Chapter Thirty: Arranden Waters

  “I – I believe your family survived,” Freydis told the apparition.

  “How can you know?” he demanded.

  “There is a Waters family in our town. Several of them, in fact.”

  “What is your town?”

  “Enkel Kanindal.”

  “Enkel – ” Arranden Water repeated. “I believe that was the name of one of the towns in the valleys where we were headed.”

  “It still is. It is still there. And there is a Waters family there. A large one.”

  The blue man’s face went stone-still, then, and he was silent. I did not know what to make of it, but Caiside saw:

  “You need not weep,” she said. “This is good news. Your family escaped.”

  “And one of them carries your name now, nearly,” Freydis said. “Arran Waters. He lives near us. And this Arran has a daughter to whom my cousin here” – she gestured to me – “is – close. We know them well. They must be your family. Your descendants.”

  Waters was silent, again, but a menace seemed to withdraw from him. He may have become smaller. He certainly no longer seemed to loom over us as he had before. His face softened.

  “I held them off,” he said. “I held off trolls. I gave my wife and my children enough time. And all the others.”

  “You must have,” Caiside said. “So they did have their warrior, after all.”

  “My family lives,” Waters said. And now he began to fade, slightly. His features became less distinct. And he drew lower to the floor, and shrunk in size even more.

  “I – thank you for this,” he said. “I can see now – where to go. The next place. It’s obvious. Has it been there all along? Do you see it?”

  “Not yet,” Caiside said.

  “And I feel my children may have arrived there already.”

  His voice grew quieter as he said this, and then his blue self faded all the way away and disappeared.

  The three of us stood for a moment, just staring at what was now blank air. The empty wall behind was barely illuminated by the embers of the fireplace. We heard a murmur behind us as the korreds relaxed.

  “Well done, my friends,” Ko-Rethal said. He had walked up behind us. “So well done. What good fortune you know that man’s descendants.”

  “We would know any name from our town,” I said. “The good fortune, I suppose, is that the family ended up there.”

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  “Well then.” He turned to look back at the rest of the korreds. “We should celebrate. What say you, my people? Is it too late to rouse the fire?”

  The other korreds cheered. The fire soon roared, illuminating the room. We learned they had brought along bottles of brandy. We had helped Arranden Waters on his way, and had taken back the tower – or at least its bottom floor. The korreds danced and sang in that hall, which, in its better days, must have seen much of the same. We joined them, Freydis and I sometimes holding hands and sometimes reaching down to grab the korreds’. Caiside, for her part, whirled around in the throng, crutches and all, causing many laughing korreds to duck out of the way more than once.

  In the morning – which came late, as we all slept in – Ko-Rethal and the korreds produced our belongings.

  “Here are your bags, your food, the kobold food which you carry for some reason; a bow; arrows; a shovel – it’s all here. And finally, your map.” He handed it up to us with a flourish. “Shall I show you where you are, on it?”

  “Please.” I unrolled it for him to see.

  “Very good. A little lower down, if you will. All right then, we are now over here near this edge of the Stillwold. So to get back on the route you were on, you want to head this way.”

  “I don’t suppose your Spelepike heads that direction, does it?”

  “It is a wonderful artery, isn’t it? I’m glad you enjoyed traveling it. But no, I’m afraid it does not. From here, it bends to the northwest. Out of your way.”

  “Even more out of our way,” I couldn’t help but add.

  “Well. We are indebted to you for your detour here to rid us of our haunt.”

  “You are welcome. But if we exit here, won’t there be these trolls?”

  Ko-Rethal shrugged. “Well, yes. You may see some. But no matter where you go, in these parts or farther up, you may run into them. This is the path you have chosen. If you’re reconsidering, you’re welcome to come back with us to our hall, and then back to your home. We would even escort you, if you go that way.”

  “No,” I said. “This is the path we have chosen, as you say. But no escort for us if we head out here?”

  “Ah, no,” he said. “This is not our quest.”

  “I know, Ko-Rethal. I was just being optimistic.”

  “Very. Now, you may see a very old path heading east, away from this tower. It’s overgrown, but I think you’ll be able to detect it. Good luck. But we do have some provisions for you,” he said. Aethelflaed approached, then, with a sack. “A large lot of dried eel-newt strips.”

  “Well,” I said, reaching out for the bag. “More newt. Thank you.”

  He laughed.

  “That’s a joke. We could tell the newt feast was not your favorite meal. These are shadechoke cakes. We made them large. We think you’ll like them. And they last. Perhaps not as long as those boards from the kobolds.”

  “Well then, thank you indeed.”

  “And now, it is time for us to return. Back down to the Spelepike, and home. We’re towing your three boats, so this is your last chance to accompany us.”

  “Thank you again,” I said, “but we will head out on our way. Overland.”

  “Very good. And good luck finding this wise woman you spoke of. If you pass this way on your return, I’d like to hear about her.”

  “We’ll look for you if we’re here again,” I said.

  And with that, the korreds began to filter back down the main floor stairwell. The several dozen of them gathered around it, stepping down one by one. The crowd dwindled until the last outrageously-browed head dropped out of sight, and we were left alone.

  The hall was now noticeably silent.

  “You don’t realize how – active they are until they’re gone,” I said.

  “It seems a waste for this hall to be empty,” Caiside said. “A loss. Imagine what it must have been, once. The traffic through here, the feasts. Imagine if those korreds had the numbers to take it over. If they needed the room. Or even kobolds.”

  “Or even other Enkel Kanindalers,” I said. “If we ever need to expand. They would have to air out the upper levels very well, though. Arranden Waters wasn’t the only spirit in here, from what Freydis and I saw. Let’s put some distance between us and this place.”

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