ordered his men to cut down every tree within a hundred feet of the outer wall. Others he had roaming the stone fortress with smoky torches in an attempt to discourage the colonies of bats from continuing to call it home. The land was now cleared and all but the most stubborn bats had fled, leaving the keep’s cold damp tunnels and the lingering smell of bat droppings to their human occupants. With the felled trees, they’d built tables, chairs and beds. King Leisle had ordered Eagle Rock to remain manned at all times, even after they drove the Svistra back to the Telige Mountains, a permanent deterrent against the bastards’ return.
“What do you think it is?” Matias asked.
Nathan followed Matias’s gaze to the top of Eagle Rock. Smoke from several chimneys skirted the peak like clouds along a mountaintop.
“It’s a fortress,” Nathan deadpanned.
“I know, but is it natural or did someone…” He waved a hand.
Nathan could make out the faint lines of an eagle in one of the rock formations. Whoever carved the bird had been talented and brave. He had to agree with Matias’s untold declaration: Eagle Rock was an odd fortress. It appeared to be a large rock or a small mountain buried in the earth.
The fortress boasted a simple but strong design. Carved out of solid rock, it only had two doors. One massive arched doorway led to a large hall. Even when Nathan had ordered every torch along the wall to be lit, the ceiling still hid in murky darkness. At the end of the hall, a door led to a smaller room now containing dozens of rough-hewn tables along with a large fireplace. When they first entered, Nathan had stuck his head up the chimney out of curiosity. Whoever had hollowed out the rock had to have been very small and fearless, or stupid. It was a long way down.
A narrow hall led to the second, smaller door leading to the kitchen and another chimney. The fortress contained more fireplaces than he expected. Two corridors led from the main hall, one winding up to the heights, becoming narrower until the men could only walk single file—and then barely. The corridor opened into a round room with slatted windows carved out of the stone. A large shallow basin sat under a circular opening in the roof. From the room, the forest stretched out all around them in a sea of green. The opposite corridor wound its way into the depths of the earth, growing colder and damper with each step. Fortunately, the barracks were along the upper corridor—as were the majority of the two score single rooms—most, thankfully fitted with fireplaces to fight the dampness.
Rumors abounded that the fortress had been built by the Ancients, but Nathan thought the place must have once been a dwelling for priests or healers. From time to time, when his mind was far away, he caught a whiff of herbs or incense, the ghost of a scent.
“The wall bothers you?” Matias asked.
Nathan glanced at his friend. “Yes. I don’t understand why the battlements don’t go all the way around the inside of the wall.”
They nodded to the guards at the gate and walked inside to the courtyard. Nathan pushed against the scaffolding of a large wooden platform. “It’s solid.” Similar structures were spaced periodically around the wall, reached by climbing the wooden crosspieces. “They didn’t run out of wood, that’s for sure.”
“Perhaps it wasn’t meant for defense,” Matias mused.
“Then what? A lookout? They had up there for that.” He nodded toward the top of the fortress. “There are twelve platforms. Isn’t that a holy number for healers?”
Matias shrugged. “Either way, a good archer can defend the wall between them.”
Nathan gave a final pat to the wood. “True. It’s just damn awkward.”
“Hungry?” Matias’s hand rasped against the grey and white stubble of his chin.
“Yeah, but not for the slop in the kitchen.” He glanced at his friend. Even when Matias had been a boy, he had the grizzled look of a seasoned
“What do you think it is?” Matias asked.
Nathan followed Matias’s gaze to the top of Eagle Rock. Smoke from several chimneys skirted the peak like clouds along a mountaintop.
“It’s a fortress,” Nathan deadpanned.
“I know, but is it natural or did someone…” He waved a hand.
Nathan could make out the faint lines of an eagle in one of the rock formations. Whoever carved the bird had been talented and brave. He had to agree with Matias’s untold declaration: Eagle Rock was an odd fortress. It appeared to be a large rock or a small mountain buried in the earth.
The fortress boasted a simple but strong design. Carved out of solid rock, it only had two doors. One massive arched doorway led to a large hall. Even when Nathan had ordered every torch along the wall to be lit, the ceiling still hid in murky darkness. At the end of the hall, a door led to a smaller room now containing dozens of rough-hewn tables along with a large fireplace. When they first entered, Nathan had stuck his head up the chimney out of curiosity. Whoever had hollowed out the rock had to have been very small and fearless, or stupid. It was a long way down.
A narrow hall led to the second, smaller door leading to the kitchen and another chimney. The fortress contained more fireplaces than he expected. Two corridors led from the main hall, one winding up to the heights, becoming narrower until the men could only walk single file—and then barely. The corridor opened into a round room with slatted windows carved out of the stone. A large shallow basin sat under a circular opening in the roof. From the room, the forest stretched out all around them in a sea of green. The opposite corridor wound its way into the depths of the earth, growing colder and damper with each step. Fortunately, the barracks were along the upper corridor—as were the majority of the two score single rooms—most, thankfully fitted with fireplaces to fight the dampness.
Rumors abounded that the fortress had been built by the Ancients, but Nathan thought the place must have once been a dwelling for priests or healers. From time to time, when his mind was far away, he caught a whiff of herbs or incense, the ghost of a scent.
“The wall bothers you?” Matias asked.
Nathan glanced at his friend. “Yes. I don’t understand why the battlements don’t go all the way around the inside of the wall.”
They nodded to the guards at the gate and walked inside to the courtyard. Nathan pushed against the scaffolding of a large wooden platform. “It’s solid.” Similar structures were spaced periodically around the wall, reached by climbing the wooden crosspieces. “They didn’t run out of wood, that’s for sure.”
“Perhaps it wasn’t meant for defense,” Matias mused.
“Then what? A lookout? They had up there for that.” He nodded toward the top of the fortress. “There are twelve platforms. Isn’t that a holy number for healers?”
Matias shrugged. “Either way, a good archer can defend the wall between them.”
Nathan gave a final pat to the wood. “True. It’s just damn awkward.”
“Hungry?” Matias’s hand rasped against the grey and white stubble of his chin.
“Yeah, but not for the slop in the kitchen.” He glanced at his friend. Even when Matias had been a boy, he had the grizzled look of a seasoned
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