Fixing her mind on him, she reached out with it and stopped him in his tracks. It was her will that twisted him about to face her. She walked towards him, sneering and showing her fangs. Her voice was rough and deep, each word she forced into his mind.
“Yes, now you know pain! After a normal life, you finally get a little taste of the unpleasant. I have lived with agony every single day of my life!” She walked right up to him so their eyes filled each other’s sight. “What we are doing is much more vital than your injured pride! You will go back to camp, and you will help those you call friends defeat the demon, or die trying!”
She stepped back enough to let him go, ready to shove him along if he didn’t move on his own. He did move, shaking slightly as he walked. Marching beside him, she was ready to steer him back on course if he decided to wander off. Slowly, her anger drained away; and after she had put it back into the dark corners of her mind, she felt terrible about frightening him so.
The camp was in sight by the time she got the nerve to apologize. “I did not mean to frighten you. I only wanted to bring you back.”
His chuckle surprised her. He clasped her hand, squeezing it gently. “You did open my eyes, thank you.”
“We can still be friends?” Even as she asked it, she knew the answer.
“Only a friend would do what you did,” he told her. Looking ahead, he sighed. “I should have known what she was like. It still hurts, but I think I can live with it.”
They got back to camp to find a strange sight. Shilo, who never said anything but snappy comments in the worst of situations, was yelling at Odif. He stood over her like an avenging angel as she sat cross-legged with her head down.
“You screwed up bad, that’s what I’m saying! This is just like when you drove Tayan away, and he was the best thing that ever happened to you!”
Odif’s voice was subdued. “Tayan is my brother; that was for the best.”
Shilo’s wings fluttered, fanning the campfire. “Who gives a shit? You will never find anyone who thought more of you than he did. You will never be that happy again in your life! The only good part of your splitting up was the rest of us were able to sleep all night. Are you too thick-headed to realize it tore his guts out to leave you? You just might come to find out that one day no one will want anything to do with you!”
Odif tipped her head slightly. “Soon it will no longer matter.”
Shilo’s face turned red. “It will always matter!”
Odif gripped her head. “I just wanted to say goodbye to everyone before it was too late! I didn‘t mean to hurt him.”
“Well, you did! Maybe some day you’ll figure out that most people have feelings!”
Jo-Jo walked over to Scorpio and Sam as they came into camp. “I should have known better,” he said to Scorpio with a half-shrug.
Squatting by the fire, Theo and Hutch looked up at him.
“That goes for us, too,” Hutch offered.
“Us?” Scorpio asked.
The two men looked at each other.
“We do everything together,” Theo grinned.
Scorpio shot a mean look at Odif then plopped down by the fire. Entaurus was next to offer his apologies. Right after he did, Scorpio threw his hands up. “Enough! I’m the one who should have known better. Can we drop it?”
Odif cast a worn gaze at him. “I just want you to know...”
“Drop it!” he snapped.
“Fine!” she huffed.
Mother Frieda decided it was time to change the subject. “Sam, the place you escaped from, where is it?”
Fairly sure no one was going to get hurt, Sam settled down beside her. “When I came out, all I saw was grass, just like what’s around us now. I went towards the sun--it was morning. I found a lake and stayed there for the night. The next day, hoarcs were nearby on the far bank, so I went back the way I had come then started zigzagging my path in case they were after me,” She shook her head with a sigh. “I moved around so much at first, I don’t think I can take you straight to it.”
“How long did you travel towards the lake?”
“Most of the day. I was running, and trying to stay on the lower ground.”
“How big is this hole you came out?” Shilo asked.
“It’s a cave entrance. I’d say...about twice the size of this camp. It opens into a shallow valley, the top overhangs a bit.”
Shilo pointed at the sky. “If I take you up, do you think you can see it from the air?”
Sam gulped. “The air?” She had never thought about flying before, her short wings could barely make a breeze when she tried to flap them. How was she to fly?
