Fury of Molith (Fengysha Series Book 2)

by Jordan Cramm

  “I lost my mother too you know,” she started in, “when I was young. She wasn’t murdered like your mother was, but it still hurt. It was the plague that took her. Father could hardly believe it. We had taken her to all the best Cleric healers, but it couldn’t be helped. They said the plague was like nothing they had seen before. It was something out of the forest they said; something new and likely something that was intentionally spread. Eventually after hundreds died of it, the Clerics were able to establish a cure, but of course it was too late for my mother at that point. Rumors spread after that. Some said it was a plague intentionally delivered to wipe out the Elven people. Others said that the royal family was the only target. They figured someone knew my mother’s daily routines, and time alone in the forest was one of them. Others still argued that it was nothing intentional, but an act of nature. To this day, I don’t know if anyone knows the truth for certain. But when it happened, I was sad, I was angry, and I wanted someone or something to blame. I felt rebellious, and I wanted revenge against this mysterious killer—this plague that tore my family apart. But for me there was no villain to be found, no bogeyman to be hunted and destroyed. For me it was a crime with no criminal. In time, I began to feel better. I never forgot of course, but the wound did fade in time. Your situation is different. You will never forget it, and you do have a criminal to take your vengeance upon. But even so, your situation is very similar to mine. I say that because even if I could have avenged my mother, it would not have brought her back. I am confident Mortican will pay one day, for this and so many other crimes to date. If we are lucky, you will deliver that justice. Just don’t let yourself delve so far into such thoughts that you become something dark. The army is here, and we all have things to do. Take some time to think. But also know I am here for you.”

  Wolflen smiled sheepishly and nodded.

  “She really would have loved you. It’s funny, I was thinking about how Ayvock and I used to run through the house playing different games as children. She would chase us around and usually run us off, telling us to get outside to play. Normally not before stuffing food in our hands and mouths though.”

  “Sounds like she was always looking out for you and couldn’t be mad at you for long.”

  “I guess I will never know. My last spoken words to her were not kind. I left in quite a rush.”

  “Wolflen you listen to me right now, and I am going to be as solemn as I can when I say this…what happened was not your fault, and there was no way to know that this would happen. I am sure your mother did not hold whatever words you had against you. Plus, you wrote home remember? So your last words to her might not have been spoken but neither were they angry.”

  “I guess you’re right. Thanks.”

  “Sure, now come on big guy, stand up and kiss me.”

  Wolflen smiled and slowly obliged her. Then as their lips separated and they were standing face to face, she stared into his eyes a moment before whispering.

  “Times such as this put heavy burdens on everyone. You carry this one because only you can be, and only you are the War Mage. This was done because Mortican is scared of what you might become if you are allowed to develop into your potential. Don’t forget that. The fact that he isn’t on this continent right now is also encouraging. But enough talk of this. Why don’t you go find Ayvock and a bottle of something strong to drink.”

  “Thanks m’lady but I can do without. This is definitely not what I wanted this night to be memorable for. I’m sorry it has detracted from our engagement.”

  “Wolflen I am not upset about that. In time, we can share the news. I was slightly surprised that you didn’t mention it to your father earlier. But as for the others, many that I would tell are here already with us, or will be in a couple of days. We can make it public knowledge whenever you want to.”

  “I really should tell Ayvock and my father. They should be the first ones that I tell.” Wolflen added.

  “Well your father is preparing to leave. If you want to tell him soon you might think about doing so now,” Katrina remarked.

  Wolflen nodded.

  “Ride with me again?” Wolflen asked.

  “Always,” Katrina replied, “and forever.”

  She looked at her ring a moment and then back at him with a smile. Then she moved in for another quick kiss before wrapping her arms around him in a bear hug. She told him that despite everything, he still had her, and she told him she had no intention of letting that change. He nodded back at her with a smile and then together they left the tent once more, bound once more for his father’s tent.

  Inside the tent, Shamus was packing by stuffing various items into chests and rucksacks. He was moving quickly, fueled by the anger he now felt toward the situation. When he saw that Wolflen and Katrina had both returned, he merely commented by apologizing and saying that his things for brewing tea were packed and so he would not be able to offer them tea to drink.

  “Father, there is more news from this night…something I didn’t want to mention earlier for obvious reasons. But before we left for Akartha, Katrina and I had dinner together here in the city of Elender, and I asked her to marry me. She said yes.”

  Shamus’ eyes widened and a partial smile came over his face, breaking through the hard etched expression that had been there before it. He looked to Katrina who was nodding her agreement and now showing off her ring hand. Shamus blinked and took a breath, then stepped forward to give her a hug, which she welcomed with open arms.

  “I never got to meet your wife, and I am sorry about that,” Katrina said softly, “but I am glad you are here for this at least.”

  As Shamus stepped back a little, he bowed slightly. He had Katrina’s ring hand in his palm and looked at the ring a moment, commenting that it was quite beautiful. Then he raised her hand toward his lips and kissed the top of her hand.

  “I hope I’m around for the wedding. If not however,” he said, “welcome to the family. Forgive me but it is a somewhat tumultuous time for us.”

