Spies Among Us

by L. L. Bower

  I lower my helmet’s face mask again, so I’ll be warned of any dark attackers. Besides Crisa’s wand, two bugbear torches now light our way.

  I suggest, “Since time is short, and we have enough light, let’s jog toward the lab.”

  We all take off at a slow run, and those of us with armor creak and rattle. Maybe because of a lack of linguistic understanding, tenseness at having to face Galdo or because we’re all huffing from exertion, we silently navigate our way through the cave system.

  I don’t see any bat corpses on the stone floor, even though I’m sure we killed dozens. I wonder if the bodies were hauled away, or if they were even real. Didn’t Olea say they were only a scare tactic?

  Then I think about Galdo’s other deception, Olea, how he seemed to be just another escapee, and how Galdo planted a spy in our midst. Even though I hate how easily I was tricked by Galdo, with both the bats and Olea, I believe those bats certainly served their purpose. I was downright frightened by them.

  Crisa pulls out the communication device from her pouch and turns it on, so she can listen in on the chatter. She tells us the centaurs are still battling both dragons and guards. I’m pleased that most of the guards are occupied elsewhere, but the battle seems to have gone on longer than it should. I wonder why.

  About halfway to the lab, the communication device buzzes, and we hear an ogre’s deep, rapid-fire voice. We stop as Crisa responds in a bass tone in Ogrish. She identifies herself as “Korga.”

  When she’s finished the conversation, she informs us, “One of the guards fighting the centaurs has asked for reinforcements. He says the centaurs are defeating them, and I’m certain he said that the dragons are fighting each other, which is odd.”

  She smirks. “I was surprised to learn that we didn’t steal just anyone’s communicator. Korga is a general in Galdo’s army. Impersonating him, I told that ogre, ‘help is on its way,’ and ‘I’ll send another fifty guards from other posts.’ Of course, that’s not going to happen.”

  She grins. “I told you that device would come in handy.”

  “Impressive.” I nod, as she turns off the device and returns it to her pouch.

  We continue to jog over the uneven cave floor. We reach a downhill stretch, and the tunnel forks. If we head right, we’ll find the prison cells where the tomte, oreads and I spent so much wasted time. A wave of sadness sweeps over me. I experienced some dark days in those cells, and I’m anxious to move on.

  We keep going straight, and as we near the lab, the cave narrows, becoming more dark and oppressive, like we’re entering the very heart of evil. Nobody says a word, and I feel my muscles tense.

  The circles of light from the torches and Crisa’s wand cast spooky, distorted shadows onto the cave walls. The only sounds are the rhythmic drips of water, our deep breathing and clinks from our shifting armor. The air smells musty and stale, like old shoes. Once in a while, I even get a sulfuric whiff. This area must receive little air circulation, and it seems no vegetation grows here to clean the atmosphere, very appropriate for a den of death.

  We come around a bend to hear muffled cries from someone who I think must be Galdo’s current experimental subject. Like the geothermal spring at Crisa’s hideout, anger bubbles up in me. I draw Noblesse, who’s vibrating like mad. We slow down, aware that we’re close now.

  I touch Brutus’s head and whisper, “Quiet.” He nudges my leg with his nose. I realize he’s probably thinking, “Yeah, really? How foolish do you think I am?” I have to get it in my head that he has human intelligence, not a beast’s mentality.

  Crisa mouths magic words and first my arm disappears, followed by my legs. I look down and realize I can’t see Brutus’s form either. The three of us have become invisible, although I can see Crisa’s ivory aura and a darker glow that must be Brutus, which only a human touched by a fairy can see. At least I won’t bump into them or walk over them.

  I’ve learned from experience that when Crisa conjures an invisibility spell, everything on my person becomes invisible too, including my sword. Her wand has also disappeared.

  We approach what I think is the lab because two minotaurs, each with an axe over his chest, are posted next to a door that’s sunk into stone. I’m surprised to find only two guards. The others must be outside, still battling.

  Berb and Grog let their prisoners go first, so they can poke their weapons into their prisoners’ armored backs to keep them moving. They’re making this capture look real.

