by Eric Vall
Annalíse was quiet, her freckled face pinched into a frown. We all knew that female warrior wasn’t fond of dawdling or anything remotely close to time wasting. Even while the rest of us relaxed at camp, the princess often spent her time training or sharpening her sword or organizing our supplies. While I respected her need to stay on task and keep busy, sometimes she needed to take it easy.
Under normal circumstances, I would have agreed with the princess and urged us to push on, but with what I intended for Annalíse in the next few days, the princess needed to have this moment of relaxation before the trials ahead. No doubt we all did, to be fair, for times of levity were few and far between for me and my minions.
With that being the case, I got up and scooped up some snow in my hand. I packed it tightly into a ball, and without any hesitation, I threw it at the swordswoman. The snowball struck Annalíse’s shoulder, and she looked at me in surprise.
“What was that?” she asked as she narrowed her eyes at me.
“I think you know what it was,” I chuckled.
Annalíse calmly brushed the snow off. “So, it’s a war you want, is it?” the human woman said as her lips curled into a devious smile. Then she hurriedly stooped over to scoop up some snow, and as soon as she had formed a ball, she hurled it at me. I laughed as I hastily stood to my feet and prepared to return fire.
“Snowball fight!” Rana shouted as she and the others clambered to their feet. The curly haired fox quickly grabbed Carmedy’s hand, and together, they ran toward the far end of the cave. They hunched over and worked in unison to pile and pack together snow to form a defensive wall.
“So, we’re forming teams now are we?” I chuckled. “Fine then, it’s the two of you versus the three of us.” I gestured to Annalíse, Morrigan, and myself.
“No fair,” Carmedy said as she hurriedly piled more snow onto the wall. “There’s only two of us.”
“Don’t worry about it, pussycat,” Rana said as she added more snow to the side of the wall they were building. “They won’t get past this.”
“I will admit that was a smart move,” I shouted back. “Very quick thinking, but we have some defenses of our own.”
“We do?” Annalíse furrowed her brow.
Without another word, I parted my lips and blew downward into my open hand. A spray of ice burst from my mouth, and more ice gathered in my grasp. A few seconds later, it finished growing to formed a shield of ice in my clutches.
“Excellent,” Annalíse said as she opened her hand with a grin. I released another gust of ice and another shield quickly took shape in her open hand.
“They may have a barricade, but we have the Master,” Morrigan said with a mischievous smile as I crafted a shield for her as well. I had only just finished forming it when a snowball struck my thigh and another hit Morrigan’s back.
“We were not yet ready for combat,” Morrigan objected as she turned around.
“That’s what you get!” Carmedy giggled as she peeked over their wall.
“Yep!” Rana said with a wry grin. “This is war.”
The two women had completed their construction of the wall, and I could see that they each had a pile of snowballs ready to go. They each picked up another snowball in each of their hands and let fly with another volley of wintry doom.
“So that’s how it’s going to be?” I said as we deflected aside the two throws. “Annalíse, come over here with me, and we’ll shield Morrigan while she makes some snowballs for us.”
“Got it,” the swordswoman nodded, and she moved to stand beside me. The two of us held our ice shields up in a traditional phalanx formation in front of the she-elf while she got to work.
“Show no mercy, Carmedy,” Rana yelled to the feline as they continued to throw snowball after snowball. The white spheres struck our shields causing a small spray of white while a few missed us and landed on the ground beside us.
“Oh no, I’m out,” Carmedy said as she looked at the snow around her and hastily went about making more ammunition.
“I have completed my task,” Morrigan said as she moved forward to hand us some snowballs that she’d prepared.
“Alright, Carmedy is out, so now is the perfect time,” Annalíse said with a twinkle in her eye. “Charge!”
Together, the three of us moved forward with shields raised, and hurled a volley of snowballs toward our opponents.
“Agh!” Rana yelled as one of the snowballs landed on top of her head. The fox woman pinched her eyes shut and hastily shook her messy red curls to rid her hair of the snow. “Carmedy, you have to make them faster than that!”
