by Thomas Rath
Even with his night vision, he couldn’t see that far in front of them. It was like walking in a cave with a lantern held before you, the passageway ahead revealing itself only as you continued to move deeper into its bowels. It was unnatural as if dark magic were at work. Thane did his best to brush away the uneasiness he felt as he pressed on deeper though his body remained tense and his mind shouted for him to turn and run back to the light. The feeling he’d had earlier of being followed continued but was now mixed with a sense of eyes all around tracking their every move. He tried to brush it off but it would not be denied a presence in his mind. He knew that something must be out there but resigned himself to the fact that until it revealed itself he was helpless to defend against it. He would not leave the road to seek it out. For the time being he must be content to be the hunted though it grated his nerves to feel he was at its mercy.
Time soon became a cadence of steps, one after the other, that passed into the sense of a never ending march that was void of purpose other than the placing of another foot forward. Though the road moved in gyrations from left to right, there was no way to determine the passage of time or distance as they continued on with a sensation of lacking destination. It dulled their minds and weakened their senses almost to the point of not registering their surroundings or the dangers they might pose; so much so, in fact, that Thane did not realize they were under attack until he felt the pain in his left arm from the needle-sharp tentacle that shot out like a whip, piercing him with its barb and then pulling back leaving the sack tip stinger in his flesh. The pain was like fire burning up his arm as the poison pumped into his body before he had his wits about him enough to pull it free. More tentacles lashed out, their stingers seeking like tiny daggers searching for openings to take down their victims. Thane felt his arm go numb as he called out while pulling free his sword with his good hand.
Tam reacted the quickest, cutting off one of their attacker’s arms just as its venomous stinger was about to hit Thane’s throat. They could all see it now, just at the edge of their sight, a large, black plantlike creature that consisted of a bulbous body with hundreds of thin arms that lashed out like whips at its prey. Dor quickly moved up next to Tam as best he could though there was little space with the trees closing in on either side. Thane was able to deflect more attacks with the sword in his right hand but his left arm was becoming alarmingly limp. Domis was pushed back behind Tam though he found himself relatively calm. He’d seen and faced battle situations before and was not afraid to fight, given the opportunity.
More whipping arms shot out at them and it was getting more difficult to deflect them as Tam and Thane pressed for the same position. “You’re hurt,” Tam shouted at Thane, “move back. You’re getting in my way.”
Thane cut another arm but knew that without his other sword he could not match the speed at which the creature attacked. She was right. Stepping back he gave way to Tam who instantly became a whirlwind of lethal steel as her swords spun, dipped and sliced through every arm the creature threw at her. By this time, Dor had given up his swords for the more comfortable and familiar bow. Loosing two arrows quickly in succession he buried both into what he thought must be their attacker’s head. He then shot two more as Tam deflected more arms that had abruptly slowed down in their offensive. Domis and Thane could only watch impotently as Dor shot two more arrows while he and Tam moved forward on their slowing assailant. A multitude of plantlike arms lay in the road twitching slightly as if in their final moments they were still trying to imbed their stingers.
Dor shot one final arrow that must have hit a vital organ as the arms suddenly went limp. Tam wasted no time in hacking at the creature with her swords until nothing but a pile of oozing gel seemed all that remained.
Returning to Thane, Dor tore the sleeve away from his friend’s arm and could immediately see where the venom had been injected. It was swollen, but only in the area next to the puncture. Dor gave Thane a worried look. “Are you faint or nauseated?”
“No,” he breathed, surprised. “It’s only right around where the stinger hit me that seems affected. It’s almost paralyzed.”
Tam came over, cleaning her blades as best she could before sheathing them behind her back. “Is it bad?” she asked, concerned.
“I don’t know yet,” Dor replied, “but one thing is for certain, we need to try and get the poison out.” He pulled his dagger but hesitated, waiting for Thane’s consent.
Thane nodded. “Do it.”
Pressing the dagger into his flesh, Dor cut right into the punctured skin. Almost immediately a dark gel oozed from the wound dripping into a pile on the ground at their feet. Thane could feel sensation quickly returning to his arm and was encourage to the point that he began to squeeze the flesh around the cut until he finally drew out some blood. Though it still hurt, it appeared that once the venom had been extracted, the paralysis left and his feeling returned. Tam cut a small piece of cloth she retrieved from her pack and wet it so she could bathe the wound and then tied a strip around Thane’s arm to stop the bleeding.
Thane nodded gratefully when she was done, and moved his arm about as if to test its strength. “It feels fine,” he declared.
All looked at what was left of the plant, realizing how lucky they were that only one of them had been stung and with only one venom pouch. It was easy to understand now how such an opponent could quickly render its victim powerless so that it might devour its prey at its leisure.
“We better continue on,” Thane said, motioning them forward, “until fatigue takes us. I don’t want to spend a moment longer in these woods than is necessary.”
