Nozgull took the bowl and sipped slowly, eyes half-closed. He stopped and motioned for Goblin to sit with his back against a tree at the edge of the clearing, opposite from where Finn hid. Nozgull stood and Finn jumped back, falling to his rear. He stifled a hiss, angry with his own terror, and moved forward to spy once more. Nozgull approached Goblin, removing a length of rope from a satchel. He tied the boy against a tree, binding his arms so he couldn’t escape. The Star-Child returned to his soup, laying on a thin mat near the fire.
Nozgull purred. “Keep cooking me grub like this and I’ll keep you around until the end of the week, miner. Too bad that friend of yours ran off to his death in the Slaglands. I might’ve spared him and had the two of you fight to the death for my amusement.” Finn shuddered.
The fire grew lower and Nozgull drained the last of his soup. He moved to the pot hanging over the flames and poured himself more. Finn dropped back behind the brush and worked his jaw. Something tickled him and again, he jumped, mind returning to when the supervisors had been crushed. He slapped at a bug on his arm, unable to see the critter.
With the sun gone and the moon moving behind thick clouds, the only light came from Nozgull's dwindling campfire. It was getting as dark as holding one’s eyes shut. Finn remembered a piece of equipment hanging about his neck. His mining goggles. He’d grabbed them right before the attack on the mine. Having been in the Slaglands where it never grew dark, he hadn’t given a second thought about them.
He fit them over his eyes and the landscape took on a clear orange hue. Finn peered from around his hiding spot. The light from the fire blinded his sight and he yanked his goggles off.
Goblin’s head had drooped to his chest. He must have been exhausted. Finn cursed Nozgull under his breath. As if in response to Finn, Nozgull stirred from his resting position. Finn ducked, petrified. Nothing happened. Peering around his tree, Finn watched as Nozgull yawned and stretched, smacking his lips. The Star-Child pointed to the sky at his cloud of massive gems. Finn's heart froze, his eyes widened. Like an animal at its last moments, he was mesmerized into stillness by incoming death. Was Nozgull about to send a crystal shard through Finn? Did he know where Finn was the whole time?
Nozgull waved his arms and the cloud spread out, lowering. He controlled the gems to form a ring around the clearing, evenly distributing large and small gems across the grass and dirt, swathing the landscape in wealth. Once the gems all rested on the ground, Nozgull went off into the bushes to relieve himself. When he returned, his armor was gone.
Finn frowned. Had the man dropped off the pieces among the trees? It made no sense. Nozgull went back to his mat and sipped once more at his bowl before tossing the rest of the contents to the side. With a sigh, the Star-Child lay on his back, arms behind his head.
Why had Nozgull lowered his cloud? The answer came right away: Nozgull was tired. He couldn't control his power in his sleep and had to release the stones. It was no wonder he’d spread his vast wealth around the camp: if anyone were to try to sneak up and assassinate him, they would have an entire field full of stones to tip-toe over. It was Nozgull's security measure; meaning Nozgull was vulnerable in his sleep. Finn dared a smile. Could it be his chance? If he snuck around the clearing after the fire went out and while Nozgull slept, Finn could free Goblin and run away in the middle of the night. He even had his goggles to assist him.
He was again assailed by visions of the mining outpost, halting his excitement. Finn studied the man, waiting with impatience. Nozgull had common features, curly hair, and plain clothes—nothing resembling a threat. Again, Finn wondered where the man's strange armor had gone. He remembered the beautifully carved lines in the black metal and the rich brown glow coming from the designs. A magic suit. Finn's eyebrows went up. What if that was why Finn couldn't access the power of the bracer? What if there was a suit to go with it? There had been no armor on the fossilized man. Without a magic suit, would Finn only have fire immunity? He licked his lips and shook his head, trying to dislodge the thought.
The fire shrunk lower, synonymous with Nozgull's eyelids. Finn had to fight his own exhaustion. His body, harshly beaten by days of trekking, was sore and begged for sleep. Only a while ago he’d been trying to find a comfortable position under a tree.
