by Tom Liberman
Seymour sighed and shook his head, “The moment you prove useless to me,” he said to the Wizard of the Golden Worms, “is the moment that I will unleash Oliver upon you.”
“My life is yours to do with as you please,” said Sutekha and wearily mounted his steed and prepared to ride.
Levicus watched the interaction between the two with a wry smile on his face and shook his own head although made certain that he looked away towards the wide plains and the small spot of light that heralded the coming dawn and not at the Priest of Ras. Oliver leaned down and whispered something in the ear of his horse and soon the four men began to break their camp in preparation of an early morning start.
A hundred miles to the south Shalalee stumbled to the ground again as her left foot fell into an animal hole but this time she kept a tight hold of the Staff of Naught. It took her a moment to shake off the effects of the tumble but she quickly rose to her feet and began to make her way forward again. The girl looked up and for the first time during what seemed an endless night saw a glimmer of light on the horizon. She looked back towards her friends but could not see any sign of pursuit, she had expected that Lousa and Shamki and likely Unerus would set out after her in the darkness while the rest packed up the camp and made the best time they could come morning but perhaps they did not realize she was gone at all and pursuit would be delayed significantly. Her breath came in gasps and her legs were already quite tired but he kept going because she knew the promised horse would arrive soon and it would take her to Chosen One of the Sun God and thus to the end of her quest. Once the staff was destroyed they would all see why she did it and thank her. All except that awful Ariana who was already seduced by the black power of the staff. But, even she would eventually shake off the terror of the staff and realize that what Shalalee had done was for everyone’s benefit.
These thoughts kept her going throughout the morning but by midday hunger and a swollen ankle forced her to stop. She had only packed enough rations for a day and she gobbled this, at first quickly but then, realizing how little she carried, at a slower pace. She frequently glanced over her shoulder for signs of pursuit but there was still nothing.
Back at the camp the arrival of dawn galvanized the group as Almara sat in the wagon’s driver seat and cracked the whip while Lousa sat behind her and her husband finished harnessing the donkeys. Shamki walked next to the wagon and looked closely at the ground while Tylan and Unerus sat in the back of the wagon and awaited the start of the journey. Hazlebub and Humbort walked near the wagon themselves talking to each other quietly.
“We should have sent Shamki after her,” said Almara to Lousa. “You and Hazlebub could have protected us and he could have tracked her down and had her back before morning.”
“We went over all of this last night,” said the woman whose green eyes were particularly dark almost to the point of blackness this morning. “If it was a trap then splitting up endangered everyone including your daughter. Shamki himself said it was all but impossible to track at night in any case. We didn’t even know what direction she went off in until he found her tracks at first light. She might well have been going back to Hot Rock for all we knew.”
“It’s that evil thing,” said Almara. “First it got its hooks into Ariana and now my Shalalee. I will make sure that it is destroyed if I have to break it in half with my own two hands,” said the mother a look of determination on her face that stifled any objections Lousa had before she begin to list them.
“I know how you feel Almara,” said Lousa and nodded her head. “I know Ariana and Unerus aren’t my children but I feel like they are part of me now and if that staff does anything more to Ara then … well … I don’t know what but someone will pay!”
Almara nodded her head and cracked the whip again as Shamki started to walk ahead and the woman guided it after him. “She’s only a little girl,” said Lousa and patted Almara on the back. She couldn’t have gotten very far last night, it was pitch black, and she’ll exhaust herself in the morning. I bet we catch her by lunchtime at the latest.”
“I hope you’re right,” said Almara her eyes riveted to the half-orc who led them steadily over the ground. “I’ve told Tanner to get better donkeys a hundred times but he insists slow and steady is the best speed for a merchant. Maybe now he’ll listen to me.”
By noon Almara ground her teeth and sat alone in the wagon seat while everyone else gave her a wide berth. Shamki walked ahead and stopped, all too frequently according to Almara’s admonishments, to check the ground and hunt back and forth for several minutes.
