Locmire's Quest: Book One A Tales from Calencia Novel

by Brian Hutchinson

  Chapter 37

  The Cabin in the Woods

  “I cannot see anything,” Azonis said as he stood on his tip toes looking through a dirty window. “These windows have not been cleaned in ages.”

  “Well, let us hope that the dirt obstructs the visibility from within just as it does from out here,” said Rasmere.

  “What is our plan?” asked River.

  “You could just set it on fire. Whoever is inside will come out to us,” Caleb said.

  “Or we could just knock on the door,” added Thaddeus.

  His companions looked at him as if he had lost his mind. Anyone this far out in the wilds could not be friendly.

  “Well that is one option,” replied the Sestian.

  Thaddeus rose to his feet. The rest of his party was still crouched underneath the window.

  “What are you doing?” River whispered with a hint of panic in her voice.

  “Knocking,” the King replied calmly.

  Thaddeus strode over to the front of the house. He cracked his neck from side to side, clenched his large fist, and gave the door two hard knocks. The others quickly made it to their feet and fell in line behind him.

  A scratchy voice answered from within, “Come in, come in. It has been too long since I have had this many visitors. Please come in.”

  Thaddeus slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open. Tending a metal cooker that was hanging over the fire place, a strange creature stood. It was unlike any Thaddeus had ever laid eyes upon. What kind of demon is this, he thought.

  A portion of the being looked similar to a man, while the other half looked like that of a goat. In fact, it was a little of both. The bottom half of the cabin's resident was covered in brown, scraggly fur. It did not have the feet of a normal man; instead it had the hooves of a goat. The upper half, which was shirtless, looked just like a man's torso. The only other difference was the creature's head. A long beard hung from its chin and two small horns poked through the tangle of hair upon its head.

  With outstretched arms, the creature said, “Welcome travelers! Please make yourselves at home. What is mine is now yours.” It dipped a ladle in the cooker and took a sip of an unknown substance. “Anyone hungry?”

  They stood in the doorway in awe of the half man, half goat that stood before them.

  “What is it?” asked River.

  “I do not know,” Thaddeus replied.

  “It is a Faun,” replied Rasmere.

  “A what?” asked Thaddeus.

  “A Faun. Half man, half goat. It is a mischievous creature that lives in the forest. I have had dealings with their kind before, but it has been many years ago,” Rasmere said.

  “That is correct, bronze skinned one. All correct expect for the mischievous part,” the Faun took a sip from the ladle. “Perfect!”

  “My name is Thaddeus Graystone from Galdarath. These are my companions,” Thaddeus said as he introduced his group. “And who might you be?”

  “The name is Dysut, pleasure to make your acquaintance,” said the Faun as he took an over exaggerated bow.

  “I have never seen a creature such as yourself. From what land do you come?” asked the King.

  “Come in, come in. You are letting the cold air in,” Dysut said as he made his way over to the door and ushered everyone inside. His hooves quickly clacked across the wooden floor. They entered the cabin but did not put their backs to the strange creature.

  “Now, where were we?” Dysut asked as he sat down in a chair next to the fire. “Oh yes! Where do I come from? I come from the Yellow Fields in Fodder Valley.”

  “Where?” Azonis asked. “I have never heard of such place.”

  “I suspect you have not. Most of your kind stay out of Fodder Valley,” replied the Faun.

  “Exactly where is this Fodder Valley of which you speak?” asked the King.

  “It is tucked away in the northwestern border of the continent. On the other side of the mountain range next to the green ones,” Dysut replied.

  “The green ones?” Azonis asked. “Do you mean the Brazurkins?”

  “Yes. I think that is the name for them. We call them the Goat Men,” Dysut said as he erupted out in laughter.

  His laughter came on so suddenly and violently, Thaddeus took a step back and his hands instinctively found their way to the hilt of his swords. He relaxed his grip on his weapons as he realized the Faun was only laughing.

  “What brings you this far south?” asked Thaddeus.

  The Faun became very nervous. His hoof began to clack off of the wooden floor. His hairy legs were shaking very quickly now.

  “It is not safe there. The Dark One is back. It is not safe. The darkness overtook the valley. Most of us left from there when they started to come back.”

  “When who came back? Why is it not safe?” asked the King.

  “The Dark Wizard,” the Faun whispered. He is back. So is the Onock and his army of the Breathless.”

  The group looked at one another despairingly and diverted their attention back to the Faun.

  “He came back and started to raise bad things from the dead. We all had to leave. The Fauns, Centaurs, Fairies, Sprites, Brownies. We all had to leave. Some stayed though. Some stayed to serve him.”

  “What kind of creatures did he bring back?” asked Azonis.

  “All kinds. The Gargantuans and Cold Bloods. Except they don't look like they use to. They kind of look like they use to, but they don't look like they use to,” Dysut said rather frantically.

  “What do they look like?” asked Thaddeus.

  “Oh very scary they are. They are all black now. They stink too. Eyes black as night. Very mean. They killed all kind of the forest creatures who lived there. We had to leave.”

