Chapter 34

Signs of thirty four

Freeman watched as the reavers moved off as his men set up camp. He never thought he would be fighting with reavers. He got the men settled as soon as he could.

“No guards tonight.” He told the men, “I want everyone rested. It is going to be a long day tomorrow.”

The men grumbled but they complied. Freeman got himself some food and found a place for him to sleep. He had horrible nightmares. He awoke several times to the sight he had seen when he held those orbs. Each time he did he wished that he did not know the truth, he wished what what he knew was not the truth.

The night passed slowly for Freeman sleeping fit fully and waking often. He was the first awake and got the men up and ready to travel. They marched quickly off to the south. They stopped before midday and had a meal. By night fall they could see the boundary. Freeman did not want to cross the boundary in the dark so they camped in the corrupted lands once again.

Freeman struggled with so many men in the corrupted lands. He had been trained not to stay in any one place in the corrupted lands. The reavers and other creatures invariably attacked any camp set up by humans. Generally you camped in the corrupted lands only when you had to and even then you did it with as much protection as you could muster.

As the camp was set up Freeman addressed the troops.

“Men! I know you are confused. We came north to fight in the corrupted lands. To put an end to the undead forces that scour our homeland. “ He barked out to the men as they gathered around him to hear what he had to say. “I tell you, we are still on that mission. The creatures of the corrupted lands are not the source of the undead menace.”

There were several shocked gasps and protests. Freeman allowed them to go on for a moment. After a few minutes they died down.

“I tell you what I know to be the truth. In this the reavers and other creatures of these lands are our allies. This is why we can safely camp here. We will need our rest. Tomorrow we return to our own lands and march to the north to find the true enemy. The true source of the undead.” He waited for a cheer. None came. The men simply stared at him. “I tell you for certain to the north resides a fell sorcerer that has created this menace, we will find him and we will defeat him.”

“Where are our allies in this fight then?” some one yelled from the crowd.

“Why do the reavers leave us then?” another called.

“Why do they not fight with us?”

There were more calls but Freeman waved his hands for silence. “They do fight with us. They go to battle the undead horde in the south. This horde hunts us. It moves to the norht even as we rest. They go to slow the horde so that we can fight our fight. They go south to die.”

There was silence in the camp. Freeman let the silence go on for a long time.

“So tonight we rest. Tomorrow we hunt.” He announced. He left the men and found a meal and a place to rest. He did not sleep that night. The fear of nightmares was just too great.

In the morning the men crossed the boundary. The effect was much the same as when they crossed going in. Freeman had the men move only a short way to the north and then called for another camp. They had not traveled far but he knew that they had to travel slowly and conserve strength rather than travel quickly.

He organized three scout groups to range ahead. But no more than a thousand paces. They all returned with no news. Freeman ordered several guard posts, it felt odd posting no guards in the corrupted lands and now posting extra now that the men were in the human lands.

Freeman figured he had two days, three days if he was lucky, to find the barrier and cross over to the other side.

First thing in the morning the scouts were sent out. The ranged to the north looking for a new barrier. As the first day passed and the men had found nothing. Scouts were also sent ranging down their back trail looking for the undead that would be on their trail sooner or later.

The end of the first day had met with no success. Another camp was set up. Again extra guards were used. Freeman slept for the first time in two days. He was too exhausted to stay awake. His nightmares returned, he saw again the horrible creature that had created the undead. He saw again the lair the creature used as his home. Freeman awoke in the morning wondering when he should share the information with his men.

The second day was much like the first. It was like they were the only people left on the world. Freeman hoped that was not the truth. Again they found themselves setting up camp at dusk on the second day.

On the third day Freeman began to have an active rear guard expecting the undead horde to appear at anytime. The scouts ranged further. When the men found nothing on the third day Freeman became worried. Camp was set up again. Freeman thought that the reavers would have either met their objective or failed at it by now.

On the morning of the fourth day he started to press the men for more speed. The rear guard was increased and the scouts watching the back trail were reassigned ot scout ahead.

The changes made no difference. The fourth day ended with no discovery. As did the fifth day, and the sixth. Freeman was shocked that after seven days they had not found the lair of their enemy. He was equally shocked that the undead had not caught them.

By the tenth day Freeman was certain the undead horde would appear at any moment. It was just before sun down on the twelfth day that they found the lair. Freeman talked to his men and asked if they wanted to risk crossing in the dark.

Freeman did not want to press them to cross but he also was worried that they were severely behind schedule. The men decided to wait until morning to cross. They spent a restless night outside the barrier. At first light the camp was taken down and they started to cross.

It was like and yet unlike crossing into the corrupted lands. The heat and cold were not there. There was a tremendous pressure though. Like walking through deep water. The men struggled to move forward. Freeman surged forward and was free. He had made it into the lands beyond the barrier.

The land beyond the barrier was much like the human lands. Slightly darker as though everything was under a shadow. Not far from where they stood was a camp. It looked military in nature bu based on the upkeep it was either a lax military or had been abandoned. Freeman and his men advanced on the base. There was no sign of a enemy force.

They entered the base. The first dozen tents were empty. Freeman signaled for the men to form up and follow him. He entered a large command tent and there was the enemy.

He was shockingly small. He stood no more than four feet tall. He also appeared to be old. Very old. The folds and winkles on his face nearly obscured his eyes entirely. He was also dirty, black smudges on his flesh and clothes marred an other wise smart military uniform. He carried a short staff with a burnt end. He leaned on the staff as though he would fall over without it.

“You are too late!” He cackled at them. “My forces have reached here to protect me!”

Freeman stepped forward and looked again at the thing in front of him. “You are the cause of all this death. You will die!” he drew his short sword and launched himself and the grizzled old man. Faster than he could see the old man blocked Freeman's sword strike with the staff.

The old man gestured and a blast of air pushed Freeman and his men out of the tent. The old man walked out of the tent laughing.

“You are not strong enough to harm me!” the old man yelled..

One of the soldiers with Freeman yelled. Freeman looked towards the barrier to see what the man had seen. Undead were marching through the barrier, Freeman had run out of time.