“I’ll carry you. We could be on these plains for years before we find it on foot,” he explained.
“Take her up tomorrow,” Mother Frieda told him.
Seeing her apprehension, Shilo slapped her leg playfully.
“Relax, I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Us winged things got to stick together,” he said with a wink.
Dinner was started, and the conversation turned to how the wizards could get them all to the cave quickly once Shilo and Sam found it. Jo-Jo had a spell to levitate, Shilo would tow him to the entrance then he would open a portal at one end, and Gloredaniel would open one on this end. The only problem was that she could not go through and hold it open. Someone would have to take her. Odif offered to change into a horse and carry her there.
“What if she doesn’t want to ride Odif?” Porthalen asked.
“Why not? Everyone else has,” Shilo beamed.
Laughter rose. Scorpio tried to pretend he didn’t hear it. Odif shot to her feet and stomped off.
Shilo looked around at the others. “Am I lying?”
“Let’s stick to the problem,” Frieda said evenly. “We have to know how far away it is before we commit on how to bring Glordaniel to the rest of us.”
“What about guards?” Scorpio asked. “Surely the entrance is watched.”
Hutch spoke up. “Good point. It also may be blocked. If she got out then others would, too, unless there is now something there to stop them.”
Sam shook her head. “Unrest is quickly taken care of. No one dares defy her.”
“You did,” he noted.
“I used an illusion to get out of the caverns. I made myself look like her. I don’t know of anyone else who can do that.”
“So, you didn’t see anything near the cave opening?” Hutch prodded.
“No. The last...I’d say mile or so was completely clear.”
One of the elves waved his bread at her. “Tell us about these caverns, what kinds of things can we expect to find down there?”
“More importantly, where can we find the demon?” Frieda asked.
Sam explained the route as well as she could. “If we don’t get caught in the tunnels then we’ll come upon a cavern used to hold those being tortured. As long as we stay quiet and we're not spotted, we will get through to the hoarc chambers. It’s a large, open area where hoarcs are made and trained for combat. We’ll go by wizard’s labs then the underground lake. On the other side of the lake cavern, we’ll come to the underground city. There's a wide passage to the right, my mother’s temple is at the end. Her own dwelling is a short distance from the temple, and she is usually in one place or the other. If she thinks she’s in danger, she will be in the temple.”
“Of course,” Frieda breathed. “The temple is her connection to Lucifer. We destroy the temple, and we destroy her power.”
“There are always two vlaks outside the temple doors, we can’t just walk in,” Sam told her.
“This is insane!” Porthalen spat. “How can we fight our way through a city of...who knows what kind of evil, and then attack an underground temple guarded by vlaks!”
Shilo looked at the elf and chuckled. “What did you think we were going to do? Go in and ask for a nice game of horseshoes?”
“Yeah, elfman, did you think it would be easy?” Theo asked.
; Porthalen looked at them with pleading in his eyes. “You understand what a vlak is, right? Have you ever seen what they can do? I was with King Alderlan’s caravan, we got attacked by vlaks, we got mauled! Those things are unstoppable.”
“I see you lived through it,” Entaurus noted.
Porthalen snorted. “By incredible luck! If it wasn’t for this big red-haired human, nobody would have made it.” His voice got louder as he went on. “He charged into things that made everyone else run in terror. Twice he got caught in explosions, and it only made him madder. I never saw anyone charge a vlak by himself, let alone win. Unless he shows up, me, my men and Gloredaniel are not going anywhere near that place!”
“You were there?” Jo-Jo asked.
Porthalen nodded. “Yeah, I was there, and I’m telling you with vlaks in the way we don’t stand a chance.”
“We will deal with the vlaks,” Entaurus said evenly.
“Who was this red-haired human?” Sam asked, trying to envision anyone killing a vlak.
Porthalen shrugged. “I don’t remember his name, all I know is that he was the toughest bastard I have ever seen.”