It took time, but Nozgull's form relaxed and Finn heard the man begin to snore. The fire died to glowing coals and the forest took on a cloak of deep darkness. Finn stood, careful to not make any noise, and put on his goggles. He was rewarded with orange vision. He stopped, thinking on what if Nozgull awoke. What if he added more wood to the fire, once more brightening the clearing? He shook his head, the cobwebs of doubt not releasing their hold. He walked around the edge of the camp, trying to reach Goblin without entering the open gem-strewn ground. As he moved, he calculated each step to not snap twigs or crunch over leaves. It took him longer than he liked to approach Goblin's tree and in the end, he was forced to make his way over a few gems to reach the sleeping boy. Throughout that time, Nozgull slept on without being disturbed.
Thanking the stars above, Finn wiped the sweat from his face and crouched behind Goblin. He wrapped his hands over the sleeping boy's mouth, pressing tight. Goblin startled awake, grunting out and shaking.
“Shhhh!” Finn hissed into Goblin's ear, his body tensed and with eyes on Nozgull. “Goblin, don't make any noise! It's me!”
Goblin froze. Nozgull snorted and rolled to his side, facing them. Finn winced but the Star-Child's eyes stayed closed. Goblin turned his head. He couldn't see Finn, but recognized the voice. His eyes, wide as the moon, looked about in the dark. Finn pulled off his goggles and put them on the younger boy. Although Finn could no longer see, he was certain Goblin was staring in open fascination at him and the clearing, covered in precious stones.
“Never thought I'd have to tell you to be quiet.” Finn whispered before taking back his goggles and putting them on. Goblin was grinning, relief overcoming his features. Tears dotted the boy's face. Finn knew Goblin had questions.
“Yeah, I survived the Slag my friend, and a tale it is! But first we must get you out of here. Don't make any noise.”
Finn went behind Goblin's tree and found the knot Nozgull had tied. He glanced at the sleeping man, pausing to check his status. Nozgull stirred, as if in unrest. Finn needed to hurry. He grabbed the knot and worked it, moving as quickly as he could. The man had done a good job, too good of a job. In fact, Finn couldn’t undo the knot. With rising frustration gnawing at his chest, Finn went back around to face Goblin.
“Goblin, the knot’s too tight. I can't get it loose.” Goblin froze, then pointed his chin out around them.
“What do you mean?” Finn whispered as quietly as possible, terrified his voice would wake the Star-Child. “The land? I don't know what you're getting at.” Goblin again pointed out around them, gesturing at the ground. Finn tried to guess the boy's meaning. “The ground? The Earth? What's on the ground? The gems? Oh, use a sharp gem to cut the ropes!”
Goblin nodded with a smile. Both boys were sweating at this point, ears poised for Nozgull's movements. Finn looked about him, able to see what Goblin couldn’t. He spotted a sharp piece of sapphire, dagger-like and long. It rested a few meters in Nozgull's direction. He would have to venture out into the open—exposed. Finn bit his cheek. There had to be another way, but the only knife he saw was sheathed on Nozgull’s waist. Finn’s hesitation was wasting precious time.
As carefully as possible, Finn moved forward, tip-toing and rolling his feet to control his step. He skirted the massive pearl that’d once hung above him back at the Crust. It permeated the air with the sweet smell of rot, both hair and bone fragments matting one side. Up close, he could see many of the gems held dried blood, or more. Finn gagged at a crushed limb too disfigured to be identified, impaled by a long, glistening, purple rod. Nozgull had killed many, the gore being all that was left of those Finn once knew. Each gem was a grave marker; a somber, morbid symbol of Nozgull’s evil. But just as
there were stained gems, there were also clean crisp jewels, an uncountable wealth tempting death. Finn looked away from the red stains in disgust, both anger and horror fighting for dominance within him.
Moving forward, something cut Finn’s foot and he froze, hearing the noise of two stones grinding against each other. He nearly yelped as he wobbled in place, gritting his teeth in pain. Lifting his foot, it took him a moment to spot what he'd stepped on. Two orange garnets, nearly invisible because of the goggles’ hue, rested together. The noise had caused Nozgull to stop snoring and Finn stared at the man's form in terror. Nozgull rolled the other way, muttering under his breath about the price of rubies and how rich he was. Finn swallowed hard, wanting to vomit, and continued toward the sapphire shard with even more care. He reached the sharp gem, grasped it firmly, and returned without stepping on anything.
