by F. P. Spirit
At the very last moment, Ruka shifted her aim and let loose a bolt at a nearby tree. It struck the trunk square on, a loud splitting sound accompanying the roll of thunder. A second later, the tree began to fall. Too late, the troll realized the danger it was in. It could not move out of the way fast enough, and was slammed to the ground by the thick trunk of the falling tree.
Once more, Ruka aimed her sword. The glowing blade let loose another bolt, this one striking the trunk of the tree. Thunder rolled across the clearing once more as the fallen tree burst into flames. The troll, pinned underneath the trunk, groaned one last time and then went limp and silent.
Donnie was dumbfounded. His eyes flickered from the burning troll to Ruka and then back again. Abruptly Ruka laughed. Her teenage chortle was a sharp contrast to the raw power he had just seen her display. Ruka sheathed her sword, spun around, and walked up to the dazed swordsman. She stopped less than a foot in front of him and gazed up into his eyes. Her voice was soft and throaty.
“Thanks for the assist.”
Donnie found himself speechless for the first time in a very long while. He had just watched this girl dispatch a full grown troll without so much as breaking a sweat. Further, in doing so she had demonstrated strength far greater than Lloyd, and a command of lightning that easily outclassed Glolindir. Donnie had no idea what to make of this girl. Ruka continued to gaze quietly up at him—it was a look he had seen before, and he knew exactly what it meant. He stared into those emerald green eyes, and was mesmerized for a moment. Abruptly he shook his head.
Get a grip on yourself, man!
Donnie took a quickly back step and executed a deep bow. “Ahem. It was nothing, milady.” He stood up and flashed her one of his best smiles. “It was really you who did all the work.”
Ruka took another step, ending up once again less than a foot from him. “Maybe, but you did risk your life coming to my rescue.”
There is that look again.
Donnie needed to divert her attention away from him, fast. “I think we should make sure that troll doesn’t break loose.” He stepped gingerly around her, walking hastily across the clearing toward what was left of the creature. Donnie cast a nervous glance behind him and saw that Ruka followed only a few short paces behind.
Donatello, what have you gotten yourself into this time?
At the same time Donnie entered the clearing, Lloyd and Glo reached the north shore. Glo came to a sudden halt, signaling for Lloyd to stop as well. Feral grunts sounded from the woods ahead, followed by another volley of arrows. The projectiles sailed just below the duo, soaring over the river and toward the Rusty Nail.
Lloyd started forward, but was held back by a sudden hand on his arm. He glanced over his shoulder at Glo. The wizard shook his head once, then made some swift hand motions indicating the two of them should separate and circle the woods ahead. Lloyd nodded his understanding. With a brief smile, Glo spun in mid-air and flew off to the east. Lloyd did the same but in the opposite direction. He flew in a low arc, keeping just above the trees.
When the next volley erupted from the dark forest, Lloyd was directly west of it. The young warrior clenched his teeth. That will be the last attack on my friends.
Lloyd drew his blades and launched himself straight at the source of those arrows. Seconds later, the trees parted into a wide clearing. A number of orange-skinned figures stood there, all with bows in hand. Goblins? What are they doing here? No matter.
Lloyd set his jaw and dove down into the clearing, his blades bursting into flames as he closed in on the nearest goblin. The creatures were too busy nocking their arrows to notice him. He was on top of the first goblin before it ever saw him.
Lloyd took a mighty swing with his black blade, cleanly lopping the creature’s head off. The dead goblin crumpled to the ground as he continued past. Five more goblins were lined up in front of him, and Lloyd was determined to cut each one down.
He was on the second one in moments, swinging with his other blade. It bit deep into the goblin’s side, causing the creature to yelp in pain. The goblin tried to back away, but before it could, Lloyd brought his black sword around and cleaved its head off. The goblin’s cry had alerted the others, though.
The four remaining goblins looked up in surprise. Lloyd did not hesitate, barreling forward as the foul little archers raised their bows. He slammed into the next goblin before it could take a shot, knocking it backwards toward the other two.
