Ynob thought about it, but simply dismissed the question. Snow ran to a back door to peep out.
“Oh no.” The words sounded like a death sentence from Ra’na. She turned back toward the group. “This is Kerlick’s bunch.”
“Kerlick?” Gantha gasped as he ran for cover. Fret and Ynob watched him cower behind an armchair. Jesset awoke from the commotion.
“What’s going on?”
“Um, we are under attack,” Ra’na said, and glanced out the window again.
“Oh, and I thought I was going to miss something.” Jesset pulled himself up groaning. He slowly moved his way over to the fireplace. Fret watched him.
Snow came back in from the kitchen. “There’s at least two I can see around the back. They look like they are ready to attack.”
Fret crept near Jesset, who appeared to be talking to the fireplace.
Ynob started muttering things as well. After he finished, they heard a yelp from outside. Eyes turned to look at the wizard. “Fire shield. Guess one of them got too close.”
“Well now they know we know. Thanks a lot,” Snow said as she crept to Ra’na’s window. One of the intruders had flames coming from his arm. The fire sizzled out as he plunged his arm in the rain barrel.
Fret stared at Jesset, who realized the boy was there. “What are you doing?”
“There are a few bats in the chimney that are sleeping. I am seeing if they will scout for us,” Jesset said a bit annoyed. “They are proving to be sound sleepers.”
“We could light a fire and get them a little more motivated.” Fret tried to offer help. Jesset looked at him, his expression unreadable.
“You know what? That may just work.” Jesset quickly grabbed some wood from the pile. Fret was glad to help.
Ra’na addressed the room. “What should we do? Attack? Retreat?” Her eyes focused on the wizard. Ynob just stared back and gave a hands-up gesture. Gantha still lurked behind the chair.
“What do you think they want?” Snow asked.
“Me of course!” Gantha poked his head up from the chair.
“Huh?” It came from Ra’na and Snow. Even the wizard seemed perplexed at this.
“Um, I saw Da’Lynn kill the council. She probably has it out for me,” Gantha exclaimed and then ducked his head back down.
“My mother killed the council?”
“Later. Ynob saw that too, so they are probably here for him as well.” Snow nodded at the wizard.
This statement took a moment to register. The wizard quickly ran for cover as well, screaming, “I’m too young to die!”
Ra’na and Snow looked at each other. Both mouthed the same phrase to each other. Stupid men. They turned and looked out the window.
A small fire began to burn in the fireplace. As the first hints of smoke drifted upward, the bats awoke. Jesset smothered out the flames quickly and did his best to get the bats’ attention.
Fret watched the old man, amazed at his ability to talk to animals.
“Damn…all that work and they are being stubborn,” Jesset said, sitting back rubbing his neck.
“Can’t you just command them to do so?”
Jesset shook his head. “Not my talent. I knew a Mordock who could suggest something, and creatures and animals would obey. But I can only talk to them.”
“Koelic…” Fret said, as the memory of the bear cub came flashing back. He wondered if the man was still alive or not.
A loud bang sounded from the room. All looked up as it came again. “Are they coming in from the roof?” Snow asked as another thud came from above. After the next hard knock, bits of wood trickled down from the ceiling.
“Wizard, I thought you protected us with a fire shield or something?” Ra’na said angrily. Ynob looked up from his hiding spot.
“Yes I did, but I only enchanted the walls.”
“You idiot!”
“Hey, how was I supposed to know that they would come in through the roof?” Ynob stood.
A small hole appeared above. “What kind of weapons do you have?” Ra’na looked to Snow, who simply answered with a shake of her head.
“You’re a wizard; can’t you just blast them or something?” Fret asked.
Ynob looked at him, annoyed and irritated. “I don’t go just blasting people. One wrong spell and we could all be in trouble.”
“Well, we are all in trouble right now, so you better think of something,” Ra’na said through another shower of wood from above. The hole was now big enough to fit an arm.