No one argued as they fell back into their march quickly putting distance between themselves and the plant. Thane was fully alert now, as were the others, not willing to so easily fall prey to something else. Soon the trees began to spread out giving way to gaps and off shooting trails that beckoned to and tempted the travelers. At more than one place Thane had to stop and examine the ground to be certain they were remaining on the trail and not being led off into the belly of the forest to become quarry to one of its dark host or to be lost forever searching for a way out. Direction had become all but compromised without the sun to direct them so their trust was placed on the trail that was said to empty out in the southeast near Willow Wood.
In had been close to an hour before Thane suddenly halted them, motioning they all squat down. Using hand signals, he directed their attention up the road where at least ten black forms crowded the road from either side. At first they appeared to be moss covered rocks but all soon recognized them as the same type of creature they’d met before. Had they not had their first encounter, they would have walked right into the middle of them. Backing up slowly, they retraced their steps to what they felt was a safe enough distance away and out of range.
“We’ll have to leave the road,” Dor said.
“We could kill them with arrows at a distance,” Tam offered, but Thane shook his head.
“We may need our arrows for something else,” he countered, looking around briefly. The sense of being watched had still not left him. He feared now that it appeared that they would have to leave the road he would finally find out what was stalking them. He could see the uncertainty in their faces and added quickly, “We need to move off the road…just long enough to get past.”
All nodded their heads in agreement but none liked the decision. But the choice was not theirs to make. There was no other option to get safely through. “Just as a precaution,” Thane added, “we’ll tie ourselves together with the rope.” Quickly linking them all together, he left enough space should they need to fight or maneuver but not so much that any would ever be out of eyeshot. The ground was soft and loamy underneath their feet as they left the road’s hard packed dirt and moved to their left into the forest. Thane’s instincts warned him that leaving the trail was dangerous but he comforted himself in the fact that they were only doing so briefly; just until they made it safely pas
t those deadly plants. The ache in his arm was proof enough that they could not withstand so many and hope to make it past alive. Just a quick circle around and they would be back to the trail again.
Glancing back at the path, he could still just make out the line it cut through the woods. Veering to the right he took them parallel to it thinking they surely were far enough away from the deadly plants to pass through safely. But only a few steps further and he suddenly halted seeing another rounded form, its tentacles laid out flat in a circle patiently waiting for the unwary. Cursing under his breath, he waved them back further into the woods. Looking briefly over his shoulder, the road was no longer visible. The trees had also become thicker again as if anticipating they would leave the safety of the road, forcing the group to turn to the left and right to pass through.
Again, Thane tried to turn along where he was certain the road traveled but only got a few yards when another black, swollen plant, barred their way. Should they go back? He found himself becoming desperate. The longer they were away from the main path, the more likely they were to be attacked or lost and the day was quickly waning. But the desperation of their mission and what it would mean should they succeed far outweighed the risks.
Putting the memory of the road to his back once again, he led his friends even deeper into the woods. Time seemed to be passing rapidly now and he wondered how soon it would be before they were left in almost complete darkness as the sun set. He did not want to be in the forest proper when that happened. Turning once more, he strode tentatively on a parallel course with where he felt certain the path led. Praying for passage, he was relieved when no more stinging orbs barred their way. Quickening his pace a little, he cast aside his caution for silence and tried to make up for lost time.
A short distance was all they needed to go before they could turn to the side once more and get back to the trail. He let out a sigh as surely they would be there again in moments. Turning again to his right, he made haste though kept himself vigilant of any danger. A couple of times he was forced to his left because of trees blocking their way, but all the time he knew he was getting them closer to the road. An eerie cry suddenly echoing off in the distance ahead brought them all to an unsettled halt.
“What was that?” Dor asked in a hushed tone.
All stared with eyes wide, trying to will their sight to reach further and reveal the enemy that threatened. Tam thought she saw a shadow move to her left sending a chill racing through her to match the pace of her pounding heart.
“Back to the road,” Thane called, pulling them all into a run as he raced headlong toward the path and the unnatural cry heard only moments before. Finding another of the deadly plants, he veered to the left. A high pitched wail, different from the first one, came from close behind them followed by hissing and clicking sounds. Dor chanced a glance back and saw three shadows slipping easily through the woods chasing after them and gaining quickly. Tam saw two more shadows materialize on their left.
“I think I saw something move!” Domis shouted pointing to the right. Dor followed his arm and saw two more shadows suddenly materialize as if they detached themselves from the very trees. Thane abruptly stopped and reversed his direction while pulling his swords and cutting himself free from Tam. Dor and Tam did the same while Domis fought with his own sword before finally freeing it from the scabbard. Placing themselves in a tight circle with their backs to the middle they peered out into the dark as the shadows slowed and surrounded them. Another cry echoed in the distance and the shadows suddenly rushed in.
The dark forms materialized into insect like creatures with five spindly legs attached to long bodies. Three of the legs were affixed to the back body segment with one on either side and the third out the back. The two front legs were joined to the upper body and had hooked claws that looked to be able to rip the flesh from any victim caught in their clutches. All their legs had curved spikes protruding from them like thorns on a flower. A mantas like head carried large sickle pinchers that snapped together in front of a huge mouth full of sharp teeth that released a raspy hiss. No eyes were visible giving them the appearance of being sightless.
