by P. G. Thomas
With the massive sword, Eric tapped Ryan on his back. “Put him down, and YOU, CALM DOWN!” Then in a quiet voice added, “Wait till he finds all three. Panry’s on a mission, so he’ll find them, all of them.”
Ryan released his hold, grabbed a pitcher of beer, drained it, and slowly began reverting to normal.
“Whisky Tango Foxtrot.” After taking a long drink, hoping the golden liquid would lessen the pain, Steve turned to John, “What did they do to those kids? It looked like that two-headed wolf we saw in the forest.”
“I have no idea, but I’m going to find out,” and then he headed to the street, followed by his Earth Guard.
Logan stood, “Since we’re back in Alron, I’m going to check on the Bastards.”
Then there were four. Ramy poured himself one more drink, downed it. “The inn upstairs is empty so find a room for the night, but do not break the peace, as I have lots of empty cells. We will talk more tomorrow.” Then he also left.
Ryan looked at Steve and Eric, “I’m—”
“There’s no need to apologize, Kid.”
“I wasn’t going to. What I was going to say is that I was confused. Even though my daughters are still missing, Zack is on the warpath, so I was wondering what I should do next?”
“While I hoped I had knocked some sense into you, I guess I failed.” Heading upstairs to find a room, Steve massaged his bruised hand.
Eric filled his mug, “Don’t worry about Zack. After he blows off some steam, he’ll calm down.”
“I don’t think so,” advised Ryan. “You saw us the last time just before he let Sam and Hope go with us. He told me he couldn’t die, and that if anything happened to his children, he would rip the heart from Lauren and me. I mean he was intense. He made me swear on the lives of Lauren and my daughters that nothing would happen to his children.”
Eric pushed his empty glass away, “Bunk with me tonight.” Then they headed up the stairs.
*******
John was standing in front of his house, staring at the mixed collection of protectors, “Come on, it’s my house.”
After an Earth Guard had knocked on the door, Nur appeared in the doorway.
“I need to see what happened to them,” John advised.
She looked down at the wild wolves, “Move, let him in.”
He cautiously made his way up the stairs and across the porch, making sure to avoid all of the tails or paws, and once inside, saw Gingaar in a white smock covered in blood. In her hand, she held a sharp dagger, using it to slice open the protruding wounds, and after extracting something from them, she tossed it to the floor before stepping on it.
“DON’T DO THAT,” then John lowered his voice, “I need to see what they are.”
“They are foul, Earth Mother, harming both.”
“Fine, remove them, just don’t destroy them.” Then he walked closer, watching while she continued to operate on Sam.
Lauren looked at John, holding back her tears, “She’s finished with Hope and gave her something to sleep but what are these things?”
“Was Hope able to transform back?”
“No, she sleeps in wolf form.”
When Gingaar handed John a bloody, pus-covered object, he quickly located an empty mug for her to place it in. Taking it into the kitchen, he found a bottle of alcohol, filled the cup, swished it around, and then dumped the contents into a second one. At the bottom, lay what looked like a golden amulet of a trollmare. Finding an old dishcloth, he poured the contents into it, and taking the mugs out back, smashed both. Once inside the kitchen, he found a string, and tying one end around the golden object, he secured the other end around a table knife. Removing the shroud from a lantern, he lowered it inside so that the glass would help magnify it. The golden figure was less than three inches long, but with the magnification of the lantern, the features of the trollmare were obvious. He estimated its size by comparing the proportions of the wings to the body, realizing it would be massive if activated. Reaching up to rotate the knife, he saw the platinum ring on his hand, and pulling it back instantly, he removed it. Then he sprinted to the front room, “Lauren, please, step back from Sam for a minute.” She had a puzzled look on her face but did so. He breathed a sigh of relief, “Now remove your platinum ring and give it to me.”
“Why?”
“These are amulets of some kind, which it could activate.”
Grasping the ring, her red, wet fingers were unable to obtain the necessary grip. Wrapping the base of her shirt around her finger, she tugged it off, handing it to John.
