by CM Raymond
Devin poked her head out from the neckline, and she scrambled out onto the druid’s shoulder. Tilting her head, Laurel whispered something to the squirrel, and she responded by scrambling down to the floor. In a flash, she slipped through the bars and was gone from the room.
“Should only take a second,” Laurel said to the confused rearick.
“I ain’t even gonna ask. But it better work. Now that you’ve had a moment to rest, anything you can do for him?” Karl nodded toward Hadley, who was still unconscious in his own cell.
She exhaled long and hard. “Healing isn’t really my strong suit. Certainly not from this distance.” She grinned as Devin returned with a glimmer of metal in her mouth. “But it looks like the distance is about to be abolished.”
She grabbed the keys from Devin’s mouth and reached her hand through the bars. She opened the door and did the same for Karl. Before the rearick even had time to swing the gate open, she was inside Hadley’s cage, kneeling by his side. With a glance over her shoulder, she said to Karl, “We’re right behind you, but he’s not gonna be much use. You’re going to have to figure out how to deal with the guards.”
“I’ve got just the thing.” Karl turned for the hall, grabbing his warhammer along the way. “Good to have ye back,” he snorted, eyeing his weapon.
Leaving the jail room behind, Karl figured out what was making so much noise. One of the guards was leaning his knee on the chest of some helpless sap who was lying flat on the floor. The guard had a freakishly large fist raised in the air.
“Why don’t ya try that out on someone standin’ upright?” Karl said, holding the hammer out in front of him.
Taking one look at the rearick, the guard glanced toward the door.
“I can throw her pretty damned well.” He tilted his hammer in the guard’s direction. “You’ll not make it, son. Let’s go man to man.”
The man stood, rubbing his hands to get ready for combat.
“Parker?” Karl said, finally seeing the target of the man’s blows.
Looking up, Parker wheezed, “All right, Karl. Your turn. I think he’s had enough from me.” And then his head went slack and dropped back to the floor.
“Aye, now it’s personal, you freakish twat.” Karl narrowed his eyes. “Come on!”
“I’ve never seen a child with such a thick beard before,” the man said in a gravelly voice. “I’ll go easy on you, son.” A sneer cut across his face as he sprung in Karl’s direction.
The guard snapped a right hook so fast, Karl had no time to react. It caught him on the chin and pain exploded beneath his beard. As the man attempted to follow with another, Karl dodged left, and drew the butt of the hammer up into the guy’s gut.
With an “ooph,” the guard doubled over.
In the small space, he couldn’t get much momentum, but Karl managed to swing his hammer into the guard’s knee, dropping the man to the floor next to Parker. Eyes wide, Karl drew the hammer back over his head for the finishing blow.
“No!” Laurel shouted as she watched the man writhe in pain.
Karl paused. “No, what?”
Shaking her head, she muttered, “Doesn’t feel right. Just lock him up.”
“Scheisse, is this a druid thing?”
“Protecting life? As far as I can tell it’s just a decency thing.” She nodded to the guard. “This guy was just doing his job. Let’s lock him up.”
Karl snorted, and slung his hammer to his hip. “Alright, lass, but if this douche ends up killin’ me in my sleep some night, you’ll have to live with that.”
She raised her brows. “I think I can handle it. A lot more rearick where you came from.”
Karl dragged the guard to the cell and shut the door. Rapping his knuckles on the metal, Karl got the man’s attention. “Just be glad Princess Pinecone was with me. If not, this would have ended differently.”
Between gasps, the man groaned, “We will get the boy back.”
“Boy?”
Before he could answer, the guard passed out from the pain.
“Let’s get the hell outta here,” Karl said as he pulled Parker to his feet.
Hadley was leaning against the wall, still woozy.
“What’s with him?” Parker asked, rubbing his face, which was starting to swell.
“Rock to the head,” Karl said. “Shame to lose his only asset.”