  The guards raise their weapons. One of them says, “Halt, where do you think you’re going?” Brutus would normally growl at the presence of these dark guards, but he’s exercising great restraint.

  Berb speaks up in his native language, which at least one of the minotaurs comprehends. They haven’t noticed that Grog isn’t one of their regular guards.

  Hoping the telepathy spell still works, I ask Crisa, “What’s he saying?” I feel her hair tickle my ear.

  She responds, “These numinals, he says, were captured in the Chesed Cavern, trying to break in. The minotaur says Galdo will be pleased, as he needs a tomte and oreads to continue his experiments.”

  Like programmed robots, each guard crosses his axe back over his chest as one of them speaks with a tone of finality in his voice.

  “Uh, oh,” Crisa adds. “The guard is demanding the prisoners be taken to the dungeon, not brought here.”

  Chapter 13 – More of Galdo’s Surprises

  I wonder if all our efforts will end right here, right now, but then Crisa says in my head, “Berb is arguing that his orders were to bring any invaders to Galdo. He’s asking the minotaur if he wants to face Galdo’s wrath.” She chuckles.

  The minotaur pauses and rolls his eyes upward like he’s thinking. Then he opens the door. The other guard backs away, so the bugbears and their prisoners can pass through.

  I raise a vibrating Noblesse, ready to kick some darlings’ butts. Crisa says, “Here we go!”

  As pre-arranged, the others move out of our way. Crisa lifts her invisible wand and zaps the nearest guard, who falls on his face, his axe ringing against the stone floor.

  At the same time, I slash at the other minotaur’s neck with my invisible sword and sever his carotid artery. He slumps straight down to the floor. Blood spurts out and down his neck and puddles around his shoulder. The axe still balanced over the other shoulder, he raises his eyebrows, enlarging his eyes which slowly glaze over.

  They literally never saw us coming.

  Waving her wand, Crisa says in my head, “I removed any magic-dampening over the lab, so we’ll remain invisible.”

  Crisa, Brutus and I barrel through the door, expecting more guards inside. The large room is brightly lit both from overhead and from torches that line the walls. More rooms, their doors closed, branch off this one, and I imagine more wards with more victims. The lab is stuffy, smelling of disinfectant and something sour. Sweat?

  I scan the room for guards but find only two goblin lab assistants who hover over a steel gurney where a limp figure lies. When they see the fallen guards beyond the door, one of the goblins picks up a scalpel from a tray, and the other waves a syringe.

  My helmet outlines these two in red, which means they’re ready to attack. I’m grateful that neither of them is Loudon, the goblin who brought Noblesse to me in prison.

  “Back away from the table, and drop your weapons!” I yell, running over to them. The startled lab assistants jerk around and try to figure out where my voice is coming from. Crisa repeats my statement in Goblinese, in case these two never learned English.

  “I said, ‘Drop ‘em!’” She echoes my commanding sentence in their language.

  The one holding the scalpel lets it fall from his hand, and it clangs onto the stone floor. The one with the needle still clutches it, but his hand shakes. I slap hard at the hand holding the needle, and the goblin lets out an anguished cry. He releases the syringe, which rolls along the floor, cradles his hand and skitters to the other sid
e of the room. His companion follows. They both look terrified.

  My helmet no longer sees these two as threats, and their red outlines disappear.

  Crisa removes our invisibility spell, which causes the goblins to gasp and hug the far wall. Brutus runs over to the goblins and growls at them. They won’t be moving a muscle.

  Crisa says something in Goblinese, then turns to me and says, “I asked them, ‘Where’s Galdo?’ ”

  One of the attendants babbles something, and she tells me, “They say he left a while ago. He told them to finish up on this test subject.”

  The others in our group still stand on the lab’s threshold. Mordea, Caroom and Lawra have released themselves from their bindings.

  To my freed friends, I say, “Will you stand guard and watch for Galdo’s return? And holler if you need us.”

  They nod, and I indicate to Grog and Berb that they should hand them the torches. The tomte and the two oreads, their weapons at the ready, take up their posts in front of the lab door, which they close.

