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Chapter 2
The Vale of Eagles
The sun woke for another day, its glowing face beginning to rise over the eastern mountains. A mid autumn mist shrouded the Vale of Eagles in a gray blanket of haze. As the fog began to lift, Arrabella and Talon stepped across the crest of a hilltop and into the Vale of Eagles.
It had been a few weeks since they left Errin. Although they traveled with the noble griffon Faloswanswei, they chose to walk end enjoy the sites and peoples. The heroes passed through the village of Pinestead. A small inn gave them a place to clean and wash the dirty trail away. Falos was given a clean stall in the stables and settled in for the night.
Talon went to the taproom in the "Inn of the Dusty Pegasus". He ordered some food and some wine. Arrabella remained in the room and decided to take her time soaking in a tub of steaming water. Bathing in streams was nice, but nothing beat a hot tub and scented soaps. She would let Talon eat and look around the village. She was not going to let the hot water go to waste.
Talon went outside and checked on Falos. The griffon was sleeping soundly in the hay filled stall. The elf warrior decided to have a look around. He and Arrabella where looking for a place to call their own. They had passed through many places and to this point. They had not found it yet, that place that is home.
So it was, that Talon went out into the wooded lands and scouted for the place. He walked outside the small village and onto one of the paths leading into the wood. The forest was home to many creatures, big and small. Tonight there was another menace lurking within the shroud of the trees. Passing through a dense portion of the woods. Talon didn’t hear the sounds that accompanied a long walk, no birds or crickets calling. He wasn’t alone among the trees. Talon melded into the shadows and stealthed along to find what was hiding out here.
The elf noticed someone trying to follow him. Almost laughing to himself talon moved toward a dense crop of trees. An elf within the woods is both silent and deadly. A human carrying two daggers approached the area Talon was hiding. Talon slammed the human with his bow. The man fell to the ground with only a grunt of pain escaping his lips. Talon bound the human about the wrists and ankles to prevent escape. Removing the daggers and a pack from the human’s back. He examined the daggers the human wielded. The edges he found a lick sticky liquid. He had smelled a poison of this sort before, very deadly and very expensive. Whoever this was intended for must be important for such a lethal poison. The human was waking up Talon moved closer to him. Then held a dagger to his throat. The human came to consciousness slowly. Once awake he could feel the blade pressed gently against his neck.
"I would let me go if I were you."
"I am not you fortunately. Why were you stalking me?" Talon asked in a whisper.
The human said nothing after that. Talon remained silent for a few moments. He hoisted the bound human over his shoulder and began to walk back to the village. When he and Arrabella entered the village they noticed a barracks for soldiers, which was also the office of the town sheriff. He would go to the sheriff and see what to do about this human. That’s when he heard a small cry from somewhere in the woods.
Talon carried the human toward where he was hearing the pleas for help. He found the source of the cries. A small bundle of cloth lay upon the ground and what appeared to be a human baby within. The child he thought sounded hungry or possibly something else. He needed Arrabella.
Talon couldn’t carry the infant and the kidnapper back at the same time. He did the next best thing. He hauled the tied human up into a tree and left him there. Picked up the infant and ran with all due haste back to the village. Hopefully he thought he could make it back before the human could escape. He arrived at the Inn of the Dusty Pegasus. Entered through the main door and went up the stairs to wake Arrabella.
The elf warrior burst through the door to his and Bella’s room. She sprang from her bed and grabbed her sword. Her battle stance eased as she saw her love enter the room. A quizzical look asserted itself upon her face.
"What are you doing with a baby?" she asked.
"I found the baby out in the woods while I was looking around. Found the person who kidnapped him too. I have to leave, can you take" he let the words trail off as he handed Bella the baby.
"Be careful, please. Take the…" her words ended as the door swung shut.
Bella tried to make the baby as comfortable as possible. Him, she thought, well him was a her and she could detect a slight pointing of the child’s ears and an almost almond shape to her eyes. This baby was half elven. Arrabella wondered why a human would kidnap a half elf baby.
Talon arrived at the place he left the kidnapper tied in the tree. As he expected there was nobody there when he returned. Talon listened to the forest speak to him. He knew that the human was long gone. Perhaps they would meet again. Talon returned to the village. He went to the inn, and entered the room where Bella was taking care of the infant.
"The human escaped and maybe looking for the child again."
"We must find her parents." She said, emphasizing her.
"They must reside in this village, someplace. We can look in the morning."
Bella put the baby back in the basket talon found her in. She made it as comfortable as possible. Arrabella sang a soft and soothing lullaby, the baby drifted off to sleep. Talon too felt his eyes grow very heavy. Bella slid in bed beside her love and they both drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms.
The following morning Bella and Talon went to the sheriff and asked them if anyone had reported a baby missing. The sheriff did not know anything about missing children. He looked at the infant and didn’t recognize it off hand. No children had been reported missing in the village. Bella explained to the sheriff that she and Talon would care for the child until the parents could be found. The barracks was no place for a young child to be kept, so the sheriff agreed. Bella told him they were going to be staying at the Inn of the Dusty Pegasus. They left soon after. Bella going back to the inn and Talon went to the stables and woke the slumbering Griffon.
