Heartgem Homestead

by Edmund Hughes

  Hal didn’t respond for a couple of minutes. He ducked low under a row of stalactites hanging from the ceiling.

  “I was scouting out the area,” said Hal. “And no, I wasn’t trained as a warrior. But I do plan on killing that dragon.”

  “Aangavar,” said Zoria. “And I have to wonder if you’re jesting. Do you really think a creature so old and powerful would fall against your pathetic attempts at gem magic?”

  Hal’s face burned, and he was glad he had his back to her.

  “You were there to kill it, too,” said Hal. “What’s your story?”

  “Him,” said Zoria. “Aangavar is a male.”

  “I don’t care either way,” said Hal. “Aangavar, if that’s the monster’s name, killed my entire family.”

  He felt a foolhardy sense of determination as he said it out loud. He would get his revenge, even if it took everything he had. Even if he died in the process. The thought of Lilith, Mauve, and his father dying pointless deaths without the killer paying a price in blood made him furious beyond words.

  “Hmm…” said Zoria. “Interesting. So you do have a sense of honor, surfacer? I’m surprised.”

  Hal didn’t say anything to her, for a while. The two of them were walking through a section of tunnel that was partially flooded, and the stagnant water had soaked his boots. Their footsteps made disgusting, squishing noises, and a foul smell hung on the air.

  “How does an elf end up in Krestia’s Cradle?” asked Hal. “Where did you come from?”

  Zoria took was silent for a couple of seconds.

  “I was banished from my homeland,” she said. “Framed by my enemies and forced down to the surface by those who wish me and my Empress harm.”

  Hal frowned. “What do you mean, forced down to the surface?” he asked.

  Zoria didn’t answer him.

  “It would seem that we share a similar goal,” she said. “I also require Aangavar’s death. If you’d had the sense to allow me to enslave you when I first tried, we might have tasted his blood tonight.”

  “If only,” said Hal, in a mocking tone. “I’m sure that would have been a terrific outcome for both of us.”

  “You pathetic bull,” said Zoria. “If you spoke to an Honored Valkyrie in such a way under any other circumstances, you would be castrated.”

  “Do the threats never end with you?” asked Hal. “It’s almost like you want me to…”

  Something moved in the darkness ahead of them. Hal froze, stopping so suddenly that Zoria bumped into his back with her next step. He glanced over his shoulder and gestured for her to be silent. Sweeping his torch from side to side, he tried to listen further into the darkness beyond the dim light.

  Slowly, Hal started forward again. They were back in a dry section of the caves, but his boots continued to make strange noises as they stepped across the ground. He squinted, looking down and noticing the thick, sticky webbing that coated the rock underneath them.

  Hal heard something behind them. He spun in time to see a scuttling, grotesque spider the size of a wolf leaping through the air, toward Zoria. He swung at it with his torch, missing by a hair. Zoria let out a disgusted scream as the massive insect hit her square in the chest, knocking her over.

  “Zoria!” Hal rushed toward where she’d fallen, but the spider had already pulled her deeper into the darkness. “Zoria!”

  There was no reply. The absence of her shouting in response made the hair on the back of his neck stand up straight. The idea of following a giant spider into its lair was nothing short of terrifying, but leaving Zoria to her fate felt callous and cowardly. A dark voice urged him to forget about her, and that it was a mistake to have saved her in the first place.

  No. Nobody deserves to die in the dark, scared and alone.

  Was she scared? He found himself doubting it, but either way, he wasn’t about to abandon her. Hal moved forward slowly, sweeping his torch around him and feeling unease and paranoia prickling the back of his neck.

  The spider webs coating the ground grew thicker, and Hal could see an obvious trail leading through them where Zoria had been dragged. He pushed deeper into the tunnel, finding an opening that led into a side alcove with a thin barrier of webbing almost blocking the entrance off.

  He tore at it with his free hand, afraid of using the torch and accidentally extinguishing it. The webbing clung to his fingers, and when he tried to use his other hand to pull it loose, it stuck to that one, instead.

