A burst of white light … and the enormous blue dragon form of Iskandor blocked out the light of the moon.
Hundreds of screeches suddenly became one, and brownie and pixie alike were scrambling for cover. Thinking quickly, I thrust out my right hand, using my powers of telekinesis to stop two brownies in their tracks. I was shocked to find that it didn’t require as much concentration as I thought it would, even holding two brownies in place instead of one.
All of the rest of the brownies and pixies disappeared out of sight—except for Ceiridwen.
A little perplexed that she was the only one of the two races who didn’t flee, I frowned at her thoughtfully, all the while still holding the two brownies in place with my powers.
“You’re not going to hurt us,” she said, answering my unspoken thoughts. “You’ve been far too respectful to us since you arrived to be so cold-hearted.”
I smiled at her. “I am sometimes mistaken for a demon.”
Ceiridwen rolled her eyes. “Please … you are no more a demon than I am a big, hairy minotaur.”
I chuckled, then turned my attention back to the two brownies, still trying desperately to get away, their little legs running, but not bringing them anywhere.
“Derrick, would you please grab them?” I asked, not wanting to break my concentration and grab them myself. I also didn’t want to risk using the telekinesis to bring them to me—I was already happy with myself, and I figured I’d better quit while I was ahead.
Derrick did as I asked, and I released the two brownies from my powers, grateful that I was able to do so — using them was starting to wear me out.
“Listen to me very carefully,” I said to the still-struggling brownies, who were wriggling and kicking, doing everything possible to break out of the big warrior’s grasp—a fruitless task at best. “The pixie is right—I have no intention of hurting you. It seems we have been sent to you for help, and it would be much appreciated … right, Ceiridwen?”
As I was speaking, the brownies slowly ceased their struggling and were listening thoughtfully by the end. When I turned to Ceiridwen for agreement, they both turned to hear her answer with anticipation.
Ceiridwen, on the other hand, was in complete and utter shock at being called upon for approval. I knew she would be, and I flashed her a wink — I was counting on our charming exchange earlier to pay off, and I prayed that I wasn’t wrong.
Ceiridwen caught my wink, and pressed her lips tightly together, rolling her eyes slightly. Clearly, this wasn’t going to be easy for her.
“Oh yes,” she began, “calling upon your, um, intelligence” she almost choked on the word— “we should help these nice strangers out.” She spoke each syllable separately, much like you would if you were speaking to one who doesn’t hear so well—or like someone who obviously doesn’t believe a word they’re saying.
One of the brownies, who had no hair on his head except for a short beard, as well as a face that was pointed (kind of like a jackal), narrowed his eyes at the pixie. “We know you’re full of rat crap,” he said to her before turning his head toward me, “but we believe you. Also, we have great respect for Aurora—if she’s with you, then you must be okay. We’ll come with you.”
The other brownie, who had a rounded face and long hair that seemed to stick out every which way, nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, yeah … you nice to us!”
“What are your names?” I asked.
“I’m Tandem, and this here’s Mishap,” the pointed-faced brownie answered.
“Let me get this straight,” Kirra said. “The … brownies” she clearly wanted to call them something derogatory— “that we are now bringing with us to fight an ancient evil are named Tandem … and Mishap? And we think this is a good idea?”
I ignored Kirra. “Tandem and Mishap … thank you for agreeing to help us.”
“Do we need two pixies to get approval from?” Mirabelle asked Ceiridwen.
The pixie just shrugged. “Everyone knows it takes two brownies to equal the work that one pixie can do.”
“That filthy lie!” Mishap yelled. “You know nothing but fly around and make dumb insults.” He then crossed his arms and looked away from the pixie. “You know nothing.”
“Mm hmm,” Ceiridwen muttered. Then she fluttered around in all different directions before settling into a sitting position, legs crossed, on my shoulder. “Besides, I wouldn’t want any of the other pixies trying to steal away the catch that I found.”
