“I’ve heard that too, but the fire will keep the beasts away, despite what you may have heard. You have nothing to fear, child. Go and rest.”
“You think I’m just a child?” she said, stepping close and looking up at him.
He returned the look. It was impossible not to see that she wasn’t a child. She was a woman in body, if not yet in experience. And she was comely too, her dark brown eyes full of hope and expectation. She looked at him with admiration and desire. It was something he’d only dreamed of in the past. No one in the castle at Splendora had ever looked at him with anything but revulsion or pity. He had traveled the length of Floralon with his father, and even then he never saw anything other than fear and surprise in the eyes of the women he saw.
“I think you are young and I don’t want to take advantage of the situation we are in.”
“What does that mean?” she asked.
“It means you are a beautiful young woman and I am the only man around. I doubt you would look at me the way you are now if we were in a town or village where you could have your pick of suitors.”
“Why do you think so little of me?” she said with a frown.
“I have known the worst of men, and of women for that matter. It is sometimes hard not to be cynical.”
She reached up, her hand slid across his chest and sent shivers down his back.
“All I want -” she began, looking up at the big warrior. But suddenly, and completely unexpectedly, she screamed.
Orin jumped back from her, startled, then whirled around searching the darkness for danger. He didn’t see the huge bird that was diving toward them out of the cloud-darkened night sky. The huge creature swooped down toward Via, who dove to the ground. At first Orin wasn’t sure what he was seeing. It looked like an eagle that had two snakes dangling from its talons, yet it was attacking them. Orin picked up a branch from the fire with his triangle-shaped fin appendage. He couldn’t grip things the way a normal man could, but he was able to hoist the burning branch over his head in time to see another of the bird creatures swooping down. To his surprise he realized that the eagle didn’t have snakes in its talons; the long, writhing serpentine bodies were attached to the birds instead of talons.
The creature was coming straight for him, and there was no time to react. One of the snake bodies flipped out like the cracker on the end of a whip and knocked the firebrand from Orin’s weak grasp. The other snake struck almost as suddenly. The ends of the snake bodies had no heads or fangs. It was as if the rear portion of great serpents had been somehow joined to the huge eagles in place of their legs and talons. The second snake hit Orin across the face as its tail coiled around his throat and the big warrior was jerked off his feet.
The snake body tightened and Orin gagged as his air was cut off. The strain on his neck was terrible, with his entire bodyweight pulling down against the thick snake coils that were digging into his soft flesh. Orin reached up to grab hold of the creature, only to have the other snake coil around his arm. The second snake took some of the strain from Orin’s neck and he managed to suck in a tiny breath. He could feel the downdraft from the eagle’s wings as it struggled to carry the huge warrior up into the air, but Orin was a fighter and refused to give up. He hooked his other arm over the body of the snake at his throat and used his core strength to rotate his lower body up over his head.
Two big boots planted hard on the eagle’s body, and when Orin thrust out, using his powerful back and leg muscles to pull free, the creature screamed in pain. Suddenly they were falling, the bird creature flapped its wings in a futile effort to break free. The snakes were in the process of releasing Orin when they hit the water. The big warrior continued to struggle against the creature as they plunged deep under water and pushed it away as his feet found the bottom of the river. With one jump he shot back toward the surface, the strange creature that had attacked him was lost in the darkness. Orin didn’t know if it had escaped or died in the attack. A scream from the shore caught his attention, and he swam hard toward the light of his fire, hoping he wasn’t too late.
***
Feray felt the magic stirring around her before she spotted the strange avian creatures overhead. The magic, normally strong and affirming, was suddenly shot through with a sense of coldness Feray had never felt before. She sat up, looking around the camp, knowing something was wrong when she heard a flutter of feathers. Rolo growled, rising to his feet in a flash. Feray looked up and saw what appeared to be a shadowy monster reaching out for her from the trees above. She rolled to her knees, and thrust a hand over her head. At the same time she funneled all the magic of the stoic trees and the powerful earth beneath her up at the creature, pushing it away before it touched her.
To her surprise the creature was hurled away into the nearby limbs of a mighty spruce tree. She heard limbs snapping and an avian screech before the creature fell silently to the forest floor. Another of the creatures dove toward Luc, and Feray watched in horror as the huge avian arched its body as it swooped back upward. The snake bodies that dangled from its underside reached out for Luc but Rolo grabbed the nearest of the serpentine limbs in his massive jaws and yanked the creature back to the ground. The eagle hit hard, while Rolo shook the snake body from side to side. The second serpentine appendage wrapped around the dog’s body as the eagle tried to rise back up.
Luc screamed in terror as Feray jumped to her feet and snatched up the leaf-shaped sword that Marc had forged just days before his death. The weapon felt good in her hand and Feray dashed toward the strange creature just as it managed to rise up into the air. Feray swung the sword hard, chopping down at the big bird’s wings. There was a jolt that traveled up her arm just as the eagle screamed in pain, and its feather-covered wing flopped to the ground. Blood poured from the wound, and the creature fell down again.
