by Gene Rager
Ileana lifted her head and squealed “Nathan, I thought they were going to kill you down there, I couldn’t see what you did, but from what I heard it was a sight to be held!”
Nathan finally buckled under Ileana’s weight his bad leg was now crusted over but it hurt badly. Ileana was surprised as they crashed to the floor together with her on top. With a sly smile Ileana started rubbing Nathan’s chest.
“If you wanted to do this while the princess watched all you had to do was ask Nathan.” She giggled.
“Ileana my leg just gave out, could you get off of me please.” Nathan groaned.
“I could make it feel better, or at least make you forget about it for a while.” Ileana nearly sung.
“Oh for the love of the forest would you leave him alone, this rivalry can wait until he is healed and then he can decide who he wants you little archery slut.” Lela growled.
Nathan talking to the Queen was a bad sign no doubt she had told him all about the history between the Sevols and the elves. She had never stood a chance to win his heart! When did she want to do that? Ezra I need to speak to Ezra!
Pushing the emotional torture she was putting herself through to one side Lela decided to focus on Nathan’s leg. The four cuts across his leg were shallow, but would hurt for some time. If the cursed wrist bands had been removed Lela could have healed Nathan’s wounds, but for now they would have to wait on the Sevols to keep their word.
Chapter 30
Nightfall spread its dark cloak across the landscape. The crickets chimed their song of mating into the darkness hoping for a response. The sounds of the forest were alive with the noise of the night’s activities.
Nathan’s leg had become infected from the fight, and yet no one had shown up to release them or even take off the bands that rendered them without magic. The Sevols should have already released Nathan, Lela, and Ileana, but still the night progressed without the sound of their cell door being opened. Finally at dawn, Queen Shina appeared with a small contingent of guards.
“Why have we not been released yet?” Lela snapped.
“I have decided that granting your freedom is not an option that the Sevols can afford.” The Queen said flatly.
“You said that if Nathan survived the fight without his magic you would set us free! Why have you disgraced your honor by not upholding your end of the bargain?” Lela demanded as her grip on the bars tightened.
“The Dark Queen wants this young mage for whatever reason, and he is our way to be left alone by her dark highness.”
“Do you really think my father will allow you to turn me over to the Dark Queen? They are our enemy, the soul reason that your race was created was to fight her and win! When my father finds out about your treachery do you think there will be any place in all of Orlon that you will be able to hide from his wrath?”
The Queen only smiled. A small twig was clutched in her hand. The little stick seemed to have a magic all to its self. The Queen gave a quick nod and two of the heavily muscled Sevols walked forward. The cell door was quickly opened and both Lela and Ileana were pulled from the cell. Nathan’s leg had become so inflamed from the infection that the scratches had produced that it was useless for him to stand.
“You two will be given a chance to survive one of the elves oldest traps. By the time you are clear of it our village will have moved and the young mage will be on his way to the Dark Queen’s realm. If he survives the trip the Dark Queen will have a new plaything to occupy her time instead of looking for us.”
Lela and Ileana were taken to what looked like the remains of an old castle in Cravenwood. The massive edifice was battle scarred and falling down obviously time had not been kind to the aging building.
The battlements were in ruin, but some of the walls still looked strong enough to hold people inside if the exits where blocked. The wind whistled through the vacant rooms as if the building was trying to fill the rooms that once held vibrant life with anything that could fill them.
Shina walked to the first opening, and with a quick wave of the twig caused a mesh of roots to spring from the ground closing the opening. She did this three more times before coming to the final opening, here she lingered as if deciding some monumental decision…
“Cast them both in!” Shina screeched.
Lela and Ileana’s flew through the air only to land inside the death trap. The root mesh sprung up before either woman could escape through the last opened door way. With a slight grin Shina looked at both of the trapped women revealing in what was to come.