We showed no mercy for their plight and continued to rain down our snowy fury. Another snowball landed on Rana’s shoulder, and another on Carmedy’s head.
“I’m trying,” the feline cried out as she desperately scooped up more snow.
“Wait, I have an idea,” Rana said suddenly. “I’ll make the snowballs, I’m faster than you. You use your slingshot to send these babies flying.”
“Of course, why didn’t I think of that?” Carmedy smacked her palm against her head and then squealed when a snowball hit the wall right in front of her.
The next thing I knew, the feline alchemist had her golden slingshot out with a snowball loaded in it. Carmedy squinted one eye shut and stuck her tongue out to one side as she prepared to take aim.
“Oh, crap. I forgot about Carmedy’s slingshot,” Annalíse said with a wince as she hurriedly tried to replenish our snowball supply under the guardianship of Morrigan and me.
“You’re in for it now!” Rana called out to us as she pumped her paw in the air. “Kitty cat! Fire!”
Carmedy let fly, and the snowball, guided by the slingshot’s magic, unerringly skimmed past our shields to splat into my head. The feline reloaded with remarkable speed and quickly sent more raining down on my teammate’s heads while Rana laughed evilly.
Amidst being pelting with snow, Annalíse managed to finish making a new supply of snowballs, and so, we moved forward once again.
“Faster, Carmedy, faster,” Rana said to the feline who continued to assault us mercilessly. “They’re getting closer.”
The accuracy of Carmedy’s magic slingshot made our advancement difficult, but it wasn’t enough to stop us. The three of us drew closer to the wall that the cat and fox hid behind, then we folded around the barrier to surround them.
“Surrender or prepare to meet a snow-filled doom,” I said as Annalíse, Morrigan and I stood poised with our snowballs reared back in our hands.
“Alright, alright, we give up,” Rana said as she dropped the snowball she had been holding and raised her paws in the air.
Carmedy looked around at us and then sighed as she lowered her slingshot. “We surrender,” the feline said with a smile. “That sure was fun guys, even though we did lose.”
“Yes, it was fun,” Annalíse said with a grin as she tried to catch her breath, “and we emerged victorious.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Rana waved her paw as she and Carmedy stood to their feet. “You may have won this round, princess, but we’ll get you guys next time. I want a rematch!”
“You’re on,” I said with a laugh. “We shall do so once our business on this continent is concluded.”
“Yes,” Morrigan nodded. “We readily accept your challenge. Your efforts will be in vain however, and once again you shall be conquered.”
“Ooh, Morrigan is trash talking.” Rana chuckled. “I like it.”
With our game now over, I raised the temperature of the cavern to a comfortable level and melted away the snow so that we’d be comfortable while we slept. While the others headed off to bed, Annalíse and I trained for a few hours before we finally called it a night. As we finished and settled down onto our own bedrolls, I turned my gaze to the princess.
“You’re making great progress,” I told her in a soft whisper so as not to wake the others.
“Enough for you to let me face my father?” Annalíse raised
an eyebrow.
“Perhaps.” I nodded to the human woman. “There’s one more test I have for you that will determine that.”
“What is it?” Annalíse leaned forward with eagerness in her eyes.
“You will find out soon enough,” I said as an enigmatic smile crept over my face. I could almost feel the frustration bubble up inside the princess at my non-answer, and yet, after a moment, she simply let out a soft sigh.
“Yes, Master,” she replied and settled down to sleep.
I let a more sincere smile cross my lips as I watched the beautiful woman drift off to sleep. Though this had not been the actual test, the fact that Annalíse had mastered her impulsiveness and emotions in this moment and accepted my words told me that she would almost certainly pass the true trial I intended for her.
With that, I settled down myself and dreamed of the victories to come on the morrow.
