The curses turned into a short scream as the two goblins were swept over the falls. Drew strode across the log, prodded along by the spears of the goblins behind him. The remaining goblins made it safely across, although none of them would set foot on the log until the human was across and on solid ground. Once safely on the far side, they turned downstream once again and resumed their march, minus one goblin warrior and Droog.
They had been marching only about thirty minutes when silence fell over the chattering goblins. Drew looked up, wondering what had caused them to go on alert so suddenly. The source of concern was quickly apparent as a livid, sodden, bruised, burnt, bitten, and bleeding Droog bore down on the approaching troops.
The goblin company came to a halt as the furious Droog stalked up to the human captive, so angry he seemed unable to speak. He just glared at the human and breathed heavily. Drew looked down and smiled at the battered goblin benignly.
“I told you I didn’t think it was safe, Droogy,” Drew said piously.
Droog let out a shriek of rage and grabbed at the dagger sheathed at his belt. Several of the goblins standing guard over the captive restrained their leader and tried to calm him down by reminding him of what would happen if harm came to the prisoner.
Droog pushed them away and glared up at the smiling human. “You walk in front of Droog from now on,” the goblin ordered in a hiss of contempt.
“Whatever you say, Droogy,” Drew calmly replied.
The pack of goblins and their captive moved on, leaving the riverbank behind, and once again resumed their trek through the forest. They marched on for several more hours before stopping to make camp for the night, at least two hours before sunset. Drew suspected it was because the goblin leader was exhausted from his swim.
Droog ordered a large fire built so he could chase the chill from his bones, and then scoured the area around him for the next hour looking for any sign of ant colonies. Having declared his area clear and insect free, he huddled close to the fire and muttered curses against all humans—young captive ones in particular.
**
Chase and his crew were also warming themselves by a fire, scores of miles and three days behind the goblin troop. Each of them complained and bragged about how sore their muscles were from their training. Even Ted admitted that his head hurt from studying.
“So what do you think Drew is doing right now?” Felicia asked.
“Probably arguing with goblins about the oppressive and self-destructive nature of all of the evil races in the world and generally being a huge pain in the ass,” Chase answered, eliciting a wild round of laughter as everyone pictured Drew debating endlessly with the little monsters.
“Seriously though, I hope he is all right.”
“I’m sure he is. Knowing Drew, he is halfway to being in charge right now,” Ted assured her and everyone else who was concerned for their friend but was masking it.
“Yeah,” Gabe put in, “he has a way of getting people to follow him. He could be a powerful leader if ever actually tried.”
“Pfft, good luck with that,” Chase remarked. “Drew hates anything involving leadership and authority. He would harangue himself for a week if that happened.”
“You know, for a goof off and a punk from the trailer park, you use a lot of big words,” Josh observed.
“I just don’t show off my brains like Ted over there. I could get good grades in school if I wanted to, but I just don’t feel like putting that much effort into it. Just because I don’t go around winning science fairs and spelling bees doesn’t make me stupid. Besides, it gives me an advantage when people underestimate me,” he replied with a smile.
“Touché, O prince of rogues,” Phil intoned.
“Man, I can’t imagine how I’m going to feel tomorrow night. I am so sore and tired now I can’t move. Another day of this is going to kill me,” Chuck moaned and received universal agreement.
“I can tell you there is something you should be far more concerned with than tomorrow’s training,” Chase whispered conspiratorially.
“What’s that?” everyone asked, truly concerned now by Chase’s sudden earnestness.
Chase looked around to ensure the confidentiality of their conversation before looking gravely at his friends. “Not one of us packed a single roll of toilet paper! Hey Gabe,” Chase shouted over the groans and laughter of the group as he stood up, “let me borrow your Bible for a few minutes.”
“What for? Oh, hell no, that’s blasphemy and desecration!” Gabe cried out, clutching his bible protectively to his chest as the others laughed themselves into tears.
“C’mon, not the whole thing, just Numbers; you know darn well nothing important or even interesting happens in Numbers,” Chase begged doggedly, laughing the entire time.
“No, not one single page, you heathen! You can use a blackberry briar for all I care,” Gabe roared at Chase’s back as he headed for the bushes deeper in the wood line, grabbing a shovel on the way.
The next morning was greeted with the sounds of moans elicited by stiff muscles and sore joints. They ate a plain breakfast before being marched off by their instructors back to their training sites.
Today, Chuck and Josh were being trained to fight as a team against multiple opponents while using the terrain to their advantage, preparing ambushes, and employing tactics against a more numerous enemy or a larger foe.
Elderin taught Ted and Gabe how to focus despite distractions, fear, and pain in addition to practicing their castings and prayers. He made Gabe recite his prayer requests over and over until he could call upon his god, without hesitation, to invoke the proper benediction at the crucial time.
He made Ted cast his spells into the water or at targets made of straw or bundled branches until he could conjure the most appropriate spell at any given time for a particular situation. The druid threw pinecones at him until he could complete a spell without disruption.
