“Come on, hurry up,” Cathy whined. “The village is just up ahead and I want to get out of here. It feels like something is watching us everywhere we go.”
“I’ll agree to that,” I said, picking up my pace.
“You better not be walking slowly because of what Elbele said,” Cathy said. “There are times and places where you can slow down and there are times and places where you need to be quick.”
“Yeah, but it feels like all I ever do is quickly move through everything,” I said. “Maybe I should slow down some more.”
“But she’s just saying stuff like that. All people her age say that,” Cathy pointed out. “People hit a point when they realise that they don’t have much time in life so they need to ‘slow down’ to ‘enjoy’ things, but that’s not you. Yeah, at any moment we can die during our quest...”
“Thanks for the positivity,” I said sarcastically.
“...BUT that doesn’t mean we should sniff every flower or enjoy every rock we pass because you feel we are moving too quickly,” Cathy continued. “Every life is different and it moves at its own speed. Never feel you have to change it because someone sees things differently.”
“I don’t...” I started.
“You do,” Cathy interrupted. “I know you, Andy. You aren’t comfortable in your own skin and you feel you need to be something more. That’s why you got us involved with everything when we first left the Tower and that’s why we are standing in the forests of Nesqa right now. I love that you are the ‘take charge’ type, but never feel you have to do everything to prove something to people. You are a great person; past, present and future. If I could go back and decide whether to invade your mind again, knowing everything I know now, I would still do it because I can’t imagine spending any time on this Plane without you.”
I grabbed Cathy’s arm and stopped her. “I would do the same thing,” I said. “The news about the Empress and Ms. Okoro’s words had made me doubt things a little.”
“A little?” Cathy asked in disbelief. “Have you seen your face? How much sleep did you get last night?”
I chuckled. “Not much. I thought I had done pretty well in growing confidence since leaving the Tower but it seems things became a little shaky after you left my head. I don’t think I could ever stop wanting to do more though. We’re here in Nesqa because we need to be, it just feels right that we are doing our part. I guess the part that freaked me out the most was ‘leaving people behind’. We’ve developed an interesting group of friends and it feels like I barely know them. I want the chance to be able to become closer friends with them all. And...I...” I scratched the back of my head, “I worry that if this pattern continues...I might end up leaving you behind.”
Cathy laughed. “Oh, Andy. You couldn’t run fast enough to leave me behind. I’ll always be here.”
I laughed. “Not even if I tie you to a tree?”
“Isn’t that how this relationship started?” Cathy asked.
“Good point,” I said.
She pulled me into a proper hug. “You’ll get your chance to be better friends with everyone. There’s only so much you can do when you are running from mobs of angry people looking to hunt down Mages. If we survive this, things might be different.”
“’If we survive’,” I quoted. “Always quick with the optimism.”
“Let’s be realistic on this one,” she smiled.
The sound of leaves shaking in the trees caught our attention. We watched the forest quietly and when we heard another sound close by, we broke away from our hug. “Seems like something was watching us after all,” I said.
“Good,” she smiled. “Things were getting a little too sappy around here.”
Chapter 26
All around us the forest seemed alive. The sound of leaves came from everywhere and nowhere at the same time as we watched for movement. We didn’t know how long the creature had been stalking us, but we guessed it had been a while.
A flash of tan streaked through the trees and I turned my palm towards it, ready to launch a spell. I couldn’t see the tan anymore and quickly searched the area for another sign. When I thought I saw another flash of tan, I launched a Pulse at it without hesitation. A tree shook violently, but nothing cried out or became visible. I scanned the trees again.
“Can your mental scan pick up anything?” Cathy asked.
I shook my head. “Even this close to the town, there is too much insect and small animal life that it would just fill my head with nonsense and not help us.”
“So, no change there?” Cathy joked.
I smirked and launched another Pulse into the trees. I sent more at various branches until an animal dropped onto the ground. It walked onto the path and stared us down. I was shocked to see that it was cat. A very large and angry cat, but still a cat.
It had tan fur with white around the face and stomach. I didn’t recognise it from any book or class, but that was hardly a surprise. I had been a terrible student. I looked to Cathy, but even she looked a little confused by the sight of it.
It started walking towards us slowly. The sleek, lean body, elegantly in motion as it closed the gap between us. Its sharp teeth and claws served as a warning for the harm it could cause if I was careless and it had a look in its eye that said I had been selected for its next meal. It reminded me of the older women that frequented the pubs, only there wouldn’t be any drinks or awkward conversation first. I suspected the breath would still smell the same.
“How’d you want to do this?” Cathy asked.
“We have the advantage but it wouldn’t attack us if it didn’t have a strategy,” I answered. “Let’s see what it does.”
It made a low growling sound and I covered my body in scales. The robe hid my appearance from the cat and it started to circle around, looking for an angle to attack. Its eyes were locked with mine and I saw Cathy start to drift away from me, hoping its attention stayed on me.
Cathy stepped forward and in a flash, charged the beast. The cat skilfully dodged and bounded up the tree, disappearing amongst the leaves. I launched Pulses to knock it down, but it was too quick. It leapt out of the tree and landed on my chest, knocking me to the ground.
