Nature's Peril - the Complete Edition

by Duncan Pile

  Sighing once again, she pushed herself up onto her hands. Watered wine had flowed freely at supper last night, and now she needed to pee. The need to go was urgent enough that she couldn’t ignore it, so she’d just have to get up and go outside. The air was chill, so she stood up and grabbed her enchanted cloak, wrapping it round herself before stepping carefully across the room, taking care not to tread on any of the sleepers. Rimulth was on watch, sitting upright with his back against the wall, so she tiptoed up to him to tell him where she was going. When she reached him, however, it became clear he had fallen asleep. Emmy considered waking him, but then she smiled to herself and stepped over his legs without bothering him. It was unlike the tribesman to drift off on his watch, but if he was that exhausted, he deserved a chance to get some proper rest, just like everyone else. She left by the back door as the Foreman had instructed, and walked towards the outhouse. The ground was stony and cold against her feet, and she cursed herself for not pulling her boots on before going outside. She walked awkwardly on the balls of her feet, trying not to tread on any sharp stones. She was getting more irritated with herself by the moment. Now she was fully awake, and getting back to sleep would be impossible!

  Ten paces from the outhouse she stopped in her tracks, convinced she’d heard the sound of boots scuffing on stone. She paused, listening intently. The sound came again from the other side of the outhouse.

  “Who’s there?” she called quietly, not wanting to wake anyone else. It wasn’t unusual for two people to need the outhouse at once after all. The footsteps sounded again from the other side of the small hut, and the Foreman wandered out.

  “It’s only me little missy, going for a night-time stroll,” he said, ambling slowly in her direction.

  “Oh hello,” Emmy said, feeling suddenly nervous. She didn’t want to be alone with a strange man in the middle of the night. “Well I just need to go in there,” she added, pointing at the outhouse. “So if you don’t mind…”

  “Oh but I do,” the Foreman said. He took a step towards her.

  Emmy froze in alarm. Overcoming her momentary shock, she opened her mouth to scream, but the Foreman glanced over her shoulder, and before she could make a sound, something crashed against the back of her head, just behind her ear, and everything went black.

  …

  Gaspi awoke suddenly and completely, his body flooded with adrenaline. Loreill was practically screaming through the bond. He shot the elemental a question. What’s going on? Loreill’s response was sharp and clear. Something had happened to Emmy. Lilly was frantic.

  “Everyone up!” he yelled. “UP!” He threw a globe light in the air. Confused mutters sounded from around the room.

  “What’s happening?” Voltan asked, on his feet before anyone else.

  “Emmy’s gone. I think she’s been attacked.”

  “She could just be in the outhouse,” Voltan responded.

  “Loreill woke me. Lilly must have felt something.”

  “Lydia’s gone too!” Taurnil said frantically. He was white as a sheet.

  Voltan whirled around to address the group. “Taurnil, Gaspi, keep it together. Everyone, pull on some boots and grab your weapons, now!”

  Without exception, the group was already on their feet, yanking on their boots. Even Baard, who usually struggled to get up, was as fast as anyone else in an emergency.

  “Voltan, this is my fault,” Rimulth said self-incriminatingly as he readied himself. “I fell asleep on my watch.”

  “We’ll talk about that later,” Voltan said. “Everyone ready? Okay, we’re going out the back door. Fan out across the ground in pairs. Watch each other’s backs. Let’s go!” The warrior mage flung the side door open and launched himself into a dive in case an archer was holding a bead on the door, rolling to the left as he landed. No arrows were fired. The others rushed out after him, peeling off in twos and pacing silently across the open space.

  Gaspi paired up with Taurnil. He held his long knife out before him and Taurnil carried his staff, half-crouched and ready to spring.

  There was nobody there.

