The Savage Peak: A Morgalla prequel

by Jon David

  Mylo checked his location and realized the wall in front of him was coming down. He ran for cover as rock rained over him and down into the abyss below.

  The ground gave way beneath Morgalla, and she fought to keep from falling over into the void. Her adversary had seen an opening. With a wicked grin on his face, he raised his weapon and took a swing at his helpless prey. She had no choice but to fall back into nothingness.

  With a flip, she was able to land perfectly on the catwalk near Mylo. She looked up and watched the demon roaring out of the cave in anger and striking the stone walls, trying to collapse them on top of his enemies.

  “Holy crap,” Morgalla shouted and dove for cover.

  She and Mylo stared at black rock crashing down around them, including the demon who caused it. The stone had given way, and he was the cause of his own demise as he plummeted into the pit below.

  The avalanche of boulders struck the iron walkway where Morgalla and Mylo had been. They struggled to keep their balance as the metal footings shook beneath them. Then everything went silent. Both of them coughed from the dust and debris in the air. Peering out through the haze, they saw rock strewn about on the iron.

  After the dust had cleared, they heard voices from high above them. Clearly, the other soldiers, both human and demon, had been summoned due to the commotion. Morgalla noticed something in the haze; a bright light shone like a beacon.

  “What’s that?” she asked.

  Mylo, his face filthy and his coughing fit subsided, peered into the cloud and saw the light. At first, he was shocked, but his heart was suddenly lifted when he realized the source of the illumination.

  “Fate is with us,” he said while running towards the entrance.

  Morgalla grabbed his ragged cloak, afraid the soldiers above them might see him.

  “Wait. I’ll go.”

  As she snuck out, she knew that any demon present would sense she was there, but at least she was cloaked in dust. She got closer and closer to the light and realized that near the rock was some sort of diamond, almost the size of her own head. Its glow was blinding. She reached out and took it, marveling at the magnificence of the gem as it glowed.

  She looked back and saw that Mylo had approached, an expression of shock on his face. “You…you’re one of them.”

  “What?” Morgalla asked, confused. Seeing her reflection in the gem, she knew she was no longer in her human disguise. “I…I can explain.”

  20

  The Izari

  The boy roared, “You liar!”

  “Mylo, wait.”

  The young man took off running as fast as he could, but Morgalla was quick on his heels. She still had the glowing gem in her arms. She looked around and found an old, dirty cloth to wrap the gem up.

  Mylo thought he had lost the demon girl, but she could easily track his soul so long as she stayed close enough.

  Through the labyrinth of black rock, Morgalla crept as quietly as she could. Thankfully there were no soldiers close, but she could still hear them. Through the darkness, she thought she saw a dim light coming down a very narrow crack. Following it, she thought she could smell the familiar scent of pine. Morgalla squeezed through the narrow passage and nearly fell out. She grabbed onto the stone ledge with one hand, the prism wrapped in cloth in the other.

  Cool, outdoor air rushed over her, and the bright light of the forest nearly blinded her. Twenty feet down was the forest floor. She jumped, landing on a pile of decaying leaves. Mylo was standing among the trees. Strange. She should have sensed his soul before she saw him, but it was as if he wasn’t there.

  He must have heard her landing on the leaves, but he didn’t react. She didn’t even try to mask her sounds as she approached, yet the young man remained silent and still.

  “Mylo?”

  Morgalla kept her distance as she stepped around in front of him. A strange look appeared in his eyes as he stared off into the wilderness. He started walking.

  “Mylo, what is it?”

  He neither answered nor stopped.

  Morgalla didn’t understand what was happening to Mylo. One moment he was normal, and then his soul was gone, covered in some sort of shroud.

  “Mylo, stop.”

  After no response to any of her commands, she finally took hold of his shoulder. Still, no reaction. All she could do was follow him. Clearly, something strange had bewitched him.