“All you have to do is fight your way out of the old fortress; however its current occupants might want you to stay for dinner.” With a slight chuckle the Queen of the Sevols turned and walked into the forest.
At first they heard nothing then a slight scraping sound. Ileana pressed close to Lela the Sevol had taken her bow and left her completely blind and Lela still had her band on rendering her magic useless. The Sevols had thought this out well. If neither of them survived this ordeal the elves might eventually find their remains and figure they took shelter in the fortress and was killed by whatever was making the scraping noise. Nathan would be shipped off to the Dark Queen never to be heard from again!
The scraping was getting louder Ileana leaned in to Lela.
“It walks on two legs with talons on each foot and it sounds big Lela. Do you have any weapons on you?”
“No, they got every last one while I was unconscious, but it’s okay I have my scout training. We might be able to make some weapons that will slow it down a bit or hurt it enough that it might not try to kill us right away.”
Quietly the two worked their way onto one of the battlements that was on the second story of the old fortress. From this vantage point the two lay in wait for the creature to emerge so they would know what they were dealing with.
The morning light danced off the blue green scales the creature called its skin. The head was shaped like a diamond with reptilian eyes; its forked tongue sampled the air trying to locate its prey.
Lela’s heart sank it was a sesquech. These creatures where known to take arrows to their chests and still not fall. The scales were tougher than the best made armor, their venom was so deadly that a drop on the skin could kill in seconds, but the worst part about these vile creatures was the fact they never hunted alone there would be no less than four of them hunting Ileana and her.
“Lela what do you see? What are they?” Ileana whispered.
“They are sesquech; we are trapped in a fortress infested with sesquech.”
Ileana went pale she knew of these things, and the only way to kill them was to set them on fire, but they had no magic and no way to make a fire.
Queen Shina returned before Nathan without so much as a nod she summoned her royal vanguard to her side.
“Take this one to the Dark Queen in the morning, and tell her he is our tribute to her to keep the Sevol out of her war.”
“What have you done with Lela and Ileana?” Nathan demanded.
“Do not concern yourself with them, they are more than likely dead by now.” Shina said flatly.
“You uncaring, filthy, flea bag, if it is the last thing I do I will make you suffer for this!”
“I hardly imagine the Dark Queen will allow you to see the next sunrise, so enjoy living while you can.” Shina purred.
Nathan’s leg ached with the infection from the scratches, so running was not an option; however he might be able to make his transport as difficult as possible for his kidnappers.
Slowly he formulated a plan for his escape, and possibly revenge for the lives of his two friends.
The food Nathan received was in a simple clay bowl, this was not much to work with. Even if he managed to make a sharp object out of the bowl he doubted it would make much of a difference to the cat like reflexes of his guards. However the clay might be sharp enough to shape a stick into a shiv of some sort. The time had come Nathan snatched up his clay bowl and slammed it into the di
rt floor of his cell. The bowl shattered as predicted the guards entered into the cell to retrieve the make shift weapon. Nathan lunged at one of the guards trying to grapple the beast that was twice his size. The guard easily threw Nathan against the wall where he landed in a heap. The bowl fragments were cleared and accounted for, and Nathan smiled, it had worked! In Nathan’s hand was the cell key that he had lifted off the guard that had thrown him. It wouldn’t be long before the guards changed, and the night guard always fell asleep about twenty minutes after he was left alone, all Nathan had to do was wait.
The Sesquech had proven to be an avid hunter; no matter where Lela and Ileana hid it would eventually circle around to them. It was as if the horrid thing could smell them! It would linger at their last hiding spot for a few minutes its long forked tongue flicking in and out of its fanged mouth. The thing had flushed them from some of the best hiding spots in the fortress. Lela sat down in the latest spot thinking about how it had found them. It wasn’t like a howler; they had waded through a small water way to hide in the dungeon area only to be ferreted out by the nightmarish creature. The water in the dungeon had come from a crack in the wall, but not one large enough to get a body through.
