Rise of the Serpent (Serpent's War Book 2)

by Jason Halstead

  Gor grunted and walked to the southern side of the bridge. Namitus and Amra waited until they were in place and then started down the steep bank to the river. A narrow fissure had been worn out of the ground by water and the passage of people seeking the water’s edge. It was steep, but less than ten feet down to level ground at the edge of the river.

  Namitus reached the ledge and drew his sword while turning. A flickering green light lit up the dark hollow under the bridge. Amra let out a yelp as she slipped and ended up sliding down the cleft in the river’s bank. She bumped into Namitus and nearly sent them both tumbling into the river before he stopped them.

  “Sorry!” Amra mumbled. She pulled herself back and turned to look under the bridge. Her eyes widened and she screamed at what she saw.

  Gor let out a roar from the other side of the bridge and charged the monstrous troll under the bridge. He raised his axe to his left, careful to keep from hitting the underside of the bridge, and planted a foot that he would pivot off and drive his axe into the armored troll’s side.

  The axe never swung and the blow never landed.

  The troll backhanded him in the chest and sent him flying back a couple of feet until he landed on his back. Roots burst from the ground under his feet and crawled up his arms and legs, holding him fast. Bugs began to climb out from holes in the stones and the ground and rush towards him, intent on climbing onto the large warrior and feasting.

  Allie froze and then shook herself free. She went to Gor and tried to pull him free, only to let out a yelp and start brushing the crawling and biting bugs off her hands. She didn’t notice the snarling goblin with a sword in hand approaching her.

  Namitus straightened and sheathed his sword. “A troll under the bridge? That’s the best you can do?”

  The troll spun to face him. His snarl faded in the blink of an eye and he grinned. “Ey der!”

  “Thork, you’re killing my friend.”

  Thork spun back around and saw what the infestation he’d summoned was doing. He grimaced. “Dat’s gotta hurt,” he mumbled. He raised his hand and hesitated. The troll’s brow furrowed and then he shrugged and waved his hand, dispatching the magic that imprisoned Gor.

  Gor bellowed and rolled, sending bugs flying off him or squashing them between his body and the ground. He rose up, swatting and swiping the bugs as he turned. Blood ran from dozens of bite marks on his body. He snarled at the troll and reached down to scoop up his axe.

  “Gor!” Namitus barked. “Calm down. Thork’s a...friend.”

  “This is Thork?” Gor growled. “The troll shaman?”

  Thork grinned, displaying his toothy mouth. He stepped up to Gor and looked him over. “Yous is a biggun. Thork has seen bigger stoopids, but yous is different.”

  Gor’s chest swelled as he took in a breath. He glanced at Namitus. “What did he say?”

  Thork laughed and slapped his side. He looked back at Namitus. “Him’s gonna work just fine.”

  “Fine? For what?” Namitus asked.

  “For being a stoopid. For bashin da ijjits dat yous guys is going to be bashin.”

  “What—”

  “Namitus, what’s going on?” Allie asked. She moved up next to Gor and helped him brush the bugs off his back that were trying to escape.

  “Yes, that’s a good question,” Namitus said. “What is going on? I had a hunch you would show your face at some point.”

  Thork nodded. “Took yous stoopids long enough to get here. Thork’s been all over da place trying to guess which way yous would come.”

  “You know where we’re going?”

  “Half-blood,” he said.

  Gor cursed.

  “What do you know?” Namitus asked.

  “Yous is in it deep,” the troll said. “Yous knows dere’s dragons involved, right?”

  “Dragons? More than one?”

  Thork grinned.

  “Saints,” Namitus muttered. “I knew of at least one. Do you know why they’re after half-bloods?”

  “Not you, stoopid,” Thork said.

  Namitus winced and turned to look at Amra. He saw Corian standing at the bottom of the cleft in the bank, his bow lowered at his side. Jillystria was behind him. Both of their lips were parted in a stunned gasp.

  “Dem didn’t know?”

  “Not yet, thank you,” Namitus muttered.

  “Oops,” Thork said. He shrugged. “Well, bedder now dan lader!”

  “What about half-bloods?” Allie asked.

