A bat sank its claws into Thomas’ back, forcing him to turn and attack. He kept running backward and killed two others before he realized he could not run anymore. He was stuck.
Quicksand.
In the meantime, Azura found what she was looking for; it was a small vial of yellow liquid. She drank a little of it while looking to the side. She watched Thomas running and dropped to her knees. Her eyes turned yellow, her hands and feet changed into paws, and little by little, she became a cheetah. The bats had been eating her alive, but once she transformed, she charged at them ferociously.
Habel and Kyla flew, throwing arrows. They heard Thomas’ screams and plunged into the air, shooting at all the bats that attacked him. Then, they dragged him out of the quicksand and dumped him on dry land.
“Thank you,” Thomas said breathlessly.
As he ran, Lorne steepled his hands and created a little whirlwind. He turned and fired the whirlwind at the bats. They were thrown into the trees by the small cyclone.
When everyone dispersed, the bats did not see Steven, who hid until they were all gone. He was worried about Chad. Why hasn’t he gotten up? he thought. He waited a while, then rushed to the boy.
Chad’s pulse was weak. Steven found several bites on his arms. He reached for the bag containing the medicinal herbs. He had been learning more about the use of these remedies, so maybe he could save him.
Virginia was not skilled with the sword, so when it came to choosing a weapon on the ship, she chose a medium-sized pistol, and she’d kept it close since. She grabbed it and fired at the bats that appeared in her field of vision. They were so close that her lack of practice didn’t matter; they were impossible to miss. She saw Hubert and Theo running.
Theo had shifted into a tiger, and Hubert was attempting to strike his flying enemies without success. Virginia ran to aid them.
Richard had a sword in one hand and a dagger in the other. When he found the right moment, he held onto the branch of a tree, bounded up, and sank his sword into one of them. With his other hand, he killed three others and proceeded with the massacre until there were none left.
****
Everyone gathered again at the camp. Steven had a charged expression on his face.
“Is he alive?” Lorne asked as soon as he showed up in a rush.
Steven shook his head. “I’ve tried to revive him, but...” Steven did not want to speak. He had the impression that Chad’s skin was becoming rough as sand. He remembered Proctor turning to dust when he died and knew it was not a good sign.
“These bats don’t just feed on blood; they suck the life out of their victims, too. He’s gone...” Lorne murmured.
Their eyes filled with tears but had no more time to absorb the shock, because something went buzzing past them.
An ax struck a rock beside them.
In the darkness of the forest, they saw shadows with small, yellow eyes. It was the minotaurs armed with axes, swords, and armor. They had black hair, large, pointed horns, and they were over two meters high.
Lorne stepped carefully forward. “I’m Lorne. I was communicating with Rhod. We need help.”
“Why would we help you? Because of you, Rhod is dead,” their leader said. He had a deep, intimidating voice.
“He did not die because of me. The sermerios wanted to kill him, and they sent a human to do it. She let him live, risking her life. She’s here.” Lorne took Virginia by the arm and brought her to his side. “You should not treat her like this.”
The minotaurs looked at each other. “He never mentioned your name,” said their leader. “How can I know it is indeed you?
“You cannot.”
“Why didn’t you kill him?” The minotaur turned to Virginia.
“I... I did not think it was fair to kill someone who did me no harm. I could not do it... I’m sorry he died anyway.”
“He was my brother; I’m sorrier than you.”
The wind was blowing. In the silence that formed, they could only hear the leaves rustling.
“Come on,” said the minotaur leader. “It looks like you almost became dinner for those bats.”
“This one’s got an injured leg.” One of the minotaurs pointed to Steven, who was still sitting next to Chad.
The minotaur leader put his hand on the boy to see if he was alive, and his body crumbled into dust, as if it had never existed.
“Carry the wounded man,” the leader said.
Steven was taken aback when a minotaur put him on his back. He could not pinpoint whether he was more scared of falling or of doing something that could upset the creature.
“Bats do not spare children, and their child victims die faster,” declared the leader of the minotaurs. “It is a pity...”
They left behind Chad’s clothes, and his ashes were carried away by the wind.
Rhod’s brother introduced himself, saying that his name was Sephir. He soon noticed that a cheetah was following them and demanded, “Is that your animal?”
“She’s not an animal; she’s a wizard like me,” Lorne replied. “She drank a potion to fight the bats. Tomorrow, she will turn back to normal.”
“You wizards are never satisfied with what you have, nor who you are.”
“I cannot disagree.” Lorne did not felt like talking; Chad’s death still boiled in his chest, even if he tried not to show it.
The more they walked, the better defined the dirt road became, and there were torches hanging from the trees that surrounded it. They walked with heavy steps, as if they had been crushed by Chad’s death.
They arrived at a wall made of woods, stones, and an immense, metal gate. Sephir knocked on the gate. A narrow window opened. He said the humans were invited, and the gate opened. The road led inside the village. The houses were made of rocks, and everything was lit by torches. They walked past three blocks of houses until they arrived at a tavern. On the path, they saw many patrol guards. The townsfolk looked at them with friendly curiosity. The city was immersed in noise; every movement or conversation between the creatures echoed throughout the place. The laughter was so intense that it was scary for strangers.