The weight of the beast pinned me to the ground, but the scales protected me from its claws. When it went to bite my head, I grabbed its neck with both hands and pushed it back. It snarled and bit down towards my face, its rancid breath making me gag.
“Looks like I was right about the breath,” I groaned.
The cat screamed as Cathy’s boot connected with its body. The weight lifted off of me as the cat rolled away. I stretched my arm towards it and a stream of fire launched from my fingertips. The cat screamed again and took off like a shot back into the forest, the smell of its burning fur lingering in the air.
I groaned again and Cathy lent me her hand to help me get to my feet. “What was the point of that?” I asked.
“We must have pissed it off with our hug,” Cathy said. “It won’t bother us again though. It learnt its lesson.”
“I meant charging it,” I said. “We were waiting.”
“And so was it,” she said. “I just forced it to make its move. I knew you would be fine until I could help you.”
The scales slowly returned to skin as I brushed the dust off of my newly shredded robe. “Well thanks,” I said, brushing the dirt off my now tattered robes. “It’s strange that it would attack us. It didn’t seem corrupted like the wolves and foxes.”
“Random animal attacks happen,” Cathy shrugged. “What do you say we continue on before a toucan decides to give us the business next?”
I chuckled. “If that happens, I’ll consider retiring from adventuring.”
Cathy laughed. “Right there with you.”
The village of Bauna was in a clearing along the north edge of the forest. The villagers had set up torches around the perimeter to keep out the local wildlife and travellers used them to help find the village in the night. The patro
lling guards stopped us as we left the forest and I introduced myself with the key phrase to gain entrance to the village.
The way to the outpost was on the other side of the village but I wanted to stop and visit Donkor’s friend, Abuya, first. She would be upset if I didn’t stop by and there was a good chance Donkor would be visiting her anyhow.
As we approached the house, Cathy groaned. She had never been a fan of Abuya because she had become a bit crazy in her old age and likes to ramble about weird topics. I explained why we were visiting to Cathy and she reluctantly agreed.
I knocked on the door and a small crash could be heard from the other side. There was shuffling and what sounded like pots clanging together before an old woman answered the door. She was still looking good for whatever her age was but she always looked frailer than I remembered every time I saw her.
“You spooked the corn rattles out of me,” she said before really looking at me. She smiled. “Well if it isn’t Donkor’s imaginary friend Mandy. How are you doing? You know, Donkor really should have given you a manlier name. Even though Mandy has ‘Man’ in it, it still sounds like a girl’s name to me. Do all the other imaginary people make fun of you?”
I chuckled. “I’m doing okay and you got my name wrong. It’s Andy.”
“Sorry about that, Candy, the memory gets a little slippery in your old age,” she said. She turned and looked at Cathy. “And who might you be? Don’t tell me your Candy’s imaginary friend. An imaginary person’s imaginary friend would be just too much for me. I can’t keep up anymore.”
“My name is Sandra Middleton,” Cathy said.
“Landra Fiddlehen?” Abuya asked. “What a peculiar name? You sure you’re not imaginary?”
“No,” Cathy said.
“We are here to see Donkor,” I said, taking control of the situation. “We were heading for the outpost but wanted to see if he was here first.”
“Nope, haven’t seen him in a while,” she answered, before looking down at my shredded clothes. “Great gravy boat of Nassu. What happened to your dress?”
Cathy giggled.
“We were attacked by a cat in the forest,” I said.
“A cat?” she asked. “What did it look like?”
“It was big,” I started. “About my height if it were to stand on its hind legs and tan fur, all... teeth and... attitude.”
“Sounds like a cougar,” Abuya said.
Cathy giggled.
“A cougar?” I asked.
“Surly things,” she explained. “Very territorial. They come out at night and will stalk their prey for hours before catching it, dragging it back to their lair and devouring it all night long.”
“We’re still talking about the animal, right?” Cathy asked.
“It’s strange to see one this far south,” Abuya continued. “They usually can be spotted in the Archanion Field, close to the mountains. Something bad must be happening in the north. Then again something bad always happens in the north.”
“When you’re right, you’re right,” Cathy said.
“Well I wouldn’t be left,” she said, causing Cathy to roll her eyes. “Though I could be left without. Not likely though. That’s why I have so many things.”
“Yes, we are here about the troubles,” I said to Abuya, trying to get her back on track. “We should hurry and find Donkor.”
“Then don’t waste your time prattling on to me,” she said. “I’ve got to finish this painting. Send Donkor my love.”
We exchanged goodbyes and she shut the door. Cathy and I turned away. “Painting?” I asked, confused. “What could she be possibly be painting that requires pots?”
“Don’t ask,” Cathy said, walking away. “For the love of creation, don’t ask.”
*****
The old outpost was more a castle than anything else. Tall stone walls, heavily armed watch towers around the perimeter and a fortified gate protecting the only way in or out. It was designed to protect the border against anything and the fact that it still stood proved its strength.
