by Dante King
“I wonder if he has a trapdoor in here,” Ben said. “It’s what I would have if this were my hall.”
“Where would it be?” Melody asked.
Ben scanned the room. The wooden floor was even and unbroken. There weren’t many places a trapdoor could hide. Except under that chest.
“Help me move the chest,” Ben said.
The chest was heavy, being made of solid oak, but with the strength Ben had drained from Borax, he and Lexi easily shifted the chest out of the way without making much noise. Sure enough, an iron ring was nailed into the wooden floor.
Ben lifted the ring and opened a section of the floor, revealing steps going down into the dark. They took one of the torches and entered the low earthen tunnel. With any luck it would lead them out to an unwatched part of Brekmarth, allowing them to make an attack and free the monsterkin before anyone on the other side of town noticed.
Chapter 9
Ben, Melody, and Lexi followed the tunnel out of the courthouse until they exited into an alley obscured by thatched, windowless huts. The calm of the outside was a stark contrast to the violence that had only just happened inside the office of the late mage, Borax.
They took a moment to collect themselves and catch their breaths. As Ben gained his bearings, he noticed a faint noise in the distance: the busy sounds of the market stalls. His stomach tightened as he realized they were still very near the place they’d hoped to escape.
“We must only be a short distance behind the courthouse,” Ben said, his heart still racing, the image of the mage’s lifeless body slumped on the desk still fresh in his mind.
“If that merchant was telling us the truth,” Lexi said, “the monsterkin camp should be on the other side of these streets.”
“We’ll have to find a way to approach without attracting too much attention from the guards,” Melody said.
“That would be best,” Ben agreed, giving a quick nod. “But we need to be ready for a fight if it comes to that. Let me give you some more of the magic I got from the mage, Melody.”
Ben took the catgirl’s slender furry fingers in his hands. Through practice, he could transfer energy at range, but he’d learned that there was less attrition if he made direct skin-to-skin contact. The power he’d pulled from Borax was intense. He still felt keyed up, like he could fight every guard in Brekmarth on his own.
But as he tried to sort through the spells, he noticed something peculiar. Along with the various colored cords of strength and courage and all the rest, he could see the spells. They were there near the mana, small pools of magical energy that he could tap into.
“That’s strange,” Ben said as he looked at the excess mana he had available inside himself.
“What is it?” Melody asked.
“I can see the spells I acquired sitting here as well.”
“But that’s normal, isn’t it?” Lexi asked. “You’re supposed to be able to see your spells in order to cast them.”
“No,” Ben shook his head. “That’s not what I meant. I can see them along with my strands of energy, as if I could transfer them using Drain. It’s as if I could give them to someone, just like I could give my courage.”
“Oh,” Lexi said. “That is strange.”
“I wonder if…” An idea started to form in Ben’s mind. “I’m going to give it a shot. There’s a spell here that would suit you particularly well, Melody.”
“Which one’s that?” the catgirl asked, her purple eyes gleaming.
“I’ll surprise you.” He flashed a grin.
The catgirl practically hopped with anticipation, eager to receive the new magic from Ben.
Ben focused, summoning his mana and activating his Drain spell. This time, instead of grasping energy, he tried grasping the Blitzblade spell. It slipped away from him, as if he were in the shower trying to grab a bar of soap. He could sense that, having only recently gained the power, he was less than proficient with it. But with some persistence, he got a grip on it, his entire body tensing as he did. Electricity crackled through his body, the hairs of his arms standing on end.
Unlike energy, which could flow in a steady, even stream, a spell had to be pushed out all at once. It felt like trying to squeeze a golf ball through a hose. As the spell entered Melody, she rocked back on her heels, her eyes widening.
“Did it work?” Ben asked.
Melody furrowed her brow, concentrating. “I think so. I have a new spell. Blitzblade?” She sucked in a breath.
Blitzblade. The name conjured an image of a powerful sword crackling with energy. He couldn’t wait to see what it could do.
