by Adam Drake
He wanted to talk to her, comfort her. Why did she hate him? What did he do?
As one all three spoke. “You used us, you betrayed us, you destroyed us!”
“What?” Rob said, confused.
They said it again, this time louder. “You used us, you betrayed us, you destroyed us!”
“Anika! What's going on? What are you talking about?” He wanted to run over to her, but fear rooted him in place.
They said the chant again, and again until the words felt like physical blows against his body.
He winced and cringed as they repeated the chant over and over. “What the hell is going on?!” he shouted.
Suddenly, a man appeared at his side. Rob turned to see Saif standing next to him. “My Lord, you are unwell,” the Sage said.
“Saif?” Rob said, bewildered. “What are they talking about? What's happening?”
Although the fire light danced across Saif's face, the shadows it created grew deeper, and wider. Soon his entire face was black like the night.
“My Lord,” he heard Saif say from his veil of darkness, “trust me.”
The Sage's arm shot out and grabbed Rob by the throat.
He tried to break free, but the smaller man's strength was incredible. The grip on his neck tightened, and he gasped for air.
Rob stared in alarm as a white smoke billowed from his own mouth to be sucked into the black void that was Saif's face.
“Trust me!” the Sage said, then giggled like a school girl.
Rob was pulled closer, his mouth wide, the white smoke flowing like a river from his body into the other's.
He struggled to escape. But he couldn't and a stunning revelation struck him.
He didn't want to.
Rob sat up in bed, shouting.
Saif was there, leaning over him, a look of concern on his face. “My Lord, are you all right?”
Before he knew what he was doing, Rob leapt from the bed, knocked the Sage down and pinned him to the floor.
His sword was in his hand and its tip pressed against Saif's throat.
“What the hell is going on?!” Rob shouted.
“I- I don't know, my Lord!” Saif said, eyes wide with fear.
For several seconds Rob stared down at the Sage, every fiber of his being yearning to slice the other man's throat.
“Please, my Lord!” Saif said.
Then the murderous feeling faded from his mind, like an exhaled breath. Rob pulled the sword from Saif's throat. “I'm sorry, Saif. I don't know what came over me.”
Saif looked up at him with relief. “That is all right, my Lord. You are under a lot of strain.”
Rob shook his head. He almost murdered Saif. What the hell just happened?
It was then he noticed the manor's door was open. A large man stood in it, leaning down to peer inside. He was burly, with a long red beard which stuck out in all directions. He held a large single-bladed axe which rested on his shoulder.
The man looked down at the two men on the floor. “So this is our new king, Saif?”
“Jace!” Saif said, relieved to see him. “Yes, uh, this is King Robert. King Robert, this is Jace, the woodcutter.”
“Hello,” Rob said, feeling foolish. Gathering his senses, he stood and offered a hand to Saif who took it after a moments hesitation.
Watching Rob pull the Sage to his feet, Jace said, “You needed me?” His tone was even, almost devoid of emotion. If he was surprised to find Rob on the verge of killing Saif, he didn't show it.
Saif brushed his robe off and adjusted the medallions around his neck. “Yes, Jace. I was actually about to let the king know you were going to take him to the location of the tomb.”
Jace raised an eyebrow. “I am? Why would I do that?”
“Because your king is in need of your assistance. Helping him will also help the kingdom.”
Jace looked to Rob. “You need my help?” he said. “My Lord.”
Rob was still getting over what had occurred. He blinked at the two men. “Yes, I would, please. Any help would be great.”
“I'm a woodcutter, though, not a warrior,” Jace said.
Saif said, “There is no one else, Jace. You know that. It's not like I can ask Erwin. He can barely handle a fishing net let alone a weapon.”
“I guess you're right,” Jace said, scratching at his thick beard. “Splitting heads isn't that much different then splitting wood.” He looked to Rob. “When do we start?”
Saif said, “Please, Jace, if you could give us a moment. We'll join you at the camp.”
“Okay,” Jace said. “Fumi's cooked lizard for breakfast. I'll have some of that.”
The large man left the doorway letting the sunlight stream in. He walked down the muddy path with long strides.
“Saif, I'm sorry,” Rob said. “I don't know what the hell came over me. I didn't mean to hurt you.” He felt awful at what he'd done, but was at a complete loss to explain it.
Saif shook his head. “It was my fault, my Lord. I should have announced myself before trying to wake you.”
Rob blinked at the light coming through the door and windows. “What time is it? Is it morning?”
“Yes, my Lord. I found you in a deep sleep and decided to let you rest. You had a very trying day after all.”
