Wizards and Wanderers

The path was steep and the horses climbed slowly, picking their way carefully among the rocks. The day fled rapidly past and the sun started it''s descent into evening, with the mountain still looming above them. Jarl sighed as he looked around and shook his head.
"We''re gonna be stuck on this side for the night," he thought. "Why do I feel like we''re walking into a trap?"
"Because we are," Dale thought back. "Unfortunately the way out lays on the other side of it. We''ll just have to be very careful where we step until we''re off this blasted mountain."
"I can''t wait to see what the darkness has in store for us," Jarl thought sourly.
"I can," Kheri interrupted. "I don''t like this place."
"Neither does anyone else," Dale agreed.

As the evening began to settle into twilight, the path leveled off and ran across a more gentle slope of land. The air was thin and chill now, and the tops of the peaks looked more like towers than mountain crags. The company halted suddenly and sat looking at the what could only be a ruined castle laying directly in the path ahead of them. The walls had fallen in and lay in heaps of rubble, the one remaining tower jutted up out of the middle of the ruin, gesturing impolitely at the sky. Black vines covered with pure white flowers twined over the wreckage, a foul scent rising from them into the air.
Dale closed his eyes and dropped his head into his hands, shaking it.
"Why do I get the feeling," he thought, looking back at the ruins, "that I have just made the worst mistake of my life?"
The light was fading rapidly now and darkness rushed in to cover the landscape.
Dale took a deep breath, then dismounted.
"We have no choice," he told the company. "We can''t risk riding over this mountain in the dark, and it will be hours before the moon rises. We''ll camp here but no one strays from the fire tonight. For any reason. Especially we do not go near those ruins ahead of us until it is fully light. Understand me?"
The others nodded, glancing nervously about in the darkness, then swiftly set about making camp. Dale took first watch, too wound up to sleep, and the others settled down uncomfortably as the night deepened around them.
Rik placed his mat right next to Faran''s then slid under his blanket and lay there shivering, staring up at the stars.
"You ok?" Faran asked and Rik shook his head.
"No," he whispered. "I''m scared. I ain''t never been this scared before. Not even when my maw''d bring strangers in my room at night and make ''em do things to me."
"Dale''s watching," Faran reassured him. "Nothing''s gonna sneak up on him."
"I ain''t worried about stuff sneak''n up," Rik protested. "I''m worried ''bout wakin'' up dead."
Faran sat up and looked at him in the darkness, then drew his sword and studied it. The runes carved along it''s blade glowed with a faint, golden light and he felt protected slightly. He reached over and put the sword across Rik''s blanket.

"There," he declared. "That''ll keep anything from getting to you tonight. Now go to sleep. Sooner morning gets here, the faster we can get off this hellish mountain."
Rik glanced at the sword shining faintly in the darkness, then nodded and closed his eyes, willing himself to fall asleep.
Faran remained sitting for several minutes, watching the campfire flickering, then lay down as well and closed his eyes.

Slumber closed in at last on the company and the soft sounds of their breathing floated through the night air. Dale felt himself growing sleepy, lulled by the gentle, hypnotic sounds behind him. He paced, fighting the desire to doze, swinging his arms and wishing the moon would rise. The chill night air whispered to him of sleep and dreaming, sipping slowly at his will. He sat down tiredly on a rock and relaxed, then looked over at the ruins. The flowers on the vines glowed eerily, and a mist seemed to swirl about the top of the ruined tower. He blinked, then closed his eyes and fell asleep unwillingly.

Rik lay motionless, forcing himself not to open his eyes. He could feel the weight of Faran''s sword on top of his blanket but it did nothing to make him feel at all safe. He was wide awake, and fear was growing on him, pushing at him to race screaming down the mountain. He opened his eyes at last and sat up, quietly moving Faran''s sword off the blanket as he did so. The others were sound asleep, and Dale was sitting on a rock not far away.  Rik looked at him then swallowed.  Dale''s head was bent in slumber, and Rik had the terrible feeling that if a skeleton walked up to the camp now, no one would notice until it was far too late. He threw his blanket back and stood, intending to wake Dale, then stopped as his gaze fell upon the ruined tower. A glow surrounded it and he could see faint, glistening forms floating in the air. He watched, entranced, as the ghostly forms drifted nearer, beckoning to him, then he slowly began walking toward them. The ghosts floated close to him, moving silently around him, then one reached out a transparent hand and touched him on the face. His eyes rolled back in his head and he swayed, then followed blindly as the ghosts led him to the ruined castle, and down deep into it''s bowels.