Chapter Fifty-Six: Whistling Woods

Rinold, guided by the Wiirê tracker Nehek, navigates a treacherous journey through predator-infested forests to reach Green Mountain, evading Histê patrols. After hiding from a burrowing begîk and enduring a foul-smelling paste for protection, the group—Rinold, Nehek, Edlmir, and others—moves cautiously east, frustrated by their slow progress and Nehek’s admission of being disoriented, though certain the Mûulbon River lies ahead. Spotting smoke from Ungûtu, a Histê town, Rinold identifies chained Silone and Kingdomer slaves, including the Wayfinder Kurin, and proposes a daring attack to free them, leveraging the sparse Histê guard. Despite Nehek’s concerns about Wiirê loyalty, Rinold’s plan unfolds: he kills a guard with a precise arrow, drawing others into an ambush where Edlmir and Nehek dispatch them, freeing the slaves who arm themselves and overrun Ungûtu. The victory yields a ragtag army of seventeen Silone, nine Kingdomers, and up to forty-seven Wiirê, but Kurin and Nehek reveal a looming threat: a Histê tutûlê (four to five thousand strong) approaches, with two more armies en route, likely targeting Green Mountain via the Far-Horizon Bridge. Facing impossible odds, Rinold orders a swift retreat to outpace the Histê, aiming to cross the Mûulbon at the bridge, bolstered by Kurin’s navigation and the group’s newfound resolve, despite the daunting pursuit and the eerie absence of wildlife signaling further dangers.

WoG Chapter 55 - Monkey Moles
WoG Chapter 57 — Mother's Dream
Whispers of Ghosts - Main Chapter Listing