Rolling his eyes Johann made a noise and laid back down.
Slen got to his feet and looked toward the road. “I tell you something’s out there.”
“Well,” Johann replied, “if it comes calling, let me know.” He closed his eyes for but a second before the sound of running feet approached from the road. He sat up just as two lads appeared out of the dark to race through their camp.
“Hey!” Slen yelled just before the larger of the two knocked him down.
Johann scrambled to his feet and drew his sword but the two lads had already vanished in the dark.
Turning back to Slen, Johann began, “Should we go…,” but then stopped upon spying two sets of red eyes staring at him from the dark.
Screams followed them through the night as Jaikus and Reneeke raced away from the pair of guards set to watch the road.
“That was quick thinking,” Jaikus said.
“Don’t know if it will keep them from following or not.”
Jaikus was beginning to get winded from the amount of running they had done. “At the very least it bought us a little more time.” He slowed to a fast walk.
Screams continued for another minute before the night grew quiet. Allowing Jaikus to walk for only a few minutes, Reneeke pushed them back to a full run. Without knowing if they were still being pursued, they fled toward the main road.
Chapter 8
A half hour of alternating running and walking brought them to within sight of the main road. They had just turned to head north to try and catch up with Master Tuppin when from the woods behind them sounded the unmistakable howling of the beasts.
“They haven’t given up, Rene!”
Reneeke shook his head. “And we aren’t going to be able to outrun them.”
He shifted the chest from beneath one arm to beneath the other as he looked around their moonlit surroundings. Off to their right the road meandered along a hillside. Though steep, it wasn’t sheer. But it was better than nothing.
“We’ll make our stand there,” he said as he hurried forward.
“We can take ‘em,” Jaikus said as he followed after.
Reneeke liked his confidence though he did not share the belief. “Just remember what Master Swordsman Leari said. ‘If you are outnumbered, pick the terrain and then stick to it.’ We stay together, Jaik. No heroics.”
Jaikus nodded. “I won’t abandon you.”
That wasn’t what he was worried about. Rather, that Jaikus would get caught up in the excitement and dart forward thereby leaving them both more exposed and negating any advantage the terrain might afford.
They placed the chest against the backdrop of the hillside and then drew their swords. Minutes ticked by as they waited for the beasts to approach. When at last the two pairs of red eyes appeared from out of the shadows, Reneeke raised his sword as Master Swordsman Leari had taught.
“Watch your grip,” Reneeke advised.
“Got it.”
“You ready?”
Jaikus sighed. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Growls came from the dark as the eyes crept closer…then they leapt.
Bolts of white light shot out of the dark and struck the beasts as they sprang forward. Knocking them to the side, more flew from the dark to hit with devastating result.
Braced for the attack, Reneeke looked on in amazement as white bolts of power emerged from a point some distance deep within the shadows. Time and again they flew forward to strike the beasts. Each volley lit the night and they saw how the beasts were being badly hurt. Then four spinning disks of white energy shot forward; two struck each beast. They cleaved through and through and when they shot out the other side, vanished.
Before their light faded, Jaikus and Reneeke saw what was left of the beasts slump to the road in a pile of gore.
Jaikus turned to Reneeke. “What was that?”
Reneeke just shook his head and looked to the place where the bolts and disks had originated. He kept his sword at the ready in the event a new threat materialized.
From out of the dark the clip-clop of a horse’s hooves heralded the approach of their savior. As they neared, the form of an armored man riding a snow-white stead grew to clarity. The man’s armor was shined to an incredible degree; the moonlight reflected off the man’s helm as he approached.
“Much thanks, stranger,” Reneeke said. His sword lowered as the man came into view.
“No thanks are necessary for the destruction of evil’s minions.”
Jaikus grinned at the stranger’s approach and slid his sword into its scabbard. “Your arrival was most fortuitous.”
“Yes,” Reneeke agreed. “We are lucky you just happened by.”
“It was not luck that summoned me here this night,” the man said. He pointed toward the dead creatures, “Rather I was drawn here by the presence of their evil.”
“Well, it matters not what brought you,” Jaikus said. “We are just happy that you are here.”
Reneeke remained unsure about their benefactor but sheathed his sword anyway. After what he had witnessed the stranger do to the beasts, his sword was unlikely to matter should the situation deteriorate.
“My name’s Reneeke. And this is my friend, Jaik.”
The stranger gave a nod. “I am Lord Holleran of the Glorious Knights.”
Jaikus bowed. “Milord.”
“What events brought you two to this place at this time?”
“We were part of a caravan,” Jaikus explained.
Reneeke tried to hush his friend but Jaikus failed to pick up on the signal to keep quiet.
“It was attacked by bandits and we were sent to retrieve an object that had been stolen.”
“Indeed?” the Lord Holleran asked.
“Yes, Milord. Reneeke and I braved the bandit nest that had infested Fort Spindlewynne to retrieve it.” He then bent over and picked up the chest.
Lord Holleran turned to Reneeke. “Truly?”
“Yes. And now we must return it to Master Tuppin with all speed.”
