by Inlo, Jeff
When the gluuns neared the elf's cell, there were no dwarf sentries standing guard. They slunk past the station where keys hung on the wall. The gluuns ignored them. Keys were unnecessary to their task and taking them would only alert the guards to possible intruders. Instead, they made their way into an empty cell some distance from the elf prisoner.
"We will wait here," the gluun that had taken the lead noted.
The other gluuns nodded in agreement and crawled off into separate corners to wait for the appropriate time. They became as still as the rock they clung to and appeared as part of the stone walls. They could not have been seen even if a dwarf guard entered the cell.
The gluuns never entertained the idea of making immediate contact with the elf, for they did not wish to raise any suspicion. They cared little for the criminal, only for their expected payment. They were very close to succeeding in their mission, and each one started counting their expected reward in their heads. They would not risk any of it by offering hope to the lonely prisoner. No, the elf would remain very much in the dark until it was time for him to be freed.
Chapter 4
"The entrance to Dunop is just ahead," the magic caster advised.
"I know where it is," Okyiq grumbled. "Why you act like my mother?"
Rivira almost laughed at the question until she took another look at the gruesome and enormous goblin before her.
"Believe me, I would never wish to be your mother. Even the thought is painful."
"My mother more of a pain than me."
"Was she bigger than you?"
"Bigger mouth."
"Somehow I doubt that."
"Fah, what do I care what you think!"
"Really? Even though I'm the one keeping you ahead of the half-delver? You're just lucky it wasn't the Delver Acumen following you. My magic wouldn't have been enough to keep you running ahead of a purebred delver. I would have had to pushed you through the forest with a sweeping current. It would have been a messy trail, enough to keep the delver curious, but it would have been quite painful for you."
"I thought serps wanted Acumen involved?"
"They do, but only to a degree. They really didn't believe the delver was going to follow you at this point. They told me to watch for Acumen, but they actually said it would probably be someone else. They planned for contingencies, and that's why I'm here... to make sure you get where you need to be before you're seen. I think you should be thankful."
"Still don't care what you think," Okyiq grunted.
"You best care what I say now," the sorceress warned. "The tunnel is guarded by two dwarf sentries."
"Not afraid of dwarves."
"Whether you're afraid or not is irrelevant. You must not be seen."
"All these tricks," Okyiq grumbled. "Everything we do is complicated. We go here. We go there. Do that. Do this. All because serps want to change how people think. Too many games. Snake faces get carried away."
Rivira didn't agree completely. The complications certainly existed—as did several monumental risks—but the serps were plucking at strings of mistrust that ran deep. Their schemes were as grand and as complex as their desires. She understood they were masters at manipulation, but their designs reached beyond controlling the minds of simple monsters.
The council was prepared to twist the lives of many powerful individuals all across the heart of Uton. They charted a course that would merge the past with the present, all of which was designed to take hold of the future. The sorceress believed that kind of detailed deception deserved credit.
"I've seen some of their plans. They're actually rather brilliant, but this part won't work if you're spotted. Now be quiet while I concentrate on expanding the spell that hides my presence so that it might hide yours as well."
Okyiq grimaced, but made no further complaint.
Rivira's inherent power ran dark blue. Her influence over the element of water was nearly unmatched in all of Uton. She had used her skill to keep her and Okyiq well ahead of the half-delver who followed, gave them both the speed of falling rain and the endurance of a sea tide. The spells of water served them well to reach Dunop before being seen by their follower, but to enter the dwarf tunnel successfully, she had to coax additional assistance from her azure magic, assistance that would have been more easily obtained through the use of light or shadow.
Despite the difficulty she faced, it was not a futile effort. She had already cast a screen of water that allowed her to move through the forest without leaving a trail the half-delver might discover. Her scent and her tracks were flushed away immediately by her casting. The half-delver would never find a trace of her in the brush, but the spell did nothing to hide their appearance from dwarf eyes.
To complete their task, they needed to become invisible, only for a brief moment, but it remained a necessary component to achieve their objective. Casting such an illusion would have been easier utilizing yellow or gray magic, but with the proper concentration, she could shape a similar spell with blue energy. The properties of water included the ability to absorb, disperse and reflect light.
Just beyond the sight of the dwarf sentries, she summoned a curtain of mist, shaped it to fully encircle her and the enormous goblin. With supreme focus, the light fog came together and formed a solid canvas that moved as they moved. She commanded the sheet of moisture to create false images on all sides that would match their surroundings. The illusion was almost perfect, but she was not overly concerned with minor faults. In the harsh light of day, dwarf eyes that were more accustomed to underground shadows would never notice the slight aberrations.
As they closed upon the dwarf guards, Rivira instructed the magical canopy to suppress all scent and sound coming from the goblin. She was already masked, but Okyiq's heavy odor might alert the sentries.
With one last wave of her hand, she also cast a spell of levitation. She lacked the ability to fly across the skies at will, but slightly suspending herself and another while maintaining a forward motion was within her power. She could lift both herself and Okyiq far enough above the ground to avoid leaving tracks upon the soft dirt. They became undetectable as they passed the dwarf sentries and into the darkened tunnel.