Chapter 17
Early the next morning, we awoke and had a quick meal before we broke camp. Usually, our mornings were filled with laughter and good-natured ribbing, but today my minions were rather quiet as they went about preparing to leave. There was a tension in the air, and I was sure that I knew what the cause of it was. They had all looked at the maps as we progressed and knew as well as I did that today would be the day that we would tunnel from Cethin’s dungeon into the bowels of the High King’s castle.
My companions followed behind me as I led us towards the nearest point to the castle, and I attempted to raise their spirits.
“I know that today is a momentous day,” I said to the others, “and I know that you’re all concerned, especially you, Annalíse. But know that no matter what happens in the castle, everything is going to be fine. Do you know why?”
“Why?” Carmedy asked me as she tilted her head to the side.
“Because I am your Master,” I said firmly, “and as a clever alchemist once said, you are the mighty minions. We’re facing this trial together, and together, there is nothing that we can’t accomplish.”
“That’s right!” Carmedy shouted as she pumped her fist into the air triumphantly. “Look out because here come the mighty minions!”
Rana could only chuckle at the cat-girl’s antics, and even the cold-faced Morrigan cracked a faint smile. Annalíse, however, still looked thoughtful. Then she picked up her pace to catch up to me.
“You mentioned something about a test last night,” she urgently whispered, “and we all know--”
I raised a hand to quiet the princess. “Yes, and you will find out soon enough, but first we have to get there.”
I thought for a moment that Annalíse would question my decision as her face screwed up, but then she let out a slow breath and nodded.
“Yes, Master.”
I smiled at that, pleased to see that my swordswoman had finally seemed to master self-control, even in this most personal of trials. She was ready, but there remained her final test. It would be very soon now, but first, we needed to get there.
I summoned my power and conjured up not only a contingent of ice demons to do our digging but, pulled from the ancient knowledge of the animal gods, a swarm of giant burrowing beetles, a species long gone from this world. The insects were as large as a man, and their burnished carapaces glittered in my minion’s torchlight as acid dripped from their multi-part mandibles.
“Every time I think I’ve seen the last creepy thing from you, demon man,” Rana mused with a smirk, “you manage to top yourself.”
“To improve upon one’s best is the path to greatness,” I replied with a dark smile. “Demon man?”
“Oh,” Rana cleared her throat, and her face turned a bit red. “Master. Sorry. Still getting used to that.”
“We will all get better.” I nodded to her and then gestured at the rocky wall facing us. With a mental command, my small army of demons and beetles rushed forward to tear relentlessly into the stone ahead.
From there, it was only a matter of time. With the addition of the burrowing beetles to the digging team, even the wait was not long. What wasn’t liquified by their acid was torn apart by their steely claws while any softer dirt or ice deposits were ripped through by my ice demons. My minions waited in expectant silence as Annalíse and Rana checked their weapons, Carmedy mixed a last few bundles of chemicals, and Morrigan meditated quietly with Macha and Fea.
Within an hour, I sensed that my beasts had broken through into an open cavern, and with a moment of concentration, I pinpointed their location as deep below the High King’s castle. Then I turned sharply, my cloak billowing as I looked to my minions.
“It is time to destroy all that stands in our path.”
The four women nodded, and then I led the way into the darkened tunnel.
Rana and Annalíse’s torchlight flickered off the stone and frost as my minions filed behind me. Whatever chamber my monsters had uncovered, there was no light coming from it, so we had only darkness to welcome us.
After about half an hour of trekking through the claustrophobic tunnel, we finally emerged into a shadowy cavern. Rana and Annalíse held their torches up to provide us with light, but the darkness was so vast that it seemed to swallow up the torch fire.
“Carmedy?” I said as I turned to the feline, but the feline was already loading one of her bundles into her golden slingshot.
Carmedy launched the pouch into the air, and as it burst at the apex of its flight, the cavern was filled with radiant blue light. After a moment of adjusting to the light, I swept my gaze across the immense cavern into which we had entered. My monsters waited diligently arrayed on both sides as we stood at the bottom of a pit-like chamber. The walls soared upward, and it was clear this was a natural space with craggy rocks and protrusions rampant. Most importantly, at the very top of the cave, I could just make out properly worked stone, centuries-old vaulted arches that supported a ceiling of granite slabs.