Frieda rolled her eyes with a groan. “Dear Leighna, I just figured it out,” Seeing the questioning looks, she explained. “The one Porthalen just described is the Red Man. From what I know, Odif and Tayan are his children. Jo-Jo, in your vision, you said you saw three hammers.”
Jo-Jo’s eyes widened. “Yes! One brown and green, one red and one many colors.” Getting it straight in his mind, he slowly said, “Red hammer, Red Man. Where we fail, he will succeed.”
“Odif has told us all along she will be killed,” Scorpio added. “She really knew it!”
“It’s going to kill Odif and Tayan,” Jo-Jo concluded. “Once it does...”
“He will come back,” Frieda finished. “The Red Man will destroy the demon.”
“We can’t be here,” Porthalen muttered with a shake of his head.
Shilo folded his arms across his chest in thought. “Maybe I’ll just watch from the air. I have to see that fight!”
Sam took in their thoughts. She got mental pictures of giant hammers and the general feeling from all of them that death was only a few days away and waiting down a dark hole.
“We have no hope of surviving?” she whispered.
“Don’t look like it,” Hutch said sadly. “Maybe Odif was trying to do us a favor,” Jerking a thumb at Theo, he said, “We never had a woman before.”
“Neither did I, before.” Entaurus stopped, glancing at Scorpio.
Scorpio looked at Jo-Jo, who said, “It’s been a real long time for me, too.”
No matter how much he didn’t like the idea, Scorpio knew that Odif believed in balance in all things. If she knew they were all to suffer and die then of course she would do her best to give them as much pleasure as possible. She was, indeed, saying goodbye to her friends. He dropped his head in his hands, dry-washing his face.
“Dear Odin!” he groaned. He tipped his head off to where Odif had left. “Jo-Jo, you...better go finish what you started with her.”
“I don’t want any more trouble,” Jo-Jo protested.
“It’s all right,” Scorpio assured him. “I don’t like it, but now I understand.”
“You sure?” Jo-Jo asked as he started to get up.
“Yes, go on.”
Jo-Jo was up and off quickly. Scorpio tried hard not to think about what they were going to do. He decided it was his turn to clean up the plates. To his partial relief, Sam decided she would help.
The camp was settled in for the night when Odif returned. Scorpio had volunteered for the first watch. He tried not to see as Jo-Jo hugged Odif then lay down in his blankets. Instead of lying down, Odif came over and sat beside him.
“I am sorry if what I'm doing hurts you,” she said quietly. “It’s just something I feel needs to be done.”
He looked at her; she was slouched over as she watched him. Despite the fact she was having every man in their group he couldn‘t help how he felt about her. “Yeah, I know. If we’re going to suffer then we have to have pleasure first.”
“You do understand.”
He shifted closer and put an arm around her. “I hate it, but I know why you’re doing it.”
She pressed against him, wrapping one arm around his middle. “Don’t ever think that I don’t love you.”
Being alone with her in the dark, he had no doubts about it at all. “Shilo was right about one thing,” he sighed.
“What’s that?”
“You are one big pain in the ass.”
***
In the morning Shilo took off with Sam on his back. She clung to him tightly, eyes wide as he flew. The rest were packed up and ready to go, waiting for Gloredaniel to return. Mid-morning, the elven wizard materialized on the same spot she had vanished from, looking a bit ragged.
Theo spotted her first. “What’s the news, elf lady?” he asked cheerily.
Hutch nodded. “Yeah, good news first!”
She looked at him vacantly, her voice flat. “Good news. There is some good news. Zodiac and Stazor are moving as planned. Elves in Tolina have massed an army and are headed for Elrad.”
Porthalen and his elves looked relieved. “That is good news. How large is this army?”
Gloredaniel twitched her shoulder. “Not large enough, I think. I just came from Elrad City. It’s burning, dragons are dropping spears all over. The king’s palace is in ruins. I tried to help get people to safety, but there’s just so many!”
Hand over her mouth, she choked back a sob.