  Crisa waves her wand and wraps up the two goblins together in magical rope.

  “While you look for your books, I’d like to check on that poor numinal.” I indicate the gurney. Crisa nods.

  To Grog, I say, “Someone needs to check out the other rooms to see if there are any more victims.” Grog translates this to Berb, and they both salute. Each takes a closed side door, opens it and steps inside. Objects rattle and bang as they search.

  Meanwhile, in the center of the room, spotlighted by sun streaming in overhead, the figure on the gurney lies motionless. He’s a garden gnome who appears near death, judging from his closed eyes and pale gray skin. I recognize his tribe from his once colorful clothing, forest green pants, a red shirt with lemon yellow pockets and silver boots, now either torn or faded, but all filthy.

  Was that his scream we heard, and is he still breathing?

  I sheath my sword and peer down at him. I release the leather straps that bind him and rub his wrists. “Wake up. You’re safe now.”

  The gnome’s eyelids flutter, and he opens his eyes. He blinks at the bright light and closes them again.

  When he opens them a second time, he stares at me. Then his eyes enlarge in fear, and I realize he can’t see my face with my helmet on. He must think I’m another dark one.

  I open my face guard and study the gnome’s pale face.

  My eyes light up as I identify this individual. I didn’t recognize him at first because he’s so thin and pale.

  I squeeze his hand. “Hello, old friend.”

  Brambel, the gnome who landscaped my backyard when I still had one, clutches my metal-clad arm. “Calen? Am I dreaming?”

  “No, you’re not, and we’re going to get you out of here. How are you? Are you injured?”

  He sighs. “I’ve been better, but I’m okay, just really weak.”

  I look around. “Do you know where Galdo went?”

  “Don’t let him near me!” He whines, his breathing coming in short pants.

  I squeeze his shoulder. “I won’t let him hurt you anymore. Can you walk?”

  He groans and tries to sit up, but falls back.

  “Don’t worry, we can carry you. Lie there for now. We have to take care of something else first.”

  Meanwhile, Brutus has patrolled the perimeter and now growls at a wall on the opposite side of the room. I wonder if something dark lies behind that wall.

  First though, I give Brambel another reassuring pat and decide it’s more important to help Crisa find her spell books. If the sorcerer is hiding, he’s not a current threat.

  While Grog and Berb continue to search the other rooms, Crisa strides over to a long counter that runs the length of the room and that contains beakers, Bunsen burners, test tubes and other lab paraphernalia. On shelves above the counter are glass jars with what looks like body parts in them, a pixie ear here and a gnome nose there.

  Galdo wasn’t satisfied with killing innocent numinals. Like a sick serial killer, he had to keep souvenirs of them as well. If only I could get my hands on him ...

  Crisa peers at a book lying open on the counter. “This one’s mine. Let’s see what Galdo was working on.”

  I look in cupboards and under the counter for more of her books, while she glances at the open pages. I keep an eye on the wall where Brutus is. He’s no longer growling, although his jaw still moves.

  Crisa shakes her head. “This is not good. He’s studying a dark spell for bringing someone back from the dead, a nearly impossible task that requires the life forces of several other beings, the stronger, the better.”

  She scowls. “In other words, several individuals in peak physical condition have to die for this spell to work, if it ever does. Not even great magicians like Merlin attempted it because ethical sorcery recognizes that the Creator alone gives life. No one but a very dark creature would try to usurp that power.”

  I shake my head in disgust. “Galdo thinks he’s invincible, so I’m not surprised that he’d try something so dastardly.” I point to an now-open cupboard with stacks of books in it. “Are those yours?”

  Crisa nods.

  “And we all can guess who he’s trying to bring back from death, can’t we?” I remark.

  Crisa sighs. “His devilish father, Delbo.” She counts the books and remarks, “They’re all here. Let me retrieve them quickly, so we can go find those dragon babies.”

  I look over to see that Brutus is still guarding that wall. My helmet flashes a funny-shaped red outline around part of it.