The snake appendage was uncoiling from Rolo’s body, but the big dog pounced on the fallen creature, this time finding its throat with his large canine fangs. Feray raised the sword over her head, thinking to help kill the abomination on the ground near her son, but another of the creatures attacked. One long, sinuous limb coiled around her upraised arm, the other wrapped down her face and head, before coiling around her neck. She felt the creature tug but Feray also felt the magical power around the creature and pulled it down toward her. The beast’s wings collapsed and it dropped toward the ground. Feray fell too, onto her knees, the snake body around her throat tightening to cut off her air supply. She saw sparks in her vision, but she also felt the joints where the snake bodies were fused to the abnormally large eagle where its legs had once been. She could feel the dark magic that was used to bond them together, a sickeningly cold power that she had never encountered before.
With one solid effort she pulled at the unnatural union of the two animals. It felt almost like pulling the stitches along the seam in a garment. The snake bodies were ripped away from the eagle, which flopped on the ground, screeching in pain. The snakes went limp and Feray flung them from her.
Luc was still screaming, and she knew she had to act quickly. There was no doubt in her mind that the creatures intended to carry them off. She didn’t know what they were, or where they came from, but they were obviously bonded and filled with magic. It sent shivers down her back at the realization that someone, somewhere was using the beauty of magic to do perverse things in the natural world. She moved beside Rolo, who was standing over Luc, blood dripping from his jowls as he growled.
“Don’t worry, Luc,” she said, a little breathless. “Everything is going to be okay.”
Feray’s mind was buzzing with the possibilities of magic and the feelings of danger just out of sight in the gloomy night, but she managed to stay calm until she heard a familiar wailing. Looking up, she thought she caught a glimpse of Via being carried away by one of the mutated birds and a cold knot formed in her stomach as she realized there was nothing they could do to save the poor girl.
***
Orin swam hard
. He could see the light from his fire, but he was too low in the water to make out what was happening. Yet the sounds from his camp carried easily across the water and it was obvious that the avian creatures had Via. Her screams faded as she was flown up over the tall evergreens of the forest and back toward the Mountain Veil.
As soon as Orin’s feet found the bottom of the river he charged toward the bank, using all his strength. The current had carried him several hundred feet from his campsite and once he was out of the water, he ran hard, his bare feet oblivious to the sharp rocks and roots that cut through his flesh. Via was gone and there was nothing he could do to stop that, so his attention turned entirely to Feray and Luc. He knew he had to get to them, to protect them before they too were carried away. He felt helpless and sick, even though he knew he was doing all that was humanly possible.
From across the river he heard screams and cursing. One glance was all it took to see more of the big avians rising into the purple, star filled sky. They had attacked the warriors sent to follow Feray, and it only took one glance to see that they weren’t faring well against the bird creatures. Two were already being flown back toward the river and the remaining three would be following quickly. Orin knew that if he wasn’t careful he might be next. There was no way to know how many of the beasts were in the dark trees overhead.
He darted between the towering spruce trees and sprinted back to the main camp. Rolo was barking as he caught sight of the glowing fire. The small clearing was filled with a dancing, yellowish light. He could see Feray, her husband’s fine sword in her hand. Rolo was next to her. Orin dashed into the camp, relieved to see Luc under the big dog, weeping quietly.
“You’re okay,” he said, between gasps for breath.
“If you count being attacked by monsters as okay,” Feray said. “What happened?”
“I was carried away from the camp, but I managed to break free and fell into the river.”
“Via was alone then?”
The question hurt worse than any wound or beating that Orin had ever received. He had failed the young woman, failed in his task to protect Feray. The realization made him weak at the knees with shame.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, his throat constricting and his eyes stinging with tears.
“It isn’t your fault,” Feray said. “You can’t blame yourself. No one saw these creatures coming. I didn’t even feel them through the magic around us, and I should have.”
“What are they?” Orin asked, stepping over to the one Feray had pulled apart.
“Some type of abomination,” she replied. “Fused together with magic. It’s foul, a perverted use of power, that’s all I know. I can feel it now, dark and cold. Something terrible created these creatures. Something incredibly sinister, and it’s after us.”
Chapter 9
Feray had to lay down with Luc to calm the boy’s fears. He had questions she couldn’t answer, questions that raced through her mind as she lay still by the fire. When she woke up, just before dawn, she was surprised she’d been able to sleep at all.
Orin already had most of their things packed up. The fire was extinguished and he was adjusting the saddles on the horses. Feray got to her feet and stretched. Her body was cold and stiff from hours of lying on the forest floor.
“I didn't mean to sleep,” she said.
“You needed it,” Orin replied, his voice totally devoid of any emotion, making it hard for Feray to discern his mood.
“We have to pursue those creatures and try to get Via back,” she said, probing to see what type of response she might get out of him.
“There’s no way to track a creature that flies,” Orin said.
“Those were magical creatures,” Feray said. “I’m sure of that.”
“Which means they will have gone west, over the Mountain Veil,” Orin replied. “Which is where we’re going. At least we don’t have to worry about the men following us anymore.”
“You think she’s lost?” Feray asked, a feeling of terror at the thought rippling through her and covering her skin with chill bumps.