“I slept all night?” Rob said. It had still been day when he'd laid down. Then he remembered his dream. He looked at Saif, half-expecting his face to turn into a black void. “Did anything happen?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” Saif said. “The walls have moved closer, again. I had thought with your arrival they would have stopped, but apparently not. I think it has to do with Perrin. Until he is destroyed, I fear the walls will continue to advance.”
“They should stop once I am the only king?”
“I believe so,” Saif said then sighed in exasperation. “Or I hope so. To be honest, I'm winging it here. There is no precedents for these walls and therefore I cannot draw an accurate solution from the histories.” He looked worried.
“Okay,” Rob said. “But didn't you say I wasn't ready?” How many more levels would he need before facing this cursed king?
Saif shrugged, “Considering the speed in which the walls are advancing, I'd say you need to make an attempt whether I feel you are ready or not. You could at least go see the tomb for yourself and verify that Perrin is there. Here, take these,” he reached into his robe and brought out three small yellow stones and offered them to Rob.
Rob realized he was still holding his sword and sheathed it with an apologetic look to Saif. Then he took the stones.
You have taken an item: Medium Stone of Holy Might (x3)
This stone will dispel undead or apparitions, releasing their spirit from unholy bonds.
Value: 30 Gold Pieces
“I hit him with it?” Rob said examining them. A small symbol of a dove was engraved within a circle on one side.
“Correct, my Lord,” Saif said. “But please be careful, those are the last three stones we have.”
Hit him like that wraith on the island, Rob thought with a mix of satisfaction and dread. “These stones hold magic?”
“Yes,” Saif said looking a little impatient. “Each of those stones has been sharded with the spell Holy Might. Quite potent against the undead.”
Sharded, Rob thought. The book on the shelf talked about that.
“Also,” Saif said, “Perrin is armed with his own magic.”
“Magic?” Rob said, concerned. “What kind of magic? Magic like these?” he held up a stone.
“Not stones, mana sourced magic. He only knew a couple of tame spells, mostly for his own amusement. Summon Sprite, Instant Ale, those kinds of things. But there is no telling what the witch's curse could have done to his magical ability.”
Great, Rob thought. And here he was without any magic himself except for a couple of rocks. “You're sure these things will work? I'm not going to be stuck pelting him with stones and just ticking him off?”
Rob froze. Those were the last words the nightmare version of Saif had spoken to him before sucking out that white smoke from his body. He stared at Saif.
“Are you all right, my Lord?” Saif said, concerned. It looked like he was worried about being attacked again.
Rob shook his head. “No, it's nothing, Saif. I'm fine.” It was only a bad dream, wasn't it?
“I'll give Jace a backpack,” Saif said. “To help carry things on your return.”
“Carry what things?”
“Loot, my Lord,” Saif said.
Rob liked the sound of that and smiled, slipping the stones into his pouch. “Okay, then, let's go kill this bastard.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
They walked to camp in silence.
Rob's mind was all over the place. Could he find and kill this Perrin? What the hell was up with that dream? What was he still doing here? Was Anika okay?
Not the greatest mindset to be in when about to go off and try to save a kingdom, but there it was.
As they entered camp, Rob saw Jace speaking quietly to Fumi. The two were nearly the same height with the cook edging out the woodcutter by a few inches.
Upon seeing Rob, Fumi scowled and vanished into her tent.
“Are we ready, now?” Jace said. “I think the walls moved again.”
“What?” Saif said, spinning around to look. “By the gods, your right. They've moved closer now and are within view of the hill!”
But Rob didn't look. His eyes were set on the huge bonfire in the middle of the camp. It looked identical to the one in his dream. “What is that?”
Jace frowned at the question. “Cook fire, for the lizard you killed. Need a big one to tenderize the meat.”
Rob couldn't look away. The chant was in his head. You used us, you betrayed us, you destroyed us!
“My Lord,” Saif said, touching his arm.
Rob flinched causing the Sage to quickly back away.
Jace pointed at Rob. “You're not going to sit on him again, are you? We don't have time now. You can do that after you save the kingdom.”
Saif raised his eyebrows at Rob.
“Sorry, Saif,” Rob said. “Was lost in thought.”
“My Lord, things are worse than I imagined. The walls are closing in quicker than before. Look!”
Rob turned and saw a huge gray wall towering over the trees a short distance away. He craned his neck up to see it vanish into the clouds above.
“Jace, can you go fetch the-,” Saif said.
“Loot bag?” Jace finished for him, holding up a large roomy backpack. “I brought some torches, too. Since the king can't spell a light.”
“Good thinking,” Saif said trying to smooth over the jab. To Rob he asked, “You have the stones?”