After taking it to the kitchen, he returned to watch Gingaar remove the last of the offensive implants, and in all, six were saved from the Earth Mother’s angry boot.
Applying an ointment, Gingaar had just sewn the last wound closed. After slowly dripping a blue liquid into Sam’s mouth, she called to her Earth Guards, and two entered the house. “Have you moved his bed into Hope’s room?” One nodded, “Take him upstairs, as he needs rest.”
The stimulant given to Nur was wearing off, “Will they be—will they—” Then she started to cry uncontrollably. Gingaar nodded to Lauren, who went over to her, wrapping her arm around the distraught mother, and helped her to sit down. Rocking her back and forth, Lauren whispered encouragements softly into her ear.
John looked up at the bloodied elf Earth Mother. “Will they…”
As Gingaar walked to the side of the room, he followed. “I have never before operated like this, with knife on animal, though gifted they are. I used my best judgment to remove the foul objects foul. I sense that their spirit is strong. Hearts beat sound, and their minds are clear of infection, but still…” When she headed to the kitchen, he went over to examine the gruesome table covered in blood, wondering if any other evidence was present. Returning a few minutes later, she handed Lauren a cup of tea, “Let Earth Mother sip. When she tires, call my Earth Guards, who shall take her to bed. I also need sleep but will rise in hours of two, so I can check on both.” She then turned to one of her Granite Guardians, “Earth Guard, Earth Mother, and Father of household only shall enter until I command else.” The dwarf slapped his elongated sword on his chest, looked to his men, who nodded in agreement.
Once John was sure that no evidence remained on the table, he took the remaining amulets into the kitchen, processing them like the first. When Nur had consumed a sufficient amount of the sedative tea, he heard Lauren call for the Earth Guards. Returning to the front room, the strange amulets tucked away in one pocket, and the platinum rings in the other. He saw Lauren sitting on the couch, holding her head in her hands, where she slowly wept.
“Is there anything I can do?”
Between sobs, her reply was simple, “Make this end.”
I’ll find a way, I promise. “Do you want me to walk you back to the inn?”
She wiped away her tears, “No, I’m going to sit up with them, comfort them, see if I can help somehow. I have to do something because I feel so useless.”
“It’s not your fault—”
“Go, just leave me alone. I need some time by myself.”
“Do you want me to send Ryan over?”
“OUT!”
That would be a no. Then John walked out onto the street, his Earth Guard falling in behind him. Back at the inn, the others had retired for the night, so walking behind the bar, he found a fresh bottle, which he took out to the dark front porch. There he saw a wolf sitting on its haunches, “You one of Zack’s?” When the wolf did not move, he sat down beside it, “Well you seem tame so you must be.” John popped the cork, taking a long drink. “Your master, father, leader? Whatever he is, he’s pretty upset.” The wolf tilted its head to one side, looked at him. “Okay, pissed to the tenth degree, to the tenth power, and tenth exponential value. While I know that’s technically wrong, it seems to be the only way to describe him.” He took another long drink, “Although I can’t blame him. His kids in that shape, it would also freak me out. The problem is they’r
e just like him, well, maybe better. I still remember how Alron and Panry had to prod him at the beginning to be our spy, but in the end, he was a true legend.” Pouring a small amount of the wine into a cupped hand, John held it out so the wolf could lick it up. “His kids found something, and for some reason, they ventured out on their own. I personally think it was to make their father feel proud of them, but we might have to wait a few days to find out.”
“Will they be okay?”
Jumping to the side, John looked at naked Zack
He grabbed the bottle, “You should’ve washed your hands,” then he took a long drink, “Will they?”
After John had grabbed the bottle back, he took a quick drink, “Don’t ever do that again, as I didn’t bring a change of clothes, and I doubt if you own what I need to borrow right now.” Then he thought back to the words spoken by Tranquil. Heirs of the Beast Throne. He smiled. “I think they’re going to have a long and interesting life.”