The tavern was called “The Dead Harpy”. It was full of minotaurs who drank cheerfully. Some outsiders could also be seen, but they were not in the majority. What was most notable were the female minotaurs; even though they were similar to the males, they were feminine in their own manner, smaller in height, with narrower shoulders and hips. Their horns were also smaller. Some had braids in their long, black hair; others wore their hair loose with tiaras on the crowns of their heads. They wore bodices and skirts with openings at the sides.
Almost everyone seemed drunk, and all were armed.
Sephir went to the bar and requested three rooms, but the barista replied that the house was full; there were only two small rooms vacant.
The minotaur gave the keys to Lorne. “If you need to wash before eating, here are the keys to the rooms. In the meantime, I’ll order something to eat.”
The two chambers were the same, with a single bed and a wooden bathtub in a corner. The women stayed in one room, and the men stayed in the other. After getting ready, they went back downstairs to eat. They did not talk; they were too tired, hungry, and sad.
Sephir waited for them in a corner of the tavern. On the table, food awaited them: meat, bread, cheese, and mead.
“What is this?” asked Hubert, who was one of the first to come down.
“Drink; you’ll appreciate it.”
Hubert obeyed and indeed loved it. It had a sweet taste and a nice, hoppy texture.
Soon, everyone was eating and drinking.
“You mentioned you needed my aid,” Sephir commented, looking to Lorne.
The wizard explained in a few words what had happened, and what he planned to do.
An angry grunt came out of the mouth of the minotaur. “Where are your wits? Take them all to Sermeria...!”
“We’re running out of time. A wizard is working with the
sermerios. I know him; he will find us eventually. We need to get out of here.”
“And what do you need from me?”
Lorne put a plate of food in front of Azura, and she devoured it in seconds. He smiled and stroked her head. “I wish that when you return to normal, you would remain as docile as you are now.” The animal gave him a nervous look but let him proceed. Lorne turned to face the minotaur again. “I need a means of transport, if possible. Something... immediate.”
“You mean some magical instrument?”
“It would be ideal.”
“We do not do this, you know.”
“But, the market might have something. I do not have time to investigate and negotiate. If you could talk to the merchants, it would make things easier.”
“When you say, ‘talk’, you mean you wish me to pay.”
Lorne scratched his beard. It was not in his capacity to ask for “alms”, but he was also not the kind of man who let pride speak louder than survival. “I had money, but when they destroyed my ship, I lost all.” He grabbed a small sack that hung from his belt and poured the contents onto the table. 10 coins. “It is all that’s left. As I said, I need help.”
Sephir took a sip of the mead and settled into his chair. He glanced at Virginia. “If I help you, will you guarantee you’ll get her out of here safely?”
“I can only promise I will try. I cannot ensure the safety of anyone.”
“No, I don’t suppose you can...” The minotaur let out a long sigh. He wanted to honor his brother’s death, and saving the woman who’d spared his life seemed to be the only way to do it. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Lorne smiled at him.
Hubert was sitting near Virginia, and his curiosity screamed too loudly for him to stay quiet. “Can I ask you something? Now that I’ve seen a minotaur up close, I cannot help but wonder—how did you almost kill one of them?”
Everyone turned to hear the answer, including Sephir.
“The sermerios told me what to do and where to find him,” Virginia replied. “They gave me an instrument that mimicked the sound the minotaurs make when they are in danger. I made a trap—nothing complicated, just a hole in the ground with leaves on top. When he heard the cry, he came running and fell into the hole.”
She wanted to finish the story there, but she had to go on. “I aimed the arrow at his head. He looked up, and my hands trembled. I could not shoot. I broke down like a child who had disobeyed her parents... and we stayed like that for a long time, until he told me that if I spared him, he would help me.”
“Your weakness is fellowship,” Lorne said to Sephir.
“And yours, what is it?” Sephir countered.
The wizard let out a sarcastic laugh. “It is not prudent to declare your own weaknesses.”
Little by little, they all retired to the rooms. Theo was sitting in a corner, trying to draw a map on a napkin.
Richard sat beside him. “You are very good at that. Where did you learn to draw maps?”
“It was my job... I mean, more or less. I was an assistant to a cartographer. I wanted to become one before I ended up here.”
As they chatted, Steven paced, and Thomas played with a deck of cards while lying on the bed.
“Where did you find that?” Hubert asked.
“On a table downstairs.”
“Did you steal a pack?”
“No, I didn’t steal it. No one was there; I just grabbed it.”
Hubert rolled his eyes. “Since it is already here, let’s play something.”
As soon as the two of them began to play, Lorne entered the room.
Steven barely waited for the door to close to fire his accusations. “That’s what you wanted all along, was it not? That’s why you agreed to bring us with you; you knew only Virginia could sway the minotaur, and you needed their aid! Now, you got what you wanted; what are you going to do with us?”
The others stopped what they were doing and watched them both, not knowing whether it was better to interfere or not.