  Thaddeus looked at Azonis with an expression of worry.

  “The Hoggins stayed, stayed behind to serve. So did the Trolls and Woggens. Stayed behind to serve him,” the Faun was now pacing the room. “He brought things with him too. Very bad things. Dead men. Dark men. The flying things. He brought them back too. Dark dead men wearing armor and carrying weapons came also. They were the really bad ones.”

  “When did this happen?” Thaddeus asked.

  “About twenty moons ago. His Sphere just showed up and within a day he had taken over. We have lived there in peace for 500 years, away from the non-forest types. Lived there in harmony. In a day he destroyed it all. The flowers died, grass died, trees died. The sun even died. Big thorn thickets popped up killing all the plants. He is bad, very bad.”

  “What else can you tell us, Dysut?” Thaddeus asked.

  With that the Faun jumped up from his chair and started backing himself into the corner.

  “I cannot tell you. Why do you ask? You are with him! You are part of his kind! Leave! Leave now!” Dysut exclaimed.

  Thaddeus stood up and walked toward the cornered creature and began to speak, but he was met by a devastating hoof to his chest. Thaddeus flew across the room and came crashing down in the opposite corner.

  Azonis popped up with his sword drawn. Rasmere's bow was stretched to full length.

  “No!” cried Thaddeus as he made his way to a sitting position. “Do not harm him. He is scared. He only acted out of self-preservation.”

  They lowered their weapons, and Thaddeus made his way back to his feet.

  “That is a very powerful kick you have, friend,” said the King.

  The Faun quickly dropped his defensive posture. He looked surprised.

  “Friend?” he asked. “I am your friend?”

  Thaddeus looked at River, and she nodded her head.

  “Yes. Yes, you are my friend, and I mean no harm to my friends,” the King said convincingly.

  Dysut pondered this notion for a moment and trotted back over to the cooking pot.

  “Well in that case,” he said as he filled the ladle once more with soup. “Let us eat.”

  The group sat down at the table and shared a bowl of soup with the Faun.
They could tell this made the lonely creature very happy. During their meal, Dysut told them all about Fodder Valley. After the last battle with Hasbarie, Fodder Valley was left uninhabited. The dominant races of Calencia began to spread and rebuild, destroying the mystical creatures’ homelands. The creatures of the forest all moved into Fodder Valley and began their new lives. Not many travelers dared to venture into the valley for fear of any remaining Gargantuans, which no longer existed until recently. If any travelers did manage to muster up the courage to enter the valley, they were met by the Woggens and Trolls. No man would willingly battle a Woggen or pack of Trolls, so they had lived in peace for many years, that was, until Hasbarie returned and made Fodder Valley his new home.

  Not many creatures survived the reappearing of Hasbarie. His darkness arrived and purged the valley of all signs of life, leaving only those who pledged allegiance to the Dark Wizard, just as the Gargantuans had done so many years ago.

  The travelers finished their hot meal, which, by the way, was extremely tasty, and continued on with their questions.

  “So, you came as far south as you could without entering the Dead Lands. Have you laid eyes upon any of your other fleeing friends?” Thaddeus asked.

  “Oh yes. Just the other day, I saw a tribe of Brownies, and yesterday I saw a Centaur galloping through the forest.”

  “Is there anything else you can tell us? Anything that might be helpful in our quest to destroy the Dark Wizard?” asked the King.

  Dysut fell into deep thought. He almost seemed to go into a state of meditation.

  “Well, right before the Dark One returned, four hooded Humans entered the valley,” he scratched his matted hair. “They had four black looking things and placed them on the ground. A big blackness came out, and that is when it all started. I think they were the ones who brought him back.”

  “The Dark Priests,” Thaddeus said.

  “The what?” Azonis asked.

  “I will tell you later,” Thaddeus replied.

  “One more question, friend,” Thaddeus said.

  “Oh yes! Anything you ask I will tell,” replied the Faun.

  “Just a short while ago, we were attacked by Hasbarie's forces at our camp, not far from here,” Thaddeus paused. “Have you seen anyone else in the forest lately?”

  The Faun once again began to scratch the area around his horns, deep in thought.

  “Well now that you mention it, I did meet a rather nice lady a little bit before you arrived.”

  Thaddeus stood up abruptly.

  “Where did you see her? Which way did she leave?” demanded the King.

  “Calm down, calm down. She did not go far,” the Faun was saying as he made the universal gesture for calm with his hands. “She was lost in the forest and scared. Very scared. I gave her shelter here. She is asleep in the basement.”

  The entire party got to their feet at once.

  “She is here? Now?” asked Thaddeus.

  “Yes she is in-,” Dysut's answer was cut off by what seemed to be an explosion beneath them. Dust rose from between the floor boards. A black haze seemed to creep out from underneath them.

  “We need to leave from here!” exclaimed Thaddeus.

  “Oh my! I wonder what is-,” the Faun's words were cut off once again.

