Brinks In Time:The Legend of Valendri's Relic

by Tom Rogal

  “Guillia . . . just isn’t interested. She thinks she’s too good. It’s okay, one day she’ll see how much she would have been better off with me.”

  Dyenarus asked, “And you think parading me around her would make things any better? She doesn’t think she is better than you, but between us, at this point she is more skilled. She doesn’t seem interested in you because she doesn’t respect you. All you have ever shown her is that you’re this tough guy picking fights for the sake of getting in a fight. Whatever your intentions are, good as they may be, she is reading them the wrong way.”

  Lindaris asked sarcastically, “So what do I do, since you’re the expert on female behavior and psyche?”

  Dyenarus sat down. He really didn’t have a clue. He was convinced that woman liked the tough, macho stuff. She had a lot of work to go on this one, but maybe, just maybe, she could get him hooked up with Guillia by the end of it all.

  “Did you try flowers?”

  Lindaris sat puzzled as he looked across toward Dyenarus, “That actually works?”

  Dyenarus wiped her brow. Yep, this was going to be a long night. Thank goodness their shift was only three hours.

  On a tree nearby, a smaller Kyroselip listened intently on a tree limb. One thing the elves had never told anyone about these magnificent creatures was they could listen to any conversations and repeat them perfectly to the one it called miseri, or owner. It was one way the Wood Elves kept in communication without making it obvious. Seeing how it was not going to get any more information tonight, it flew off silently over the tree tops and toward the depths of Mount Hrithgorn where its master awaited.

  ----------------

  The next morning they moved early, trying to keep a jump on their enemies. Neeza was relieved the night went without incident. He was worried that the three Garchai would come back and try to sneak up on them while they slept. Gratefully, that hadn't been the case. Dyenarus and Lindarus reported nothing out of the ordinary and Vindar and Condarin said they heard the birds in the distance, but nothing more. Perhaps the worst was behind them.

  The farther west they moved, the thicker the forest became. Good. That way they would be able to hear the Garchai better. The only problem was that they were heading back uphill, which meant that to reach the coast would require them to climb down. Then again, that was better than having to elude the natives.

  Neeza stopped and listened to the surroundings. Despite the progress, something didn’t feel right. Haldirin walked next to him and began to look around as well.

  “What do you sense?”

  Neeza said, “I don’t know. This place is streaming with magical energy. Give everyone a few minutes to rest. I will scout ahead.”

  Haldirin moved to the students to relay the order as Neeza moved forward slowly and cautiously. They needed to get off the island. They were spending too much time there. At the rate they were going, someone might beat them to Mount Hrithgorn and the real treasure. He bent down to make his leap off a small alcove easier to avoid injury. As far as he could see, there was nothing wrong, just lots of foliage. His attention was turned around when the sound of birds was heard, but he could see nothing.

  He froze, though, when he heard the familiar sound of breathing. To Neeza’s right, a Garchai soldier was searching for them. Every few seconds he would breathe out, followed by the customary sniffing. It’s amazing how quietly they moved and how quickly. Maybe the magical presence hid them from view as well. The Garchai began to move away.

  “Neeza! You ready to go?” yelled Lindaris

  The Garchai turned around violently. Neeza had to quiet him otherwise they would be found. He could see him moving toward the alcove.

  Telepathically, Neeza said, “Stop moving, Lindaris. No matter what happens. Don’t move!”

  He was confused at first, until he looked to his right and saw the Garchai running toward him. Instinct told him to run like hell. Maybe the others might hear the monster coming and help him. But that wasn’t happening. He could barely hear the footsteps despite it running at full speed. It was nearly on top of him. He tried to keep his body from shaking, but he had never been so afraid in his life.

  Without warning, the Garchai stopped a few feet in front of Lindaris. Releasing a hard breath, it began sniffing. It was the first time Lindaris got a view of their razor teeth. If he didn’t have an iron constitution like he had, he would have given himself away.

