by L. L. Bower
Another warrior, I assume their leader from the starry insignia on his sleeve, waves off help from the others, pulls his body up and through the hole in the floor and stands near the edge. He looks familiar.
Two of three others bend down to help more gnomes as they emerge from the hole. Then they lift a bound and gagged Galdo up through the hole and onto the floor where he squirms, trying to free himself. His nostrils flare under his long, wart-spangled nose, and his face glowers with hatred.
Why isn’t he throwing his magic at them?
One of them jokes, “It’s really hard for you to keep your nose out of other people’s business, isn’t it?”
Raucous laughter follows, and another soldier says, “Good one, Dandela.”
The high-ranking gnome looks down at me as I’m braced against the gurney. He salutes. “Hello, Sir Calen. I’m General Barambula of the United Gnome Federation, son of Calinula, and great great-grandson of Fabricula, the First Forger.”
Barambula is the tallest of the ground gnomes, about four-feet high, with a bushier white beard than the rest, who all have facial hair in various stages of growth.
I’ve met this particular gnome before, though he didn’t meet me. I was invisible and stood behind Pholas and Chearon the day they brought him my sword, to repair from basilisk damage.
A husky gnome approaches the general and salutes. “Awaiting your orders, sir.”
The general returns the salute. “Begin the search.”
“Yes, sir.” A dozen or so men start pulling items from shelves. They open cupboards and move tables, banging and clanging about the room.
What are they looking for?
I try out my voice to see if it works yet, but can’t manage more than a whisper when I ask the general, “How’d you find me?”
Barambula turns to me. “Crisa told us where she believed you were. We used our digging powers to create a tunnel to reach you. We brought our biggest drill, but we didn’t have to use it until we neared this lava floor, which is several feet thick. That was quite a test for our equipment.”
He removes his helmet and scratches his head. “She also neutralized Galdo’s magic, which is why we were able to bind him. In fact, she’s outside the lab now, removing the door seal.”
Ah, then Galdo didn’t harm her when he made her disappear.
I stretch and realize I can move my muscles again, although they ache like I’ve run a marathon. I try to stand but collapse against the tilted gurney. I’m dizzy and weak-kneed, and my head pounds.
“Are you all right?” Barambula asks, a look of concern on his face.
“I think I will be in a few minutes,” I manage to squeak out as I hold my head until the throbbing lessens.
In the meantime, Galdo tries to scoot away from the soldiers, but one of them raises his huge hammer, the weapon of choice for ground gnomes, and threatens, “Hey, you with the nose. Stop right where you are.”
Galdo looks at him and growls.
Another soldier wriggles a long metal box loose from a hole in the rock wall behind one of the tables. It squeals as it scrapes across the rock. The soldier next uses his mining hammer to break the lock with a loud bang. He lifts the lid and pulls out a dull-looking sword.
He wipes the weapon with his sleeve, studies it for a moment and hurries over to the general, a wide grin across his small face. “General, sir, I think we’ve found it.”
“Very good.” Barambula smiles. “Does it need repair?”
“No, sir. It looks intact, but it needs a good cleaning.”
The general barks, “Get right on that, Corporal.”
“Yes, sir.”
Barambula rubs his beard as he again turns to look down at me. “That’s your second sword. I understand it was stolen from you when you were captured. Crisa said one of her spies told you it was still here. I think you’ll find it vital to your success in the future.”
“Thank you.” I murmur, my vocal cords still shaky. Amazed to see my second sword, I stare at it, as it’s being cleaned by the corporal. I hadn’t recognized Nobliege in his grimy state, but I have missed wielding two swords. While Noblesse is my primary blade and Nobliege is not as ornate, they’re designed to be a matched pair, created to work together.
Beyond Nobliege lays my armor, draped over the counter where the ogres put it, after they stripped me of all but my clothing.
