Apparition

by Tom Liberman

  “Of course,” said Rhia her brows drawing together. “Anything we can do to rid ourselves of Pillswar must be good for Tanelorn.

  Lofo nodded, “I’ll go talk to Valary now.”

  “Good,” said Marianna letting go of the girl and folding her arms across her chest.

  “As for your little charge there,” said Lofo smiling at the girl.

  “Yes,” said Marianna.

  “I know a young couple, recently married, who would love nothing more than a little girl to raise for a while until they are able to start their own family. She will be absolutely fine and in excellent hands.”

  Marianna looked at the girl and nodded her head, “You’ll be better off in a stable environment.”

  Lofo laughed loudly.

  Marianna and Rhia looked up at him, “What’s so funny,” said Marianna with a frown, her arms still across her chest and her chin out.

  “Merely a play on words,” said Lofo with a smile. “I meant no offense. You can leave the girl here with me and I’ll make sure she’s with her temporary family within the hour.”

  Marianna looked to the little girl, “You understand what was said?”

  The girl nodded.

  “You can’t stay with us. We don’t know how to raise a little girl. You’ll be better off with this family. I promise I’ll come visit all the time.”

  Tears came to the girl’s eyes and she latched onto Marianna but in the end it was the younger girl who let go first, walked over to Lofo, and stared at the ground.

  “Good,” said Lofo smiling at the girl. “I promise that you will be well taken care of while you’re with this family. I know them personally and a finer couple you can’t imagine. Now, as to you two. What are your plans here in Tanelorn? I think you’re not far wrong to be worried about the influence of Pillswar while most of the army is out on maneuvers. I’m not comfortable with you staying back at Mike’s room.”

  “We were going out to the maneuvers because we thought you’d be out there,” said Rhia. “We’re to meet Mike at the western gates not long from now.”

  Lofo nodded, “That’s actually not a bad idea. Jon and Jane Gray are out there and if you can find them they should be told what you’ve discovered. I’ll pass along this information to the Valary. By the time the maneuvers are finished we’ll likely have some sort of a plan and something for you to do.”

  Rhia nodded her head, “I don’t mind that. I wouldn’t mind seeing the soldiers on maneuver. I’m going to be a Gray Knight someday soon and I’ll need to learn how to fight with my friends.”

  Lofo nodded and said, “I’ve no doubt you will be a Gray Knight, Rhia. Things are in a bit of tumult now of course, and I wouldn’t expect to be invited until it settles down but you’ve proved your valor to me at least. Now go on, I’ve much work to do here not least of which is bracing myself for a conversation with Valary.”

  Rhia and Marianna turned and walked out but not before the red-haired archer turned to look back at the little girl one last time.

  “You’ll miss her?” asked Rhia as they stepped outside.

  Marianna nodded, “She reminds me of me, but she’s tougher I think. I couldn’t be that brave. I would have cried and not wanted to go with Lofo and off to some strangers.”

  “It’s impossible to say what you would have done,” said Rhia and put her arm around the girl. “You’re plenty tough. You shot that little girl with the knife and I’m not sure I could have done it. Don’t get mad or sad. It was something that needed to be done. I’m sure Mike couldn’t have done it and if we’d stood there that little girl might well have hurt Mike badly, even killed her. What you did was awful and it’s terrible that it came to that, but the reality is that it needed to be done. That girl was lost, her life was destroyed by those people and I, for one, don’t think she could have ever recovered. You saw how she kicked that boy who was down. That girl was broken in the mind. That’s what Pillswar does to people. You lived with him longer than either of those girls but you were able to overcome what he did. Marianna, you’re stronger than you think you are and don’t let anyone tell you differently.”

  Marianna gave off a sniffle and turned her head so that Rhia couldn’t see her crying.

  Rhia tactfully pulled her arm away and continued walking toward the western gate.

  Chapter 15

  It was with great relief that Rhia and Marianna spotted the newly shorn Mike arrive at the gate thirty minutes later.

  “So you needed to cut your hair?” said Rhia shaking her head. “That’s what risking your life was for?”

