by F. P. Spirit
“Coming, Glo?”
Elistra’s voice stirred Lloyd from his thoughts. The seeress stood by the doorway to the cabins, looking expectantly at the wizard.
Glo arched an eyebrow. “Where am I going?”
Elistra’s eyes danced with amusement. “Why to rest, silly. After all, you did just use some powerful spells.”
Glo’s brow furrowed. “Yes, I guess I did.”
“Well, come on then.” Elistra motioned for him to join her.
Glo glanced around at the others, shrugged, then strode across the deck toward the seeress. As the door to the below decks closed behind them, Seth snickered and Elladan let out a short laugh.
“That’s two,” the bard commented.
Lloyd started to laugh, but stopped as a sharp pain lanced through his side. It was the spot where the Barghest had caught him. Aksel was immediately by his side.
“Looks like you caught a nasty wound there. Let’s get that healed up.” Aksel motioned for Lloyd to follow him as he too strode toward the doorway to the cabins.
“Alright.”
Lloyd let out a deep sigh as he fell in behind Aksel. He couldn’t believe the demon’s claws had cut clean through his new chainmail. In truth, Lloyd had been lucky. He would have been gutted if he had been wearing his old leathers. Pallas and Thea had always said he was reckless. Perhaps they were right.
The Rusty Nail had three cabins off the main deck, one for the Captain and two for private passengers. The crew’s quarters were below deck. It consisted of a single large room with a number of hammocks strung across the length of it. Lloyd and Donnie, used to a sailor’s life, chose to sleep there. Elladan and Martan slept there as well. Morled, being surprisingly chivalrous, joined them, giving his large cabin up to Alana and Elistra. Glo and Aksel split the private cabins since their rest was paramount on this journey. That left only Seth and Ruka. The former slept on the floor in Aksel’s cabin, and the latter chose to sleep outside under the stars.
When Glo reached his cabin, he found he was not very tired. It was too soon after battle, and he could still feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins, but Elista insisted that he rest. She sat down on the bed in front of him, legs crossed, and forced him to do the same thing. He sat there, facing the seeress, his legs bent in front of him in what he found to be the most uncomfortable position possible. Elistra, her eyes closed, chanted to him.
“Now breathe in... and out... in... and out.”
Glo tried to follow along, but could not see how she relaxed with her legs all bent up like this. He was about to say something when they heard a knock at the door.
“Who’s there?” Glo called.
The door opened and Seth strode into the room. When he saw the two of them, a smirk crossed his lips. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
Glo glared at him. “Really? Like this?” He pointed to the awkward way they were sitting.
Seth’s smirk widened. “You never know—some people have strange habits.”
Elistra spun her head around to look at the halfling. “Was there a reason for your visit?” she asked pointedly. “After all, I am trying to get him to rest.”
Seth appeared completely unaffected by her sarcastic tone. “Yeah, actually, there is something I need to show you—both of you.”
Glo’s patience was wearing thin. “Well, what is it?”
“Not here. Meet me over in my cabin in a few minutes.” Before Glo could say another word, Seth spun around and strode out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Glo turned to Elistra. “Now what do you think that was about?”
“We’ll find out soon enough,” she responded in an insufferably patient tone. “Now we still have a few minutes. Try to relax. Breathe in... and out... in... and out...”
When they arrived at Seth’s cabin, Aksel and Lloyd were already there. The little cleric had just finished healing Lloyd’s wound. The young warrior picked up his chain-mail shirt off the bed and held it out in front of him. There was a foot-long gash in the links just under the left armpit. Glo gulped. That had been from a grazing blow. He couldn’t imagine what the damage would have been if the demon had really connected.
“Don’t worry, Lloyd, we’ll have that mended in no time,” Aksel was saying.
“So what’d I miss?” Elladan’s voice came from behind them. Elistra and Glo moved out of the doorway, making room for him.
“Not much,” Glo said. “We just got here ourselves.”
“Where’s Donnie?” Seth asked.
Elladan let out a short laugh. “Alana’s still giving him a piece of her mind. I didn’t have the heart to disturb them.”
Seth shrugged. “No matter, we can fill him in later.”
Glo’s eyes narrowed. “So what’s with all the secrecy?”
Seth’s voice grew quiet. “I found an interesting item on our demon friend. I thought it might be best to check it out away from prying eyes.”
“He means Morled,” Elladan translated for them.
Seth gave the bard a short nod then reached into a pouch on his belt. When he drew his hand back, there was a black gem in his palm. It was rather large, easily the size of the halfling’s fist. There was also something strange about the stone. Despite its dark color, a light emanated from it—a light that pulsed like a heartbeat. A sudden gasp caused Glo to spin around. Elistra stood there, her hand over her mouth. She flushed when she saw them all staring at her.
“Sorry. It’s just... I wasn’t expecting such a dark aura.”
Aksel was the first to answer. “No, that’s quite understandable. There is something not quite right about this gem. I wonder...” After a moment’s hesitation, the little cleric cast a quick spell. A dark glow began to emanate outward from the gem. It grew until it radiated a good two feet in all directions.
