Free The Improbable Adventures of Scar and Potbelly: Ice Terraces of Crystal Crag by Brian S. Pratt Page A

Garrock’s.”
    “Let’s keep on as we have and if we run across him…”
    “See if he’ll help us get to Cara,” Scar finished.
    They left the clearing behind and continued up the eastern slope of the valley.
    After a bit the forest thinned somewhat and the going was easier. Trees with thick trunks towered hundreds of feet in the air creating a canopy that blocked the sun almost entirely. The underbrush dwindled beneath the forest cover.
    Shadows had grown long by the time they crested the ridge. At the summit the trees thinned a bit and they were able to get a good view of the other side.
    “Damn,” groaned Scar.
    The far side of the ridgeline descended gradually for a ways before coming to a drop off a hundred or more feet in height. Five streams flowed to the edge and over to cascade down to the valley below.
    To the north the ridgeline meandered for miles before disappearing behind the trees. Heading south would prove no less easy as it looked like the terrain was little more than gorge and steep ridges.
    “North or south?” questioned Potbelly.
    “Let’s find a campsite and make that determination in the morning,” Scar said.
    “Maybe taking the road and fighting our way through might have been better.”
    Scar shook his head. “No time to second-guess our decisions. We’re here now and need to deal with what’s ahead of us.”
    Potbelly dismounted and set about gathering wood while Scar secured the horses.
     
    The following morning, Scar woke to find a stranger sitting against a nearby tree. Brown hair streaked heavily with gray said the man was in his later years. He had a broad brimmed hat that had seen better days and he wore homemade clothes of buckskin. The man bobbed his head in greeting.
    “Morning.”
    Scar sat up and nudged Potbelly into wakefulness.
    “Uh, morning,” he replied.
    “Name’s Adam.”
    “Scar.” Gesturing to Potbelly, he said, “And this is my friend…”
    “Potbelly,” Potbelly finished.
    “Nice to make your acquaintance.”
    Scar and Potbelly scrutinized Adam.
    “Don’t encounter many strangers up in these parts.”
    “We sort of got lost,” Scar said. “On our way to Cara.”
    “Cara?” he asked, surprised. “Why you are a bit out of the way, aren’t you, friends?”
    “Took a wrong turn and before we knew it, were high in the mountains.”
    Adam chuckled. “Yes, that can happen very easily in these parts.”
    “What are you doing here?” Potbelly asked.
    “You mean sitting uninvited at your campsite?”
    Potbelly nodded.
    “Thought perhaps you had items to trade,” he explained. Then he pointed over to a fallen tree where his pack mule stood. “I have a wide variety of goods needful when in the hill country.”
    “No,” replied Scar. “We have everything we need.”
    “What we could use is a way to get to Cara without having to backtrack the way we came,” Potbelly explained.
    “Do you know these mountains?” Scar asked.
    Adam nodded. “Lived better part of thirty years trapping up here. There is a way to Cara,” he said. “A bit dangerous, but you could make it I’d wager.”
    Scar glanced to Potbelly who nodded. “Could you show us the way?”
    “Still have traps to clear,” he explained.
    “We’d make it worth your while,” offered Potbelly.
    “Yes,” agreed Scar. “We really need to get there as quickly as possible.”
    He considered their request for a moment, then nodded. “I suppose I could take you to Moonshine Rock. From there you can easily find your way.”
    Potbelly said, “We’d be most grateful.”
    “The traps yet to empty would most likely have yielded two golds worth of pelts.”
    Scar dug into his pouch and produced two golds. He handed them to Adam.
    “That easy, huh?”
    Shrugging, Scar said, “If you can get us through these mountains in short order, two golds would be more than worth it.”
    Adam held the two golds in his hand and stared at them a moment. “Guess I should have asked for more.