“Well, that is a tale now isn’t it?” His gaze left Reneeke and settled upon the chest. Lips pursing and eyes narrowing, he raised his hand and spoke arcane words. The chest suddenly glowed a deep red.
“Ah, that artifact resonates with the evil of a thousand fell deeds.” Articulating more arcane words, a beam of golden light traveled from his hand to envelope the box. It suddenly rose out of Jaikus’ hands. “It was good that I came along when I did. A relic of such malignancy cannot be allowed to mar the goodness of this world a moment longer.
Jaikus watched in stunned amazement as the chest, still encased in the golden glow, floated through the air and came to rest upon the Lord Holleran’s palm. He produced a white cloth embroidered with silver, arcane symbols and quickly wrapped the chest within it.
“Hey,” Jaikus said. “That’s ours.”
“It belongs to Master Tuppin,” Reneeke added.
“Ah, boys,” Lord Holleran said as he gazed down from the back of his horse. “It truly was fortuitous that I happened by. For had this remained in your possession much longer, its evil would surely have taken you and made you its slave.”
Jaikus just stared at the cloth-wrapped chest. “But, what are we to tell Master Tuppin?”
“The truth. That an avatar of the Glorious Knights took possession of it to rid the world of its evil.”
“Maybe we all should take the chest to Master Tuppin and you can explain that to him?” Reneeke suggested.
“Alas, I cannot,” Lord Holleran replied. “Time is of the essence when dealing with such malignancy. I must return to my Tower and destroy it before the evil has a chance to spread or escape.”
With that, he turned his horse. Then with a nod to Jaikus and Reneeke, galloped away into the night.
“This isn’t right.”
Jaikus glanced to Reneeke. “What isn’t?”
Reneeke gestured to where Lord Holleran disappeared. “Something just doesn’t feel right
.” He paused for a moment. “Have you ever heard of these Glorious Knights?” When Jaikus shook his head, Reneeke replied, “Neither have I.”
“What can we do about it? You saw what he did with those beasts.”
“We gave our word to return the chest.” He turned to Jaikus. “We must hold to our word.”
“But you heard what he said, Rene. The chest is filled with malignant evil.”
“Did you feel any evil when you held it?”
Jaikus shook his head.
“I had it longer than you and I felt nothing, either.”
“Still, you heard what Lord Holleran said.”
Reneeke slowly nodded. “Yes, I heard it all, Jaik.”
“And?”
“And we need to get that chest back.”
“But…” began Jaikus, “he’s a lord and some kind of knight.”
“We gave our word, Jaik. A man doesn’t take much with him through this life. His word is all he has; from birth to grave. And I’ll be damned if I let a stranger tarnish mine.”
He glanced to Jaikus. “Are you up for an Adventure?”
At the word ‘Adventure,’ Jaikus perked up. Giving his friend a grin, he said, “I’m with you.”
“Then let’s go.”
Heading south down the road they ran after Lord Holleran and the chest.
“How can we follow him in the dark?”
“Dawn will be here soon,” Reneeke said. “After that it will be easy.”
Already, the sky to the east was beginning to lighten with the coming of the morn.
As the sky brightened, they ran. When it brightened sufficiently so they could make out the tracks in the dirt of the road, Reneeke pointed out two sets of tracks. Both had been made at a gallop while one set was of a slightly smaller horse than the other.
“One is Lord Holleran,” Reneeke explained. “The other is probably that rider that passed us on our way to the Fort.”
“Which one is which?”
Reneeke bent down and examined them. “Based on the size of Lord Holleran’s horse, I’d say his would be the larger of the two.”
Jaikus nodded. “It was a big horse.”
“That it was.”
Now with tracks to follow, they kept a furious pace as they continued in pursuit.
Two hours later, they found Lord Holleran in all his glory sitting astride his mighty steed. Before him was a wagon driven by a young couple with two small children. It looked like the wagon was loaded with everything the couple owned; a table, dresser, chairs and a sundry of other items.
“What’s he doing?”
Reneeke shook his head. “I don’t know.”
They were still in the hills though they had grown less severe and the abundance of trees and foliage had been much reduced. There wasn’t much cover. Spying a boulder a third of the way toward Lord Holleran, Reneeke said, “We can make it there without being seen.”
Racing along the side of the road where there were at least a few trees, they reached the boulder just as Lord Holleran’s beam of golden light shot from his hand toward the wagon. The couple on the wagon looked mightily distressed and the woman held her two small children close to her breast.
From this distance, they couldn’t make out what was being removed, but it was clear that Lord Holleran had claimed another artifact of evil.
Jaikus pointed to where three trees grew close together nearer to what was happening on the road. “Come on, Rene.” He kept low as he left the cover of the boulder and darted to the trees.
Peering through the trees, they saw Lord Holleran wrap the object in his white cloth with the embroidered symbols. He nodded to the couple and then kicked his horse into a gallop as he continued down the road.
The couple watched him go until he reached where the road curved out of sight behind a hill in the distance. Then after another moment of discussion, the man flicked the reins and they got underway.
Reneeke stepped from the trees, returned to the road and jogged toward the couple.
Upon spying him and Jaikus approaching, the man brought their wagon to a halt. The woman looked warily upon them.