  Neeza watched with amazement. He couldn’t find them! If they didn’t move, they were invisible. He still was trying to figure out exactly why they constantly used breathing and sniffing when it seemed to not help them. The Garchai tried it again; frustrated that it couldn’t find the source of the noise. After a few moments, it finally gave up and began heading back north. Lindaris gave a sigh of relief, releasing all the air he was holding.

  “There you are! We were worried something had happened!” yelled Condarin.

  Both Neeza and Lindaris tried to quiet her, but it was too late. The Garchai heard her. Condarin gave a scream and began to yell while the others followed suit.

  Neeza yelled, “Nobody move!”

  The Garchai began to head their way. Lindaris tapped Neeza’s shoulder. It was too late to cover it now. It knew they were there. Least he could do was try and slow it down.

  Neeza chanted, “Herimon Firamma!”

  A larger fireball headed toward its target. Neeza wasn’t even going to wait to see if it connected, and he didn’t need to. The creature leapt over it and landed softly to one knee, removing its club off its belt simultaneously. Pressing something on the base of his weapon brought out the six blades at the top, making his club a deadly mace. Haldirin made sure he stuck around to cover his boss. No matter how fast they could run, it was gaining on them fast. Other than a slight vibration, the footsteps were silent. Haldirin looked back. By the gods, it was right behind them and had its mace aimed and ready.

  “Duck!”

  Haldirin forced Neeza down and to the right. The mace connected with the ground, kicking mud and grass everywhere. The two mages stood up and rushed forward again, but didn’t get very far before it swung its mace at them, this time over the top. The earth shook violently from the impacts.

  Dyenarus stopped and saw what was going on. Neeza and Haldirin were in trouble. They were doing admirably, but eventually that large mace would find its target.

  “We have to do something! They won’t last much longer!”

  To their surprise, Biverin stepped up, already chanting something softly. The last mace attack caused both Neeza and Haldirin to fall in the freshly uncovered mud. It raised its mace for the final blow.

  Suddenly, a large vine appeared from nowhere, wrapping around the Garchai’s arm. More and more began to engulf key points of the creature as it was doing its best to figure out what was happening. Within seconds the entire monster was nearly blanketed by some kind of plant life, not allowing it to move. As Neeza looked behind him, he saw Biverin finishing his spell.

  The other students were impressed as Neeza and Haldirin joined them, “Excellent work. I am much obliged for the save. What did you do?”

  Biverin laughed and said, “Weeds.”

  Joakon asked, “Those are weeds?”

  “They are the strongest, most durable plant on almost any world with life. And grow almost anywhere with little sustenance. This should hold him for a while, but it won’t hold him forever, so we should get moving.”

  Of all the things he thought would never factor in his survival, it would have been weeds. He had scoffed at having Biverin along at the beginning, but he had been a key member of their party since they landed. Plus, he was a pretty good guy. He didn’t pay much attention to the farming community back home; something that would change when he got back.

  The mages began to run farther west away, from the trapped Garchai. Seeing it wouldn’t free itself soon despite its awesome strength, he raised his head and gave a loud scream. It echoed throughout the immediate
area. There was a silence that followed, but it didn’t last long. A loud howling filled the wind, causing the group to stop temporarily.

  Condarin asked, “Now what?”

  Neeza had heard that sound before. The previous night. They were far away at that time, their howls only as loud as a distant insect chirp. Now, they sounded much closer. Too close for his comfort.

  “Wolves. Keep running. Gerran, how close are we to the coast?”

  “Should only be couple miles away. You can begin to smell the salts from the sea from where we are now.”

  Neeza ordered, “Everyone run into the water as deep as you can. If you can reach one of the atolls, do so. Go! Now!”

  They all started running as they could hear the cracking of branches and crumbling of leaves. Neeza could sense three, but there were undoubtedly more. It was tough, even with his sharp perception at detecting magic, to feel anything clearly. Did the elves cast a rune on his place before they had disappeared?

