The awful day eventually came to an end as the harsh world around them gradually faded from white to black, signalling the descent of the sun somewhere far ahead. Rinus called for a halt, much to the relief of villager and soldier alike. The horrors of battle long since buried beneath hundreds of stamping feet, all they wanted to do now was rest.
"Get some sleep while you can. We leave at first light!" he said wearily, dismounting from his own horse and leading it to a nearby trunk.
The caravan had come to a stop amid a thick stand of pine trees, as Shilas had advised. The closeness of the trees would keep their bodies warm, and shield them from prying eyes. It would also conceal their fires, which was a godsend. There would be hot food and warmed blankets tonight.
The villagers moved about and began setting up their small shelters and fires, gathering into groups and huddling close. A few voices were heard here and there but they were mostly quiet, fixed upon more important tasks, like food. Soon enough the smell of meat and potatoes was wafting through the campsite, mixing aromatically with the scent of conifer sap.
Weaving in and out through the pine needles and spindly branches, Rinus made his way to the edge of the thicket where Shilas and Buyir stood, keeping watch over the open darkness and blinding snow without.
"So, where are we?" the captain asked, staring at the darkness.
Shilas rolled his tongue around in his mouth a few times before answering. "About a dozen miles in."
"Anything in particular?"
"Lem's Peak is to the north of us. That's the "first" mountain, the one farthest eastward. It's the one you can see from Highburn real well. The valley we're in right now s' a pretty big one. We can follow it about thirty miles into these mountains without much trouble."
"Is there a river?"
"Aye. Drops over a waterfall at the valley's head and goes all the way down to join the Icewillow south of Highburn."
"So we follow the river west until we reach the head of the valley?"
"Aye."
"What then?"
Shilas looked at Rinus sharply and then looked away, remaining silent for a long while before finally speaking. His voice held a mix of apprehension and adventurous delight. "I don't know."
"You don't know what's over the falls?" Rinus asked in a demanding tone, turning to face the woodsman. Shilas was unperturbed save for a small twitch of the shoulder.
"Like I said before, we don't go very far in here." he answered calmly. "Righteous Valley is the deepest valley we hunt in, and we don't go no farther than the falls. S' not safe beyond that."
"Fine." Rinus replied in exasperation. He knew there was no use wishing that these hunters had more knowledge of the area; wishing wouldn't make it happen. He'd either work with what he had or not work at all. Shilas' aloof attitude was grinding on him though. Aftera few minutes of standing in the cold and staring at the dark, he spoke again.
"Someone mentioned Highburn used to be a mining town."
"Aye."
"Where are the mines?"
Shilas let out an easily audible breath at that question, almost like a whistle. He squared his shoulders and wrapped his cloak tighter around himself, as if the subject would make him catch cold. He once again took a very long time to answer, apparently having to gather his thoughts. When he finally did speak, it was with reluctance.
"They're, well... they're all over. The mountains are riddles with old mine tunnels, or at least the Eastern Half."
"Eastern Half?" Rinus perked his ears at this, turning to face Shilas once again.
"Eh, it's not really a true half, but yea, the eastern part of the mountains." the hunter replied with a shrug. "Everything this side of the center Ridgeline."
Rinus raised his eyebrows at that. "I thought you said that the villagers never ventured farther than Righteous Valley?"
"We don't. There are stories though, and records of course. I think there are even maps of these mountains somewhere. Anyways, as the grapevine has it there is one big ridge that runs all the way down the length of the mountains. Called the Teeth, or the Claws, or somethin' like that."
"And that divides the mountains in half?"
"It's not really half; the Eastern side is actually a lot bigger; but you get the picture. The Teeth are supposedly so high and jagged it's impossible to climb over them."
"Wonderful. So where are these mines?" Rinus tugged his own cloak closer to himself, blocking out the wind. He felt suddenly very tired, and was growing weary of the conversation. All he want to know was where the mines were.
"All over, like I said. A big network, really, though nobody really knows the layout anymore. Most of em' got abandoned a hundred years ago."
"Are there any near here?"
"Well, yea... there's a few entrances left in the valley."
"Useful?" Rinus kept his last question to one word, as he was tired of talking. The Hunter certainly knew how to make a conversation into a session. Even now he was enacting another one of his lengthy pauses, as if the question had caught him off guard or struck a nerve. It would drive the captain insane of he had to put up with it much longer.
"Well..." Shilas said at length, "no, no I wouldn't say so."
"Why not."
"Listen, most of them mines have been abandoned for generations. The last one shut down near forty years ago. They weren't safe then and they aren't safe now, all collapsed and flooded as they are. It's just not a good idea to set foot in any of those old tunnels. Stick to sky and snow, an' we should be alright."
Rinus nodded curtly, then turned and left, disappearing back into the trees. Shilas and Buyir continued to stand there, staring off into the darkness and wind.
~~
Back in camp, the air held a quiet calm, a brief and unsteady serenity. Fires crackled here and there in little hidden alcoves, surrounded by leather tarps to trap the heat. Everywhere stood the pine trees, their needles brushing against each other and the cloth-swaddles forms of people who shuffled back and forth between the tiny pockets of light.
In one such alcove was the doctor, busily treating the wounded. There had been very few injuries among the villagers; a sprained ankle here,a bruise there; most of them simply needed some hot soup to ease their worries. The soldiers, however, had some very real hurts, all of which Iemben insisted on treating right away. He was currently dressing one of Samuel's larger cuts.
Seiben and Orson lay close by, their bodies warmed by the fire. Seiben was awake but in a lot of pain; Orson was still unconscious. His wounds had been severe, but the good doctor had managed to seal them up. Now it was just a question of time.
"Ah, captain!" Iemben quietly exclaimed as Rinus emerged from the foliage into the clinic's little ring of light.
"I don't need healing, doctor." Rinus said gruffly, sitting down next to the warm flames. "Just gimme some meat."
"They're cooking some venison over there." Iemben said, poking a thumb towards one of the other fires, partially visible through the dense conifers. "I really should take a look at those..."
"Not right now." Rinus replied promptly, his mind already on the tender meat in store. Getting to his feet, the captain shuffled off through the trees, towards the fire Iemben had indicated. Upon arrival he found two of the newcomers, Dekres and Weiss, sitting by the flames, chewing happily on juicy cuts of steak. He smiled for a moment in the darkness, then put on his business face before emerging into the light of the fire.
"New guys, you're on first watch. Go replace Shilas and Buyir."
He pointed in the direction he wanted them to go and then sat down, plucking a hunk of venison off the fire.