  Mike smiled broadly, “It needed doing before we got to the soldiers. There are women Gray Knights, of course, but the majority of them are young men. I know it’s going to sound like I’m full of myself but you just don’t know what it’s like. They wouldn’t treat us seriously. They wouldn’t even let us talk most likely. I’ve saved both of you hours of misery, trust me.”

  Rhia looked at the girl, now more like a boy in appearance again, and laughed, “It does sound like you are full of yourself but I’ve seen your mother and I’ve bathed with you so I’m not going to call you a liar. Men can be a bit bothersome when they see a pretty girl.”

  Mike smiled, “I’m glad you see things my way, Rhia. Where’s the girl?”

  Rhia explained what happened back at the Gray Knight building and within a few minutes they were headed back to the gates of the Gray City.

  As they approached the gates a pair of guards sitting lazily on the wall looked up and their eyes suddenly widened at the site of the three girls. “Hey there,” said one of the guards. He was thin with a failing moustache and looked to be mostly of human descent although sharp fangs indicated perhaps some goblin blood. “What’s your business?”

  “We’re leaving the city,” said Rhia and put her hand on her sword for she noted the recognition in their eyes.

  “What business do you have outside the gates?” said the man.

  Rhia laughed and kept walking.

  “Stop!” said the first man and the second, a short little goblin of some sort, put his hand to the dirk at his belt.

  “Or what?” said Rhia and turned slowly to face him. “What business is it of yours why we leave the city?”

  “I’m here to guard the gate,” said the taller of the two.

  “Then guard it,” said Rhia. “But if you get in my way I’ll cut off your arms and my friend here will shoot out your eyes. If you don’t believe me then go ahead and try to stop us.”

  The man looked up at Marianna who had her bow in one hand and an arrow loosely held in the other. Then he looked to his companion who nervously looked back and forth, his eyes constantly shifting. A short silence ensued.

  “Well?” said Rhia gazing directly into his eyes.

  The man lowered his gaze and gave off a low snarl.

  “That’s what I thought,” said Rhia. “Guards,” she added with a snort, turned around, and walked out the gates without a further word.

  Marianna backed after her, keeping an eye on the two guards but other than nasty looks on their faces they didn’t look ready to cause any trouble.

  A few minutes later they were in the plains of mistletoe that surrounded the western wall of Tanelorn and Marianna looked at Rhia, “I was worried they might attack us or something.”

  Rhia shook her head, “The likes of them? They were fully grown men but not Gray Knights. That means they lack courage or honor. All you have to do is stand up to the like of them and they’ll back down. Even if they were foolish enough to draw their weapons they would have died just as I told them.”

  Marianna nodded her head but her pale face was a little whiter than normal, “I hear what you’re saying, Rhia, but what if there were more of them about?”

  “That’s what their game was,” said Rhia. “They wanted to delay us long enough to get reinforcements. The word is out that we’re back in town now. We also know Pillswar stationed men at the gate with instructions to look
for us. We were very smart to come from the south. If we had come from the west it’s likely we’d be dead now and Lofo wouldn’t have those papers.”

  Mike looked back toward the gate, “They might find their courage yet, especially if they double or triple their number. Perhaps we should move with haste?”

  Rhia nodded her head, “Right again, Mike,” she said and started to trot to the west. The other two girls picked up their own pace and soon they were loping along.

  Marianna grew tired first and Rhia noted it although Mike continued running quickly. “I think we’ve got a big enough lead they’ll not be able to catch us,” said Rhia slowing to a fast walk and allowing Marianna to catch up. The girl was panting heavily and holding her side.

  “I’m sorry,” said Marianna when she caught up.

  “I’ve been conditioning my body for years to be a Gray Knight,” said Rhia with a smile. “And I’m sure Mike has as well. It will take time to catch up to us but you’ll get there.”

  Marianna smiled but shook her head, “I can still shoot a bow better than either of you!” she said with a smile.

  Mike laughed out loud, “Good for you, Marianna. Good for you.”