  “There’s nothing to forgive Admiral. I love your son very much. I’ll look after him while you are away.”

  “Thank you.”

  Shamus straightened himself and released her hand as he looked back at his son. Wolflen was smiling sheepishly, still not wanting to seem too happy in that moment, still thinking about his mother’s death. Shamus however would not have it any more.

  “Son,” he began, “you put this business about your mother behind you now. That’s weight for me to carry not you. I was her husband, and it was my job to protect her, not yours. You have a fiancé here with us here and now. You protect her now. You keep her safe, and yourself of course. Go…go on and celebrate this news with your friends. I will find you again when I can. But get out there. It’s your time now—the both of you. Princess Katrina you must pass on my warm regards to your father when he arrives. I would stay and greet him upon his arrival but I have some things of my own I must do now. I am sure he will understand. I will leave Captain Nyas here in charge of the rest of the fleet in my stead. He will take up residence in this very tent when I am gone, and I expect he shall follow your orders. But go now…each of you should escape the gloom of this night and go savor it for the good that came of it. Goodbye son.”

  Wolflen gave his goodbye in return and hugged his father. Shamus said he was glad to be leaving with some good news at least, and told them again how happy he was to hear the news of the engagement. Then after packing a few more things, he followed Wolflen and Katrina back out of the tent. Then, Shamus looked up at the clear night sky and took a deep breath before mounting his own horse. He gave one final farewell nod to Wolflen and Katrina, and Wolflen nodded back quietly just before Shamus spurred his horse onward back toward the city, bound for the port.

  “I wouldn’t be able to do this without you. I hope you know that Katrina.”

  She smiled and reached for his hand gently.

  “I wouldn’t want to do this without you,” she replied.<
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  He turned and saw Sespa there waiting for him, so in normal fashion he pulled himself to her back quickly. On the ground, Katrina reached her hand upwards, taking his once more as he pulled her upwards to sit behind him. Such had become so customary that Katrina had not bothered to use a horse of her own normally. Besides, she liked the closeness it gave them. She asked if they were onwards to find Ayvock and Wolflen nodded yes. He told her he was obliged to tell his best friend after all.

  As she wrapped her arms around him Wolflen and Sespa turned, starting off in another direction toward Ayvock’s tent. They were on their way after that to begin spreading the word. As they rode, Katrina admired her ring once more, noticing how it seemed to sparkle even in the moonlight. For a moment she thought about her own mother, as well as Wolflen’s. She thought it funny to have such sad memories and yet be so happy at the same time. It was a strange irony to her. Inwardly she chuckled when she imagined the look on the face of Jakarta once he heard the official news. Of course after that, it wouldn’t be long before her own father arrived and heard the news too.

  Chapter 6: The Voodian Find

  “Get that foggin shield up woman or send us both to the stone for good!” Gorak yelled as he dodged another spear attack meant for his face.

  He swung at the spear, cracking it with his war hammer, and knocking it free from the hands of the Orc wielding it. Fenka slammed into the swarm line with her shield and as they stumbled backwards in the small corridor where they were bottlenecked, Gorak swung his massive hammer again, this time extending over the top of Fenka and her shield, and striking an Orc right on top of its head. There was a bone crunching crackle of a noise, and then he pulled his hammer back toward them before shoving it forward once again, striking another Orc that tried to advance forward. The blow knocked the wind out of the Orc and Gorak yelled for Fenka to advance.

  She held tightly to her shield, gripping the inner handle tightly with her left hand as she side-stepped in the direction that the cavern was going. In her right hand, she gripped a short axe and waited with it tucked close to her person also. At the moment, because of the thin cavern-way, Gorak was on the offensive and told her to simply be the shield. That meant he was swinging his war hammer around her and over the top of her. The slightest miscalculation during a swing could mean she herself would be injured, but she trusted his combat skills and had seen that enough to know that such an outcome was not at all likely to happen.

  She stepped again, slamming into the line of them. Both she and Gorak had stepped over the bodies of fallen Orcs as they went. It was growing darker now though, as they pressed forward. They had torches previously, but needed to drop them in a larger cavern room that was now behind them. The torches still burned, giving them some light still, but pressing forward meant fighting on and veering farther and farther from the light. To his relief though, Gorak could see over the top of the Orcs still ahead of them to the next cavern room beyond, and it seemed to be faintly lit by what he could only guess to be various minerals or gemstones. He was thankful for it.

  His joy over the light ahead was about more than just the light itself however. Already they had killed more than 30 Orcs, and he could tell there was less than that number remaining ahead of them now. It was a tiring task, but that’s what they did as Scouts. At the reckoning of their number, he knew the main force of the Forgotten Ones would not follow the cavern ways they were on now…at least not for what they encountered to that point. Still, he knew the cavern room ahead was the last thing charted on their map, and after that, they would be making initial discoveries. He knew it could get dicey.