  She found a large rock and kicked it over, digging into the soft earth with her hands. When the hole was big enough, she put the gem inside and covered it up. She positioned the large rock on top of it. Before continuing, she checked around for any major markers. From her vantage point, she could only see a large insect hive high in one of the trees and made a note of it.

  During their whole journey, Morgalla had kept her senses sharp, on the lookout for any wildlife or enemies. They were in luck…none.

  Morgalla heard the roar of a massive river up ahead. When they arrived at a huge, fallen tree that spanned the river, she noticed nothing was below it but white water that rushed passed. Mylo climbed up on the tree, and she followed. She called out his name again but couldn’t even hear her own voice because the swiftly moving water was so loud.

  She didn’t like the idea of crossing. If either of them fell, they’d be doomed. Still, she followed, scaling up the fallen tree with Mylo. The boy didn’t waver. He had no problem keeping his balance. Morgalla, on the other hand, did her best not to look down.

  The tree had seen better days and must have been there awhile, the wood decaying over time. As Mylo walked, she noticed some of the wood was so rotten it was crumbling beneath him.

  “Mylo!”

  He didn’t try to save himself as his body fell over the side. Morgalla ran and dove for him. She lost her balance too, grasping what was left of a branch with one hand, gripping his tunic with the other. She cried out. Mylo was silent and showed no emotion as his body hung over the river.

  Morgalla dug her boots into the rotting wood and realized the branch she was hanging onto wasn’t going to hold their weight for long. She climbed and clawed up to the limb, dragging Mylo behind her. As soon as they reached the top, he stood up and continued on his way. Morgalla had to catch her breath before following him

  “You’re welcome!”

  As the remaining glimpses of sunlight extended shadows between the trees, she grew concerned because she didn’t like the idea of spending a night in the forest.

  When thunder rumbled in the distance, her only thought was oh great.

  Mylo was headed straight for fires they’d seen up ahead. Morgalla was about to continue, but she stopped a moment. Her senses told her they were not demons, more humans perhaps? But were they friendly? She had little time to ponder but decided to take a chance and follow Mylo into the camp.

  Morgalla ran to catch up to Mylo, who had entered a village of some sort. People had gathered around him as he stood still in the center of camp.

  She quickly ran her hands through her hair to make sure she had put on her false face. No horns. Ears still small…good.

  The group of people noticed her enter, and she felt the daggers of their eyes staring. Some of them held weapons but didn’t draw them.

  Morgalla raised both hands above her head in surrender. “Hey…take it easy.”

  Confusion was written on their faces. The one who seemed to be in charge gave orders to check the area. His subordinates complied and sprinted off into the woods.

  “There’s no one else,” Morgalla said.

  “We’ll see about that.”

  Some men and women with weapons scattered about in all directions. They had lanterns and searched the area. Random questions were shouted at Morgalla. She clearly could not tell them the truth. They were distrustful enough.

  “Hold.”

  Everyone turned and focused on a figure approaching. He was the oldest human Morgalla had ever encountered. Her jaw dropped as to how feeble and weak he seemed. His flesh had atrophi
ed and was wrinkled. His hair, what hair he had left, was long and a mixture of grey and white. He wore furs and leather. Multiple talismans hung from his neck. He ambled with a staff, and it appeared that all of his weight was centered on it. Mylo walked beside him.

  The old man apparently caught the expression on Morgalla’s face.

  “She must be from Freedom Ridge,” one man yelled.

  The old man looked at Mylo. “What’s her story?”

  Mylo, whose expression remained blank, finally spoke in a voice with no emotion. “She’s a demon.”

  Morgalla’s jaw dropped, and so did everyone else’s. The old man approached and held up his hand. He started an incantation, and Morgalla’s disguise was gone. People in the crowd drew weapons and pointed them at her. Morgalla had Hero out in an instant, ready to defend herself.

  “Back off,” Morgalla shouted.

  “Wait.”

  The old man’s words were taken as gospel, and they all froze. Morgalla saw Mylo whispering something into his ear. He smiled and looked to the demon girl.