  “Emea, Lydia!” Voltan called quietly, but there was no response. Suddenly, a torch flared into life in front of them, and then two more on either side of it, and then another two. “To me!” Voltan called as flames sprang into life all around them, ringing them in flickering light. They backed towards Voltan until the group was clustered in the middle of the open ground between the meeting hall and the outhouse. The ring of flame tightened, each torch held by one of the Foreman’s men, but there were other men too, following the torch bearers with drawn weapons. It looked like the whole town had come out! The ring stopped tightening and the Foreman stepped out from between two of the torches.

  “Well, well, well,” he said, assessing the group of warriors in front of him. “Looks like you’re hungry for a fight!”

  Voltan sheathed his blades and lifted his hands, drawing power until his fists glowed with blinding spheres of arcane energy. “You don’t know what you’re dealing with! Give the girls back and we will let you live.”

  The Foreman stared at Voltan for long moments and then burst out laughing. He laughed long and hard, echoed by his men.

  “What’s funny, you worm?” Voltan spat, his voice ringing with cold fury. “I could snuff you out in a heartbeat.” Gaspi sheathed his blade and drew power too, forging a strike in both hands.

  The Foreman stopped laughing instantly, his face tightening with anger. “You make a move and your women die,” he said, his scowling face ruddy in the firelight. Gaspi glanced at Taurnil. The muscles on his arms were bunched and ready to strike, but his expression was anguished. Gaspi didn’t see what choice they had. Yes they could strike the Foreman down, and yes they could kill all these men if necessary, but not without giving someone all the time they needed to murder Emmy and Lydia. Loreill was frantic, wanting to know if he and the other spirits should come and fight. Gaspi made his mind up. He told Loreill to stay put and then released his power.

  “Voltan, let it go,” he said. The warrior mage glanced at him uncertainly and quickly returned his gaze to the Foreman. “Voltan!” Gaspi said firmly.

  “Listen to the young pup,” the Foreman said. “You can’t win here. The rest of you, put down your weapons.” Voltan was still holding onto his power, battle-ready and deadly, but Sabu dropped his scimitars to the ground. The others followed his lead, their weapons hitting the ground with a series of clangs and thuds. Voltan glanced around, realising he was the only person still ready to fight, and reluctantly let go of his power.

  “Good choice,” the Foreman said. “Men!” he ordered, and a dozen strong fellows stepped through the ring of torches and approached the group. They grabbed everyone by the shoulders and herded them away from their abandoned weapons. “Belter, Jymm, get their stuff,” the Foreman said, and another couple of men disappeared into the meeting hall.

  The Foreman strode out in front of the group. “Follow,” he said, walking quickly around the side of the hall and back through the streets of the town. Gaspi hurried along, a strong hand gripping his shoulder all the way. He assumed the Foreman was going to lock them up, but when they passed the first row of houses, he was steered instead towards the gate. It was only then that he realised what was happening. They weren’t going to be attacked or imprisoned. They were going to be thrown out of town!

  Before he could work out if this was a good or a bad thing, the gates were already swinging open. Their escorts walked them outside and shoved them to the ground before striding back through the gates, which swung shut behind them. Gaspi rose to his feet, brushing dust and dirt from his clothing and turning to look back at the walls of Ironhall. A dozen archers were already in place, arrows nocked and drawn, and in their midst was the Foreman. He said something over his shoulder and two more men climbed up to the parapet. They heaved armfuls of clothing over the edge, which scattered and landed all over the ground in front of them. Their stuff!

&nb
sp; “I’m sure you understand your situation,” the Foreman said. “We have your women, and if you even come near these gates again we will kill them. So be on your way and don’t come back. Understand?”

  Taurnil started forward, but Baard and Sabu restrained him. Gaspi was just as worried about Emmy as Taurnil was about Lydia, but he was trying to keep his head about him.

  “Taurn. We’re coming back for them, but right now we have to leave,” he said with quiet urgency. Taurnil looked at him blankly, as if he hadn’t heard a word, but then understanding dawned in his eyes.

  “We’re coming back?” he asked under his breath.

  “Yes,” Gaspi whispered. “But if we fight them here and now, Emmy and Lydia will probably be killed.”