I flushed, slightly embarrassed, and I heard Kirra say, in slight despair, “Before our quest can even begin, it nearly comes to ruin … because of bugs.”
CHAPTER 9
From there, we settled down to camp not far away, in a small grove of trees. Once settled, we all did our own things for a while—interestingly, Iskandor took an immediate liking to the brownies and pixie, and called them over, along with Aurora, to discuss their culture. Later that night, he would tell me some of the things he learned, such as the true strength of the brownies, which lay in the making of poisons. Poisoning their arrows and spear tips was how they dealt with larger foes, and the brownies did so with a vast array of various types of poisons. There were regular poisons, of course, designed to kill over time or severely weaken an adversary. But they had others that could charm someone, make them fall asleep, or even insane—along with many others no one had never even known existed. Poisoning weapons, of course, was not uncommon at all, but the fact that the brownies had created so many different poisons that were foreign to Iskandor astounded him. He told me that the brownies may well be the greatest alchemists in the world. They could also communicate with animals, often traveling by bird or four-legged rodent.
They also had a penchant for pranks—before the end of the night, they had put a bunch of squashed grapes into one of Mirabelle’s pouches. When she reached into it, her hand came up a purply, sticky mess.
Kirra found this very amusing.
The pixies were also very unique, though in a very different way. While the brownies were the same as every other race in the world (that I could think of, anyway) in that they consisted of both males and females, the pixies were an all-female race. This led to questions concerning the birth of new pixies, which Ceiridwen explained by saying that once a year, the pixies were able to use their powers to create magical, crystallized cocoons in a special tree, called the Tree of Life. This specific day was referred to as the Day of New Birth. Also, as demonstrated on Derrick, it was clear that they possessed vast magical power.
Derrick and Kirra sat together, as always, engaged in conversation, while Mirabelle sat a small distance from the group, seemingly lost in deep thought. I thought about going over and trying to talk to her, but something inside me said that I should leave her alone—she needed some solitude to sort out her troubled thoughts. But it pained me to be apart from her, especially when I knew that it was me she was upset with.
With everyone occupied, I walked a short distance away to work on my powers. I succeeded in levitating several objects, and even succeeded in making an object hover closer to me before I lost my concentration. But I was pleased; I was making marked progress in harnessing my powers. It was a tide of satisfaction in my sea of turmoil, but it was hardly enough to allow me to sleep peacefully. So I got back up and found Iskandor watching over the camp. I walked over to him and sat next to his giant leg.
“Can I ask you a question, my friend?”
“Of course,” Iskandor answered.
“Back in Severance, when Tawnya brought up the other dragons, you looked … hurt. Why?”
The dragon was silent for a moment. “It’s nothing you need to be concerned with, Aidan.”
I stood up and faced him. “Iskandor, you can tell me. What’s going on?”
His giant yellow eyes were trying unsuccessfully to hide his pain. I hated seeing him this way—I wanted to do what I could to help.
Iskandor sighed. “Aidan … I don’t wish to speak of this right now. One day,
I’ll tell you … I promise.”
I really wanted to help him, but it was clear that he didn’t want any help. So I simply nodded and touched him affectionately on the side of his neck. Then I laid down and tried to rest.
The next day, we were ready to travel back to Delmar and make further plans. The day was overcast and cloudy, the air crisp and cool.
The group was quiet and somber. Ceiridwen hovered among the group, and the brownies were settled into one of Aurora’s pouches. Derrick and Kirra walked together. Iskandor walked alone, as usual, as did Mirabelle. My heart ached to talk to her, to explain myself—but honestly, what could I say? Nonetheless, the longer I was apart from her, the lonelier and more isolated I felt.
But I didn’t actually travel alone—Ceiridwen fluttered nearby, humming to herself. She had clearly taken a liking to me, though I had no idea why.
