In the Grip of Time

by Adam Jacob Burgess

  ‘Thank you very much.’

  Vadania clasped her hands together and nodded her head in a short bow. It was an act of deference somehow unbefitting of the elf. Seeing the curiosity in Sawwse’s eye, Vadania explained.

  ‘Prysta takes people in when they are at their lowest, and trains them. I couldn’t possibly hope to complete my quest without the skills she bestowed on me when I was in need,’ Vadania said with a smile. But her face grew sombre once again. ‘We should leave you. Settle for the night ahead of our climb tomorrow.’

  ‘Goodnight Prysta, great to meet you,’ Sawwse said. ‘Big fan.’

  Rangrim nodded and turned to go, but Prysta spoke, stopping him in his tracks.

  ‘Ah. That’s it. Your sword.’

  He faced her. Vadania and Sawwse hung back to listen to the exchange.

  ‘I didn’t recognise it at first,’ she continued, ‘but is that not-’

  ‘A bloody massive sword,’ he interrupted. ‘Yes, yes. It’s huge isn’t it?’

  ‘But I think it’s Slǣ-’

  ‘SLAYED thousands of enemies,’ Rangrim yelled. ‘Yes, you would be correct. Night then.’

  The young dwarf rushed out of the hut and found a spot in an empty tent. It would be devastating to have his guild mates find out that he carried a hero’s sword. They’d only laugh at him and ask what he was doing with it. He opened his flask and drank from it until he could fall asleep without anxious thoughts.

  Vadania and Sawwse looked to Prysta for an explanation of Rangrim’s retreat, but she merely nodded, waved them goodnight and put the blindfold back around her eyes. They walked together to the last empty tent, but Vadania offered it to Sawwse.

  ‘I’ll meditate tonight,’ she said, watching Mirrah from across the lake.

  The amnesiac mage sat staring intently at the map. She knew not where or when she was, nor did she even know who she was, in fact, the only thing she knew for certain was that this map would lead her to an answer.

  Unbeknownst to herself, or to any of the adventurers who camped around Lake Prustijana, Mirrah had encountered the Ancient Device once before. The Device’s curse had left her with a mind that was slowly being eroded against her will. Even more dangerous than that, the Ancient Device had seeded a kernel of its magic deep inside her, pulling her back towards its hidden chamber, and with her, the adventurers of Actum Tempus.

  Chapter 22: Slǣpan Wiga

  Vadania cycled through that fateful night in her mind once again. She pictured the pool, the woods, the shadows and the dragonfire. It enraged her, as it did every night. Her breathing quickened.

  ‘Take a deep breath in.’

  She listened to Prysta’s soothing, familiar voice.

  ‘Let it fill your body. Feel it in your back, your stomach, your lungs.’

  Vadania breathed in deeply, calmer. She opened her eyes and looked out at the pristine lake in front of her. The two elves sat cross-legged atop the hut, early dawn. The pine forests that surrounded them were silhouettes. The tents on the beach were only perceptible due to the elves’ keen eyesight.

  ‘I never could train the rage out of you completely,’ said Prysta.

  ‘I need it. Without it, I won’t get my vengeance.’

  ‘I regret that I didn’t teach you to let go of your quest,’ the trainer said solemnly.

  ‘Couldn’t,’ said Vadania, flaring her nostrils. ‘I won’t let it go until he is dead.’

  ‘Is it your quest that brings you here? Because I must tell you, I have seen no dragon.’

  The hunter shook her head.

  ‘No,’ she replied. ‘It is important though.’

  Vadania explained that they were heading up the mountain to find the heart of the sleeping knight. At this, Prysta looked concerned.

  ‘The heart? There is no such cave here.’

  ‘We are being guided to the heart,’ Vadania said, fixing her gaze on Mirrah, still seated on the rock across the lake. ‘Perhaps you are mistaken.’

  Prysta smiled at Vadania’s confidence, so different from when they had first met.

  ‘I know the mountain,’ Prysta said, simply.

  The pupil and her former master sat in silence, watching dawn break fully over the trees. Once Elra had risen above the treeline, the camp below began to stir. Vadania and Prysta landed effortlessly onto the sand. They gave each other a short bow, before the sword master returned inside and Vadania turned her attention back to the guild.