  “You found the prism? The Prism of Akubar?” His skeletal, shaking hand extended. “Give it to me, girl.”

  “I don’t have it,” Morgalla replied.

  “That would be very bad for you.”

  “Explain to me what the hell is going on.”

  The old man’s eyes squinted and a fury burned in his soul as intense as anyone Morgalla had ever encountered. He took a deep breath and smiled.

  “Put your weapon down, and come with me.”

  With reluctance, Morgalla did as she was ordered, but she kept her eyes on the people around her.

  The man hobbled along, gripping the wooden staff. Mylo and another human accompanied them into a large tent. Books and scrolls were piled up in all the corners. The tent wasn’t large, but it was clear to Morgalla that it wasn’t intended as a permanent residence. A strange smell curled her lips into a sneer.

  “Sit.”

  The old man sat. His two companions stood on either side of him. Morgalla complied, an uneasy truce of sorts in play, but she went along. For now, anyway.

  “So,” the old man started, an uneasy smile on his face. “Why would Makrus be so foolish to send one of his minions yet again into our camp when he knows I can see through them?”

  “Makrus didn’t send me.”

  “Really? That’s damned strange. Then who did?”

  “No one. I’m here by accident.”

  “Where is the prism?”

  “Buried under a rock far away.”

  Morgalla appeared confused, realizing that she had just told him information she wanted to keep secret for the time being. The old man chuckled.

  “Not wise to enter a wizard’s domain, young lady. I put a charm on this tent that prevents people from lying. You know, I thought you were cute the first moment I saw you.”

  Morgalla’s eyes widened. “I take it the charm also works on you?”

  “One of the drawbacks.”

  “You’re really creepy, and I wanna leave now.”

  A guard spoke up. “Believe me I don’t want to be here, either.”

  The wizard laughed. “My name is Wulfric Armand Zuccaris Smy…”

  Morgalla interrupted,” Any way we can shorten that? I’m not gonna remember it.”

  “Pardon?”

  “Wulf the Wizard,” Morgalla said, pointing. “That will help me remember it.”

  “Fine, whatever.”

  “You’re the Izari, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, we are.”

  “I’ve been mistaken for one of you for the longest time now. You’re not very well liked in town.”

  “Or by Makrus and his ilk. As for the people of Freedom Ridge, I guess they’re all a little bit sore about what happened years ago. If you ask me, they’re ungrateful. After all, our ancestors were trapped here too, and we helped them win their freedom.”

  “So why even let a demon into your tent? Aren’t you afraid I’m going to kill you?”

  “Are you going to?”

  “Not unless you try something.”

  “Yes, well Mylo also told me you saved his life at the river. I’m curious why you did that.”

  “I didn’t want to see him drown. Mind explaining to me what’s wrong with him?”

  “It’s part of the spell I placed on him.”

  “He’s working incognito for you?” Morgalla guessed. “You can’t just have someone working in secret in the castle.”

  “Makrus and his minions can spot treachery quite easily. Mylo is the perfect mole because he doesn’t know that he is one. Every now and then, I have him report to us and tell us what he has seen and heard. As far as he knows, he’s been exiled from our village.”

  “Just in case they ask him?” she said. Morgalla was annoyed. Normally she would hold her tongue, but the magic surrounding her must have had some influence. “You’re using him.”

  The wizard didn’t reply.

  Morgalla grew more concerned. “What if they discovered him somehow? They’d torture and kill him.”

  The old man didn’t reply.

  “You do know that someday, out of the blue, they might just kill him for amusement.”

  The old man didn’t reply.

  “Do you even care if he lives or dies?”

  The old man didn’t reply.

  Finally, the wizard’s male companion spoke up. “It’s not that we don’t care about him…”

  “Seems like you don’t from where I’m sitting,” Morgalla snapped. “You’re no better than anyone in Hell.”

  The young man was about to speak again, but Wulfric held up his hand. “Erald, silence.”