I feel a little better now—at least the room isn’t spinning—so I decide to retrieve my armor. I crawl on my hands and knees over to the long counter, careful to navigate the uneven and cracked part of the floor and dodge the hole. I climb my way to a standing position by using the wall as leverage. I sway a little but steady myself by holding onto the counter’s edge.
I pull the parts of my armor off the counter and let them clang onto the stone floor. Then I creep down the counter to the floor, and, from a sitting position, don my individual pieces of armor, one at a time. Since my muscles are achy and weak, the process is slow. I take numerous breaks to keep from passing out because I’m still light-headed, and my head still throbs.
Once the armor is on, I climb up the edge of the counter again, lean against it and grab Noblesse. I stow her in my waistband sheath.
By the time I’m finished, the corporal has polished Nobliege, which now gleams in the overhead lighting. He brings it over to me as I lean against the counter.
The general nods at one of his soldiers who removes an empty sheath from his uniform and hands it to me.
“You’re going to need this too.”
My balance still shaky, I slip Nobliege into the offered sheath and strap him on the other side of my waist, still leaning my hip against the counter for support.
“The pixies will create another custom-made sheath for your sword by tomorrow,” Barambula says. “That’ll give you time to pack.”
“Pack?”
“Uh...” Barambula rubs his hairy chin. “Crisa will fill you in on the details later.”
The main lab door swings opens, and there she stands. Her topaz-blue eyes brighten when she sees me. This is the first time I’ve seen her dressed in everyday clothes from my world—jeans and a T-shirt. She looks like an ordinary woman in that outfit. A wise human once said, looks can be deceiving.
Grog stands behind her. He faces the hallway, his ax slung over his shoulder. I assume he’s standing guard.
I feel heat rise from my neck to my cheeks as I realize how glad I am to see Crisa and know she’s safe. I swiftly shut down those sentimental thoughts before she can read my mind. I lift my face guard and keep my voice even. “Good to see you, Crisa, safe and well.”
She walks over to me. “And you too. How are you?” She bites her lower lip. “Did he hurt you?”
I shake my head. “He hardly got started on me before the gnomes came drilling up through the floor. I’m feeling a little weak and my head throbs, but otherwise I’m okay.”
“I can help you feel better.” She lifts her wand and touches my head with it. “Moto Energius.”
In an instant, my headache recedes, and I no longer feel dizzy.
As I look around, the room has been ransacked looking for Nobliege, so almost everything that was in a cupboard or on a shelf is haphazardly strewn across the floor.
“What’s going to happen to him?” I ask, pointing to a recumbent Galdo.
Crisa turns up one side of her mouth. “I neutralized his powers with a perm spell. Once I got my books back, I was able to find the right spell that renders a magician powerless. He’ll not hurt anyone again. I think that’s a better punishment than killing him.”
“He dealt me that feeling of powerlessness. It’s an apt punishment.” I pause. “So, is the war over then?”
“I’ll tell you more about that once we get outside, beyond Galdo’s hearing.”
Anxious to push the awful events of the steel gurney out of my head, I ask, “Where’d Galdo send you when you vanished?”
“Out to the forest in the middle of a patc
h of poison ivy.” She glares at the sorcerer. “But that didn’t stop me from sending a hummingbird to contact the general. I was afraid of what Galdo was planning to do to you.
“I teleported the gnomes to outside the prison, and General Barambula had a team digging toward you in minutes. I could have removed the seal from the door, but they wanted to make a dramatic entrance and catch Galdo by surprise.”
She smiles at the general. “You and your team are amazing.”
Barambula returns her smile and lowers his head in a brief bow.
“What’s this about packing?” I ask her. “Am I going somewhere?”
She motions with her head toward the door. “Come out to the corridor, and I’ll tell you about it.”
This message must be too complex for our telepathy, or else Crisa doesn’t want to bring back my headache. We step through the lab’s heavy wooden door, which she then closes. After an obvious reading of my mind, she says, “I removed the temp telepathy spell between us because we don’t need it anymore. I’m going to remain in human form, and I know mental communication gives humans a headache after a while.”
