Trail of Bones: A Young Adult Fantasy Novel (An Epic Fantasy Adventure For Any Family)

by Chris Salisbury

  “Why?” answered the Warden. The captor watched as Kelor and Magnus executed another series of coordinated attacks. The wolf would run in, snip and bark at the ape and then retreat… all to set up the panther’s attack from the other side. Then it was the cat’s turn, offering noise and distraction for the wolf to leap in and strike.

  Korwin watched. He could see the Ghast Gorilla being outsmarted. Though strong and remarkably resilient, the beast would eventually fall.

  “It’s not fair. He was only supposed to fight Kelor,” said the Storm Elf . Although Korwin had witnessed the tournament fights dozens of times, he actually felt pity for the ape. It reminded him of Rawrf. So much potential… so much wasted, he thought as he waited for a response.

  “Fair? Master Wizard, this is the Trail of Bones. No rules, no mercy. Remember? Let it begin and let it end so. Don’t you agree?”

  The elf nodded. “Though it appears there is much more to the wolf than we thought.”

  “Indeed,” said the Warden, nodding in agreement. An astute observation. He thought. The wolf has been holding out on me! And what of Kelor? I would not have thought the cat would accept the help of another, especially from a wolf. That could pose a problem. With the wolf’s influence, the panther could be more even difficult to control.

  The captor watched as the wolf and the panther dodged, attacked, and fought as a perfect team. Alone they are easy prey… but together…together they would have no equal. Forget the coin, the wolf must go! The cat’s will was nearly broken… ready to submit, ready to obey. Magnus could ruin all that. The wolf must die.

  ****

  “Come on, Magnus. Think of something fast, this isn’t working!” shouted Kelor as Gork’s fist just missed the cat’s head, taking out a swath of turf.

  The panther was right. Though they had kept Gork on the defensive, the creature was more than capable of taking the punishment. All it took was one lucky blow from the gorilla and one of them was done – the beast was still that strong.

  Kelor was growing restless. So were the crowd and the Ghast Gorilla.

  “Boy die. Gork slay wolf pack. Gork kill all stand in his way!” the gorilla boasted, taunting the duo by pounding his chest with his one good arm.

  Love until your heart stops beating… hunt until your prey is in your jaws… Magnus could hear the words of his father echoing in his mind. If you fight, fight with all your strength until your win your enemy’s throat…throat! That’s it, the ape’s throat!

  “Kelor!” shouted Magnus.

  The cat looked over at the wolf.

  “Legs. Go for his legs,” whispered Magnus as he pointed his snout towards the gorilla’s lower limbs.

  “What?” Kelor shot back.

  “Just do it. Trust me,” answered Magnus.

  “You better be right, mutt,” grumbled Kelor under his breath.

  Magnus titled his head back and howled. All eyes in the arena turned to him, even Gork’s.

  After a moment, the Ghast Gorilla turned to find Kelor, but it was too late.

  The cat raced in low and fast and seized the ape’s leg in his jaws. The panther would not let go, not this time. He could feel the gorilla’s muscles tighten as he bit down harder.

  Gork pounded Kelor, trying to rid himself of his enemy.

  Meanwhile, Magnus circled, staring at the Ghast’s throat, waiting for the precise moment to attack. The ape thrashed back and forth as it wrestled with Kelor.

  Come on, Magnus! What are you waiting for? thought Kelor as he could feel his grip beginning to weaken.

  Wait, Magnus, wait. The throat! You must win his throat! Magnus reminded himself as he crouched ready to strike.

  There! Now! With his jaws opened wide, the wolf jumped.

  Gork leaned back, groaning from Kelor’s bite but also revealing his neck and throat. From the corner of his eye he could see the flash of Magnus’s teeth and the black fur of the wolf’s coat. Then the Ghast felt Magnus’s jaws lock onto his neck and rows of teeth sink in.

  The young wolf thought of his friend Adolphus. He thought of his brother Asher. He thought of the villagers of Thornmount. He thought of his pack… and he thought of his friends, Kelor, Navarro and Dox.

  Magnus felt no pain, only a resurgence of strength and vigor. He did not feel anger… or hate… or the desire for vengeance. He felt the love of his friends… both past and present. He felt a sense of purpose.