Porthalen’s face paled. “Dear Odin, it can’t be!”
Gloredaniel went on, fighting her tears. “The ones who can fight are preparing for invasion. Pilgyns have been seen just north of the city, and there has already been fighting in the northern district. No one knows how many got past our army, or even if our army still exists. Our priests told me that evil is driving this force. We have to stop it before there is no Elrad left.”
“Elrad City is over halfway down the kingdom. The elves lose this battle, and it‘s over for them,” Jo-Jo stated.
“Longforest will be next,” Odif said. “Gloredaniel, did you tell Tayan what the situation is?”
The stricken look on her face became worse. “Tayan is dead.”
Odif looked at her blankly. She shook her head and started towards her. “No, Tayan is not dead. He has probably left to get help from King Gunthar.”
“He was killed in the western part of Tolina...”
Odif grabbed her by the front of her cloak, balling her hands into fists. Her eyes glassed over with disbelief.
“Tayan is not dead!” she insisted. “Someone lied to you.”
“It‘s true,” Gloredaniel cried. “He was shot in the back by a guardsman...”
“He is not dead!” Odif shouted and started shaking her.
The rest grabbed the druid’s arms, trying to pry her off. They tore Gloredaniel’s cloak wrestling her away. She kept repeating that Tayan wasn’t dead as they made her sit down.
Scorpio sat by Odif as Frieda talked to Porthalen and Gloredaniel. He tried to hold her hand, and she shrugged him off.
“I'm fine,” she stated, combing her hair back with quaking fingers. “Gloredaniel made a mistake, that’s all. Tayan isn’t dead. He can’t be.”
Beckoning with her arms to gather everyone in close, Frieda announced. “Let us say a prayer for our fallen comrade.”
Odif got up. Scorpio grabbed her, and she gave him a hard shove in the chest, knocking him back down. Standing poised to fight, she snapped, “He is not dead!”
Entaurus moved in front of her. “Don’t do this to yourself.”
“I’m not doing anything to myself. Tayan is not dead!” she shrieked. Even as she did, her lips quivered. Somewhere in her mind she was beginning to accept it was true.
This time when Scorpio grabbed her, he put his arms around her. He was glad to be wearing his ar
mor, for she began to pound his back as she screamed, “No! No! Nooo!” She sagged, and he sagged with her. Her screams broke into wracking wails. Odif cried for a very long time.
***
Sam clung to Shilo as they flew so close to the ground she swore he had to be getting smacked by the blades of grass as they raced by.
“Do we have to go so low?” she called over the wind.
“Hoarcs over there,” he called back, tipping his head slightly to the left. “It’s best if we’re not seen.”
A knoll was racing at them. He banked in a turn to go around it then threw himself the other way to miss the next one. Sam’s stomach was in her throat. It wasn’t the feeling of flying that made her sick, just his sudden movements. She had tried using her own stubby wings to help as he dove, which had proved disastrous. Instead of helping him bank, she had sent them into a spin that he barely managed to recover from in time to keep from ramming into the ground. She now kept them pressed tight to her body. The idea of hitting the ground at such speed was not comforting.
After another few minutes of ground hugging, he shot up a hundred feet. Sam had a good view now; but as in the earlier part of the day, all she saw was grass.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“You don’t know?”
“No, it all looks the same.”
“How about if I go higher for a better look.”
“Please.”
She let out an involuntary squeak as he threw himself vertical and shot skyward. The muscles in her arms were burning from holding on; she could feel herself slipping. A quick glance showed the ground a long way down and getting farther.
“Don’t drop me!”
Suddenly, she was thrown forward as he leveled off. Weightless for an instant, she screamed, sure she was going to fall. She started to then found he was under her again. Her heart was pounding as she clung tightly to him.
“Hey, is that the lake?” he asked, pointing off to the right.
On the horizon, she made out a darker green area. Bits of silver reflected the sun. She took a few breaths to collect herself. “Could be.”
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