by Neo Edmund
Ash paced around. “I’m pretty sure that after our little escape the other night, they’ve got my entrance locked up tight.”
“That’s okay with me,” Dote said. “I don’t want to go back into the sewers.”
“I’ll second that,” Red said.
“The Seether’s palace is a full day’s journey,” Ethan said. “If we’re going there, we’d better get to walking.”
“Forget that foolishness,” Grenda said. “I ain’t hiking clear across Wayward. No, there’s only one way this clan is traveling tonight.”
CHAPTER 26
It was early afternoon as Grenda led Red and the others down a rocky forest trail. The tension was so high that they walked for well over a half-hour without a word spoken among them. Soon the air reeked with an odor so foul it made their eyes burn and twitch.
“What is that stench?” Ash asked, scowling. “It smells like something died out here.”
Red looked at Ash a little oddly. “The puke stink in the sewers of Ice’s palace doesn’t bother you, but this is a problem?”
“I’ve built up an immunity to that smell,” Ash said. “This stink is something else entirely.”
“Poor little Dorkus of the Ashley Clan,” Wolfgang said. “Is the big, bad smell of garbage upsetting your fragile aristocrat nostrils?”
“Helheim, don’t even get started on my family,” Ash said. “Aristocrat, as in rich people?” Red asked.
“I guess you haven’t remembered that part yet,” Dote said.
“Ash is super-rich.”
“I am not super-rich,” Ash said.
“More like gold-plated underwear rich,” Wolfgang said.
“You guys are totally exaggerating,” Ash said.
Wolfgang belted out a laugh. “Your family owns half the land in Wayward, including the part of town I live in.”
“My family doesn’t own the land,” Ash said. “Just the buildings that are standing on it.”
“Where I come from, that’s what we call rich,” Red said.
Ash sighed. “Okay, so my family is a little bit rich.”
“Super-rich,” Dote said.
“Gold-plated underwear rich,” Wolfgang said. “Maybe one of these days you can tell us all the story about how your family tried to boot my family out of town.”
Ash gave Wolfgang a glare. “Oh, don’t you even go there.”
“Ash, you tried to kick Wolfgang out of Wayward?” Dote asked.
“Why would you do that?” Red asked.
Ash batted a fist in frustration. “That was my grandfather. It happened before I was even born. Don’t go holding what my family did against me.”
Wolfgang gave Ash a shove. “Try to remember that the next time you go rubbing my family’s past in my face.”
Ash chuckled. “You can’t be comparing my family’s business ventures with the evil crap your family has done. And is still doing to this day.”
“I wouldn’t expect a silver spoon boy to know the difference,” Wolfgang said.
“Listen up, Helheim. Just because my family is rich doesn’t mean I’m a spoiled brat. It’s true that I could have anything I want just by pointing at it. But have I ever once done that?” Ash pointed to Dote.
“Not once that I’ve ever seen.”
“And there it is,” Ash said. “Rock-solid proof that I’m nothing like my family. I plan to make my own way in this world. Mark my words, I will never take a cent of the money my family has set aside for me.”
Wolfgang eyed Ash curiously, “How much money we talking about?”
“More than you could ever count,” Ash said.
“How about I start slugging you in the face and we see who loses count first,” Wolfgang said.
Red pushed Wolfgang and Ash apart, glaring. “You two are going to put an end to this squawking, or I’ll be the one counting out the hurt. Hear me, you pair of girly boys?”
“Girly boys.” Wolfgang grunted.
“You don’t have to resort to name-calling,” Ash whined. Grenda cleared her throat. “You’d best all keep down that squawking before you scare off our rides.” She pulled back a tree branch, revealing a towering hill of garbage in a forest clearing. A flock of grungy rodents were feasting away on the rotting waste. They were well over six-feet in length and had grungy wings.
“What are they?” Red had to fight the urge to gag from the stench.
“Ratgulls.” Wolfgang said. “You’ve got to be kidding, old woman.”