“Still have my good looks,” Hadley said, forcing a smile. “Can we get out of here now? I never thought I’d say this, but I just want to get back to the ship.”
Parker and the others agreed. “Follow me down the stairs. Once we get through the back door, there’s an alley that will dump us at the base of the hill. If all goes well, we should be able to get out of here as easily as I got in.”
Karl snorted, “Aye, mate. What could possibly go wrong?”
****
His head pounded with each beat of his heart as Hadley took the steps behind Parker. Nothing was worse for a mystic than a blow to the head, and if he were going to be useful, he’d need to push away the pain. Focus. Laurel’s magic had helped, at least a bit, but the thunderstorm in his head remained.
“Stay close,” Parker whispered, standing at the closed door that opened out into the village. “When I came in, there were only a few folks milling around.”
Hadley nodded, but he was hardly listening to the Arcadian. Instead, he tried to quell the pain between his ears enough to reach out to Hannah, let her know their situation. But it seemed no use. The distraction was too great. He needed true rest, healing from the physical trauma that interrupted his state of mind.
The connection between the physical and mental was something that few non-mystics understood, and just as few mystics paid much attention to. Legend had it that the connection between one’s physical nature and mental state was one of the reasons that the mystics brew had to be developed so carefully. A hangover or even a groggy haze would interrupt their mental connection with the world around them and with others.
A rock to the head would do even worse.
“Ready?” Parker whispered to his friends behind him. They all nodded as Parker reached for the door. “Remember. Stay quiet. Stay low. We’ll be out of here before you know it.”
He pushed the door open, sun blinding them all for a moment. As their eyes adjusted, Karl was the first to speak. “Scheisse. Hell of an escape, kid.”
The early evening air was still and quiet, but it was nothing compared to the stillness that sat between the guards and the group from the Arcadian valley. Tension grew in the distance between them, but that silence was broken by something more terrifying—the sound of footsteps.
One after another, people filed in from all directions from the small village. Men, women, and children—each with their long, defined arms, and stretched out legs—took their positions behind the guards.
“Looks like the whole damned place came out to welcome us,” Laurel said with a giggle. “Guess we’re pretty important or something.”
“Gonna go with or something,” Karl exhaled, gripping his hammer tightly. “Seems we should have lined up some back up.” His eyes cut across the crowd which numbered in the dozens. “Like a whole bloody army.”
Parker turned his staff for the sky, blasting three clear rounds over the quiet village. “We got an army of one, who rides on the back of a dragon!”
Just as he shot, the guards advanced. Some of them spun long ropes with rocks attached to either side, but most of them simply gripped their big hands into massive balls. Hadley could only assume they were palming rocks—the people’s weapon of choice.
“No time to wait on dragons,” Karl grunted. He lifted his hammer over his head and let loose a spine-chilling bellow into the air. Stepping up, a group of six or eight were on him, but the rearick moved with the experience of a seasoned veteran. Bodies flew in every direction as Parker turned to the north and advanced with his staff on an oncoming group.
Shit, Hadley thought, gripping his head
. The mystic wasn’t terrible in martial combat, but without his mind working properly, he’d be more of a liability than anything. He stepped back toward the building and slunk to the ground. He had to get control. Looking up at Laurel, she gave him a nod. The druid understood connection, even if not the same kind. She would try to give him time.
But would it be enough?
Devin jumped from her shoulder and crouched by her side. She pulled out her rope blade and began swinging it playfully, as though this was all a game.
Hadley smiled. With people like her on his side, he’d be just fine.
****
The still night was shattered as three bright bolts of power rocketed through the air. It was Parker’s signal, and Hannah wasted no time responding. She lept onto Sal’s back, waking him from what appeared to be a pleasant dream.
She gave him a quick kick with her heel, yelling, “Time to stop sunbathing, Sal. Our friends need us.”
Sal growled low, then flapped his wings, sending them airborne.