  The floor boards erupted from underneath Dysut, sending him flying up into the air and back down into the darkness below. A loud roar came climbing from the cellar followed by the scream, or nay, of a Faun. It was hard to distinguish the two apart.

  Blood gushed up from the dark hole along with the last dying words of Dysut, “Friend! Help me!”

  “To arms!” Thaddeus roared.

  A familiar foe tore its way up through the floor with only one thing on its mind: death.

  “Everafter!” Thaddeus cried. “We must get out of here! We have no chance to defeat it in here!”

  River blasted an exit in the side of the cozy little cabin, and they stampeded outside into the wide open. A moment later, a large hulking creature, with its appendages held together by sutures came tearing through the hole in the wall and bore down upon them. The decaying creature, this time carrying an axe instead of a cleaver, came rushing toward them. They were barely able to get out of the way of the charging monstrosity.

  Thaddeus and Azonis charged the creature, unleashing a full scale frontal assault. They were chopping and slicing away at its rotten flesh. Azonis drove his golden sword through the Everafter's leg. The creature screamed out in pain and made a wide swipe with its free hand that sent Azonis flying into the dark night.

  The creature began to look like a tailor's pin cushion, and Rasmere was adding more pins by the second with his bow. River blasted the creature with a force spell, which sent it stumbling. It quickly turned and directed its rage toward her. In an instant, it was upon her. The Everafter grabbed her by the hair and hoisted her high up into the air. It held her out in front of it and drew back the large axe, aiming to cut her in half.

  Thaddeus called to Caleb, “Up!”

  Caleb did not hesitate. He shifted into the large eagle, picked Thaddeus up by the shoulders and flew him straight at the death dealer.

  “Now!” Thaddeus cried again.

  Caleb released the King in midair. It was perfectly time. Just as Thaddeus became arm level with the Everafter, he brought his axe downward with a crushing blow. The Everafter's arm fell down to the ground. It dropped River from a distance of at least ten feet, and she also went crashing onto the ground. Thaddeus landed on his feet and rolled forward. He looked to River. At least she is alive, he thought.

  “Look out!” Rasmere cried.

  Thaddeus rolled to his right as a large fist smashed into the ground where he had stood mere seconds ago. The Everafter was furious but did not know where to direct its rage. The Shifter, Engenium and Invincible King attacked the giant from all directions, no one staying in one place for too long. It could not focus on one specific target. It lashed out frantically, hoping to slay one of the pesky attackers.

  Thaddeus finally managed to cut the beast down to its knees, where the remaining three warriors made quick work of the helpless abomination. The King lopped off its head, spilling out buckets of black blood, maggots, and worms. It was over.

  Thaddeus and Caleb quickly ran to River, while Rasmere made his way into the forest in search of Azonis. Thaddeus found River lying on her stomach, face down in the dirt. Please let her be alive, he thought. He rolled her over and lightly stroked her face. “Wake up,” he said.

  She slowly opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Thaddeus hovering over her. River stared deep into Thaddeus's eyes where her gaze was met warmly by his. It seemed that they were looking into one another's soul. After an awkward moment, Thaddeus quickly stood back up.

  “Glad you are all right,” he said.

  “Thanks to you,” she replied.

  Caleb stuck out his hand to help her up.

  “And to you,” she said to Caleb.

  Thaddeus turned to see Azonis and Rasmere approaching them out of the corner of his eye.

  “You all right?” Thaddeus asked the Sestian.

  “It takes more than that to kill me,” Azonis replied.

  “So it seems,” replied Thaddeus.

  “And I see, once again, you remain unharmed,” said the Sestian.

  “So it seems,” replied Thaddeus once again.

  They all sat down on the forest floor for a short rest. They were exhausted. It had been a long day and even longer night. Thaddeus was emotionally and physically tired. He had faced Hasbarie's minions on five separate occasions in the past two days. He hoped that this was not to become the norm.

  As the group sat discussing the information that Dysut had provided, it became evident to Thaddeus that Azonis was not meshing well with the group. River and Caleb sat next to the King, Azonis sat across from them and Rasmere was standing at the edge of the forest. Azonis had not been very vocal with Rasmere since they had
departed from Lasticall. Thaddeus supposed it had something to do with the fact that Rasmere did not consider Azonis the Sestian this far away from his kingdom, and Azonis did not want to push his luck. The King also noticed that Azonis had taken a demeaning tone with River earlier. If he kept exhibiting this type of behavior, Thaddeus would have to speak with him.

  River produced a small fire next to the cabin so they could see one another as they discussed their plans for the next day. Rasmere came closer to the fire but remained silent.

  Everyone tried to get a few minutes of sleep before it became time to head westward toward Dead Marsh. As the morning drew nearer, Thaddeus, without saying a word, disappeared into the old cabin.

  After several minutes Azonis asked, "What do you suppose he is doing in there?"

  "I do not know. Do you think I should go and check on him?" Caleb asked.

  "No," River said firmly. "He has been through a lot. Give him his space."

  Thaddeus finally emerged from within the destroyed cabin, carrying a large bloody sack.