Grenda backhanded Wolfgang across the face. “Watch your sass, Helheim.”
Wolfgang bitterly ground his teeth. “That’s it. I’m out.”
Red grabbed Wolfgang by the jacket and yanked him back. “You’re not going anywhere, Wolf Boy.”
“You don’t get it,” Wolfgang said. “She thinks we’re going to fly across Wayward on those stinkin’ things.”
Red cringed in disgust at the thought. “Granny, that’s not true, is it?”
“Unless you know of a better way, it sure as heck is true,” Grenda said.
Dote whimpered, shuddering. “But they’re so yucky.”
“They’re also dumb as a rock and easy to command,” Ethan said. “It won’t be a pleasant ride, but it will get us there much quicker than walking.”
“What of it, Alpha?” Ash asked. “As much as I hate the idea, I’ll go along with whatever you decide.”
“Well...” Red let a long sigh. “They are gross, but I don’t see a better choice.”
“Then it’s settled,” Grenda said. “Follow my lead.”
Dashing out of the bushes, Grenda ran for the nearest ratgull. In one spry leap she got onto the creature’s back and clutched a handful of its fur with both hands. The beast bucked around in protest, so she gave it a swift kick in the side, forcing it to submit.
“Looks easy enough.” Red ran toward a ratgull and tried to jump on its back. The creature spun around to try and scare her away. It only took one light whack to get the beast to stop fighting and let her climb on its back. “I guess it could be worse.”
Wolfgang, Prince, and Ethan were already mounting their own ratgulls. Ash was having a hard time getting his to submit, but he was soon able to persuade the creature to let him climb on. Dote was pacing around, afraid to even try to approach one of the grungy creatures.
“Dote, why don’t you ride with me?” Red said.
“Oh, yay.” Dote dashed over and climbed on behind Red. “You are the best friend ever, Red Riding.”
“So now what do we do?” Wolfgang asked.
Grenda grinned. “You hang on for dear life and try not to fall off. I’ll handle the rest.” She smacked the ratgull in the head. “Fly, you dumb critter.”
Red took a deep breath. “Why do I feel like we’re going to regret this?”
Grenda’s ratgull took off running and spread its wings wide. The other ratgulls instinctively dashed behind it. Red cried out a shrill of fear and excitement as they took flight. She had to grip on tightly as they flew almost straight up, climbing higher and higher until they reached the treetops.
The sight of Wayward from high above the trees was the most magnificent thing Red had ever seen. From what she could tell, the majestic wooded landscape spanned off to infinity in every direction. Dusk hadn’t set in, and yet the blazing red full moon was right above them. Red knew of the evil forces that dwelled under its cold surface, but she was too awe-inspired by its lunar magnificence to care.
“Wayward will not fall into darkness tonight.” Red proclaimed.
The ratgulls began ascending higher as the landscape sloped upward. The air grew so cold that Red could see her own breath. She looked back to make sure the others were still with her. Grenda was grinning with delight. Wolfgang, Ethan, and Prince looked like warriors prepared for battle. But Ash looked ready to throw up as he clung to the fur of his ratgull.
“Don’t worry,” Dote said, noting Red’s worried look.
“Ash may be a little wimpy at times, but he always comes through in the end.”
“I hope you’re right. Without his help, we have no chance of getting the Omega Gem,” Red said softly.
As they soared over a rise of trees, Red saw a sight more astonishing then any she could have ever dreamed. A great metropolis built of brick and stone was down below. Many of the buildings towered as high as the treetops. Pipes vented hot steam from the roofs of houses and shops. The cobblestone streets were abuzz with pedestrians and horse drawn-carriages. There were even a few vehicles similar to the automobiles from the world Red had left behind.
“What is this place?” Red asked.
“That’s Wayward Village. It’s pretty much the center of all civilization,” Dote said.
“Sure hope I get to visit there one day soon,” Red said.