  “Dem is looking for one to lead dem,” Thork said. “A powerful warrior. One wif da blood of da dragons in dem.”

  “A half-dragon?” Amra whispered.

  “That can’t be possible,” Allie said.

  Namitus shook his head. “It is. I’ve met one. No, two, I think. We have to go back north.”

  “North?” Amra asked.

  “Aye, the king of Shazamir is the son of his father. There’s another, the rule of Peltarch, who is the same.”

  “Dem’s not da ones. Dem isn’t powerful bashers,” Thork said.

  “Lariki?” Allie asked.

  Thork turned and pointed at her. “Yous is clever, for a stoopid.”

  She shook her head and stared at him, mystified.

  “Gimme dat knife,” he commanded.

  Allie was halfway to him before she shook her head and frowned. She stopped and stared at her sword that had found its way back into her hand. “What—”

  “Dat fing isn’t doing nuffin for yous. Not against what yous is gonna need it for.”

  “I don’t—”

  “Dat’s okies, Thork does,” he said. He gestured with his fingers again and got her to hand it to him. Thork held it over his green campfire and twisted it back and forth. He nodded and held it back to her, palm first.

  “Um...so now what?” she asked.

  Thork turned and pointed at his campfire. “Stick da blade in dere.”

  “That will ruin the temper!”

  “Do it,” Namitus urged her.

  She frowned and stared at her blade. The desert rose engraved in the hilt marked it as hers. That had been a nickname her grandfather and father called her as a child. “If you ruin this...”

  When neither Thork nor Namitus relented, she sighed and plunged the blade into the flames. She held it and waited, but nothing happened. She turned to Thork. “Is this working? What am I doing?”

  “Deeper,” he urged.

  “I can’t! I’ll burn myself!”

  “Dat’s da point.”

  Her eyes narrowed. She glanced to Namitus and received a reassuring nod from him. Allie looked down at her sword again and took in a deep breath before she thrust it in deeper and saw the green flames licked at her hand and surround it. She gasped and let out a strangled cry before falling to her knees.

  Gor started forward but Thork held out a hand, stopping him with the gesture instead of a spell. Allie whimpered and collapsed, falling free of the fire and coming to rest on the ground. She groaned and rolled over, and then sat up and looked around. Tears filled her eyes, but she blinked and wiped them away.

  Allie gasped and stared at her hand. The flames hadn’t burned her. She picked up her sword and noticed the rose petals were filled with color now. Her eyes widened and she looked up at Thork. “What did you do to them?”

  Thork grinned. “Nobody did nuffin to nobody. Dat was all yous. Dat knife is got yous mojo in it now. Long as yous isn’t scared of using it, dat fing won’t fail yous.”

  Allie climbed to her feet slowly, her body shaking a little from her experience. She stared at the blade in her hands again and twisted it, catching a green flash off the blade from the fire. She took a shuddering breath and nodded. “Thank you,” she mumbled and sheathed her sword.

  Thork turned to Gor. He opened his mouth but Gor shook his head.

  “I don’t want anything,” Gor said.

  “Dat axe isn’t gonna help much against some of da fings out dere,” Thork warned.

&n
bsp; “They won’t kill me. They can’t.”

  Thork chuckled. “Some of dem can. Thork can. Dat curse isn’t da worstist fing out dere.”

  Gor’s eyes widened. “You can lift the curse?”

  “Can? Maybe,” Thork said. “But dat’s not Thork’s job. Yous is da one dat can do dat.”

  Gor clamped his lips shut and glared at the troll. “I gave up searching years ago.”

  “Don’t give up, yous is almost dere,” Thork said.

  Gor snorted and looked away from the green-skinned shaman.

  Thork turned back to Namitus. “Dat was sumfin,” he said. He stiffened and grinned, waving at Corian. “Ey der, elfy! Hows dat dagger working? Yous hasn’t been bashed yet. Dat’s good.”

  Corian had recovered enough to nod.

  “Yous must be da treehugger’s sister. Yous’s pretty. Glad yous didn’t get bashed too.”

  Jillystria blushed and bowed her head. “Thank you, um, sir. For your help and kindness.”

