Pure Choice dm-6

by Jeff Inlo

  While the information he gleaned from the trails relieved him, the rationale for such behavior puzzled him as much as Linda's bizarre path. There was no plausible reason for the goblins to make such a determined effort to flee from a human, especially one so vulnerable. Such a target should have made the goblins gleeful with anticipation.

  But the tracks of the goblins were just as clear as those of Linda. Packs of the vicious monsters consciously and consistently altered their routes to elude his wife, as if they had discovered a mountain lion, a shag or a rock beetle in their path.

  As the delver pressed onward, he found another set of tracks that brought him both delight and possibly an explanation. The prints in the ground were clearly those of a cliff behemoth. A single giant had come from the north, intercepted Linda's trail, and then followed. Even a goblin horde might run from a lone cliff behemoth.

  But as Ryson examined the footprints, the theory did not hold. Many of the goblins had turned back long before the cliff behemoth would have been noticed. Some of the goblins had even turned north to avoid Linda, and probably inadvertently stumbled near the titan. As he placed the trails in their proper sequence, the delver knew it was not the cliff behemoth that the goblins chose to avoid, but instead, they had turned away from Linda specifically.

  Examining the tracks brought yet another question to his delver mind. Why would a cliff behemoth come from the north and then follow the trail of his wife? It didn't make sense.

  His curiosity had still not matched his concern for his wife's safety, but it was growing. The situation, however, had turned and there was actually cause for optimism. The delver knew a cliff behemoth would do Linda no harm.

  He swelled with emotions of confusion, concern and even hope. He had clear facts before him. He knew what was happening, he just couldn't understand why.

  The last set of tracks he came upon were the most confusing of all. He found the trail of a shag converging on Linda's path. At first, the finding ripped a hole through his budding hope as the monster and his wife had clearly come face to face. The thought of such an encounter was difficult to envision, but the signs on the ground revealed a perplexing outcome.

  She should have died. There was no other plausible conclusion. The cliff behemoth had not reached her in time. The shag was there first, and yet, no such horrible confrontation had occurred. After a brief encounter, the shag had retreated. Linda was still very much alive and had actually departed the area with the cliff behemoth in tow. The signs were as undeniable as they were incomprehensible.

  He also realized that he was closing in on her. He cleared his mind of his confusion and anxiety. After checking the direction of the wind, he inhaled deeply through his nostrils. He caught Linda's scent, not from the ground or the brush, but from her person.

  He tilted his head as he lifted one ear higher than the other. He could hear the cliff behemoth pushing through the forest. It also brought Ryson more than hope, it finally brushed away his suffocating fears.

  Linda was alive!

  He was sure of it. She was moving through the forest and the cliff behemoth was following her.

  Racing at near top speed, leaping over any thick brush in great bounds and dodging around tree trunks, Ryson quickly caught sight of the behemoth's back. As he closed on the cliff dweller, he was certain he recognized the giant. He could not possibly determine how or why Dzeb was there, but even his delver curiosity could not overcome his desire to be with his wife. He dashed passed the giant in a blur of motion and caught up with Linda.

  He cut off her path and came to a stop directly in front of her, forcing her to come to a halt. He was thrilled to see her, until he noticed her expression. When he looked into her eyes, he almost didn't recognize her. He didn't see joyful acknowledgment, he saw furious disgust.

  "Why did you come here?!" she hissed.

  Ryson almost couldn't respond. All of the relief at finding her drained out of him in an instant.

  "I was looking for you," he was able to say just above a whisper, but he was almost in shock at her hostility.

  "Looking for me? Looking for me?!!!" Her shout then dropped to an icy snarl. "Why would you bother looking for me?"

  All Ryson could do was point out the obvious.

  "You weren't home. I was worried. They told me…"

  "They? Who is they?" she demanded.

  "Linda, what's wrong? You know I'd come looking for you."

  "Answer me! Who told you?"