  The wolves finally made their grand appearance as they went through a clearing. Unlike the other creatures on the island, these actually had eyes . . . three of them. They also had two heads and two rows of razor sharp teeth for each. The fur was knotted in many places, some having spots of open skin that looked diseased. They were also much larger than a normal wolf, probably slightly larger than a man. Upon seeing their prey in the distance, they began to pursue.

  Much to Neeza’s disappointment, these creatures were fast, too. Wasn’t anything slow here? He needed to do something to impede their progress. Earth spells wouldn’t work too well because they worked best when the caster was stationary. The same went with Wind spells. If they were at the coast, the Water spells would be more effective, but the wolves would reach them well before that. It appeared to him that ice magic was the best option again on this new menace.

  Neeza started to run sideways as he chanted, “Iczera Borruanmun Aquanta!”

  A spray of ice emitted from his hand, creating a sheet of ice below the foliage. Perfect! They were less likely to see it with all the cover. As the wolves hit the patch, they slipped and rolled hard on the ground. The ones behind them crashed into the ones in front. There was one that wasn’t fooled. He must have been the Alpha, as he seemed larger than the rest. It stared at Neeza with its three eyes, angry at what he did to the rest of his pack. It lifted its head and gave a deep howl.

  Haldirin grabbed Neeza’s arm and yelled, “Come on!”

  His legs just refused to move. The howl was hypnotic. Even Haldirin’s words were becoming distant. All he could think about was the sound. The Alpha finally stopped its howls. No, keep howling, Neeza wanted to say, but he couldn’t open his mouth. His legs were trying to move closer to the creature.

  “Firammii morza!”

  The three fireballs connected, hitting the Alpha and breaking Neeza from his trance. All of the students attacked the wolves, pelting them with the basic fireball, but it was effective.

  Lindaris stepped to the side and chanted, “Firammii Tidolva!”

  A wave of flames rushed toward the clan, cindering everything it touched. The pack rushed away the moment they saw it. The Alpha waited, though. They could see it through the flames, staring at them. It growled once more as the Flame Wave spell ended just in front of it.

  “Damn it! I could have sworn I was close enough to reach it!”

  The Alpha jumped into and through the flames, igniting some of its fur coat. It began moving slowly toward them, getting into position to pounce the first chance it got. Digging its nails into the ground, it leapt toward the mages. Neeza pushed Haldirin and Gerran off him and quickly began enchanting a spell.

  “Iczera Voulfan!”

  The ice spell connected with the Alpha, freezing it quickly until it became engulfed by ice. It dropped five feet in front of Neeza; so close that the icy mist of the creature’s breath could be felt. That was too close.

  Joakon celebrated, “Well played, Neeza!”

  “What happened? You seemed hypnotized for a few moments,” asked Haldirin.

  Honestly, that was exactly what had happened. How a wolf was able to do that was beyond him. The capabilities of the animals on this island terrified Neeza. It’s no wonder everyone, including the elves, would stay away. There was no use explaining something he didn’t understand quite yet.

  “I need to think on it. We must hurry and get off this island before they come back.”

  Dyenarus replied, “Too late. I can feel them getting closer. And they are not going to be happy when they see what we did to their leader.”

  Neeza ordered, “Run and don’t stop. Go!”

  The mages began to sprint as hard as they could west. Even with the wolf pack still far away, they were getting closer with every moment. Despite telling himself constantly not to, he kept looking back expecting the wolves to be on their tail. They weren’t that close, but he could see their ghostly eyes shimmer through the trees . . . and they sounded angry. They pushed harder through the brush after seeing what happened to their Alpha. Their howls were ones thirsting for revenge, not control.

  The students turned around briefly as they too heard the pack. They were getting closer to them. There was no way they would be able to outrun them for much longer. Come on, Gerran said in his mind, where is the damn coast?