  Gork gagged as the wolf’s bite crushed the muscles in his neck. Magnus’s jaws constricted the ape’s windpipe, smashing the soft tissue in the gorilla’s throat. He tugged at his foe, but gasped as the last bit of air left his lungs. He gurgled and then dropped to his knees, the wolf still clamped to his throat.

  The Ghast Gorilla’s eyes rolled back in his head as the last bit of life was ushered out of his body.

  Magnus let go when Gork’s body fell to the ground. He panted to catch his breath and looked at Kelor. Unable to stand any longer, the wolf dropped to his belly.

  The panther crawled over and lay next to Magnus. “Go low, huh? Next fight, you go low. See how that feels.”

  The pair laughed, but then simultaneously winced as pain from their numerous wounds rebelled.

  Kelor and Magnus looked up at the crowd. They listened to the cheers and ovations. They had each won many fights, but this was the first time they really felt like victors… they felt like champions.

  CHAPTER 29

  “No!” shouted one of the servants. “I’ll take care of the wolf. The others need your help with Kelor.”

  After each fight the panther had to be corralled. The servants would corner him in one area of the pit or arena and then fasten the poles to his collar. It had become part of the ritual. Kelor remained defiant until he ran out of options; then and only then would he surrender.

  After this bout, however, Kelor didn’t feel like fighting any more. He didn’t growl or hiss when the servants approached. He was too tired and could barely move, let alone walk. The Ghast Gorilla had really punished him, and he was feeling every bit of the abuse. The servants attached their devices without incident.

  “You did good, Magnus,” said Kelor as the posse of servants led him away.

  Magnus felt a bit of jerk on the end of the chain still attached to his collar. A servant, wearing a hood, tugged the wolf to his feet.

  “Come on, mutt, let’s go!” the servant ordered.

  Startled, Magnus looked up into the hood of the shrouded servant. Mutt? Only Kelor calls me that, thought the wolf.

  Navarro smiled down at him and then winked. “We’re gettin’ out of here. Dox is waiting for us back at the tent, and then we’re gone,” whispered the bard as he led Magnus out of the arena.

  Magnus nodded. The bard was right. They had outstayed their welcome. The Warden and the elf would have to find others to participate in their sick games. The moment had come to take a stand.

  ****

  “What are you going to do?” asked Korwin as he and the Warden walked down to the arena floor. The Warden wasn’t paying attention; his mind was elsewhere.

  Most of the crowd had departed save a few stragglers and some of the Warden’s men. The wager tables were closing up and the coin collected. Tear-down was underway around the arena.

  “Did you see what Kelor did tonight?” asked the Warden.

  “Of course. We all did. It was magnificent. A battle that will be long remembered,” responded the Storm Elf.

  “No… after the fight. After he won. He just sat there… he let the handlers lead him away without a challenge.”

  “So?” commented Korwin.

  “He’s only done that once, his first fight, and he hasn’t done it again since. It’s that wolf. Something’s going on between those two. I can feel it,” answered the Warden.

  “You’re overreacting. All is well. You’ll see,” said Korwin.

  The more The Warden thought about the incident, the more agitated he became. “No… Kelor’s all claws and rage. But that wo
lf… you can see he’s figuring things out. He’s clever. He’s trouble.”

  “Shall I meet you in your chambers to divide the night’s take?” Korwin asked.

  The Warden shook his head. “No.”

  He looked at the carcass of the deceased gorilla. Then he peered down the path leading to the tents. Without a word, the Warden turned and walked toward the holding tents.

  “Where are you going?” asked Korwin, annoyed.

  “To get rid of that wolf,” said the Warden.

  ****

  The servants led Kelor right past Dox and to the front of the cat’s cage as they had done on many occasions. But before they could prod the beast to enter, Dox was on his feet.

  The Minotaur grabbed the closest servant and hurled him across the tent, crashing into boxes and crates. Another slave dropped after contact with the beast-man’s powerful swing. Meanwhile Kelor felled another with a quick slash of his claws.

