Runescape: Return to Canifis

by T. S. Church

  “We have yet to gain a west wind,” Arisha called over to her. “I have picked a mountain landmark to use as a reference, yet the sun is unchanged.”

  How high they were Kara could not tell, for the ground below was a featureless swamp, obscured in green vapour. Once or twice she saw a tree, but it was hard to make out any detail. Probably we are no more than five hundred yards above the ground, yet that is as high as I care to go.

  “Look!” Harold shouted gleefully. Kara followed his hand to the east, where a dark smudge was just visible on the horizon. “That is the city of despair, home of Drakan and his ilk. And it is falling behind. Thank the gods.”

  “Kara? Harold? Anyone?” It was Karnac’s voice. Kara turned to the balloon’s edge to see him hanging grimly onto one of the two rope ladders that ran from the platform to the nets.

  “Master Peregrim is taking us higher. He means to catch a wind above which he thinks will carry us west.” He laughed crazily. “But have you seen it yet? Look to the west. What do you see?”

  Kara and her friends turned to do as he bade. At the limits of the horizon she could see a great silver line winding its way from north to south, the sun reflecting off its surface. It could only be the River Salve.

  “We are only a few hours away from it,” Karnac shouted. Kara saw his tears and she wasn’t sure if they were provoked by the wind or by a feeling of happiness and hope.

  They are beginning to believe now. But the distance is still great.

  “Karnac, the balloon needs a name. Get the passengers thinking. It will help them pass the time.”

  “How about Desperate Gamble?” Castimir suggested stiffly.

  The leader of Hope Rock vanished below. Every so often they could hear broken sentences of his over the wind. Kara’s fingers were numb and stiff. Her teeth chattered and she had lost feeling in her ears. A short while later Karnac returned.

  “Doric suggested Idiot’s Folly,” he called over to them with a smile that made Kara wonder if he was becoming unhinged. “But it was Jack who came up with a better one: Hope Soars.”

  “Then the boy is speaking again?” Theodore asked.

  “Aye, he is. But Pia is now quiet. After Vanstrom fell cutting us loose—”

  The balloon shook suddenly. Instinctively Kara grabbed the rail tightly.

  But Vanstrom? What happened to him?

  “Is Vanstrom dead?” Harold called over.

  Karnac nodded. “He saved us. He cut the line and distracted the werewolf from Master Peregrim. If it weren’t for him we would still be on Hope Rock and the gnome dead.”

  Kara looked for the mountain that Arisha had pointed out a few minutes before. It was on a different side of the balloon now.

  “We are heading west,” she cried, looking to the morning sun to verify her thought. It rose, behind them now, and Kara turned her back on it to look toward the Salve. The river was undeniably closer now. Small breaks in the reflecting light signified the presence of islands, and she wondered if they would be able to see Varrock at all once they were above the Salve.

  Kara laughed. It was honest laughter and unbidden, and it sounded and felt all the better for it. It seemed like a long time had passed since she had done so.

  She turned back to the east, to feel the sun on her face again.

  As she did so, she caught small and inconsistent flashes of silver among the clouds.

  Kara blinked, to make certain her eyes hadn’t been dazzled by the sun.

  But the silver flashes remained.

  “Theodore, do you have Ebenezer’s spyglass?”

  “Yes,” he replied. “What do you see?”

  “Pass it over, and I’ll tell you,” she replied.

  “Could it be a flock of birds?” Castimir suggested hopefully.

  Kara didn’t reply as she took the spyglass. She put it to her eye and tried her best to compensate for the jostling balloon beneath her. Once, she caught sight of something blurred in the telescope, but before she could focus it the tension in her safety line fought back against her arm and the vision vanished.

  “Anything?” Harold asked impatiently.

  “Not sure,” she replied.

  But I’m certain it’s no flock of birds.

  She sighed in frustration and levelled the spyglass again. Whatever the silver flashes were, they were closer now.

  And this time she found what she sought in an instant.