They had yet to see the rest of the thing’s brood, but that did not mean they were not looking for her and Ileana as well! The second hiding spot was high in the battlements; unfortunately there was no way to get to the ground from the tall ridges. It could not be tracking them by scent the hiding spots would have not allowed that, then how was it tracking them? Like a flash Lela realized what it did at each spot its tongue tasted the air! It was not scenting the air; it had to be looking for body heat! It explained why it found them in the dungeon the water had been cold, and the night air was cool! That had to be it! So now that Lela knew how it found them all she had to do was use the information to her advantage, but how? Slowly she lowered herself beside Ileana.
“It is tracking us using our body heat; we need to mask our heat. Either we need to build a fire so large we can hid near it or we need to blend into the stone somehow.” Lela said.
“Have you seen any wood on the ground since we have been sealed in here?”
“No, only the seals the Sevol Queen used to lock us in with. The seals are probably protected by magic that would not burn even if we wanted them to.” Lela’s hands tightened into fists this was hopeless! They were running out of hiding spots and it had been hours since they had slept. A thought occurred to her.
“Ileana let’s go back to one of the seals and find out if it is enchanted or not, maybe we can use it to our advantage.”
The seal of roots still blocked the exit out of the fortress, but maybe Lela could cut a root free and they could slip through the makeshift door. There was not a stick of wood to be found, however rocks were plentiful. Lela found a rock that was shaped close enough to an ax head and began to chip away at one of the roots. It was working! Why had she not thought of this before? With her progress showing a possible escape she began cutting through the root faster. The root cut clean in half, Lela pulled the root from the mesh only to watch in horror as a new root shot from the ground to replace the one she had just cut off. Lela cursed the foul magic that had locked them in with the sesquech. Looking around she did not see the sesquech anywhere, with renewed vigor she cut a different root with the same result, another root shot up in the missing root’s place. Grimly Lela cut five more roots, gathered them in her arms and went back to Ileana in the newest hiding place.
“They grow back as soon as I cut them down, but we have wood now.”
“That is great, what are you planning to do with it? Because you know as well as I do we will never get a spear or arrow past the scales on the sesquech.” Ileana’s tone was quiet even subdued as if she had given up.
“Ileana I need you now, we do not have the luxury of giving up! Nathan is still a captive, and they are going to hand him over to the Dark Queen! So snap out of it!” The last was said as Lela’s hand slapped Ileana.
“Ouch, hey did anyone ever tell you, you like to hit a lot!”
Grinning Lela answered “The Arch Duke of the Lower Forest might have mentioned it in passing once or twice.”
The roots where dry from being exposed most of the day, but they were hardened from the magic. They would build a small fire to draw the sesquech and then and then what? Lela began to look around the fortress. All the thing was made of was stone, that was it! They would lure the monster in with the fire and topple one of the battlement over on it. Even if it didn’t kill the thing it might give them enough time to escape somehow.
“Lela, its coming.” Ileana whispered.
The thing was getting quieter than before, it must have realized that the prey was able to hide from it so adjustments to its hunting style had to be made. This caused Lela’s spirit to dampen a little. She wouldn’t have time to set up this trap. They had to find a new hiding spot, and quickly! Lela scooped up the roots to get ready to turn and run with Ileana’s hand in her free hand. They slipped from their hiding spot back into the battlements. Maybe they could climb down using the roots; each one was about five foot long. It might work.
The breeze blew through the battlements send shivers through Lela and Ileana. Lela had chosen the area because it looked as if this was the downfall of the fortress. The battlement wasn’t as high and if she could lash the roots together she might make a pole they could slide down to the ground on the other side of the fortress. Quickly Lela pulled strips off her shirt until the shirt was just a band of material around her breasts. The strips bound the roots tightly. The pole was long enough to reach the ground. Now came the moment of truth. To find out if the pole would hold or not, slowly Lela lowered the pole to the ground it was holding! Now came the hardest part.