Ice’s palace soon came into their view. From high above, it looked even bigger than it had from the ground. It towered on a hilltop with a steep cliff at the back end. Red spotted the opening to the sewer drain they had jumped from during their escape. It was so high up one would assume a fall would be impossible to survive.
“Ash, how do we get in?” Red yelled.
“We land in the center courtyard. From there I can get us in through a secret entrance,” Ash said.
“We do that, they’ll see us coming,” Ethan said.
“I’ve been thinking it over all the way here,” Ash said. “As far as I can figure, it’s the only chance we’ve got.”
Red pulled out her sword and raised it high. “If that’s the way it has to be, then we go in fast and hit the ground running. Prepare for battle.”
Wolfgang transformed into a werewolf and raised a clawed hand. “I’m so ready for action.”
Ethan pulled out his battle-axe and held it high in one hand. “As am I.”
Dote conjured a sphere of mystical energy in her hand. “My mother will be so proud, when I tell her about this.”
Ash closed his eyes and took a calming breath. “I’ve got your back to the end, Red Riding.”
Prince drew his rapier and kissed the blade. “I will bring great honor to the Knights of the Alpha Huntress.”
Grenda led the group into a steep dive, heading toward the front wall of the palace. The guards on the towers scrambled into action, arming themselves with bows and arrows as their leaders shouted warnings to those below.
Red tightened her grip on her sword. “This is it. We’re going in.”
The guards on the towers fired a volley of arrows.
“We’ve got incoming.” Ethan warned. “Take evasive maneuvers.”
“No. Stay on course.” Grenda said. “I’ll handle this.”
The arrows were mere seconds away. Grenda raised her hands.
They began glowing with mystical energy. She fired out a burst of lightning bolts, blasting the arrows to dust.
“Now it’s my turn.” Dote flung an energy vortex at a guard tower. The force of the impact sent the guards soaring into the air like rag dolls.
“Dote, that was amazing,” Red cheered.
“That was my most powerful spellcraft ever,” Dote said.
An alarm blared out as they descended toward the courtyard in the center of the palace. A dozen armed guards scrambled into defensive positions.
Red didn’t wait for her ratgull to land before she leaped to the ground. A guard charged at her and swung his sword. She countered with a flying elbow to his face, knocking him unconscious.
Ethan belted out a thundering battle cry. “It’s been far too long since I’ve stormed a castle.” He grabbed the nearest guard by the shirt and flung him into another guard, knocking them both out cold.
Prince dueled with a pair of armored guards. “I smite thee in the name of the Alpha Huntress.”
Grenda was using a pair of mystical energy whips to beat down several attackers. “Red, we’ll keep these jokers busy. Go do your thing.”
“Ash, it’s time to make me proud!” Red called out.
“Then follow me.” Ash ran toward a patch of bushes in the far corner.
“This is almost too easy,” Wolfgang said.
“You won’t hear me complaining about it,” Red said.
Red, Dote, and Wolfgang caught up to Ash. He was crouching behind a tall hedge, straining with all his might to pull off the cover of a ventilation shaft. It was a mere three feet in height and width.
“This is your big secret entrance?” Wolfgang asked.
Red skeptically peered into the dark shaft. “Ash, where does this go?”
“Inside. Unless you know a better way.” Ash climbed into the vent and waved for the others to follow.
Red concealed her doubt and gestured for Wolfgang and Dote to get inside. She then joined them and replaced the vent cover. The inside of the shaft was not only dark and dusty; it was such a tight squeeze that they had to crawl along on their knees.
“Red, I’ve got a weird feeling about this,” Dote said.
“Me, too, Dote. I just don’t know what else we can do.”
Ash led the others through an ongoing maze of air ducts. They went up and down and every which way until Red found herself completely lost.
Dote tapped a nervous finger on the tip of her nose. “Why do I feel like we’ve gone down this tunnel a hundred times already?”
Red rubbed her eyes as she was overcome by a strange feeling of dizziness. “Ash, are you sure we’re going the right way?”
