“Nothing,” replies James and breaks into a chuckle as well.
They pass through the village and return to the forest. The rest of the day is pretty much as it has been and they finally make camp as the light begins to fade.
James again takes Dave out into the forest and they manage to bag a large animal similar to a deer back home. It’s too encumbering for one to carry so together they bring it back to camp.
Along with the roasted meat from this kill, they also finish the rest of the bread and some of the cheese they had bought from the farmer earlier. Seeing their dwindling supply of food, James wishes he had thought to buy several more day’s worth in that small village they passed through earlier.
What can’t be helped must be endured. Through the night, they keep the fire going and the one on watch continues roasting the meat so they can take most of it with them when they leave.
Early the next morning they break camp and return to the road. “We should be there before night, I think,” James announces.
“I can hardly wait,” moans Dave.
“Cheer up,” his friend tells him. “Doubt if anything will give us trouble there.”
“You know,” Dave says as they ride along, “in the horror movies back home, the person who always says things like that is usually the first to die.”
“So?” asks James. “Those were just movies.”
“I just think you should approach this with a little more gravity than what you are,” he says.
“Don’t think that just because I am not visibly worried that I am carefree,” James tells him. “On the contrary, I’m not. The tales concern me and I intend to use extreme caution and vigilance while there.”
“I hope so,” says Dave.
They ride throughout the day and sometime after lunch the forest begins to thin out and the terrain turns into rolling hills. “Must be getting close,” says James.
Not long after the hills appear they come to a junction. Either they can continue straight or take the road to the left. James continues on straight and from the rear he hears Qyrll say, “We should take the road to the left.”
Coming to a stop just past the left hand road, he turns his head back and asks, “Why?”
“We’ve been gradually turning to the east,” he explains. Pointing to the road branching to the left he says, “That one leads almost due north.”
“Are you sure?” Dave asks.
“Absolutely,” the Parvati replies.
“I think he’s right,” adds Jorry. Uther nods agreement.
Taking a moment, James looks around and notices the way the shadows are falling and begins nodding his head. “I think you’re right,” he agrees. “This way it is.” Turning his horse around, he returns to the other road and they begin following it.
They’re soon to realize this is the right way to go, the trees continue to thin and they catch glimpses through the trees of the mountains ahead of them to the north. Nestled somewhere within them lies the old town of Ironhold.
As they continue through the hills, the trees thin but don’t disappear altogether. Steadily, the hills become steeper and the road meanders first one way then the other in an attempt to follow the gentlest way.
Two hours after they left the other road, the hills open into a sort of plateau before the road reenters the mountains further ahead. A caravan is camped off to one side, other travelers are scattered throughout the area.
“Wonder what this is all about?” asks Jiron.
“I don’t know,” James replies. Giving the area a better scrutiny, he notices many spots which are currently unoccupied which once had been used. Sites of old campfires are seen throughout the plateau area.
Moving along, they come to three men sitting next to a wagon having what looks like stew. They look up as James approaches. “Excuse me,” he says to them. “I was wondering why everyone is camped here? I mean it isn’t that late.”
“Don’t want to take the chance of being in Ironhold when night falls,” one of the men tells him. “Most travelers who come this way stop here and continue on through in the morning.”
“One time,” another man adds, “we were coming through Ironhold and our wagon wheel broke. It was just about sunset and by the time we got it repaired, the sun had dropped below the horizon.” One of the other men nods his head in affirmation to what he’s saying.
“Before we could get all the way through a white shape appeared atop one of the old buildings and began wailing.” His eyes widen at the memory as he continues, “The sound seemed as if it was going right through you. We whipped our horse and got out of there fast. We’ll never take the chance of being caught in Ironhold when the sun goes down again.”
“Thanks,” James says.
Nodding, the men return to their meal.
Glancing back to the others, he can see fear and doubt creep into their eyes, even Uther’s. “Better find a spot and we’ll enter Ironhold in the morning,” he says.
“Might not be a bad idea,” agrees Jiron.
“Think it was a banshee?” asks Dave as they head over to an unoccupied spot near an old campfire ring.
“Who knows?” responds James. “Just don’t let your imagination get the best of you.”
“I’ll try not to,” he says.
They get the horses settled in and set about gathering enough wood to last the night. “I think we should still maintain a watch here,” he tells them once the fire is going and they’re having their dinner. “Don’t necessarily trust everyone here.”
“I agree,” Miko says.
Several more groups of travelers appear from the road to the south and join with the others in waiting for the coming of dawn. Not one person enters the pass at the other end.
Sleep doesn’t come easy for any of them that night. Thoughts of what they may encounter the next day run through their mind. During their turn at watch, each tends to pace nervously in an attempt to work out their anxiety before returning to their blankets when their turn is over and trying to go to sleep.
Another crystal blue day dawns, cold and freezing. They gather around the fire to dispel the chill which has crept into their bones through the night. The plateau is a bustle of activity as the various groups of travelers get underway.
James is in no hurry to be the first, rather he just as soon wait and be the last to leave. They have breakfast while they wait for the last few to get underway. When at last everyone has either left or is in the process of heading for the pass, James decides it’s time to go.
Mounting, they ride at a leisurely pace as they allow those few still moving toward the pass a chance to enter it first. The wagons and caravan move slowly, causing James and the rest to proceed at a pace more sluggish than he would like. But if he wishes to be the last into Ironhold then he must endure it.
“What are you planning to do there?” Jiron asks him.
“Not sure,” he says. “There has to be a reason Ellinwyrd told me to come here.”
“Are you even positive this is the Ironhold he is mentioning?” Uther asks. “It’s possible there could be another.”
“He’s right!” perks up Miko. “Maybe we should go and find out.”
Shaking his head, James dashes his hopes by saying, “No. This is the right one. I know it.”
They finally crest a hill and below them they see Ironhold, or rather what’s left of it. It looks to have once been a sizable town with many buildings. All of which now stand in ill repair, some even having collapsed.
“Oh man,” he hears Miko say from beside him when he sees the dilapidated buildings.
“Looks like a ghost town,” Dave says.
“It does, doesn’t it?” comments James.
“A ghost town?” asks a shaky Miko.
Glancing over to him, James says, “It just means a town where no one is living. There are a lot of them where I come from and not one of them have actual ghosts. So relax.”
Coming down off the ridge, they follow the caravan as it approaches Ironhold. All the other travelers have
