Session 8: Escape from the Ashes of Krezko

The party moved from the storage room down into a stone cellar. Ren quickly barred the doors and directed everyone to a rug, which he swiftly rolled aside to reveal a flat door on the ground. Beneath it was a staircase leading further down.   Ren urged, "Quickly. This way. We haven't much time."   The staircase led to a locked, reinforced door. Ren pulled a key from around his neck, slid it into the door, and with a click, it opened. They entered a passage resembling a mine, shored up adeptly with timber and stone. Anyone over six feet tall had to duck, but the passage was about eight feet across. The boom of cannon fire and tremendous crashing sounds could be heard overhead.   Ren, with urgency in his voice, said, "Run now, down the tunnel! We're not safe here!"   The group emerged by a narrow stream in the lowlands outside town, already within a medium-density forest. Behind them on the hill stood the remains of the village, the giant conflagration of Krezko.   Ren stared stoically at the sight, while his daughter cried as their home burned. The fires roared so high they seemed they might reach the heavens. Elara, teary-eyed, lamented, "Our home... Everything I’ve known since I was found... It's all gone."   Ren, barely holding back tears himself, replied, "We can’t stay here long, Elara. For our safety. Later you can grieve."   At that moment, they saw a figure walking in the shadowed dark beside his steed. They all reached for their weapons. But then they saw that it was Gordon the donkey standing beside a soot-stained Danyar, the eldest Saranovik boy. The boy had streaks of tears across his darkened face.   Danyar, voice trembling, exclaimed, "You’ve survived! Some of you... I am so happy! But also, so sad. It was horrible..."   Gordon brayed softly, as if to comfort the boy. Danyar recounted his story:   “We were in the stables when the fires started. There were explosions, loud... I’ve never heard anything like it. Stone exploded! Chaos. I thought we were done for when... Then I saw what seemed like a raven flap down from the sky and transform into a great bear. It did not seem to fear the fire! Instead, the bear tore down the stable wall, creating an escape route for Gordon and I. The rest of my family, though... They had been in Lena's house when it toppled. I ran, and then I saw over my shoulder... no one climbing out of the rubble. I don't think they survived. The raven returned, guiding us to this spot before circling away.”   Orian was briefly suspicious of this story, as he had not met Yanla, but the others recognized that this shapeshifter was almost certainly the woman they had encountered, although they had not seen her take the form of a bear.   Although the donkey was present, the wagon and its supplies had been left behind in the haste.   Ren, not wasting any time, led some of the survivors from the Rest to help him uncover two skiffs hidden under furs and leaves by the stream. A worn path beside the stream indicated where horses or ponies had carried these skiffs up and down for many years.   The old veteran looked weary but determined. He spoke, "There's a hunting lodge at the end of this route. Near the foot of mountains. Almost no one takes Razlom's Gate, the mountain pass far north of here, and so the forests nearby are similarly unpopular. It's a common meetup spot for smugglers and rebels... my suppliers. We should head there for now. Hopefully, we won't be tracked immediately."   The skiffs could carry six people each, twelve in total. They had a hookup making it easy to connect them together and another for a long lead or leash for an animal to pull.   Gordon the donkey snorted, seemingly in agreement. Perhaps it was the presence of Danyar, gently leading him foreward, but for once Gordon made no complaint in being asked to pull weight, let alone far more than he was normally tasked with. (Thankfully at least atop water).   The group set off, some by skiff and others on foot. The night was quiet except for the distant crackling of the fire and the occasional howl of a wolf. The moonlight provided just enough light to navigate the path beside the stream.   As they moved, Tashi explained, "While we move, I should tell you what I know about the Witch-Hunters. They draw their power from a pact, much like the Oyun do. Aryn Chernaya was taken in and trained by Feyn, and that is the origin of their dark magic. Some say the very first Chernayan king was a ‘witch’. This is heresy, but that makes it no less true, I believe. Ilarik the one who spoke through Serg... He’s one of their Inquisitors.”   Ren added, “Tashi and I aren't officially members of the Circle, but we work with them so often that we may as well be... so far as the Witchhunters are concerned. Our hope is to make contact with someone who has more influence in the organization? This attack shows that the recent decree by the King Belgarion is no mere empty threat. A Purge seems to be underway."   As they traveled, a raven flapped down from the sky and seemed to guide the skiffs forward, its black feathers glinting in the moonlight.   Elara, pointing, exclaimed, "Look! The raven!"   Ren recognized her, "Yes. It's Yanla... she's watching over us."   The Oyun in the shape of a raven, Yanla, scouted behind them, ensuring they moved swiftly and safely through the night.   Orian checked himself to determine if Inquisitor Ilarik was still lurking in his mind. He did not find evidence of an active presence, but he felt as though the Inquisitor had some handhold, some measure by which he could continue to try to burrow if he was close enough, or through some sort of common link. Orian’s telepathy and ability to affect others' dreams in the midst of their waking state might be connected to this.   Thus, they continued their escape, guided by Mad Yanla, with the horrors of Krezko burning behind them and the looming threat of Inquisitor Ilarik still hanging over their heads.