  He swung his war hammer again and again until at last there were no more Orcs to swing at. The bodies had left a trail back to the cavern room where they first encountered the Orcs. Gorak slapped Fenka on the shoulder with his right hand and told her that it had been good work. She turned and smiled at him, feeling exhausted herself from being the personal shield for over 300 feet of treading and pushing. The Orcs hadn’t simply back stepped the whole time after all. They had tried advancing the whole time. Now, her legs were tired from digging in and pushing. Her arms were just as tired from holding her shield up, using it to bash and push, and also striking Orcs that fell at their feet with her axe while Gorak would swing his war hammer around her. It was hard work, and both of them were sweating.

  “Go get those torches and bring them in here. I’ll build us a fire and get some meat cooking.”

  Fenka nodded as she took another deep breath. She knew what his plans were. It would be Orc for dinner again. It was gross to think about in a way, but she had to admit she was quite hungry now. And while some people would be completely sickened by the idea of eating Orc, it actually wasn’t that bad. She thought it tasted almost like any other meat if it was cooked properly. Now Goblins on the other hand…yuck. Still, it is protein, and it is energy, just like the Orcs. And we are survivors.

  When she returned with the torches, she noticed that Gorak had already started a small fire using some supplies from his own heavy pack which he deposited on the ground. Fenka knew they would be resting for a bit, and she had no problem with that notion at all. She watched him as he cut some flesh from the Orc body he dragged to the area, and he skewered it, making it ready for the fire. He cut two pieces—a large slab for himself, and a similar portion for Fenka. Then, he sat by the fire on the stone floor and yawned.

  With the torch light with them now too, he looked upwards and at the walls. Then he saw what he was looking for at last. Along the far sidewall, he found the source of the dripping sounds he had been hearing since their battle had stopped. He pointed to it, and Fenka nodded without a word as she shuffled through her own pack for a large canteen. Then after approaching the dripping sound, she found the source, and saw that indeed, water was coming through the rock. It took a few moments to fill the canteen, but then she took a large drink from it, feeling refreshed by the cool water. She then refilled it, and after a short wait doing so, she brought it back to Gorak and handed the canteen to him. He chugged happily as he still held a roasting pole in hand.

  “I think we should camp here a while,” he said, “and pile the Orc dead around us for a barrier between us and the next cavern way. It means dragging these foggin creatures, and some heavy lifting, but we have water here and for now food. Besides, we could both use the rest. That grum just now was exhausting.”

  “Agreed. Maybe next time you can be the foggin shield and I will swing a weapon.”

  “Oh fog it woman. Besides, you make a great shield.”

  “You saying I’m fat?” Fenka asked in a huff.

  “No. I was trying to give you a foggin compliment woman.”

  “Oh,” she recoiled, “well thank you.”

  “Here,” he replied, “eat something anyway. Foggin buggers are gonna be a pain in my arse to move and stack. Best to do so with some foggin food in our guts.”

  “Always so polite…” she remarked sarcastically.

  “What?” he asked cluelessly as he belched after taking a bite and swallowing it.

  After they each ate something, they sat a moment longer, letting their food begin to digest. Gorak wiped his face and then looked back at his partner Fenka.

  “You check out the cavern way ahead at all?” he asked.

  “Nope. Thought we were stopping here a while,” she replied.

  “Ah fog it, I’ll do it. I just want to check up ahead and see what I can see. I don’t want to be surprise attacked by these foggin monsters. Don’t worry, I can handle this alone. I’ll be back momentarily.”

  Fenka just shrugged with indifference. Gorak grumbled, but he gripped his war hammer tightly as he stood. He also grabbed one of the torches that still burned and he began walking through the cave system again. After about 30 feet of walking, he found a large and vast expanse. The room was huge. He could only tell that though because he noticed sunlight coming in from above. Orc escape hole. Wonder where that goes. He saw that the Orc
s had made stone stairs-he guessed the count to be around 100 or more, all leading to the stone ceiling above; to an opening in the world where the Orcs could surface at will.

  “Foggin Orc bastards!” he said to no one in particular.

  Rather than examine the newly discovered cave exit however, he began to check the room. On the ground, he found pieces of armor, some crude weaponry, and even a few trinkets of no particular value. He shook his head, still holding his torch in one hand and his war hammer in the other. As he scanned the room, he noticed it was a dead end, save for one cavern way off to the right. So naturally, he wanted to check it out. He walked slowly toward it, listening for any sounds that might indicate trouble ahead. He walked as quietly as he could when he went, but there was no one but him.

  When he stepped into the cave room beyond, he threw his torch behind him on the ground and yelled out for Fenka. She came running quickly after that, as he repeated his loud calling of her name twice. She rushed toward him, seeing his fallen torch ahead, and at last, nearly crashing into him where he stood. He put his arms up to block her further progress on foot and he grabbed her torch quickly, throwing it to the ground.

  “Don’t get that flame anywhere near it…” Gorak said as he stared out beyond.

  “What is it? Some kind of dark pooled liquid. Looks to be a lot…thousands of gallons at least. Gorak what is that?”

  “You smell it? Sweet smelling ain’t it. Recognize the smell?” he asked.

  “Should I?” she questioned.

  “Woman that there is the stuff Dwarven kingdoms are built on. Don’t you remember our visit to the Catacombs of Gral? Remember the glowing green ooze like substance that lit the whole city?”