Gnath was standing there, looking north, and breathing heavily, almost with a whimper. He didn’t even seem to realize he had wounds, or even that two arrows were still sticking out of his shoulder.
“Gnath, sit down here and let us tend to you.”
With a bit of a grunt, Gnath complied. Nyssa and I bandaged his leg and back. It was the arrows that were the biggest concern, but it appeared that they had lodged in the massive bones in the giant’s shoulder.
“Calm yourself, my cherished friend,” Rika said, making her way around the shield to be nearest to Gnath. Gnath looked up at her and put his hand up to force field between them. Rika did the same. Rika, trying to decide if she should along go after the wizard, pulled away and looked north. “We have to do something.”
“It looks our friend suffered little damage,” Nyssa said, “and as long as we can get the arrows out without breaking the tips off, he shouldn’t be permanently disabled.”
I pondered the prospect of him getting infected; not something we were equipped to deal with. As we worked to stop his bleeding, the magic field around us faded. I felt a sense of relief and a renewed fear that we were once again vulnerable to what might be lurking in the shadows.
“So, what do we do now?” Nyssa asked.
“Gnath and I still need to see Lady Rika to Edenkeep, if my friend here is up to the journey. I also think it would be the right thing to do to rescue the wizard before they get to the sorcerer. What do you think, Gnath?”
Gnath looked over at me and smiled. He nodded his answer, showing no concern for his own pain. The big guy was like that.
“What say you, archer?”
“I was going north, anyway. I say we make haste, and maybe we will catch up with the orcs and be able to plan a surprise attack.”
“Very good. Rika, are you okay with that?”
“It was never my plan to get into a war with orcs, but I started my journey for an adventure. I think I found one.”
“Okay then, let’s get moving. Can you get up, Gnath?”
Without answering, Gnath rolled onto one knee, then hoisted his massive frame into a standing position.
“Hurt,” he said, flexing his shoulder and putting his hand on his thigh.
“I know you’re hurt. No one would blame you if you didn’t want to move onward.”
“Owe them. Owe them hurt.”
“Yes, you do. Let’s get moving.”
“Soon, I will have revenge on the Defeater of Dragons, my pet. Diatsieg, son of Dragonroth. Greater than Dragonroth! Even the Wizard of Whitshire will be no match for the great Daitsieg!”
The dragon, barely larger than a covered wagoncart, snorted at the utterance of the man credited with slaying his father, the dragon that once reigned over Neverwind. Its deep dark black skin shimmered with the pearlescent silver and blue sheen that blue dragons were known for.
“Soon you will grow to immense size, and with my help and direction, will rule as your father did. You will be talk of the continent, the thing legends are made of.”
The small dragon raised his head, it’s metal collar and chains clanking against the stone floor as he rose. It spun its head to look at the light coming through the window high in the chamber. It snorted once more, a small flame leaping from its gaping mouth.
“I know, my pet. You wish to once again go outside and fly. Once I have the wizard tucked safely away in my dungeon, only then will I feel safe to let you go outside and play once more. Until then, you must remain patient here in your chamber. This is where your great father lived, up until that pesky two-d’nar wizard decided to ruin everything.”
With a final snort, the dragon laid its head down on the stone floor and looked up at the sorcerer.
“I know, I know. The wizard should be here tomorrow. Then nothing will stop us from beginning our plan.”
With that, the dragon closed its eyes and let out a smoky sigh.
“Yes, sleep. Rest until I need you. And then the fun will begin. I might even feed you a wizard. Though it might upset your stomach. I hear that wizard is an acquired taste, after all.
But the dragon was already asleep, no doubt dreaming of flying along the countryside, burning cattle and warriors, and scaring the women and children.
Chapter 9
“They probably won’t even bed down for the night,” Nyssa said. “It would be foolish for them to waste any time at all when they could push through and get out of the forest before nightfall on their second day of travel.”
“Somehow, I got the impression that Glos, their orc leader is not that smart. If I were placing a bet, I’d say he brings them to a halt for the night.”
“If he does, then we will have our best opportunity to get the wizard back.”
“Do you propose we sneak in while they sleep and slit their throats? I don’t know if I am up for that.”
“That would be far too risky. The first one to cry out in pain would awaken the rest of the orcs, and we would be finished. We need to hide on the outskirts, then someone will sneak in, find the key and unlock the wizard, and make it out before anyone is the wiser.”
“Who do you propose could be sneaky enough to go into their camp and free the wizard.”
“Elves are naturally good sneakers. I think you are the most qualified.”
“I am only half-elf—”
“I’ll do it,” Rika interjected. “Even if they hear me, they will never see me. I will wait until the time is right, lift the key and set the wizard free.”
“No. Gnath go.”
The three of us turned to look at Gnath and chuckled. The thought of him tiptoeing into camp to steal a key and free the wizard was a bit comical.
“My friend, you will never get in and out without attracting attention,” I said. “But Nyssa is right. I should go.”
“No, you shouldn’t,” Rika protested. “I can do this. I am best suited.”
In that instant, she blinked out of our sight. A moment later she reappeared several feet away, holding my coin purse in her hand.