  “You know,” Morgalla continued, “why don’t you and Freedom Ridge team up and fight Makrus?”

  The old man chuckled. “Child, it would take a miracle to defeat Makrus. We don’t know how many forces he has. And look around you. How many warriors do you see? How many warriors does the town have?”

  “Yeah, why not ask Mylo?”

  “He’s told us,” Erald said. “Makrus convinced some humans to join his…cause. That and he may still very well have reinforcements from Hell.”

  Wulfric interjected, “No, no. Our best bet is to find the gem and somehow…somehow make peace with the town.”

  “We don’t need those bastards,” Erald said.

  “Oh yeah, you’re doing great by yourself.”

  Erald shot a hateful gaze at Morgalla.

  “Oops, sorry. That was the tent talking.”

  People outside of the tent heard the raised voices and shouts. Without warning, thunder and lightning stopped the conversation in the tent, and rain poured down. When Morgalla exited and looked up, the water was striking an invisible barrier. Within the Izari camp, the ground was completely dry. The rest of the Izari had surrounded her, but their weapons were not drawn. She gave them all a dirty look.

  “Get out of my way.”

  They did not comply.

  Wulfric stepped outside with his two companions. “Let her go.” Upon his order, the crowd parted to comply. Wulfric had more to say. “That gem can free both the people and us of Freedom Ridge. Makrus is not to be trusted, and if you think you can make a deal with him, you’re wrong.”

  Morgalla spun around. “Neither are you.”

  “More trustworthy than Makrus, I assure you of that, girl.”

  Morgalla shouted. “Makrus can come down here and slaughter all of you for all I care. I’m done with it.”

  “And what about the town?” Wulfric yelled back. Morgalla had turned, but his words made her freeze. The old man hobbled forward. “Ah, yes, the town. The gem is the key to their future too.

  Morgalla stared at him. She didn’t hide her anger. She approached, pointing a finger. “You have to promise that Mylo won’t be harmed.”

  “A demon cares about a human?” one of them asked. “What for?”

  Morgalla didn’t answer, only glaring at Wulfric. “Promise.”<
br />
  “I cannot promise he’ll be safe. You’re asking too much. But you could keep an eye on him.”

  It was late, and the weather was too poor for Morgalla and Mylo to head back where they’d been. The townspeople gave them shelter for the night. As the thunder and lightning continued around the camp, the tent remained dry and free of the wind. Morgalla was sitting on one bed, looking at Mylo who just lay on the other. His eyes were still wide open. She reached over and closed his eyes.

  Morgalla tried to sleep but with all the apprehension around them, and the guards outside with hostile intent, she found it hard to doze.

  She stepped outside the tent and watched as her keepers held their swords a little tighter.

  “Relax, will you?” She yawned.

  A fog had rolled in, and she saw a long figure standing through the mist on the outskirts of the camp. Even before she could see him clearly, she knew it was the old wizard. He approached, her guards keeping close by with their hands gripped tightly on their sheathed swords.

  Morgalla stopped a moment. Rolling her eyes, she turned to them. “You mind?”

  They didn’t stop as she approached the wizard who remained motionless in the midst.

  “Can’t sleep?” the old man asked.

  “I was about to ask you that.”

  “I hardly ever sleep. When you’re keeping your eyes open due to the danger around you, I guess it’s tough to close them, even for a minute.”

  “You mind calling off your people?”

  Wulfic took a moment and gave a slight wave of his trembling hand. The guards stepped back into the camp but kept their sight clearly on Morgalla. To avoid antagonizing them, she decided not to get too close to their leader.

  “I understand,” the wizard continued. “That’s what it’s like in Hell. Always looking over your shoulder.”

  “You could say that.”

  “I don’t blame you for wanting to leave it.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Oh, I’ve got you figured. At least for that, anyway.”

  A small smile crossed his wrinkled face.

  “Then why not trust me?” Morgalla said.