Once beyond the mouth of the cave, the sorceress adjusted the canvas of mist that surrounded them to become more of a dark shadowy pool than a surface reflection. She knew the dwarves would be able to detect them if they drew too close to guards further down the passage, but that was never her intention. She needed only to get Okyiq through the entrance and into the cave. The serps never wanted them to actually enter Dunop.
"This is far enough," Rivira announced.
"I can see that," Okyiq growled, but he considered his circumstances. Great riches waited further down the passage... if he could get to them. "Maybe you should keep your spell up. We could raid the dwarves and they would not see us."
"I have no desire to raid Dunop," Rivira responded with disgust.
"I do."
"We are not here to steal from the dwarves. We are here to create confusion."
"You don't think stealing gems would add to confusion? I can think like a serp... when I need to. Shouldn't be just about elves and dwarves. Snake faces thinking too small, thinking only about stupid old elf leader. Elf prisoner gets freed. So what? Who cares? But we take gems and dwarves start to wonder just how many made it inside their city. They start to think maybe human thieves decided to use magic to get rich. Humans not above getting rich. Isn't that the way dwarves... and humans think?"
It was indeed, and the sorceress almost gave Okyiq credit for the idea. Dwarves did not take kindly to thieves, and they always mistrusted human miners, but she quickly dismissed the idea.
"It's not part of the serps' plan. If we start acting on our own, we could cause problems. You have no idea how the serps want to use the humans against the dwarves. The one that's following us is part human. That should be enough to add to the mistrust. Besides, we would never get past the dwarf guards at th
e city's edge. All we've done is entered the access tunnel, not Dunop itself. The city is much better protected. To enter Dunop would be suicidal. Now be quiet. I have to cast one more spell and our mission will be complete."
Rivira ignored the large goblin's curses as she focused on another casting that would allow the moisture in the ground to work for their cause. When entering the cave, she had to ensure the dwarves did not notice them in any fashion. Once levitating, Okyiq's trail had ended out in the forest, close to the cave, but it wasn't enough. She had assured the serps that the goblin tracks would lead all the way into the tunnel, even if they were only seen by the half-delver.
She held a single hand in front of her and pointed to the ground. She whispered words of a spell that gave purpose to the sparse amounts of moisture all about her. Pressing her will into the water, she forced it to move silently along the ground—undetected by the dwarf sentries—until it found Okyiq's last set of footprints. Droplets of water formed an illusion that matched the large goblin's tracks. The false bending of light cascaded across the ground back to the tunnel. Reviewing the markings, Rivira found the results acceptable.
"We are done here," she whispered to Okyiq.
With another wave of her hand, she teleported herself and the large goblin out of the tunnel and deeper into Dark Spruce Forest. They were well west of Dunop's entrance, but they had succeeded with all their appointed tasks regarding the dwarf city.
Canceling all spells, she and Okyiq dropped back to the ground and stood in the middle of thick brush. She did not sense any immediate danger, but their position was not without peril.
"Do you sense anything about?" the sorceress asked of the goblin.
"Trees," Okyiq noted with a satisfied grin. He was actually quite happy with their surroundings.
"I'm talking about bloat spiders or shags. There's no river rogues. We're too far from water. I can tell that."
"Spiders and shags wouldn't dare attack me."
"Don't be too sure of that."
"I'm sure as I need to be."
Rivira did not wish to argue the point, but she couldn't afford any ill-timed interruptions. She still had work to do.
"They may avoid you, but that won't help me, and I still have to contact the serps. If I don't, then we did all this for nothing. Now, do you sense anything or not?"
"Nothing near."
She accepted Okyiq's assessment of the surrounding forest and turned her focus to links of communication with the serp council. She informed them of everything that had been accomplished. In response, she received a telepathic and authoritative message.
"You are done... for now. Return to Portsans. Both of you."
"We're finished," Rivira relayed the message to the large goblin. "They want us to return to the coast. I can teleport us there, but I'll need a few moments to gather sufficient energy."
"What if I don't want to go back to the coast?" Okyiq asked defiantly.
"I suppose that's your choice, but do you really want to walk away from this?"
The goblin took a few moments to reflect upon the question, rather than disregard it completely. After a very brief consideration of certain details, he revealed a brutally honest admission.
"Not sure what all this is. Bunch of snake faces making complicated plans. Don't look like they accomplished much. What is it you think I'm walking away from?"
Rivira considered the goblin's rather abrupt judgment, as well as his direct question, and began to wonder herself about the serp council. Trusting serps was not a wise decision, but she understood power. Six serps who managed to merge their talents should not be ignored.
The serps had indeed revealed some of their plans to her. She had no doubt that their schemes would cause confusion and ultimately conflict, but she couldn't say with certainty where it would all lead. At first, she believed it was wiser to be on the side of the serps as opposed to being left out of their plans.
The goblin, however, blatantly admitted he did not appreciate the intricate schemes. While Okyiq was no serp, his fundamental ability to grasp basic tactics was somewhat impressive, and Rivira decided to gain the goblin's perspective.
