Jeff Inlo - Chain of Bargains

"We still have a cahltof tracking us," Holli Brances reminded the delver.

"I know," Ryson Acumen revealed, "but we have a problem ahead of us, too. The pass is being watched."

"Guards?"

"Not human. Not even goblins."

"Describe what you see," Holli requested.

The delver and elf stood near the edge of a wide path that wound through the lower foothills of the Oachet Mountains. Their position upon higher ground on the eastern side of a ridge gave Ryson a clear view of the pass ahead as it descended into the southwestern region of the Great Valleys. The delver scanned the horizon to the east, taking in the entire scene, and then narrowed his sights upon the unknown group of apparent sentries that waited near the end of the pass.

Leaf filled trees covered the majority of the landscape. Most of the ground within the hills was completely blocked by the swaying, green canopy. The path to the valley, however, was extremely wide and cut a clear trail through the woods. While weeds and thick grass grew high within its boundaries, the broad pass remained visible to the delver as it snaked a passage through the remaining foothills to the east. Above the trail and nestled within the forest, a few rocky glades rested on hillsides throughout the region, and it was on one of those clearings that Ryson spotted creatures with interest in the wide path below.

It was the height of the high sun season. The days were long with the sun making a high arch in light blue skies, and while the glare off the hillsides was strong, Ryson's eyes adjusted easily to the increased light. After pinpointing the exact location of his quarry and marking points of reference in his mind, he retrieved a spyscope from the pouch at his side. He focused in on the grouping of several forms, and he detailed what he could see.

"Thick, sturdy creatures, but slightly smaller than an average dwarf. About a dozen. Black armor, but it looks light and flexible. They're not moving much, but when they do, they look pretty nimble. Very pale skin from what I can see of their faces. I can't see any hair. Their heads are covered with helmets, but they don't have beards."

Ryson lowered the spyscope and considered his findings. He made a quick but fairly decisive conclusion.

"I think they're inferns."

Just as Ryson's expression revealed the seriousness of his declaration, Holli's level of readiness jumped. Her internal alarms went off with raging clarity. Inferns were dark creatures of considerable power and very dangerous.

"How certain are you?" she requested, not in a dubious voice, but with a tone that marked the gravity of the matter.

The delver made one last look through his spyscope and then offered it to the elf.

"I've never seen one, but I've read about them in the legends. The pale white skin, their size, the armor and they're all holding javelins. I'm pretty sure they're inferns."

The elf did not wish to doubt the delver, but the presence of inferns was significant. It had to be confirmed and the delver's description could have matched dwarves that dwelled in the region. Holli strained her elf eyes in the direction of the pass, but even with the assistance of magnified lenses, her vision could not match the depth of a delver's.

"Where do you see them? How far?"

Ryson pointed in the proper direction and gave a verbal description to assist the elf in locating the sentries.

"They're just above the pass beyond the second hilltop to our left. They're out in the open on high ground very near the peak. There's a small rock formation that looks kind of like a broken wagon wheel sticking out of the ground that's just below them."

Finding the proper spot, Holli could make out only shadows of movement. She could see the figures, but not with enough detail to confirm the identification.

"They are beyond my sight, but something is clearly there," she agreed.

"If they're still there when it gets dark, you'll see them better. They glow hot."

"Glow?"

"It's like they have an aura of heat around them. It's hard to see in daylight, but it's there. I'm sure of it. Even in the bright sun, I can see it. Their skin is doing more than just reflecting the sunlight. It's like I said, they have a glow. I think at night they're going to stand out like flares."

Holli knew it was beyond foolish to doubt the delver's senses, and she was now certain of the identity of the figures in the distance. Very few creatures gave off a glow of any sort-dwarves certainly didn't glow-and only inferns matched the full description given by Ryson.

"Definitely inferns," the elf noted, and then considered the implications.

Holli placed the revelation in context with both their situation and their mission. They needed to get into the Great Valleys, but risking a confrontation with inferns carried great peril. It was a risk that altered her perspective of their ultimate task. She knew she was operating on limited details, and the reason for their journey was to shed light on certain mysteries. Inferns, however, only added to the puzzle, and one word summed up the discovery.

Unexpected.

"None of the settlers in Connel said anything about inferns guarding the passages out of the valleys," Holli continued.

"I don't think that many settlers came this way."

"That is true, but why would they guard this pass and not Pride Gap?"

"I can't say," Ryson answered, "but I don't think it's a good idea to walk right under them."

"No, it is not. I have already disregarded any such tactic."

More than happy with that decision, Ryson inspected the landscape as he offered alternatives.

"We could break to the northeast and bypass them by cutting around this next hill. We can take to the trees. There's plenty of cover."

Holli considered the option, but then turned to gauge the progress of the cahltof behind them.

The beast began trailing them near the end of the Osak Plateau and it followed them through the Oachet mountains. It had been very persistent as well as diabolical in revealing its presence. The creature wanted its prey to know that they were being followed, to sense just enough danger so that rest became impossible.

The cahltof wasn't going to let them escape, that was clearly its intent. It would rely on its incredible endurance and hope to wear out its prey. It would be a long hunt, but cahltofs were relentless.

Despite the qualities if its pursuer, Holli believed they could outdistance it. The cahltof might follow them through the foothills, but it would not enter the lower regions of the Great Valleys where humans were much more common. She was certain the monster remained out of striking distance but believed it was closing. She had sensed the creature through the magic, but only barely, and she had to augment her senses with a deliberate spell.

Turning back to the inferns, the elf attempted to trace a magical signature back to the figures in the distance, but she could not reach that far without actually casting another spell of her own to actively follow the magic. She did not wish to take that chance and alert the inferns to her presence. It was better to remain silent and unseen.

"Why inferns and why here?" the elf asked aloud, as she wrestled with the implications. "It makes no sense."

"Maybe it does," Ryson offered. "If goblins are settling in the Great Valleys, why wouldn't inferns? If they are, they would want to guard the passes. Wouldn't elves do the same thing in Dark Spruce?"

"Yes, but elves are trained to be guards. We watch passages to protect our camps. Why would an infern wish to protect the valleys?"

"Maybe it's not so much protecting the valleys as searching for prey."

"Perhaps, but I still do not understand the presence of inferns in these hills. They are foot soldiers, pawns of draevols."