As it flew through the air toward its comrades, three arrows embedded themselves in the goblin’s back. It was dead before it hit the ground. The next goblin dropped its bow, turned and ran, the others doing likewise. Lloyd’s eyes narrowed. Oh no, you are not getting away that easy!
Lloyd took off after them, closing fast on the nearest goblin. He almost caught up to it when something large came crashing out of the brush. A dark figure leapt into the clearing, crouching there on all fours, its cruel yellow eyes scanning the area. A vicious snarl escaped its snout, its jaws opening to reveal a row of razor sharp teeth.
“Barghest!”
Lloyd hissed the word as he recognized the creature—a demon in the form of a wolf, but twice the size and with a goblin’s head. He had seen one before, back at Cape Marlin, but this was no time to be reminiscing. Lloyd spun his body around and planted his feet in the dirt, skidding to a quick halt. The young warrior fell into a fighting stance and prepared for the fight of his life.
The goblins he had been chasing ran headlong into the Barghest. The demon reached out with one huge claw and swatted the lead goblin, sending it flying across the clearing and into the trunk of a nearby tree. It was dead on impact, its lifeless body falling to the ground in a heap. The other goblins skidded to a halt and attempted to turn and flee, but the Barghest was on top of them in a single bound. It rent them to shreds in a matter of seconds. When it was done, it lifted its huge head, blood dripping from its fangs, and fixed its baleful eyes on Lloyd.
As Lloyd prepared himself for the inevitable charge, the sky suddenly lit up around them. A bolt of lightning flashed across the clearing, striking the demon square in the back. Thunder rolled as the Barghest screamed, a horrifying wail that chilled the air. Its flesh sizzled and a thin trail of smoke rose from the demon’s hide. Lloyd traced the bolt back to the edge of the clearing, a good fifty yards away. A figure in a purple robe stood between the trees, its hand still extended from the spell it had just cast.
A grim smile spread across Lloyd’s lips. Nice shot, Glo.
His smile quickly faded as the demon whirled around. Without a sound, it launched itself forward, racing straight for the elven wizard. Lloyd immediately sprang after it, trying his best to catch up, but the four-legged demon was way too fast. It left Lloyd far behind, covering half the distance to Glo in mere seconds.
“Lloyd, duck!” came a cry across the clearing.
Lloyd threw himself to the ground as the clearing lit up once more. A flash of light flew over his head, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up. When Lloyd lifted his head, he saw the Barghest had halted. It stood halfway between him and Glo, shuddering as electrical arcs danced across its dark grey fur. Lloyd leapt up and launched himself forward, running as fast as he could. He had only closed half the gap when the beast snarled. Lloyd tried to draw its attention with a battle cry, but the creature ignored him, leaping forward and hurtling toward Glo once more.
Lloyd knew he would never catch it on foot. He had only one chance. Clearing his mind, Lloyd reached inside, searching for that spark of inner spirit. Time appeared to slow as he made contact. The energy surged up from deep inside him, spreading through his body and into his limbs. Still running at full speed, Lloyd pushed off the earth with a great heave. His body rocketed forward, faster than he had ever flown before.
Despite its great speed, he was now closing in on the Barghest. Somehow, the
demon must have sensed his approach. It skidded to a halt and whirled to face him, its jaws salivating and snapping as he flew directly toward them. Lloyd held his blades ready, preparing for the worst when a sudden glint caught his eye. A flash of silver came out of nowhere and landed right in the demon’s eye! The beast yelped in pain and pawed at the knife hilt that stuck out from its bleeding socket.
Seeing his chance to end this, Lloyd dropped the other blade and grasped his star metal sword with both hands. Ten feet... five feet... he lifted the blade to strike when the demon lashed out with its other paw. Lloyd felt searing pain slice rake his side. He nearly flinched, but willed himself to ignore the pain, swinging downward with all his might.
The young warrior unleashed a devastating blow that caught the demon in mid-torso. The black blade sliced through flesh and bone alike, passing unobstructed through the creature’s body. Then he was past the beast, hurtling through the empty air. A blood curdling scream erupted behind him, reverberating all around the clearing.
