CHAPTER THREE: MIRKWATER

15 YEARS LATER

Mirkwater Marsh was a damp, misty bog south of Mirkwater Lake. It was the dumping ground of the Crystal Peaks’ snow melt. The moisture in the air from the stagnant water pool gave the whole area a rather rotten stench. The marsh was huge and dangerous, some fifty miles across at his broadest point and riddled with pockets of methane gas, pools of quicksand and inhabited by foul creatures.

Revan and his five companions were braving this region today, and had been for the past two days. Thankfully their stay here was coming to an end.

Revan had grown into a broad man and stood at six feet with long brown hair. He was clad in a chainmail vest with plate steel greaves and bracers. He had leather belts strapping a shield slung on his back and a scabbard to his waist. The scabbard contained his late father’s sword.

Revan was joined in the marsh by two willing companions and their quarry. Revan was a mercenary, he fought for coin, and in this particular case he was a dispenser of justice; returning the thief Alain to stand trial in Middlebrook.

Alain trudged through the marsh with his hands bound by a rope that was lashed to Revan’s belt. Alain was a pitiful sight next to this exemplar warrior. He was a dishevelled, scrawny man wearing sack cloth rags and covered in dirt from head to toe. His matted hair and beard were thick with the grime of the marsh; his home for the past few days.

The rest of Revan’s party was made up of two men from Brython in the north-west, a fierce tribal people with a dire reputation. Kai and Bren were good natured enough, but were fearsome to behold in open combat. Both men had the raven black hair and piercing pale blue eyes that were typical amongst their people.

Kai was clad in thick leather armour and carried a wooden crossbow that was perpetually levelled at Alain’s back. He also had two swords sheathed in scabbards across his back.

Alongside Kai was his fellow Brython. Bren preferred the old ways, he wore no armour and his attire was merely functional to keep his legs warm and his feet dry. Bren’s body was covered in tattoos; he was bare-chested, showing off the complex spiral and knot designs that weaved the tale of his ancestors.

Bren was an enormous man. At seven feet he instilled fear in all that laid eyes on him. He carried a huge single headed battle axe that many men would struggle to lift, never mind wield in combat.

The terrain was loose and uneven under foot. The twisted, naked branches of the scattered trees and a misty haze restricted the party’s vision to only a few feet.

“I’ve had it up to here with this place.” Grumbled Bren. “It stinks, its wet, and its cold.”

Revan rolled his eyes, he wished that his companions would concentrate on the task in hand.

“I would have to say that this stinking hole is the complete opposite to my homeland. Wouldn’t you agree Kai?” Said Bren

Kai just nodded, as if he himself were bored of Bren’s regular romanticism of Brython.

“Rolling green fields, lush forests and fresh water streams. Even the Crag Hills have their own brand of beauty.” Bren smiled to himself as he thought of his home.

“It’s alright.” Muttered Kai “If you like that sort of thing. I’m more of a city man myself; the country side just seems too… quiet.”

“You’re talking about Berenghast? Bah! A blight on Mercia it is.” Said Bren “As is that monstrosity Cellador. We Brythons respect the wilds and work with them, the Mercians want to dominate them.”

“That’s enough!” Scolded Revan. He had stopped in his tracks and glared at his fellows. “Try and keep it down, there’s some foul beasts in this area and you may as well be running round thrashing a dinner gong.”

Bren apologised and Revan turned to Alain who was looking more dejected than normal.

“What’s the matter now?” Enquired Revan.

Alain said nothing and just glared at the sodden floor.

“Alain, what’s wrong?”

“If I can get you the ring will you let me go?” He said softly.

Bren moved in closer to the prisoner. “What was that Alain?”

Alain backed away from the giant slightly “I said if I can get you the ring will you let me go?”

“Yesterday you said you didn’t have it!” Revan said shortly, losing his patience with the delay in their journey. “Stop wasting our time, we’ve already spent two days of our lives finding you and we’re not going to get those back!”

“I do have it and I’ll give it to you if you let me leave.” He grew in confidence a little and turned to Bren. “It’s worth more than you’re being paid to capture me surely. It wouldn’t make any sense otherwise would it? How much are they paying you?”

Kai paced forward and slapped Alain on the back of the head. “Don’t listen to this weasel! He stole a relic from the temple of the Three Fathers and now he’s trying to bargain his way out of receiving justice.”

Revan glanced at his companions and then turned to Alain. “Where is it?”

Revan could see that Alain was running things over in his head. He couldn’t tell whether he was summing up his options or creating an elaborate hoax.

“Well, out with it. Where’s the ring?”

“I… I have it.” Alain said, raising his eyebrows.

Bren was losing patience. “Impossible! I searched you myself!”

“I swallowed it.” Alain shrugged.

“You swallowed it?” Revan shook his head. “Well then, what shall we do?”

“Its erm… due to come back in my possession quite soon.”

Revan grimaced at Alain’s statement, but it seemed to brighten Kai’s demeanour

“Hah, who’s going to get the short straw for that job then?” Kai chuckled to himself.