I looked at Nyssa, and after a moment she nodded. I knew Rika was right. Though I didn’t like it. I knew Gnath didn’t like it either.
“Okay, you got the job. Assuming they stop for the night, and assuming we live that long, you will be the one to go.”
“You couldn’t have stopped me anyway,” she said with a wink.
“Can I have my money back?”
As I predicted, as the night came on, we came upon the orc army making camp on both sides of the path in a small clearing. We hunkered down behind trees and brush, as orcs have better than average night vision. A fire was built in the center of their camp and they were roasting what appeared to be rotting rabbits or other small creatures for their evening meal. We hoped that the light from the fire would drown out the surrounding darkness from their orcish eyes. It was simply a matter of waiting for them to fall asleep, and then we would send Rika in to take care of freeing Arick.
What we didn’t count on was the hordes of orcs that enjoyed using this time to get drunk on ales and wine, and sitting around the campfires singing old orcish folksongs. By the deities, those orcs are some awful singers. And the drunker they got, the worse they sang. Sometimes they would belt out a tune in an old orc dialect, but most were in common language. Or at least some form of the common language. The singing got worse and worse as time went on, but thankfully, as the pitch black of night set in, and the cold air from the woods crept in, carried in on the misty haze of the forest, they began to fall asleep.
“How long can you stay camouflaged?” I asked in a hushed tone, concerned that she would not be able to stay hidden long enough.
“I should have plenty of time. The only time I will be visible is when I take the key, and when I unlock the wizard.”
“Well then… don’t make any noise.”
“I’ll try my best not to.”
With that, she slipped into nothingness, and as best as I could figure, she headed down
the road towards the orc encampment.
Rika worked her way past several of the sleeping orcs in search of Glos; the orc holding the key to Arick’s collar. She was making her way in towards the center of the camp when she observed several orcs still awake that either inebriated senseless, or too busy concentrating on emptying their last jug of spiced rum. Rika had no trouble making her way through the ranks undetected, but when she finally located Glos, she found getting the keys would take a little more work. Glos was holding the pouch, key apparently inside, in his greenish hand next to his chest. The orc was sleeping like a baby.
Lady Rika knelt next to Glos as quietly as she could, the fragile dead leaves under knee subtly betraying her presence as they crackled and crumbled under her weight. With two fingers, she reached out and began tugging on the pouch, and as she did her camouflage began to fade, and she became visible. She paused a moment, hoping that she would disappear again, but the act of taking the pouch took away her chameleon abilities. And attack, or an action resembling an attack, caused the camouflage to fade. Realizing how vulnerable she was, she pulled her dagger out of its sheath. She looked around to see if anyone noticed her, and when she was certain no one had been alerted to her presence, she once again tugged on the pouch, this time harder.
Glos stirred, opened one eye, then two at seeing the girl kneeling next to him.
“Hey, you’re the…”
His words trailed off into nothingness as the dagger Rika was holding was plunged into his chest. Quickly, she snatched the pouch out of his hand, retrieved her dagger, and stood up. She slipped into invisibility only after orcish eyes spotted her.
Glos’ words, though few, had been enough to rouse several of the sleeping orcs nearby. A few of them got a look at Rika before she disappeared into the air and began waking the others, warning of the intruder. The commotion of angry and still drunk orcs began filling the night air, as Rika made off to find Arick.
The fleeing girl in full camouflage pulled herself up tight to a large tree and froze. She looked around but could not immediately see the wizard. Several orc warriors rushed to assist Glos, and Rika couldn’t tell if he was dead, or only severely wounded. It wasn’t long before the warriors left his lifeless body on the ground where it lay, and Rika was certain that Glos was dead.
“Find that murderer!” one yelled. “And if we don’t find her, kill the wizard!”
“Hold on, orc!” Dhell, the barbarian interrupted. “The sorcerer wants him brought back alive. You will not harm him. Send some of your orcs over to the wizard and make sure he’s secure. Make no mistake; I am in charge now.”
“Yes, Lord Dhell,” the one orc that seemed to be in charge replied.
“Remind me to punish you for letting this happen to Glos.”
“Yes, Lord Dhell. But there was an invisible human, a chameleon—”
“Then you should have been even more attentive. Now go!”
The orc and two of his warriors rushed away to check on the wizard. Rika was close behind. She followed them a short distance to where the wizard was sitting on the ground next to a tree, the metal collar around his neck locked to a chain wrapped around the tree. A lone orc stood guard as the others showed up to check on Arick, and fill the guard in on what had happened.
There was a look of surprise on Arick’s face as he looked around. Rika stood back, away from the tree trying to figure out her next move when Arick locked eyes on her. A chill went down her spine. She had to look down at her own camouflaged body to assure herself that she had not reappeared, and it hadn’t. The wizard was looking directly at her, as though he could see through her cloaking ability.
Rika didn’t know that we were also watching from a position outside the camp, having moved around the outer parameter to be there to help if she got into trouble. I, myself, had a great view of the wizard. Though I couldn’t see her, I knew that this would be where she would end up if the plan went without a hitch. We were all disappointed to see such a commotion in the camp at this point. We were hoping for a much quieter maneuver.