  They spotted the encampment of soldiers soon after they stopped running and arrived not long after that. There were hundreds of tents set up around a simply built wooden palisade and in addition to soldiers practicing in the field there was any number of spectators watching the various maneuvers.

  “Couldn’t an enemy learn how the Gray Knights work together by watching this?” asked Rhia looking around at all the people.

  “It’s possible I guess,” said Mike and shrugged. “I never really thought about it. How would you station guards to prevent people from watching? There’s a hill over there,” continued Mike pointing to some high ground a mile away. “It wouldn’t be easy to post guards everywhere and prevent people from watching. I’m pretty sure the Gray Lord wouldn’t approve of that anyway.”

  “True,” said Rhia but felt even more nervous about the situation when she noted that a number of those watching looked pretty much like the men who now guarded the gates of Tanelorn.

  Mike led the way to the front of the little fort and the gate stood wide open. “We’ll have to wait until they finish their training,” she said pointing to a well nearby. “They’ll come back here to get fresh water. It’s a hot day and in all that armor they’ll want to cool down.”

  Rhia nodded her head in agreement, “Hurry up and wait.”

  They entered the gates and found a few young boys practicing with wooden swords and others setting up large tables for a meal. “One of those boys should know where to find Jon or Jane,” said Mike pointing to the lads.

  “I’ll ask,” said Rhia and walked over to one of the long tables. The boy setting it up looked to be about ten or so years old and he smiled as Rhia approached. “Young man,” she said with a smile. “Do you know where Jon or Jane Gray is on the field today?”

  The boy shook his head, “I’m not sure where Jane Gray is but Jon isn’t here. He had to meet a girlfriend or something.”

  Rhia shook her head and frowned, “That’s too bad.”

  “He doesn’t need practice on how to fight,” said the boy with a grin. “When I grow up I’m going to be just like him!”

  “He should be here with the men, not chasing girls,” said Rhia with a shake of her head. “You can do better than that.”

  The boy frowned, “Yes, ma’am,” he finally said after a short pause.

  “Anyway, which one of these is the table for all the captains?” she asked. “We’ll be needing to talk with Jane when she gets back.”

  The boy pointed to a table off to the side, “That one is where Jane usually sits but mostly the captains just sit with the soldiers. No one always sits in the same place. Can I get back to work now ma’am, they’ll be coming back soon and they’ll want food and drink on the table so they can get back out and practice more.”

  “Go on then,” said Rhia with a smile and a wave of her hand. “We wouldn’t want the soldiers to go hungry or thirsty for a second longer than necessary.”

  The boy immediately ran back toward what was clearly a kitchen. Smoke billowed from the chimney and the smell of cooking meat permeated the air.

  “Over here,” said Rhia walking over to the bench indicated by the boy. “Jane usually sits here.”

  The other two girls joined her and a few minutes later a few soldiers began to straggle back into the camp. The first arrivals were apparently those hurt in the exercises for most of them limped or wore makeshift bandages around arms, legs, or heads.

  “You’ll never believe it,” said Rhia looking at Mike and shaking her head.

  “What?” said the newly shorn half-elf girl.

  “Jon Gray isn’t here according to the boy. He’s off with some girl.”

  “What an idiot,” said Mike shaking her head and frowning. “The nation is in danger and he’s off chasing girls. He’s been like that ever since he got back from his travels. He’s not fit to lead a squad of men let alone run Tanelorn. We need to convince Jane to help us, and Valary as well.”

  “What about that Scar Blackrose fellow?” asked Rhia.

  “Him also,” replied Mike nodding her head. “It’s hopeless with Jon. He’ll never be interested in ruling Tanelorn or leading an army. He’s just too childish. He’ll never grow up.”

  As they were talking several shadows fell on the girls and they looked up to see a dozen soldiers standing near them. Most were young soldiers not much out of their teens if that and without any facial hair but there was an older fellow with gray hair and a long scar on his face. They were looking at the girls and there was suddenly a palpable aura of menace around them.