  It was something she had never seen before, but she knew what it was straight away. That the picture—of a winged creature, with its silver armour, red eyes set in a reptilian face, and clawed hands—would stay with her forever. She gasped aloud.

  “What is it?” Karnac cried. “You’ve seen something haven’t you? I can tell by your face.”

  “It’s the Vyrewatch,” Kara replied. “It must be. Dozens of them. They will be on us within the hour. Two at the most.”

  “Then they will reach us before we reach the Salve,” Castimir said. “That makes sense. Didn’t think it would be so easy to escape from this place.”

  “Remember, Castimir, no fire magic,” Arisha cautioned.

  “Don’t worry,” he replied. “All my fire runes are in my satchel. Not taking any chances with this hydrogen. I have no urge to plummet to the ground in a blaze of glory.”

  “Karnac, will the sun not destroy them?” Theodore asked.

  “No. Not in this land,” came the answer. “Direct sunlight might weaken them, perhaps enough so that they will abandon the chase, but they will not tire. The dead do not know fatigue, and normal weapons are little hindrance to them. No, Castimir’s magic is the best and only hope we have. I hope you are up to it wizard.”

  Kara bit her lip. There was no way Castimir could fight off so many. They would have to think of something else.

  “Can we not go faster?” Theodore asked. “Maybe drop some weight, or fly to a higher wind?”

  Despaard shook his head.

  “If we go higher, we might find an easterly wind and be pushed back toward them,” he replied grimly. “Better to stay on our course. So much for Gar’rth’s word.”

  “A grim situation,” Castimir murmured. “Seeing our enemy come on so slowly, and yet knowing that there is nothing we can do. Can’t get much worse than that, can it?”

  Suddenly someone screamed from below. Karnac disappeared back down the rope ladder, only to return a minute later, his expression tense.

  “Look, on the ground, if you can,” he cried. “It’s the werewolves! Still they pursue us!”

  Kara peered earthward through the green wisps of mist. Soon enough, she caught sight of dozens of the creatures, running below, always in pursuit.

  “If you are tempted to speak again, Castimir,” she said, “please don’t.”

  The wizard grumbled, then fell silent. Kara saw he had closed his eyes.

  If only it were really so easy to make them disappear.

  Over the next hour the sun lost its warmth as the Vyrewatch drew nearer. Kara looked at her friends, hoping to see some expression that might lift her own spirits.

  Only Castimir can help us now.

  The wizard had opened his eyes and now kept his gaze held steadily on the approaching enemy. At his side, Arisha helped him organise his runes.

  Theodore leaned toward Kara.

  “How many wolves do you count?” he asked quietly.

  “At least sixty,” she replied. Certainly at least one for each of us. Maybe they will fight among our corpses, like dogs after scraps. She smiled grimly, though the thought was far from humourous.

  “Do you think your adamant sword will be any good against the Vyrewatch?” the knight asked.

  “I doubt it. Not unless they plan on attacking us directly,” she said. “Their best course would be to cripple the balloon, and then engage us on the ground, if any were left alive after the fall.”

  Castimir’s face paled as he overheard her words.

  “Nothing like looking on the bright side,” he said
angrily.

  Suddenly Despaard shouted out in warning. The Vyrewatch were near now, the gap closing quickly, coming in two waves, five in the front, the rest behind. Even without the spyglass, she could see the detail in their armour. The second wave broke off and flew higher.

  But for those who were ascending, the gap widened again.

  “Aha!” Harold growled triumphantly. “They’ve dropped back. It’s doubtful they will catch us now!”

  “Don’t be too sure,” Despaard observed. “They might have sensed a higher current which could speed them along. Keep an eye on them. And don’t forget about the first wave.”

  Kara watched as the Vyrewatch gamble seemed to fail. The vampires wasted precious minutes climbing, and once again they were only silver flashes, as they had been when they first appeared.

  Within a few more minutes, even these had disappeared.

  But still the five came on, closer now than ever. From higher up, the sun intermittently shone in her eyes and masked their presence.

  She put one hand in front of the sun, and found the five Vyrewatch in the shadow of her palm.

