Night Lords

Before The Coven II Chapter 1

Before The Coven II

Chapter 1

We arrived in Persar in the very early hours of the morning, which suited us all just fine. Though the seas were rough for a few days, making most of the crew sick, Greatorex and Remy worked well, and we all pulled together to get the ship clear and continue its course.

Max was exceedingly upset for most of the trip, and I thought it best to leave him. I knew exactly how he felt, and he knew full well I would be there listening if he ever needed to speak to me about anything.

'How many weeks at sea were we?' Brett asked as he stretched and inhaled deeply. 'Feels like a few months.'

'It was three weeks and two days,' Tasha drawled. Greatorex and I thanked Remy and his crew as we parted.

Inhaling, I smiled as I smelt grass, trees, mud and... 'Coal?'

Greatorex nodded, 'This part of the continent has got a few coal mines. I wouldn't be surprised if they were classed as dangerous to humans. Earth Deemons are prevalent in mines.'

Walking through the sleepy little fishing village called Marthen, the small coterie, as that was what we were now, went up the hill and glancing across a wide-open valley, I couldn't help but smile. This place was new, somewhere I had never been before, and I welcomed the new adventures ahead.

'So, where are we to stay for the night?' Max asked as we continued slowly down the road. 'I cannot smell any humans nearby, and I've seen no Deemon tracks.'

Tasha shook her head, 'No Night Lords either. There must be some shelter somewhere around here.'

Brett frowned. 'Are we staying here for a while?' he asked.

'Why do you think that?' Greatorex asked.

Shrugging, he replied, 'Well, why don't we build a house, er, up there,' he pointed to a hill in the distance that was covered in trees. 'We could make a house up there that would act as a hill fort. Worked wonders for our ancestors.'

Tasha rolled her eyes. Greatorex was one of those ancestors, and yet he nodded approvingly. 'One of the smartest ideas you have ever had, Brett.'

The group then hastened to the hill Brett pointed out, and that very morning, we set out to dig the foundations of the house after ripping up several trees to use. Tasha and Greatorex had built a few houses many years ago for humans and themselves, so the rest of us let them design it. We just took their orders on what to do when instructed. However, when it came to morning, and the sun started to prickle our skins, we had to find ourselves some cover. And as we sat and waited for the sun to pass over the sky, Greatorex and Tasha explained what the house would look like and what extra materials we needed.

'We need to find a quarry,' Tasha told us. 'We need this place built out of stone. We cannot continue to use mudbrick, Deemons would destroy it in seconds.'

'I'll scout on ahead,' I offered.

'I'll go with her,' Max added, then turned to me with a warm smile. 'You need to have someone go with you.' I knew the real reason why. He wanted to keep himself occupied with a task so that he wouldn't dwell on Stonehead Arrow. My eyes found Greatorex and grunted, agreeing.

Tasha then drew out a small diagram and how much we needed. She calculated several tonnes; however, given our strength, Max and I could easily quarry the stone ourselves and bring it back here. However, Greatorex found the idea deplorable and decided we would gladly pay for the stone if the quarry were on someone's land. 'We may not be human, but we live among them and must abide by their rules. They will need the payment for the stone on their land, Petra. It's only fair.'