“Well?” Lexi asked. “Go on then, try it out.”
Melody raised a hand to cast the spell, but Ben grabbed her wrist, stopping her.
“Wait,” Ben said, glancing in the direction of the market. “It’s too risky. We don’t know what the spell does. It could attract unwanted attention.”
Melody frowned, disappointment staining the catgirl’s deep purple eyes as her arms sunk back to her sides.
Ben pursed his lips. Although, he thought, mulling it over. If the guards spot us, we’ll need every tool we have. And I’d rather not be surprised by one of our own spells.
“On second thought,” Ben said, his stern face relaxing. “Go for it.”
Melody beamed as she stepped back and held her hands out in front of her. She closed her eyes and focused. A crackling sound bounced off the wooden walls beside them, and blue sparks appeared on Melody’s hands.
She opened her eyes and looked. There was nothing. Disappointment took hold, but only lingered a second before her usual plucky determination returned.
“It can be tricky casting a new spell,” she said. She closed her eyes and tried again.
This time, a few sparks sputtered on her fingers. A soft boom reverberated against Ben’s body. A bright blue blade appeared in Melody’s hands, a foot and a half long and several inches wide.
Lightning sparkled up and down its length. Ben could feel heat and static energy radiating off the blade. He grinned, the image he’d held in his mind now before him in the real world.
Melody swung it up and down a couple of times. It made a whirring noise as it cut the air, a blue trail lingering behind it. Ben could only imagine what a powerful weapon like that could do against bare flesh.
Then she unsummoned it, the blade vanishing as quickly as it had appeared, nothing but a faint charge remaining in the air.
“That was amazing, Ben!” Melody jumped up and down. “It’s more powerful than any spell I’ve cast before.”
“You’re getting much more powerful,” Ben said. “Any lightning spells I acquire will be yours from now on.”
“Do you still have the spell?” Lexi asked.
Ben checked. The pool where the spell had been was gone, as if it had never been there. “No, I don’t. It looks like I lose the spell when I give it to someone else. Which makes sense. I lose energy when I give it away too.” He was a tinge disappointed, but he knew the spell was in good hands.
“Thank you, Ben,” Melody said, her eyes sparkling.
“Of course,” Ben said. “I’m sure you can use it better than I can, anyway.”
“Imagine what you can do with Drain now,” Melody said.
“I’ll be able to equip all of you with new spells,” Ben said, the possibilities already unspooling in his mind.
“Does that mean…” Lexi trailed off, looking down at the ground as if she didn’t want to jinx herself by speaking the words out loud.
“Yes, it means I can give you your spells back,” Ben said. “I want to talk to the nymphs as well before I decide that I can trust you.”
Lexi smiled, hope shining from her face. “What can I do to help free the monsterkin, though?”
“I’ll give you some more of the strength I drained from Borax. You are a formidable fighter, even without your magic.”
Ben took Lexi’s hands and used Drain to push some of his physical strength
into her. She stood up straighter, her eyes narrowing and a small smile forming on her lips as the energy filled her limbs.
“Alright then,” Ben said. “Time to see where these monsterkin are being kept.”
Lexi and Ben still guided Melody as though she were their slave, in case they got questioned. But they didn’t bother with the null lock this time. They made their way around piles of rubbish and burning corpses, the sickly-sweet smell of cooking flesh thick in the air. A part of Ben felt remorseful for killing Borax, but the sights and sounds around him were enough to push those feelings aside.
They made their way through twisting streets until they reached a small square.
On one side of the square, about a hundred monsterkin stood or squatted in a huddled group, surrounded by guards with spears. On the other side, a couple open tents sheltered lethargic ogres from the heat of the midday sun. Coming from so far north, even an autumn sun was no doubt hot by their standards.
Ben and the others waited in the alley they’d just come through. Ben turned to Lexi and Melody, eager to come up with a plan.
“There are too many guards for us to face alone,” Ben said. “We can’t just go in headfirst and start a fight. We’re strong, but they’ve got numbers.”