Goblin, looking about ready to jump out of his own skin, thrashed when Finn crouched in front of him. Finn reassured the younger boy it was him and went behind the tree to cut the boy's bonds. He knew there would be a problem the second he began to slice downward. The noise of sawing the rope with the sapphire was loud—like a bear scratching at a cloth. Finn glanced to the Star-Child, cutting as fast as possible. He had to move fast or the noise would wake the man.
He was halfway through when he checked around Goblin's tree once more. Nozgull, sitting upright, was looking about in confusion, awakened. In horror, Finn went stone-still. Would death be immediate? A flash of crushing pain so swift it was barely registered? The man was feeling around for sticks to put into the fire-pit. His hands fumbled in the dark without results and he frowned.
“Who's there? Miner, is that you making noise?”
Heart to his throat, Finn shook in place. He was terrified of Nozgull. Everything about him: his simplistic clothes doing nothing to warn of his danger, his greedy attitude, and his power. The man could snuff Finn's life in an instant.
Panicked, Finn went back to work. As he resumed cutting the rope, the scratching noise rang out again. Nozgull stood, spinning in place, eyes wide and unable to see. “Who's there?” the man shouted. Nozgull raised his bracer-wearing arm and Finn froze.
His mouth dropped open as Nozgull’s bracer came to life, sliding and expanding. It separated into multiple sections, gliding along the Star-Child's body. A piece stretched and grew thin, wrapping around the man's brow like a crown. Two others formed around Nozgull's hands, shaping into black-metal gloves with sharpened fingertips. One piece grew large and hugged the man's stomach. The magic suit came from the bracer. The intricate designs glowed a soft rich brown, casting enough light to illuminate the man, but nothing else. Still unable to see Finn or Goblin, Nozgull flailed in the dark, a haughty, even prouder demeanor coming over him.
“You’ll not be pleased at knowing whom you've disturbed!” the man shouted. “I’m not the simpleton you thought I was! Step forward night-prowler and face this Star-Child!”
Nozgull lifted his arms and the gems throughout the encampment shot into the sky, spinning and forming a cloud. Finn, using the noise to his advantage, jumped back to his work, cutting at Goblin's ropes for dear life. In his hand, the sapphire trembled, wanting to fly upwards.
“I can hear you!” Nozgull screeched, waving an arm and launching a pillar of formed silver into the brush, far to Finn's right. The metal tore through trees and branches, snapping them like they were brittle twigs. The misjudged attack caused both Finn and Goblin to jump. Goblin gasped and Finn clamped a hand over the boy's mouth. Finn’s blood was cold, as if it no longer pumped.
Nozgull twisted his head in their direction. “Aha!” he shouted, throwing a wave of stones, gems, and crystals all about them. The pieces missed the two boys by a hairsbreadth, and ravaged the forest landscape. They froze as Nozgull cocked his head to the side, listening for movements. He was trying to determine their exact location. Finn grabbed a nearby rock with a trembling hand. He tossed the piece over the Star-Child, making a commotion on the opposite side of the clearing. The man yelled and spun in place, throwing the massive pearl. It barreled through the forest, crushing everything in its path. With Nozgull distracted for a brief moment, Finn went back to the ropes, cutting the last of the bonds. With a snap than made Nozgull spin around, Finn threw the rope to the side and helped Goblin to his feet.
“Trickster! I’ve located you now!” Nozgull yelled. The man raised his arms above his head, lifting all his precious materials.
“Run Goblin!” Finn yelped, diving to the side as stones and crystals smashed all around him. The shard he’d used as a blade broke free from his hand and flew up, cutting his palm. In horror, Finn remembered Goblin couldn't see without goggles.
He rolled across the grass and sprang to his feet, searching for his friend. Goblin, arms out to feel in the dark, ran toward the Star-Child. The boy moved in an uneven line and Nozgull, hearing the incoming steps, swept out a hand. A raw chunk of red ore flew at the boy, striking Goblin across the shoulder. He fell to the grass with a heavy gasp and didn’t get back up. Sensing he'd hit someone, Nozgull raised all his stones back into the air, condensing his cloud into a thick pile. Visions of the outpost spinning through him in a loop, Finn did the only thing he could.
“Bastard! You vat-pig!”