Lloyd slowed down and curled into a tight ball. He hit the ground and rolled over three times before finally coming to a stop. He immediately leapt to his feet and spun around, his black blade held ready in front of him, but there was no need. The Barghest lay cloven in two, thick black blood seeping from either half of its huge, dark torso.
Lloyd stood up and breathed a sigh of relief. It’s over. I killed it! I killed the Barghest—a demon nonetheless. First a giant serpent and now a demon. Lloyd could just imagine the look on his father’s face when he told him. His dad would be proud. Even his brother, Pallas, would not be able to make light of this. No more calling him “little Lloyd,” or telling him to “get the lead out, iron pants.”
Lloyd was startled out of his reverie when Seth abruptly appeared out of thin air. He stood over the demon’s cloven torso, a smirk across his lips. Lloyd grinned at the halfling. “You couldn’t have timed that better.”
Seth’s smirk grew even wider. “What can I say? I’m that good.”
“Just don’t let it go to your head,” came a voice from behind them. Lloyd spun around to see Glo walking toward them. “That goes for both of you. You’re both good, but we got lucky this time. In a head to head battle, we would not have fared so well.”
Glo’s words brought Lloyd back to reality. He was right—they had gotten lucky. Seth, however, was not so willing to concede the point. The halfling folded his arms across his chest and fixed the wizard with an acid stare.
“Speak for yourself. I know I’m that good.”
Glo shook his head, the trace of a smile gracing his lips. “I guess there’s no point in telling you to be more careful in the future?”
“None whatsoever.”
Seth’s expression did not change. Glo cast a quick glance at Lloyd, but the young man knew by now there was no arguing with Seth. Lloyd merely shrugged in response. Glo let out a deep sigh and turned his attention to the dead demon. “The real question is, is this the same Barghest that we saw at Cape Marlin? And if so, what is it doing here in the Darkwoods?”
A sudden chill ran up Lloyd’s spine. “I’d hate to think there are more than one of those out there.”
“Well, either way, it was waiting for someone,” Seth interjected. “That was a very deliberate ambush this thing had set up, from both sides of the river at the same time.”
That’s right! In the heat of battle, Lloyd had forgotten all about the other bank. Now he suddenly remembered Ruka and Donnie had both headed over there.
Glo mirrored his thoughts. “We should probably check on the others.”
“You two go ahead,” Seth told them. “I’m going to search the bodies and see if I can find any clues as to what these things were doing here.”
“Good idea,” Glo agreed.
Lloyd nodded to the halfling. “We’ll see you back on the ship.”
Glo and Lloyd took a few steps back. As Lloyd grabbed onto his cloak, the elven wizard cast his flying spell.
“Fugere,” they both said simultaneously.
As the duo lifted into the air, Lloyd peered down at Seth. The halfling was already busily rummaging through the demon’s corpse.
Black Gem
I guess my minion must have failed. No Matter. Now you shall be mine
When Lloyd and Glo reached the other bank, they found Donnie and Ruka surrounded by the bodies of more goblins and one large mountain troll. The two of them were physically fine, but for some reason Donnie seemed rather nervous. Ruka, on the other hand, was uncharacteristically pleasant. Lloyd was not sure exactly what was going on with them, but he had to admit he was impressed with how they had handled themselves. “Nice job you two. We had a run-in with a troll back in the Bendenwoods. They’re not all that easy to kill.”
Donnie motioned toward the young teen. “It was all Ruka. If she hadn’t been here, I’d still be running that thing around.”
Ruka punched the elf in the arm then smiled sweetly up at him. “Donnie, you say the nicest things.”
Donnie grabbed his arm. “Thanks,” he managed, half-smiling, half-grimacing.
Lloyd wasn’t all that surprised. The Greymantle sisters were definitely more than they seemed. He had witnessed shape-shifting, feats of strength, and near invulnerability. Add to that Ruka’s sword and the defeat of a mountain troll was not all that farfetched. Lloyd grinned at the pair. “Either way, it’s still impressive.”