  They are within range now, she observed. But is it worth attempting a shot?

  They will probably try for a sudden dive, to expose themselves to our fire for as short a time as possible. And Castimir will be their first target.

  A bowstring twanged from behind her. A black arrow passed overhead and through the line of their pursuers. One of the Vyrewatch dipped its wing slightly and moved to the left. Even had it not bothered, the arrow would still have missed by a wide margin.

  Kara heard Arisha curse.

  “Castimir, use your magic only when you are certain of it,” the priestess shouted. “The Salve is no more than fifteen minutes away. We just need to buy time.”

  The wizard’s reply was lost to Kara on the wind. Quickly, swaying unsteadily from her position, she readied an arrow and raised it toward the sun, her eyes narrowed against the light.

  I don’t have to hit them. I just need to slow their flight. If I can force them to dodge, it might buy us precious minutes.

  She aimed at the nearest and breathed out, ignoring the cold that numbed her fingers.

  Then she released the bowstring.

  The arrow flew upward but missed by at least ten yards, caught in the violent wind. Two more arrows arced overhead, and then a third and a fourth, all going wide. Kara turned behind as she notched a second to her bow. Now Despaard and Harold were reaching for their quivers.

  Castimir cried out a warning as once of the Vyrewatch dived.

  She raised her weapon and fired instinctively, again missing widely. The five creatures split, three down the port side and two to the starboard, leaving those on top without a target.

  She heard Theodore curse loudly as she drew and readied a third arrow.

  There is nothing I can do from up here, save wait.

  And in battle, that is the hardest thing of all.

  Jack screamed from her right. Something silver flashed by Pia’s face and when she opened her eyes she saw fresh blood on Albertus’s face. The old man remained still, and she wondered if he was even still alive.

  “What is happening, Pia?” The blind spirit woman asked from her side.

  “It’s the Vyrewatch!” someone screamed. “They are upon us! There is no hope!”

  Pia turned and looked behind her. Below, hanging from the balloon was Master Peregrim, standing alone upon the small wicker basket with his burner. The gnome gave a pull on his metal contraption and a blast of yellow flame roared upwards, the heat warming her.

  But on the opposite side of the balloon, amongst the netting that hung beneath the balloon’s base, the people there fought desperately. Pia saw two of the Vyrewatch biting and scratching amongst them, their commotion jostling the netting violently.

  Her stomach froze as a horrid sound reached her.

  It was the sound of tearing fabrics.

  No. Oh by the gods no!

  The net gave way on the opposite side. She watched, unable to scream, as a dozen or so individuals fell with the netting, which grappled itself about the two vampires and dragged them down with their victims. As they fell, their cries were lost in the wind.

  Doric cursed from his position nearby.

  Pia wanted to be sick.

  Suddenly the balloon tilted, and Pia added her screams to the many others. Peregrim was shouting over their cries.

  “Gleeman!” he cried. “Get up top. Tell Kara to release some of the gas. We are too light now. If we go much higher the balloon won’t survive. Go, man, go!”

  She saw King Roald’s jester untie himself and climb toward the rope ladder above her. He vanished around the curvature of the balloon.

  A silver flash followed him.

  “Gleeman!” she shouted as loud as she could. “Behind you!”

  Kara kept the bow taut as she looked around her fearfully. Behind her, she knew, her friends stood back to back, ensuring that none of their attackers could surprise them.

  Before her, she watched as Karnac crawled toward the platform. His hands and legs sunk into the balloon’s surface as he made his way along the rope ladder. Behind him, Kara saw Gleeman’s head appear around the edge of the balloon.

  And he wasn’t alone.

  “Castimir!” She shouted as she saw the Vyrewatch fly toward the jester’s unprotected back. She knew she couldn’t dare risk a shot with her bow, and she doubted that Castimir’s magic could be so precise either.

  The wizard aimed but she saw him hesitate.

  The Vyrewatch seized Gleeman from behind and pushed him down, out of her sight.

  No chance. He had no chance at all.