The trail back to Delmar took us through some mountains. Perhaps it was just me, but the mountains themselves seemed to warn me to stay away—the air got colder, the jagged spikes of the mountains glared down at us menacingly. There even seemed to be growling coming from them—almost like a mean dog warning its foe to stay away.
“Stop it,” I muttered to myself. “You’re being a child.”
The trail through the mountains was very narrow. Contrary to the threatening nature of the mountains, the general atmosphere seemed pleasant, although the air was a bit chilly. The sun peeked out from behind the clouds, and the sparse wildlife made their presence known—I saw a billy goat skipping around on one of the mountain peaks. It seemed to be following us for a while, before it eventually disappeared.
I increased my pace to catch up with Iskandor, who was still in human form. “Is it just me, or do these mountains seem to be … evil in some way?” I asked.
“Evil lurks everywhere,” the dragon answered simply. “Especially in the hidden places of the world.”
Informative, but at the same time, not very helpful. I didn’t respond.
Suddenly, Iskandor stopped dead in his tracks.
“What?” I whispered after a moment.
“An evil presence is nearby,” Iskandor responded.
“Sirak?”
“No way to tell for sure.” He turned to the others and kept his voice low. “Be cautious—we’re walking into danger.”
We all readied our weapons and traveled on. I didn’t sense anything out of place as Iskandor had, but one thing was for sure—the air was definitely still, and it had become very quiet.
I looked behind me and saw Mirabelle ready, longsword in her right hand, dagger held underhand in her left.
And then the sky fell on me.
I heard yelling, I heard weapons clashing, I heard battle cries …
But most of all, I heard Mirabelle yelling.
We had been ambushed, and that sent me into a rage. Against my will, my powers surged along with my anger.
Ther-lor were piled on top of me—they must have gotten the jump on us from an unseen ledge.
Roaring, I sprang to my feet and threw the Ther-lor off of me, sending them flying and lightning bolts in all directions. I still held my swords, so I was ready to fight.
The space around me cleared momentarily, I spared a look around. Everyone seemed to be okay, for the most part, but that wouldn’t last very long.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw three Ther-lor closing in on Aurora—
“Aurora!” I yelled — and then I just stood there, mystified.
The young girl, seemingly not the least bit rattled despite the danger all around her, threw her hand out in front of her at the Ther-lor. The trio froze in their tracks, and then after a moment, turned and began to fight their own brethren.
She is powerful …
I turned my attention back to the matter at hand. We had been suddenly attacked by about thirty Ther-lor. Their presence meant one thing—Sirak, or at least one of his lieutenants—must be nearby.
But that didn’t matter right this second. I focused my rage on the nearby Ther-lor. One of them swung its sword at me—I dodged to the left and slashed it across the neck, incapacitating it but not killing it. Another attacked and I dispatched it quickly, but I suddenly realized that there were too many, and they had the advantage of surprise. Fighting back head-on would prove fruitless.
Sheathing my swords, I grabbed the nearest Ther-lor and grabbed it by the arms. Using my added strength, I swung it around hard, hitting several around me and knocking them back down the mountain path.
But there were too many. A mob of Ther-lor moved in to take the place of those I had removed. During the struggle with the mob, I was knocked to the ground.
Not good …
I tried to focus on my powers, but trapped on the ground, surrounded by the relentless Ther-lor, the ice cold grip of terror snatched my heart and tried to squeeze the life out of it. I was trying to kick and shove them back to create some space, but my attempts were futile.
Suddenly, a shape crashed into the mob and entered the fray—a shape with silver and purple armor and flowing red hair. Screaming in fury, Mirabelle slashed, stabbed, and kicked, knocking back the Ther-lor and giving me the opportunity to regain my feet.
There was no time to spare, but I couldn’t help but take a moment to admire Mirabelle’s strength and determination. She had saved my life.
Thank you, my love …
Regaining myself, I quickly picked up my swords. Three Ther-lor were advancing on me from the side, but Ceiridwen was there, setting them aflame with her powerful magic.
