by Ephie Risho
“Nice drawing!” Amber said, looking over his shoulder. “You have a gift.”
“Thanks. It’s always been a hobby of mine.” Theo grinned and rolled the map up. “Time to get moving.”
Their journey down the mountain was slower than they would have liked, since the trees were so close together and there was underbrush everywhere. They meandered down a winding path used by deer and other wildlife. At one point, a large branch completely blocked their path. The underbrush was so dense that their horses would have had difficulty getting around.
Amber fixed her eyes on the branch and sensed its life force, then asked it to move. It slowly bent itself back away from the path. She lifted her hands instinctively and moved them in the direction she wanted it to go, which caused it to move faster.
Theo clapped his hands. “Way to go!”
She gritted her teeth and continued moving the branch till it was completely away from the path.
“That’s a nice little trick.” Basil sat upright in his saddle with his fists on his hips. “Keep it up!”
They continued, pausing every once in a while for her to move branches out of the way. Every time she used her powers, she grew a little more tired—so after a while she took a break and they moved around the branches the old-fashioned way or hacked at them with swords.
As they neared the base of the mountain, Basil suddenly stopped and raised his hand. “Quiet!”
Amber and Theo stopped their horses and listened. Basil took his sword out of its sheath and looked at it curiously. It was glowing a light orange color.
To their left they heard some muffled voices speaking in a guttural language. Amber quietly pulled her bow off and notched an arrow. Theo got a strange look of concentration in his eyes.
Suddenly, a brown hawk came flying low from behind them, circled Theo once, then flew toward the sounds.
“I think there are four of them. No wait, five.” Theo’s eyes glazed over, focused on something out of sight. “Definitely goblins. They’re walking through the woods. Heading away. I think we should just stay put.”
The goblin voices continued moving faintly into the distance, and Basil’s sword dimmed and finally went out. He held it out with a flourish. “Well, that’s pretty useful!”
Amber slung her bow on her back and sighed in relief. “That’s great, Basil! And, Theo, what did you do with that hawk? Can you actually see what it sees?”
“Well, not exactly. It’s not like I’m seeing through the hawk’s eyes. But I do get a sense of things—like what its reaction is to the things around it. I wasn’t controlling the hawk. I don’t know that I can actually do that . . . more like I can give it ideas. If it’s open to them.”
“Your powers seem to be the furthest along.” Basil sheathed his sword. “Can you keep that hawk around for a while, to keep a lookout for us?”
“I suppose I can ask it to. Yes.” Theo focused on the hawk again, and it did a loop around him before flying above the treetops.
They continued on their way and soon left the dense trees behind for shrubs, grass, and rocky terrain. With less trees, the next mountain had more routes, and Basil soon found a good, clear path. There were a few crumbly spots, but all in all, it was a fairly easy journey on their horses. They didn’t go straight up, which would have been too steep, but crossed back and forth, up and around the mountain.
The air felt crisp and fresh, and Amber wondered if they were near the sea yet. Theo tried asking the hawk to do some loops in the air and then land on his shoulder. The hawk obliged.
“Pretty amazing stuff, Theo,” Basil said admiringly. “Hey, see if you can get it to hunt for us. We could use some fresh rabbit.”
“Good idea!” Theo closed his eyes for a moment and the hawk flew off. Every once in a while, it would swoop down, then circle back to Theo. After an hour, it came back with a rabbit clenched in its claws.
“Look at that! It worked!” Basil grinned. The hawk flew to Theo and released the rabbit into his hands. Theo mentally thanked it and asked it to continue to circle and keep looking. The hawk once again obliged and flew above them.
As the sun dipped low in the sky, they started looking for a place to camp. They rounded a rocky bend and came across a cave. In front of it was a wide area with lush grasses, some protective trees, and good views of the area.
Basil dismounted and scanned the surrounding ground. “This seems like a decent spot. We could stay in the cave if the weather turns on us, and this area is mostly level. A perfect place to camp!”
Amber and Theo agreed and dismounted. They unloaded their food and camping gear from their horses and tied them to a nearby tree. As they began thinking of dinner, the hawk returned with another small rabbit.
Basil started making a fire. “Hooray! More fresh food! It’s enough for all of us, even the hawk. Let’s cook it up!”
Soon they were enjoying a warm fire and the freshly cooked rabbit. Theo thanked the hawk and gave it some food. He asked it to return in the morning; he sensed it was agreeable to that.
As they sat around the fire, Basil took another bite of rabbit and relaxed. “So, Theo, what’s it like having influence over animals?”
“It feels really normal, actually.” Theo looked into the dark forest, thinking. “I guess I’ve always done it, but I didn’t know it. Animals have always come to me, and I feel a connection with them. I never tried asking them what to do, though.”
“Yeah, that’s pretty cool . . . what you did today with that hawk.”
“For sure.” Theo took a bite. “What about you? Have you figured anything out yet?”
“It’s hard to say.” Basil held his hand up and twisted it around. “I wonder if I’m doing something, but I can’t tell. When I twirl my hand around like this, I feel like I’m moving the air, but then I guess that’s pretty normal, right? I don’t think I’m making it blow harder or anything crazy.”
