by Dave Hazel
“Could be,” Mykal said. “Do you know why there are so many strange and deadly creatures or monsters in this Forest of Death?”
“This is a very good question,” Starling answered. “For as long as our lives have been, and before our lives had begun, the Black Forest or the Forest of Death has always had the reputation of being a perilous and mysterious place. One must take care and great caution to enter this forest.”
“When we grew as youngsters,” Blair continued. “The camp fires always carried tales of the deadly and mysterious horrors that filled and surrounded the Black Forest. Meaning the elders spoke of and told of tales known across the lands concerning the horrors of this place.”
“Elves are known for inhabiting forested areas, however, Elves know to make such visits to the Black Forest as brief as possible,” Leeno said.
“There are those who believe some of the strange creatures are natural oddities in the world,” Starling said as the group followed their lead. “Some also believe many of the outrageous and deadly creatures are the creation of Zizmon-Tarl.”
“We can not claim that with undeniable certainty,” Blair said. “However we are confident his foul hand would be involved in so many of the unnatural beings that live in these lands. The next question to be asked, did he create such creatures? Or did he just pervert the creation that already existed? There again, we do not know.”
“That is correct,” Starling and Leeno said together. They continued to discuss the creatures of the Black Forest while they moved on.
They traveled a hard fast pace. The men had to take turns to help the M-60 machine gunners carry the twenty-six pound weapon. They had to alternate carrying the cans of ammunition for both the machine guns and the M-203 grenade launchers. No one complained. Everyone seemed happy to get out of the Black Forest or the more appropriately named Forest of Death.
4.
Hours later when they reached the edge of the Black Forest the men looked like they were going to drop from exhaustion. The three Elves seemed to have an endless supply of energy. They appeared as if they were just getting ready to start.
“We can slow our pace,” Starling announced to Mykal and Diaz after they passed the last of the trees.
The land before them stretched out with rolling hills and everything around them looked lush green. The grass was long and it swayed under the wind making it look like an ocean of grass waves. To the right the rolling hills smoothed out until it became flat open grass lands. To the left they could only travel about two miles until they would reach the foot of steep mountains. The mountains were nothing like the mountains of the Pass.
“Where do we go now?” Mykal asked and didn’t like the look of the rough rugged mountains. He was afraid of being boxed in and he knew they would never be able to scale the mountains.
“To reach the place of safety we must go to the other side of the mountains,” Starling pointed where Mykal didn’t want to go.
“How in the hell are we gonna do that?” Boris grunted. “It’ll take weeks to get around that thing.”
“We shall travel through the mountains,” Starling said with no visible expression of emotion. “At the base of the mountains there is an entrance. It is a secret entrance. I am confident we shall find it. I, personally, have not used the passage through the mountains. I do know others who have. I warn you now it will not be an easy journey. It may be dangerous inside the belly of the mountain.”
“And that’s different from what?” Jake chuckled but the Elves seemed to be humorless and didn’t understand his point. “Everything we’ve done has been dangerous.”
“Will it be worth it to go through the mountain?” Diaz raised the point. “I mean, if it’s going to be dangerous, will it be worth it to go through it rather than trying to go around the mountains?”
“It will be well worth the effort,” Starling replied. “From the other side of the mountain we will be a three day journey from our home. We will be safe there from the armies and allies of Zizmon-Tarl. From there we will be better equipped to help you.”
“Our forest is like a small country inside the borders of this land,” Leeno explained. “As foul and as evil are the forces under Zizmon-Tarl, they will not venture into our forest areas. They will never survive if they do.”
“With that being said, however,” Starling picked up where Leeno stopped. “Our lands are slowly being encroached upon which will turn into a full scale war. As Elves, including are females and our children, we are at risk whenever we venture from the confines of our forest. Allies of Zizmon-Tarl seek our annihilation. They will murder our young and our females. They will brutalize the defenseless.”