"Well, what did they promise you when you first joined?" she asked.
"The forest, but it was already mine."
It was a boastful claim, but Rivira saw nothing to be gained from debating the issue. She had no desire for the forest. As far as she was concerned, Okyiq could have it. She did, however, wonder what the enormous goblin might do if the serps decided to punish him for not following their order to return to Portsans.
"Aren't you worried they might take it away from you?"
"How? They going to make it disappear?"
"I doubt that, but maybe they would give it to someone else."
"They could give it to anyone they want. Doesn't change anything."
"I think it would change a great deal. Someone else would have claim to the forest, someone that had the serps' blessing."
"How would that stop me from taking what's mine?"
"The new owner could hunt you down... kill you."
"Good luck."
"I'll give you credit. You're definitely an independent thinker."
Rivira eyed the goblin more carefully and then quickly reconsidered what she just claimed.
"Actually, I'm not so sure about just how independent you are. If you aren't worried about the serps," the sorceress wondered aloud, "then why did you agree to follow them this far?"
Okyiq grimaced but actually revealed the truth.
"Because of stupid human and stupid delver."
"I don't follow you."
"I told captain of human town I'd kill every goblin that once followed me. Told delver same thing. Goblins left me during a raid. They had to be punished. Delver and captain didn't think I could do it, but I didn't care. I would have found them all. Don't care how big forest is."
"So you joined with the serps so you could prove the captain and delver wrong?"
"You listen like a human."
"And you talk like a goblin," the sorceress responded to the obvious insult. "Why don't you try explaining it so it makes sense."
"Makes perfect sense. I didn't need serps to find and kill goblins. Didn't need serps to prove delver and captain wrong. Would have done it all by myself."
"Then why didn't you?"
"Because forest is big and goblins that once followed were afraid. Would have taken long time. Didn't want to wait, but could have done it myself. Serps just made it faster. They use the magic. Weaker goblins just listen to snake faces. Walked right up to me. I didn't even have to look for them. All I had to do was collect fingers and send message to humans. Thought it was a good idea. Enjoyed letting delver and captain know they were wrong. But didn't need serps, just wanted to get it done faster and didn't have to give up anything of importance. Understand now?"
"I think I do."
"You think too much, just like serps."
"Speaking of the serps, they want us to return. Do you want to come with me, or should I give them your regrets?"
"Don't care what you give them. Staying here... for now."
#
Pru lacked the staggering speed and unyielding stamina of a purebred delver, but he possessed far more of both than the average human. He would eventually need to rest, but he could maintain a robust running pace long enough to catch up to Okyiq... or so he believed.
The half-delver estimated Okyiq was racing through the forest at a staggering pace, especially for such a large goblin. Pru believed the beast would have to rest before very long, and when he did, the distance would shrink between them. The half-delver would simply have to keep moving at a quick pace of his own and remain focused on the trail he followed.
Following the large goblin's trail was far simpler than Pru expected. He lost little time in analyzing the tracks, barely had to stop to search for clear signs. The trail broke through the forest with a clarity that matched the sun in a clear blue sky. T
he half-delver couldn't miss it, but understanding it was another matter entirely.
The large goblin did little to hide his tracks. There were few turns, only slight detours to avoid deep streams or over encumbering brush. Pru never lost Okyiq's scent, either. Following the trail was as easy as tracking a goblin horde through the snow, even as the half-delver kept alert toward potential threats.
Pru never pressed ahead into a full sprint, as he had no intention of blindly walking into a trap or failing to notice other hazards stalking the forest. Shags, river rogues, and bloat spiders all called Dark Spruce home and nearly every monster had learned how to take advantage of a careless adventurer.
Pru understood the threats, and even as the delver portion of his heritage enhanced his senses to help him avoid danger, he also used magic that was more willing to bend to his human side. He cast spells more than most other delvers—certainly utilized magic far more than Ryson Acumen—and he sent out waves of magic to help identify dark creatures waiting in the forest.
There were none hiding along the trail he followed, of that he was sure. That in itself confused the half-delver. Pru would have guessed that Okyiq would have begun assembling a new goblin army or at least set obstacles to cover his tracks, but nothing interfered with Pru's progress.
As the race continued far longer than Pru expected, he had to face other considerations as well. The half-delver was pushing the limit of his own endurance. Soon, he would have to stop to rest. He could accept that, but he could not accept that a goblin of any size could sustain the pace needed to keep ahead of him for so long. Okyiq should have collapsed long ago, and yet the chase continued. His quarry was receiving aid, probably magical aid.
"I thought Okyiq didn't cast spells," Pru grumbled to himself, remembering Sy's estimation of the goblin's abilities. The half-delver could no longer accept such assumptions. There was no other way the goblin could have kept moving so fast for so long. "Well, this is going to cost them more."
While the pursuit continued in an almost endless fashion, Okyiq's trail ultimately led to another surprise. It appeared that the big goblin's destination was as bewildering as the extent of the journey.