“Huh. Don’t know.” Theo shook his head. “There’s also fire. Try seeing if you can do something with the campfire.”
Basil stared at the fire for a while. He waved his hand and the flames grew higher.
“Yeah, that’s it, Basil! Keep trying.”
Basil moved his hand again and watched the fire move with him. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s fire, and maybe it’s air.” He twirled his hands again, watching the flame dance in the same swirling motion he did. He was definitely doing something.
Amber watched, then grew tired and thought of her own powers. She closed her eyes and felt the forest around her. It seemed like she could tell more about what was where. She was even beginning to tell the difference between the types of trees.
Not that she knew what the different kinds of trees were called, but she could tell when one was tall with wide leaves and when one was short, wispy, and blew in the wind. She wondered how far she could sense the different plants.
Deep down she pictured the forest surrounding them, dense trees and vegetation in every direction. She pushed the feeling, and was able to sense farther and farther away. Eventually, the feeling dimmed, and she couldn’t sense any more, about a stone’s throw away.
She kept her eyes closed and focused on a nearby tree, trying to see if she could make its branch grow toward her. She opened her eyes. It was dark out and getting harder to see, but the branch had indeed grown in her direction, as she’d imagined. She thought about it having little twigs pop out of the side, and it did. Then she thought to have the branch do a little spiral, and it did.
But it wasn’t easy. Every time she encouraged the trees and plants to do things for her, she felt some of her energy drain. After a full day of trying out her powers, she wasn’t sure how much more she could do.
Theo interrupted her thoughts. “Anyone for a game of Castles?”
“Sure,” Basil replied. “But go easy on me! Maybe you can show me how you beat Sage.”
“Sounds good.” Theo pulled the game out.
Amber sighed. “Well, boys, I’m
pooped. Good night.”
“Good night,” they said in unison.
Amber slept instantly and deeply. In her dreams, she walked out into the forest, and the trees began talking to her.
“You’ve finally started to listen, Amber.”
“Well, I didn’t realize I wasn’t listening before,” Amber replied.
“Yes, but now you’re actually listening. Before you were barely there. We have so much to tell you.”
“Like what?”
“We trees know a great many things. We’ve been around a long time, you know.”
“Really? Like, you in particular?”
“No, no. But we live a long time. You people can live forty, fifty, maybe even a hundred years. We trees can live a thousand.”
“Really? And do all of you talk like this?”
“No. But many of us do. To people like you. We always have. We want to tell you so many things, Amber.”
“Like what?”
“We want you to know what it looks like when the land is at peace. When the trees are at peace. We can all live together, you know. The elves do that. You humans could learn a thing or two from them.”
Amber was intrigued. She knew, somehow, that she was dreaming, yet wondered if this was a real conversation. “What sorts of things do the elves do with the trees that we humans could do better?”
“Well, for one, you could work with us, rather than chopping us down all the time for your homes.”
“How would we do that—work with you?” Amber asked.
“Through people like you.”
“Ah. Of course.” Amber paused.
“And there’s something else you should know. It’s not just us trees that have important things to tell you.”
“Really?” Amber replied. “What else?”
“Remember to always pay attention to your horses.”
Amber listened. The horses were neighing and unhappy. She awoke with a start.
The fire had nearly gone out, and the others were sleeping. The moon had passed over, so it was particularly dark. Amber squinted toward the horses who were clearly upset. Her ears pricked when she realized there was a large, but quiet, creature coming toward them through the trees.
“Basil! Theo!” Amber whispered loudly. “Wake up! There’s something out there.”
Basil and Theo stirred awake, and Amber pointed. Basil quietly unsheathed his sword, which glowed a bright orange. The three of them rolled out of their beds. Amber took her bow, even though she could barely see a thing in the dark. Theo and Basil held their swords.
They waited in the dark, hearts pounding. Amber kept watching the woods, then caught her breath and whispered again, “There are creatures out there. They’re very large.”
The three edged closer together, when suddenly a huge troll leaped from the trees into the clearing, holding up a large club.
In the dim moonlight, its body appeared to be made of stone, with random formations all over its arms and back, almost like calcified rock growths. Its head was gruesome—a tiny nose, humongous mouth with fangs, and evil squinty eyes. There wasn’t an ounce of fat anywhere to be seen . . . a creature of muscle, stone, and power.
Amber let loose an arrow straight into its body. It penetrated the chest, but the arrow looked like a little pin prick in the enormous body. The troll clomped toward Basil and swung his club, an enormous wooden, spiky weapon.
The troll was so slow compared to Basil that he easily dodged to the side of the creature and leaped in, thrusting his enchanted short sword into its side, leaving a noticeable gash.
Basil jumped to the troll’s back side and thrust his sword again, before the creature whirled around, swinging its dangerous club directly at him. Basil rolled clear, far from the troll, scraped by some rocks and breathing heavily.
Meanwhile, a second troll came crashing through the trees into the clearing, wielding a similar spiky club. Amber fired arrow after arrow into the first troll, with seemingly no effect.