“How could she have gotten so far,” said Tanner to Hazlebub as the two walked slightly behind the wagon and out of earshot of Almara.
The witch shook her head, “She couldn’t have, not without help. It’s easy to go in circles at night; I’ve done it myself hunting mushrooms. It’s impossible to get this far without help unless you’re an experienced woodsman. Even then I don’t see it … it was dark last night, no moon, cloud cover. She’s moving in a straight line directly towards … something.”
“But what?” said Tanner and the old woman shook her head and did not reply. “Was it Tenebrous? But that doesn’t make sense, he was disturbed by what Ariana said, why would he make up all those lies?”
“I don’t ken it,” said Hazlebub. “Not a bit. It twarn’t the shade I don’t think but maybe it was the Spider Queen?”
Lousa walked up to Shamki with a water skin and offered it to the big half-orc who was sweating in the morning sun despite the coolness of the day. “It’s not your fault Shamki, the girl had help, it’s clear.”
Shamki took the water skin and poured a long draught down his throat before he handed it back to Lousa and cast his gaze on the ground to look for the little prints that Shalalee left. Her feet were tiny and the grass of the plains left little in the way of tracks. “Girl go straight,” he said his eyes shifted back and forth but avoided looking backwards to the wagon where Almara sat perched and ever watchful.
“Do you think she could have managed this without help?” asked Lousa who took a long sip from the skin herself and then handed it back to the burly warrior.
He shook his head and then knelt down on the ground, felt the grass, and inhaled deeply through his nose. “Girl helped but not dead creature,” he said after a moment, then pointed forward, and began to walk again.
Almara leaned out from the wagon seat to where Unerus, Tylan, and Ariana were walking along and shouted out, “Ara, why don’t you and Tylan get out those leftover biscuits and gather some of the nuts and berries to give to everyone as we walk. I don’t want to stop for lunch.”
Ariana looked up at the woman her eyes all but filled with tears and nodded her head, as did Tylan while Unerus turned to walk up ahead with Shamki.
Tylan helped the gaped tooth girl up into the wagon with a hand and then clambered aboard himself.
“I don’t want anything bad to happen to Shalalee,” said Ariana and looked at Tylan while her lip quivered. “I just was made that she stole it.”
“Everyone knows that Ara,” said the boy with a smile and he leaned down to pull a sack out from underneath a bench and poured a large pile of nuts out into a bowl. “Get the berries there under the shelf, that’s right,” he directed Ariana who began to pour a bunch of small dried out blueberries and mulberries onto a plate. “Now, we’ll mix them up and give them to everyone,” said Tylan with a smile and patted Ariana on the shoulder. “We have to figure out what everyone wants to drink, what do you think?”
“Shamki want beer,” said the girl in a deep voice and began to giggle her eyes cheerful for the first time in many hours. Tylan laughed as well, “I’ll have some of that light cider,” he said in a high pitched voice that sounded eerily like his mother and the girl snorted out loud before covering her mouth in a fit of laughter.
It was almost nightfall and Shalalee staggered along in a weaving sort of way as she collapsed to the ground every once in a while and strugg
led to stand again, “I can’t go much more,” she gasped at the air. “Where is the horse?” she said and stared at the darkening sky and then looked behind her to where she saw the wagon about an hour ago. She had just crested a long hill when she saw the flash of light glint off of something and after a moment she could make out the slow moving wagon in the distance. At least, she thought it was the wagon, what else could it be that followed her along the plains? Unless it was some hobgoblin traders but she didn’t think that was the case. She tried to go faster then but her legs just wouldn’t move and the increased speed meant more falls each one of which proved more difficult from which to recover.
The voice hadn’t answered her in hours and she was terribly afraid of being alone all night long. It was only last night, although it felt like years ago, that she thought it such a good idea to the take the staff and bring it to Seymour. Now, as darkness slowly descended she began to regret her hasty decision. “I could always go back,” she thought to herself. “They would be mad but they would understand. All but that awful Ariana.”