  ‘Goodbye then,’ Sawwse shouted at Prysta’s retreating back. ‘She seems cool.’

  They gathered up their things and followed after Mirrah, who slowly led them around the full circumference of the lake until they reached the mouth of a river.

  ‘We can track the river to its source,’ Mirrah said. ‘It will bring us closer to the heart.’

  Vadania listened to the mysterious woman cautiously, and hoped her guild mates were also treating their guide with scepticism. Prysta knew the mountain inside out, and Vadania herself had trained here, so where was this heart supposed to be?

  The group had to walk through more woodland to stay alongside the river. It was thicker than it had been, so Rangrim and Vadania cut a path through the stocky bushes. The river thickened and narrowed throughout their journey, until it maintained a relatively rapid flow, cutting through a rugged mountain path. The treeline thinned, replaced by jagged rocks and grasses. Occasionally the river intersected with the path, and they would cross to the other side. The path itself fell away at times, so they gripped the sturdy mosses growing on the rocks and shimmied along at the water’s edge.

  The adventurers now looked down at the river from their elevated footpath. Osrik caught up with Vadania, who was leading the group behind Mirrah.

  ‘You clearly know this mountain well,’ Osrik began, ‘and I do not wish to deter you, but maintain constant vigilance on the route.’

  The elf glanced sceptically across at the old dwarf.

  ‘The bandits here are hardier than they used to be,’ he continued. ‘They’re fiercer, with less to lose. They’ve changed.’

  Vadania nodded, and Osrik slunk back, still wary. Larn smirked at him and was about to make a comment when Ruby piped up.

  ‘Let’s play a game,’ she chirruped.

  ‘I love games,’ Rangrim said, spinning around to face her. ‘What shall we play?’

  They decided to play a game of impressions. Each took a turn performing as a famous or legendary figure from Esh’areth history. None of them could compete with Ruby who, as a shapeshifter, had a natural home advantage. She also excelled at mimicking voices, and knew a surprising amount of historical leaders, taking turns as Count Neomo, Tjala Gunstone and Uta Rocksmith, contorting her face to recreate their likenesses.

  While the rest of the group played, Mirrah stalked ahead paying them no attention, and Osrik, lost in his thoughts, fell back.

  Sawwse was laughing so hard that she momentarily stopped breathing and turned blue, only gasping for air when she received a hearty slap on the back from Rangrim. Deciding a break from the entertainment was beneficial to her health, Sawwse hung back to walk with Osrik. Head down, he was silent for a long time, eventually looking across at the gnome and apologising to her quietly. It was obvious to Sawwse that it was taking the older dwarf a considerable amount of effort to fight back tears, but she was confused.

  ‘What for?’ she asked.

  ‘If I hadn’t been so foolish, letting that memory take over, you wouldn’t have-’

  ‘But I’m fine. Look at me,’ Sawwse interrupted. She did a little dance around the dwarf. ‘Corinne patched us both up.’

  ‘Another debt I must repay,’ he said glumly.

  ‘Osrik, that’s not how it works with friends.’

  She put her hand on his back and then gradually moved it around to his side, purposefully tickling him in the process. Osrik chuckled and moved her hand away.

  ‘I don’t deserve thi
s,’ he grumbled.

  Sawwse knew there was more to this than the events of Spearca, but she didn’t think this was the right place to deal with them. Instead, she simply said, ‘Yes, you do,’ and jumped on his back. He scrabbled around with his arms, trying to get her off, but she wriggled free, loosening her flute from her pack as she did so. She began playing a cheerful ditty, that had Ruby skipping along beside them.

  The river branched off and fell away below them. They continued to trek higher until they reached the mountain’s plateau, a sparse landscape of heather. Various peaks rose up around them.

  Vadania remembered this plateau from one of Prysta’s training routines. Hadn’t the heather seemed much more lively, more vividly purple then? It was rust-coloured now, and faded. The ground had been well trodden. She looked at Osrik, whose warning about bandits now seemed much more tangible.

  ‘Stop walking,’ Vadania called out to Mirrah.

  The powerful mage slowed her pace and then stopped.