“They claim their goal is to purify the land and to cleanse the motherland,” Blair said. “It is because we are Elves. However, the primary reason is we will not bow down to Zizmon-Tarl. All the races that have refused to submit to Zizmon-Tarl’s rule have been targeted for complete destruction and elimination.”
“Starling, I do not see our friends,” Leeno interrupted the conversation. “Do you suspect they would have been killed so soon? Could the soldiers have caught them so quickly?”
“It is possible, though I think not,” Starling answered and scanned the area in all directions. “Our friends would not have given up so easily. They may be on the other side of that rise. Our view is blocked from seeing beyond the incline.” Starling pointed to the rolling hills before them.
“Blair and I will run,” Leeno offered meaning they would go to the tops of the hills and try to find their friends.
“Go. Be swift and be wise,” Starling said and nodded without emotion. “I will take our new friends to the mountain and begin to search for the secret entrance.”
“We will make haste and join you soon,” Leeno said. He too lacked the same emotion in his light, colorless, face.
Within an hour and a half they were at the base of the mountain. Starling paced back and forth within a section about two hundred yards long searching for a secret entrance. Mykal and his men sat around and left the Elf alone. Mykal didn’t want his people to be a distraction. Starling still didn’t display any emotion but Mykal sensed him to be frustrated.
Within two hours Blair and Leeno came into view accompanied by six others. The six were humans, not Elves. The pursuers were not in sight yet. Mykal wanted Starling to find the secret entrance so they could avoid a confrontation with the hunters or at least be prepared to depart before wasting too much ammunition.
Mykal stood and eyed the small group as they approached over the slight incline. Five of the six were large and brutish looking. The five were warrior or fighter types. They wore heavier armor and helmets and carried an assortment of different weapons; various swords, battle axes, flails, morning stars, short spears and spiked clubs. Two of the five bore chain mail armor that appeared to be heavier than what the Elves wore. One of the five had a ring mail armor which was not as protective as the chain mail. The other two were clad in studded leather which allowed great ease of movement but not as protective as the other types of armor.
The sixth man caught Mykal’s attention more than the five. The man was older and wore no armor at all. He was clothed in a long flowing dark blue robe which was tied about his waist with a piece of rope. The robe was equipped with a large hood to hide his face, but he did not use it. His hair was long and unkempt. His long grey beard was just as dirty and disheveled as his hair.
The lines on the man’s face showed he didn’t age gracefully. For his apparent age the man moved quickly and kept up with the younger men. He carried a long wooden staff and had three daggers tucked into the rope belt tied around his waist. The older man also had a short sword which would probably be used as a last resort. He had a cloth sack tied to his rope belt.
The closer the group came the more Mykal could make out a faint golden glow around the wooden staff the older man carried. Mykal knew the staff wasn’t for walking but was a magic item of some sort. He knew he was the only o
ne to see the yellowish aura so he didn’t mention it to his friends. Mykal tried to determine what magic abilities the staff possessed but nothing came to him. He would have to handle the staff to determine its capabilities. Mykal wondered if the older man could detect magic also, thus would his new treasures set off a glow for the man who appeared to be a wizard. Now a new concern arose; would the aged man pose a threat to his newly acquired magical treasures? He would have to be on guard. If the elderly man could detect magic like him then he would be able to see that his sword, his ring and the two figurines in his trouser pocket as well as the three other magic wands in his other trouser pocket would give off the same magical glow.
Mykal assumed the six men would be happy to see they had help on their side. The older magician didn’t seem to notice anything odd about Mykal’s possessions or he hid it well. He stepped forward with Starling and took the initiative to introduce himself to the six men. “Hi, my name is Mykal,” he said with a friendly smile.
“Is this the force that will defeat the army that follows us?” The old man snarled angrily to Starling. He appeared to be disappointed by the help Blair and Leeno promised them.
“Yes Nordad,” Starling answered softly.