Suddenly isolated, I quickly surveyed the battlefield. Everyone was tied up in their own battle with several Ther-lor at a time—but the Ther-lor themselves seemed to be working their way toward Mirabelle. She was fighting them off as best she could, but soon, she would be overwhelmed.
Derrick also noticed this and was fighting his way toward her. I was about to do the same when I noticed something high up on the path.
I saw a figure standing at the top, watching with interest. The shadowy figure was standing in a cave of some sort, so it was difficult to tell who it was, but I was suddenly sure I knew.
Sirak.
And on the trail of that thought, I can end this right now.
I looked back at Mirabelle—she and Derrick seemed to have things under control. Ceiridwen was picking off additional Ther-lor that were working their way in.
Drawing my swords once more, I charged up the hill at the figure. It saw me coming and disappeared into the shadows.
Oh, no—you’re not getting away that easily …
I increased my speed, and was at the top in no time.
But when I got there, the figure had vanished. Even though I could see in the dark, it was clear that no one was there. The other end of the cave led out into the light and onto another dirt path, but I didn’t see anyone there either.
How the —
Suddenly, a blur right in front of me, and then I was grabbed by the throat and slammed against the cave wall. My powers pulsed as I collided with the hard stone.
After I had shaken off the cobwebs, I took a good look at my adversary. It was a Ther-lor, but this one looked familiar …
Very familiar.
“Norvin,” I growled.
My old rival tightened his grip. “Did I say you could speak?”
I started to respond that he hadn’t outranked me in a very long time, but not being able to breathe made speaking impossible.
Not to mention the fact that he could hear what I was saying and was responding—not typical Ther-lor behavior.
Norvin sneered, a sinister grin. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this very moment?”
I started to respond, “Probably not as long as you’ve been waiting for someone to look at you without laughing”, but the best I could manage was a smirk.
Norvin slammed me against the wall. “Still so arrogant, are we? You won’t be for very long.”
I started to respond, “Is that
so?” But I had no breath to speak with.
Norvin threw me across the cave. I slammed against the wall, and whatever breath I had left escaped my body. I laid there on the rock floor, gasping for air. The world seemed to be spinning. Norvin then walked over to a large boulder that was laying nearby. Using seemingly little effort, he picked up the boulder and threw it above the entrance I had come through. The boulder shattered and rock debris fell across the entrance, blocking it in.
“I worked hard to get to where I was at,” Norvin said casually, and I would have laughed if I had any breath in my body. “But you were the general’s pet. You were the general’s favorite. The people loved you. It made me sick to my stomach.”
With that, Norvin kicked me again, and it felt like he had hit me in the ribs with a giant log. The impact rattled my body.
“Even the king loved you,” Norvin continued. “You could do no wrong in Delmar. I could have supported you —”
“Liar,” I growled. “You never had any intention of supporting me. You tried to have me killed in Boulton.”
Norvin was quiet for a moment. “You’re right,” he said finally, admitting it for the first time. “I did. And still you didn’t die. Still you wouldn’t go away. Forever stuck in my side like the worthless thorn you are.”
“That goes both ways,” I breathed.
Norvin went on as if I hadn’t spoken. “You had a great advantage over me with your powers, but now … I’m every bit as strong as you are.”
This I had noticed, and I started to ask him how, but it was suddenly clear his mind was somewhere else. Norvin was silent again, seemingly listening to a sound he could barely hear. I couldn’t hear anything over the ringing in my ears.
Whatever Norvin heard seemed to satisfy him. “Well, this has been a great deal of fun, although not as much as I thought. I never expected you to go down without a fight.”
I was ready to point out that he had ambushed me, but now wasn’t the time.
What was he waiting for?
“Until we meet again, Sir Aidan,” Norvin said with a mocking bow. “And I can assure you … we will meet again.”
The Treachery Of A Weasel Page 10