Sandreena did notice that a small tower, barely two stories tall, had been erected near the base of the trail. Had they continued down earlier in the day, they would have been spotted by the sentry on duty. Sandreena used barely visible hand gestures to inform Jaliel they were going to circle even farther away from the trail.
The gulley down which they crept emptied out into a basin a hundred yards across, before running into a dry river bed that wound around the base of the hills. A fairly large river must have flowed through here in ages past, although Sandreena found it hard to imagine this area lush, or with rain enough to fill a brook, let alone a river. Yet the evidence of water erosion was under her feet, and currently hiding her from view as she and her companion crawled along the southern edge of the basin.
Both knights were battle tested and ready for any trouble, but both knew this was a reconnaissance mission not elective combat. Something this massive, in a place this far removed from any civilized authority, could only be the work of forces inimical to those authorities, which made it a matter of concern for the Temple as well. And the stench of demon was so strong here Sandreena knew those concerns were urgent.
She stood for a moment and studied the walls. Large flaming braziers hung from chains attached to tripods evenly spaced along the battlement, for it was indeed a fortress. But it was unlike any fortress Sandreena had ever encountered or heard of.
‘What is this place?’ whispered Jaliel.
‘No place good,’ answered Sandreena. ‘We need to split up. I want you to go that way.’ She pointed towards the southern-most end of the basin and moved her hand to indicate where he should make his way along the line that ran parallel to the walls. The entire structure appeared to be circular, but she would need to get closer, and have better light to be certain. The curve of the wall before her suggested it was a massive circle of stone with a gigantic gate in the middle.
She gripped him by the arm and whispered, ‘Go; return here by midnight. If I’m not here, make your way to the top as best you can. If Farson has already left for Durbin, make your way to the Oasis at La-amat-atal, and wait for a caravan to get you safely to civilization. If you get there before he leaves, tell him what you see, and go with him to Krondor.’
‘Yes, Sergeant,’ he replied. ‘You?’
‘I’m going to circle in the other direction, and then I’m going to do my damnedest to be at the top of the trail before Farson leaves with my horse.’
He chuckled, and said, ‘Goddess be with you, Sister.’
‘And with you, my brother,’ she replied.
He set off at once, moving surprisingly quietly for a man with armour and a shield strapped to his back. Sandreena waited for a moment, not wanting too much movement in this area, and when he was gone from her sight, set off up the side of the basin and onto the flat above. She crouched, though it was no easy feat with her shield on her back and her sword clutched in her right hand. She found a small stand of scrub brush between the lip of the basin and the watch tower. She prayed to the Goddess that whoever was stationed up there was watching for movement along the road and not for anyone coming from behind.
Occasionally, she turned and glanced at the far wall of the fortress, to try to discern some more detail: like who was on the wall and what they were doing, but it was still too far away. She came to an outcropping of rocks and knelt behind it, slowly raising herself up to observe the guardhouse. Then she sat down hard, barely able to believe her eyes. An elf stood guard in the guardhouse, and from his apparent size, she judged him to be one of the newly arrived Star Elves.
She sat down, her back to the rock, and felt completely confused. She sensed demon presence in huge numbers, yet an elf stood watch. Given their reputation for being able to see in dim light, she counted herself and Jaliel very fortunate to have made it down that gully undetected; had they stayed on the switchbacks, even at night, the elf would certainly have seen them half a mile away.