  Taurnil nodded reluctantly. “Okay, let’s get out of here.”

  “Gaspi’s right,” Voltan said. “Grab our stuff and let’s head out.” They picked up everything lying on the ground and, without saying a word to the Foreman, walked away from Ironhall.

  Twenty-one

  “So what happens now?” Taurnil asked, pacing up and down.

  They’d moved far enough from Ironhall that they couldn’t be seen and detoured into the trees to discuss what do to. Voltan had summoned a pale globe light, illuminating their faces in its ghostly glow. Rimulth stood in troubled silence. Gaspi suspected the tribesman was feeling guilty about falling asleep on his watch. Well maybe he ought to feel guilty! Besides, Gaspi didn’t have time to think about Rimulth’s feelings. The only thing that mattered was rescuing the girls.

  “We go back in and get them,” Gaspi said.

  “But how?” Taurnil asked. “We can’t storm the gates!”

  “It has to be done by stealth,” Gaspi said.

  “Where are the enchanted items of invisibility?” Voltan asked. They rummaged through their belongings, looking for the necklace, the bangle or the hair clip, but after several minutes they had to concede that they were missing.

  “Emmy and Lydia must have had the bangle and clip, but the necklace should be there,” Gaspi said in frustration.

  “The Foreman’s men might have thought it was valuable,” Talmo said. “Did they steal anything else?”

  Gaspi and Voltan started rummaging again, looking for their enchanted items, but as they searched it became clear they’d been thoroughly pilfered. The ring of sight was gone, as were Emmy’s gloves of strength, and worse than either of those, the second part of the amulet wasn’t there either. Voltan still had the lodestone fragment around his neck, but the other part was nowhere to be found. To Gaspi’s great concern, the statuette of the Chimera was gone too. No-one else in the group knew of its existence, but there was no way he was letting the Foreman keep hold of that deadly artefact, especially when they might need it against the Darkman.

  “The Wizard’s Eye!” he said. They couldn’t use invisibility, but the Eye would definitely be useful in a rescue attempt!

  “Who cares if they stole stuff?” Taurnil interjected angrily. “Let’s just work out how to get in there.”

  “That’s exactly what we’re doing,” Gaspi snapped impatiently. “The Wizard’s Eye will help us find them.” Taurnil didn’t respond, but resumed his pacing.

  “Don’t take too long though,” Zlekic interjected. “The Foreman took the girls for a reason, and it won’t be for their conversation.” Gaspi didn’t even want to think about what Zlekic was implying. He found his cloak among the pile and started patting it down, desperately hoping he’d find the Eye, but there was no tell-tale bulge. He found the inside pocket and slipped his hand inside, but there was nothing there.

  “Taken?” Voltan asked.

  “It’s gone,” Gaspi said, throwing the cloak on the ground in frustration. What the hell were they going to do if they couldn’t use invisibility and couldn’t scout with the Eye? What if the Foreman had Emmy in his clutches right at that moment? Suddenly, the answer came to him. “The belt!” he exclaimed. He’d forgotten about it until that moment, but the belt was soft and yielding, and he never bothered taking it off when he slept.

  “Yes that might work!” Voltan said. The belt was enchanted so that anyone the wearer spoke to would find them entirely trustworthy and believe what they said. “I’ll try to avoid anyone if possible,” the warrior mage continued. “But if anyone confronts me, I’ll use the belt to convince them there’s no problem with me being there. When I find the girls, I might be able to find the amulet and transport us out. Give it over Gaspi.”

  Gaspi shook his head. “If anyone’s doing it, it’s me.”

  “I can’t allow you to take that risk.”

  “I don’t care who does it,” Taurnil interjected. “Just get the hell on with it. Lydia’s in there right now!”

  “Hold on Taurn,” Gaspi said. “Voltan, it has to be me.”

  “Why?” Voltan asked, folding his arms across his chest and scowling intensely.