  Stunned, Ryson blurted out the truth.

  "The guards saw you. Sy told me."

  "So you're talking to Sy again? Good for you."

  Ryson couldn't believe it. He expected her to be overjoyed, but she seemed angry over absurd details. Completely confused, he pressed for some kind of explanation.

  "Why did you come out here?"

  Linda's eyes widened and she shook visibly, but only for a moment. As she stared into Ryson's face, she seemed to be able to see his thoughts, and her response was chilling.

  "You know why," she responded in another hiss. And then she nodded her head as if punctuating her accusation. "Yes, you do. Deep down you know exactly why I'm here… to get away from you."

  "Don't," Ryson whispered.

  "Don't what? Go ahead! Tell me what it is that I'm not supposed to do. Is there something you don't want to hear? That's what you're really saying! You can't figure out what's going on, can you? What should I do… am I supposed to throw my arms around you? Is that what you want? Don't stand there looking all confused. Don't be a fool. I understand what's going on. You want me to be thrilled to see you, but you can't understand why I'm not."

  He couldn't believe what she was saying, knew there was something wrong with her. She was sick. She had to be. That's what Ryson grasped at, but even holding to that thought, it still hurt. He tried to reason with her, assert the full truth and not simply accept her wild reasoning.

  "You weren't running just to get away from me. That can't be all there is. There's something else."

  "And suddenly you know all the answers?"

  "No… I don't, but this doesn't make sense. Why would you run out into the forest just to get away from me? You could have went anywhere… Connel, Pinesway, even further east into the farmlands. This was dangerous and you knew it. You could have even stayed home and told me to leave you alone. You didn't have to come out here. Why would you put yourself in that kind of danger?"

  "Why?" Linda reeled with shock at the question, as if incapable of believing that Ryson would actually ask. "To show you what it feels like, that's why! Are you really that stupid? You leave all the time. Where do you go? Just to Connel? To Pinesway or the farmlands? No! You go into this forest. You go into the hills and the mountains. You go anywhere you want. I can do the same!"

  Linda's wrath grew. She began to pace about the forest floor, flashing an angry gaze at Ryson with every turn. She would start to talk, but before a hostile word could pass through her lips, she clamped her mouth shut and grunted through gritted teeth. She shook her head and smacked her hand against her hip as if she needed to strike out at something, anything.

  She suddenly stopped stone dead still and stared into the ground. She bit down on her lip, almost drawing blood. She stopped hitting herself, but her hands clenched into tight fists. She began to breathe heavily and when she finally looked up at the delver, there was pure rage in her expression.

  "You tell me I could have stayed home? That you would have left me alone?! You wouldn't even leave me alone out here! You followed me like some pathetic puppy! I didn't want you here. I don't want you here. I want you to leave me. Go back to exploring some hole in the ground or whatever it is that delver's do. I'm sick of you. Do you hear me?! I'm sick of you!"

  The words cut him more than any weapon could, but Ryson held his ground. He would not turn from her. He wouldn't even argue with her. He accepted it all.

  "I'm sorry," he offered.

  His sincere apology, however, meant nothing
to her. She lashed out, swung with her fists, but not at the air, the tree branches, or even her own hip. She struck at her husband. Struck him over and over.

  "Get out of here!" she screamed.

  But Ryson wouldn't move. He wouldn't even try to avoid her assault. He accepted it; penance for every conceived error in judgment. He allowed her to take out her anger on him, hoped it would purge her of whatever fury was stuck inside of her.

  It was Dzeb that intervened. He wouldn't allow Linda to continue. As gently as he could, he took hold of her. Pulled her away so she could not reach the delver.

  Linda continued to swing in Ryson's direction even as she hit nothing but the tree branches overhead. Her frustration exploded.

  "Let me go! Let me go!"

  But Dzeb would not release her.

  She struggled mightily, but she could not hope to break the titan's grip. In a fit of pure fury, she screamed with every ounce of energy within her. It was the last noise she made before she passed out.