The commotion and chaos were building within the camp, and torches were being lit. Orcs were readying themselves for battle, and I knew that we had to act soon, or our chance would be gone, and Rika would be in serious danger if she failed to maintain her camouflage.
Nyssa stood ready with her bow, and Gnath, doing his best to hide behind a bush while watching what was going on, had his sword out and at the ready.
It was then that the Rika showed herself only long enough to slice the throat of one of the orcs, then jab a hole in the midsection of another guarding Arick. The one remaining orc nearby raised his battle axe, but before he could finish his attack on Rika, an arrow from Nyssa’s bow pierced his windpipe. He fell to the ground, a surprised look on his face – and Rika’s - as air hissed from the holes in his neck.
Rika quickly unlocked the collar, freeing the wizard. He stood, rubbed his neck, and they quickly made their way to the edge of the woods, where we stood waiting.
“Good to see you again, wizard,” I said.
“Come, we must hurry,” Arick said, motioning us to run deeper into the woods.
“Um, you’re welcome,” I said, turning and seeing that I was already falling behind the larger framed members of our party. Somehow, in the time it took me to turn and run, Gnath had picked Rika up off the ground and was carrying her in his extra-large arms. The big oaf could have helped me along. Some friend.
“Hurry up, Wellington!” the wizard shouted back at me.
“What do you think I’m doing?”
I could hear the orcs beginning to move behind us, and I think they were getting closer. I did all I could to make my legs move faster, but I was not built for speed.
And then the arrows were starting to fly.
“Those half-witted fools,” the sorcerer scowled, watching our party escape through the woods though another of his magical portals. “They’ve screwed up everything! Glos deserved to die, stopping to get drunk when he should have brought him straight here. If he was still alive, I would kill him myself.”
The old sorcerer peered into the portal in disgust. The orcs chasing the wizard and his friends were still fighting the effects of too much drink and were now doing everything they could to stay on their feet.
“Well, my old friend, I am not going to let you go away this easily.”
The sorcerer began arching his hands through the air, incantations began flowing from his mouth in some strange, ancient language. The air around him became filled with static, his hair began standing out from his scalp, and he could see through the portal that there were bolts of lightning striking the ground all around our fleeing party. And then, with a final clap of his hands, the spell had ended, and he could no longer see us.
It might sound like the sorcerer just ‘poofed’ us out of existence. But that probably would have been too merciful for Zaleus. We weren’t ‘poofed’ out of existence, just displaced.
Chapter 10
One moment we were running for our lives through the Forest of the Damned, the next moment we were running on a dried, dead moonlit plain in the middle of nowhere, tripping over the dead underbrush and twigs. Before I could digest what had happened, I was face down on the ground, poked and stuck with sharp ends of the dead rubble. I ignored the shooting pain I felt at several parts of my body, including one spot on my cheek, and propped myself to look for the orcs that should be raining down on me at any moment. What I saw was… nothing.
Wherever this was, the orcs hadn’t followed us. And precisely where was this place? I stood up, brushed dead twigs and clumps of dried moss and dirt from my pants. I looked around at this strange place that was nothing like the Forest of the Damned, where we were moments before.
Somehow, we had found ourselves in a wasteland, dark and dying, a grayish hue hung heavy over this land. A full gray moon that seemed larger than normal hung high in the sky partially obscured by clouds, and a cold wind reeking of decompositi
on and death blew dust and weeds across the cold dry ground. Towards the west, at least what I figured would be west, considering the direction we were running when we found ourselves here, was a glow out over the horizon. It wasn’t a sunset, more like a fire blazing beyond our line of sight.
“We’re in Devigon,” the wizard said, brushing dust from his cloak. I hadn’t seen him fall, or anyone else, but it appeared as though everyone had been introduced to the ground of this strange place in much the same way as I had.
“Oh good, you know where we are. So, you know the way home, then?”
“No, I don’t. I’ve only heard legends about this place. It has a link to the Forest of the Damned, but only the evilest of magic can make transport between Devigon and Neverwind.”
“You mean, that sorcerer friend of yours sent us here?”
“Yes, Zaleus sent us here. Since his orcs couldn’t bring me to him, he probably felt this was his next best option.”
“So,” I said, taking a big gulp of my own saliva, “will this spell wear off? Will we find our way back to Neverwind?”
“Most likely not.”
“Okay. Well then, we will find us a nice little town, make this our home, and live… you know… happily ever after.”
“I don’t think you understand what this place is. This place is the embodiment of death, of pain and suffering. Spirits are trapped here to suffer for eternity. Some say it is the birthplace of the dragons. We are not safe here. We will most likely die here, and it could be sooner than you might think.”
“Don’t try to cheer me up, okay?”
“I need to get home,” Rika said with a bit of panic in her voice.”
“Home,” Gnath agreed, asserting his desire eloquently into the conversation.
“And if I may offer my own opinion here,” Nyssa said, “I don’t wish to stay here for the rest of my life either. If there is a way in, there must be a way out.”
The Dragons of Neverwind Page 6