All eyes stared up and then back to Ynob. “All right.” And the man sulked to beneath the hole. He muttered something and waved his hands. A shot of bright light soared through the opening like an arrow. On the roof, someone screamed, lost balance, and tumbled off the roof. He met Fret’s amazed look.
“I call that an eye opener.” Then the magician laced his fingers together and stretched them outward.
Snow stepped up to him and punched him in the shoulder. “Show off. Now if we are done, we need to get out of here.” Ynob rubbed his arm, his pride bruised.
Ra’na had been looking out the window. “I think they all went around back to help whoever fell.”
At those words, Gantha decided to make a break for it. He stood and ran toward the front door. Opening it, he was ready to dash out, but someone blocked his path. Kerlick stood there. Before anyone could react, he raised and pointed a crossbow at the warlock.
THUNK!
But instead of piercing the magic man, the bolt bounced off an invisible shield and onto the floor. Gantha staggered back and fell over. Snow screamed. Ra’na was the only one to ready to attack.
She hurled herself at Kerlick. Dropping the crossbow, Kerlick retrieved a dagger. He slashed out, catching her in the arm—a bit early—not stopping the assualt at all. Ra’na tackled him.
Ynob started another spell when the window broke. A log burst through and tumbled along the ground. Fret jumped back and ran behind the table that held the tomes and the ring. He noticed that Jesset still stood rooted to the spot.
“Jesset! Over here.”
Ra’na and Kerlick wrestled on the floor. Gantha crab walked backward, away from the scuffle, until he hit the log. Looking in the broken window was another rebel. He used a sword to knock out the rest of the glass.
Snow bumped into Ynob mid-spell. He cursed and began again. Snow continued on to the kitchen after a brief apology.
BOOM!
The thug, who had been at the window, disappeared. The window itself had vaporized. The wall with the window destroyed. A huge hole appeared in the side of the house. Snow ran from the kitchen, holding an iron skillet over her head. She slowed as she saw the hole, staring dumbfounded.
“What…” Snow muttered.
“You distracted me so I couldn’t be that precise.” Ynob complained.
Two new rebels appeared in the new opening.
Snow ran at them wielding her skillet. Luckily, the men looked confused, and she was able to whack one in the face. The other deflected her next blow. Ra’na stood to help, but Kerlick came at her with a knife. The blade penetrated her side.
With a cry of pain, she drove her elbow back into the elf’s chest. She then turned and delivered an uppercut to his face. The wound looked like it hurt with every movement, but fortunately it was not fatal.
The wizard began with another spell, but with Snow in the way, he held off. The Werehare struggled with the opponent, losing her skillet in the process. Jesset and Fret wanted to help, but weren’t sure what they could do. Unknowingly, Fret picked up the ring.
“Snow, rabbit!” Ynob yelled. She understood and quickly changed form. SHUNK! Quickly the animal dashed out the new doorway as a bolt of electricity sizzled overhead. The bandit, surprised by the hare, only had a second before the electrical charge dropped him to the ground.
Ra’na ran out the door, kicking Kerlick again as she went. Ynob made a motion to the two behind the table to go. Jesset didn’t need another invitation, and quickly ra
n. A commotion in the kitchen drew Fret’s attention.
“Go, boy!” Ynob yelled as he turned toward the kitchen. Another elf had made it through the back door. This one held a bow, cocked and ready to fire. The wizard began muttering.
Both the spell and the arrow launched at the same time. A fireball hurtled at the rebel, and an arrow with a wicked head sliced through the frames toward the warlock. The fireball hit first. A scream covered up the arrow’s entry.
As he ran forward, Fret put on the ring absentmindedly. The arrow had struck a little lower than the shoulder. Pain and shock etched Ynob’s face. Fret came up, ready to help, but not sure what to do. Fire raged in the kitchen, the fireball having caught the house on fire as the elf thrashed about.
The magician stumbled forward, and Fret reached out to steady him. Fret’s hand accidentally brushed against the wound and Ynob cried out. “No. Get the books.”