“What happened?”
“They did a remarkable job. Even with all of the rain in the Bright Coast, they were able to pick up scents from a few objects thrown away, leading us to the Key River. Unfortunately, even though Darkpaye controls the north side, we did manage to gain access, continuing to look for them. While it wasn’t going well, I think because of the rain, they did something only their father would do. I just don’t know what it was, but then the river forked. I think they wanted to help so badly, having so many zoo options, they did what their dad would do. If they had waited a few minutes, they would’ve seen the answer we searched for.”
“The triplets?”
“One of them. Guy named Zymse had built a stage, and he held up one. While I still can’t believe what I saw, he branded the baby, placing her in a cage with a trollmare.”
“You’re joking!”
“No, and the trollmare was freaked out by that brand, same one we found here on those assassins. Zack, we looked for them, but in a game of hide-and-seek, you would win every time. Trust me, we really looked, and not like when Logan played hide-and-seek with Lauren, leaving her hiding so he could go visit his friends. They wanted to help, choosing a path that only you could walk…fly…crawl. You know what I mean.”
“This guy branded one of Lauren’s kids? That’s sick and the same brand?”
John nodded.
“Do you think Sam and Hope will be okay?”
‘—your mother will be fine because the Essence Pure tends to her wounds.’ John nodded, “I have an endorsement from a really high source that Gingaar is the best there is. She healed Nur, didn’t she? To be honest, I think the best medicine would be them hearing words of comfort from their father.”
Reaching for the bottle, Zack took one last drink, nodded his thanks. “I’ve someplace else I should be, so we’ll talk tomorrow.” After he had shimmered, the large timber wolf walked down the dark street.
Finishing off the bottle, John went to the second floor, and finding an empty room, he fell into a deep sleep, absent of pleasant dreams. It was dark when he woke, his bladder calling for attention. Leaning over to light the candle on the bedside table, he felt the eyes staring at him and jumped out of bed. “Damn it, Babartin, you don’t have to watch me when I sleep.”
“You are wrong, Earth Mother. I still remember shame cast on Panry when Earth Mother slipped through his fingers twice. You have already proven your flight risk, and with options many, such a burden I will not embrace.”
“Are you also going to follow me into the washroom?”
“I will turn my back, but my hand shall remain on your shoulder.”
“You’re kidding me, right?”
“I am Earth Guard, and my instruction does not include what you call humor.”
Heading up the hall with Babartin following, for the first time in his life, John was embarrassed to have inherited his father’s shy kidneys. This is ridiculous.
*******
John rolled over the next morning, nodded to Careel, and quickly dressed. In Pintar’s dining room, he saw Evesnight serving Steve, Ryan, and Eric breakfast, so he walked over to join them. After a quick sip of the bean juice, he nodded to Ryan, “I had a talk last night with Zack, and I think he has calmed down, but—”
Ryan finished the sentence, “It depends on what happens to Sam and Hope.”
“What did you figure out, Kid?”
Reaching into his pocket, John pulled out the half-dozen small golden amulets, placing them on the table. “That’s what she dug out of those festering injuries.”
Removing his platinum ring, Steve reached out for one of them and then responded to John’s surprised look. “Remember, Detective? They pay me to notice what’s happening, committing those facts to memory. Are they the same like Gayne’s?”
“I don’t know, but I wouldn’t suggest testing that theory unless there are several Granite Guardians or Trollmare Slayers around—several hundred, because those would be huge.”
“Zymse was having the wolves host these things, and he was going to send them out here to spread them around Alron. I guess he would need wolves since they would’ve natural hunting abilities, and other animals wouldn’t consider them to be prey.”
“Makes sense,” replied John. “When we go back to the Bright Coast, why don’t you ask him?”
“That actually might not be a bad idea.” Then Steve went into a deep thought.
Lauren walked into the inn. “Sam and Hope reverted to children last night. While their not out of the woods yet, Gingaar figures the worst is behind them.”