Basil jumped in and stabbed the second troll with his sword, penetrating the thick hide and causing the troll to grunt. Then Basil jumped back, fell over a tree root and rolled away.
With the second troll distracted by Basil’s attack, Theo stabbed at it, but his sword bounced off, leaving only a tiny nick. He ran away yelling, “My sword’s useless against them!”
Amber shot another arrow into the first troll, down to her last three. The arrow looked like a little twig on the troll’s massive body. “Basil, we need to get out of here!” she yelled.
“The cave!” Basil ran toward it at full speed. Amber and Theo quickly tore out, following him. The trolls clambered after them as the trio neared the cave entrance. One of them swung its enormous club and they felt the wind rushing just behind them. Too close for comfort. One blow would mean certain death.
The cave entrance was large, even for the trolls, and Amber had an awful thought: Is this their home? Are we running into our death? There was no time to change their minds. Basil’s glowing sword led the way into the cave and down a forked tunnel. He took a left turn, Amber and Theo still following him, as the sound of trolls crashing against the cave echoed loudly behind them.
“Ow!” Theo yelled after stubbing his toe badly, but he continued limping behind Amber and Basil.
The tunnel wound and narrowed, then opened again to a wider section with stalagmites all across the cave floor, requiring the kids to slow down so they wouldn’t accidentally impale themselves.
Basil’s sword continued to glow brightly, giving them enough light to see the piercing rocks. And also telling them they were far from safe. They made it through—but the trolls continued to close in. The sound of their large stomping feet and bulging bodies scraping on tight walls resounded in the larger room.
“This way!” Basil called, turning toward a tunnel that he hoped would be too small for the enormous creatures.
They continued to run and scramble over rocks and down tunnels as they split in various directions, taking them further into the cave. The passageway narrowed slightly, but the trolls were still clearly on their tail.
“Going into a cave was the wrong way to get away from trolls!” Theo moaned as he banged his knee on a stalagmite. “They’re so fast here, even with their size.”
“Well it’s too late now, isn’t it?” Basil’s eyes flashed angrily.
“Look!” Amber said. “A small passageway over on the left. Come on!” They veered into a smaller channel that the trolls would definitely not fit through.
“Let’s hope this isn’t a dead end!” Theo complained. “It looks like it might not go all the way through.”
But thankfully, the narrow channel didn’t seem to have an immediate end, and after a few minutes, the glow in Basil’s sword began to dim. Finally, it was so dim they couldn’t see the full passage in front of them, and they stopped.
They stood in silence, hearts pounding. The sound of their ragged breathing became somehow comforting. The area became completely still. They had survived an impossible encounter.
Theo was the first to speak. “I’m thankful to be alive. And I think we lost the trolls. But . . . I think we’re also lost.”
Amber and Basil stood quietly as the realization sunk in. They were alive, but all their belongings and their horses were out there with the trolls. They were in a huge cave system with many different passageways, no light source, and no idea which way they’d come.
Basil’s sword glowed more faintly until the light completely disappeared. The three were swallowed by complete and utter darkness.
18
Goblin Army
THE CAVERNOUS ROOM was eerily quiet as Lucio strode confidently through the giant doors to the throne room of the goblin king—an overweight hobgoblin, twice the size of the smaller goblins and hobgoblins standing around him.
He sat on an ornate throne holding a bronze scepter with ten small gems on the tip. He was as ugly as any goblin, with an enormous warty nose, flabby
green cheeks, and wide, pointy ears. A golden crown, embedded with precious gems around its circumference, rested on his head.
Dozens of goblins and hobgoblins lined the walls of the echoey room, watching the human carefully with their weapons at the ready. Torches burned all along the walls, flickering dimly in the large chamber.
“Your highness,” the dark wizard said smoothly. “How are your preparations going?”
“Bah!” The giant goblin snorted. He spoke the human tongue sloppily, sounding as if his mouth were full of marbles. “Goblin army best ever. But not what you want. Not so many.”
“Indeed. How many will you have gathered in the next month?”
“My kingdom . . . two thousand, including hobgoblins.”
“We may need more than that. Have you talked to the other goblin kingdoms?”
“Ha! Ha! Ha!” Spittle formed on the giant goblin’s lips. “Us goblins not all get along, you know.”
“You really think two thousand will be the most powerful army in history? Maybe you goblins aren’t enough?”
“What?” The giant green king stood and slapped his scepter in his other hand. “How dare you speak to me that way! Our army the greatest in entire land!”
“Of course it is.” Lucio eyed the scepter in the goblin’s hands and his right hand gently rested on the scepter at his own side. “Yours is the largest force around. But perhaps others might join? The other goblins across the land would benefit from working with a king as great as you. And I hear there are some giants in the south lands who could be useful.”
“Giants?” The goblin spat on the ground, and the goblins around him tensed. “Goblins never work with giants.”
Lucio turned to gesture to the other goblins around the room. “This army you’ve gathered . . . What if you were to encounter a powerful wizard?” With his back turned to the king, he snuck his scepter off his side and lifted it ever so slightly. The purple gem on the tip glowed, and he swirled slowly, pointing it all around the room. All the goblins instantly calmed down, including the king.