Not waiting, Thane rushed forward, slicing the head of one of their attackers, dropping it to the forest floor before turning on another, just barely ducking under its swinging claw. Hook and steal clashed filling the air with a great ring as all were thrust into a melee of death. Tam dropped another when she ducked beneath its forward swing before coming up under it and slicing through its neck. Dor was also able to kill another while Thane knocked away an attack on Domis who, though somewhat inexperience, was holding his own.
For a moment it appeared as if they might escape as Thane dispatched another assailant but, suddenly, more shadows materialized into the insect-like creatures. Now where four had remained, five more joined the attack. The situation was quickly becoming desperate as hooks slipped past the steel defenses and ripped at arms, legs and chests carving out wounds that, though not life threatening, were increasing in number and in lost blood. Thane searched for a way out but was so occupied with the attackers that nothing seemed possible. Even in the daylight, on level ground, he knew they could not outrun them. He’d tried to move the group closer to one of the large trees to at least give them protection at their backs but there were too many now to allow any movement as even more appeared. Their only hope was to stay tight together but even that was becoming less and less of an advantage. Killing yet one more, Thane lost count of how many there were as more seemed to materialize as if sensing the feeding frenzy that was sure to begin in mere moments.
His heart sank as he sensed the feeling of certain doom overtaking him. Tam’s face, though determined, belied what he knew was hopeless. He chastised himself for thinking they could do this alone. An army was what they’d needed to succeed. Domis made squealed grunts as the fear and awareness of his assured demise sent its icy chill through his heart. Only Dor’s face showed the calm acceptance that seemed to overcome him when death’s specter came for him. It was something Thane envied in his friend. Though he did not fear to step into the beyond neither did he seek to hasten his journey there.
The hooks were too many and coming at a quicker pace. Soon one would get through and then each would falter in turn leaving them as nothing but a memory that would, of itself, be lost sooner or late with the victory or defeat of their friends. Maybe it would be better to let it all go now instead of prolonging the inevitable. There was not much hope anyway that they would even find the YeiyeiloBaneesh, if they indeed still existed. And what if they did? How was he to make arrows from them to save the others from the dragons? It was foolishness.
Blocking one hook, Thane was too slow to block another that nicked his collarbone opening up yet another break in his skin, the blood mixing with his sweat. It wouldn’t be long now. Another howl broke through the woods, much closer now, and an audible grown escaped the companions’ lips at the call of still more of their foe coming to feast. But then, as if by some unspoken word, their enemies suddenly just all turned and then raced away, once again dissolving into mere shadows that quickly disappeared into the forest.
Gasping for breath, the friends looked back and forth, trying to make sense of their sudden retreat at the moment of certain victory. Their confusion did not last though as different forms began to appear, slowly materializing out of the darkness. Night was coming on and it was obvious that this new threat posed even a greater danger and that their original enemies knew to run rather than become the prey.
They raised their swords ready to defend themselves to the last but the previous battle had taken much of their strength that would be quickly exhausted against a new foe. Only five forms materialized from the shadows as a thick mist began to rise from the forest floor with the last rays of the afternoon sun quickly retreating and plunging the forest into total darkness. They were large, standing on four great, powerful legs that rippled with muscle and sinew beneath a dark, thick, hairless skin. Their paw
s were almost hand-like with tremendous claws that dug into the dirt flexing as if in anticipation for the coming kill. As tall as Thane, their large heads stared down at them with glowing eyes that seemed unaware of the closing night. A great, dog-like snout pushed forward, big fanged teeth pushing up and down along the jaw line as a snarl escape curled jowls, a mane of hair cascading down their backs.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Gorbrak circled lazily as he took in the destruction and mayhem that had been his gift to his master, Zadok. Smoke still rose from many of Calandra’s buildings. The city had been completely ransacked by the army in search of shiny trinkets that dazzled the simple minded or, more importantly, flesh for the cook fires. The moans and screams of days before were all but gone now as most of the occupants had been discovered meaning the supply of fresh meat had dwindled. Though he would have eaten the humans if the need where great, he preferred the tenderness offered by the sheep that were corralled outside the city. Sure he’d had to kill of few orcs to stake his claim, but word had spread quickly when the dismembered parts of their ilk were found scattered about the area.
Night was fast approaching and fires were beginning to pop up all over the city where pockets of Zadok’s tremendous army decided to wreak their chaos for the day. The distant cry of a woman rousted from whatever hole she’d found to hide in lifted in horror as her fate would soon be sealed on an open spit. Apparently there still was feasting in Calandra. Banking left, Gorbrak allowed himself to descend on the once opulent city now reduced to refuse by its new tenants and glided toward the castle where Zadok had taken up residence while the city was being razed. He had a successful meeting with the town of Waterford that he needed to report before filling his belly with more mutton. It had almost been too easy and, like the others, he was wondering when Zadok would finally unleash their full power on the pitiful humans. He craved the fear that emanated from them and was so palpable and delicious to his senses.