After three days of navigation, Lora arrived on the west bank of Skara Brae, and began to look for people to ask where the cave may be. Going beyond an apparently busy fishermn, not wanting to disturb him for the time being, Lora neared a house in which she could hear faint sobs. She entered, and encountered a beautiful young woman, with azure eyes and golden hair. "Greetings m'lady. May I know thy name?" Lora told her.
The young woman stood up and approached Lora. "My father chose an ancient word for my name." She started sobbing again, but choked her tears. "It means the cool breeze after a storm has passed. Marney."
"Well met, Marney. What troubles thee?"
"Never mind. May I help thee?"
"Yes actually. I am looking for a cave where someone called Jengar lives. Does anybody here know where I can find it?"
"I do not know of anyone called Jengar, and neither do I know of a cave nearby. Perhaps thou couldst ask around. I will help thee and ask some of the townsfolk here. Oh, you should ask Horance, he knows many things. He lives on an island northwest of here."
Lora thanked Marney, who went south to ask some people. Lora, instead, went west, and apparently the fisherman she had seen before was relaxing, so she decided to ask him. "Greetings."
"Good morning friend." He extended a massive hand that resembled a slab of meat. "What do ya need?"
"I am looking for a cave where a man called Jengar lives."
"I don' know of any cave around here. Sorry."
Lora took her ship and went to Horance's isle. Bats awaited, and she drew her sword as soon as she landed. All of them leapt on her at the same time, and she ended up with a few bites before killing them. She entered Horance's house, which had a mysterious air about it. "Horance, I presume." Lora asked the bent, aging figure before her, who had a scraggly beard and few teeth.
"Thou dost presume right.
I'm the mage Horance.
I deal in good spells,
So do give them a glance."
"Excuse me, but I am looking for a cave, not thy rhymes." She gave him a strange look.
"Alright, alright. Hmph. Nobody appreciates my art. Anyway, what cave is this?"
"The lair of an organisation of bandits and criminals, under the command of someone called Jengar."
"Interesting. Few strange things happened since Quenton's death, so I do not know of a cave or anything of the sort."
"Quenton's death?"
"Yes, he was a good man. Killed by a gargoyle, 'e was." Horance tightens the fist when mentioning the creatures.
"Very well. Thank thee." Lora took her ship back to the main isle of Skara Brae, and met with Marney.
"I've asked Trenton, Gideon and Marta, but nobody knows anything." Marney reported.
"I've asked Yorl and Horance, but nobody knows where the cave is. Horance mentioned the death of a certain Quenton by the hand of a gargoyle, what is this all about?"
Marney started crying, and, in the midst of her tears, she told Lora, "He was my father!" Lora comforted her as she could, but Marney could never stop sobbing completely. It was something moving for Lora, who felt pity for the young woman.
Lora passed the night at Gideon's inn, and, the next day, she went around Skara Brae to see if she missed anyone. Soon enough, she came across a vaporous form - it was a ghost. Lora drew her sword, but sheathed it again when she noticed a human face on the ghost. From what she had heard, she assumed it was Quenton. "Greetings Quenton."
The ghost opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He limited himself to greeting her with a wave.
"Dost thou know of a cave where a certain Jengar lives?"
Quenton ignored the question, and pretended to drive an inexistent knife into what remained of his chest. He was indicating his murder.
"Thou wert killed by a gargoyle?"
Quenton lifted his hands as if to protect himself, showing that someone or something drove something sharp into him. It could have been a gargoyle's claws. Quenton next played the role of the murderer, and the way he pretended to strike was not the way Lora had seen gargoyles attack. It was the way a man would stab with a knife. From what Lora could understand, Quenton was killed by a man, not a gargoyle, but his wounds were hideous enough to resemble wounds inflicted by a gargoyle.
"Who killed thee?"
Quenton leaned back on a wall, and pretended to be using a knife to clean what remained of his nails. Next he got off the wall and pointed east. Thanking him, Lora went to inform Marney of her findings.
"Marney, thy father was not killed by a gargoyle. It was a member of the criminals I am hunting that deprived you of your father."
"What? How is it possible?"
"I met thy father. He indicated that the murderer lives east of here, and plays with a knife, so I can find him if I see him."
"I beg thee Lora, avenge my father!" Marney cried again. "Find the murderer and kill him, or bring him to Justice!"
"I will, Marney."
The next day, Lora met Quenton again. She pleaded him to tell her the location of the cave she was looking for. Quenton tapped on a tree, and then indicated a large circle with his hands, indicating that it would be in a forest. Quenton pointed to the middle of the circle, then pointed east. Lora understood that the cave must be in the middle of Spiritwood. Thanking him, she called Marney to meet what remained of her father, and Lora was more moved than ever, seeing Marney, who had long missed her father, finally embrace him.
Going out of Skara Brae from the east, Lora came across a house. There was no one there, but she suspected it must be of the murderer. She went on east, to the forest of Spiritwood once again.
© by Daniel D'Agostino 2002-2025