She shifts subjects. “I’ve got great news! You’ve been invited to an audience with the fairy king, Aubrey. He says he knows something that could defuse the dark side and end this war for good.”
I sigh. “So Galdo being rendered powerless didn’t end the war?”
She shakes her head. “No. I’m afraid dark factions will still fight, with or without Galdo. While he was the driving force behind their movement, the dark side doesn’t give up that easily.”
“When do I get to meet the king, and is it far?” I ask, feeling like I could sleep for hours. I know I couldn’t complete an extended journey right now. But part of me is excited to meet the official ruler of this land, while part of me wishes I didn’t have to.
What does he have to tell me? And what will he expect from me?
“He’s requested your presence in three days. Almost a day’s travel is required to get there, so we’ll have to leave the day after tomorrow.”
“You’re going with me?” I ask, surprised.
“Oh, yes, and so is your new wolf guardian.”
The thought of putting another wolf at risk makes me cringe. “I don’t want another wolf.”
She gives me a sympathetic smile. “You don’t have a choice in the matter. He’s been assigned to you by Henson, who directs several packs. Your new wolf is already waiting at the compound for you.”
“I suppose it’s like Grog.” I sigh. “They’ll have to kill him if he doesn’t meet his obligation to me.”
She shakes her head. “No, but his pack would disown him. To be a ‘lone’ wolf is a fate worse than death for lycanthropes. Their pack is everything to them.”
I take a deep breath. “All right.” I pause. “What’s this ‘something’ the king has to tell me that could end the war?”
Chapter 17 – A Dangerous Trip
Crisa puts her hand on my shoulder. “The king claims the reason for the meeting is to share something only the current champion can know. Whatever that ‘something’ is, he says, will make a light-side victory certain.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Wow, his information must represent a great deal of power.”
“That’s my guess. He’s anxious to meet you, extend fairy hospitality and give you some special gifts.”
I shrug. “More gifts? But I don’t have anywhere to put them. I don’t have a home anymore, and I spend most of my time battling dark creatures. I seem to attract them like bees to a flower.” I joke, “Of course, if he wants to build me a new home, I wouldn’t object. Then I’d have a place to stow his gifts.” Crisa smiles.
From my earlier adventures, I still have several healthy safe deposit boxes and bank accounts that contain much of the leprechaun gold given to me by Glenwith, a fairy I rescued. I could build a house with that money, but not until this war is over, if it ever is. The remainder of my gold lies in an underground cache in the centaur village where I placed it after my home was ruined. I also carry a little of it on my person.
I look down. “Besides, I’m unworthy to accept any more accolades until we’ve won this war.”
Crisa pulls an errant strand of hair behind her ear. “That could take years. I know what his gifts are, and I think you’ll find them quite useful.”
“What? Tell me.” I smile and stomp my foot.
“I’m not going to give away the surprise.” Crisa folds her arms. “You have to wait.”
I exaggerate a sigh. “Must I?”
Barambula opens the door and interrupts our banter with, “Time to go. The longer we stay, the more we risk running into more of Galdo’s minions. I love a good fight, but I’d like to get home to my family before dark.”
I look over to see that Galdo, still gagged and bound, sits hunched over on the lab floor surrounded by gnomes. He’s not a powerful sorcerer anymore, just a pathetic little scumbag with an attitude. His two ogres are now tightly trussed up like the legs of a turkey.
“Calen, you, Grog and I can go back through the caves,” Crisa states. “They’re clear of dark ones—at least they were a few minutes ago.”
The general declares, “We prefer to exit via our tunnels.” Lines appear between his brows as he glares at Galdo. “He’s harmless without his magic, and his lab with its new open floorplan is vulnerable. We can invade it again anytime we want.”
I look over at the once-domineering sorcerer and see his eyes narrow. He sets his jaw. He doesn’t look as scared as he should, and I wonder why.