The words left Finn's mouth before he could take them back. With a roar, Nozgull swept his clawed hands and the entire cloud of gems launched in Finn's direction. Running for dear life, Finn dove behind a massive oak tree with a trunk as wide as a wagon. Stones and gems pelted the forest, though none of them strong enough to break through the oak. There was a solid thunk as a chunk rebounded off the center of the fat tree. Nozgull gave a grunt of pain and Finn risked peering around the trunk to see what’d happened.
Nozgull, staggering in place, held a bleeding ear. Finn could guess what’d happened: one of the stones had ricochet back toward the Star-Child, grazing his face. Finn’s terror was roiling, changing into anger, making him feel drunk. “You’re a curse upon Lenova! A blight!” He spat. “Star-Child demon!”
Nozgull staggered and yelled, sweeping an arm without focus. Stones bashed and smashed around the place, but none came close to Finn.
“How do you know me? How do you know of the Star-Children? Who are you?” Nozgull called out.
Finn pressed against the oak, sweat stinging his eyes. “You know who I am, oh EarthBreaker! Your mistake was to let me live! I too am a Star-Child!” The words left Finn giddy but there was a lump in his throat and his entire body shook.
There was no sound from Nozgull. He was no longer stumbling across the clearing. He’d frozen in place. “The boy from the mine outpost? The one that ran into the Slaglands? How’d you survive? How—how do you see me in the dark?”
Finn’s anger was no longer roiling now, but hammering at his core. His instincts told him to move. An idea was forming in his mind, perhaps his only option. Finn stepped from around the tree, reaching into his belt and fingering the large, unbroken piece of Miner’s Pumice inside.
“Nozgull,” he growled, “you can’t own the world. Your gems are stained with filth.”
Nozgull roared, spinning in place. Blood flowed from the side of his head and matted the man’s curly hair. A wave of stones shot in every direction. The massive pearl rolled past Finn, close enough he could’ve reached out and touched it. Nozgull was blinking rapidly, his eyes adjusting to the dark. He was squinting at Finn, as if beginning to make out his form. Goblin, lying out in the open, was stirring.
“Lies!” Nozgull screeched. “I own this world! Me! I was chosen! I saw the terror in your eyes! The fear as I slaughtered all those you knew! You’re a mere miner, a dead man walking!”
Rage saturated Finn’s bones. Even though he’d desperately wanted to leave the Crust his whole life, the miners hadn’t deserved their fate. He looked at his bracer, not feeling any change in the artifact. It wouldn’t aid him.
“I am a Star-Child.” Finn hissed out between clenched teeth. He walked out
into the open, treading quietly. He had no idea the impact of the words he spoke—the terms were foreign to him, yet he played along. Nozgull rubbed his eyes and squinted harder. Finn continued talking. “I know how it was to don the bracer. Did you see visions as well? Visions you can no longer remember?”
Even through Finn’s orange-tinted goggles, he could distinguish the paleness of Nozgull's face. The man quivered, the first time Finn had seen weakness in the monster.
“How do you know of the visions?” Nozgull spoke in a low voice. “Did you see it? The black? Falling skies and the sound... the sound of closing tombs?”
Finn frowned. Although he could hardly remember any of what he'd seen, he knew the visions hadn’t shown him what Nozgull spoke of. The Star-Child looked pained.
“The sound follows me... Tell me miner, DOES IT FOLLOW YOU AS WELL?” The man screamed the words, throwing gems at Finn, eyes adjusted to the dark. Finn dropped to the ground, dodging a crystal that nearly impaled his face. Nozgull screamed in lunacy, blood coating the side of his head.
“You won't take my wealth! My power! I was chosen! I am a God!” Nozgull shrieked into the dark, an animal howling at the moon, and formed his cloud again, collecting all his materials. The massive pearl, along with many other large precious stones, flew above Nozgull. They joined into a large sphere. Nozgull, raising his hands above him, pointed his clawed fingers at the mass, wheezing with strain. Spittle flecked his lips. “I can see you, miner!” He giggled, looking directly at Finn. Nearby, Goblin tried lifting himself up—the boy was dazed but uninjured. Finn had only one option left. Miner’s Pumice had saved his and Goblin’s lives before, perhaps it would do so again. He aimed the porous chunk at Nozgull's head and threw it.
SunRider: Book 1 (The SunRider Saga) Page 9