Revan turned to Kai and grinned, Kai’s mood changed back to being sombre.

“No way on this Earth am I going to rummage in this beggars stool!” said Kai.

Bren let out a hearty laugh and patted Kai on the back, the forced of it nearly knocked his compatriot over. “I think you’ve just volunteered Kai! You should have stayed in your quiet mood.”

Revan was laughing as he turned back to Alain. “Okay we have it, in the nature of mercy I will set you free once we… well… once Kai gets the ring from you.”

“Can’t we just gut him?” said Kai. The colour drained from Alain’s face, and Kai just shrugged in response to the glare he received from Bren.

“Don’t worry Alain.” Said Revan. “Kai’s sense of humour takes a little getting used to.”

Kai winked at the prisoner who forced his attention back to Revan who continued: “After we receive the ring we shall travel together out of this forsaken mire and then we shall turn you loose. You shall then disappear. We will take the ring to guard captain Ivan and inform him of your death in the swamp. Do we have an accord?”

Revan held out his hand to Alain, who shook it as best he could, given his bonds.

“So can you cut this rope now?” Alain asked.

“After we get the…” Revan was cut short by a searing pain in his right cheek; the force of the unseen blow turned his head to Kai who was choking holding his neck. A crossbow bolt was lodged in his throat, blood sprayed from the wound, splattering over Alain who screamed in sheer terror.

Bren moved to catch Kai as he fell backwards. He was limp, his eyes were lifeless. He was dead.

Revan had readied his shield in time to block another bolt that flew from the mist. The bolt ricocheted off his shield and over his head. He drew his sword and severed the rope tying him to Alain.

“Bren! Focus!” He barked as another crossbow bolt clattered into his shield.

Bren sprang into life; he grabbed the back of Alain’s tunic and tossed him to the ground behind him.

“Stay down!” He bellowed and readied his massive axe.

The firing stopped, and hasty footsteps on the moist soil were getting closer. Several silhouettes were cast in the mist, and they drew nearer and nearer.

One shadow burst from the mist. It was a horrific sight to behold. Standing at seven feet it appeared as a large humanoid. It’s head was dog like, snarling and slobbering with Hyena eyes. Its muzzle was short and filled with flesh rending teeth. It hair was styled in dreadlocks, decorated with small charms carved from bone. Its mangy, mottled fur covered its head and its broad shoulders. Its chest and groin were clad with leather, its legs were long and muscular ending in booted feet. It wielded an axe and charged at Revan with blood lust in its eyes.

“Hundur!” cried Revan as he blocked the axe strike with his shield and thrust his blade into the abdomen of the creature. It let out a long agonising howl and fell limply to the floor.

Several more of the creatures charged from the mist. Revan and Bren met the hundur charge head on. Revan slammed his shield into one creature, knocking it to the ground beside him for Bren to finish off and he ran through another with his father’s blade. Revan hacked low at a third hundur, severing its left leg below the knee. The huge dog man howled and crashed to the ground. Revan aided its passing with a thrust of his sword.

Bren was in his element. He would often say that his axe “was thirsty” and now it was getting its fill. Bren buried his axe in the head of a charging hundur, cracking through its skull splattering his face with blood. He wrenched his weapon from the carcass of the creature and slew two more before hewing the head from a fourth fiend.

Bren was a Bear Sark, a berserker, the most feared warriors on the whole continent. The huge Brython raised his axe above his head and screamed. “Glóir! Éag! Onóraigh!” Glory, death and honour. The three pillars of his culture.

No more foes emerged form the mist. They had slain nigh on a dozen of hundur.

Revan was breathing heavily. He surveyed the skirmish field, the sodden grass now saturated red and was strewn with broken corpses and gear.

“Bren? Are you injured?” Said Revan

“No Revan. Kai has gone to meet his Ancestors. But these bastards have denied him an honourable death. Hundur… damn cowards!” Bren still had battle madness in his eyes.

Revan thought twice about pressing him further, I was often unwise to get in a berserker’s way when he was still frenzied. Revan was satisfied that there would not be another wave, but Bren was still eyeing the mist.

“We cannot build him a Cairn here Bren. I know you wouldn’t want his soul to rest here either. We’ll take him with us and bury him where there is stone to be found.”

After what seemed like an age Bren turned to Revan and sighed.

“How’s your cheek?” he said

“It’s nothing, just a flesh wound.”

“Spoiled your good looks I’m afraid!” Smiled Bren

Revan laughed “Look who’s talking!”

“You’re a good man Revan.” Said Bren. “He shall have a warrior’s burial with his people. I’ll take his body to Brython.”

Revan nodded and turned to Alain who was still cowering on the muddy floor. His face completely obscured by a mixture of blood and marsh dirt.

“Are you okay Alain?”

“Not really…”

“Are you injured?” Said Revan, with a tone of genuine concern.

“No… I don’t think so. Erm…” Alain paused and then sighed. “Let’s just say I think you can have the ring now.”