  ‘You realise I am not beholden to you, don’t you?’ Mirrah replied. ‘I’ll follow this map, and you can continue to follow me if you so wish.’

  ‘There are dangerous bandits on this mountain,’ Osrik said roughly. ‘It is no more than common bloody sense to check our surroundings.’

  ‘Ruby. Can you scout for us?’ Vadania asked, quickly.

  The tiny woman nodded bashfully.

  ‘We can rest while she scouts,’ Sawwse said with an encouraging smile at Mirrah.

  The amnesiac mage began to speak, but stopped short. A faint smile played on her lips.

  ‘Rest all you like. I will not wait for long,’ she said.

  Meanwhile, Ruby’s stage fright was causing her to falter as she attempted her transformation.

  ‘Can you all turn around please?’ Ruby asked shyly.

  ‘Is this necessary?’ barbed Larn.

  ‘Yeah, come on Ruby, what’s wrong with changing now?’ asked Rangrim, jovially.

  Sawwse took a blanket out of her bag, and held it up in front of Ruby. She gestured with her head for everyone to turn around, which they did, with some consternation.

  Behind the blanket, Ruby crouched into a ball. Feathers protruded from her skin: long, downy and white. Her head puffed up with fur, and her eyes shrank. She began to move her head jerkily through a range of almost 360 degrees. After an affectionate peck to Sawwse’s arm, Ruby leant her body forward, almost horizontal, brought her wings above her head and flew up across the plateau.

  ‘Okay, she’s gone,’ Sawwse announced with a smile. ‘Shall we have a little snack whilst we wait?’

  In the air, Ruby glided over the plains of heather. She flew at a circumference from the group. From this vantage point, it was clear that their path continued north. However, Ruby couldn’t see anything that looked like the cave mouth that Mirrah had shown them on the map. She flew around again, taking a wider arc. Her owl eyes were precise, and they saw no sign of anything ominous on the ground.

  Ruby decided to look once more to the north, before starting to circle her way back to the group. As she did so, she noticed a black speck coming into view in the distance. It rapidly increased in size until she realised it was a huge eagle, heading straight for her. Ruby swiftly pivoted to the right and began diving. She’d flown quite far from the others, but now desperately sought to reach them. Whipping her head behind her, she instantly understood that it was too late. The eagle’s severe, cold eyes were upon her. It grabbed her wings with its talons and ripped through them. Ruby squealed in pain. The eagle leant its head close to Ruby’s ears.

  ‘This in’t amateur hour, kid,’ Francesco said in a callous tone. ‘Your little troop din’t bother to check you weren’t being followed.’

  He released his talons and Ruby began careening towards the ground. She tried as hard as she could to float amongst the wind currents, but landed with a crash, knocked unconscious.

  Sawwse and the others finished snacking on the generous leftovers from Rosalyn. They all relished the provisions, but were persuaded by Corinne and Vadania to eat moderately. It was some time after they had rested that Sawwse spoke up.

  ‘Do you think Ruby’s okay out there?’ she asked.

  ‘I’m sure she’s fine,’ replied Corinne, reassuringly.

  ‘She’s probably decided to pick mountain herbs,’ added Rangrim.

  It was clear that Vadania and Osrik did not share their fellow travellers’ optimism. They sat staring at the western horizon.

  ‘There, in the distance,’ the elf said, sitting up alert. ‘Movement.’

  The others squinted, but could see nothing at first, until a smudge gradually appeared to emerge at the edge of their vision. Osrik began packing the bags in a hurry. He looked nervous.

  ‘We need to be ready to leave,’ he barked.

  The smudge began to take shape. It looked like a gazelle. It was running towards them rather quickly.

  ‘Do you hear that?’ Sawwse asked.

  The others listened. It was faint, but becoming clearer as the gazelle drew closer. It was shouting something.

  ‘What kind of sound is that?’

  Its noise was muffled, because at the same time a deep, rumbling vibration had started. Corinne placed her palms on the ground.

  ‘It’s getting closer,’ she said.

  The gazelle was making ground quickly, despite a slight limp in its front limbs. Now the panic in its eyes was clearly visible, and its speech intelligible.

  ‘Ruuuuuun!’ it yelled.

