by Conny Conway
“Ah, you heard of me.” Ruebezahl roared with laughter. “Believe me, I’m not as bad as humans,” he spit the word in disgust, “want you to reckon.”
“This depends on how you see it. I don’t think of skinning people alive, stumping them into the ground, murder them and then boil their guts in soup as nice.”
The giant grunted, “Those deeds were just sentenced.”
The winged man drew up his brows in question.
“If you hurt the creatures, plants and beings under my care, desecrate my grounds, my forests, my hills, if you poison my creeks, lakes and ponds, if you annihilate what is mine, don’t you think you deserve to be punished also?” The immense green head bellowed in ferocity.
Even though fear struck Lann’s heart he did not cringe.
All the same this statement had some truth to it.
Human beings did not care what they obliterated in their wake of a better, sweeter living and they spread like a pest in the world.
Magic and wild life, nature and supernaturalism were pushed back each day, inch by inch.
He swallowed then nodded.
“I do see where you come from.” he replied simply.
“So you’ll not mind that I will force an escort on you, while you’re in my realm? She will be off help to you as well as my eyes and ears. She’ll report daily as she supervises your journey through my woods. Don’t count on her as a guide, she is smart but she has no sense of directions. She’ll show which berries, mushrooms and plants to eat and which to avoid. Pointing out wild life deemed to die in any case soon, but not to sicken you with its meat, is one of her favors.”
The golden man had to think just a little while it seemed, he didn’t wanted to be too eager to have such an organizer by their side, in mock he cringed at the thought of a spy in their middle.
He was certain they had nothing to hide, nothing that might upset the balance of Ruebezahl’s dominion.
He understood very well how delicate the scales of nature swung, just one wrong step of the path, the accidental death of a specific worm and the world could end in a few years.
Therefore he didn’t fight the emissary, which the giant was planning to bestow them with.
He finally agreed with a groan.
“Good than this is settled.”
The monstrous face laughed thunderous.
He whistled and from behind a tall cedar a delicate, green clad woman appeared. She could have been a beauty in her moos colored garbs, red hair and sinuous lips, but her face was marred by an ugly green tattoo over her left eye. Her eyes were hidden by the shadow of her hood. Her head was buried in that hood of her cloak, her left hand held on to a staff, which was nothing else but a petrified tree limb crowned in a knob, which enclosed an emerald on the top.
The gem was natural, not cut to bring out its brilliance. It looked like an ordinary green stone, but Lann had caught a glimpse when the sun had broken through the canopy of trees for just a small second. Then the gleaming had vanished and the rock was just that, a rock which one might find at the edge of a river, the size of a fist.
“You called, Master?” the female druid inquired.
“Yes, my dear Derowen. Meet my new friends this is, hm, I must have forgotten your name.”
“I never told you.” The warrior countered. “My name is Lann.” He said as he turned to the druidess.
The woman bowed her head in gratitude, but her mouth kept quiet.
“I want you to keep an eye on him and his companions, a colorful bunch, I admit. Anyway, help them to define edibles and no edibles. Make sure they treat everyone and everything with respect, just as all should show them regard. Be my eyes and ears.” Ruebezahl boomed. “This is very amusing, a blind druid being my eyes. Ho ho ho ho.”
His laughter lingered in the echo long after the green Face had vanished, without fare well.
“Uhm,” Lann cleared his throat, not really knowing what to say. He picked up the rabbit and gave the druid a signal to follow him back to his companions.
“I wondered, where you have gone.
I also wondered if you’ll be done,
With us here waiting for you to come back…”
“Now you are here, so what the heck.” Willie interrupted Whiplash rudely. The small cat just said “Hmpf.” and turned his shoulder to the wisp, which mumbled incoherently about damned fur balls, being annoying, maybe not even housebroken and so on.
“Never mind those,” Lann spoke to woman.
” However please, meet Shiloh and Xylophia. Those two floating are Willie and Whiplash.”
“Well, I wondered where you have gone to. I should have known you would find a damsel in distress.”
Shiloh’s eyes lit up to see the winged man, but darkened a little as she encountered the green clad woman, which followed him, head held low, but she raised it as soon as Lann spoke to the human.
He snickered as he exclaimed.
”Meet Derowen, she’ll be with us as long as we will be in this wooded area.”
Again the druid bowed her head.
” Call me Derwa, please. Only the master calls me by my full name.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Shiloh held out her hand in greeting, waiting for the woman to take it. She was about to withdraw it as Derwa took it and shook it gently but firm.
“You must be human.” Derwa concluded.
“Yes, I hope you won't hold it against me.” The human joked.
“Oh no, not at all. We are who we are.”
The druid still shook the female's hand, but then let go abruptly.
The unicorn had sneaked up and peered at the new arrival.
Again with a little belated reaction Derwa bowed her head towards the white beauty.
” I am honored to be in the company of a unicorn, the last one of its kind.” She exclaimed.
Xylophia returned the bow of the head.
”And you’re a druidess.”