“What if we somehow get Sir Gallant and the others inside?” Melody suggested.
“I can’t think of any way we’d get them through the gates without arousing suspicion. And even then, we’d be outmatched once the other guards heard the commotion.”
“Do you have a plan then?” Lexi asked. “Or will we just stay here in the alley and try to pick them off at range?”
Ben shook his head. “I don’t think even Melody could target that many guards without some of them crying out and bringing everyone else down on our heads.”
“My lightning spell does make a lot of noise,” Melody agreed.
“We need those monsterkin to fight for us as well,” Ben said.
Lexi peered at the sickly and weakened monsterkin, miserably huddled behind their jailors. “They don’t look like they’ll make it through another march, let alone attack armed guards.”
“Not now they don’t,” Ben said. “But I might be able to change that.”
“Oh,” Lexi said, her face lighting up with realization. “Using Drain.”
“Melody and the nymphs and I were able to defeat a whole chamber full of gravel ghouls thanks to my spell. If I can give some spells and strength to these monsterkin, they’ll wreak havoc.”
Lexi smiled. “I’d like to see that.” Ben could sense she was eager to see her fellow monsterkin turn the tables on their captors.
“How will you do that without the guards noticing?” Melody asked.
“I’ll need to get close to them,” Ben said.
“I doubt those guards will let you just walk up and start empowering the slaves,” Lexi said.
“No, but the slavers might,” Ben said.
Lexi raised an eyebrow. “What do you have in mind?”
“I’ll go and tell them I want to make a purchase.”
“Think they’ll believe you?” Lexi asked.
Ben patted the pouch of gold at his waist. “They’ll believe this.”
Lexi chuckled grimly.
“I take it you’ll actually give them the gold this time?” Melody asked.
“For now.” Ben laughed softly, then turned to make his way through the clearing. “Wait for me here, I’ll be back,” he called over his shoulder.
Ben crossed the square and approached two ogre slavers, who were lounging on chairs too small for them, being fanned by a pair of monsterkin slaves.
The orcs both locked their piggish eyes onto Ben, giving him a once over. One of them spat a massive, snot-colored wad at the dirt near Ben’s shoe. It was a clear sign of disrespect, as if the orc were goading Ben into a fight right there on the spot. But Ben kept his cool, not taking the bait.
“What you want, human?” one of them grunted. This one was missing most of his front teeth and had some grisly scars on his cheeks. The other one looked less battle-hardened, as if he were the younger of the two. But in his short experience with orcs, Ben realized that it was very hard to tell them apart, or distinguish their ages – not to mention their sexes.
Ben didn’t let the hostility rattle him. “I’m here to buy some slaves,” he said, speaking as calmly as if he had legitimate business.
The ogres squinted at him suspiciously. “Slave markets are in south,” the toothless one grumbled.
“But I am in the north,” Ben countered. He pulled a couple of gold coins from his pouch and held them up, letting the sun gleam on their bright surfaces.
From the way the two ogres sat up, he suspected he was offering a fair bit more than what the governor would’ve given them. Their hard expressions softened slightly, and Ben had a feeling they were going to be more amenable to his presence.
“You give us gold, then we show you slaves,” the toothless ogre said.
Ben shook his head. “You show me the slaves, then I give you the gold.”
“No gold, no slaves,” the other ogre, the one who’d spit, stubbornly repeated.
“I want to see the slaves first.” Ben stood his ground.
The ogre squinted over at the guards. “Guards not like if we sell here.”
Exactly as Ben suspected. They wanted to take his gold then sell him no slaves.
“What a pity.” Ben gave an exaggerated sigh, shaking his head. “I’ll have to take my gold elsewhere.”
The toothless ogre struggled clumsily to his feet, followed quickly by the other.
In his haste, the toothless ogre swung his arm back, connecting with the chest of one of the nearby monsterkin and sending him sprawling. The orc didn’t pay the monsterkin even the slightest bit of attention. “No!” he said. “You can give us gold.”