Phil and his sister were given more sword practice before working on trick shots with their bows, such as firing two arrows at once, quick drawing, shooting an enemy at point blank range, and long range sniping. Much of the day consisted of tracking animals and learning about the properties of plants and the behavior of animals. That same day, they were taught to move through the forests as silent as a shadow and remain unseen while stalking prey or enemies.
Chase continued to learn the art of stealthy movements, disappearing, hiding, trap finding, lock picking, climbing, and sleight of hand from his lovely instructor, who made his heart race and his toes tingle every time she referred to him as handsome. It was a lot to learn, but his attention and interest never flagged.
He was mesmerized by Samone’s voice and body movements, but not so much that it detracted from his ability to concentrate on the information she was providing him. Had he a teacher in high school that could so captivate his attention, he would be an honor roll student and valedictorian.
The groups returned to their camp at the end of the day, once again so exhausted they could hardly speak to one another. Elderin approached Josh just before he was going to join the others in a well-deserved night’s rest just after dinner.
“I would like a moment before you retire for the evening, if you would. I know you are exhausted, but please indulge me for just a minute,” the druid requested.
“Of course, Elderin, what can I do for you?” Josh asked, concerned at the druid’s seriousness.
“I believe it is near time that you and your friends must depart on your quest to find your brother.”
“You think we are ready then?”
“If the option were available, I would keep you young people here for another year or more. It would take at least that long to take you even near the height of your potential, but alas, we do not have that luxury. You have all learned a great deal in your short stay, and you are much better prepared for the hardships and trials ahead of you. You will train for another full day, and then I am afraid you must be on your way,” Elderi
n intoned gravely.
Josh became very concerned for his brother at the druid’s sudden desire for haste. “Why the sudden hurry? Is Drew in danger now?”
Elderin smiled back at him in a reassuring manner. “Your brother has been in danger from the moment he stepped through that gate. However, he is reasonably protected by the knowledge he possesses and the necessity in the role he must play in Lord Darkrell’s plans. No, his disposition has little to do with my decision to send you on your way. In fact, I have heard from some of my forest friends that your brother is slowing the goblin’s march, as well as making life unpleasant for the evil creatures,” Elderin told him, chuckling at Drew’s exploits.
The druid told Josh about the torment his brother has been inflicting on the goblin leader. Elderin had used his ability to communicate with animals to have a hawk follow the goblins during the day and an owl to watch them at night then report back to him. The hawk told Elderin about the event at the river and the numerous injuries the goblin leader seems to have suffered.
Josh and the druid both laughed at the goblin’s plight and Drew’s tenacity. “That sounds like my brother, always sticking it to authority.”
The druid left the young man to his rest and thought about what final training he would impart on his young charges on the morrow.
**
Drew opened his eyes as dawn broke over the horizon and found himself staring into the yellow, blood-shot orbs of Droog, who looked like he hadn’t slept all night. He got up and shook off the light dew covering his blanket before draping it over his shoulders.
“Good morning, Droogy. Sleep well last night?” he asked cheerily.
His only answer was a growl of disgust as the goblin rolled over, got to his large, flat feet, and stalked off, rudely rousing his warriors from their slumber with kicks and curses. Drew and the goblins ate another cold, stale breakfast then continued their trek toward the distant mountain range.
Maple and other long-limbed, normally leaf-baring trees, slowly replaced the forest of evergreens. These new trees slowed their progress somewhat as they had to navigate past thick tangles of slender branches and scrub brush. Droog once again insisted that Drew walk ahead of him so he could keep a safe eye on any mischief the human might try to create.
The goblins found a deer trail through the willowy bows, which greatly aided their progression. Drew studied the path up ahead and watched as the line of goblins ducked their bat-eared heads under a long slender branch stretching across the trail. The branch was just above waist height on Drew, so instead of ducking under, he simply pushed it forward as he walked on. He glanced back and paused to see that Droog, while following along behind him, concentrated more on the ground in front of his feet and muttering vile curses than watching what the human was doing.
“Heads up, Droogy,” Drew called back and released the long, willowy branch.
Droog followed the human’s warning in a literal manner without pausing for thought. The goblin looked up just in time to catch the slender branch square in the face when it snapped back with the strength of a catapult arm. The force of the blow knocked the goblin leader off his feet and left a long angry red welt just above where his eyebrows had been before they were burned off when he rolled through the fire a few nights past.
Droog scrambled back to his feet in a rage. In a tantrum of epic proportions, the goblin drew his dagger and hacked furiously at the branch, sending leaves and wood chips falling to the ground before finally chopping through the offending limb. Droog looked back and forth from his blade to the human while cursing and rubbing his battered face.
“I warned you to look out, Droogy,” Drew reminded him innocently.
“You walk on Droog’s side, here!” the goblin ordered pointing to his right. “No in front, no in back, right here!” he emphasized by stabbing at the ground with his long gnarly finger.
“You’re the boss, Droogy,” Drew complied.
“Yes, Droog the boss! Droog, no Droogy!” he demanded.
“Sure Droogy, whatever you say. Oops, I mean Droog.” Drew flashed the goblin a placating smile.