Quickly the boy ran to the table. Smoke billowed from the kitchen. Fret paused, looking at the darkness filling the ceiling.
“Boy! Quickly!” Ynob said with a cough. He was making his way toward the opening that used to be a window. Fret stacked what books he could carry and waddled to the doorway. He was to the door when he heard the wizard fall.
With one heave, he threw the books outside and ducked under the increasing smoke toward the fallen man. He had fallen forward, pushing the arrow in further and breaking the shaft. Fret tried to lift him up, but realized that wouldn’t work. Flipping the man to his back, Fret grabbed under the arms and dragged him out.
Even though they had been close to the opening, the rescue seemed like it took hours. Fret gulped in some smoke and began to cough as they reached the outside. He gave one last pull and stumbled outside. His lungs burned as he collapsed onto the forest floor.
Chapter Twelve
Kara spent most of the night trying to call out to Warren, but the brownie wasn’t speaking. Melina had left him out of his cage before she stormed off. Even through all her coaxing, she eventually heard Warren’s door click closed beside her.
“I don’t get it. You’re free.” Kara kept the one sided conversation up, not knowing what else to do. “If I were outside this prison, I would run off, find my friends…” But with that thought, her words dropped. They were probably worried sick.
The cave echoed strange sounds, some coming from farther inside, while others had to be outside. Kara let the depression in, losing hope quickly now. Why had her life turned upside down? Tears came to her eyes. At first she fought them, but just as she had no control of her situation, she gave up the battle and let her tears come. She wept softly to herself.
Click.
Kara almost missed the noise of the lock turning. She stared up from her tear-stained palms, not seeing much before her.
“Warren?” The door opened. She waited, not knowing if this was a trick or an escape attempt. After a haunting silence, Kara unfolded herself from her confinement. Everything was black—and without being able to see—she awkwardly got to her feet. Muscles ached as she stretched within the confines of the cramped metal box.
Without losing her bearings, she shuffled her feet in the direction she remembered as the exit. Very methodically, Kara slid one foot forward, and then the next, making progress. As the path started to rise, she could make out shapes of rocks in the darkness. In a few feet more, the shapes took on an outline, faint, but it allowed Kara to see a turn coming up.
Torchlight filtered in from another bend. She heard voices, muffled. Now that she could see better, Kara lifted her feet to walk, trying to be quiet. Each step brought her into the firelight a bit more, until she could peek around the corner.
Two ugly creatures sat right inside looking out. Kara recognized one of them as Melina’s helper. She crept back into the shadows.
“How am I going to get around them?” She whispered to herself.
“Orcs are easily distracted.”
The reply came from her dress pocket. She looked down, and Warren stood there.
“Warren!” Her voice became excited but she did her best to muffle it. Warren looked up at her. She waited for the brownie to say something, but he didn’t. “Did you unlock my door?”
“Obviously.” It was his deadpan tone again, drenched in depression. Kara waited for more, but the brownie remained silent.
Her mind flipped back to the orcs, and worked on ways to distract the hideous beasts. Around her feet were loose rocks. I could throw this over their heads…but that wouldn’t be enough to distract them both for long.
“Are we going?”
Kara squatted and picked up several. The distraction was worth a try. She picked a good-sized one and did a mock throw.
“Now if you could just throw it,” Warren muttered as he watched her.
One, two, three! And she threw the stone. From her calculations, it seemed that the rock would soar over the orcs’ heads and then into the far bushes. But that was not the case. Kara’s descended too quickly and hit one of the orcs on the side of the head. It let out a yelp.
“Why you hit me?” the Orc guard turned to his companion, poking him. The other guard looked confused and angered by the poke.
“I not hit you. Don’t poke.” And he gave a bigger poke back to the one Kara had hit. In a matter of minutes, the two guards were brawling with each other so much that they didn’t notice the girl sneak out of the cave. Even after the orcs had resolved their differences, it took them a moment to realize that one of their torches was gone.
“Did you take my torch?” One guard said with a poke. And soon the scuffle started all over again.