Does he know something we don’t?
“Thank you again, General,” Crisa says.
I thrust out my hand for a shake. “Yes, thank you. You saved me from becoming a vegetable.”
Barambula clutches my hand. “Glad to be of service. And may the Creator be with you.” His grip is not only firm, it’s bone-crushing, even stronger than the centaurs’ handshakes.
“Same to you.” I wince.
My last image of the gnomes is their dropping, one by one, over the edge of the hole to disappear into their brand-new tunnel. As they march away, they sing a rousing anthem about living to fight another day.
“What are we going to do about him?” I point to Galdo.
Crisa’s gaze lingers on the sorcerer, and she shakes her head. “Without his magic, he’s really not an issue now.” She gives him a look of distaste, but it’s also mixed with sadness. “He could have made so much more of himself, if he hadn’t followed in his father’s footsteps.”
Crisa and I walk to the lab door, but my steps are unsteady. She notices and waves her wand over me again. Instantly, I feel stronger. As we close the wooden door, I get a final image of the two ogres huddled against a wall and Galdo helpless on the floor.
I bump Grog’s elbow. “Good to see you, buddy.”
“Grog happy to see Calen.” He nudges my jaw with his fuzzy fist.
We navigate the cave tunnels using Crisa’s wand-light and pass the spot in the open chamber where my werewolf died. Sadness washes over me in waves. “What happened to Brutus’s body?” I ask, a catch in my voice.
“His pack came and took him away.” She squeezes my arm. “They’ll bury him with full honors.”
“Good to know. But you understand that no one can replace him.”
She nods. “I do. I feel the same way about Sentinel. But life goes on.”
Emotion wells up in me, and I can’t say anything more.
We leave the caves through the rear entrance and walk to where bogle scythes still litter the ground. As we’re about to leave the clearing and enter the forest again, Jade zooms across the sky above us. We stop and watch her circle and land nearby.
She bows and then says telepathically, “The dragon mothers have asked me to express their gratitude for risking your lives to save their children. Dragons have long memories. They said they’re available anytime you need them in this war. They want to help defeat Galdo and his
henchmen.” Jade’s voice in my head is deeper and fuller today, although it still sounds female. I wonder if dragons’ voices change during adolescence, like humans.
I respond, “That’s great, Jade, but Galdo is no longer a threat. He’s been rendered powerless by Crisa’s magic. All we have to worry about now are any dark ones who still want to continue this war.”
Even though I can’t hear her, Crisa must ask Jade about the dragons’ location because my dragon states, “They flew off to the mountains with their babies on their backs, right after the rescue. Galdo has lost some of his most fearsome guards.” She shakes her head. “He never understood dragons. It’s not in our nature to be anybody’s slaves. And we hold a grudge against anyone who tries.”
“No one, with any kind of sense, dreams of being a slave,” I say.
Jade flaps her wings a little, as if testing them for takeoff. Before she leaves, she adds, “I surveyed the ground between here and the mountain, and it’s all clear. No dark ones wait in ambush for you. They may be waiting for orders from Galdo.”
I chuckle. “And, without his cruel magic to threaten them, who’s going to be dumb enough to follow those orders?” Jade smiles.
My dragon runs along the ground, the wind she creates rustling my hair. Then she ascends into the air.
The telepathy with Jade has made my head hurt again, and I massage my forehead. Crisa taps me with her wand, and the headache subsides.
On the way back to the mountain, I ask Grog if he’ll lead the way, so Crisa and I can discuss the day’s events. We walk through the woods, accompanied by bird song and the buzzing of insects. I move slowly, partly because I’m still recovering, but mostly because I want as much time alone with her as possible. Along the way, I explain how Galdo killed my parents and tried to kill my sister and me.
“Calen, I’m so sorry.” She squeezes my arm. “He’s been after you all of your life. Now that he’s without his magic though, he can’t hurt you anymore.”
I heave a big sigh and smile as the truth of her statement sinks in.