She managed to stagger to her feet again and began to walk slowly forward and looked for the horse with tears streaming down her eyes.
“We should check in with the girl,” said Sutekha as the same night that threatened her forced the foursome to stop for the evening as well. Oliver trotted next to them all day but he did not appear to be in the least tired as they finally came to a stop. The orc appeared to have the stamina of a distance runner and the power of a stallion in heat and the wizard of the Golden Worm’s mind once again began to ponder how he would manage to get out of his current situation alive. He knew that Seymour was prone to bluster but if the priest intended to have Oliver do his dirty work there didn’t seem to be much of a chance for survival.
“I’m hardly tired at all,” said Seymour as he glanced at the fading light.
“She is not more than twelve years old, alone, on foot, and scared,” said Levicus with a sharp look at the Priest of Ras. “You can’t expect her to keep going at the same pace we enjoy. She might turn back and take the staff with her. Sutekha is right, the horse won’t get there until morning, and she must be convinced to keep going. The others are likely in pursuit and she cannot hope to outpace them.”
“If you insist,” said Seymour and dismounted from his beautiful steed. “Contact the girl and give her whatever encouragement she needs but keep her moving, through the night if necessary. We will have to kill her in the end as she is tainted by the staff so walking her to death is nothing to worry about.”
“Dovestar has no hands,” said Levicus in a quiet sort of voice. “If the girl dies before he reaches her then he will not be able to bring the thing back to us.”
Seymour looked at the dark haired horse master for a moment and smiled. “Quite true,” he finally said. “Sutekha, determine the physical condition of the girl and if it seems likely she is going to die then allow her to rest for a short time.”
“Oh great Master of the Icon of Ras,” said Sutekha with a deep bow. “The girl is exhausted and near the end of her abilities right now. If pushed further she will collapse at least, if not die.”
“Very well,” said Seymour with a sad little shake of his head. “We must allow the weak Dorian her precious rest but if this delay causes any disruption to my plan horse master, you will certainly bear the brunt of my displeasure.”
“Yes, oh Mighty High Priest,” said Levicus bowing deeply. “I only live to serve your desires.”
Chapter 29
The woman with the voluptuous figure stood up from the long bed and slipped a silk shirt over her dull blue skin and smiled at the demonic figure lying behind her. “Thank you my darling, if your services are required again I will send word,” and with that she walked to a large stone door where another man, similar in stature to the one on the bed although two horns sprouted from either side of his head instead of a single prong in the middle. He opened the door for her as she ran her fingers over his well-developed chest and walked past. Beyond the bedchamber stood a massive throne made of bones and she walked over to this in a languorous fashion and sat down with crossed legs that displayed well up her thigh.
A ghoulish creature made of muscle and bone but no skin walked wetly across the marble floor and knelt in front of the woman, “Mistress of the Abyss, Eternal Ruler of the Dead,” he said his face hovered inches from the floor.
“Go on creature,” said the woman with a little wave of her right hand.
“Tenebrous has yet to return and I am informed there is an easy opportunity to obtain the bauble,” said the undead thing, as he remained bowed and low to the floor.
“I’ll send that shade back to the Deathlands,” said the woman. “Why are you standing here telling me this? Show some initiative and take it. Bring it back to me and I shall reward you properly.”
“Yes, oh Great Mistress of the Deathly World,” said the creature and slowly stood up and backed out of the room.
The woman smiled broadly and the thought of having the staff and the anger this would generate in her step-sister. “The eight legged witch will have to come crawling to me if she wants it, how delightfully ironic to use her own little toy against her.”
Shalalee lay collapsed on the grassy ground her closed eyes revealed by the light of a few stars that peeked out from the still cloudy night sky. Half a mile behind her stood the small graveyard she staggered through an hour before the Staff of Naught clutched in her right hand. Now slow movement under the one of the gravestones disturbed the soil and a moment later a skeletal hand emerged from the ground and began to scrabble about. A few seconds later the lower half of an arm bone, eerily similar in appearance to the staff emerged, and similar movement from nearby graves heralded the emergence of more of the monstrosities. After a few minutes of scrabbling and scratching half a dozen of the skeletal creatures stood on the surface of the graveyard, their white bones reflected the meager light from the stars high above. As if a single creature they all suddenly turned and faced in the same direction and began to walk in a disjointed sort of way towards where the girl lay asleep.