  The last servant ran for the exit, but was met by Navarro and Magnus. The bard dropped the wolf’s leash and pummeled the servant with a right cross, an elbow and a stiff uppercut. The musician clapped the dirt from his hands as he winked at Kelor.

  A little confused, Kelor watched as Navarro pulled the metal spike from his belt and examined the panther’s collar.

  “We’re leaving. Wanna come?” asked Navarro as he detached the poles from Kelor’s collar.

  Dox went to Magnus and removed the wolf’s leash and collar. He stood watch at the tent entrance as Navarro worked on the locking mechanism of the cat’s restraint.

  “Careful. The collar contains a capsule. It’s filled with serpent venom. Very dangerous,” the Minotaur reminded his friend.

  Navarro grimaced as he picked the lock. “Thanks, Dox. Don’t make this any easier.”

  The Minotaur was growing anxious. “We must hurry. It won’t be long before they come looking for the missing servants.”

  “Magnus, would you shut him up? I’ve almost got it,” said Navarro as he moved the spike within the device. He held his breath and jiggled the metal pin until he heard a click.

  Navarro removed a small, glass, capsule with a yellow-green liquid inside. He held it up as Kelor’s collar unhinged, fell from the panther’s neck and clanked to the floor.

  “This it?” the musician asked.

  Dox nodded.

  Kelor shook his whole body, especially his neck and shoulders. “I suppose I’m in your debt, too?” the cat asked.

  “Something like that. But you can tell me how great I am later. We need to go,” said Navarro.

  Navarro and Kelor joined the Minotaur and the wolf at the tent’s entrance and the group moved into the main tent.

  “Kelor, there’s something you should know,” Dox said with total sincerity.

  “Indeed there is!” said the Warden as he drew his sword. Dor’van and Sindas were standing with him, ready to fight. “Guards!” their captor shouted.

  “You mean them?” said Navarro as he kicked at the unconscious bodies of several armed guards. The bard reached down to secure swords in each hand.

  Dox stood at the front of the group, determined to shield Kelor and Magnus from the others.

  “Dox, again I’m disappointed. I thought you would have told Kelor by now,” said the Warden with a sneer.

  “Told me what? What’s he talking about Dox?” asked Kelor.

  “Oh… where to start? How bout this? Your mother, your brothers… they’re still alive,” the Warden taunted.

  “No, that’s not possible. I saw them perish in the flames of the fire beast!” Kelor shouted back.

  “Did you? Are you sure?” asked the Warden as peered over the edge of his blade. “Who do you think unlocked your cage? Was that coincidence? Luck? Or part of the plan?”

  Kelor lurched forward, but Magnus blocked his path.

  “What did you do?” demanded the cat.

  “Oh… it gets better. The bane of Dravenclaw… and The Shales,” the Warden started to say but Kelor roared in opposition.

  “I did not do those things! That was not me!” the cat argued.

  “I know that. But those families perished from a panther just the same. Kai is it? Not real bright, but easy to control. You, on the other hand…” the Warden said dryly.

  The panther hissed. “Where are they? What have you done with them?” shouted the panther. “Dox, where are they?”

  “I do not know. I’m sorry Kelor. I wanted to tell you, but you were not ready to hear such things,” the Minotaur said, refusing to take his eyes from the Warden.

  Navarro noticed a subtle movement from Sindas’ right wrist. The light reflected off the small blade of a throwing knife. The Warden’s stalling! thought the bard.

  “Look out!” shouted Navarro as he flung one of his swords across the room. The weapon spun, blade over hilt, until it struck Sindas, impaling him through the torso. The soldier dropped the knife from his hand and slumped to the ground.

  The room broke into chaos. Dox charged directly at the Warden while a host of guards poured in through several entrances.

  Navarro engaged the incoming guards, dispatching two almost instantly with the lightning quick strokes of his sword.

  Kelor leaped in, tackling two more guards and ripping into them with teeth and claws. But the cat also took a sword to the front shoulder.

  Magnus overcame the attacking guard from behind, bringing him down by the back of the man’s neck.

  The wolf and the panther maneuvered through the tent to engage another group of guards, but they were both in sad shape. Kelor’s wounds were bleeding, and the swelling of his shoulder, back and hind quarters slowed him.