  The group stood frozen in place. The gazelle spoke with Ruby’s voice. And they saw what was invoking terror in her. Over the western horizon, giant machines were roaring towards them. Vehicles of some kind that looked shambolic but dangerous: rust covered their bodies, and sharp metal, spider-like legs crawled quickly along the ground. Flanking them, the group saw smaller groups of figures on horseback outpacing the machines.

  ‘RUUUUUUN!’ Ruby screamed again.

  Mirrah shot away to the north, moving incredibly quickly. Larn quickly trailed after her, swiftly followed by Vadania, Osrik and Corinne. Rangrim grabbed Sawwse and flung her onto his back. She turned to see Ruby’s gazelle form catching up with them, and to their left, the bandits drew nearer with every breath.

  The injuries to Ruby’s arms were causing her increasing difficulty. She couldn’t close the distance between her and the group. Sawwse shouted back to her.

  ‘Turn into a goldcrest.’

  ‘I can’t use my wings,’ she yelled back, tearfully.

  ‘Turn into a goldcrest and fire yourself forward. I’ll catch you. Trust me.’

  Tears streaming down her nose, Ruby looked up at the gnome’s smiling face. She pushed herself one last time, leaping forward. Shrinking from gazelle to goldcrest mid-air, she missiled into Sawwse’s hands. Sawwse clutched the tiny bird close to her chest.

  Ruby breathed rapidly, exhausted.

  The bandits drew closer. The great towering machines were still some way off, but the horse-riding goblins had closed the gap significantly. At this speed, they would soon be upon their prey. They fired arrows sporadically, some of which glanced off of the adventurers’ armour.

  Mirrah easily outpaced Larn. It seemed impossible to him that she could move this fast. His metal legs clanked and whirred without ever tiring, but even they could not catch up with her. Mirrah seemed to disappear into a cave up ahead.

  The bandits now grinned maliciously as they brought their horses alongside the group, circling them. They took it in turns to lean in close and swipe at them with their scimitars.

  The adventurers ducked and dodged the sword swipes. Vadania caught one of the scimitars between her twin blades, yanking the goblin forward off their horse and swiftly ending them. Larn held out his rapier to the horse’s legs. It stumbled and fell, crashing into three more of the bandits and sending them falling into the ravine below. The other bandits pulled back to the roaring machines.


  They reached the entrance to a cave.

  ‘I saw Mirrah going through here,’ Larn shouted as he ran into the cave.

  Vadania faltered at the entrance.

  ‘I don’t know where this leads,’ she said.

  ‘Right now, it leads away from the bandits,’ Osrik fired back, barrelling into the cave mouth.

  ‘It’ll be fine,’ said Rangrim, catching up. ‘I grew up on a mountain just like this, there’ll be a way through.’

  ‘They’ve stopped,’ Corinne announced.

  The trainee mage had paused outside the cave, her hand resting on the hard rock that made up the cave entrance. The others turned to see the giant vehicles halted, still some distance away, but close enough to see in detail. They looked to have been built from the mountain. Large slabs of rock made up the main body of each machine, painted vivid reds and blacks. Gigantic wheels carried most of the weight, while spidery legs reached and twitched.

  As they watched these machines, their rocky fronts slowly opened. Inside each machine were hundreds more bandits. After loud trumpets sounded from the tops of each vehicle, the goblins roared and began charging towards the cave.

  ‘I’ll put a ward on the entrance,’ Corinne suggested, taking out her spellbook and rifling through the pages.

  ‘There’s no time,’ Vadania said, snapping Corinne’s book closed.

  The elf shepherded them into the cave and they began running again to catch Larn and Osrik. The man and the dwarf had made some progress, but were slowed by a tight passage. They squeezed through and continued on along the low-ceilinged path.

  The sound of the bandits grew louder as they entered the cave. They knew the cave systems of the mountain inside out, and began slipping through unseen routes and crawling over the walls to catch the group.

  Another sharp turn and the cave vanished, a chasm appearing in its place. A hastily constructed rope bridge had been thrown up by the bandits. Osrik tentatively tested it out. Larn spun back around.

  ‘There must be another way,’ he said, panic clearly audible in his voice.

  Rangrim, still carrying Sawwse on his back, and still holding Ruby’s bag, grabbed Larn’s shoulder.