Seth snorted. “Humph, definitely evil.”
Elladan turned to Glo. “Can you identify it?”
Glo reached for the gem, but was stopped by a light hand on his arm. He turned to see Elistra holding on to him, her brow furrowed.
“Be careful with that.”
Glo raised a single eyebrow.
“I sense more than just a simple gem,” she explained further.
A thin smile spread across Glo’s lips. It was not the first “evil” gem they had come across. He was about to tell her the story of the gem they found underneath the Ruins on Stone Hill when Aksel interrupted him.
“Hold on a minute.”
Glo watched as the little cleric spun his arms in an unfamiliar pattern. As the spell released, a white circle formed around the entire cabin. It lingered there for a few moments, then faded from view. Aksel gave Glo a brief nod. “There, that should help to protect against evil influences.”
Glo was impressed. Aksel must have just added that spell to his repertoire during their brief stay in Vermoorden. Seth stepped forward and held out the gem. Despite Aksel’s assurances, Glo still felt uneasy taking the stone from the halfling’s grasp. The gem was surprisingly cool to the touch, its surface perfectly smooth. Glo reached into his pouch, pulled out a small vial, and drank the contents. Holding his empty hand over the gem, Glo spoke a single word, “Eandem.”
A faint yellow glow intermixed with the black one surrounding the crystal, then quickly faded. The elven wizard fixed his eyes on the gem, staring deep into its crystal facets. Nothing happened at first, but abruptly the facets appeared to waver and an image appeared inside the gem. It was fuzzy at first, but it slowly cleared and Glo found himself looking into a woman’s face. She had pale, porcelain skin, framed by long, raven black hair with deep brown eyes, almost bordering on black. She had a thin nose, extremely high cheekbones and blood red lips. This woman had a very strong demeanor—she radiated power—a lot of power. She had not been lookin
g his way initially, but Glo froze as she turned toward him. He heard a cold voice in his mind.
Did you find them?
Who? Glo thought before he could stop himself.
The dark woman’s eyes narrowed, her gaze growing even more intense. Oh, you are one of them. I guess my minion must have failed. No matter. Now you shall be mine.
Glo felt a sudden pressure on his forehead, accompanied by soft words in a language he did not know. There was a dark edge to those words, repeated over and over in his mind. The pressure built swiftly, clouding his vision, and making him dizzy. Glo tried to fight it at first, but the pressure was so intense, and the words so cruel, that his concentration wavered. Just when he thought his head was going to explode, a hand grabbed his chin and turned him away.
That will be enough! A second voice resonated through his mind. It sounded like Elistra, but this voice was also filled with power.
Everything went silent, but Glo could still feel the pressure. Yet there was something else now—he had the sense of a great struggle, as if two powerful combatants were waging a mental war over his mind. Abruptly the struggle stopped, and the silence was shattered by a piercing scream. Glo tried to cover his ears, but it was to no avail. Thankfully, the scream died swiftly. What followed was a wail in that first cold voice. This is... not... over...
Those last words faded as if said from a great distance. The pressure had disappeared, and his vision was clearing. Glo found himself staring into a familiar pair of violet eyes. Elistra held his head gently between her hands, his own hands still clutching his ears.
“Are you alright?”
Glo turned to see Aksel staring at him, his eyes wide with fear. Lloyd and Elladan wore similar expressions. Even Seth showed signs of concern.
Elistra answered for him. “He will be. Just give him a minute.”
Glo grabbed her hands, gently removed them from his face, then walked over to Aksel’s bed and sat down. Elistra came with him, still holding onto his hands.
The others gathered around as Glo explained what had happened. He described the dark woman, the voice in his mind, and the pressure on his skull. He left out the part about Elistra’s voice and the power struggle he had sensed, letting the others think that Aksel’s spell had broken the connection. Yet, as powerful as the dark woman was, Elistra had proved a match for her. Even counting the spell’s assistance, she was still far more powerful than she let on. Glo did not want to question her in front of the others, but he would definitely confront her the next time they were alone.
When Glo was finished, Seth was the first to speak. “Well, that answers that.”
Lloyd eyed the halfling curiously. “Answers what?”
A familiar smirk spread across Seth’s lips as he peered up at the tall man. “Whether the river trap was set specifically for us.”
Seth’s statement sent cold shivers up Glo’s spine. The mental attack had distracted him, but now that Seth pointed it out, there was no mistaking the dark woman’s intent. She had specifically sent the Barghest, the troll, and even the goblins looking for them. It was a sobering thought that she could muster such powerful enemies to her side. Strangely, Elladan’s response was the exact opposite of Glo’s. The bard let out a short laugh.
“Looks like our little victory in Ravenford put a real crimp in their plans.”
“And made us a target,” Seth agreed.
Lloyd’s eyes moved from Seth to Glo, his brow furrowed. “Do we have any idea who this woman is?”
Glo shook his head. There had been no indication of who she was, not even a name.
“Well, whoever she is, she did send a Barghest after us...” Aksel began.
“...and how much you want to bet it was the same one from Cape Marlin,” Seth continued.
