“Well, all I really know is that after the forces of Malbeck were destroyed, the king of Finarth knighted her. Then one day, when she was traveling back home to her village, tragedy happened. Her small army was camping deep in the Tundrens and boargs ambushed them in the middle of the night. Shyann’s forces defeated them but the cost was great. In the battle, Shyann was mortally wounded. She lay in her tent dying, her men trying everything they could to save her. The next morning when the surgeon came in to check on her, her body was missing. There was nothing in her bed, no body, no clothes, just her sword, bow, and her shield. But the strangest thing about the legend was that in the middle of the tent, a stout oak tree, no more than five feet tall, appeared, and as they cleared the camp and set for home, the men noticed the tree had grown. It grew to the height of ten men with great limbs reaching out towards the sun’s rays.”
“Is that why one of her symbols is the great oak?”
“Yes, it is,” Lorna said as she added more water to their cups from the clay pitcher on the table.
“Where is the tree now?” asked Jonas
“No one knows, but some people think that her tree is somewhere in the Tundrens and her tomb is located there, or maybe it is just a story and it doesn’t exist at all. Now finish eating and get some sleep. We have to head into town tomorrow early.”
“Okay, Mother,” Jonas said, stuffing his mouth with more stew, thinking about the next month without the usual trepidation. The gold would buy meat and other things that would make the last winter months bearable.
***
The morning came quickly. It seemed to Jonas that he had just put his head down to sleep when his mother woke him gently. The aroma of her herbal tea was a sweet comfort that greeted him every morning. She swore that her recipe kept them from getting sick during the winter months. Jonas loved her tea. It warmed and invigorated him after drinking it. Jonas was excited as he drank the tea, knowing that he would need the energy for the walk into town that his mother and he had planned last night over dinner.
The morning was cold, and the harsh mountain air poked and prodded their skin through the gaps in their clothing. The night’s new snows made it harder than expected for Jonas to make the mile long walk into town. The heavy, wet snow, grabbed at his feet and crutch, making the walk more difficult.
Finally, after an hour and a half of walking, they entered through the town’s main gate. The town was surrounded by a sturdy wall of tall thick logs lashed together and stuck four feet into the ground. The stout gate was built of oak and bound together with bands of black iron. It was open during the day but at night it was shut to keep out the wild animals, and any roaming monsters or boargs. It was rare, but on occasion a hunter would return with stories of mountain ogres, hill giants, and other wild creatures.
Normally, at this time in the morning, the town would just be awakening, but today, the town was already a bustle of activity. The rich smells of Gorum’s fresh baked bread and freshly lit hearths wafted down the street as Jonas and Lorna made their way across town. Lorna reached over and held Jonas close to her as the townspeople hurried towards the grange, where they often had town meetings. Several children that Jonas recognized stood by the butcher’s shop staring wide eyed at the people moving toward the grange. The feeling in the air was tense; something was wrong.
The butcher’s son, Wil, stood against the wall with his two friends, Fil, and Fil’s younger brother, Colsen. Jonas stood behind his mother, not wanting the boys to see him and pepper him with their endless barrage of insults.
“What is happening, Wil?” asked his mother.
Wil looked at her with malice. “My father said not to speak with you…that it would bring us bad luck”.
“Your father is ignorant and a drunk, now tell me what is happening,” Lorna demanded.
Wil was just about to retort when Fil interrupted him. “A cavalier came into town last night and he has called a meeting this morning. He said it was urgent…that the town is in danger,”