“We don’t have anything,” the man said as they came near.
“Do not fear,” Reneeke said reassuringly. “We have no intention to rob you or cause you harm.”
The look the man gave him indicated he doubted the voracity of his words.
“We wanted to ask you about the man that was just here.”
At that, the woman perked up. “Do you mean Lord Holleran?”
“That’s him.”
“He saved us is what he did,” she said.
Jaikus eyed her questioningly. “Saved you?”
The man nodded. “Little did we know that the vase my grandmother left us held such evil.”
“We have had nothing but ill-fortune these past few years and had no idea that it had been the cause,” she explained. “If not for Lord Holleran, the gods bless him, our ill-fortune might have ruined us completely.”
Patting his wife’s hand, the man said, “Our situation will improve now. I’m certain of it.”
She beamed at him.
“Thank you,” Reneeke said. “I hope your journeys will be safe and prosperous.”
“Yours as well, young man,” she said.
“Good day to you,” the man said then flicked the reins.
After they pulled out and got underway, Reneeke eyed the hill beyond which Lord Holleran had disappeared.
“What are you thinking, Rene?”
He turned to his friend and shook his head. “I don’t know. But there’s only one way to find out.” Breaking into a light run, he continued after Lord Holleran.
Tired and growing weary after all the running and lack of sleep, Jaikus followed.
Reneeke made for the hillside and began to climb. Before reaching the top, he got down to his hands and knees and crept the last few feet. Peering over the top, he saw the road unfold before him for several miles. What he saw made him gasp, then curse.
Wondering what had made him react that way, Jaikus hurried up the rest of the way and laid atop the hill next to him.
Lord Holleran was nowhere in sight. Instead, what they saw, were three small Halflings riding atop two small ponies. The lead pony was bone white and was being ridden by two. The second pony was a shade darker, and ridden by one. Secured behind the lone Halfling were five, cloth-wrapped bundles; one which was the same size and shape as what Lord Holleran had covered the chest.
“What is going on, Rene?”
He just shook his head.
As the two ponies continued down the road, one of the two Halflings riding double suddenly waved his hands in the air and the two ponies vanished and in their place rode Lord Holleran.
“Illusionists!”
Jaikus glanced to his friend. “Then that means Lord Holleran isn’t real.”
Reneeke nodded. “So it would appear, Jaik.”
“Look there, Rene.” From further down the road, a rider appeared coming toward the illusion that was Lord Holleran.
A man dressed in simple leathers approached Lord Holleran and was hailed. Coming to a stop, they began speaking.
“I bet he’s going to ‘save’ this guy from another evil artifact,” Reneeke surmised.
Sure enough, they hadn’t spoken more than a couple words before Lord Holleran raised his hand, the golden beam of light appeared, and something floated away from the rider. Then a few more moments of discussion and Lord Holleran rode off leaving a bewildered rider behind.
They waited until Lord Holleran disappeared in the distance then returned to the road and rushed to the rider.
“What did he take from you?” Reneeke asked.
Surprised by the question, the man said, “A necklace I was going to give to my betrothed. I had no idea that it was plagued by such an evil entity.”
Jaikus snorted. “It wasn’t.”
“What?” the man replied.
“They’re a bu
nch of Halfling Illusionists that create the persona of Lord Holleran so they can take valuables without fear of retribution.”
“Well, I’ll be…” Then anger filled the man’s face. About to turn his horse around and get his necklace back Reneeke laid a hand on the bridal and stopped him.
“They have offensive spells too,” he said. “Saw them take out two creatures with bolts of white light.”
“Could they have been illusions too, Rene?”
He turned to Jaikus and shook his head. “No. Those beasts were real so the power used to defeat them had to have been real.”
The rider eyed them. “I take it you two are in pursuit?”
Jaikus nodded. “Yes. They stole a chest from us, and not long ago a vase from a family.”
“We mean to get them back,” Reneeke added. “We could use your help if you’re game?”
“Game?” the rider spat. “I’m more than a little game. I want vengeance!”
“Well then, let’s work out a plan to get our items back.” He held out his hand. “Name’s Reneeke. This here is my friend, Jaik.”
Taking the hand, the man said, “You can call me Fallon the Quick.”
“Guild member?” Jaikus asked.
The man nodded.
Jaikus’ eyes lit up. “Us, too. We should form a Party.”
Fallon pursed his lips and eyed them a moment. “I doubt if we need to do anything so grandiose. A simple partnership until we have retrieved our items should suffice.”
“Done,” Reneeke said.
“Have you figured out a plan yet?”
Reneeke shook his head. “We just realized what they were and hadn’t given it much thought before we encountered you.”
“We should wait until dark,” Fallon suggested. “These things are always best done in the wee hours of the morning.”
“Follow at a distance,” Jaikus said, “and keep watch on them. Then wait for dark and make our move.”
“Exactly.”
“What are we to do about their magic?” Reneeke asked.
Fallon grinned. “There are ways to deal with magic users. You leave that to me.”
“Come on, Jaik.”
Coming awake, he looked up at where Reneeke stood above him. “Is it time?”
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