Everybody at the table breathed a sigh of relief.
“Zack?” asked Ryan.
“He was there this morning, has calmed down, but he was speaking with Nur, so I didn’t have a chance to talk to him. How did things go with Sister?”
“All things considered, better than I thought they would. She seems to understand H2O2, so she’s going to select a few isolated forests to work out the chemistry before she starts spreading the cure.”
Lauren nodded, “Good, but we need to get back to the Bright Coast, as I now have an idea of how to feed Mother’s children, so they’ll start to believe in her again.”
Please, don’t let it be the Garden of Eden, please anything but that. “Would you care to explain?” When she did not respond, he added, “Can we stop by Ironhouse first so that I can talk to them about these trollmares?”
“Only for one hour,” then she walked over to the bar where Evesnight had a cup of tea waiting for her. “When you’re done your meal, we’re heading out so eat fast.”
Twenty minutes later, when John, Ryan, Lauren, and all of their protectors headed back to the house, Steve with Eric went in search of Logan. Once there, Gingaar’s Guardians would only let John and Lauren enter, and heading upstairs, they found Sam with Hope in child form, talking to Zack, Nur, and Gingaar.
Sam looked over at the group, his voice weak, tired, “We are sorry, Aunt Lauren. We found a stray that knew the scent we were looking for.” Then he smiled weakly, “We found the triplets. We know where they are.”
Hope, sounding fatigued, struggled to sit up, “We can show you the spot.”
Nur, her voice joy filled, pushed back a tear, “You will never leave my sight again. Since your father needs some time to think, he can go.”
“Mom,” Hope began, “we wanted to go, to help.”
She knelt down beside her daughter, “I know, sweetheart, but your father should have told me that,” and then she glared at Zack, “and not lied to me.”
Sam pushed himself up, “Mom, it is our fault, not Dad’s.”
Leaning forward, Nur kissed his forehead, “All you have to do is get better right now. We will talk about this in a few weeks.”
Hope rolled onto her side, “Dad, there are Bastards in the Bright Coast.”
“Yes, my darling, there are bad men there, but you shouldn’t call them that.”
Sam shook his head, “No, Bastards from Alron, Sister’s Bastards,
who were in some sort of a prison.”
All of the eyes focused on Sam, but it was Lauren that spoke, “What?”
“We saw and smelled them. Dad, you know they have a different scent.”
Zack walked over to his son, and pushing him down, he kissed his forehead before tucking the covers around him, “It’s okay.”
Nur looked at the small crowd, “They need to rest now. Zack, go pack a bag,” and then she pointed to the door.
“But Alron, the trollmare attacks?”
“Sister’s magic is present, we have Bastards here, Trollmare Slayers, Granite Guardians, and Gayne’s magic. There have only been small attacks lately, so I think Alron can take care of itself.”
“But—”
Even though her voice was quiet, the anger in her eyes was loud, as she whispered her wrathful command, “Go.”
Twenty minutes later, Zack walked onto the front porch, and seeing Ramy watching from the end of the street, he looked at the others gathered in front of the house. “I’ll be right back.” When Ramy acknowledged his presence, Zack sighed, “I pissed her off again. Look, if anything happens here, which you don’t think you can handle, open a portal to Gayne’s house, taking one of my wolves. It’ll call to me and then just wait. Okay?”
Nodding, Ramy then headed towards the wall to do his morning inspection.
Once back at the house, he walked up to Ryan, “This is all your fault.” Then he cast a glance at one of the Earth Guards, “Icefeather, haven’t seen you in these parts for a long time.”
Chapter 11
Lauren had started her reply before Zack had finished his sentence. “Ryan never told you to lie to Nur, so it’s your own fault. Wait, what did you just say?”
Seeing Eric, Logan, and Steve walking towards the house, John went to update them, increasing his speed as the explanation began.
“That’s Oxron Icefeather, Alron’s son,” began Zack. “He’s one of your Earth Guards, isn’t he?”