“Yes, white one.”
Whiplash floated to Shiloh’s shoulder and settled there to greet the green lady. Willie did the same only he settled next to Lann.
“Hi, he’s Willie. He feels sorry for you, soon you’ll have to listen to the rhymey chimey shit from that fur ball over there.” he grunted in dismay.
“Oh.” Derwa didn’t know an answer to this coarse introduction.
“The wisp is wrong,
And it can go,
You, though, come along,
With it I’m through.” The feline spoke majestically.
“Well, thank you, I guess.” the druid spoke uncertain.
Shiloh wrapped an arm around her shoulder in friendship.
” You’ll get used to their bantering.” She said.
Then she looked in shock to her abdomen, which had growled loudly.
“I’m sorry, I haven’t eaten for a while.”
“That’s what I’m here for, Master said to help you in finding food. Explain the laws of the wilderness and that you’ll follow those guide lines.”
“Your Master?” The human female inquired.
“Yes, Ruebezahl.”
“Are you this, this ….macho’s slave?”
“Slave? No, I’m a free druid.” Derwa retorted. “What is a macho?”
“A male in a power frenzy with too much testosterones than he himself can handle.” Shiloh snorted.
Lann shot her a blazing gaze.
“Hey, I didn’t say you were one. Besides you know how to handle your hormones very well.” The female snickered and gifted the warrior with an intensely hot glance, which was not lost on the demigod.
His cheeks flushed.
“Well, let’s do something about the monster in your belly.” Derwa suggested after Shiloh’s abdomen reminded them about the food situation.
“Lann, if you don’t mind light a fire, while I skin the rabbit. Willie, take Shiloh to the creek just over the mound, she’ll find white mushrooms under the stones. Whiplash, would you please fly up
to the canopy of the trees, between the mistletoes grows another plant, it has red fruits, please fetch about five of ‘em. And you, my Lady unicorn, if you go around the knoll, you’ll get to a clearing. The sweetest grass grows there. A gurgling fountain from out of the rocks will serve just fine to quench your thirst after you ate from the grass. Don’t drink before, you fill your need to eat, before the next grass will be available, edible for your kind, we will have to walk for a while.”
No one commented against Derwa’s orders, all were to intend to get food in their tummies.
Chapter 8
The chandelier in the great hall was swinging peculiarly. The echo of Balor’s cussing hunted through the entire palace caves.
The pillar, which he had struck, had cracked and a fine web of lines marked the black marble.
East Anglia and Black Shack cowered behind their Master’s throne, they knew better than to be in his sight when he was in that foul mood.
“I would have never thought they would make it out of Hell hole. Now they are past the river of lost souls. Where are your minions, Marcus?” He barked at the heavily armored gladiator, which was his first in command.
“My liege, the troops are on the track.”
“I need to know what they are doing, what they have planned; if the fates are on their sides. I need to know.” He hollered again.
The roman fighter stood his ground.
He was not afraid of Balor, the God of death and destruction had nothing to scare Marcus with anymore. He had tortured the Roman with all his might, he had killed him over and over again, he had gelded him, ripped of limbs only to heal him, to make him his masterpiece, make him the tool of his destruction, his right arm.
The single red eye burned into Marcuse’s mind, or what there was left of it.
“I need to know!”
“Then send a spy. Integrate one of your trustworthy, my liege.”
Balor stopped pacing and bore his glare into the milky eyes of the Gladiator.
“Who would you recommend?”
“I would recommend the Houngan.”
“Why him?”
“The Bastard can turn anyone and anything into a zombie, bit his willing, as such he could send them to you to deliver the newest information.”
Balor shut us eye and pondered.
“Not a bad idea, not bad at all.”
“You do realize though he will ask for rewards, my Liege?”
“Yes, yes, he shall have his reward. Anything he wants.”
“He will ask for the worm.”
The God of destruction looked up.
” He can’t have that! I need the worm when the war with the above will start.”
Marcus didn’t flinch.
“Then trick him, make him believe you’ll give him the worm.” In his mind he added that lying came easy to Balor.
His master called for Adramelech, the demon king of fire to send a message to the Voodoo priest, informing him that his king needs his services.
The companion were sated with food and drink, smothered the cooking fire and started to walk again.
Every so often when the terrain got too thickly overgrown, the path too gnarled by roots, Derwa fell a little behind.
At first Lann had asked her if she needed a rest, but she denied, keeping her eyes towards the ground.
Shiloh and the druidess had chitchatted just to get to know each other a little better, but the green druid had not given up a lot about her own personality, just about the terrain, the plants, animals and fairy folks, which inhabited this area.
Something about the druid made Lann wary, he couldn’t pin point it thus far.
The heat of the afternoon diminished and nightfall was settling, bathing the forest with mysterious shadows.
“I don’t know about you all but I’m exhausted.” Shiloh announced.
“How about we break camp here. Look, over there is a similar tree like last night, where we could nestle in.”