Annalíse let out a reverent gasp. “That has to be the foundation of the castle. It was carved from the very stone of the mountains, but I never knew there was a cavern below us.”
“No doubt because your family never knew,” I said as I nodded to myself. “Hence why we shall triumph today.”
“The element of surprise,” Morrigan added with a slow nod.
“But, Master, how are we going to get up there?” Carmedy said as she looked around at the walls of the pit. “Let alone get through those massive slabs of granite?”
“Parting the stones you shall leave to me,” I said with determination. “As for the rest, we climb.”
“Climb?” Rana and Carmedy said in unison.
“Are you sure that’s such a good idea?” Carmedy asked with a wince.
“Do you have any other ideas?” I asked with a knowing smile.
“Well, no, but…” the feline said slowly. “But… it’s super high up there, and I think I’d lose all my nine lives if I fall.”
“I will not let you fall,” I said. “So let us begin. Everyone, take out your ropes and climbing gear.”
Each of the women did as I commanded even if they all looked a bit uncertain. I couldn’t blame them, for the cavern stretched upward taller than any tower I had ever seen, hundreds and hundreds of feet of perilous rocks and sheer surfaces. Still, the natural crags and cracks would make the climb possible, if dangerous.
“Trust me, everything will be fine,” I reiterated and then gave the fox a twisted grin. “This will be a good opportunity to implement some teamwork eh, Rana?”
“Yeah, yeah.” The fox woman waved her paw. “Let’s hear this plan of yours.”
“We shall scale up the side of the pit and use these ropes, pitons, and gear to do so,” I explained simply. “For additional safety, we will tether ourselves into groups. Carmedy and Morrigan, you will tie your ropes to me, and I will be the lead climber in our group. Should you make a misstep or not grab a proper hold of the rocks, the tether will keep you from falling. Even if both of you should fall at the same time, I’m strong eno
ugh to keep us all anchored to the wall.”
I did not mention the obvious, that in a real emergency, I had multiple avenues of godly magic to ensure our safety. The less assurance my minions had, the more seriously they would take this challenge and thus learn more from it.
“Alright,” Carmedy said slowly as she and Morrigan exchanged somewhat doubtful glances.
“What about Annalíse and me?” Rana said as she put her paws on her hips.
“You’ll take the lead in your group Rana, and Annalíse will tether onto you,” I said to the fox woman. “You’re extremely agile as you demonstrated when you climbed atop that giant Snokka, while Annalíse is not as nimble as you, she is exceptionally strong. The two of you working in tandem can conquer this wall with ease, much as you have conquered each dungeon we have faced.”
“Oh, uh, yeah I did handle that pretty well didn’t I?” Rana said proudly as she slapped the princess’ back. “Don’t worry about a thing, Princess. This’ll be a cinch.”
“Yep, we will be an unbeatable team,” the swordswoman said as she playfully punched Rana’s arm.
With that, we went to work. With ropes tethered, pitons and hammers tucked into belts, climbing cleats strapped onto our boots, and the ideal route planned out by Morrigan’s ravens, I walked to the rock wall and took one last glance upward.
“One last thing,” I said as Rana and Annalíse came up to my right.
“Yes, Master?” Annalíse asked curiously as I turned my eyes towards her in specific.
“Consider your last test to start now,” I intoned gravely. “You have until we reach the top to produce a plan of attack for your father’s castle, one that will optimize our chance of success while sparing the most life among the population.”
I turned back up the crags ahead before she could answer. “We shall need every able-bodied fighting man to take over Tintagal, after all.”
There was only a brief silence that fell over the cavern before Annalíse replied with a simple, curt, “Of course.”
“Then let us begin.”
With that, Rana and I, the agreed upon leads for each team, reached up and grabbed hold of some of the protruding rocks. Once we each had a firm handhold, we dug the cleats on our boots into the rocks and up we climbed.