  Rhia looked at Mike who in turn looked to Marianna but no one said anything. Finally Mike stood up and glared at the older soldier, “What?”

  The man unstrapped the top part of his heavy breastplate which fell away and allowed a little air to pass onto his chest, “Jane Gray is a fine captain and an excellent tactician,” he said with a quiet sort of voice that was aggressive nevertheless. “Any battle she led us to fight, I’d figure we had a good chance to come out victorious”

  Mike stared up at him, her little jaw firm, “I agree, so?”

  “If Jon Gray led a charge against the gates of Hell I’d follow him with a smile on my face because I knew we couldn’t lose.”

  Mike said nothing to that and the gathering of soldiers around them grew larger and they moved closer to the girls.

  The older soldier spoke again, “You are Tanelornians and free to voice your thoughts when and where you choose. You are free to think what you will, but if you bad mouth Jon Gray again, I’d suggest you do it somewhere else.”

  “Yeah!” said a number of men and one of them leaned so close to Mike that she felt his breath on her face.

  Rhia grabbed Mike by the arm, “Come on, let’s go over there,” she said pulling the girl although she didn’t have to pull hard. The three quickly relocated to the far side of the outdoor mess hall and stood in silence as the rest of the army began to filter into the camp.

  Soon the mess was bustling with activity and a number of the male soldiers glanced over at Rhia and Marianna with lustful eyes. Eventually Jane arrived wearing heavy armor and joking with several other soldiers including a tall orc with a thick moustache and heavy eyebrows. She sat down at a table with a dozen other soldiers.

  “That’s Scar,” said Mike pointing to the orc. “Come on,” she continued and started walking toward Jane and the other soldiers. “Captain Gray!” she shouted loudly in an attempt to be heard above the din of the gathered men and women.

  Jane turned and looked up at the young girl and then gave Rhia and Marianna a quick glance, “Do I know you?”

  Mike shook her head, “We’re working for Lofo. We have news of Grelm.”

  Jane nodded her head, “Come over here then.” She looked at the soldiers around her, “
Push off you lot,” she said with a smile. “I’ll fill you in later. Scar, why don’t you sit in on this?”

  The orc nodded his thick head, “I am most interested in what the gnolls are planning. We must be prepared for their inevitable attack.”

  Jane nodded her head, “Now, what’s your name?”

  “I’m Mike and this is Rhia and Marianna,” said Mike.

  Jane motioned with her head to the now empty chairs around her, “Now then, Mike. What have you learned?”

  “We went up to Grelm to watch the tournament,” she said sitting down at the table. “But once we saw Sunbringer we knew something strange was happening so we went out to his camp. It was way north of the tournament.”

  “What did you find?”

  “They knew we were coming and setup an ambush. We think a dwarf named Borrombo Blackiron is working with Sunbringer. They had these demonic gnolls with them. Big things with horns. Anyway, we went into the house and found a bunch of kids being mistreated and a lot of papers but that’s about it.”

  “What was on the papers?” interjected Scar his fingers tapping on the table and his dark eyes staring at Mike.

  “We couldn’t read them,” said Mike. “Lofo was going to take them to Valary Gray to decipher but he wanted us to get out of town while all you soldiers were here on maneuvers. We think Pillswar is behind this whole thing.”

  Jane looked over at Scar but the two said nothing.

  “Pillswar has men at all the gates of Tanelorn,” said Rhia. “Some of them recognized us and tried to stop us from leaving. It’s very tense in the city right now. There are all sorts of rumors about the gnolls and an invasion.”

  Jane smiled, “Let them invade. We can handle those disorganized wildmen any time. They couldn’t form a line if their lives depended on it.”

  Scar pursed his lips, “Tell me more about these demonic gnolls,” his gaze still locked in on Rhia.

  “They were tall, taller than Jon,” said Rhia. “Powerfully built and the other gnolls seemed afraid of them.”

  “Mixed gnoll and demon perhaps,” said Scar curling his lower lip. “This is useful information. What do you know of Arden Sunbringer?”