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“One out of a hundred. Some of the men are muttering about magic being at play.”
“Magic?” Kormac scoffed. “Magic isn’t real.”
“There was a time when people believed it existed. Think of Acca, the land of supposed witches,” Lomar reminded.
Kormac sneered. “Charlatans.”
“Don’t be so sure of that,” Lomar insisted.
“Surely you don’t believe.” Kormac’s brow arched.
“Yesterday I wouldn’t have, but I don’t see how one man could have killed so many with barely a mark.”
“He murdered most in their sleep.”
“Yes, but a good number appeared to have been awake. A room full of soldiers would have reacted when Khaal began swinging his blade, but they didn’t.”
An inconvenient fact that Kormac also didn’t understand. “Could have been a drug. Or perhaps they were all stricken by an illness.”
Lomar recoiled. “Better hope not since we took no precaution.”
“Since we can’t be sure of the cause, no supplies from the garrison should be consumed Also, keep an eye on the men. Any signs of erratic behavior are to be reported immediately.”
With that command, they went to bed, with the men rotating the watch.
The night passed without incident.
Despite having cleared the garrison, they didn’t leave the next day. Kormac and Lomar spent the morning scouring through the fort, looking for clues. They found nothing.
After the midday meal, Kormac stood outside, eyeing the Pass.
“What are you looking for?” Lomar asked, joining him.
“A clue.” Kormac pointed to the fresh fallen powder. “No recent tracks but…” He crouched and swept the snow to show the icier patch underneath. He pointed. “Footprints.” The size and shape were consistent with the boots his soldiers wore.
“Not surprising. Khaal probably had someone checking for activity in the pass. After all, the garrison is here to ensure nothing comes through.”
“I’m going to look.”
“Not alone you aren’t,” Lomar stated before putting his fingers to his mouth for a strident whistle.
“I don’t need a sitter,” Kormac grumbled.
“Too bad,” Lomar replied.
The whistle brought three soldiers at a jog. “You’re coming with us,” Lomar stated.
Two of them immediately went ahead to scout while the third dropped behind to watch their backs.
Their boots crunched the ice under the snow as they headed into the pass. The cold deepened as they entered the slit in the mountain. The sun still shone, but the high walls on either side caused deep shadows. They saw no signs of life. Odd, really. Even in the coldest of winter at the citadel there would be tracks of animals scavenging.
“This place doesn’t feel right,” Lomar murmured low enough only Kormac could hear.
He understood but would never admit it. “Don’t tell me you’re going to start believing the old wives’ tales about monsters,” he teased.
“There’ve been rumors in the marketplace by the Ulkruuba border that dragons have returned.”
“Dragons.” Kormac snorted.