  Magnus looked like the carcass of an animal left on the side of the roadway. His bark was fierce, but his bite had lost much of its strength.

  Dox could hear the wolf yelp in pain and the cat screeching from another blow. “Get out of here!” the Minotaur shouted. He swung at the Warden with a broken board, the only piece of trash he could use as a club.

  “We’re not leaving you, Dox,” said Navarro as he took down another guard.

  Dor’van stood before Navarro. The soldier of Cordale was clad in full armor, and along with his broadsword, he had every advantage over the bard who wore his linen tunic and brandished a short sword.

  The two exchanged attacks, parries, and counter attacks. Dor’van was rested, had his strength and the protection of his armor. Navarro, however, was unencumbered, much quicker, and finely tuned - thanks to his tournament combat skills.

  The musician struck several direct blows, but Dor’van’s armor did its job and absorbed the hits.

  Meanwhile, Dox continued his exchange with the Warden. The beast-man swung, kicked and gored with his horn, but the nimble Warden was too crafty and too skilled to succumb to the Minotaur’s unsophisticated and basic attacks. Each assault resulted in a nick, cut, or gash from the Warden’s narrow rapier blade.

  The captor was tearing Dox apart, piece by piece.

  Magnus watched as Kelor was struck by yet another blow. The cat arched up and slammed the attacker with his paw, tossing the man aside like a rag doll. But the wolf could see the terror and the pain in Kelor’s eyes. The cat was brave, but would be on his way to the afterlife if he sustained any more wounds.

  Navarro continued to press his attack, but Dor’van would not yield. The bard was beginning to tire. He could fight this man all day and still not make a dent. Their swords clashed and brought the men face to face. Dor’van exhaled a deep breath and then spoke.

  “What’s wrong, slave? No match for a real warrior?” Dor’van said and then opened his wide mouth in a derisive laugh.

  Navarro reached down with one hand and pulled the poison capsule from his belt. In one quick move he shoved it into Dor’van’s mouth and then pushed the soldier as hard as he could, cracking the soldier’s jaw with the hilt of his own sword.

  “I’ll let you know when I find one,” said the bard,

  The poison
capsule ruptured as Dor’van reached for his throat. He clutched his neck with both hands as the color in his face drained. The bard watched his enemy drop to the ground.

  The Warden’s guards, slaves, and servants had all fallen. Only Magnus, Kelor, Navarro, Dox and the Warden were still standing – the wolf and panther just barely.

  The group formed a semi-circled around the Warden as he looked for a possible escape route.

  “We each have a reason to end this devil’s life. Who wants the honors?” asked Navarro.

  The bard stepped forward, but as he did so a crack of thunder blasted through the tent and flung Navarro crashing into the far side.

  “You must not let them escape! I need them!” shouted Korwin at the Warden as he held out one of his pudgy hands.

  “Then do something!” shouted the Warden.

  The Storm Elf stepped forward and raised both his arms above his head. “Amin kuva el a’ gortho ar’ tar!” shouted Korwin.

  A cloud of magical, purple-green light and flames encircled the Storm Elf. He dropped to one knee and groaned as his body began to change form. It bubbled and bulged as smoke swirled. He vanished inside the haze.

  After a brief moment, the smoke cleared and a hideous abomination appeared. The creature had the tail and body of a serpent, but the short arms of an elf. His face was a mix of elf and snake, with flaps of skin like a hood of a cobra projecting from his neck.

  “Go!” shouted Dox. “Get out of here!”

  Navarro shook his head as he got back to his feet. “What on all of Illyia…?”

  Magnus and Kelor watched in horror as the snake creature slithered over to Dox. It arched its back and then struck. Korwin’s fangs sunk into his arm, as the creature’s scaled hands wrapped around the Minotaur’s waist.

  “Run! Kelor! Magnus! Run!” screamed the Minotaur as he pulled the creature from his arm.

  “No,” said Kelor.

  Navarro tugged on the fur of the cat’s neck. “We have to go,” the bard urged.

  “Please, Kelor. Now is the moment to run…” pleaded the wolf.

  “No,” said Kelor again, shaking his head.

  “This fight is over, but there will be another,” added Navarro.