could use the work. I can come back with you and help you get started if you wish.”

 The tall woman beside him raised a startled eyebrow then shrugged. “If you want to go, go.” she said and extended her hand to the man. “It's been a pleasure riding with you, my friend.” Leanna understood why the man would want to settle down. He was city bred through and through as uncomfortable in the woods and wild places as she was in a stone house.

 Rodger took her hand in both of his then raised Leanna's scarred knuckles to his lips. “Farewell, my friend.” he said smiling and released the woman's hand. There was a slight bit of color on the creeping up on his friend's cheeks. “If you ever happen to be back this way by all means stop in for a bite of dinner.”

 “Your cooking?” Leanna asked finding that she had to swallow a flood of saliva. “Going to do those lamb things on the sticks? With all the spices and such?” Rodger called it shashkibaby or something like that. Her friend's native language would likely remain unpronounceable gibberish to her however the food was delicious.

 Rodger laughed heartily. The one thing that he could always count on was the Sacca's nigh bottomless stomach. Then again if he had grown up scratching a living on the edges of civilization he'd probably never turn down a meal either. “As you like.” he said cheerfully as he dug his heels into his palfrey's sides “Come, Jack. The first thing we shall have to do is seek an audience with the lord of this land and negotiate a price for the timber rights. If we do right then we can hire a builder and get started on the lumber mill. Today we make your fortune, my young friend!”

 The woman grinned and turned her destrier in the opposite direction. A few days down the road there should be a caravan in need of a guard or some other adventure. She gathered the reins in her hand and spurred her own horse into a trot. It had been a good day: she had plenty of coin for food or a maybe a good sturdy mail-shirt...perhaps a proper helm too.

Jack glanced back over his shoulder just in time to see Leanna vanish around a bend in the road. He toyed with the idea of turning after her, chasing her down catching her up in his arms... She had made her feelings known just a few moments ago. He frowned at the shadow that he imagined disappearing in the shifting darkness made by the shifting tree branches. Goodbye, Leanna! Jack thought with a deep sigh.