Talon took Falos out to the area he captured the human the night before. The tracks the human left where easy to trace. A few hours before sundown talon and the Griffon came upon a earthen fort built neatly into a small hill. Talon approached the edge and climbed to the top of the earth wall. Inside he saw many people chained to a long heavy wooden post. He also heard cries from what he thought was another baby. Then he noticed a chain mail clad human exit a doorway on the opposite side of the fort. Talon had a bad feeling. There were far too many people being held here than one person could handle. He slowly crawled back down to where Faloswansei awaited.
"Get back to the village. Protect Bella and the child." he commanded Falos.
The Griffon walked further away from the fort then launched himself into the air. Falos would make it back to the village just before nightfall. Talon readied his bow.
The guard walked along the line of prisoners and mocked them. Beating any who would dare talk back. Talon released the first arrow. Finding the guards neck and dropping him to the ground. Talon moved over the wall and proceeded into the central yard. He gave a quick glance at the prisoners. Then went toward the door that the guard came out of. It was the only doorway visible inside the fort.
Talon pulled his sword from its scabbard. He saw a prisoner being beaten by a huge man. Quietly he moved into the torture room and behind the guard. Talon was close to the guard and was about to run the guard through. The guard spun and knocked the blade from Talons surprised grip. Talon quickly backed out the door. He ran to the other side of the fort getting his bow from his shoulder and knocking an arrow. The huge guard rambled out of the chamber holding the tortured human with his arm secure around his throat.
"Let the man go and I will let you live." Talon lied.
The huge man grunted holding the prisoner around his neck. He moved around the edge of the fort and backed his way up a wooden ramp. The giant man backed to the wall. He pushed the prisoner into the courtyard and jumped over the wall. The huge man ran for his very life.
Talon ran over to the fallen prisoner and checked him to see how badly hurt he was. Other than bruises and small cuts the prisoner would live. Talon leapt over the wall and started tracking the huge guard.
It didn’t take Talon long to find the huge guard. He stepped out in front of the large man. With an arrow knocked, Talon stood before the giant guard. The giant saw Talon and dropped to his knees and began to weep.
"Those guys have my baby sister. If I didn’t listen to them. They will…" the guard’s words trailed off.
Talon released the tension on his bow. He listened as the big man cried.
"We will get your sister back. You will help me release and protect the prisoners. When will those men be back?"
"Don’t know when they will be back. Should be soon though."
"How many guys left?"
"Three."
Talon walked up to the large man and helped him to his feet. Talon had a feeling those three men were going to have their hands full dealing with Bella and Falos.
"What’s your name my giant friend?"
"Gareth." Was all he said.
Talon and Gareth went back to the small earth fort and began releasing the prisoners. Making sure wounded were properly treated and taken care of.
*****
The child was sleeping comfortably upon Arrabella’s bunk. The sun was just going down in the west over the Great Spur range of mountains. Bella sat upon Talon’s bed and was reading through her spell book. She would occasionally look up at the baby and make sure she was still sleeping soundly.
Bella didn’t plan to sleep that night. She kept her armor on and weapons close. She kept a mage bolt ready to cast. The sun cast its last light upon the village. Bella watched the sun disappear in the west. She went to sit back down on the bed when a loud knock came from the door.
"Complimentary stewed potatoes and some house wine." A soft female voice said.
A tiny voice in the back of Bella’s mind began warning her. "Bring it in please" she replied.
The barmaid opened the door and walked in. Followed closely behind by a swordsman wearing a chain mail shirt and carrying a saber. The swordsman pushed the barmaid trying to make her fall into Arrabella. Bella side stepped the falling barmaid and cast the mage bolt, wounding the swordsman. The swordsman pressed his attack as a second man came into the room and grabbed the infant. The second man ran from the room, infant in his arms. The swordsman blocked each attack Bella forced upon him. He was at the very least her equal in skill. He backed out the door parrying Bella’s continued assault.
The second man went out the front door of the inn, he was instantly greeted by the snapping beak of Faloswansei. He tried to step to the side and go around the griffon. Falos sat down and snapped his beak. The man turned to run and the griffon lunged forward and sank its talon deep into the man’s shoulder. The griffon forced him to the ground. The baby was released and started to crawl away from the griffon. The doomed man gave a shriek of terror as the griffon ended his life.
Bella allowed the swordsman to gain a little distance. He turned to flee and she cast a bolt of lightning at him causing him to cascade down the steps. His fall ended at the bottom of the steps and so did his life. Arrabella ran down the steps and leaped over the still body of the swordsman. She went out the inn door into the square. She saw the torn body of the second man. Careful survey of the area showed her the griffon lounging around the corner of the inn with the baby half elf safely nestled against his flank sleeping once again.
