trouble stilling her mind. She suddenly wanted to ask Serdra how they would survive on top of an uninhabited fell, how long they would stay there and so many other things. But it sounded like the woman had fallen asleep and in any case she didn't seem to give out any information unless she wanted to.
Finally her body slackened and the mind gradually followed. She faded into the dreamworld and thought of combat, monsters and travel, and thought she heard the beating of wings.
In the morning they ate the last eggs and two grain cakes each, leaving them with four. Serdra had some dried fish but it would keep better than the bread so they left it for now.
Katja said she wanted to bathe in the nearby stream and was somewhat expecting a refusal, but Serdra approved. She said cleanliness was important even though they couldn't get sick, as various creatures had a sharp nose for the smell of man.
“That is, as long as you don't use those damned scented soaps,” she added. “One should smell less , not more.”
Katja smiled.
“We don't have such things around here.”
“Then I'll borrow some of yours.”
The cold wind lessened her enjoyment of the bath, but once she warmed up again on the journey she could savour feeling clean.
The scrub became older, denser and taller later in the day and stretched up the western slopes of Flat Top. It took several turnarounds and some cleverness to get the horse through the growth and Katja found the going agonizingly slow.
Am I actually excited about going up Flat Top? she suddenly thought, as she caught herself cursing the uneven landscape. A place feared by all? Should I be smug or shocked?
“So just,” she hesitated, “what is the truth about the fell?” she asked as the slopes were finally filling her field of vision.
“There was a dark sorcerer there,” Serdra answered. “He created monsters and caused deaths. The stories have exaggerated his deeds a bit. He was quite mortal and is now quite dead.”
“So he actually stayed dead?” Katja asked and again thought of the stories of corpses rising after sundown to bite the living and drain their blood.
“Yes, we made sure of it.”
--------------------
They reached the base of the fell in the middle of the afternoon and the climb began. The way up was steep and difficult and hard to see unless one was standing on it. Katja would probably only have found it herself by total chance.
Serdra was usually in the front and led the horse, except for brief portions which were easier for him. Katja wasn't exactly in top shape after two days as a passenger in the saddle, but she put up with the pains in her muscles and cuts. She wanted to learn, she wanted answers , and she didn't want to wait a moment longer than she needed to.
She didn't like her own stiff walk and audible breathlessness, given how easy this seemed to be for Serdra, but didn't know how to interpret the look Serdra gave her now and then. Was it disapproval over the exhaustion or approval that she nonetheless fought on in spite of it?
Whichever it was Katja started pushing herself harder and her walk improved a bit. She also managed to not sigh with relief when they finally walked the final metres up to the edge. Then, at last, she saw the top.
“Wait, this isn't flat!” she shouted.
“No, but it seems to be, from the south and west. I suppose that's how the name came about.”
Katja beheld a plain with quite a lot of low bushes and scrubs which after about two kilometres began to rise again, in just such a way that it couldn't be seen from the lowlands.
“Come,” Serdra said and mounted nimbly. “We're almost there.”
The excitement enabled Katja to ignore the pain of the final ride and her heart almost skipped a beat when before them lay a large depression in the ground and a cabin at the bottom of it.
The cabin was long and narrow, made from turf, rocks and probably the only large trees ever to grow here, as Katja could see no
Finally her body slackened and the mind gradually followed. She faded into the dreamworld and thought of combat, monsters and travel, and thought she heard the beating of wings.
In the morning they ate the last eggs and two grain cakes each, leaving them with four. Serdra had some dried fish but it would keep better than the bread so they left it for now.
Katja said she wanted to bathe in the nearby stream and was somewhat expecting a refusal, but Serdra approved. She said cleanliness was important even though they couldn't get sick, as various creatures had a sharp nose for the smell of man.
“That is, as long as you don't use those damned scented soaps,” she added. “One should smell less , not more.”
Katja smiled.
“We don't have such things around here.”
“Then I'll borrow some of yours.”
The cold wind lessened her enjoyment of the bath, but once she warmed up again on the journey she could savour feeling clean.
The scrub became older, denser and taller later in the day and stretched up the western slopes of Flat Top. It took several turnarounds and some cleverness to get the horse through the growth and Katja found the going agonizingly slow.
Am I actually excited about going up Flat Top? she suddenly thought, as she caught herself cursing the uneven landscape. A place feared by all? Should I be smug or shocked?
“So just,” she hesitated, “what is the truth about the fell?” she asked as the slopes were finally filling her field of vision.
“There was a dark sorcerer there,” Serdra answered. “He created monsters and caused deaths. The stories have exaggerated his deeds a bit. He was quite mortal and is now quite dead.”
“So he actually stayed dead?” Katja asked and again thought of the stories of corpses rising after sundown to bite the living and drain their blood.
“Yes, we made sure of it.”
--------------------
They reached the base of the fell in the middle of the afternoon and the climb began. The way up was steep and difficult and hard to see unless one was standing on it. Katja would probably only have found it herself by total chance.
Serdra was usually in the front and led the horse, except for brief portions which were easier for him. Katja wasn't exactly in top shape after two days as a passenger in the saddle, but she put up with the pains in her muscles and cuts. She wanted to learn, she wanted answers , and she didn't want to wait a moment longer than she needed to.
She didn't like her own stiff walk and audible breathlessness, given how easy this seemed to be for Serdra, but didn't know how to interpret the look Serdra gave her now and then. Was it disapproval over the exhaustion or approval that she nonetheless fought on in spite of it?
Whichever it was Katja started pushing herself harder and her walk improved a bit. She also managed to not sigh with relief when they finally walked the final metres up to the edge. Then, at last, she saw the top.
“Wait, this isn't flat!” she shouted.
“No, but it seems to be, from the south and west. I suppose that's how the name came about.”
Katja beheld a plain with quite a lot of low bushes and scrubs which after about two kilometres began to rise again, in just such a way that it couldn't be seen from the lowlands.
“Come,” Serdra said and mounted nimbly. “We're almost there.”
The excitement enabled Katja to ignore the pain of the final ride and her heart almost skipped a beat when before them lay a large depression in the ground and a cabin at the bottom of it.
The cabin was long and narrow, made from turf, rocks and probably the only large trees ever to grow here, as Katja could see no
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