  Ryson rushed toward the cliff behemoth and took his wife from Dzeb. He held her in his arms as a flood of emotions overwhelmed him. He was hurt, both physically and emotionally. He was confused and at a complete loss for what to do next.

  "She's not herself," Dzeb said with more than just compassion. He appeared to have a far greater understanding of the situation than the delver.

  "What's wrong with her?" Ryson demanded.

  "Something is inside of her, something that should not be there."

  "I don't understand what that means."

  "Do you understand that the rage was not her own?"

  It was a relief to hear, but Ryson wasn't sure he could believe it.

  "You're saying something's controlling her?"

  "Control? No. Confusing her. Angering her."

  "Do you know what it is?"

  "I cannot say."

  "Then how do you know?"

  "How could I not?"

  Ryson wanted to shout at the behemoth, but he could not find it within himself. He was emotionally spent, but he still needed answers.

  "Dzeb, this isn't the time for games. How did you know?"

  "I am not trying to play a game with you, Ryson Acumen. She is stricken, even you should know that, but by what, I still cannot say. I simply do not know."

  "We need to get her to help."

  "I am in agreement. Let me take her for now."

  Ryson was reluctant to let Linda go. He almost argued, but the gentle behemoth stated a simple truth.

  "You must use your skills to find the quickest path back to your home. You cannot do that and carry her at the same time. Let me help you."

  Ryson conceded and allowed Dzeb to gently take hold of Linda once more.

  "You lead and I will follow," the cliff behemoth offered.

  Ryson agreed, but decided to change their destination.

  "We're not going back to Burbon. We're going to Connel. I don't know if this is magic or not, I don't see how it could be, but I think we should go see Enin."

  Dzeb nodded and then followed Ryson through Dark Spruce toward the east, toward Connel.

  Chapter 24

  Linda regained consciousness just as Ryson and Dzeb reached the outer limits of Connel. She stirred as if waking from a long sleep, but she never struggled to be free of the cliff behemoth's grasp. She looked up at Dzeb, recognized the giant, but did not smile or curse. She simply shrugged.

  "She is awake," Dzeb alerted the delver.

  Ryson stopped immediately with both relief and trepidation gripping his every thought. He was thankful to hear Linda was conscious, but he braced himself for a another outburst of her seemingly uncontrollable fury. It was like finding her in the forest all over again. His heart leapt at the prospect of avoiding catastrophe despite the terrible odds, but he feared just how angry she would be over his decision to remove her from Dark Spruce.

  He stepped up quickly to check on her, and to possibly cope with a barrage of insults and scorn. As he looked upon her face, most of his fear began to drain away, but his burden had not been completely eased.

  Linda appeared well enough, but the hostility that had been etched on her face melted into indifference. She gave him no joyful smile of recognition, no glow of emotional attachment. She just looked at her husband, and then seemed to gaze through him as if he wasn't even there.

  "Are you alright?" Ryson asked with genuine concern, but also with a level of delver curiosity. He could not understand the change within her, and though he worried terribly about her, he could not dismiss the mystery of her emotions.

  Linda did not answer immediately. She took a heavy breath as she looked at the delver with clear recognition. She did not shout or snarl at her husband, showed not the slightest hostility, but she didn't offer any genuine affection, either. Her expression, her entire being, was devoid of emotion.

  "Did you hear me?" Ryson asked again, not wanting to antagonize his wife, but needing her to answer.

  "I heard you," she replied. "I'm tired. Where are we?"

  "Connel."

  "It looked familiar," Linda stated.

  "Do you remember what happened?"

  "When?"

  "In the forest, right before you passed out."

  "I think so," she admitted with another shrug.

  She frowned slightly, but not at the thought of her own actions. She could recall her outburst-even remembered striking her husband-but that caused her little regret. The only thing that annoyed her, and it was only marginally, was the thought of the shag running away.