Rob patted the pouch on his hip. “Check. Got my sword, too. Oh, I need my shield.” As he turned to go back to the manor Raif waved at him to stop.
“I'll fetch it, my Lord,” the Sage said and ran off.
For a few moments Rob and Jace looked at each other in silence. Rob felt like he should say something. Something kingly. This man was about to risk his life to help him.
“I appreciate this,” Rob said, trying to sound sincere.
“Appreciate what?” Jace said.
“You helping me. I wouldn't know what I was doing otherwise,” Rob said and forced a chuckle.
Jace didn't chuckle and Rob doubted the man was capable of such a simple emotional act. After a moment of staring, Jace said, “I'm not helping you. Not really.”
“I don't understand,” Rob said. His mantra again.
“I'm not helping you,” the big man said more succinctly. “I'm helping the kingdom. You just happen to be a cog in the wheel, like the rest of us. Maybe a bigger cog, but a cog nonetheless.”
Oookay, Rob thought, uncertain how to respond. To change the subject, he nodded at the wall and said, “How far away do you think it is from us?”
Jace eyed the wall and puckered his lips in thought. The expression made the wild red whiskers of his beard bristle about. “Don't rightly know, my Lord. Before, I'd say that it was less than two leagues away. Now I'm not certain of that, anymore.”
“Not certain anymore?”
“Well, since someone went and changed the length of a league yesterday, I can't tell exactly how far it is now.”
Rob went quiet, resolving not to try and do anything kingly again.
Mercifully, Saif arrived hauling the shield. It looked huge compared to his small frame.
“Here you go, my Lord,” Saif said, handing it to him and panting. “Your shield.”
Rob thanked him and slipped it on his arm. He looked to Jace. “Ready to go?”
Jace slipped the backpack over his broad shoulders and hefted his axe. “Let's split some heads.”
The two men began walking south out of camp when, suddenly, Fumi exploded from her tent. “Wait!”
Everyone froze at the command. Rob and Saif looked to the woman, apprehensive.
“You are going to need these,” she said and handed over a small sack to Jace.
“What is it?” Jace asked. He didn't seem the least bit intimidated by the giant woman.
“Fried trench lizard,” she said, then handed Jace a water-skin. “Killing and looting is thirsty work so here is some of the last water from the rain drums.”
She brought one over to Rob, who accepted it with a thanks.
You have taken an item: Water skin (full)
Regenerates 40 Energy over 90 seconds.
Value: 2 Copper pieces.
Fumi glared at him with her eye. “Now don't you let anything happen to my Jacey. Do you understand, my Lord?” She emphasized the title with a snarl.
“Uh, I'll try,” Rob said. What about him? Doesn't anyone not want anything to happen to him?
“Don't try,” Fumi said and poked him in the shoulder so hard his hit points dropped by one. “Do!” She whirled around and motored back into the tent.
“Good luck, my Lord,” Saif said as Rob and Jace resumed walking. “And don't forget.”
“What?”
“Don't miss!” Saif said pantomiming a pitcher's throw.
“Gotcha,” Rob said. Can we leave now? He hustled out of the camp, Jace striding along side him.
They headed south down the muddy road. It had ruts which Rob assumed had been made by wagons.
At least they've discovered the wheel in this world, he thought.
He gave Jace sidelong glances as they marched on. The large man was silent as stone.
Rob looked at the wall to the west. It was so close now he could see the strange flat texture of its surface. It looked like steel, but didn't shine or give off any hint of reflection.
To Jace he said, “Scary, isn't it?”
“Should it be something else?”
“Pardon?”
“It's not pretty, it's not nice, it's not welcome. So, yes, it's scary,” the big man droned without taking his eyes of the road ahead. The forest to the east slowly became a swamp.
Man, this guy must be great fun on long road trips, Rob thought. Then realized he was already on one.
Again, he was uncertain how to engage in conversation with this guy. He decided to make another attempt. “I'm sorry, by the way.”
“Sorry for what? Are you going to try to sit on me?”
“No, about the league thing. Saif measured my pace and made the changes. I had no clue what he was doing.”
Jace puckered his lips in thought. “Hmm. So that's what happened. Fine, then. Apology accepted.” He pointed toward the looming wall. “That is 1.98 leagues away.”
Rob chuckled and was relieved to see Jace smile a little, or he assumed he did under that beard.
“Saif is a little excitable, isn't he?” Rob said, trying to keep the conversation train rolling along. He still had no clue where they were headed, but was grateful to
have someone to talk to. Even as stolid as Jace.
“He gets that way when he's stressed,” Jace said. “And he's been under a lot of it lately.”