“...which would make her part of the Serpent Cult,” Lloyd finished the thought. Despite that realization, the young man still wore a puzzled expression. He shifted his gaze to Glo. “Back at Maltar’s, you said controlling demons wasn’t easy.”
Glo’s lips tightened as he recalled the large summoning circle in Maltar’s home—it was made specifically to imprison demons. Summoning one and holding it was hard enough, but controlling one while it was roaming free in the world was something else entirely. “It isn’t. This woman must be very powerful to control a demon such as a Barghest.”
“Almost like a Thrall Master,” Elladan said speculatively.
Glo’s eyes darted to the bard, another chill racing up his spine. Did I just have an encounter with a Thrall Master?
Seth folded his arms across his chest and let out a derisive snort. “Thrall Master, or not, she knows we beat her demon. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out she’ll be sending something just as bad our way—or worse.”
Glo spiked an eyebrow. He did not relish the thought of facing another demon. Aksel, as usual, was pragmatic about the situation. “Well then, it would be best to be on our guard from here on out. In the meantime, we can’t just leave this gem just lying around.”
“I could crush it,” Lloyd offered.
Elistra fixed her eyes on the young man and pursed her lips, her tone tentative at best. “You might find that more difficult than you think.”
“Do you know something more about this gem?” Seth asked. He stared intently at the seeress, his eyes filled with suspicion.
Elistra faced the halfling, seemingly unfazed by his glare. “No, not this particular gem, but I’ve seen ones like it. They are used to locate, communicate with, and control beings over great distances.”
Glo’s eyes suddenly went wide. That’s it! That’s how she controlled the Barghest—through the gem. Perhaps this dark woman was not quite as powerful as he originally thought.
“Locating and communicating don’t necessarily sound evil,” Elladan said.
“You’re right,” Elistra agreed. “The gems themselves aren’t exactly evil, but they do resonate the power of their current owner. As you’ve already surmised, this one is owned by a decidedly evil being. Unfortunately, destroying it could create a psionic backlash on anyone nearby.”
Lloyd’s mouth hung partially open. “Whoa. Is that as bad as it sounds?”
Glo, stirred from his thoughts, answered the young man. “Let’s just say it could hurt your mind as much as your body.”
“Yes.” Elistra gave the wizard a short nod. “And if the owner of this gem is as powerful as I believe, the psionic backlash would be deadly.”
The blood drained from Lloyd’s face. “Oh. That would be bad.”
Seth chortled at the young man’s reaction. “Thank you, Captain Obvious.”
As Lloyd gave the halfling a dark look, Elladan weighed back in to the conversation. “So then we don’t destroy it, but will it work across dimensions?”
Elistra’s eyes widened, her nose wrinkling as she pondered the bard’s question. After a few moments of silence, she finally answered. “It might not, but I am not completely certain.”
“Sounds like it would be worth a try,” Elladan responded while at the same time removing what appeared to be a common cloth sack from his belt. He opened up the sack and held it out toward Glo. “Put it in here.”
Though the sack appeared plain, Glo immediately recognized what it was. Elladan held in his hands a Portal Bag, a magical item that acted like a small portal to another plane. The bag was actually larger inside than out, so it could hold items far bigger than it would otherwise appear.
Aksel seemed impressed with the bard’s plan. “Very nice, Elladan. You pick that up at Haltan’s?”
Elladan tilted his head toward the little cleric and gave him a half-smile. “Sure did. Got it off him for next to nothing.”
“I’m sure he was less than happy about that,” Seth noted in a dry tone.
Elladan responded with a curt
laugh. “He was positively miserable about it.”
“Good,” Seth said, a satisfied smirk spreading across the halfling’s face.
Glo slowly reached out, held the gem over the bag, and after a moment’s pause, dropped it. The gem fell through the opening and then disappeared from sight. Glo suddenly realized he had been holding his breath the entire time. Despite the fact that the connection with the dark woman had been broken, just holding onto the gem had made him nervous. Now he let out a huge sigh. Elistra, still next to him, placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Meanwhile, Elladan closed the drawstrings tight and put the bag away. “Well, that’s that.”
“We shall see soon enough,” Elistra said under her breath.
Temptress
The nymph hung on his shoulder, her body practically wrapped around him
Ruka returned late in the afternoon. She had scoured the river a few miles ahead, but found no more signs of goblins, demons, or trolls. When night fell, Lloyd and Donnie helped Morled pull in the sails and drop anchor. They kept the ship in the center of the river, as far as possible from either bank.
Martan, Ruka, and Seth took turns at watch in the crow’s nest, yet the night passed uneventfully. The Darkwoods remained quiet, the only sounds being those of crickets and the occasional nocturnal forest creature. The only source of light they saw was the silvery moon as it passed overhead on its journey across the nighttime sky.
The next day, everyone was up early, with the exception of Ruka. She had taken the last watch, and it was now her turn to sleep. Not one to sleep indoors, Ruka curled up silently in the crow’s nest next to a nervous Martan. With no room in the crow’s nest, Seth sat in the rigging just below, carefully scouring the river and banks ahead. The sun had barely risen when they weighed anchor and got underway.