  Thork chuckled and looked at the girl hiding behind Namitus. He nodded and glanced at Namitus before winking at him as though they shared a secret.

  “Thork,” Namitus said, ignoring the troll’s lewd behavior. “What of our search for Lariki?”

  “Go souf, to Rosekeep,” Thork said.

  “Lariki’s there?” Namitus asked.

  “Da Vultures is living dere,” Thork said.

  “A half-dragon,” Namitus repeated. He shook his head. “All right—we have to kill him?”

  Thork tilted his head and then chuckled. “Stoopids,” he muttered before shrugging. “Lariki is da one dem snakes is looking for. Dem needs a leader, but if dey can’t git dat, dem dey want Lariki bashed.”

  Namitus nodded and saw the confused expressions on everyone else’s face. Thork’s speech was worse than usual. “The prophecy, they seek a half-blood—Lariki—but if they can’t get him, then they want to kill him to keep him from stopping them.”

  Allie gasped. “We have to find Lariki first! Find him and convince him to fight for us.”

  Namitus nodded. “Our goal is the same as our enemy’s. We find our champion...or we destroy theirs.”

  “Den git going,” Thork urged. “Unless yous stoopids want some Trolwerkz potions?”

  “No!” Namitus said loud enough to echo under the bridge. He winced at the hurt expression on the troll’s face and tried to soothe the shaman’s feelings. “You’ve given us so much already. Counsel and a gift for Allie. We’re in your debt.”

  “Yous sure?” Thork asked.

  “I am,” Namitus said. “I’ve got a few leftover that Karthor brewed, after you showed him some of the arts of alchemy.”

  Thork nodded. “Him’s not a bad potion brewer. Almost good ’nuff to work for Trolwerkz as an apprentice.”

  Namitus smiled and nodded. “He speaks highly of your teachings.”

  The troll smiled, mollified by Namitus’s words. Then he belched and patted his belly.

  Namitus turned away to his friends. “South?”

  “Southeast,” Gor said. “We follow the river to Crystalwood and then the coast for a way until we head inland to Rosekeep.”

  Thork grinned. He spun around and picked up his spear from where it was leaning against the bank. The faint green glow emanating from the blade flared brighter in his hands. Everyone watched, fascinated, as he thrust his spear in mid-air and caused a spark of brilliant white light. He lowered the spear tip, cutting the blade through the fabric of reality and leaving a radiant line of light floating in the air.

  When the blade of his spear reached the ground, he pulled it back and leaned the spear against the bank again. He turned back and thrust his hands into the line of light. He pulled the line apart, spreading it and blinding them with the brilliance that poured out of the split in mid-air. Thork leaned into the light and rummaged around until he cried out and pulled out a barrel. He turned and held it up, grinning.

  Namitus forced his eyes into slits and asked, “What is that?”

  “Barrels! Yous can ride down da river in barrels.”

  “You’re mad,” Namitus said. “We’ll be drowned or crushed.”

  Thork frowned and turned around. He tossed the barrel back in and rummaged around some more until he grabbed something else. He pulled and pulled on it, backing up and tugging a large canoe out of his extra-dimensional rift. The canoe soon turned into a shallow-bottomed raft large enough to carry close to a dozen men. Thork grunted as it became too heavy for him to carry anymore and began to drag it across the ground.

  “Hey stoopids, help,” Thork grunted. “Pull da front.”

  He moved back to the magical portal he’d created and continued tugging on the raft. Namitus tried to help him and motioned Gor to join him. Between the two, they managed to help the troll pull it free. He used his spear to close the portal and leave them all blinking until their eyes adjusted to the darkness under the bridge.

  “Well dere, now yous has a boat,” Thork said.

  Namitus nodded. “The current is swift; we’ll need help launching it.”

  Thork nodded and worked with the two to drag and push it so that the front half of the boat was in the water and the latter half was on the shore.

  “Oh, and Thork?”

  “What?” the troll asked.

  “What about little Tommy and his goat?”

  Thork grinned. “Dat was a baby goat.”