Donkor and I had to assault the outpost during our quest to save Empress Morowa from blackmailing bandits. With the use of my magic we were able to sneak right in through the wide open front gate and assault the bandits from within. The memory of the bandits finding the invisible Donkor by smelling him flashed into my mind as we casually approached the gates.
“Identify yourselves!” A guard called down from the top of the gate.
“I am Moumno,” I started. “And the Red Sun will set when the Okoro dynasty comes to an end.”
“Alrighty then,” the guard called down. “What brings a Moumno to the Ghanlar border?”
“We wish to speak with Donkor,” I called up.
“Open the gate,’ I heard Donkor yell from the other side. The gate slowly opened and Donkor ran through the crack. He opened his arms wide for a hug and I panicked. “ANDY!”
He closed the gap between us quickly and scooped me up into a hug. My feet dangled as the gentle giant squeezed me into a bear hug and laughed. I groaned as the air was squeezed out of my body. I quickly covered my body in scales to prevent any damage to my ribs.
He pulled me away from him but still held me off the ground by my shoulders. “I thought you would never come back.”
“I said I would,” I said weakly, still catching my breath. “Unfortunately, I’m not here for a social visit.”
“You are here for the Evenawk camp on the border,” Donkor guessed. “As soon as I saw the reports they were setting up, I knew you would come sniffing around. This has the feeling of something big and you always seem to show up around big, fun events.”
“Saving your cousin wasn’t that big,” I said, wiggling a bit so he would put me down onto my own feet, “even if she is the Empress now.”
“What about when you came back and we investigated the missing caravans?” Donkor asked.
“Again, not THAT big,” I said.
“But fun,” he chuckled, turning and realising that Cathy was there for the first time. “Oh dear. You have my sincerest apologies.” He bowed. “Chief Instructor Donkor, at your service. Please forgive me for not introducing myself earlier.”
“That’s okay,” Cathy said. “I’ll just blame Kairu.”
“Kairu?” Donkor asked.
“Means Moumno,” I answered.
“Ah,” he said.
“Done?” Cathy asked me. I motioned for her to continue and she turned to Donkor again. “I am Lady Sandra Middleton of the Court of Balendar.”
Donkor bowed again. “Now I feel really bad ignoring an official of the Balendar court. How can this simple warrior assist you?”
“Do not worry about it,” Cathy smiled. “Kairu told me you were an excitable person.” She became more serious. “We need your help.”
She explained everything that had happened right from when we met Lady Middleton in the forest. Donkor listened carefully to everything with polite nods. After explaining our time with the Empress, Donkor grew sad.
“I don’t know why she is acting the way she is, but it doesn’t make people happy,” he said. “I worry that her reign has a time limit.”
“When she hears about the fight with the Evenawks, she might snap out of it,” I assured him.
“That’s why we need your help,” Cathy started. “We know there are a few Nesqian that would join with Balendar in this fight and we need someone who can organise the volunteers.”
Donkor nodded thoughtfully. “Then General Kobo is your man. He is already planning a defence against the Evenawks and has many friends amongst the officers in the army. Unlike the Kays, we’ve seen first-hand what is happening in the world.”
“Then we should hurry and meet him,” I said. “The sooner he is clued in, the sooner we can take down that Evenawk camp and reunite with the Balendar forces.”
“This is exciting,” Donkor smiled.
He led us into the outpost. The layout was still the same as I remembered it. The
forge and blacksmith were up front with the training area close by. There was a slight incline leading up to the command centre with the barracks and armoury close by. Warriors and instructors ran around the ground between the training area and the ramp to the upper wall of the outpost. Donkor called out to a recruit to get the general and the young man ran up to the command centre and disappeared within.
“So what happened to your robe?” Donkor asked me.
“Cougar attack,” I answered.
“Those girls can be rough in Kay Julis,” he replied.
Cathy giggled and I looked confused as we reached the door of the command centre. Inside, a short man headed towards us with a purpose. He was no taller than Cathy but his hard face and muscled body made you pause and consider there was something more to this guy than you’d first think.
He looked at me and smirked. “Moumno. It’s been a while.”
“General,” I bowed slightly.
“I owe Donkor a hundred gold,” he said. “After you disappeared last time, I figured you had your fill of the forests of Nesqa.” He turned to look at Cathy. “Balendar nobility too. Good to meet you, my Lady. General Zuberi Kobo, at your service.”
“Lady Sandra Middleton, likewise, General,” Cathy said.
“What brings you here?” General Kobo asked.
“War,” Cathy smiled.
Chapter 27
War. It wasn’t until Cathy had said the word that its meaning sunk in.
Everything we were doing was to prevent an all-out war across the continent. Failure in our mission would result in the destruction of Balendar’s leadership and army, leaving its citizens vulnerable to enslavement. With Balendar out of the way, Nesqa wouldn’t have a chance.
Never before had the weight of the world fallen on my shoulders with such force. The more I thought about everything, the more I froze up. It had been fun earlier but now that things were starting to get serious I began to doubt our chance of success. The plan, such as it was, was ludicrously simple: walk into Scert’chak and kill Desroche. There were still too many unknowns to answer. For one, how would we even get into the capital?
The Vacant Throne: The Legend Of Kairu Vol 3 Page 21