Ben studied the ogre, trying not to let his disgust show on his face. “I’ll give you one coin now.” He held the coin up for them to see. “And another one later.”
The ogre pondered the shiny coin in front of him. “Is deal,” he said at last, holding his hand out. His hand was huge, and so close that Ben could see the dirt and grime caked into the creases of his palm.
Ben reluctantly dropped the coin into the slaver’s filthy hand before turning to look at the slaves. The ogre pocketed the coin, ignoring the glare of his companion, and stomped in the direction of the gathered monsterkin. Ben followed closely.
The ogre marched straight up to one of the guards and pushed him aside with a grunt. The guard stumbled over his own spear and nearly fell in the dirt. He got up, bristling, and leveled his spear at the ogre. The guard’s spear looked like a joke held out next to the orc. The guard seemed to realize this, his eyes flicking down to the spearpoint then up to the orc nervously.
“Human must inspect slaves,” the ogre shouted in the man’s face. “Governor’s orders.”
It was a bit more abrupt than Ben had been expecting, but it did the trick. The guard lowered his spear and stepped back, cowering before the ogre.
The ogre seized the nearest slave, a frail old man with horns and hooves, whose emaciated limbs didn’t appear strong enough to carry a light pack. He shoved the man in front of Ben, the slave stumbling to a stop, fear on his gaunt face.
“Good slaves, yes—strong and fit.” He grinned, exposing the huge gaps in his teeth. “Will fetch good price, yes.”
Ben reached out and gripped the old man by the jaw, making a show of inspecting him. He used Drain to push some physical strength into the monsterkin, enough to bring him to full health and then some. The slave, no doubt surprised by the burst of strength that suddenly flowed through him, stood up straight and stuck his skinny chest forward. Ben kept a grip on the man’s jaw with one hand, and put the other on his shoulder, holding him down to prevent the transformation from showing.
Ben shook his head. “You think I’m a fool? ‘Strong and fit?’ A strong wind would blow him over.” He s
poke in a level and clear tone, then put his hand to his pouch and pulled out a copper coin. “Perhaps this coin will do better.”
The ogre’s face wrinkled as he saw the copper coin. He spat to the side. “I find better slave.”
He shoved the old man back, sending him stumbling over a monsterkin behind him, landing ass up in the dirt. The guards laughed at the display. Ben didn’t find it funny in the slightest, but he joined them – blending in was of the utmost importance.
The toothless ogre dragged another slave out by her hair. This one was younger at least, a middle-aged wolfwoman, but she had one major problem—she was missing an arm. The sleeve of her left arm was folded up, pinned together just above her elbow. Ben’s stomach tensed at the sight of her. There was no doubt to him that if she wasn’t sold – or freed – soon, such an injury would land her in the fire pits.
Ben performed the same trick as before, making as if to inspect the woman. This time he gave her the Gust spell and some mana. It was the first time he’d tried giving mana and a spell to a non-magic user. He grit his teeth at the extra effort it took to push the spell into her. He could see a mana pool growing inside her, the thick, blue liquid sparkling brilliantly in his mind’s eye.
The woman bowed forward with shock and pain, groaning as the organ made room for itself inside her. Ben held her up by the shoulders, concealing all her movements as part of his inspection. When the spell had finished transferring and she stopped convulsing, he pushed her back toward the ogre.
When he produced a silver coin, the ogre’s lips curled in disgust, and he pushed the woman back into the crowd.
“Governor not usually so picky,” the ogre grumbled.
“Maybe the governor has never actually seen the slaves for himself,” Ben suggested. He highly doubted that the governor offered gold for any slaves, based on the ogres’ earlier reaction, let alone those who were missing limbs.
At last, the ogre hauled a young woman out of the crowd. She looked healthy, and much stronger than the other slaves he’d seen so far. She was also unlike any woman he’d seen before.