  Namitus winced. “You didn’t, um—”

  Thork’s laugh echoed under the bridge, causing them all to cringe. When he stopped, he shook his head and pointed downstream. “Thork saved dem from falling in da river. Dem den ran off down dat way.”

  “Are you telling the truth?” Namitus asked. “You didn’t eat them?”

  Thork grinned. “Thork doesn’t eat kids.”

  “What about the go—oh saints!”

  Namitus shook his head while the troll howled with laughter again. He turned to the boat and pointed at it, afraid his directions wouldn’t be heard over the troll’s laughter. Amra leaned in close. “Did he eat them?”

  “No, he doesn’t eat kids,” Namitus said. “And a baby goat is called a kid too.”

  Amra stared at him and shook her head.

  Namitus nodded. “Let’s go, before he hurts us with his jokes.”

  “You’ve told some bad jokes yourself,” she pointed out.

  Namitus shrugged. “Then let’s go because I don’t like the competition.”

  Chapter 10

  “I’ve never seen so many guards before,” Allie muttered as they passed a merchant caravan of four wagons bound to the northwest, for Crystalwood. “Four guards, at the most,” she said. “My dad said any more and the merchants were just wasting money.”

  “I counted eight, all armed to the teeth,” Namitus said.

  “Down here, any less and you invite trouble,” Gor said. “Sometimes from within.”

  “From within?”

  “Bandits posing as guards,” he explained.

  Amra sucked in a breath. “The guards at Crystalwood warned us about bandits!”

  Namitus eyed the passing wagons and the men riding horses with them. He smiled and nodded at a few, but received nothing in return but a cold glare. “A cheery bunch down here,” he observed.

  Gor chuckled. “There’s money to be had down here, but it does you no good if you’re dead.”

  “I don’t understand what he means,” Amra whispered.

  Namitus turned his head and saw her face was right next to his. He smiled rather than pulling away and alarming her. “Trust the wrong person and you get a dagger in your belly for it.”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh! My father has had dealings like those a few times. Expensive fabrics that he knew better than to ask too much about the origin of.”

  “Aye, much the same I imagine.”

  They rode past the merchants and continued for another couple of hours until it was past high sun. The trees were thinning and falling behind them, leavin
g them in slow rolling hills covered in green and brown grasses.

  “Feel better with the sun on your face?” Amra leaned close and asked.

  “What’s that?”

  “You relaxed as we left the forest behind. It is a little warmer here, out of the shade.”

  “Fewer places to hide,” he said. “Bandits could be lurking in every tree. Out here it’s not so easy.”

  “Oh!” She pulled back and looked around. She sighed. “I don’t know if I could ever get used to living like this. Always worried and searching for the next attack.”

  “It’s not always like this,” Namitus said. “We just happen to be fortunate enough to have fallen in with a few people who have been bound to a troubling path.”

  She lowered her voice further. “And we’re going with them.”

  Namitus grinned. “This is where the greatest stories are learned. Would you rather hear a song of a great triumph, or see it firsthand?”

  “I’m leaning towards the song,” she admitted.

  “And miss out on the details?”

  “Like sleeping on the hard, cold ground? Sore muscles from riding perched on half a saddle for weeks at a time?”

  “You won’t remember those,” he said. “I mean the shared experiences. Forging bonds of companionship that will never be forgotten. Understanding yourself and what life really means to you. Finding the answers to the questions that no amount of time spent staring into a cup can bring you.”

  “You truly are a poet,” she said.

  He chuckled. “I don’t know about that. I think I’m a man in need of a quest. Without it, I find ways to get myself in trouble.”

  “What sort of trouble?”

  “Seeking out whatever takes my fancy. Wandering. Searching for something new to experience and learn.”

  “I see. Has a woman ever taken your fancy?”

  Namitus smiled. “I have those stories too, but they aren’t as exciting as you might hope. I know my flaws. I keep it in mind to avoid getting myself caught up in something that would leave someone hurt and angry.”

  “But what if it worked out? What if you didn’t need to leave?”

  Namitus was silent for a moment. “Have you ever heard of the man who married a woman in hopes that she would never change? And the woman who married a man she hoped she could change?”