“Maybe, maybe not,” he replied. “My guess would be that those beasts were here for you. Someone wants to control you and your power. I didn’t expect that or I wouldn’t have left you alone.”
“You couldn’t have known those creatures would attack us in the darkness.”
“No, but I should have been closer. I should have been here to help you and Luc. That is my sworn promise, not skulking by the river. I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry about,” Feray said. “We need only to worry about finding Via, if we can.”
She woke Luc and they led the horses until the sun was high enough to filter through the trees. Then they mounted and rode through the day. Soon birds were singing and woodland creatures were chirping as they rode past. Feray felt as if she were in a parade. The animals called to her, the birds flapping their feathers, and the squirrels chirping loudly. Look! Look! they all cried, anxious to gain her attention even for a second.
Orin was alert as they walked, surprised by the animals, but not speaking. Feray wasn’t sure what the big man was feeling. She didn’t know if Orin had acted on his feelings for the younger girl, and she could only imagine how his failure to keep her safe was tearing him apart inside. She felt terrible at having lost Via, even though she knew that there was nothing she could have done to save her. If Via had stayed in the camp with Feray, perhaps things would be different, but she had gone to Orin.
He hadn’t shared much about the attack, just that he’d been picked up before breaking free and falling into the river. There were bruises on his throat, and he kept looking up, expecting more of the dreadful avians at any moment. They had studied the carcasses of the creatures left in the camp, and it was obvious the avians had been magically formed. The eagle bodies were larger than any bird she had ever heard of. They were almost as big as a horse, their wings were huge, and Feray could feel a cold sense of magic infusing them.
The snake bodies where the talons should have been were simply abominable. To Feray’s mind it was a desecration of the natural world, and obviously the work of a demented sorcerer, which led to a question that had nagged at Feray’s mind since the attack. Crucifus had spoken of evil sorcerers in the past, but he had seemed hopeful that she was a beacon of light and hadn’t mentioned that she would have enemies in his lectures of the magical world. Why, she wondered, would he have omitted the danger? Could it be that she was the target of someone with powerful magical abilities? Perhaps her own newfound powers had drawn the danger out, she didn’t know, but she was certain that it would have to be dealt with in a decisive fashion. And she couldn’t help but wonder if she was actually ready to face another, more experienced sorcerer.
A fluttering through the trees made Feray’s heart skip a beat. She feared that the huge avians were back, but when she looked up among the dark evergreens she was delighted to see a white owl descending toward her.
“Marcel!” Luc shouted.
Rolo barked, as Feray held out her arm for the owl. It fluttered to a landing, fluffing its feathers and hooting softly.
“Well, this is a welcome surprise,” Feray said. “What have you seen, Marcel?”
The owl turned its head, hooting softly, before saying peace.
“We must be close to Asher’s cabin,” Feray declared.
“We’ll find it!” Luc shouted, bounding ahead with Rolo.
“I didn’t know we were looking for the cabin,” Orin said. “I thought we were pushing for the pass through the Mountain Veil.”
“We are,” Feray agreed. “But it wouldn’t hurt to get a few more supplies from Asher’s home. They’ll go to waste if we don’t and—”
She stopped speaking mid-sentence. Orin looked around in alarm, but he couldn’t see what had captured her attention. In the shadows of the Evergreen Forest, a bright glow filtered through the trees ahead.
“What is it?” Orin said.
�
�I don’t know,” Feray admitted. “Something ahead of us… it’s glowing.”
Orin didn’t argue, he just looked harder.
“I don’t see anything,” he stated. “There’s no smoke. I don’t smell anything.”
“I think it’s magical,” Feray said. “I think it’s coming from Asher’s cabin.”
“But the old man is dead, isn’t he? We buried him.”
“It can’t be Asher,” Feray agreed. “At least I don’t think so. But there’s obviously something ahead.”
She moved quickly through the trees and into the soft, golden light. It reminded her of sunset, yet the light wasn’t coming from the sun. It didn’t even glow down from above, instead it seemed to hang in the open space around Asher’s cabin. She could see the light glowing and swirling around Luc who jumped and ran through the yard. It was a beautiful sight, and Feray stood at the edge of the clearing for several moments.
“What is it?” Orin asked.
She hadn’t even noticed him moving close, but he was right behind her.
“Magic,” she said with a smile.
The little cabin in the woods was surrounded by a strong, healing magic. Feray couldn’t say exactly how she knew what the golden light was, but she could feel the magic’s intent. It wasn’t Asher’s ghost, but his presence in the small cabin for many years had drawn a great amount of magical power to the place. She went to his grave, but there was no sign that the magic was coming from his body.
Marcel fluttered among the rafters inside the house and Orin collected the horses which were still in the stable. The milk cow was gone, but Feray’s old horses were still there, along with an old saddle and tack.
Inside the cabin, Feray collected the dried herbs and wildflowers, each was practically brimming with unique powers. They gathered blankets and there were dry goods that would come in handy. Feray felt a little strange riffling through the old hermit’s things, but she knew he wouldn’t need them, in fact most of the items wouldn’t even be of value to most people.
The Man With No Hands Page 6