Droog let out a cry of frustration, shoved his prisoner forward, and fell into step on Drew’s left side. The goblin muttered under his breath for the next four hours, split between cursing his captive and consoling himself by fantasizing about the rewards he would receive from Lord Darkrell.
The level path they followed through the trees began a slow but steady ascent as the band reached the foothills of the tall mountain range. Droog called a halt to eat a bit and rest before continuing up the inclining hills.
The goblins sat where they stopped and fished through their packs for tidbits to eat. The goblins gave Drew some water and dried meat while they sipped their awful-smelling spirits.
After about half an hour, Droog ordered them to move out and continued their slow, steady climb upwards. Near the top, the trail skirted around the hill, seemingly cut into the hillside. The right side of the trail became a steep incline that towered at least a hundred feet high before reaching the peak, while the left side of the trail became a steep drop-off of perhaps sixty feet before leveling out once more.
Jumbled rocks littered both the upper and lower steep hillsides, attesting to numerous small avalanches. As the party hugged the side of the hill, Drew saw a large pile of stones cutting across their path, dumped there by a more recent rock fall. A small tree, pushed nearly horizontal by the fallen rock stretching across the trail, clung precariously to the hillside perhaps six feet above the rock pile.
Neither the small tree nor the rock pile posed much of an obstacle. The goblins, walking two abreast, easily scrambled over the debris and crossed under the tree with a good two feet of clearance.
Drew quickened his pace just a bit as he started to clamber over the loose pile of stones so he could get a few steps ahead of Droog. He reached up and grabbed the slender trunk of the tree, little more than a bush really, in what appeared to be nothing more than an attempt to steady himself on the loose footing.
His true reason for grabbing the small tree became apparent as Droog walked beneath the branch on Drew’s left side. The young man gave the tree a firm shake and dislodged a three-foot long snake that had made a perch in the leafy branches. The otherwise harmless serpent quickly secured a new grip around the goblin leader’s neck. Droog let out a scream of terror, the snake let out a hiss of probably equal surprise, and both went tumbling over the side of the steep slope as Droog tried to leap away from the constricting reptile.
The snake only fell a few feet down the rock face, having surrendered its grip around the goblin’s neck, and quickly slithered under a large stone and hid. Droog was less fortunate.
The goblin tumbled head over flappy-feet down the entire length of the steep, rock-strewn decline. Drew was unable to comprehend the curses Droog spat out the entire way down, but from the abashed faces of a few of the goblins, he was sure they were particularly appalling.
Droog lay still at the bottom of the precipice for several minutes, breathing heavily, cursing heavily, and whimpering slightly. He slowly got to his feet and began the arduous climb back up the steep, rough grade while keeping a wary eye out for any more snakes.
As he neared the top, still examining the rocks to avoid another encounter with the snake, one of the goblins above thought to help his commander out by throwing him a rope. Just as the rope smacked the stones in front of the limping Droog, Drew shouted down to him.
“Snake!” he cried out.
Droog’s response was as instantaneous as it was hilarious. His head snapped up at the warning just as the end of the hemp rope struck the rocky ground before him, and his brain registered a potentially life-threatening situation. His natural reflexes caused him to throw his arms out wide and jump backward, away from the apparent source of danger.
Arms windmilling so furiously Drew swore he could feel the wind they kicked up against his face, Droog began a slow backward fall that turned into a rap
id series of somersaults nearly the entire way back down to the bottom of the stony ravine. Droog lay there twice as long as before, wheezing and weeping, a fleshy pile amongst the mounds of rock.
“My bad, Droogy, it was just a rope!” Drew called down to the abused and beleaguered goblin.
The boy’s call seemed to rouse the battered goblin back into motion. With the strength and disregard of a madman, Droog scrambled back up the slope at a furious pace that amazed Drew and the rest of the goblins watching his plight from up high. As Droog gained the ledge, several goblins offered a hand to pull him up over the lip of the drop off. He contemptuously batted away the proffered assistance and threw himself over the rim and onto the trail.
The burned, battered, bruised, whipped, bitten, scraped, and gashed Droog stalked toward the grinning human. He was favoring his right leg, which gave him a comical, ambling gait that really rounded off the goblin’s monstrous countenance quite well and caused Drew to burst into laughter at the sight.
Droog’s hand darted toward his belt in a threatening manner. This time, not even his soldiers were going to get between their leader and the human, so great was the wrath written on his bruised and bleeding face.
“Nuh uh, Droog, you don’t want to make your master angry,” Drew warned condescendingly, shaking his finger in front of the goblin’s long nose.
Droog responded with a shout to his followers who sprang at Drew and wrestled him to the ground. As they held him down, Drew started to think he might have pushed the goblin too far this time. He looked behind him as he heard the snick of Droog’s heavy leather belt being drawn and the clatter of the sheathed blades it secured as they fell to the ground.
“Droog, you can’t hurt me, remember your reward and your master’s orders!” Drew cried in real fear now.
Droog ignored the human’s protest and lashed the captive’s exposed back with all his might. Over and over he swung the leather strap, raising welts across Drew’s back and eventually drawing blood.
The Portal Page 10