  Suddenly she thought of Gar’rth and a hatred flared in her. She cursed loudly into the wind. “Is this what your word is worth?”

  Pia saw Gideon fall from above. The jester grabbed at the rope ladder as he fell, his outstretched arm entangling itself in the lines.

  But still he wasn’t free of his attacker.

  “Doric, Gideon needs you,” she shouted to the dwarf, her head turned to his position. “Use your arrows.”

  From above there came a strangled scream and when Pia looked back up she saw the creature glide away, its wing broken, flames engulfing its body. Down it went, spiralling into the swamps below where it disappeared from sight. She saw Gideon grimace and raise his hand to her, and she noted the wound on his face and shoulder where he had been bitten or scratched.

  Nonetheless, he was alive.

  Castimir has taken a dreadful risk. He was told not to use fire magic.

  But she was thankful for it nonetheless.

  Pia turned back to the view below. The swamp seemed closer now, contradicting Master Peregrim’s concern about the balloon being too light.

  As if reading her mind the gnome looked up from his burner.

  “Tell Kara not to release any more,” he cried. “We are sinking too quickly.”

  The gnome looked up into the balloon, and Pia followed his gaze.

  “By the gods!” Master Peregrim shouted.

  Pia saw the cause of his fear. Inside the very balloon itself was one of the Vyrewatch. It tore at the fabrics with a lazy contempt, and if such a thing was capable of smiling, Pia was certain it was doing so, mocking their helplessness. Already several tears had been made in the balloon’s surface.

  “Gideon, tell Castimir to get rid of that thing!”

  There was real panic in the gnome’s voice now.

  And as the jester turned back to climb once more to the top, Pia heard the burner ignite and felt the now familiar warm wave of heat pass by.

  Yet still, when she looked down again, the ground was nearer than before.

  A shadow appeared in front of Kara. Karnac cried out from his vulnerable position on the rope ladder. Instinctively she released the bowstring and fired her arrow into the body of the Vyrewatch.

  Her aim must have been off, for the arrow spun aside, deflected on the cr
eature’s armour.

  “Castimir,” she called.

  She saw Karnac thrust his dagger toward the creature’s leg, but if he hit it, the Vyrewatch seemed unaware.

  An arrow flew by, finding its mark in the creature’s wing.

  The fanged face looked up for the first time, taking its red eyes off Karnac.

  WHOOSH.

  Kara felt a compact ball of air sail past her left shoulder. It smashed into the creature’s face, shattering the horrific visage of their enemy. She heard bone crack as the Vyrewatch tumbled backward, over the edge of the balloon and into empty space.

  “That was very satisfying,” Castimir said. The wizard breathed deeply, and Kara wondered if he could be so accurate again.

  “How many more are there?” she asked as she pulled another arrow from her quiver.

  A motion caught her attention behind Karnac. She raised her bow but then gave a gasp of surprise as Gideon clambered up the rope ladder and into view, injured and exhausted.

  “There is one of them in the balloon itself,” he wheezed. “It’s tearing everything up. We have lost a lot of altitude as the hot air has leaked out. I think it may have torn one of the hydrogen envelopes as well.”

  “How many of the Vyrewatch are left, Gideon?” Theodore called.

  “Two fell, trapped in the nets they tore free, weighted down by their victims. The one that attacked me...” Gideon wheezed and shook his head. “That one fled. And then there was this one that just missed me when it fell. Four have been accounted for.”

  “Then it’s just the one in the balloon,” Arisha said. “Castimir, if we open the flap do you think you will be able to dislodge it?” The priestess drew her knife and cut the bindings that secured the flap.

  The wizard shook his head. “I don’t know. I will try, though.”

  Kara saw how low the balloon had sunk. She could hear the howls of the werewolves behind them, and noted with alarm how the tops of tall trees couldn’t be much lower than Master Peregrim’s burner.

  If he gets tangled in a tree then it will act as an anchor. We will crash badly.

  “How far is the Salve?” Karnac cried.

  “It can’t be more than a mile now,” Theodore replied, looking west.