She had lost sight of the figure quickly enough.
Meandering cautiously behind him, Edda began to head West as best she could. She fought against the incline of the slope until she reached her original destination - a flat boulder jut out of the steep bank overlooking a river. The drop below was nearly 50 fulms into deep waters. An intimidating, if not deadly plunge in her eyes, but that did not stop certain locals leaping off as tests of courage. She dared not approach the edge, so she instead sat on the fallen trunk of a nearby tree to rest. There was never cause for such haste in her walks, and though she was by no means swift in making her way here, her legs and chest ached.
Now with a chance for respite, Edda’s mind was left to wander to the gruesome scene at the grove. It felt as if every nerve in her body had gone numb, and it was a wonder her legs were able to carry her as far as they did. What had happened there? An Ixali encampment was several malms away, though it was not unheard of for bands of them to wander so close to civilization. Still, there had been no sign of them from the cursory glance she had spared the area, and the wounds on the bodies were unlike any she had seen on those brought back to Fallgourd for treatment. The distant figure she had seen might have been the cause, but with little effort to hide the bodies, and Wood Wailers being unprofitable targets, it struck her as unlikely.
Sitting there listening to the rushing water below her, Edda cursed herself for not making her way back to the road immediately. There was no guarantee it would have been safer, but other Wailers should be alerted, if they did not already know.
It was possible they had already discovered it.
A reassuring thought, but not enough to placate her desire to forget the scene altogether. It was not far from the road, and the chance of the bodies being happened upon seemed favorable. It would do no harm to check, and if things were as Edda had left them, then she could alert the guards at Fallgourd. Still, she had no desire to witness such brutality again, the thought alone enough to make her feel ill. A familiar image to her, one devoid of anything but fear, the centerpiece of countless sleepless nights – it was not something she could so easily be at ease with. It would be better to wait.
And so she did, each minute passed another chance for the dead to be discovered and moved. The mountain range separating the Shroud and Coerthas could be seen more clearly here, a dark stretch of cloud approaching Fallgourd at a steady pace. As she waited, the wind began to quicken, the charge of an oncoming thunderstorm beginning to fill the air. The sun still shone brightly as the afternoon began to pass by, but as soon as the dark cover of clouds could be seen across the river, Edda picked herself up and began to head back down to the road.
It was a faster journey downhill, though not any easier. More suited to a ballroom than the rough terrain of the forest, her feet tripped and stumbled over rocks and fallen branches, her arms reaching out to tree trunks to stop herself from falling the rest of the way there. As she arrived at the clearing, Edda stopped to survey what she could. Most of the grove was obscured by low branches, but the smell of death was now mixed with fire, and smoke could be seen rising from the center. What could they possibly need a fire for? The movement of Wood Wailers was notably absent. She slid down to the next tree to get a closer look, small rocks and leaves rolling down the hill from her disturbance.
At this new vantage point Edda could make out the form of the person she had seen earlier, hunched over the fire, his back facing her. That the same man would return and leave the bodies undisturbed was telling. She had best avoid this man and return to the safety of her room. He did not yet make any notice of her presence despite her proximity, and so she began to slowly skirt the edge of the grove. No sooner had she let go of the trunk did her foot snag underneath a root, sending her lurching forward. She let out a short yelp as she fell and tumbled down the slope a short ways, stopping only as her back collided with a tree. It was not the first time this had happened, so she was relatively quick in straightening herself out. She was winded however, and she hissed at a sharp sting in her ankle as she sat up. There would be no running now, and the noise she caused had surely been alarming. Edda froze, her breathing hitching as she nursed her ankle, hoping her presence had gone unnoticed.
Meandering cautiously behind him, Edda began to head West as best she could. She fought against the incline of the slope until she reached her original destination - a flat boulder jut out of the steep bank overlooking a river. The drop below was nearly 50 fulms into deep waters. An intimidating, if not deadly plunge in her eyes, but that did not stop certain locals leaping off as tests of courage. She dared not approach the edge, so she instead sat on the fallen trunk of a nearby tree to rest. There was never cause for such haste in her walks, and though she was by no means swift in making her way here, her legs and chest ached.
Now with a chance for respite, Edda’s mind was left to wander to the gruesome scene at the grove. It felt as if every nerve in her body had gone numb, and it was a wonder her legs were able to carry her as far as they did. What had happened there? An Ixali encampment was several malms away, though it was not unheard of for bands of them to wander so close to civilization. Still, there had been no sign of them from the cursory glance she had spared the area, and the wounds on the bodies were unlike any she had seen on those brought back to Fallgourd for treatment. The distant figure she had seen might have been the cause, but with little effort to hide the bodies, and Wood Wailers being unprofitable targets, it struck her as unlikely.
Sitting there listening to the rushing water below her, Edda cursed herself for not making her way back to the road immediately. There was no guarantee it would have been safer, but other Wailers should be alerted, if they did not already know.
It was possible they had already discovered it.
A reassuring thought, but not enough to placate her desire to forget the scene altogether. It was not far from the road, and the chance of the bodies being happened upon seemed favorable. It would do no harm to check, and if things were as Edda had left them, then she could alert the guards at Fallgourd. Still, she had no desire to witness such brutality again, the thought alone enough to make her feel ill. A familiar image to her, one devoid of anything but fear, the centerpiece of countless sleepless nights – it was not something she could so easily be at ease with. It would be better to wait.
And so she did, each minute passed another chance for the dead to be discovered and moved. The mountain range separating the Shroud and Coerthas could be seen more clearly here, a dark stretch of cloud approaching Fallgourd at a steady pace. As she waited, the wind began to quicken, the charge of an oncoming thunderstorm beginning to fill the air. The sun still shone brightly as the afternoon began to pass by, but as soon as the dark cover of clouds could be seen across the river, Edda picked herself up and began to head back down to the road.
It was a faster journey downhill, though not any easier. More suited to a ballroom than the rough terrain of the forest, her feet tripped and stumbled over rocks and fallen branches, her arms reaching out to tree trunks to stop herself from falling the rest of the way there. As she arrived at the clearing, Edda stopped to survey what she could. Most of the grove was obscured by low branches, but the smell of death was now mixed with fire, and smoke could be seen rising from the center. What could they possibly need a fire for? The movement of Wood Wailers was notably absent. She slid down to the next tree to get a closer look, small rocks and leaves rolling down the hill from her disturbance.
At this new vantage point Edda could make out the form of the person she had seen earlier, hunched over the fire, his back facing her. That the same man would return and leave the bodies undisturbed was telling. She had best avoid this man and return to the safety of her room. He did not yet make any notice of her presence despite her proximity, and so she began to slowly skirt the edge of the grove. No sooner had she let go of the trunk did her foot snag underneath a root, sending her lurching forward. She let out a short yelp as she fell and tumbled down the slope a short ways, stopping only as her back collided with a tree. It was not the first time this had happened, so she was relatively quick in straightening herself out. She was winded however, and she hissed at a sharp sting in her ankle as she sat up. There would be no running now, and the noise she caused had surely been alarming. Edda froze, her breathing hitching as she nursed her ankle, hoping her presence had gone unnoticed.