Hannah leaned in, holding her head against her dragon’s neck as her hair twisted in the wind. Sal’s speed was impressive, and they cleared the distance to the village in seconds. A wave of long-armed villagers swept down upon her friends, who were fighting hand to hand to hold them back. They were losing ground by the minute.
“There,” she shouted, pointing to another group of soldiers coming to join the battle.
Sal plummeted like a meteor, coming in low from behind them. At the last second before impact, he pulled up and let out a roar that would terrify the most courageous warrior.
The group hit the ground as the dragon swept over them and banked into a turn. From the back of her flying steed, Hannah could see eyes go wide in terror. People ran in every direction as a creature of myth flew back for another attack.
Coming in more slowly this time, Hannah gave Sal a slap on the side. “Happy hunting,” she said, as she pushed off his back. Hitting the ground in a well-practiced roll, she was on her feet, dagger drawn, and ready for battle.
A group of ten ran in from her left. She swiped her hand before her, making a wall of power as if to shield her from their attack. But, instead of a typical defensive field, she shoved both hands forward, pushing the shield in their direction. It bulldozed the group, sending a mass of arms and legs falling in every direction.
Her eyes cut to the battle going on in front of the large building.
Karl was knocking down villagers one after another with his hammer. Each time he dropped one, another engaged. His eyes were resolved, and she knew he could keep it up until the Matriarch herself returned.
Off to the edge, Parker was doing much the same. He was a force to reckon with as his spear spun left and right, keeping the villagers at a distance. They counterattacked with pairs of rocks on ropes, and he narrowly dodged each one.
She cut off toward Laurel. The girl druid was working every advantage she had. A group of villagers were already bound by roots that Laurel had beckoned from underneath, and she was taking care of the rest with her rope blade. But it was the figure she protected that Hannah was most concerned with.
Hadley sat, legs crossed beneath him. His eyes were closed, and Hannah knew he was trying to work. She considered reaching out to him with her mind, but thought it would only distract him from whatever it was he had planned.
Instead, Hannah rushed into an oncoming horde, which were flanking Laurel and Hadley. She ran in hard, lobbing fireballs, large enough to do damage, small enough not to make her energy wane too quickly as she went.
“Aye, what took you so long!” Karl yelled as he ducked a villager’s attack and tossed the man over his back.
“Figured you could use the exercise,” Hannah shouted back as she directed her magic toward an incoming rock the size of Sal’s head. The stone shattered into dust. “After all, it only took you like thirty seconds to get captured down here.”
“Bullocks. I would have been fine on my own. It’s those kids—they’re slowing me down.”
Hannah looked at Laurel who sent a half-dozen armed villagers running in fear as her blade cut through the air. The way she moved, as if the weapon were an extension of her body, was frighteningly impressive.
“Somehow, I find it hard to believe that she held you back,” Hannah said.
Distracted for a moment, Hannah didn’t see the woman charging her until it was too late. She tried to raise her hands in defense, but before the woman could crush her head in with a rock, two large, clawed feet descended from above. Sal grabbed the woman by the shoulders and shot into the air. Hannah laughed as she watched the dragon drop her through a thatched roof.
Despite the impressive display of power her friends were showing off, the villagers would not stop. They came at them again, bleeding and bruised, but undeterred.
“Uh, Hannah, I think we’re gonna need a new strategy here,” Parker shouted as he and a man a foot taller than him grappled over his spear. Parker fell over backward, bringing the man with him, but then he lifted his feet and launched the man into the wall behind him.
Parker was right. Her friends had managed to avoid major injury so far, but it was only a matter of time before they were brought down.
So, Hannah decided to end it.
She closed her eyes, summoning all the power within her. Her hands crossed in front of her, she channeled her energy into a large ball of blue flame.
Hannah opened her eyes. The villagers all took a step back in fear, but then sprinted forward. This was the only way. She raised the fire above her head.
Then a voice broke through the noise.
