d hunter1406 words
"Why don't you wash yourself up and go and get a table? Ale and food is on the house. Also, I have one more empty room with two clean beds. You can rest there tonight."
Knowing what he knew, Trim wondered if Holgar would ever feel as if he gave enough and stopped feeling guilty over things that he had done in the war.
Probably not, he concluded then sighed and took his blade from the scabbard that was tied to his back and in three powerful strikes had chopped the whole hog's head off.
Holgar examined it and was not pleased at all.
"This would take at least two hours for the blood to defrost and drain," he said, but then shrugged his shoulders and smiled at Trim. "I guess we'll have us some brandy then, wait for everyone to leave and then we can get down on it."
"Sounds good to me," Trim said and tapped his friend on the shoulder.
The hunters picked the table next to Trim's and Trim set there and waited. It proved that it took three cups of lager to loosen their tongue, and then they started to talk.
"We got lucky today. We had already given up on hunting," the older one said.
"Really? How come?" Trim asked, not ready for them to go all solemn and quiet again. "That was a really good kill. Damn, I wish I went hunting myself."
"Yeah, and it almost did not happen. We were returning home."
"No shit."
"Yeah. We did not want to be there. Not after what we saw last night… in the mountains."
That made Troy and everyone around eager to hear it.
The old hunter did not wait to be asked what they saw in the mountains, so, as he took a big sip out of his cup, he said, "The sky… up in the mountains burned green last night."
"What?" a farmer two tables down jumped and asked as if he did not hear it right.
"Yes. Burned green."
"That can't be!" someone else added.
"You did not see it right!" one of the salespeople added.
The room suddenly filled with questions and remarks, but the hunter would not bulge, just looked at his boots and said, "I know what we saw. You can ask Gok here. We are speaking the truth."
Everyone turned to a younger man called Gok, some coming to look him in the eyes, some pulling on his coat, looking for their question to be answered first.
Trim watched it all, even watched the man who was left alone in the far left corner, and watched him raise his head up, revealing his chin and a nasty cut that stretched over it.
The loud knocking against the front door silenced the argument instantly.
Every eye turned to the heavy oak door and not a voice was uttered as Holgar got up and walked to the gate to open it.
Trim knew it was someone who did not know Holgar did not lock his doors while there were people inside. He saw the hunters reach for their weapons, and saw the man in the back turn toward the door.
A moment later, Hogar opened the door, then took a step back revealing two dark shapes standing in the doorway, one a head taller than the other. The light of the candles showed them both wearing the same kind of dark brown rope that ran from their heads all the way to the ground.
"Who are you?" Holgar asked instantly.
The hood of the taller one came off, revealing a man in his late thirties with a smoothly-shaved bold head, deep facial lines, and bright and sharp eyes.
"My name is El. This here is Alice," the man said in a calm voice as he pointed his chin to the person next to him. "We are hoping to find some food and lodging for the night here."
Everyone waited in silence to see what Holgar would say when the one called Alice took her hood off, shook the snow from her shoulders, and pulled her long, chestnut hair back, revealing a young face with perfect skin, dark yet shining eyes, and round cheeks reddened by the chill of the winter's night. They all instantly stared at her, some with their mouth gaping wide, and Trim for a second was not sure if he was looking at an angel, such was her stunning looks, her fine complexion, her tenderness, her big eyes.
The quiet moment of blatant staring lasted way longer than it should have, and finally, Holgar was there to put an end to it, "Where do you come from??" he asked.
El sighed. "From far away," the man answered slowly, stretching his words to indicate it was really 'far from here' while his eyes were still carefully examining the room. Trim noticed it was not unlike what he usually did.
"And we're weary. And hungry," El added.
Holgar stood there watching them, the whole room stood there watching them, obviously realizing these were foreigners even as they spoke their language with only a slight accent.
"I hope you're thirsty too," Trim added from behind, breaking the silence, after he swiftly concluded they looked friendly enough and meant no harm to them, not just because the taller man opened up his rope to reveal the woolen shirt and pants with no visible weapons anywhere. There was something in his face, his eyes, a gentleness and warmth that reminded Trim of his father, especially when he was making his last breath. "I hope you're thirsty because Holgar has the best ale in the whole area here."
Holgar, hearing Trim's friendly voice decided to step aside and extend his hand, inviting them in. "You will find warmth here. But we are out of chicken and stew. Came a bit too late for that. Could offer you some potatoes though."
"Oh, that would be lovely."
Maybe they came to see about the green lights too, Trim thought, hoping to have a word with them as soon as possible, inviting them with a smile to come and join him at his table.
But then, he had a better idea. "Kata ku te qi?" he asked them in the language of Lelka, far away land, as they came to sit down.
The man looked at him straight in the eyes. And gave him a warm smile, nodding his head. "You speak Lelka," he said. "We are travelers. But we are not from Lelka. And to answer your question, the trip was… not pleasant at all."
Trim nodded his head, appreciating the answer, yet feeling like he was being outwitted somehow.
"Did you come from the direction of the mountain, or…" somebody asked.
"Did you also see the green clouds lightning the night sky?" the old hunter swiftly added.
"No. No, we did not," El answered calmly.
"You must have," the old hunter insisted, reaching to pull the man's big sleeve.
But the man moved with grace and speed out of his reach that did not go unnoticed by Trim. Then he looked the old hunter in the eyes, warmth sipping out of them as he said, "No. We have not. I do not lie. But… I do believe you. If you say you saw the green lights, it must be true."
"Damn! If it's true," one of the villagers said. "That means that the Prophecy of Neisas is to happen. The Green Fire has returned."
"And what does that prophecy say?" El asked him innocently.
"Everyone here knows it. Even kids that can't speak yet know of the Prophecy of True Gods, Neisas."
"Well, not everyone, since… I do not know," the man added.
"It says when the Green Fire lights up the night skies," the man said, looking at him with eyes wide open, swallowing a big ball of saliva, "The world is bound… to end."