Kara snuck off into the night, assured no one followed.
***
As easy as it had been to ride away from it all, once he hit the Territories, it was a different story. Taylon rode west, finding a path through which the horse could easily move. He avoided the east, since that was where the fire had been. The scouting party said Kara was probably in the east, but the former captain hoped that maybe the wizard or shape shifter friends were in the west.
After the rain let up, night swiftly followed. The trail he took was a sinuous route that ended up back at the wall several times. In some places, he had to dismount and walk his horse because of fallen trees or dense overhang.
Taylon tried to avoid any caves or houses, not wanting to entangle himself with the locals. His objective was fading, as it appeared he was getting lost. Light dwindled, which made things even more difficult. And when night really took over, the howls began.
His horse became skittish as it carried him along an overgrown path. It didn’t want to go any farther, but Taylon urged it on. Maybe he should stop at a dwelling. Build a fire. But each curve only brought more forest.
It was on a straightaway that the wolves attacked. He thought he had seen eyes in the forest, what little light bounced back from them. Two leapt from the woods onto the path. Instantly his horse freaked, knowing the smell of danger. He looked behind, as another wolf attacked the rear quarter of his mount.
Taylon was bucked off as the mare reared from the pain. As he fell, he saw the two aggressive animals race in from another direction for the kill. The captain landed on the back of the first attacker, crippling it with his weight. It turned to snap at him. Instincts and training ran through his head as his hand reached for his sword. Jaws clamped down on his hand quickly but released as they struck out again on his arm.
As he rolled to his feet, the wounded animal still ferociously nipped at Taylon. The weapon felt heavy in his wounded hand, but he used all his might to drive it through its skull.
Yipe!
The animal was dead, but the other two looked in his direction, alerted to the danger. Taylon left his sword and ran. His horse fell, giving a final cry, but there was no going back. Something still chased him.
He jumped into the brush, off the path hoping to find something. Seconds after him was another hungry dog or maybe two. Ahead he made out a low branch. Up, climb u
p! Wolves can’t climb.
Taylon hadn’t climbed a tree since his youth. The first limb gave him trouble. As he grabbed for the second, a wolf latched onto his heel with its teeth. The captain held on in desperation, his fingers barely finding purchase. He kicked out with his free leg and was able to nail the predator somewhere fleshy. It gave a pain-filled cry.
Taylon clung to a limb. Lire wolves snapped at the bottom of the large tree. He dripped blood that taunted them as they circled, trying to find a route to their prey.
Taylon huddled in his perch all night. The Lire wolves had not given up the hunt. Cold slowly seeped into his body. His leg stung and felt swollen. His hand could barely stand the pressure of use. The pain and the predicament broke his spirit. If Euphoria could see him now….
Inside his head, the imaginary queen laughed her wicked cackle. His Rose stood next to her, eyes full of tears. But as he looked on, he saw that she, too, was laughing.
I never really loved you Taylon, yelled the fake Rose as she pointed. Euphoria joined in with the taunting.
Look at the captain now, stuck in a tree. Kreitan would be ashamed to call you his second.
Taylon screamed out in rage. As his anger rang out in song, his heart became empty, lonely. Atop the tree, he cried.
***
Fret came to, the smell of apples in the air. It reminded him of Smead when the fruit trees were ripe, and a warm breeze carried the scent for miles. But as his eyes cracked open, he saw the Dwarc staring at him.
“Ahhh!”
“The boy’s coming ’round,” Hambone cried out to someone.
As he took his first conscious breath, Fret’s lungs coughed with the cry. It tasted of smoke. Hambone’s face was back filling his view. “I’m…okay.”
“He says he is okay,” Hambone repeated to the group. Someone shooed the Dwarc away. One more cough snuck out of him as he tried to sit up.
As he opened his eyes again, Fret let out a quick gasp. Before him, where the Dwarc’s face had been, was a gorgeous blonde creature. Fret’s brain said creature because she had ram horns coming from her head.
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