“Ileana you have to slide down the pole to the ground. I know it will be difficult, but you have to do it! Okay are you ready?” Lela turned around to find she was talking to thin air, Ileana was gone.
Nathan’s time had come he had quietly escaped his prison while the guard dreamt of whatever the Sevol dream of. The girls where dead and he needed to avenge them. He had to get the stupid bracelet off, or find another way to get the Sevol back for killing his friends. This wasn’t like the movies no convenient stores of gun powder or gasoline to ignite and blow up the village. If he wanted to burn the place he had to get the bracelet off. Nathan quietly went into the forest and started looking for something to pry off the infernal piece of jewelry off.
If he only had their packs, he could get out the knife and cut the bracelet off. Their packs, the Sevols might have brought the packs with them. He had to find the storage hut, there might be something useful in there.
The village was dark and shadows played in every corner. Concealed in the shadows was Nathan the supply hut was guarded by two guards. Nathan sat watching the two brutish Sevol leaning on their spears sleeping. If only he had the stupid band off, he could cause a distraction or something. In a huff Nathan crept back into the forest. Nathan circled in the shadows when he heard a quiet rustling behind him. He turned ready to sucker punch whoever it was. Lela broke into his hiding spot in the bushes and let out a quiet squeal. Nathan couldn’t help himself he grabbed Lela and kissed her.
“I thought you were dead, they said you were dead!” Nathan said through teary eyes.
“It got Ileana.” Lela said through tears of her own.
“What, what got Ileana Lela?”
“A sesquech, it is a horrible serpent like creature that walks on two legs. Its venom kills on contact with the skin. She was right behind me, I started to lash together the roots to make a pole to get down the other side of the fortress, and turned back to talk to her and… and she was gone. I looked for her, she was nowhere to be found, I thought that maybe she had fallen, but there was no body anywhere. I am so sorry Nathan Ileana is dead, and it is my fault.”
“No, stop that after we get these stupid bracelets off we will get our packs and her bow and
go back and rescue her or avenge her death!” Nathan said with clenched fists.
The Sevol were responsible for this! He would make them pay for this treachery! He would get the stupid bracelet off one way or the other and burn the Sevol village to the ground and the forest around it! He would march to the Dark Queen’s castle and burn it to the ground as well he would turn this entire world into a ball of glass until these stupid barbaric people learned to leave him and his friends alone.
Lela saw the color drain from Nathan’s eyes. Oh Goddess of the Forest he was trying to use his magic while bound it would destroy him before the bracelet! A slight stirring of wind caught both Lela and Nathan’s attention. Before them stood a skinny old man with long arms and a long nose. The old man looked like a stretched version of the lawn gnomes you sometimes found in peoples yards. The old man waved a long finger in front of Nathan, and motioned to them both to follow him away from the village.
Once the three were out of ear shot of any of the Sevol guards the elongated gnome spoke.
“I am sorry to break in on your thoughts of burning the world to ash, but I live here and would hate to have to move. I’m kind of set in my own ways.” He said with a grin.
“You can read minds?” Lela asked cautiously.
“Not really, but your young friend there is broadcasting enough negative thoughts that I can get the general idea of what he is planning on doing. Now first off my name is Twill Leafton, I live here in what is left of this forest. You Elves made one big mess of things with that spell you cast all those years ago.” He said with an accusatory finger shaking at Lela. “Made the forest almost completely uninhabitable for us tree folk. Most of my kind left, only a few of our kind remained to try to tough it out.” The sadness touched Nathan enough the rage subsided and the color flooded back to his eyes.
“That’s more like it young man. Now first off, instead of burning everything down I suggest you get your things and go back to the fortress and get your friend. The Sevol have already sent a messenger to the Dark Queen telling her that they have you. What do you think will happen when the Sevol fail to hand you over to her royal highness?” Twill said with an impish grin.