  Hal gritted his teeth and pushed through the web, cringing as his hair and clothes took half of it with him. He swung his torch around the new space he found himself in. A half dozen lumps the approximate size and shape of humans lay on the floor or stuck to walls, completely cocooned in spider silk.

  “Zoria!” he shouted, his fear getting the better of him.

  Hal heard the clicking of an insect's mandibles from behind him, and then felt something slam into his back. He barely managed to keep the torch from striking the ground and going out as he stumbled back to his feet.

  The spider who’d attacked him was almost as large as he was. It let out a high pitched hiss, turning to aim the silk organs on its abdomen in Hal’s direction. Hal clutched the torch with one hand and his ruby with the other, willing himself to do something, anything, with the magic in the gem.

  Silk spilled loose from the spider, aimed at his face. Hal roared and swung the torch, channeling his anger and the essence from the gemstone in the same instant. He desperately wished that he had a sword, and had that wish granted.

  A blade of red orange flame burst from the fire at the end of the torch, extending out far enough to rip through both the oncoming silk and the spider itself. The flame sword lasted for only long enough for Hal to complete his swing, but it was enough. The insect let out a death hiss, and the air filled with the foul scent of burnt chitin.

  Hal took a single breath, and then charged deeper into the spider lair. He passed through another webbed partition and discovered another spider, busy wrapping up a person shaped bundle that could only have been Zoria.

  He wasn’t sure if there was enough essence left in his ruby to channel another spell, so he didn’t bother trying. Instead, Hal took advantage of his initiative, jumping upward and stomping on the spider’s head before it took notice of him. Blue blood spurted out, and the spider’s body thrashed in a death spasm. Hal grabbed the bundle it had been wrapping and struggled to tear it open.

  He managed to expose Zoria’s face. Her skin was pale, with a bluish tone to it. Hal knelt down on one knee next to her and attempted to feel for her breath with the back of his hand, to no avail.

  “Damn it!” He thought back to advice Roth had given him on saving a person in dire straits long ago. Hal took a breath and then quickly pressed his lips against hers, exhaling as much as he could into her lungs.

  Zoria coughed while their mouths were still in contact, which Hal found to be a very odd sensation. He breathed a sigh of relief, tossed her still mostly webbed body over his shoulder, and hurried out of the lair.

  CHAPTER 29

  It wasn’t until he’d continued half an hour further down the main tunnel, far out of reach of the spider’s webs and potential range that Hal finally set Zoria down on the rock. Ahead of them, the tunnel sloped upward, which was as promising of a sign that they were headed the right way as any he’d seen so far.

  “Zoria,” said Hal. “Are you okay?”

  She was still unconscious, but the color had returned to her face and she was breathing on her own. Hal did what he could to tear the webbing loose from her hair and clothing, getting her at least to the point of being able to move her limbs without obstruction. She let out a quiet moan and turned her head away from him.

  “Honored Valkyrie,” he said, rolling his eyes.

  Zoria let out a small cough and looked up at him. She lifted her hands and ran them over her body.

  “Spiders,” she muttered. “Bitch’s blood, I hate those filthy insects!”
<
br />   “None of them bit you, did they?” asked Hal.

  She shook her head.

  “One of them got its webbing around my neck when it grabbed me,” she said. “I forgot my training for a moment and struggled instead of relaxing my muscles and biding my time.”

  She looked around the tunnel they were in now. Hal lifted the torch so she could get a better view.

  “That makes twice now,” he said.

  Zoria frowned.

  “What are you babbling about?” she asked.

  “Twice that I’ve saved your life.” Hal grinned at her, and wasn’t all that surprised when she glared back at him.

  “And what a life you’ve saved for me!” she said, sarcastically. “Running from spiders. Enslaved by a surfacer. I am truly one of the Empress’s chosen.”

  Hal frowned.

  “You aren’t my slave,” he said. “Where I’m from, people don’t claim ownership over other people.”

  Zoria raised her wrist. The bracer on it was sticky with webbing, but still visible, as was her point.