“So what about the other side?” Donnie asked.
Lloyd told them about their run in with the goblins and the Barghest, but didn’t go into detail about how they killed the demon. When he was done, Glo chimed in.
“Lloyd’s being modest. He cleaved that Barghest right in two.”
Ruka turned to Lloyd and eyed him up and down, her expression one of clear respect. “Now that’s impressive.”
Lloyd felt the heat rise in his face. “It was more luck than anything else.”
“Perhaps,” Donnie interjected, “but I know a thing or two about swordsmanship, and it takes more than just strength to cleave an opponent like that.”
Now Lloyd’s cheeks were downright burning. Thankfully, Glo picked that moment to change the subject.
“Well, if we are done here, we should probably take down that chain across the river. If we’re lucky, it might not have damaged the boat.”
The foursome headed down to the riverbank. It wasn’t long before they found the end of the thick chain wound around a large tree. Between Lloyd and Ruka, they were able to detach it and clear the way for the Rusty Nail. Ruka swam out to check the hull of the vessel while Lloyd and Glo flew Donnie back to the ship. When they landed on the deck, Seth was already there, wrapped in a towel and drying off.
“A little warning next time before you cut the chain,” the halfling admonished.
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of a little water?” Donnie teased.
Seth glared at the slight elf. “Better than being afraid of a little girl.”
As if on cue, Ruka called out from over the side, “The hull’s fine!”
Donnie nearly jumped out of his skin. Lloyd and the others chuckled as they strode over to the railing. Ruka tread water just off the starboard side of the vessel.
“You coming back on board?” Donnie yelled down to her.
“Nah, I’m going to take a look upstream and make sure there are no more surprises waiting for us.”
“I’ll send Raven with you,” Glo called to her.
“Thanks!”
Ruka gave them a quick grin then shifted shape, her form replaced by a white-tailed hawk hovering just above the water line. She was quickly joined by Glo’s black bird, and the two took off, spiraling up into the sky. The others watched as they rose upward then shot out toward the west, following the river upstream. Once Ruka was out of sight, Donni
e filled the others in on the details of their battle with the troll. He seemed especially concerned with her amazing feat of strength. When Donnie was done, he stared at the others expectantly. Lloyd merely shrugged, being no stranger to the girl’s abilities.
Seth’s response was equally nonchalant. “And...”
A short laugh escaped Elladan’s lips. Aksel’s expression was impassive. Alana gazed at him with keen sympathy. Glo and Elistra exchanged a meaningful glance.
“You knew!” Donnie pointed an accusing finger around the group. “You all knew about this!”
“Duh,” Seth responded, clearly enjoying Donnie’s chagrin.
Glo was a bit more sympathetic. “Well, it’s not that we really know anything...”
Donnie spun toward the wizard, his eyes narrowing. “But you suspected... so what else aren’t you telling me?”
After a moment silence, Elistra stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on Donnie’s cheek. An enigmatic smile crossed her lips. “Oh, Donatello. I’m afraid you still have much to learn.”
She patted him lightly, then turned and walked away. Donnie’s eyes followed her, his hand rising to the spot where she had just touched his cheek. Alana stepped forward next and took him by the arm. “I think you and I need to have a little talk.”
As Alana led Donnie away, their conversation trailed off.
“You need to let this go,” Alana was saying.
“But... it isn’t... natural...”
“Why? Because she’s a girl?”
“No... no... that’s not what I meant at all...”
Seth snickered.
“That’s a battle he ain’t gonna win,” Elladan said, gazing around at the others with a knowing grin.
Lloyd did not envy Donnie, having had his share of being “talked to” in the past. It was usually from his sister, Thea, his mom too busy with town business, experiments, and magic school. Although his brother Pallas seemed to relish pointing out his shortcomings as well. Lloyd had always tried to accept their “advice” graciously, but the words still stung. It had left him with a burning desire to prove himself. In fact, it was one of the driving forces behind him setting out on his own.