“Maybe our pointy eared friends did not remember the size of the army that pursues us,” Nordad scoffed and turned to his five warrior comrades. “Maybe they did not count the numbers of those who are after our hides,” he added in a gruff tone, though he gave a slight smile to show he was not as ungrateful as he came across. “Based on Leeno and Blair’s talk I expected an army. Only one of the group is armed with a sword,” he added as he eyed the sword attached to Mykal’s belt. “There are not enough here to make it interesting,” Nordad said and scanned the group while he milked his long grey beard to tighten his disheveled appearance.
“Don’t let our size fool you,” Mykal said. He saw the enemy start to top the rise in the distance. “My name is Mykal,” he said again to show he wasn’t offended by Nordad judging them base on appearance of numbers only.
“I am grateful for whatever assistance you may be able to give,” Nordad said and nodded while gently tugging on his long beard. He took a small piece of string and tied the end of his facial apron. Nordad looked over his shoulder to see the soldiers were in sight again. “We will have to continue with introductions after we have made good on our escape into the mountains. As you can see,” he pointed behind himself with his thumb. “Their numbers are much more than our Elvin friends must have let on. There are far too many for us to battle.”
“Like I said, don’t let our size fool you. They won’t even get close,” Mykal said and smile confidently.
“Why? Did Starling find the secret entrance?” Nordad’s eyes lit up with hope.
“I am embarrassed to say, I have not,” Starling dropped his eyes as his head lowered in a display of shame.
“Then why are you standing here as if we are waiting on friendly visitors?” Nordad growled like a crotchety old relative. “Do you expect them to allow you to have additional time to find your secret entrance before they commence to lob off our heads?”
“Blair and Leeno,” Starling turned to the other Elves. “Would you assist me in searching for the secret passage? I can not locate it.”
“How can you say they will not get close to us if the passage way has not been found?” The old man turned his scowl toward Mykal.
“Because we’re gonna stop them,” Boris answered for Mykal.
“Stop them?” Nordad’s tenor accused Boris of falsehood. He turned to look at his battle hardened comrades and fought not to laugh. “I am amused by your talk, my new friends.” Nordad tried not to smile his disbelief, but his grey beard couldn’t hide his mirth. “And how might you do that, oh confident one?” He asked while eyeing Mykal and Boris up and down and then compared them to his close friends who were large experienced rugged warriors. “You have not seen the size of the army that is in pursuit of us.”
“It doesn’t matter. Starling told us what’s going on,” Mykal said and looked to Boris with his thumb up. “We should be able to stop them.”
“Oh my,” Nordad sighed and then turned to his exhausted warriors. “Your first words were you were going to stop them. Now your words are you should be able to stop them. I now have even less confidence than since we met.”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Mykal quickly replied to clear up the old grouchy man’s misunderstanding. “We will stop them!” He declared adamantly. “They’re not even gonna get close to us. Watch, you’ll see.”
Nordad gasped and looked to his five brutish warriors who all looked confused. “Oh my, I knew I was going to die one day. Only I did not think today would be that day. If our blasted pointy eared friends would find their precious passage it would not be today,” he raised his voice loud enough for the Elves to hear.
“May I ask the plan you have to defeat our pursuers?” Jumbdex asked while he took a knee to catch a short rest. He was the largest of the warriors and he came across as more experienced. “I do not wish to die today and I am not yet convinced that we will be able to escape such an army.”
“Our plan is, we’re gonna kick their ass and put an end to these people,” Boris laughed and caused many others to laugh and cheer at his words.
“At the risk of sounding ungrateful may I inquire as to how you will accomplish such a feat?” Jumbdex asked. He looked to Nordad for help in understanding. “Please take no offense, however, you men do not look the part of warriors and the army which pursues us is made up of very well trained fighters. They are not maidens pursuing us to wait on us.”
“Trust me,” Boris said and chuckled because he knew he looked the least fit of all of them. “We’re the best damn fighters you’ll ever find.”