“Of course, I always considered that. We do not have many resources here; we need to make the most of what we have, and even if the caravel was still whole, we could not use it to enter Sermeria.”
“Resources? That’s what we are? You do not care what happens to us!”
“Do you think I needed a caravan behind me? Would it not be much easier if Azura and I traveled alone? I’m fulfilling what I promised, and I must use what I have to get us out of here. If that means using each of you, that’s what I will do. But, if you have any better ideas, stop whining and do something. It’s not my fault that the woman you want to save wants nothing to do with you.”
Steven’s face closed off.
“To save people,” Lorne continued, “you need more than the will to do so.”
“He did nothing wrong!” added Hubert, trying to appease his friend. “We are all angered by Chad’s death and this entire situation. Lorne has a plan and knows this place better than we do. No matter what he does, we’re together, and we have to remain that way.”
“No matter what he does?” echoed the doctor. “You trust in him that much?”
Hubert glanced at the wizard and faced Steven again. “I guess he deserves our trust.”
“I cared more about that boy than you ever did,” Lorne said with a lump in his throat.
As uncomfortable as it was to admit, Steven knew it was true. He did not know why Lorne made him so irritable; maybe because he would have saved Justine from the illness that took her. Lorne had the means to save Virginia and his friends, and he was only a dead weight.
The doctor and the wizard exchanged sharp looks but said nothing more.
Chapter XVI - Waras
The next day, when they woke up, Azura had returned to human form. There were many scratches scattered around her body, but nothing serious. Only the tavern guests were in the dining hall, so the place wasn’t full. A minotaur brought loaves of bread, fruits, cheeses, and almond milk. They still expected to see Chad, but he’d disappeared into the air without a chance for any of them to say goodbye, and with no funeral, and it had traumatized the group.
During breakfast, Sephir appeared. He sat next to Lorne. “I think I’ve found what you need.”
“What do you need?” Virginia asked.
“To get out of here as fast as we can.” The wizard put a damask in his mouth and rose, saying to the rest of them, “Take the day off.” Lorne and the minotaur left the tavern under the curious glances of the others.
“I assumed you were going with him,” Kyla challenged Azura.
“I have more to do than follow Lorne; that’s your role.”
Kayla blushed with hatred and embarrassment.
Azura turned to Virginia. “Do you want to come to the market with me?”
Not knowing quite what to do, Virginia rose, and the two left.
“We could look at the library,” Habel said, trying to change the mood of the table.
“There’s a library here?!” exclaimed Hubert, still with his mouth full.
“Yes! We can go.”
The only ones who wanted to go with them were Theo and Kyla, although the latter just wanted to get out of there, not caring where they went.
As soon as they left, Thomas got up.
“What are you going to do?” Steven asked the pirate.
“What I always do: I will get to know this place.”
Richard hesitated for a moment, but he did not wish to spend the day in that tavern, looking at Steven’s sulky face. “I will go with you. Are you coming?” he asked Steven.
What the doctor wanted to do was leave that place by himself, but he could not, so he went with them.
The village’s market was like that of the Oasis, but smaller. All merchants were minotaurs, and, just as in all the city, there were few foreigners around.
Lorne and Sephir spoke to one merchant, who was not happy. “...I cannot sell this to you; everyone is saying you are fugit
ives! Once you use this sword, the sermerios will show up here.” The merchant was beside himself, and Saphir's attempts at calming him only made matters worse. “You should worry more about your own people, instead of helping them. Do you wish to bring doom here?”
“I will not use the sword here,” Lorne whispered. “You sell it to me; I’m gone. No one will ever know I’ve been here. But, I need it to leave, so the more time I waste here, the worse it will be for you.”
The minotaur mumbled and cursed in every language he knew.
The sword in question was on the counter inside a wooden box. It was a long sword with designs of runes engraved on a platinum blade. The handle was a bird with its wings spread.
“Your job is to sell; we need to buy. Just sell it already and stop making a scandal like a spoiled child.” Sephir had lost his temper.
“If I find out they used this sword here in the tribe, I’ll let the Council know and...”
“Shut up and give it to us!” Sephir shouted.
Across the market, Azura was purchasing a wand, and Virginia was keeping her company.
“Why were you so harsh to Kyla?” Virginia asked.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
They stopped in front of a tent that sold magic items. “You don’t need any of this to do magic,” said Virginia.
“Some spells require specific objects,” Azura explained. The wizard grabbed some artifacts and inspected them. She seized a wand, narrowed her eyes, and ran her fingers gently over the object. “Is it made with scorpion shells?” she demanded of the merchant.
“That’s right,” the merchant replied.
“I’ll take it.” Azura shoved her hands into her boots and took out a small pouch full of coins.
“Where did you get that money?” Virginia asked amiably.
“Lorne lent it to me.”
“Lent it to you?”
The wizard rolled her eyes with disregard. “He had a lot of money on that ship, and I was penniless. I took some coins before the attack, just for safety.”
“But now, it is he who has nothing, and he does not know you have money. He is asking Sephir to buy... whatever he needs...”
The Fourth World Page 13