  His feet gave out under him and he began sliding. The other students were taken by surprise as well because they were right behind him and couldn’t stop in time.

  Neeza was the last to descend down the slope. He suddenly noticed a growl from behind them as a couple of the wolves crashed through some thick bushes and pursued down the slope. Where did they come from? Gerran’s scream brought everyone’s attention forward.

  “Cliff!”

  Not good. He had a feeling they would still be too high to actually reach the coast. Neeza braced for another long drop. The distance between the foliage ending and the cliff edge starting was so miniscule there was no chance to stop at the full speed they were going. The other students had already gone over, followed by Haldirin and finally Neeza. As he looked down, he was relieved to see water down below. At least they wouldn’t be hitting the solid ground. It would still sting from their height, but it wouldn’t be fatal. What would be is if they didn’t make it to the shore in time after the landing. Mages were not known for there swimming capabilities. Some were going to be weak after hitting the water. Time was still going to be ever important.

  The howl from above broke his concentration. One of the wolves had fallen off with them and because of the way it was positioned, it was falling faster. It readied its jaws for an attack. Even in certain death the beast was still trying to kill them. Neeza tried to get his staff, but the fall had disconnected it from his back. It would hit the ground moments after they reached it.

  A fireball suddenly hit the wolf. Haldirin’s spell had enough power to it to drive the falling wolf closer to the rocks. It was not going to have as soft a landing as they were. Soon all the mages hit the water while the wolf hit the rocks, killing it instantly.

  Neeza struggled to get back from under the water. He was seeing many of the other students laboring as well. Dyenarus and Lindaris were the only ones not needing assistance. The water was only fifty feet deep, but smaller depths had drowned many a mage. Neeza grabbed Vindar, who was nearest to him and helped him toward the shallows. Haldirin was able to retrieve Joakon, but had to work much harder trying to take him and the bag of alchemical mixes. Dyenarus had retrieved Gerran and Lindaris was bringing in Biverin. But there was someone missing.

  “Help!”

  Condarin, seventy feet from their positions, was struggling to stay afloat. Vindar only needed to hear her voice to realize that she wasn’t on the shore.

  “Condarin! Let me go! I need to help her!”

  Lindaris and Haldirin held him back because he was still disoriented from the fall. Neeza had to do something. He closed his eyes. He hated to have to have to use another Eirborenz spell because
he was going to feel it even worse than the last time on the boat. At least there he hadn’t used much magic during the day. Between the Garchai and the wolves, he casted more than he was used to.

  Neeza said, “Someone be ready to get her. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to hold the spell once I do it.”

  Vindar wanted to, but Lindaris stepped in front of him. He was the fastest of the students and the best option.

  Neeza began to chant, “Calliyorn Vinscini. Watriiara Dullontra. Hirimar Freeyama. Aquaton Sintopla!”

  The waters in front of them began to split a path directly toward Condarin. The others were amazed at the spell. Lindaris was too, but didn’t have the luxury of just watching. The moment the water cleared, he began sprinting. Condarin was finally exposed, landing softly on the now open floor. Lindaris made it to her quickly, swooping her up in a quick motion. As he turned back to run, he could see Neeza struggling to hold the spell. Running back was harder because of the added weight, but also because he was slipping in the mud from the uphill incline.

  Neeza couldn’t hold it any longer and released the spell. Lindaris was halfway through when the waters behind him began to fall. The students were yelling for him to hurry. Easy for them to say, he told himself. Condarin wasn’t heavy, but she was an extra burden he wasn’t used to running with. He didn’t need them telling him he had little precious time. He could hear it behind him. He wasn’t going to make it!

  Dyenarus found some soft soil to implant her staff, holding it and extending her hand. As the waters covered Lindaris there were a brief few seconds of silence. Discouragement began to settle in. Suddenly, Lindaris emerged with Condarin, under his arm. He was trying to swim, but the current was getting too much.