“Fighters?” Nordad asked in disbelief and took a double take when he looked at Boris. All Nordad’s men glared at Boris. “These men, my men, are true fighters.” Nordad sounded insulted while he looked back and forth from his men to the individuals he just met.
“Our weapons are what make us great warriors and fighters,” Mykal said politely.
“I do not understand. Your weapons do not look like very good weapons,” Nordad replied while playing with the end of his coarse beard. “I see no points, no sharpened edges. I see no bows and arrows. I note only one blade between the entirety of you, and that is the blade at your side,” he said with a nod to Mykal’s sword. “All I see that is of any curiosity is the whole group of you all wear the same funny looking clothing that makes you all appear as one.”
“We’ll explain about our weapons later,” Mykal said and smiled at Nordad’s perturbed expression. “Our weapons are advanced. You’ve never seen anything like them.”
“Should we give them a demonstration Myk?” Boris nodded with excitement.
“Sure, what the hell.” Mykal nodded and turned to Diaz.
“I would like that,” Nordad said and turned to his men for their approval as well. “I would prefer that our Elvin friends discover the secret passage,” he called out loudly.
“Form a line men,” Captain Diaz shouted.
“I want everyone to hold your fire until they’re about one hundred meters away,” Mykal announced as he paced down the line that was formed. “First we’ll hit them with a couple of 203 rounds. Let’s show our friends what these little babies can do,” he said and patted Private First Class Taylor’s weapon. “Once we give a little demonstration with the 40 mike mike rounds then we’ll take some shots with our M-16s,” he paused as the men hooted and hollered with excitement. “Then you guys with the 60’s can clean up the rest left standing. Understood?”
“Ooh-rah! Ooh-rah,” yelled the majority of the group as one unified sound.
Staff Sergeant Hayes, an Army Ranger shouted, “Or as real men would say, Hooah! Hooah!” The other army soldiers joined him on the second call.
Starling and the eight others were surprised by the excited and motivated call of their n
ew friends. The advancing enemy, clearly the much larger force had them trapped against the mountains. The enemy appeared comfortable enough to slow their pace. The situation appeared to be grim for the nine new friends who looked strictly at the size disadvantage. The new comers seemed oblivious to the danger or they didn’t care to die.
“Starling, my pointy eared brother, how goes it?” Nordad yelled over the cheerful expressions of merriment.
“We have found it my bearded friend who worries so much,” Leeno spoke out gleefully. A rarely seen expression of any emotions. “Now we must discover how to open the passage.”
“How much longer? What good is it to have found the secret entrance if you pointy eared imps can not open it?” The old man yelled angrily. “I do not wish to stand here like a fool inviting death to come and take me away.”
“Hey Nordad,” Mykal called to him when Leeno did not reply. “Don’t worry about it. Try to calm down and relax,” Mykal spoke calmly to express he was in control of his emotions. “Everything is gonna be alright. You have to trust us. I want you to watch the little show my men are gonna put on for you and your men.”
“We will be completely destroyed if the Elves do not open the passage,” Jumbdex fretted. “I am not fond of this,” he said to the others with him. He lifted his heavy double-headed battle axe and took several swings as if warming up his muscles in preparation for a battle. His comrades warmed up with their weapons as well.
“We will not lose one man,” Mykal vowed. “Trust me, in an hour you will think differently of us.”
“What of their archers?”
“Archers, smarchers,” Boris said to be funny. “They won’t get one arrow into the air,” he yelled.
Jumbdex lowered his head. “Either you will prove to be great warriors or we will prove to be great fools for sitting here waiting to die a fool’s death.”
“If we shall die today,” Altoff called out as he hefted his heavy flail into his hands. The flail was a spiked iron ball on a chain attached to a sturdy handle. He felt to make sure the hilt of his sword was ready for quick access and swung the flail overhead. “We will die as warriors. We will die together and take much of the enemy with us,” he added with a gruff laugh and swung his flail down into the ground with a vicious thud to give an idea of what the deadly spiked ball could do should it contact a head or body.