Chapter 3: The Village guard

The next day dawned quickly, and Tehnerick had little time to eat something, before he had to pull on his boots and chainmail. He set off for the guardhouse, stepping around the puddles on the cobblestone paths. After a short while, he arrived there, and went in. The only other person inside was Cesraungl, who was wiping his spear down with a grubby cloth. Tehnerick took a spear from one of the racks, and went over to a bench, taking a cloth too, before starting to wipe the remains of mud left on the spear.

He was acknowledged by a small nod by Cesraungl, who began to talk as he set his spear and cloth down.

‘Have you heard anything of Faenagal,’

‘No.’ was what he said.

‘Because, as I was setting off for here, I saw that a small group of the village guard where over at his home today, talking with him. He didn’t seem happy.’

‘Where is he now.’ Tehnerick asked.

‘Lurking around in his house. He’s been wandering around the streets for the past hour or so, glaring at anyone who comes near him. I think the panic might have finally got to him.’

‘It can’t have,’ Tehnerick said, ‘He’ll be at the Fier’Dien later today, telling his stories.’

‘But with less humor.’

Cesraungl said: ‘maybe, maybe not, but I don’t know.’

Continuing, he said: ‘Also, I thought you might want to know, those skeletons you said about.’

Tehnerick nodded.

‘They’ve been lurking around the gatehouses.’

‘Really?’ inquired Tehnerick.

‘Yes. Nothing happened, and they’re just watching us from within the undergrowth, occasionally rasping to each other. One of the men on this shift told me that they left, only a short while ago.’

Their conversation was broken up by the sound of the door opening; one of the guard stepped in and signaled to them, saying: ‘Your shift’s started.’

They both took their spears from next to them and tramped outside to the gates, as it started to rain. The shift was miserable. It had been raining on and off since they started, and their clothes had become sodden. Only one person had appeared there in the whole time; a man who wore only a thin cloak and tunic despite the weather, who had driven a small horse-drawn cart, that was full of crates, that held farming produce, according to the man, who had told them his reason for being there, before sharply driving his cart down one of the cobblestone streets behind them.

Just before the end of their shift, the man with the cart drove up to them, his crates gone, but in their place, a few large sacks full of coins. They rose the gate, letting him pass, before closing it again and going back to the guardhouse. Another two men went out for their shift, and Tehnerick, Cesraungl, and the other men inside took off their boots, putting on the floor, by the foot of the benches. But, soon one of the men on shift looked through the door and asked them to come out. He looked quite panicked. When they went outside, they saw that a large group of the skeletons had gathered in front of the gate, all of them wielding broadswords, and holding oval shields.

The other man on shift was pulling the wooden shutters of the left gatehouse, and bolting them down. He finished the left gatehouse, and went over to the right one, shuttering all of the windows there as well. After the man had shuttered the windows, he went back into the guardhouse, returning soon after with a large bundle of chains, which he distributed throughout the group, before telling them to chain up both gates. They obliged, and after they had chained the gates, the man took a key from his pocket, before going to the left side of the gate, and moving along to the right side, locking the chains as he did so. When the gates had been locked up, the skeletons moved forwards, rasping, to push on them. Though they had strength in numbers, their efforts were vain. They retreated, and started to split up. Some of the skeletons went into the forest, leaving their swords and shields behind, but bearing small axes. The other skeletons took from their packs large sheets of animal hide, and metal poles, that, after a while, became tents. Returning from the forest with piles of lumber in their arms, the skeletons with axes walked to the middle of the scene, before dumping their loads in a great heap upon the muddy ground. One skeleton came, wielding a torch, to the pile. It threw the flaming wood on, and stood back, as the fire caught, and the pile became a beacon of light, that burned brightly for a second, before dying down to a less bright flame.

But, suddenly, clumping sounds arose in the nearby forest. For the fire had not been built for warmth, but as a signal, to attract the nearby skeletons. Soon, the skeletons’ ranks had grown largely, and the other skeletons, had set up their tents as well, and soon, the small clearing was full of skeletons. Tents stood in long rows, some hidden within the trees, with skeletons standing outside them. Some of the skeletons were at the fire, roasting a strange brown meat on spits. A man pulling a cart came into the clearing, panting as he pulled it to a stop. But, when faced by the skeletons, he left off hastily, leaving his cart behind. One of the skeletons went over to the fallen cart, and took out a weather-beaten sack. Curiously, it pulled the canvas open and dumped its contents onto the ground. Three large, round cheeses sat in the mud, and the skeleton held it up to its hollowed nose-slits. It sniffed. Then, after confirming with itself that it would be safe, it pulled a wedge from the cheese. As it was eating, other skeletons came over to the cart. They took the other sacks from its back, and dumped them on the ground, before pulling them open. The skeleton eating finished its food, and rasped to the others. The sacks were taken to the other skeletons, and the cheese inside was distributed between them, each skeleton sniffing its piece, before eating it. Soon, contented rasping ran through the group. Tehnerick and the other men watched this, and, after checking that the chains were safe, left the guardhouse.

‘Really?’ said Cesraungl, ‘Why would these skeletons come here. After all, there hasn’t been trouble from here to the borders since the slaughter at the fortress, and even that was the closest dwelling to them.’

Tehnerick shrugged.

‘And, what reason would they even have to come here; only you have seen them before, and anyone else who has hasn’t seen them in the last sixty years.’

Cesraungl continued, saying: ‘Also, what rights have they got to set up camp outside; we’ve done nothing.’

‘But then, there have been uprisings in other villages; strange, black shapes lurking in the shadows, as well as sights of the skeletons, only a short distance away.’ Said Tehnerick.

‘Ah well. I think we should break the news to the others.’

Then he said: ‘But not in the tavern.’

And so, they went along to the first row of houses, each time knocking on the doors. Some of the people came straight to the door, looking flustered as they saw the pair of village guard, but others took time to open, and after that retreated a few meters away, into the shadows of their houses, as they were told the news.

Later that day, message was sent, by a willing volunteer, to the other villages. The skeletons had stayed where they were, pitching more tents as the day dragged on. Someone else had told the people at the tavern just before Tehnerick and Cesraungl got there, and they found it in chaos; chairs lay upon the grimy floor, overturned, and the room was empty, apart from the barman, who hurried around, righting chairs and suchlike. They left hastily. When they were back out, on the streets, Cesraungl said: ‘Why do they get so flustered? I mean, how can they just panic themselves; some of them are completely lost in panic, and won’t eat, won’t sleep. And I suppose we’ve gone and made it worse, running in and telling them something that’s set them off even more.’

‘Well, we can’t just blame it on ourselves,’ said Tehnerick, ‘We told them something important, and, after all, Faenagal’s talks are just things of nonsense.’

Cesraungl went off, heading down a side street, and raised a hand in farewell. Tehnerick returned this with a smile, but knew there was nothing to smile about; something worse would come, something much worse. Soon.