  “You’re more of a prisoner than a slave,” said Hal. “I’ll release you as soon as I’m sure that you won’t try to kill me when I do.”

  Zoria laughed.

  “Then I’ll be wearing these bracers for the rest of my life,” she said. “Don’t expect me to forgive you for this so quickly.”

  Hal stared at her, surprised by how freely she spoke her mind.

  If she would just show a little humility, and maybe some kindness, I’d probably already have taken them off. Or never put them on her to begin with…

  “We can talk about this once we’re out of these caves,” said Hal. “Come on. I think we’re heading the right way.”

  He reached down and helped her up. The spider silk on both their palms made their hands stick together for a few awkward moments, both of them struggling to pull away from each other.

  True to Hal’s assumption, within a couple of minutes, they saw a circle of light coming from the tunnel ahead. It was painfully bright, but he didn’t look away, as though it might disappear if he did.

  The opening was just large enough for him to squeeze himself through. Zoria, with her petite figure, had an easier time with it. They were in the desert, next to one of the mountains on the far side of Fool’s Valley, opposite the direction of Lorne. Judging from the sun, it was late afternoon, meaning Hal had spent close to half a day lost in the tunnels.

  “Have you somewhere for us to go, from here?” asked Zoria.

  “For us to go?” Hal grinned at her phrasing. “You might want to work on your manners if you plan on tagging along with me.”

  “Until you take these off me…” Zoria jabbed a finger in his face, her eyes burning with contempt. “…I am not letting you out of my sight.”

  “Relax,” said Hal, pushing her hand away. “Just… relax. And quit being so hostile.”

  Zoria said nothing, but her expression didn’t soften.

  “Would you kill me, right here and right now, if I took your bracers off?” he asked.

  Zoria didn’t answer him. Hal sighed and gestured for her to follow.

  “Be that way, then,” he said. “I don’t plan on killing you, and that’s essentially what abandoning you in the desert would mean. So come on, let’s go.”

  Hal’s pity for the elf girl wasn’t his only reason for taking her with him. After encountering the dragon and again seeing what it was capable of, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to kill it on his own. He wanted it dead and so did Zoria. Why did it have to be more complicated than that?

  The loose sand and hot sun was a welcome change from the tunnels. Hal kept sight of Zoria in the corner of his eye as they walked. It wasn’t far to the path that led up to Fool’s Valley, and within an hour, they were on their approach to the cozy homestead.

  Almost as soon as Hal and Zoria reached the top of the hill, the door to the homestead opened, and Laurel rushed out to greet them. She wore a tight purple tunic along with black leggings, and her eyes were red around the edges, as though she’d been crying.

  “Halrin!” She pulled him into a tight hug, squeezing with more strength than Hal had known she’d had. “Oh, for Mystra’s sake! Halrin! I thought, I thought…”

  “It’s okay,” he said. “I’m alright.”

  Laurel pulled back slightly from him, and Hal realized that Zoria’s presence was going to take a bit of explaining. Already, Laurel looked as though she’d seen something unbelievable, and was slowly shaking her head back and forth.

  “That girl…” said Laurel. “Her ears? Why… does she look like that? Hal…?”

  “She’s an elf,” said Hal. “It’s a long story, but I saved her life. And then she saved mine.”

  Well, not really. Though I guess I would probably have been killed by the dragon if she hadn’t been there when it showed up.

  “That’s…” Laurel was still shaking her head. “An elf?”

  “I’m surprised you would pick someone so plain to take as a woman,” said Zoria, looking Laurel up and down. “Or did you take her for reasons other than beauty? I can never tell what goes into decision making for you surfacers.”

  “Whoa,” said Hal. “Hold on. Laurel isn’t–”

  “Plain?” shouted Laurel, her emotions already primed for conflict. “And I am not his woman! He is staying with me, but he sleeps in his own bed!”

  Zoria looked amused. She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

  “So you’re a whore, then?” she asked. “I am unused to your tongue. The word may not translate perfectly. What I mean is… you bed with many different men? Plain as you are?”