  I hope my helmet isn’t malfunctioning. I’d better check out what’s got Brutus so curious.

  I walk over and examine the wall in front of Brutus, who still appears to be barking, although no sound emerges. This wall looks like the rest of them. I don’t see any levers or buttons that might reveal a hiding place.

  “C’mon, Brutus. Let’s help Grog search the rest of the lab area.” Brutus remains rooted to the spot, but I draw Noblesse and walk to one of the side doors that Grog and Berb have yet to examine. I open it to a rush of stale air and peek in. The room looks deserted.

  I hear Crisa mouth some magic words and look back to see her scrunch her eyebrows above her now-dark eyes. She swirls her wand in circles in the direction of the open cupboard, and her spell books begin to vibrate. She opens the leather pouch strung across her shoulder with a flourish of her wand and then points the wand at those books, which start to dance, as if keeping time to music. Then, using her wand, she points to the pouch, and the books boogie toward its open mouth in a steady stream.

  “Wait a minute.” A deep but nasal voice fills the room. “You’re not taking those.”

  The voice comes from the wall I investigated, but I don’t see anyone. Across the room, Crisa looks over and then shrugs her shoulders. She hastens the rate at which her books stream into the pouch.

  I gaze back to where Brutus still paces in front of that wall but can’t believe what I’m seeing. The part of the rock wall that was outlined in red by my helmet now walks forward.

  The rock camouflage covering Galdo disappears, and the tall, skinny epitome of evil I observed in the centaur village raises his wand. He has the same long, hooked nose that reminds me of a predatory bird and the same bloodless pallor, as if the warmth of life has drained out of him, his eyes like cold blue steel.

  Next, everything happens so fast.

  Brutus snaps his jaws and launches himself at Galdo.

  Galdo points his wand at my wolf and zaps him.

  The blow crumples Brutus in the middle like he’s been hit by a baseball bat. My wolf hovers momentarily in the air, then crashes to the floor in a folded heap and doesn’t move.

  Anger overwhelms me. You lump of scum.

  I gallop across the room and lunge at Galdo, Noblesse out in front. I aim for his gut.

  The sorcerer vanishes in front of me before Noblesse can connect. Then he re-appears by Crisa’s side.

  She looks up, but be
fore she can react, he smacks her with a bolt of electricity from his wand.

  We neglected the part of the plan where she’d neutralize Galdo’s powers because those goblins said he wasn’t here.

  The bolt throws Crisa backward against the stone wall.

  Crisa’s head hits the stone with a loud conk. She slumps against the wall.

  No, not her too! “Creator, let her be all right.”

  Still bound together by Crisa’s rope, the goblins jump up and down with glee and chatter rapidly.

  All the dancing books crash to the floor with a series of thuds.

  “Prepare to die, you piece of trash!” I yell at Galdo. I race across the room at him.

  He scrunches up his predatory beak of a nose, looking more demonic than normal and cackles, “You don’t scare me.”

  When I reach him, he disappears before I can slash him. I remember Winston saying that Galdo had stolen the teleportation power of the leprechauns.

  I turn around to see Grog emerge from one of the side rooms he’s just searched. Galdo appears next to Grog, points his wand at my bugbear friend and says something under his breath.

  “Get away from him!” I shout.

  I expect Grog to collapse from whatever Galdo’s done to him, but instead he merely shakes his head a little.

  Before Grog can attack the sorcerer and before I can dash back across the room and swing at Galdo, he vanishes again.

  This time, from behind me, he crows, “Ah, Calen, so nice to finally meet you, face to face.” I twirl to face him, and my helmet flashes red.

  He points his wand at me, and I too am thrown back against a wall by a zapping bolt, which knocks the wind out of me. My helmet is flung off my head when I hit the stone; Noblesse flies from my hand, and I see stars. I’m grateful that my armor has protected me from the hard landing. Still, I’m immobilized and helpless.

  “Some human champion you are.” He sneers.

  Grog and Berb, who’s now emerged from another side room, both run over to help me, but Galdo wags a finger at them as his wand zaps them too. They collapse onto the stone floor.