“Everyone stop!”
She turned toward the source and saw Hadley, his eyes perfect white crystals. His hands were raised, and she could feel his words tugging at her heart, as if a wave of calm washed over her. By the look in the other villagers’ eyes, she could tell they felt his mystic energy, too.
Everyone stopped what they were doing—all eyes were on Hadley.
“There has been a misunderstanding. We are not your enemies.”
Everyone glanced around, villagers and Hannah’s crew alike looked confused.
“Tell me,” he said, this time his voice softer. “Who is Samet?”
CHAPTER SIX
“Helluva a job back there,” Hannah whispered to Hadley as she eased into a chair cut out of a giant log. A dozen or so chairs just like it were arranged in a circle around a fire.
She was impressed with his work. Even with the head injury, he was able to broker a temporary ceasefire between Hannah’s team and the Baseeki—the strangely limbed people who had “welcomed” them to their village. It was equally a testament to his personality and his power.
Now, it was on Hannah and him to ensure the ceasefire remained in effect long enough for her and her friends to get the hell out of here.
“So,” she said. “Got any more tricks up your sleeve? Was there some sort of negotiation training you went through back in the temple?”
Hadley grunted noncommittally and kept his eyes locked on the fire. His face was drawn and gaunt. She hadn’t seen him like this before, and she was worried, that the rock that hit him knocked a few screws loose.
She reached over and placed her hand on his back. Hadley’s body trembled beneath her touch, showing just how much the events of the day had sapped him. Although she was tired also, and there was no telling what was in store, she couldn’t stand to see him like that.
Pushing aside all of the thoughts of Lilith, the Coming Darkness, the villagers, and whatever else, she focused only on her friend. Her eyes flashed red as she pushed her power into him, hoping that it might carry him through to some true rest.
Instantly, his face regained some color and he sat up a little straighter. Turning, he muttered, “Thanks for the pick me up. You wouldn’t want to rub my feet, would you?”
Hannah laughed, glad that her friend was back. “Let’s leave the rest of your healing up to time and nature.”
Karl, Laurel, and Parker stood behind them. The rest of the wooden seats were filled with villagers, mostly older, wizened-looking characters with a few younger folks mixed in. Behind them stood rows of villagers gathered to hear what was going on and what would happen with the foreigners.
Most of them were fixated on Sal. He had been chasing around a group of squealing children, but their parents put a stop to that pretty fast. Without anything else to do, he laid his head on his front claws and stared at the fire like he was bored.
The village council rose as an ancient man with hair halfway down his back approached. Hannah followed suit and lifted Hadley out of his chair as well. One pace behind the man walked a woman, who looked to be in her thirties. She had a subtle kind of beauty, but there was fire in her eyes. Something about her reminded Hannah of Amelia, but she couldn’t place what.
When the old man sat, the group followed suit. He sat in silence, eyes moving around the circle, slowing when he got to Hannah and Hadley. She thought his face looked kind, with it’s bushy salt and pepper brows, thin beard, and a hooked nose. Keeping her eyes on him, she waited for a smile, but it never came.
“As is our custom, I welcome our visitors in the names of the Great Mother and Father and offer our hospitality.”
“If that’s their hospitality, I’d hate to see their rudeness.” Karl grumbled under his breath. Hannah shot him a look over her shoulder, and he promptly shut his mouth.
The old man’s eyes cut to the rearick; he sized him up but ignored his grumble. “Now, it seems we have some things to discuss, but first a proper introduction.” His eyes fell on Hannah, as if he knew she was their leader. “Who the hell are you, and what are you doing here in Baseek?”
Hannah stood. “Sir…”
“You can call me Sef,” he said, a hint of a smile danced on his lips.
“Sef, I am Hannah of Arcadia, and these are my companions.” She paused, realizing that she was uncertain if the time called for the truth or if lying was the better course of action. She chose someplace in between. “We are on a quest to the northeast.”