  “Zoria!” Hal pushed himself physically in between the women. “Why don’t I show you the pond, where you can bathe? I think… I need to speak with Laurel alone, for a moment.”

  Zoria shrugged, but to everyone’s benefit, said no more. Hal led her to the pond, and then hurried back to explain.

  Laurel was inside the homestead, arms folded, her expression angrier than Hal had ever seen it before.

  “You saved her life?” asked Laurel. “And she saved yours?”

  “It’s… complicated,” said Hal. “I was up on the mountainside when the dragon showed up.”

  “And you expect me to just welcome her into my homestead with wide arms, because you brought her back?” asked Laurel. “That’s another person to take care of and feed, Hal.”

  “I know,” he said. “Look… she isn’t what she seems.”

  “The elves are supposed to have died off hundreds of years ago,” said Laurel. “And you just… head up on the mountainside and run into one?”

  “They aren’t all dead,” said Hal. “And she’s been banished by her own people.”

  Hal had expected that detail to sway Laurel’s sympathy, but it had the opposite effect.

  “No surprise there,” said Laurel. “She is… an unpleasant person. Which brings me to my next question. Why did you really bring her back here?”

  Hal sighed.

  “I think she can help me kill the dragon,” he said.

  Laurel raised an eyebrow.

  “Does this have something to do with your gem training?” she asked. “Hal! Have you and her already…?”

  Hal didn’t answer her immediately, but he didn’t need to. His face flushed with hot color, betraying him before he could find the right words.

  “Unbelievable,” said Laurel. “I don’t even know what to say…”

  “Laurel, look,” he said. “We were in a desperate situation. I did what I had to in order to survive. And when it comes to the dragon, I’m of the same mentality. Whatever it takes.”

  “Including accepting the help of someone like her?” asked Laurel. “Are you going to start bedding her constantly, Hal? Committing as much heresy as you can for the sake of your stupid plan to get yourself killed?”

  “You don’t understand…” Hal shook his head slowly. “That dragon took everything from me, Laurel
. My friends. My father. My sister.”

  Mentioning Lilith was too much for him. A sudden lump formed in his throat, and he knew if he tried to keep going, his voice would crack, or worse. Laurel picked up on his emotion immediately. She drew in closer to him, letting the silence hang for a minute.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I know how badly you want vengeance for your family.”

  “Then let Zoria stay,” said Hal. “Just for now. Killing the monster will help you, too, Laurel. It will open up your valley. Your life will improve if we pull it off!”

  “If, Hal,” said Laurel. “If you kill the dragon. Do you know how big that ‘if’ is?”

  Hal didn’t answer. He knew better than she did how powerful of an enemy he was up against, but saying so out loud seemed petty.

  “Please,” he said. “Zoria is nasty, but I need what she brings to the table.”

  Laurel sighed. Hal could see the conflict in her expression. He felt bad for what he was doing to her, the stress he was dropping in her lap. But the dragon had to die. There was no question in his mind about it, and for it to happen, he would need Zoria’s help.

  “Fine,” said Laurel. “But when it comes to your ruby path ‘training’, I don’t want it flaunted in my face. Your sessions with Cadrian are one thing, but this elf girl is just… incorrigible! As your friend, I respectfully ask that you keep her in line.”

  Hal was already nodding in agreement when the door to the homestead opened, and Zoria walked in, completely naked and dripping wet. Her brown hair was tangled into soaking locks. Her breasts were small, but large for her petite build, with small, perky pink nipples. The maiden’s hair around her crotch was short enough to make it obvious that she groomed it regularly, which suggested a whole host of other things about her.

  To his credit, Hal tried not to stare. He failed miserably, staring at Zoria’s proud display of nudity like a horny adolescent gawking at a comely wash woman cooling off after work. Hal was almost too busy appreciating her gorgeous curves to notice that she had dazzling emerald green eyes. Their beauty had been hidden by the dark of the tunnels until then.