  “Because it’s going to take elemental magic to get in there. I’m going to go over the wall with the air spirit, and that’s something you can’t do.”

  Voltan regarded him intently for long moments before conceding defeat. “You’re right, I can’t do that, but do you have to go alone?”

  “No, but it’s better this way. I know the belt will work for me, but will it work for two people?”

  Voltan thought for a moment longer and then nodded sharply. “Okay Gaspi, it’s down to you. Be safe!”

  Gaspi nodded and sent a summons to Loreill. Within moments, the fours spirits zipped through the trees in spirit form – four streaks of glowing colour, blue, green, white and black - and transformed in their midst. It was a sign of their urgency that they were willing to endure the extreme discomfort of spirit form to move more quickly.

  “Loreill stay here. Rimulth, I’m going to need the air spirit.”

  “I’m coming too,” Rimulth said quietly. “It’s my fault they were captured.”

  “That’s not important right now,” Gaspi said impatiently.

  “You’ve never worked with the air spirit before. I’ll do a better job of it,” Rimulth insisted. “Gaspi, let me come.”

  “No!” Gaspi said. “You heard what I said about the belt.”

  “I’ll only to the other side of the wall. I’ll wait there for you and take us all out again if you can’t find the amulet.”

  Gaspi had had enough of arguing. Who knew what Emmy was having to endure! “Fine. But let’s go.” He pulled on his cloak and clutched the belt with both hands. He looked at Rimulth. “Do your stuff!”

  “Summon some wind first,” Rimulth said. “Keep it circling us. It’ll make it easier.”

  Gaspi flung out his senses, tuning into the moving currents in the air and drawing them towards him. He formed a head of wind, sending it spiralling around them in a tight figure of eight. The moment it started to whip through their clothing, the air elemental took spirit form in a flash of light, and the wind intensified ten-fold. It swirled around them, drawing in until Gaspi and Rimulth were caught up in a roaring whirlwind. Gaspi felt his feet leave the ground and clung onto Rimulth instinctively. The tribesman ignored him, muttering under his breath as he channelled elemental power.

  Rimulth’s whirlwind swept them up into the air, carrying them high above the tree tops. Despite being terrified, Gaspi marvelled at Rimulth’s mastery of his element. The tribesman must have been practising without telling anyone! They flew over the hill, soaring even higher when Ironhall came into view. Rimulth took them up until Gaspi’s extremities started to freeze in the biting wind. His eyes stung and watered so badly he could barely see, but then Rimulth was lowering them again, his muttering dropping in volume and intensity until it was a barely audible burble of sound. The roar of the wind diminished too, loosening its grip on them as they descended. Gaspi wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and saw that Rimulth was lowering them well inside the wall of Ironhall, right against the far wall of the mountain. The ground drew near until Rimulth finally let g
o of them, deposited them on a short slope at the rear of the compound, hidden behind the bulk of the last few houses. The air spirit changed into a hawk in the blink of an eye.

  “Good job,” Gaspi said, steadying himself on shaking legs. “Stay in this spot – if anyone sees you, get out of here. Find Voltan and think up another plan. Got it?”

  Rimulth nodded. “Good luck, and Gaspi, I’m sorry.”

  “I know,” Gaspi said. He turned away and started jogging into the gap between the nearest two buildings. He didn’t hold any hope of avoiding detection, so he hooked a finger behind his enchanted belt and channelled a steady trickle of magic into it as he considered his plan. First things first – he had to work out where Emmy and Lydia were being kept. It couldn’t be the meeting hall, as he’d been sleeping in there when Emmy had been taken.

  The Foreman’s hut! It was obvious now that he thought about it. If they’d taken the girls for the reasons Zlekic had said, the Foreman would no doubt be keeping them for himself – or at least one of them! Urgency speeding his steps, Gaspi darted between the houses, staying in the shadows where he could. He didn’t want to use the belt until it was absolutely necessary. He saw several pairs of sentries, but they didn’t see him. He sped to the next house, flattening himself in its shadow.