“No track good,” said Shamki as the cloud cover began to increase and the already limited light from the stars faded to almost nothing.
“She’s been headed in a straight line all day,” said Tanner as he stood next to the half-orc with Lousa also at their side. Almara still sat in the driver’s seat of the wagon but her posture drooped and her head nodded for a moment. Unseen and asleep in the back were the children, Hazlebub, and Humbort tired from the exertions of the long day. “Why don’t we just keep going in the same direction?”
Lousa looked at Tanner. “She’s your daughter,” said the woman, put her hands on her knees, and bent forward. “I don’t like the idea of leaving her out alone overnight either but if she makes a turn it will take us longer to catch her tomorrow.”
Shamki stood in silence as the merchant looked out into the darkness for a long moment and then turned back to the donkeys and began to unhitch the rig. He gave a firm glance to Almara in the driver’s seat and the woman said nothing and made her way to the back of the wagon to get out the cooking gear with tired motions.
“Master priest,” said Sutekha as he looked up in alarm from the crystalline device that a moment before he summoned to life. “Creatures of the Queen of the Abyss approach the girl. They will take the staff, she cannot stand against them.”
“Damn you Levicus,” said the High Priest of Ras and suddenly drew out his Holy Symbol the burning light roiling with intense heat. “This is your fault.”
Levicus bowed his head and bit his lip but said nothing.
“With only three horses we cannot get to her in time to efface a rescue,” said Seymour looking around at the men.
“There is no time even if we had all the steeds,” said Sutekha, pursed his lips and gazed at the misshapen orb. “They have it even now.”
“Did they kill the girl,” said Levicus with a look at
the wizard of the Golden Worm his eyes wide.
“What matters that you fool,” said Seymour as he twisted the burning object in his hand over and over again. Ras mighty god of the sun, keeper of the light, bringer of warmth, has guided us this far and he will guide us now. Oliver take Levicus’s horse, he won’t need it anymore. Levicus, saddle up Shemu before I kill you.”
“Traveling at night is perilous,” said Oliver and moved over towards the High Priest of Ras and put his hand on the man’s shoulder. “Sutekha can watch the staff yet and tell us where the creatures take it.”
“You’re a fool Oliver,” exploded Seymour and suddenly grasped the glowing sun orb in both hands and turning towards Levicus who had not moved from the spot.
Ras of Eternal Light, burning great ball,
Heed my words, grant my call,
Fire consumes, burns the soul, consumes it all!
With that he opened his hands and turned to Levicus who took a step backwards before his eyes suddenly burst open a strange golden light apparently emanated out from inside. The horse master made sort of a gasp sound and the brightness began to pour out of his ears and nose and then even from the pores of his body until he was suddenly glowing like an angel or demonic entity. The only sound he made was a soft grunt and his body began to suddenly collapse in on itself as if some great creature internally consumed him in great gulps. The light grew in intensity so that all of the watchers except Seymour had to turn their heads and cover their eyes. A moment later it was dark again and only three men stood at the little campsite. “That was most unfortunate,” said Seymour to the other two, “but necessary nevertheless,” he continued. “We need to travel as quickly as possible to catch up to those creatures before they are able to deliver the staff to their mistress. Once she has it recovery will be most difficult.”
Oliver bowed his head and began to saddle Levicus’s horse while Sutekha quickly picked up the crystalline object from its bed of sand, replaced it in the soft silk bag, and kept his eyes averted from the burned spot on the ground that marked where the horse master met his end. By the time he finished packing up his things the other two we already prepared to go and it took him long minutes to saddle his own horse as Seymour looked at him as he muttered and shook his head.