“I agree, we should rest, we have no clue what will come our way tomorrow.” Lann couldn’t bite his tongue, he still didn’t trust the green woman.
She heard the lame sarcasm but stayed quiet.
Shiloh shot him a nasty look, which made him growl.
Swiftly despite their fatigue they climbed the leaning tree to discover similar cubicles as the other tree had been, it could have been a twin of it.
The angle was also the same and Xylophia had no trouble to clamber up the trunk
. Derwa snuggled up to the unicorn and Whiplash, which glowered at the willow wisp.
“How shall we sleep?
Too bright you shine.
The darkness should be deep
When the stars align.
This light, as bright as day,
Derwa needs to rest,
Shush, just go away,
The two of us will stay in the nest.”
“Whatever!” The wisp muttered and turned even brighter.
“Don’t worry about me. I will be fine. I don’t need much sleep.” The druid said mildly.
“You go then, fleabag.” Willie grumbled.
The flying kitten took off and floated to the next chamber, where she found Shiloh sound asleep in the warrior’s muscled, ripped arms. Her head resting on his chest.
The steady beat of his heart had been her lullaby.
Whiplash floated quietly to Lann’s other arm and settled down gently, whispering.
“The damned wisp steals my rest,
Interrupts my sleep.
Nice darkness in your nest,
For sleep I weep,
May I lay me down?
Here next to you,
I beg, wont frown
Won’t bother, too.”
He asked in his melodic purring voice.
Lann directed the cat to lay down with a nod of his head, then he buried his face back into Shiloh’s thick hair, kissed the top of her head, and held her tight and warm, though he didn’t sleep.
He held watch over the human while he pondered, what would become of them.
Realizing how much she meant to him, his heart cramped up as he thought of the future. How could anything more than sex be between them, however he already knew this was more. He had caught his heartbeat flutter, watching her swiping her hair out of her eyes, had seen fear in her eyes but her face showed a stubborn smile, she defied him, yet pleased him, her voice was like a song to him.
The golden man shut his eyes.
Desperate he tried to steer his thoughts in a different direction.
Derwa.
What was it with this woman, why couldn’t he get himself to trust her?
There was something about the druid, mayhap it was that none of them knew anything about her and she didn’t answer any inquiries about her own person, maybe because she was connected to that ogre Ruebezahl.
Lann didn’t find the answer.
Though Derwa seemed nice, helped where she could, always a little belated as though she had to think about the questioned subject or as to orientating herself.
Before she handed everyone some berries and roots for supper, she had smelled them thoroughly as if she could smell out some poison.
Most of the time her head was bowed, her gaze to the soft ground. Since the moment Ruebezahl had introduced her she had not once lifted her head to offer a look into her eyes.
That’s it, he thought.
It’s like she is denying them to peek into her soul.
She was hiding her motives.
Yet, what could those motives be?
If she was a danger to them, she could have given them poisoned food, she had not, in fact quite the opposite. She made sure no one would eat anything without her approval, same applied for water.
The little useless waste of fur had landed by a creek to quench his thirst, it had taken Derwa again just a little delay of time before she had warned the cat, this water from the creek would turn him over time into stone, after he would suffer in agony for
a while.
The fleabag had returned to Shiloh’s shoulder in a heartbeat.
Ten yards later the druid had clipped a leaf of a bush, handed it to the feline and advised to suck the juices out of the greenery.
The fluids must have tasted exquisite, because the little flea bag had described it widely in a poem.
So what was the green woman hiding?
It couldn’t be fear, yes, she was shy but not terrified, besides there was no reason to be afraid.
This terrain was her home, she knew the dangers and horrors better than any of them.
Maybe contact with other beings.
No, this also was unthinkable. She was polite and answered in a self-secured tone of voice.
Maybe shame of her being slow at times, Lann contemplated. This could be the case. Mayhap the druid thought herself a retard. But then again no, once she stepped into action she was unstoppable, and the advices she gave took at times the form of a small order or command.
The druidess was self-assured certainly, except that she was slow at times, as processing the happenings a little too late, a little off, especially in rougher terrain as she had to make sure of her footing, as to first testing the safety of…..
It couldn’t be, could it?
Every time she was delayed had to do with her vision.
When the freaking cat was about to drink, she had not actually looked at the cat, she had not heard his wings fluttering, but she had audibly heard the droplets of water.
Then the roots in her path, she had to feel them bar her way.
She had not seen the berries and roots, but inhaled their aroma, same for the leaf she had offered the flying purple ball of fur.
By all Gods, she was blind.
Lann almost jolted up, but he felt the soft hair on his chest and shoulders, heard the human’s breath, felt her silken skin on her waist, where he had been holding her close to his own body to extend his heat to her, so she wouldn’t catch a chill.
He relaxed a little, cat still next to him, the head on the nape of his neck, purring into the warrior's ear, a relaxing noise, soothing.
A small smile drew up the corners of his lips, Shiloh and her Matagot.
Chapter 9
“The sun is up,
The dark is passed