“I’m taking us the long way around to avoid the guard stations. Just trust me on this one. The Omega Gem will be ours before you know it.”
The thought of this filled Red’s heart with fear. Getting her hands on the gem would allow her to defeat Ragnarök, but to do so would expose her to a force that could turn her into a terrible tyrant. She felt a chill from the inside out as she realized the thing that could save Wayward also had the power to bring about its demise.
CHAPTER 27
“Just follow me and don’t fall behind,” Ash said as he stomped on a large spider. He continued to lead Red, Dote, and Wolfgang down the endless maze of ventilation shafts that ran through Ice Seether’s palace.
Red was certain that something was out of sorts as the minutes passed like hours. “Ash, if you don’t get us out of here soon, I’m going to rip a hole in one of these walls.”
“Don’t go freaking out now,” Ash said. “It’s just around this next bend.”
After another minute or two of walking, Ash finally signaled for the others to stop near a vent cover. On the other side, they could see the legs of two guards standing in a corridor.
Ash gestured to Red that he was going to push the vent open. She was to grab one of the guard’s legs and pull him inside. He then motioned to Wolfgang, indicating to grab the other guard and knock him out.
Red and Wolfgang looked to one another and shrugged in agreement.
As soon as the vent opened, Red grabbed a guard by his pants and pulled him inside. Before the man could react, Ash clubbed him in the face. The other guard peered down into the vent with a perplexed expression. Wolfgang grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him inside.
As Red jumped out of the vent into the dark hallway, she heard a hard thud and knew the other guard was out of the game.
“I guess that worked out well enough,” Red said. “Where to next?”
With Ash leading the way, they dashed down a long hallway covered with royal blue carpet. The strangest paintings Red had ever seen lined the walls from floor to ceiling, each depicting extreme close-ups of people’s faces.
Dote glared downward to avoid looking at the portraits. “This hallway is giving me the creeper-jeepers.”
“The Seethers call this the Hall of Faces,” Ash said. “There’s an old urban myth that the faces were stolen away from their owners by an old witch. She immortalized them in these paintings.”
They rounded a corner and came upon two guards standing
at the far end.
“Halt in the name of her royal highness, Ice Seether!” one commanded, raising a hand to signal them to stop.
An energy vortex shot past Red from behind. The guards were hit head-on and sent flying backwards into a wall. Quite startled, Red snapped a look back to see Dote had both hands extended, and they were glowing green.
“That’s my favorite spellcraft.” Dote stumbled a little. “The problem is that it makes me feel sleepy when I do it.”
“It was totally impressive,” Red said.
As they passed the fallen guards, Red was relieved to see they were still breathing. The idea of causing them serious harm felt wrong. She figured they were just employees doing their job and certainly not responsible for the things that the Seethers did.
They arrived in a hallway with floors and walls lined in dark purple velvet. At the far end, stood a twenty-foot wooden door with a white ivory archway. Two royal knights stood before it, in werewolf form, with glowing red eyes.
Red looked to Ash. “Let me guess. Ice’s bedroom?”
“You got it.”
“We gotta make sure her guards don’t have a chance to call for backup.” Wolfgang sprinted off down the hallway toward the guards.
“Hey, wait for me.” Red dashed after him.
Roaring furiously, the knights pulled out their swords. Wolfgang did a high-flying jump-kick and pummeled the knight on the right. Red slid feet forward for the last few yards. The knight on the left swung his sword, but she passed right underneath it. She finished the fight with a powerful kick to the knight’s gut.
Red and Wolfgang looked at one another and grinned.
“We make a pretty rocking double act,” Red said.
“I still say this is going just a bit too easy,” Wolfgang said.
Ash and Dote ran up to join them.
“I so wish you could have seen how cool that looked,” Dote said. Red approached a huge spiraling mechanism attached to the door. It was made of solid iron and had a spinning dial with hieroglyphics carved into it.
“This looks sort of like a combination lock used to secure a bank vault,” Red said.