  "I hit you," she announced as if she had recalled serving him an ale at the Borderline Inn. "I was in the forest. A shag ran away from me. I wonder why."

  "I believe because it saw me," Dzeb offered. "Do you remember me?"

  "Yes. You kept following me."

  "That's right," Dzeb confirmed with a sincere smile, very pleased to hear that Linda recalled most of the events.

  Her attitude, however, did little to encourage the delver. While she wasn't hostile to him or the cliff behemoth, she regarded them both with the barest consideration.

  "Would you like me to put you down?" Dzeb asked.

  "Are you well enough to walk?" Ryson pressed.

  Linda disregarded the concern of her husband. She seemed to weigh the benefits of walking on her own as opposed to being carried. In the end, she wouldn't make a decision and left it to the giant.

  "You can if you want."

  "I want you to be safe," Dzeb replied. "I will hold onto you until you wish me to put you down or we reach our destination."

  "Where are we going?" Linda wondered but with no real interest one way or the other.

  At that very moment, they were interrupted by a soldier on horseback who had ridden out to meet the threesome. The guards at Connel's border could not ignore the sight of the cliff behemoth, nor could the citizens at the edge of the city. A crowd was beginning to form.

  "I'd like to ask you the same question," the guard announced as he moved up. "Where are you headed?"

  Dzeb smiled broadly at the horse. He cradled Linda in one arm, allowing him to lift the other free. As he held out his palm, the horse willingly stepped up to the giant and nudged the huge hand with its snout. Dzeb patted the horse gently but lovingly.

  "Do you recognize me?" Ryson asked of the soldier.

  "Yes, you're the delver… Acumen, I believe."

  "That's right," Ryson replied with relief. He hoped that would make things easier. He didn't want to be delayed by guards that might question his intentions. He knew Enin was difficult to see, but he had a long history with the wizard. "We need to see Enin."

  "I don't think that's going to be a problem. He'd want to know about your friend here. I've heard about cliff behemoths, but never saw one myself. Never thought I ever would, to tell you the truth."

  The soldier regarded the giant with both a sense of awe and gratitude. Despite the overwhelming appearance of the cliff behemoth, word had spread through
the ranks that they had assisted humans in the past. He was grateful for that. He had defended the city against shags and bloat spiders-colossal beasts in their own right-but neither could match the staggering presence of the titan before him.

  "What's the best way to handle this?" Ryson wondered aloud.

  The guard looked back to the city border. The number of curious bystanders was growing. He wasn't sure what the delver wanted with Enin, but he acknowledged the wizard was the best suited to handle the situation.

  "I'd like to get you to a safe place," the guard stated. "You're causing too much commotion out here in the open. Did you have a place in mind?"

  "I was going to head right to Enin's home. I've been there before."

  "Then you know that might not be the best place to go. You're going to attract a big crowd and there are some narrow streets between here and there with quite a few open markets as well. Too many people at this time of day. We also need to find a place that can accommodate your friend's size."

  "Would you escort us to the Church of Godson, please?" Dzeb requested as he continued to pet the contented horse.

  "That's not a bad idea," the soldier allowed. "You alright with that?"

  Ryson was fine with the idea and nodded in agreement.

  "Alright," the soldier stated and then reviewed the surrounding grounds. "This is what I'd like to do. I'm going to lead you around that hill to my left. That's going to take us out of the view of the crowd. Then, I'm going to pick up the pace a bit. I know you can keep up," the soldier acknowledged as he looked to Ryson, but then turned to Dzeb, "but how about you?"

  "I will try to maintain any pace you set," Dzeb announced with all humility.

  "I don't think you have to worry about him," Ryson added. "They are surprisingly fast and their long stride allows them to cover a lot of ground in a hurry."

  "Great. Then I'll lead you down a side path I know. We're still going to attract attention, but not as much. I'll get you to the church, get you inside, and then I'll send word to Enin."